11 w's, need advice

[unpaidintern]

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I'm in an odd situation with my stats.
My GPA is currently 3.33 for cumulative and 3.32 for science gpa. MCAT is 522.

Low GPA is due to severe health issues that came about sophomore and junior year. Positive is that it directly ties into my "why medicine". Negative is that I failed some classes and didn't perform to my potential in other classes due to going undiagnosed for a while. Also, I had to withdraw from school to complete treatment (surgeries) and currently have 11 "w" grades on my transcript. After recovering, I re-took classes I failed and nailed a 4.0 gpa trend senior year.

EC's are average, research is average, LOR's are strong, disadvantaged and Native American.
I did some calculations and figured that it would take 48 credit hours to raise my gpa to 3.4.
Is it worth pursuing an informal post-bac which will increase my GPA to .1 point? I am mainly concern about how the bad grades and w's will look to adcoms. Money is definitely an issue as I'm poor but if it's worth it, I can take on a third job.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Native American.

Based on ad com posts I've read on this forum, medical schools might ask whether you have a tribal card and whether you've shown some commitment to service in the Native American community. That and the 522 MCAT (!) would be worth a lot.

If you don't have the aforementioned service, your gap year might include volunteering in the Native American community along with taking a few classes just to show that your senior year wasn't a fluke.

 

[unpaidintern]

Personally, I don't think it is worth it to do an informal postbac of 48 credits to raise your gpa by only .1 points.

Your GPA, while probably lower than you would have wanted, is not terrible. The 11 Ws is somewhat worrisome, but I believe if you present your explanation well, there will be a lot of schools that are willing to be forgiving. Also, just checking, your GPA factors in the classes you failed and retook right? You have to show both on your AMCAS.

If you apply broadly I believe you will get a good amount of interviews, but that's just my cents, someone more knowledgable feel free to chime in.

Yes, my gpa calculation factors in both the failed classes and the retake.

Based on ad com posts I've read on this forum, medical schools might ask whether you have a tribal card and whether you've shown some commitment to service in the Native American community. That and the 522 MCAT (!) would be worth a lot.

If you don't have the aforementioned service, your gap year might include volunteering in the Native American community along with taking a few classes just to show that your senior year wasn't a fluke.

Yes, I have a tribal ID and majority of my EC's are centered around my community.

 

[Bonne Nuit]

I'm in an odd situation with my stats.
My GPA is currently 3.33 for cumulative and 3.32 for science gpa. MCAT is 522.

Low GPA is due to severe health issues that came about sophomore and junior year. Positive is that it directly ties into my "why medicine". Negative is that I failed some classes and didn't perform to my potential in other classes due to going undiagnosed for a while. Also, I had to withdraw from school to complete treatment (surgeries) and currently have 11 "w" grades on my transcript. After recovering, I re-took classes I failed and nailed a 4.0 gpa trend senior year.

EC's are average, research is average, LOR's are strong, disadvantaged and Native American.
I did some calculations and figured that it would take 48 credit hours to raise my gpa to 3.4.
Is it worth pursuing an informal post-bac which will increase my GPA to .1 point? I am mainly concern about how the bad grades and w's will look to adcoms. Money is definitely an issue as I'm poor but if it's worth it, I can take on a third job.

University of Minnesota - Duluth has a mission to serve American Indian/Alaska Native/Native American populations. I bet they'd give you a long look with your ECs and MCAT, despite your previous difficulties. Pack a coat.

 

[Goro]

I'm in an odd situation with my stats.
My GPA is currently 3.33 for cumulative and 3.32 for science gpa. MCAT is 522.

Low GPA is due to severe health issues that came about sophomore and junior year. Positive is that it directly ties into my "why medicine". Negative is that I failed some classes and didn't perform to my potential in other classes due to going undiagnosed for a while. Also, I had to withdraw from school to complete treatment (surgeries) and currently have 11 "w" grades on my transcript. After recovering, I re-took classes I failed and nailed a 4.0 gpa trend senior year.

EC's are average, research is average, LOR's are strong, disadvantaged and Native American.
I did some calculations and figured that it would take 48 credit hours to raise my gpa to 3.4.
Is it worth pursuing an informal post-bac which will increase my GPA to .1 point? I am mainly concern about how the bad grades and w's will look to adcoms. Money is definitely an issue as I'm poor but if it's worth it, I can take on a third job.

It's no longer about raising the GPA.

Read this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[Moko]

You've got a few things going for you (Native American, disadvantaged / low-income, good grades during your senior year, and high MCAT). The W's and poor grades during 2nd and 3rd year would likely be discounted on account of your severe illness. However, adcoms will want to know that this illness has been properly managed, cured, and/or in remission.

As Goro points out, the goal of post-bac course work isn't to raise the GPA (as you pointed out, it's mathematically daunting); rather, the goal is to convince reviewers that your cumulative GPA is not reflective of your current academic abilities. Generally speaking, I like to see applicants sustain at least two years of good grades in these situations, so I would usually recommend another year of DIY post-bac coursework to minimize the chances of needing reapplication. However, the combination of your demographics, stats, and situation is also very atypical, something that I personally have not encountered this past year. Based on the statistics, I wouldn't be surprised if you were to get an acceptance this cycle if you applied, but your chances would be much improved if you were to take an additional year of coursework. Hopefully more experienced members can chime in @Goro , @LizzyM , @gyngyn , @gonnif .

For reference, the acceptance rate for Native Americans is ~36%. Applicant average: 3.38 / 499. Matriculant average: 3.66 (SD: 0.30) / 506 (https://www.aamc.org/download/321498/data/factstablea18.pdf).

 

[chlorocruorin]

All I read was the title:

Interview skills

 

[Walter Raleigh]

Yeah. I'd recommend another year of DIY postbacc but you might get a little forgiveness because of your unusual circumstances. Good luck.

 

[keanureaves]

All I read was the title:

Interview skills

11 transcript Withdrawals not Waitlists... it pays to read the posts sometimes.

 

[chlorocruorin]

11 transcript Withdrawals not Waitlists... it pays to read the posts sometimes.

I was drunk okay