WAMC: Should I take more DIY Post Bacc courses? a MCAT retake is in order.

[deleted855460]

I would appreciate advice on how to become a stronger applicant for the 2025 cycle. Just withdrew my app from the 2024 cycle

Personal details:

• State of residence: MA for 2025 cycle, but grew up in CA and worked between MA and CA for some years post-grad
• Parent as physician: Yes, one of them
• ORM (Asian)

Undergraduate/DIY PostBacc:

• Graduated: 2020, Biology Major
• sGPA as of May 2020: 3.31 (downward trend or no change in sGPA for 6 straight semesters, mostly B's with the one C+ from Genetics and a B- from Chem. I started improving my grades during senior year, so Fall 2019 was a 3.6 and Spring 2020 was a 3.7 or 3.8 - I do not remember 100%).
• cGPA as of May 2020: 3.51
• DIY Post Bacc (Extension school, 2020-2022)
  • sGPA: 3.80 -- AAMC said Pharmacology didn't count towards BCPM so I got a small boost lol.

GPA Breakdown (AAMC just verified this):
BPCM:

• HS: N/A
• Freshman year: 2.85
• Sophomore: 3.23
• Junior: 3.22
• Senior: 3.68
• Postbacc undergrad: 3.80
• Cumulative undergrad: 3.47

AO

• HS: 2.70
• Freshman: 3.71
• Soph: 4.00
• Junior: 3.20
• Senior: 4.00
• Postbacc undergrad: 3.70
• Cumulative undergrad: 3.71

Total: 3.57 cGPA

MCAT: Took 6/29/2023: 508 (127/126/126/129) --> Will retake in January 2024 or March 2024.

Extracurriculars/LoRs:

• Leadership: 35 hours (led research field team meetings)
• Research: 1600 hours (clinical research - honestly lots of unpaid work after hours, so closer to 1800, but 1600 is what I mistakenly reported on my AMCAS)
  • Marked as most meaningful experience & got co-signed LoR from PI & my supervisor, but will not ask them again for the 2025 cycle. I think it's an OK LoR, I just don't want to risk asking them again because my supervisor implied that I should not pursue medical school. Also, I left my job earlier than planned because I was rushing to take the MCAT before it was too late for the 2024 cycle. So they were not happy and threatened some stuff. Basically, kind of complicated.
• Honors: nothing special. Certificate of Recognition from Los Angeles Mayor for my work with a nonprofit when I lived in CA
• Nonclinical Community Service:
  • Music volunteering: 65 hrs. The director said she wrote a glowing LoR for me and I am very certain she will write a letter again for the 2025 cycle
• Clinical community service:
  • 40 hrs - free medical clinic
  • 70 hrs - hospital volunteering, helping patients navigate etc
• Clinical exp, paid: scribed, medical assistant, etc across various clinics -- total: 650 + 640 = 1290
  • Strong LoR from one of the MDs I scribed for
• Paid nonclinical: 3000 hours from working at parent's clinic since graduating high school, 273 hours from working at an oph clinic
• Teaching: 50 hrs at sunday school
• Phyisician Shadowing: 100 hrs (I kinda assumed that scribing = shadowing. I have only formally shadowed x < 5 hrs)

Advice/questions please for:

1. I only have 28 postbacc undergrad credits - should I take 2 more classes (8 units)?
2. How else can I improve my app (aside from MCAT retake)?

Thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Your music volunteering doesn’t sound like it was with the underprivileged. You need at least 150 hours of nonclinical volunteering with the underprivileged.

 

[deleted855460]

Your music volunteering doesn’t sound like it was with the underprivileged. You need at least 150 hours of nonclinical volunteering with the underprivileged.

Sorry I did not add this detail. I volunteered with a music nonprofit where I taught cello to kids who normally would not have been able to afford music instruments or lessons.
I also volunteered with a different organization during college (same goal), but due to AMCAS activity limits, I wasn’t able to talk about it. I spent 100 hours volunteering with that organization over one academic year. I wasn’t sure if it was OK to combine hours because I definitely have multiple similar experiences. This also goes for my clinical paid and non clinical paid experiences.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Definitely include those details about your nonclinical volunteering with the disadvantaged.

 

[deleted855460]

Definitely include those details about your nonclinical volunteering with the disadvantaged.

Thank you. Is there anything else where I need to improve aside from MCAT?

 

[MyOdyssey]

Don’t take CA residency. Very hard to get admitted to medical school there.

How much will taking 8 additional credits improve your GPA if you get straight As? Can you get straight As in that scenario?

 

[deleted855460]

Don’t take CA residency. Very hard to get admitted to medical school there.

How much will taking 8 additional credits improve your GPA if you get straight As? Can you get straight As in that scenario?

I think I qualify for Massachusetts in state tuition starting next year so I won’t be applying as a CA resident.

If I take 8 additional credits, my sGPA cumulative will be a 3.51. My cGPA would then be a 3.61. I think I can get straight As because I stopped working earlier this year to focus on volunteering, postbacc courses, and a MCAT retake.

 

[LunaOri]

The additional credits would help. And focus on volunteering, especially to the underserved.

 

[deleted855460]

The additional credits would help. And focus on volunteering, especially to the underserved.

Thank you very much for the advice. Is there a specific # of credits or a GPA I should aim to reach?
Right now if I took 8 credits (2 classes) and got A's in both of them, my sGPA would be a 3.51 as opposed to a 3.47 right now.
But if I take 32 credits (8 classes) over 2 semesters and get A's, my sGPA would be a 3.61. I would be a full time student then for both semesters, and I realize this option is kind of risky, but if needed I will do it.

I was always under the impression that my MCAT score would matter more than my GPA, especially as someone who's trying to do GPA repair.