non-trad reapplicant, activist criminal record, 37 MCAT 3.47 cGPA

[toast]

I'm trying to to apply extremely broadly! I have already sent the primary to the schools listed below but I am looking to add a couple more schools . I'm looking for advice on schools that favor MCAT over GPA, like non-traditional applicants and won't be scared of my activist criminal record/obvious political views. Also I'm gay, so please no Loma Linda!

white, CA, non-trad (graduated in 2007)
3.47 cGPA, 3.41 sGPA (4.0 in post bac classes but I only took 3)
37 MCAT

ECs
-Research: Years of microbiology research experience, multiple posters and publications (including a Cell paper), co-first author paper in review, more paper in preparation.

Clinical:
100+ hours of ED volunteering(5+/week ongoing) , 100 hours in a primary care/women's clinic, 150 hours physical therapy program for disabled children

Non-clinical:
HIV prevention volunteering: 500+ hours HIV prevention outreach, education, and needle exchange

lots of non-clinical volunteering, including leadership in post-hurricane Katrina rebuilding efforts

more community organizing/political volunteering... including getting arrested protesting the negative health effects of the coal industry and pleading guilty to misdemeanor trespassing
--------


Schools:
Albany
Albert Einstein
Arizona-Phoenix
Arizona-Tuscon
Boston U
Brown
Chicago Medical School at Rosamund Franklin
Commonwealth
Cooper
Creighton
Dartmouth (Geisel)
Drexel
Eastern Virginia
Hofstra
Indiana University
Jefferson
Loyola-Stritch
New York Medical
Oakland
Quinnipac
Rochester
Rush
SLU
Temple
Tufts
Tulane
UCD
UCI
UCLA-Drew
UCLA-PRIME
UCLA-SOM
UCR
UCSD
UCSF
University of Southern Carolina
Vermont
Virginia Commonwealth
Virginia Tech Carilion
Wake Forest
Western Michigan
Medical College of Wisconsin
U of Wisconsin
Wright State (Boonshoft)

last time (2013/2014 cycle) I wanted to apply DO but was already very late with my MD applications and never did. I'm also going apply DO but haven't made a school list yet for that.

Thanks!

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[bahhumbug1]

You sound like an awesome person and you're experiences make me wish I knew you in person.
As for your schools if you've already applied to all of these I think 43 schools is plenty enough. You have a phenomenal MCAT and your GPA although lower than medical school averages is not too low that your MCAT and activities couldn't compensate some. I would recommend DO with your GPA but am not sure of many DO schools. I definitely think you have a shot for some of the schools on your list, I would have recommended taking off some of the reaches as well as low yields like Brown but otherwise good luck bud

 

[Goro]

Despite the < avg GPA, that MCAT is nothing to sneeze at, and in your case, I think your ECs do count for something. Co-author ona Cell paper???? This is something even many PIs can only dream of! Therefore, aim high.

I suggest:
Albany
Albert Einstein
Arizona-Phoenix
Arizona-Tuscon
Boston U
Chicago Medical School at Rosamund Franklin
Commonwealth
Cooper
Creighton
Hofstra
Jefferson
Loyola-Stritch
New York Medical
Quinnipac
Rochester
Rush
SLU
Temple
Tulane
UCD
UCI
UCLA-SOM
UCR (only if you're from the Inland Empire)
UCSD
UCSF
Stanford (yes, Stanford!)
University of Southern Carolina
Vermont
Medical College of Wisconsin

For DO schools, start with Western and Touro-CA. Do NOT even think about LUCOM!

 

[GrapesofRath]

IF you are a re-applicant who got shut out the first time completely with your qualifications that criminal history might be a bigger red flag than you think

 

[Stagg737]

It would be very helpful to know what has changed about your application since the last time you applied. It could make a very significant difference in your chances of acceptance.

 

[Banco]

You wanna apply as broadly as possible, and to a lot of schools. With your research background I would throw in some schools that value it highly (Case, Duke, Stanford, Pitt, and much of the top 20).

 

[deleted480308]

How long ago/what type was the crime? And have someone who doesn't share your views read your essays and do a mock interview with you.

With your stats not getting an acceptance something is rubbing someone the wrong way. I do remember hearing adcoms say on here before that schools are looking for doctors and not activists. Is it possible you are overplaying the activist card?

 

[mk04447]

Graduated in 2007 = almost a real non-trad; so, good luck. You'll get a kick out of the kids in class with you.

But... more importantly... If your indiscretion occurred after graduation you may actually be toast. While the media is sympathetic to this type of behavior these days, most people/institutions aren't. I'd suggest post-diversion or other legal means to cleanse your record, but these often require 10 years or more good behavior; hence the toast comment. Have you contacted an attorney to discuss your options?

 

[toast]

Thanks for your advice everyone!

Since last time:
-New research job (I had been out of the research game 3 years when I last applied), this is translational medical research while the other position was more basic science. co-authored paper under review, new posters, and new strong LOR
-More legit clinical volunteering 6 months of ED volunteering and 10 months of front desk hospital volunteering. Also I didn't list one clinical experience last time as clinical (primary care clinic)
-new/more HIV prevention EC, 18 months of needle exchange volunteering, strong LOR
-3 post bac classes (4.0), modest increases in overall GPA: raised my sGPA 3.34 to 3.41, cGPA 3.43 to 3.47
-Applied early this time, last time I didn't get verified until September! and then I was slow to get my secondaries in!

Regarding the criminal record:
I was arrested in a nonviolent protest at a large coal facility with other people, our bail was set (illegally) as property only so we could not use cash or bond to get out, after 10 days we all took a plea deal with misdemeanor trespassing to get out of jail. I haven't hired a lawyer, but I looked up the laws in the state I was arrested in and I was one year too old when i was arrested to qualify for expungment. This was also fairly recently 2012 (yikes, I know!). I am holding onto a glimmer of hope because I have heard stories of people with truly reckless behavior (eg stealing a fire truck for a joy ride) getting into medical school. I'm trying to show my dedication to working with marginalized communities without sounding too "activisty" in my essays, but with criminal record I think my political sentiments are rather obvious. My PS is about how I have gone between research and community organizing (though I tried to sound less hippy in my phrasing) and have found clinical medicine to be where my skills and passions align and I can best be of service.

Regarding being almost a real non-trad:
LOLZ I already get a kick out of the 22 year old "non-trad" whippersnappers in my post bac classes

 

[Dral]

Here's a thought process:

Kid stole a fire truck for a joy ride. He was young. It was a stupid lapse of judgement when he was young. I'm sure he matured and will be a good team player.

This other guy got arrested protesting the coal industry. He was older at the time, so I'm guessing he really believes in 'speaking his mind'. I guess he likes to rock the boat. When he's a student and especially a resident will he have trouble falling in line if there is something he disagrees with?


You need to assure the people you interview with that you will be a team player and basically do as you are told without complaint. Medicine is very conservative and hierarchical. You realize that more and more the further in you get. Medicine doesn't like people who try to rock the boat.

Hopefully that helps. G'luck.

 

[mk04447]

Here's a thought process:

Kid stole a fire truck for a joy ride. He was young. It was a stupid lapse of judgement when he was young. I'm sure he matured and will be a good team player.

This other guy got arrested protesting the coal industry. He was older at the time, so I'm guessing he really believes in 'speaking his mind'. I guess he likes to rock the boat. When he's a student and especially a resident will he have trouble falling in line if there is something he disagrees with?


You need to assure the people you interview with that you will be a team player and basically do as you are told without complaint. Medicine is very conservative and hierarchical. You realize that more and more the further in you get. Medicine doesn't like people who try to rock the boat.

Hopefully that helps. G'luck.

All true. Happening so late in life, you'll really need to be convincing to pull this off.

 

[deleted480308]

I think I'm actually familiar with the protest...either way, your stats are good but medicine loves it's hierarchy. Arrests as an actual adult for stickin' it to da man aren't going to be helpful.

I wish you well

 

[toast]

Here's a thought process:

Kid stole a fire truck for a joy ride. He was young. It was a stupid lapse of judgement when he was young. I'm sure he matured and will be a good team player.

This other guy got arrested protesting the coal industry. He was older at the time, so I'm guessing he really believes in 'speaking his mind'. I guess he likes to rock the boat. When he's a student and especially a resident will he have trouble falling in line if there is something he disagrees with?


You need to assure the people you interview with that you will be a team player and basically do as you are told without complaint. Medicine is very conservative and hierarchical. You realize that more and more the further in you get. Medicine doesn't like people who try to rock the boat.

Hopefully that helps. G'luck.

Yeah I definitely get that, and understand that medicine is conservative and hierarchical... hopefully people will understand the difference between taking part in a protest as part of a long, successful campaign and insubordination/self-righteous jerkiness. I doubt most places will make that distinction, but I originally posted in case anybody knew of programs that might be more sympathetic. So far Brown and UCSF (especially the JMP) have been suggested to me

 

[deleted480308]

Yeah I definitely get that, and understand that medicine is conservative and hierarchical... hopefully people will understand the difference between taking part in a protest as part of a long, successful campaign and insubordination/self-righteous jerkiness. I doubt most places will make that distinction, but I originally posted in case anybody knew of programs that might be more sympathetic. So far Brown and UCSF (especially the JMP) have been suggested to me

just being picky here, but a lot of people would classify trespassing on private property and interfering with their function as self-righteous...and there isn't a medical school in the country that wouldn't arrest you for trying to tresspass and shut down their function regardless of your convictions. I would suggest you consider pitching this as a dumb kid move that just happened to be a little later in life and not an unfortunate consequence of being an honorable martyr.

 

[GrapesofRath]

just being picky here, but a lot of people would classify trespassing on private property and interfering with their function as self-righteous...and there isn't a medical school in the country that wouldn't arrest you for trying to tresspass and shut down their function regardless of your convictions. I would suggest you consider pitching this as a dumb kid move that just happened to be a little later in life and not an unfortunate consequence of being an honorable martyr.

Absolutely this. And no I don't think this is being picky either. One rule guides med school admission above all else: ADCOMS are risk adverse. Saying you made an immature stupid mistakes means your past actions suggest you might be a risk and the question is if they think that means you will be a risk now and in the future. Getting up there and defending your actions says you are as much of a risk going forward as you are now; you are answering the question for them. It's not hard to see which is more favorable for an applicant.

The other key thing here is that there isn't necessarily a direct correlation between how society/law views the degree of corrupt and despicableness of a crime and how med school's view them in terms of choosing applicants that will make good physicians. If there is a room for an anecdote I can share one here of afriend who as a 19 year old freshmen had a drug possession felony(reduced to a misdemeanor) and who couldn't get a volunteer position nonetheless a job to save his life because of that criminal history. He didn't have problems getting into medical school 5 years later. In contrast, I have a friend who as a college student got an arrest for something somewhat similar to this that the cops even themselves later just completely ignored and basically let him off the hook. No future employer made a major issue of it. But Medical Schools sure did and it absolutely had a significantly negative effect on his applications.

Bottom line is different crimes say different things. One's that the law might look at as insignificant or employers in other fields don't really care about but show signs of over-aggression, refusal to cooperate and listen to superiors, endangering others or that highlight a lack of morals and values amongst other things can easily destroy applications.

 

[mk04447]

Getting in is just one obstacle. Then there's licensing.

 

[toast]

Follow up: I got 3 interviews and was offered admission at 2 schools (Mayo waitlisted me)! So get into civil disobedience all you pre-meds

 

[Pusheen]

Follow up: I got 3 interviews and was offered admission at 2 schools (Mayo waitlisted me)! So get into civil disobedience all you pre-meds

Congrats! I think the take home here is to apply early and broadly. With your stats and experience you should have gotten more interviews, but the conviction probably held you back. Glad to see that you overcame that obstacle!