Texas veteran non-trad, chances?

[txvet83]

I am white, middle class background. I graduated from high school in 2001 and started attending CC the following fall. I majorly screwed up out of immaturity and simply stopped attending after a few weeks, resulting in four F's on my transcript (none of them were science courses). I tried to make ends meet waiting tables but ultimately ended up homeless for a little over a year. I joined the military to get a roof over my head and spent the next seven years in the Army -- NOT as a medic, 13F aka forward observer. I had an extremely combat heavy deployment in 2005, during which I experienced and inflicted a lot of horror (this comes into play later on). I got married in 2010 then had a baby and left the military in 2011. I spent the last year working as a technician for an oil field service company and basically waking up every morning feeling like I was wasting my life. I decided about four months ago that I need to be doing something to preserve the lives and livelihood of others. I feel very strongly that I need to balance the destruction I caused during my time overseas. I quit my job in June in order to pursue medicine. I used academic fresh start (which I know does not apply to med school apps) and have been back at CC for the past two summer sessions, where I have made straight A's so far. I plan to transfer to the University of Houston next summer after I do some brushing up on math and chemistry. I have an interview tomorrow for a hospice volunteer position.

I have used a couple of target GPA calculators and I am facing a maximum cGPA of ~3.67 if I make all A's for the rest of my undergraduate career. I still have the possibility of a 4.0 sGPA. I am 29 now and will be looking to start med school at 33.

Does anybody have ideas about how Texas ADCOMs will receive my personal/academic history? What can I do to maximize my chances of getting accepted into an in state MD program? Any advice or input is welcome.

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[baylorgirl]

Work on your ec's. (shadowing, getting a job as a ma or scribe) you'll need lots of hours of clinical work to show that you have an understanding of what the medical field is like. But just as important as working on your ecs is your MCAT, you'll need to do really well.

 

[txvet83]

Thanks for the advice! When you say that I need to do "really well" on the MCAT, do you mean the standard 30+ or more like 35+? Also, I have had a very difficult time finding a straight answer on what kind of volunteer work counts as "clinical"? I am not sure what ma stands for. I was advised to do hospice because of patient contact, body fluids and the death factor. Will this be considered clinical work? I understand that shadowing is considered clinical, but what other types of positions would fit the bill?

I requested a copy of my old transcript today and it turns out one of those classes was actually graded as W, not F. How will this effect my chances? I have heard that W's are not calculated in the GPA, but I have also heard otherwise. Another of them was actually graded as I/F but I am fairly certain that still counts as an F.

 

[baylorgirl]

in my opinion W looks much better than an F. MA= medical assistant. as far as MCAT goes, if you really want to expand your chances, 35+ would be best although 30+ is decent (but might not do the trick as MCAT averages are rising), hospice volunteering is ok. in terms of shadowing a physician (medical schools are interested in people wanting to go into primary care, so i suggest a primary care physician), shadowing will show medical schools that you understand what physicians go through day to day. also try and really expand your ec's with different volunteering you want to show them that you really care about your community and helping others. but all in all quality> quantity. but don't limit yourself to just hospice volunteering.

 

[Catalystik]

I am white, middle class background. I graduated from high school in 2001 and started attending CC the following fall. I majorly screwed up out of immaturity and simply stopped attending after a few weeks, resulting in four F's on my transcript (none of them were science courses). I tried to make ends meet waiting tables but ultimately ended up homeless for a little over a year. I joined the military to get a roof over my head and spent the next seven years in the Army -- NOT as a medic, 13F aka forward observer. I had an extremely combat heavy deployment in 2005, during which I experienced and inflicted a lot of horror (this comes into play later on). I got married in 2010 then had a baby and left the military in 2011. I spent the last year working as a technician for an oil field service company and basically waking up every morning feeling like I was wasting my life. I decided about four months ago that I need to be doing something to preserve the lives and livelihood of others. I feel very strongly that I need to balance the destruction I caused during my time overseas. I quit my job in June in order to pursue medicine. I used academic fresh start (which I know does not apply to med school apps) and have been back at CC for the past two summer sessions, where I have made straight A's so far. I plan to transfer to the University of Houston next summer after I do some brushing up on math and chemistry. I have an interview tomorrow for a hospice volunteer position.

I have used a couple of target GPA calculators and I am facing a maximum cGPA of ~3.67 if I make all A's for the rest of my undergraduate career. I still have the possibility of a 4.0 sGPA. I am 29 now and will be looking to start med school at 33.

Does anybody have ideas about how Texas ADCOMs will receive my personal/academic history? What can I do to maximize my chances of getting accepted into an in state MD program? Any advice or input is welcome.

Hmmm. I thought that Texas Fresh Start did apply to med school applications, particularly TMDSAS schools. Perhaps others could comment.

Many adcomms will discount a poor freshman year with a steep upward grade trend since that time. Even if your freshman year Fs show up on your transcript, and you get excellent grades from here forward, a cGPA cGPA of 3.67 will still be in the average range for those recently accepted.

Further, many adcomms have a soft spot for exmilitary and give them "extra points" for what is widely considered altruistic volunteerism when they gave their time to their country.

I think that hospice volunteering is an excellent way to gain active clinical experience where you interact with patients. Shadowing is a passive experience, where you focus on what the doc does, and you'll need that too. There's no rush to do this right now. I agree with baylorgirl's suggestion that a primary care doc be included. You might ask your own, or those of parents, or someone in a VA clinic. Or possibly you'll meet docs during a volunteer experience that you can ask.

Other ECs that benefit your application are leadership and teaching, which you likely got in the military. A research experience will also be of value. Nonmedical community service for a cause you care about is also a plus.

If you aspire to Baylor or UTSW, a stronger MCAT socre of 34-35+ is helpful, but for general purposes, aim for a 31+ if your application GPA will be near the average for acceptees.