WAMCL: GPA: 3.69, sGPA: 379, MCAT:524, one F in an art class before college :/

[Perlman123]

I'm basically a nontrad, I've received secondaries from UCLA, UCI, UCSD, Kaiser and Stanford. But I'm feeling paralyzed by fear to the point I'm feeling like giving up cuz I hate rejections :/ Before college a took a fashion design class that summer to see if fashion design is right for me. When I found out it wasn't, I quit during the last week of the 3 weeks course. And since the final grade is based on the final project, I got an F. Never would I forsee that I could to haunt me. I'm writing my secondaries now but this past mistake is haunting me. My final GPA due to the F, which I know isn't bad. Should I be worried about this F that's before college? is secondaries a good sign that I shouldn't worry? should I be prepared for why I got an F in that fashion design course pre freshman year? also, if you guys have any idea for school list, especially those that recruit LGBT students and favor nontrad that'd be great <3 many thanks

And also, thank you for listening. As a nontrad I have no one to bounce these ideas off with, so these anxiety tends to balloon in my head too. so any input from y'all is appreciated very much <3

cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS:

3.69, 3.79, including DIY postdoc with 4.0

MCAT score(s) and breakdown:

524 (132,128, 132,132)

State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US)

California

Ethnicity and/or race
Asian, ORM
Undergraduate institution or category
USC
Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)

Trevor LGBT suicide hotline counselor over 3 years (300hours)

4 months in the summer working in the department of radiology, working with radiologist to create 3D visualization for patient diagnosis and for surgeon to prepare for surgery. (400 hours)

Research experience and productivity

2 years at neuroimaging research post grad with 3 co author papers (4000hrs)

1 year post grad at neuroscience lab with 1 co author paper (500hrs)

Shadowing experience and specialties represented15 hours of shadowing neurosurgeonplanned

15 hours of shadowing pain doctor in July 2022 that's already done

40 hours of virtual shadowing during covid

Non-clinical volunteering

120 hours at LGBT center providing lunch for senior and Covid checks at the health center

**Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)**

Software Engineers for 3 years in insurance company building application to help patients access in network doctors

6 months being in a team to build AI for training students in school of social work

6 months teaching software engineering students at advanced coding residency to help them find jobssenior moderator at an NFT discord for 6 months

Hobbies: not sure if relevant, art and NFT, painting, ballet

Also my whole app is LGBT focused and I'm an first generational immigrant and first generational college student

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[Goro]

Relax, you're fine. But what is your clinical exposure?

 

[Perlman123]

I know my in person clinical experience is lacking due to covid, so I talked with my advisor who worked on of the UC adcom he said suicidal hotline can be clinical (since I talk to patients on the phone + working psychiatrist on call there as well), plus my experience working with radiology to do generate scans for surgeons and IR docs. but the only in person so far is my 100 hours at the health clinic of the LGBT center during covid for a year, but it ended when the mask mandate went away. Right now I know it's late since I submitted the app, but I'm trying to get into hospice. But ya it's definitely been difficult between working full time + covid. only recently has the in person volunteering started resuming

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Failure is part of being a doctor. Rejection is part of being a professional.

Not all adcoms will agree with the opinion of your UC adcom, and I often find that many faculty on that committee won't agree with that opinion. I don't discount the impact that phone or text hotlines have. If you had training and direct oversight from physicians or counselors, you have a little stronger argument of "clinical experience." But while telemedicine is going to be more normal, many faculty really stress the importance of actual in-person direct-patient contact ("smelling distance, all the different smells") on an application. I would see adcom faculty reviewing your application and reclassifying the crisis hotline experience as non-clinical volunteering with bonuses accorded to you for working with a marginalized patient population of strong interest.

I'm not concerned with your F in fashion design.

I would urge you to join the Treating Transgender Patients HPSA course where there is a resource to help you find schools that support LGBTQ+ patients and student research with the community. There are also more resources and insights in the larger Becoming a Student Doctor HPSA course.

Push forward with your secondaries.