SDN Gods: Help with a School List? 3.5c/3.96s 38 MCAT

[deinbuhnee]

Hey guys! Long-time lurker looking for some SDN wisdom to get a school list rolling

25 yo NonTrad Caucasian Male, AR resident

DEGREE: B.A. History, Top 20 (Only 1 BCPM with a 3.22 cGPA and 3.7 sGPA) Had an IA my freshman year due to poor academic performance from taking classes I wasn’t prepared for. Worked during my required dismissal and returned refocused and ready to drag my dismal GPA up (got that upward trend every subsequent year) and after talking with my anatomy and history of medicine professors decided that I should give a post bacc a whirl and shoot for med school.

POSTBACC: 4.00 GPA in pre-reqs with some upper level classes like Microbio, Genetics, and Histology at a Local University

Final Overall Stats:
GPA: 3.50 cGPA 3.96 sGPA

MCAT: Figured I’d need a good score to go along with my good postbacc work to show I could hang with the science kids. I put a ton of effort and had it pay off on test day, managed to reel in a 38 (12P, 12V, 14B)

ECs:
Clinical:
-Worked 2 summers in Medical Lab (aprox 600 hours)
-One 1st Author publication in pathology from above lab work (just clinical not bench)
-Another manuscript accepted for publication based on undergraduate history of medicine assignment
-Employed part-time as a medical assistant in a histology lab/ medical clinic (August 2011-Present, aprox 1200 hours)

Volunteering:
-Began volunteer tutoring students in pre-med/MCAT subjects up to about 8 hours a week (July 2012- Present, aprox 250 hours)
-Volunteer for foundation that puts on several Medical Education conferences and special fundraising events (2005-Present, 140 hours)

Shadowing:
-About 70 hours of shadowing with a good mix of specialties

Other Work:
-Teach tennis during springs/summers (800 hours)
-Internship at accounting firm during summer in undergrad (450 hours)

Hobbies:
-Really enjoy playing tennis whether in adult leagues or with some of the kids I teach.

Conclusion: Put in a lot of work to get to this point but still a little unsure of where to apply, so any help would be appreciated! Also any critiques on the app are welcome as well!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Goro]

Great story and numbers. Aim high!

Hey guys! Long-time lurker looking for some SDN wisdom to get a school list rolling

25 yo NonTrad Caucasian Male, AR resident

DEGREE: B.A. History, Top 20 (Only 1 BCPM with a 3.22 cGPA and 3.7 sGPA) Had an IA my freshman year due to poor academic performance from taking classes I wasn’t prepared for. Worked during my required dismissal and returned refocused and ready to drag my dismal GPA up (got that upward trend every subsequent year) and after talking with my anatomy and history of medicine professors decided that I should give a post bacc a whirl and shoot for med school.

POSTBACC: 4.00 GPA in pre-reqs with some upper level classes like Microbio, Genetics, and Histology at a Local University

Final Overall Stats:
GPA: 3.50 cGPA 3.96 sGPA

MCAT: Figured I’d need a good score to go along with my good postbacc work to show I could hang with the science kids. I put a ton of effort and had it pay off on test day, managed to reel in a 38 (12P, 12V, 14B)

ECs:
Clinical:
-Worked 2 summers in Medical Lab (aprox 600 hours)
-One 1st Author publication in pathology from above lab work (just clinical not bench)
-Another manuscript accepted for publication based on undergraduate history of medicine assignment
-Employed part-time as a medical assistant in a histology lab/ medical clinic (August 2011-Present, aprox 1200 hours)

Volunteering:
-Began volunteer tutoring students in pre-med/MCAT subjects up to about 8 hours a week (July 2012- Present, aprox 250 hours)
-Volunteer for foundation that puts on several Medical Education conferences and special fundraising events (2005-Present, 140 hours)

Shadowing:
-About 70 hours of shadowing with a good mix of specialties

Other Work:
-Teach tennis during springs/summers (800 hours)
-Internship at accounting firm during summer in undergrad (450 hours)

Hobbies:
-Really enjoy playing tennis whether in adult leagues or with some of the kids I teach.

Conclusion: Put in a lot of work to get to this point but still a little unsure of where to apply, so any help would be appreciated! Also any critiques on the app are welcome as well!

 

[Baldemar]

wooww man nice MCAT score!!

 

[October88]

You have a really really great application!! I would aim high and apply to any school that gives you state preference. Also if you are nervous about applying too top heavy I'd apply to a few safer schools that have missions that resonate with you.

And by high I mean the most top schools

 

[deinbuhnee]

Thanks for the encouragement!

I'm definitely planning to apply in state and probably to creighton and tulane as well since they seem to fit my stat range pretty well. Trying to settle on about 7 or 8 more with a good mix of "safer" mid levels and not too many reach schools. Honestly,I think my lower cgpa gives me the most worry when trying to narrow the list down to a manageable size.

 

[Lucky Louie]

The one thing missing from your profile is research. And many top med schools are also top research med schools. As a consequence, you might find top schools are not bringing out their welcome sign. Suggest you focus on schools that are more likely to service the community and focus on the clinical aspects of medicine rather than those that have a broader reach.

 

[darkjedi]

You have a very similar background to me. Don't be afraid to aim high, but do also recognize that the disparity between your GPA and your MCAT will draw some doubts. Leverage your non-traditional background as much as possible, as well as talk at length about your more unique experiences and ECs.

Your research is fine as well as you managed to produce a publication out of the lab you worked for.

 

[deinbuhnee]

Thanks for the advice and encouragement you guys. Honed my list and have gotten secondaries turned into the following schools:

UAMS (in state)
Rosy Franklin
Tulane
Creighton
Saint Louis
Drexel
Tufts
NYMC

I'm excited for interview season, keeping my fingers crossed! First one Oct 5th