What would you do?

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JackOfTrades

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Two cycles with no luck, here's what I'm working with.

MCAT: 30, retook to 32, latest score is from April, 2012
Undergrad: Bio major, dual minors, respectable private Jesuit school.
GPA: 3.17 overall, 3.01 science
EC: Volunteer EMT for 2 years, Habitat for Humanity trip, shadowed 2 doctors.
Employment: Full-time 2 years at pediatric office, I use my EMT cert to do triage and measurments.

Applying to SMPs now, but it's late and I know it.

I don't care if it takes 50 years, I am going to become a physician or die trying. However, I know that the longer this takes the worse my chances become.

What would you do in my situation? Apply again this cycle? Wait and apply for SMPs early? Retake MCAT?

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While it's admirable that you're willing to do whatever it takes to become a physician, trying to make a strength even stronger isn't the way to go about getting into med school successfully. Your MCAT is fine; forget about retaking it. What you need to do is confront the actual weakness in your app, which is that your GPA is significantly below par. An SMP may be a reasonable strategy for someone like you with a good MCAT and a weak GPA, but my advice depends on your answers to some other questions.

First, are you a trad or a nontrad? If a trad, does that 3.1 show an upward trend? Have you taken any post bacc classes since finishing college? What were those grades like? If you don't have a recent showing of strong, 3.8+ GPA coursework, then you should definitely consider taking some additional classes.

Second, what was your app strategy? Did you apply early (June)? Did you apply broadly? Did you apply to your state schools? Did you apply to DO schools? If you have already maxed out your app strategy by doing all of the above, then again, taking some additional classes is probably a good idea.
 
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Traditional applicant, definite upward trend. My grades tanked freshman year when my dad died, but by the end of undergrad I was getting mostly As in really difficult classes. No post bacc, and I know I need to get back in the classroom soon - also my MCAT will be too old soon, right? I've applied early and broadly (including DO) and never even got interviewed.

I live in the Chicago area and support myself, so moving would be hard. Does anyone familiar with the matter have a post bacc program to recommend?
 
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No need to move or even to do a formal post bacc. There are a zillion colleges in Chicago; pick any one of them and start taking some classes. I suggest that you take advantage of the AACOMAS grade replacement policy by retaking any classes you got a C or lower in, then reapply to DO schools next summer with your much improved GPA. In the interim, keep getting some clinical experience (shouldn't be a problem with your EMT volunteer gig).

Most med schools consider MCAT scores for three years, so a 2012 MCAT score should still be ok for applying in 2015 at most schools. However, if you reapply in 2016, you will probably need to retake.

See if you can get any of the schools that rejected you to give you some feedback about what you can do to improve your app besides bringing up your GPA. Could there be a lukewarm LOR or a blah PS stopping you from getting any invites?

Finally, you may also want to peruse the Nontrad forum right above this one if you haven't already. You aren't the first person to be in this position, and you might find some of the threads in there useful. One user in particular who may be helpful to you is @mommy2three, who is also from Chicago and has the ultimate reapplicant comeback story.

Best of luck. :)
 
Thank you for your advice, it makes a big difference. I have been steadfast and doubt-free in this endeavour but some of these numbers I'm seeing on SDN lately have been a serious reality check for me. I never thought one bad year could potentially make this impossible, but it seems that is a very real possibility.

That being said, my "50 years" comment is genuine - I'm just so ready to get started, being stuck in this holding pattern is driving me NUTS!

Edit: Should I consider taking these classes at my old university? If I go to a community college to retake these classes, will an adcom take those new and improved grades less seriously because I got my initial grades at a much more difficult school?
 
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Ultimate comeback story indeed - way to make a girl blush @QofQuimica

Anyway I am around and am happy to answer any questions about staying in Chicago :)
 
Thank you for your advice, it makes a big difference. I have been steadfast and doubt-free in this endeavour but some of these numbers I'm seeing on SDN lately have been a serious reality check for me. I never thought one bad year could potentially make this impossible, but it seems that is a very real possibility.

That being said, my "50 years" comment is genuine - I'm just so ready to get started, being stuck in this holding pattern is driving me NUTS!

Edit: Should I consider taking these classes at my old university? If I go to a community college to retake these classes, will an adcom take those new and improved grades less seriously because I got my initial grades at a much more difficult school?
It's not impossible, but you do have to work on getting your GPA into an acceptable range. You will be much more competitive once you have a 3.5+, which is why I'm suggesting that you do grade replacement via AACOMAS and plan on attending a DO school. It's a lot faster and easier to raise your GPA when you can replace your Cs, Ds and Fs with As versus if the new grades just get averaged in with the old bad grades the way AMCAS does it. Focus on replacing your worst grades first; depending on how many of them you have and how many classes you can take at a time, it may be perfectly doable for you to apply next summer with a competitive GPA.

I would avoid going to a CC if you can, as adcoms tend to view classes at those schools as being less rigorous versus classes at four year schools. It probably wouldn't be a big problem for someone with a strong overall academic record to take a few CC classes, but you're a guy or gal with something to prove. If your old university is a reasonable option for you financially and logistically, that would work. Otherwise, what I would do is go to one of the public IL state universities, which I assume will be significantly cheaper than your college is.

On a side note, seeing how you spell "endeavour," are you an American citizen/at least have a green card? Because if not, that will also make your battle to get into an American school very uphill, even if you have stellar stats.
 
I would have to look into the financial particulars, but I have enough information to form a plan. If I dont get a seat this summer at the SMPs I've applied to, I'll aim to retake any science courses in which I earned a C, probably at UIC.

Thank you for your encouraging words.

Oh, and I am indeed a US citizen. For some reason, I've always thought that spelling looks more correct.
 
CCOM is right in your backyard, and MUCOM is about 3 hrs away.

Two cycles with no luck, here's what I'm working with.

MCAT: 30, retook to 32, latest score is from April, 2012
Undergrad: Bio major, dual minors, respectable private Jesuit school.
GPA: 3.17 overall, 3.01 science
EC: Volunteer EMT for 2 years, Habitat for Humanity trip, shadowed 2 doctors.
Employment: Full-time 2 years at pediatric office, I use my EMT cert to do triage and measurments.

Applying to SMPs now, but it's late and I know it.

I don't care if it takes 50 years, I am going to become a physician or die trying. However, I know that the longer this takes the worse my chances become.

What would you do in my situation? Apply again this cycle? Wait and apply for SMPs early? Retake MCAT?
 
Alright SMPs in Chicago and what I know
Loyola - meet GPA and MCAT and good linkage with interview will have gap year after complete program though

Franklin - used to have strong linkage where if you got minimum GPA you were in but they did away with that. Not sure how strong linkage is now. CMS has had some issues with probation this past fall which was minor issue but still it was the second time in the last 6 years - take that however you want to

Midwestern
MBS (2year program)
MA (1year program)
Maintain a GPA and have a MCAT within a certain standard deviation of that years MS1 and you are guaranteed an interview
Applications are not finished reviewing until 2 quarters of grades so around end of feburary if you do one year program or decide to apply first year of two year program.
Very strong linkage with both campuses - everyone I knew who wanted to go on to a professional program did so

Hope this helps :)
 
Just read through the responses and there's some solid advice here. On another note, I believe a 40 or 50 something year old individual enrolled in medical school last year. #motivation?
 
Your words of encouragement mean a lot to me. With the MCAT changing and having been out of school for two years now, I'm seeing the window closing and it causes me a great deal of stress.

I've applied to MAMS and MSMP at Loyola, MAMS at Boston University, and MBS at Tufts University. The deadlines are July 15th, but do you think I got these applications in too late (especially considering my low GPA)?
 
Just received a rejection email for the MSMP program, very unfortunate. I'm not sure if I applied too late, my GPA was simply unacceptable to them, or if my PS/LORs are lacking. Hopefully they will get back to me with some insight. This makes me believe that both BU and Tufts were overreaches as well, so perhaps MAMS is my only reasonable hope.

If I have no luck at any of these master's programs, should I retake science classes at UIC, or apply early to SMPs next cycle?
 
I just got into Boston University, thank you all for your advice. I can tell I will be a contributing member to this forum in any capacity I can for a long time.
 
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