URM, 3.1 GPA, Taking MCAT in August

[guyfromfl]

I have a mediocre GPA, BCPM is about the same, downward trend (was sick for a year, GI) I'm expecting an upper 20s to lower 30s MCAT. A slew of withdraws in one class (trig), I'm retaking it, have an A in calc. My Biology and chem are ok, physics and math are not so hot for me. I'm a bio major at a respectable private university. 150 hours of shadowing, 2 years research (chem and bio). I'm Hispanic, living in FL, geographically agnostic. My work experience is one summer as a paid research assistant and one summer in finance (summer healthcare investment banking analyst at a top middle market firm). My main EC is volunteering with the homeless for the past 3 years, about 100 hours a year, each year. Involvement as treasurer of a religious organization on campus. Prior to being ill I had a 3.4 GPA, I'm retaking the classes I've done poorly in. What are my chances?

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[CopaceticOne]

See here for you statistical chances: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=12108142&postcount=4

 

[MedPR]

I have a mediocre GPA, BCPM is about the same, downward trend (was sick for a year, GI) I'm expecting an upper 20s to lower 30s MCAT. A slew of withdraws in one class (trig), I'm retaking it, have an A in calc. My Biology and chem are ok, physics and math are not so hot for me. I'm a bio major at a respectable private university. 150 hours of shadowing, 2 years research (chem and bio). I'm Hispanic, living in FL, geographically agnostic. My work experience is one summer as a paid research assistant and one summer in finance (summer healthcare investment banking analyst at a top middle market firm). My main EC is volunteering with the homeless for the past 3 years, about 100 hours a year, each year. Involvement as treasurer of a religious organization on campus. Prior to being ill I had a 3.4 GPA, I'm retaking the classes I've done poorly in. What are my chances?

Edit: Here's what I was referring to. https://www.aamc.org/download/157590/data/table25-hbn-mcatgpa-grid-3race.pdf

Since you're black/hispanic, you have a ~60% chance with a 3.1/high 20-low 30 MCAT. You're lucky you aren't asian. Asians with a 3.1/high 20-low 30 MCAT have about a 18% chance.

 

[Hemorrage]

Edit: Here's what I was referring to. https://www.aamc.org/download/157590/data/table25-hbn-mcatgpa-grid-3race.pdf

Since you're black/hispanic, you have a ~60% chance with a 3.1/high 20-low 30 MCAT. You're lucky you aren't asian. Asians with a 3.1/high 20-low 30 MCAT have about a 18% chance.

That is so unfair

 

[MedPR]

That is so unfair

Completely agree. An asian with a 3.1/36-38 only had a 35% chance of getting in. A hispanic/black individual with a 3.1/29 has about the same chance to get in as an asian with 3.5/34.

 

[guyfromfl]

Let's not turn this into a thread about affirmative action, please.

 

[flodhi1]

Here we go again.

 

[MedPR]

Sorry, didn't mean to start anything. The fact remains that if the OP gets his "upper 20s to lower 30s MCAT" as expected, he will have a decent chance at MD (and DO).

From what I've been reading, it seems like retaking is best if you're looking at the DO route, but since you probably have a good chance MD as well (and if you prefer MD to DO) you might be better off taking upper level bio classes instead of retaking old classes. That way you can show that you are able to handle the higher level coursework. AMCAS doesn't do grade replacement, so replacing a C with an A won't help you all that much.

 

[guyfromfl]

Sorry, didn't mean to start anything. The fact remains that if the OP gets his "upper 20s to lower 30s MCAT" as expected, he will have a decent chance at MD (and DO).

From what I've been reading, it seems like retaking is best if you're looking at the DO route, but since you probably have a good chance MD as well (and if you prefer MD to DO) you might be better off taking upper level bio classes instead of retaking old classes. That way you can show that you are able to handle the higher level coursework. AMCAS doesn't do grade replacement, so replacing a C with an A won't help you all that much.

The Bio classes I've done well in a mix of As and Bs, the worse grades have been the one math class, physics and chem. I'm sure I can do well the second go and I'm certainly considering DO options as well.

 

[MedPR]

The Bio classes I've done well in a mix of As and Bs, the worse grades have been the one math class, physics and chem. I'm sure I can do well the second go and I'm certainly considering DO options as well.

Well I am not an expert, but I'll tell you my personal experience with retaking classes.

My sGPA before retakes was 2.65.
Gen Chem 1 (lecture+lab combined) = C
Gen Chem 2 lecture = D
Gen Chem 2 lab = B
Physics 1 lecture = C
Physics 1 Lab = B
Organic 1 Lecture = C

I retook the above classes and took a few new upper level bio classes and now my sGPA is 3.22.
Gen Chem 1 (lecture + lab combined again) = A (retake)
Gen Chem 2 (lec/lab combined) = A (retake)
Physics 1 (lec/lab combined) = A (retake)
Organic 1 Lecture = A (retake)
Anatomy & Physiology 1 = A (new)
A&P 2 = A (new)
Microbiology = A (new)

That's a total of 30 credits that I did while working full time over a summer, fall, and spring semester. I haven't calculated my AMCAS GPA (I probably won't, since I won't get into any MD programs with a ~3.0 GPA), but my AACOMAS sGPA went from a 2.65 to a 3.22 with 30 credits (18 credits of retakes, 12 new credits). I completed undergrad with a total of 121 credits.

For DO, it's definitely worth retaking as the benefits are huge, but for MD I think you are better off trying to show that you can handle the harder coursework.

 

[DanGee777]

OP, I have to ask because you say you are from FL: you say you're Hispanic, but are you of Cuban descent? I only ask because a significant percentage of Florida's Hispanics are Cuban, and if I remember correctly, AAMC doesn't consider Cuban-Americans to be URMs. I believe that only those with Puerto Rican and/or Mexican ancestry are Hispanics considered URMs by most medical schools.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong -- it's just what I've seen from past posts on SDN about this.

Edit: Found an applicable past post for you OP on the chance that you are Cuban (roughly 33% of Florida Hispanics are, so figured it was worth posting this just in case):

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=670994

"The AAMC no longer has a definition of "underrepresented minorities (URM)," which previously consisted of four designated racial and ethnic groups (Blacks, Mexican Americans, mainland Puerto Ricans, and Native Americans). In June 2003, the AAMC adopted the current definition of "underrepresented in medicine." An important feature of the AAMC's current definition is that it no longer identifies specific populations as underrepresented or as minorities. Rather, it provides a tool for medical schools to build and assess institutional diversity in which race and ethnicity can be components among other components, such as personal attributes, experiential factors, and demographics. Each medical school decides for itself what its policies are with respect to diversity, including race and ethnicity. For example, a particular institution may decide based on its own mission and goals that Cuban-born or Latino students generally would serve the diversity interests of the school. The same school may decide that, in addition, its diversity interests are served by encouraging enrollments of students from other traditionally underrepresented groups, such as African Americans and Native Americans. Another school might have completely different missions and goals and, therefore, different policies."

 

[MedPR]

OP, I have to ask because you say you are from FL: you say you're Hispanic, but are you of Cuban descent? I only ask because a significant percentage of Florida's Hispanics are Cuban, and if I remember correctly, AAMC doesn't consider Cuban-Americans to be URMs. I believe that only those with Puerto Rican and/or Mexican ancestry are Hispanics considered URMs by most medical schools.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong -- it's just what I've seen from past posts on SDN about this.

Does Portuguese count as Hispanic

 

[411309]

That is so unfair

Welcome to our "progressive" nation, where we counter racism by instilling racism.

 

[guyfromfl]

Brazilian and Argentine.

 

[MedPR]

Brazilian and Argentine.

Are you sure that counts as Hispanic?

 

[flodhi1]

Brazilian and Argentine.

You are NOT URM.

https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/urm/

"Before June 26, 2003, the AAMC used the term "underrepresented minority (URM)," which consisted of Blacks, Mexican-Americans, Native Americans (that is, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians), and mainland Puerto Ricans. The AAMC remains committed to ensuring access to medical education and medicine-related careers for individuals from these four historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups."

 

[MedPR]

You are NOT URM.

https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/urm/

"Before June 26, 2003, the AAMC used the term "underrepresented minority (URM)," which consisted of Blacks, Mexican-Americans, Native Americans (that is, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians), and mainland Puerto Ricans. The AAMC remains committed to ensuring access to medical education and medicine-related careers for individuals from these four historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups."

Sweet, I'm a URM (Native American)!

 

[guyfromfl]

You are NOT URM.

https://www.aamc.org/initiatives/urm/

"Before June 26, 2003, the AAMC used the term "underrepresented minority (URM)," which consisted of Blacks, Mexican-Americans, Native Americans (that is, American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians), and mainland Puerto Ricans. The AAMC remains committed to ensuring access to medical education and medicine-related careers for individuals from these four historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups."

Per your link:

On March 19, 2004, the AAMC Executive Committee adopted a clarification to its definition of "underrepresented in medicine" following the Supreme Court's decision in Grutter.

The AAMC definition of underrepresented in medicine is:

"Underrepresented in medicine means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population."

 

[flodhi1]

Per your link:

On March 19, 2004, the AAMC Executive Committee adopted a clarification to its definition of "underrepresented in medicine" following the Supreme Court's decision in Grutter.

The AAMC definition of underrepresented in medicine is:

"Underrepresented in medicine means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in the medical profession relative to their numbers in the general population."

That is correct and Brazilians nor Argentinians have been identified as underrepresented in the medical profession by AMCAS. AMCAS simply changed the definition of the word URM, NOT the groups that were categorized as URM, just to cover themselves from a word that was possibly being identified and leading to actions categorized as unconstitutional. You have to understand that URM does not encompass "hispanics". The only groups to be categorized are Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans from that realm. Just because someone is from South America doesn't mean you're URM because you feel like you're underrepresented in medicine trust me if that was the case Cubans would be URM in a heart beat. Unfortunately, as I explained Argentinians, Brazilians and Cubans are NOT URM. You are welcome to call AMCAS during business hours they will make that clear for you.

EDIT:- Association of American Medical Colleges
2450 N Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037-1126

Phone: 202-828-0400
Fax: 202-828-1125

Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (ET), Monday-Friday

 

[flodhi1]

Sweet, I'm a URM (Native American)!

I'm a Native American too! Born and raised Illinois!! I also have Indian ancestry! My parents were born and raised Delhi!!!11111

I hope you guys know that you will be required to provide tribal numbers so you better hope that your family is registered.

 

[shinbeats]

You're not urm people are getting urm all confused. Now that we have that established with a downward trend your chances are 10 % or below sorry!

 

[MedPR]

I hope you guys know that you will be required to provide tribal numbers so you better hope that your family is registered.

Native Hawaiians don't have tribal numbers. I guess I'll register in the registry anyway just in case.

 

[411309]

Im going to pull a reverse michael jackson.

 

[MedPR]

Im going to pull a reverse michael jackson.

 

[Mr.Brown]

Welcome to our "progressive" nation, where we counter racism by instilling racism.

you wanna talk about unfair, try growing up where i grew up with your friends getting killed and drugs being sold on every corner and my high school didnt even offer chem or many AP classes. you wanna talk about unfair lol.