What are my chances?

[Science_bro89]

Hi guys! I wanted to know where do you think I stand in applying to medical this cycle and an MCAT score I should make. Below are my stats.

African American male
Undergraduate GPA: 3.45 science GPA: 3.45
Masters GPA: 4.04 molecular bio
Over an year of research experience in obesity and metabolic pathways.
Study Abroad trip to Taiwan last summer to study biomedicine at China Medical University.
Shadowing hours: 20
Clinical: 50
Tribeta biology honor society and outside clinical volunteering.
Minority premed club.
Taught intro to bio lab for over an year as an TA.
Worked in various environmental lab.
Currently working full time in a biotechnology lab making tissue grafts for various hospitals for wound care.

Thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[LizLemongrab]

It depends on which schools you are applying to. I would say your minimum safety score is a 29/45 based on this grid https://www.aamc.org/download/321514/data/factstable25-2.pdf

At your GPA a 29 and above (70-75%ile score) is pretty dang safe for MD programs. Try to get that percentile rank or above on the new MCAT. Your EC looks amazing, you've had a lot of great opportunities. Hope you kept a journal of sorts to draw from in your PS. If not, there's DO but for that you need a LOR from a DO and to have some shadowing hours with them.

 

[Grace184]

I admittedly am not the best when "chancing" URMs but your gpas are good. For MD, shoot for at least 28/29 or higher. A 24 is fine for any DO. Your clinical hours at 50 though are a little low. Are you sure that's everything?

I'm sure you will do fine this cycle! I always encourage people to check our MDapplicants.com
You can type in your gpas, your prospective MCAT and see where others have gotten interviews, rejection, acceptances, etc. you can also see at the top their race (URM status), as well as ECs etc. good for sketching a rough draft list.

And ditto LizLemon, cool and unique ECs- I saw China and I thought not another travel tourism med trip! But you did REAL work- make sure you emphasize that. Aacomas hate when you go to other countries for fake altruism/hrs (which you didn't!) Epic stuff!

 

[Grace184]

Ps Any publications or poster presentations (even at your school)? Put them on there!

 

[ZedsDed]

WTF is a 4.04?

 

[Grace184]

WTF is a 4.04?

Was it an international gpa? Did they inflate it? Are you Canadian and not saying? Because that matters...

 

[Science_bro89]

Was it an international gpa? Did they inflate it? Are you Canadian and not saying? Because that matters...

No. Top southern american school. Have plus/minus system. Made some A+s. Weird, I know. Lol

 

[Cawolf]

The A+ grade does not exist in AMCAS grading.

 

[ZedsDed]

The A+ grade does not exist in AMCAS grading.

Yea, OPs GPA is not 4.04.

 

[Cawolf]

Yea, OPs GPA is not 4.04.

I agree, it is his MS GPA though, which does not really matter.

I just wanted to toss the info out there in case their undergraduate GPA was calculated incorrectly.

 

[Grace184]

No. Top southern american school. Have plus/minus system. Made some A+s. Weird, I know. Lol

Southern American? Like you mean in the southern region of North America? Not actually in South American?

This is just strange to see above a 4.0

 

[Science_bro89]

Southern American? Like you mean in the southern region of North America? Not actually in South American?

This is just strange to see above a 4.0

OMG!!! For simplicity, lets just go with a 4.0. Jesus Christ.

 

[Grace184]

Alright! Cool your jets! A 4.0 it is!

 

[Science_bro89]

Alright! Cool your jets! A 4.0 it is!

I didn't mean that in a angry way. Sorry. But its a school in the United States in the south. Lol

 

[Grace184]

I didn't mean that in a angry way. Sorry. But its a school in the United States in the south. Lol

It's okay- I read southern American and got confused bc you travel and do research and didn't how where you got credits!
As long as AMCAS verified it and your GPAs, then you're all good! If not, suggest applying to a throw away school like loma Linda or somewhere you wouldn't ever go to get it verified first

 

[Grace184]

When is your MCAT?

 

[Science_bro89]

It's okay- I read southern American and got confused bc you travel and do research and didn't how where you got credits!
As long as AMCAS verified it and your GPAs, then you're all good! If not, suggest applying to a throw away school like loma Linda or somewhere you wouldn't ever go to get it verified first

Cool. So should I apply to one school first to get verified and then add the others when my test scores are released?

 

[Science_bro89]

When is your MCAT?

July 17th

 

[Grace184]

Alright, so you do have some time.

I feel like with your experience and the biochem/application of theory driven new MCAT you should do well as long as you're prepping. Although most schools don't look at the grad gpa, they will look at the work you did in it, so emphasize that.

 

[Grace184]

Again, I stand by my first post. I think you have a great shot at md with at least 29 MCAT, and those are for good scores. Again, check out mdapplicants.com and play around with the MCAT number and see where they applied and got interviews and acceptances

 

[DrMidlife]

Some strange advice in this thread.

On aamc.org, under Data & Analysis you can find the FACTS tables with average matriculant numbers for your state. The average average is 3.6+ and 31+. So with a 3.45 and a sub-30, no, you're not "safe".

Good assumptions include:
1. there will be about 50,000 apps this year for about 20,000 seats. The rejection rate will slightly increase, as it has every year for the last decade.
2. there will be lots of confusion about what a good score on the new MCAT is, despite AAMC's guidance to consider anything over 500 as "good enough". A 600 may be the new 32. We don't know.
3. On average, US MD schools will get about 5000 apps to fill 150 seats. Schools will use arbitrary thresholds to reduce that completely unmanageable pile, such as a GPA/MCAT minimum. Grad GPA doesn't apply to the whole pile, so it's usually not part of the threshold.
4. Based on prior experience, schools know they need to offer X interviews and accept Y students to fill their seats. There is a relatively infinite supply of candidates, so "missing" a worthy candidate isn't a concern.
5. Giving each individual app the attention it deserves is done at the expense of keeping the faculty reviewers happy. They JUST DID THIS a few months ago and for them it's an endless cycle of sorting this year's pile to quickly get to the interviewables, who look identical to last year's interviewables.

Point being, no, a 3.45/29 is NOT a number combination at which you can relax. Don't get in the pile with below average stats, if you have the option to have better than average stats (such as by doing as well as humanly possible on the MCAT). Don't be late to the pile, because those reviewer eyeballs get tired long before the pile hits its peak in August.

tl;dr: take the MCAT only once after your maximal prep effort, and apply MD once after your app is as compelling as possible. Minimums are not interesting.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Grace184]

@DrMidlife even as an AA (URM)?

 

[DrMidlife]

I missed the key URM point, but I'll double down.

If you're URM and your numbers are "good enough" then yeah, you'll get an acceptance.

But will you have acceptances to choose from? Will you get a scholarship package?

And will you be ready for the crushing workload of med school, surrounded by rich kids who went to private high schools, who have 14 relatives who are doctors, who went to science camp and did summer internships at the NIH or CDC in high school? (If that's you, enjoy! If that's not you, prepare to be intimidated and marginalized.)

Settling for a "safe" MCAT because you're URM costs you choices and future opportunities. If 29 is your best, by all means take advantage, but by all means try to do better. There are endless hours-long board exams in your future; invest heavily in getting really really good at hours-long exams.

Best of luck to you.