Not your typical applicant...you tell me? Any help appreciated. Thank you

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mississippikid

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I guess I have to say I am an extremely nontraditional student by so many different standards/ What I am hoping for is honest advice, suggestions, and practical and realistic expectations. Let me start to where I am now and how I got here. Growing up in an academic and hard-working biracial family, I worked hard all throughout high school and truly achieved. I had acceptances in some of the top schools in the nation and chose to attend Miami University-OH because of the fact that Ioved the campus and the professors there. It was to me and still is a beautiful institution. It didn’t hurt that I had a full-ride going there too. Basically 3 yrs ago (I am now a 4th yr) I completely diverted from the path that I originally set out on. I lost sight of what was important to me and didn’t put any effort in school because I was pursuing another dream: being a professional poker player. After 3 semesters in college, I had a 1.58 gpa (42 credits to be precise). I delved in poker and became very successful, earning a mid-6 figure income during my third year when I moved to Vegas. I met and became friends with countless people I admired and revered. I got to interact with the like of Alex Rodriguez, Michael Phelps, and even played in a table beside Steven Spielberg. I realized thought that this wasn’t for me. I wanted to help people and to provide as opposed to just living a life looking at cards. Money wasn’t and isn’t everything for me. I came back, in what should have been my senior year and am now taking 22 credits this semester. Yes that’s 2 credit hours over the limit usually allowed and my gpa should bump up to 2.5 before this summer, where I will try and take an additional 30 credits and bump up my gpa again. I hope to be applying to medical schools with a 3.2-3.4 gpa, with an obvious upward curve…like straight A’s for the 80 credits I’m taking. What are my chances of entering a medical school like Ohio State University?

Also would it be in my best interest to transfer to a school like Wright State University since the GPA resets?
Another note: I am retaking all my science classes and thus far have gotten A's in all of them.
What are my chances if I have a decent MCAT like 30-33?
Any help would be appreciated.

For those who love stats, what are my chances at OSU with 3.2-3.4 gpa, 30-33 MCAT, and good research experience, and many roles. And yes I am an URM. Also what are my if I transfer to Wright State and graduate with a 3.8-4.0 since it is a new gpa?
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do you still have MIss residency? If so, apply there. They get FEW apps and accept nearly all their instate applicants.
 
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Considering your background, I figured you might want to look at some statistics:

https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/app...mcat-gpa-grid-by-selected-race-ethnicity.html

This should help you get an idea of what gpa/mcat combo you should be striving for. Also, I'd advise that you only go all-in (sorry, I had to) with that many credit hours if you are confident you can maintain a 4.0 or very close to it, which is what you will need to boost your gpa up to an acceptable level. Good luck!
 
Please teach me everything you know about poker!

But, seriously, I don't think there's any way to "reset" your GPA. Realistically, the only way to kind of achieve that is to take advantage of DO grade replacement. Since you're shooting for MD, however, transferring to a new school will not reset your GPA. You must report all college courses taken at any institution. Retaking courses will result in an "averaging" of the two grades.

The number ranges you are giving now put you at a disadvantage, mostly because of the low GPA. A higher MCAT (>35) and great personal statement/secondary essays might be able to counterbalance that, though, so really shoot high on the MCAT.

Again, the important thing to know is that there is no such thing as a GPA reset.
 
Thank you guys. I now note the gpa reset issue, but can anyone give me any stats about Osu medical school admissions and more precisely for urm's. I also should note that during my poker days I was dealing with depression, and there is a chance I can get a medical withdrawal on my first yrs grades, bumping me up to the gps range of 3.6-3.8... Also would it be a good idea to leave out my poker playing when explaining about my intro to undergrad yrs? I do not regret my experiences as they made me who I am today and made me realize how I want to spend my life, but would it be smart to leave them out and focus on the fact that this was just a part of my life where I was going through rough times personally and point at that instead
 
mississippikid said:
Thank you guys. I now note the gpa reset issue, but can anyone give me any stats about Osu medical school admissions and more precisely for urm's. I also should note that during my poker days I was dealing with depression, and there is a chance I can get a medical withdrawal on my first yrs grades, bumping me up to the gps range of 3.6-3.8... Also would it be a good idea to leave out my poker playing when explaining about my intro to undergrad yrs? I do not regret my experiences as they made me who I am today and made me realize how I want to spend my life, but would it be smart to leave them out and focus on the fact that this was just a part of my life where I was going through rough times personally and point at that instead
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I don't think school specific averages are released for URM, but their overall averages are a 3.64 gpa and a 33-34 mcat (per US News). It does show that 1852 URM candidates applied, 401 interviewed and 199 were accepted at Ohio St. Try not to be too set on one school. I'm not saying you don't have a shot there, but the admissions process is such a crapshoot. I got interviews at places I didn't expect to hear back from and was rejected outright from places I thought would give me a chance for sure.

I'm not sure if medical waivers allow you to withhold grades, but I'm sure there are topics about it on this forum somewhere. From what I've heard you have to list everything no matter what. If this is the case, I think you should definitely list the poker stuff and I think you could probably make a pretty good story about it depending on what actually happened. I think a six figure income would be hard to turn down for any young undergrad. You could then say that learned at a very young age that having a large income isn't everything and that you wanted to pursue your true passion (just an example, assuming this is true). If your story is a little darker and includes long benders in vegas, broken kneecaps, illicit substances and a stint in gamblers anonymous meetings I would probably avoid including that in your personal statement...

Long story short, as a URM get your gpa to 3.0 or above and shoot for a 30 on the MCAT. Apply broadly and early and you should have a good shot.
 
My other question would be: Do you think my chances would improve/stay the same/decline if I transferred and started attending Wright State University and graduated there?
 
mississippikid said:
My other question would be: Do you think my chances would improve/stay the same/decline if I transferred and started attending Wright State University and graduated there?
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No difference unless it changes your state of residence. Then you would have to look up the percentage yield for the two states to see any relative advantage.
 
mississippikid said:
Even if miami-oh is a better school?
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I've reviewed applications for decades and I don't perceive a difference. Admittedly, I'm on the west coast so regional preceptions may vary.

I didn't see Miami OH in your first post!
 
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Miami University-Ohio is what i labeled it as...but it seems to be significantly better a school here in the midwest...I don't know if it will matter or not...
 
mississippikid said:
Miami University-Ohio is what i labeled it as...but it seems to be significantly better a school here in the midwest...I don't know if it will matter or not...
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The MCAT is the great leveler of differences in training and reputation.
 
mississippikid said:
I also should note that during my poker days I was dealing with depression, and there is a chance I can get a medical withdrawal on my first yrs grades, bumping me up to the gps range of 3.6-3.8... Also would it be a good idea to leave out my poker playing when explaining about my intro to undergrad yrs?
Click to expand...

I'd say that if you do take a medical W, don't mention your poker career. If I knew that you took a med W after bad grades, while playing professional poker at a high level, I'd just straight up assume you're gaming the medical-W system.
 
So what's the preoccupation with Wright State about?

- If it won't reset your GPA - it won't
- If Miami of Ohio is a better school - you say it is

Why transfer?

If you've got compelling personal reasons (significant other?) than sure. But to improve your Med School chances? I'm not seeing any reason to.
 
cheaper school tuition wise, and i would be living with a friend and not have to pay room....i'd save about 25 thousand from my calculations...worth it?
 
mississippikid said:
cheaper school tuition wise, and i would be living with a friend and not have to pay room....i'd save about 25 thousand from my calculations...worth it?
Click to expand...

Looks like you've got 25,000 reasons to transfer then.
And only one not-very-significant reason not to. (School reputation)
 
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