Would appreciate some real advice

[goriku671]

I'm on my 5th year undergrad at UC San Diego studying Biochemistry and Cell Biology. I'm from Guam and I'm half Chamorro(pacific islander) and half Filipino. Also, I lived a majority of my life in Guam, but since my mother was a California resident, when I moved in with her my senior year of high school, I instantly became a California resident too.
Here are my stats:
cGPA is 3.4
sGPA is 3.53 (as of now)

GPA trend:
1st year: 2.76
2nd year: 3.54
3rd year: 3.41
4th year: 4.0 (straight A's for a year because I did a research program in Japan for a year)
5th year: just finished fall quarter, will be graduating this summer

I've got a ton of W's(6 of them, pretty spread out)

I'm studying for the MCAT right now and I'm registered to take it on May 11th.

ECs
1 year ER volunteer
1 year research in Japan (no publications)
1 year research at UCSD (possible publication, but not guaranteed)
2 years involved in Project Nicaragua-medical org devoted to serving Nicaraguans
-10 days in Nicaragua: shadowed neurosurgeons and ER physicians, donated medical supplies.
- I'm also the Director of Finance for this org
1 year Japanese Student Association
-passed the National Japanese Proficiency Exam level 2 (JLPT 2)

Getting recommendation letters from
PI at Osaka University in Japan
PI at UCSD
Japanese Professor at UCSD
still don't know if I can get a good recletter from a Bio professor at my school

Anyways, I don't know whether I should I apply this cycle. I really want to get into MD schools in California, but I'm open to any school that would accept me. I'm currently applying for the University of Cincinnati and Georgetown SMP. I'm still working on the applications. I don't know whether I should even bother doing a postbac, but I feel that it would really help me with my GPA and getting into UC schools.

Sorry for the long post, but I just want to get advice on what I should do from here. Any advice would be really appreciated. If you would like more information on something that I didn't lay out here, please let me know. Thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Goro]

The rising trend is good, but the overall numbers are sub-par for CA med schools. Of course, without the MCAT, everything is academic.

I'd like to se more patient contact experience; the 10 days in Nicaragua could be derided as "medical tourism"

Also, not having an LOR from your college professors will hurt you. You need some testimony of your academic skills from someone who knows you.

Your numbers are fine if you consider the lower-tier MD schools like Rosy Franklin or NYMC.

An SMP will definitely help.

As of right now, you are fine for COMP and TUCOM-CA, and any other DO school.

Anyways, I don't know whether I should I apply this cycle. I really want to get into MD schools in California, but I'm open to any school that would accept me. I'm currently applying for the University of Cincinnati and Georgetown SMP. I'm still working on the applications. I don't know whether I should even bother doing a postbac, but I feel that it would really help me with my GPA and getting into UC schools.

Sorry for the long post, but I just want to get advice on what I should do from here. Any advice would be really appreciated. If you would like more information on something that I didn't lay out here, please let me know. Thank you!

 

[goriku671]

Thanks for the response! So, with my current state, I'd only be competitive for lower-tier MD schools? I'm not really sure which are the lower-tier MD schools. Is there a list out there?

I would really like to do an SMP, but all the good one's seem to be just as competitive as medical school and just as expensive too =(

Another option I've been thinking about is getting a job at a lab after graduating, do more volunteer work at a hospital/underserved clinic, and maybe take a few bio classes at my schools extension to improve my gpa. I feel like this would be the cheaper option, plus I'll have income too. What do you all think?

 

[goriku671]

I am really lost right now. I really don't know what to do....=/

 

[Goro]

Lower tier schools = those with the lowest GPA/MCAT requirements compared to the other schools, and lower ranked by medical professionals. You can get into those with, say, a 29 MCAT or a 3.4+ GPA (not both). That's the extreme lower edge of acceptability. Others might be Creighton, East Carolina, Albany Medical, East VA, NYMC, Georgetown, Tufts (maybe). The avg GPA of an MD school matriculant is 3.6+, so you do have a hill to climb. You are barely competetive right now.

Try this website as one guide:

http://medical-schools.findthebest.com/

So, with my current state, I'd only be competitive for lower-tier MD schools? I'm not really sure which are the lower-tier MD schools. Is there a list out there?

The SMPs are not as competitive as you think they are. Just do some homework and as there are plenty of them, you can get into one.


I would really like to do an SMP, but all the good one's seem to be just as competitive as medical school and just as expensive too =(

Sounds like a plan. I think you need to try one application cycle to see how things shake out.


Another option I've been thinking about is getting a job at a lab after graduating, do more volunteer work at a hospital/underserved clinic, and maybe take a few bio classes at my schools extension to improve my gpa. I feel like this would be the cheaper option, plus I'll have income too. What do you all think?

 

[MedPR]

Thanks for the response! So, with my current state, I'd only be competitive for lower-tier MD schools? I'm not really sure which are the lower-tier MD schools. Is there a list out there?

I would really like to do an SMP, but all the good one's seem to be just as competitive as medical school and just as expensive too =(

Another option I've been thinking about is getting a job at a lab after graduating, do more volunteer work at a hospital/underserved clinic, and maybe take a few bio classes at my schools extension to improve my gpa. I feel like this would be the cheaper option, plus I'll have income too. What do you all think?

Where you're competitive at will depend on your MCAT. Below 30 and you're probably looking only at DO

Sent from my SGH-T999 using SDN Mobile

 

[goriku671]

Thanks for all the advice!! I guess I'll just do my best on the MCAT on May and see what to do from there. I'll continue the research I'm doing, volunteer in the ER, and just try to finish strong!!! Good luck to everyone going through the whole process!!

 

[goriku671]

Also, I'm half Chamorro (Pacific Islander) and half Filipino and I qualified for the FAP. I was just wondering how much of a advantage this will be, if it would even be an advantage? I was looking through the data in AAMC's Diversity in Medical Education and less than 100 native hawaiian/ other pacific islanders applied nationwide in 2011! We're like the minority among minorities!!

 

[Juan Solo]

Also, I'm half Chamorro (Pacific Islander) and half Filipino and I qualified for the FAP. I was just wondering how much of a advantage this will be, if it would even be an advantage? I was looking through the data in AAMC's Diversity in Medical Education and less than 100 native hawaiian/ other pacific islanders applied nationwide in 2011! We're like the minority among minorities!!

I think your advantage will be that you get to save a lot of money, I think you get 14 schools for free on the primary application and most schools will waive your secondary fee's. I suppose this will allow you to apply to a lot of schools without breaking the bank.

Good luck!

 

[gyngyn]

Also, I'm half Chamorro (Pacific Islander) and half Filipino and I qualified for the FAP. I was just wondering how much of a advantage this will be, if it would even be an advantage? I was looking through the data in AAMC's Diversity in Medical Education and less than 100 native hawaiian/ other pacific islanders applied nationwide in 2011! We're like the minority among minorities!!

In CA, Filipinos are are far from underrepresented. Depending on the medical school, identification with and committment to the underserved in Pacific Island communities may put your application apart a bit. If you qualified for FAP you are also UIM in the sense that you may have had fewer scholastic advantages. It is difficult to estimate how much this helps since there are no AAMC nomograms to describe your situation.