35Q but have a disappointing cum GPA

Long time lurker and finally decided to post my burning question...

I just got my MCAT score this week (14P 10V 11B) which I think is pretty representative of my abilities. The MCAT is good, but I'm concerned w/ my GPA situation:

I'm a non-trad applicant. Graduated with a 3.1 in Biomed Engineering; worked for a while.

I spent the past two years doing postbac course work (70+ credit hours) at a 4.0. This brought my GPA up to a cum 3.4 / BCPM 3.5. I've got all my shadowing, volunteer, other ECs and I know that my LORs are very strong. There is a very good reason that my ugrad GPA was so low and I've addressed that in my current PS.

Anyone have feedback on the list of schools I'm thinking of applying to:

• George Washington
• Georgetown
• University of Maryland
• Johns Hopkins
• Mayo
• University of Minnesota
• Wake Forest
• Eastern Virginia
• University of Virginia
• Virginia Commonwealth
• Virginia Tech
• Medical College of Wisconsin
• University of Wisconsin
• Loyola Chicago
• Rush
• Loma Linda
• Brown
• Harvard (Reach / Dream)

I'm a WI resident. Think this is a reasonable range of schools?

Whatyousay said:

Loma Linda - are willing to accept the lifestyle rules that they have? Are you comfortable going to a school with a heavier-than-average religious background?

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Thanks for mentioning that point. I went to a Jesuit university and figured it would be similar. After looking deeper, I don't think the school and I would be a good match.

FIREitUP said:

Dont forget to add more mid range schools like SLU and Case Western. NYMC, Tulane, Drexel, Jefferson and Temple are good additions.

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Thanks for the suggestion. I scoured the MSAR yesterday, after your advice, and decided to add Temple, Drexel, SLU, BU, NYMC & Penn State. Go big or go home, right? Thank goodness for FAP.

ld9 said:

Hey I have some questions for the OP. What material did you study from when you retook the mcat? You did great the second time around.

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Well, first is it necessary to note that I didn't have much time to properly prepare when I got the 27. That being said, here was what I did when I took it in May:

1) Retook Physics 1 (summer) & 2 (spring) because it had been a LONG time since I last took it and I figured it would complement MCAT prep. I opted to go algebra based this time because Calc isn't on the MCAT.
2) Retook Orgo 1 in the spring because it had been a LONG time since I took it and I figured it would complement MCAT prep.
3) Pretty much became a recluse and devoted all my free time to doing either homework or low key MCAT studying for the entire spring semester.
4) I didn't devote any time to verbal or writing prep because I didn't feel that I would likely improve in those areas.
5) I studied out of my old text books and various resources online making sure to cover every point on the MCAT topic list from AAMC: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/preparing/85560/test_sections.html
6) Because I had been burned previously I made certain that I was 100% knowledgeable on the modern physics stuff. (Luckily some other classes that I took in the spring semester covered these topics as well.) HUGE PAYOFF!
7) I used the material on the following site to continually verify that I was covering the proper material: http://mcat-review.org/index.php
8) I did only one practice test about halfway through my prep just to get a feel of where I was. That score was a 32, but I don't remember the breakdown.

Orgo is what killed me in the BS section. It has always been my weakness and I was "blessed" with a MCAT version that had more than I had expected.

Overall, the key for me was to be slow and steady in my MCAT studying. Because I basically gave myself 5 months to prep, I didn't worry or stress if I only had enough drive to look over MCAT related stuff for only 1 hour or less. I just made sure to do some prep work every day.

During the test, I made sure to use the restroom during every break, took a swig or two of water, and ate something (banana, granola bar, Caramello). I also chose to take a prophylactic dose of ibuprofen because the first time around I got a headache and it was a distraction. (Also why I made sure to drink/eat - prevent low blood sugar &/or dehydration.) Lastly, I used the time at the beginning to write down every equation I knew for the PS and BS. I don't think I used them, but it was a safety net in case I blanked during the test.

Not sure if this helps you, but that's my MCAT story...