2013-2014 Underdawgs Thread ( Lets get it)

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How did you graduate with Latin honors? Where did you attend?
 
I recommend working in that Sgpa and trying to apply early.
 
Kenshin23 said:
Thanks for your reply. So should i avoid a masters program and just try to beef up my gpa with post-bacc classes?
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Either way you go, you gotta do well! MS program could cost more, but you'll have a grad degree. But the courses could be more challenging too.
 
Well here goes nothing,


3.1 cGPA, 3.1sGPA, 24MCAT (8/6/10), waiting on score from retake.
2 Years of research, 1000+ hours of volunteer work, 150+ hours of shadow/patient interaction.

Underdogs Unite!
 
Kenshin23 said:
Thanks for your reply. So should i avoid a masters program and just try to beef up my gpa with post-bacc classes?
Click to expand...

Consider doing both. Beef up the gpa before you apply and then apply to some masters or post-bacc programs in case you fail to get in.
Or focus specifically on gpa recovery and apply next year.
 
chemicalbull said:
Well here goes nothing,


3.1 cGPA, 3.1sGPA, 24MCAT (8/6/10), waiting on score from retake.
2 Years of research, 1000+ hours of volunteer work, 150+ hours of shadow/patient interaction.

Underdogs Unite!
Click to expand...

If your score goes up 4 points you'll probably have a decent shot.
 
I'm certainly not a DO underdog, but I'm rootin for all you guys. Very inspired after following the underdog thread last year.

Hope to see some of you on the interview trail
 
Anicetus said:
The only DO school that says they screen below an 8 is PCOM.

RVU-COM says they screen below 6.

Other than that, they either have said they don't or that they are just stretching the truth.

Nevertheless, it is still unknown whether certain schools do it or not, so I STILL think that someone with one low subscore is an underdog despite how high their GPAs and other subsections are.
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Its rough. Many schools don't necessarily have one, but some definitely have a below 6 cutoff.

user3 said:
+1

3.00+/3.00+/27+ is not an underdog.
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A 3.0/27 definitely is an underdog. 27 is average, and 3.0 is well below average. When one stat is FAR below the average, it automatically makes that person an underdog.

Kenshin23 said:
DELETED by request
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Get the retakes in ASAP, possibly over the summer. If you do, you'll be fine with a decent MCAT (25+). If you do that by July/August, you'd be able to apply in the 2014 cycle.

Kenshin23 said:
Deleted...
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Forget the MS, you'll get in with your GPA if you do the 3 retakes. Focus on them and the MCAT right now.
 
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Figured I'd pop by while I'm taking a break from studying for finals.
I'll be a re-applicant and am taking classes now and over the summer.
My GOAL is to be a 3.5c 3.4s 3.7ns applicant by the end of July.
25 MCAT

English Major, women and gender studies minor
DII athlete
ORM
residency: ND
~200 hours volunteering
~1000 hours clinical (CNA)
~100 hours teaching (biology TA)
~500 hours leadership (team captain, on exec for sorority)
~40 hours shadowing
LOR: DO, MD, 1 non-science prof, 2 science profs

dream schools: MU-COM, DMU, KCOM, KCUMB, Ohio, UND (want to stay in the midwest)
 
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touchpause13 said:
Figured I'd pop by while I'm taking a break from studying for finals.
I'll be a re-applicant and am taking classes now and over the summer.
My GOAL is to be a 3.5c 3.4s 3.7ns applicant by the end of July.
25 MCAT

English Major, women and gender studies minor
DII athlete
ORM
residency: ND
~200 hours volunteering
~1000 hours clinical (CNA)
~100 hours teaching (biology TA)
~500 hours leadership (team captain, on exec for sorority)

dream schools: MU-COM, DMU, KCOM, KCUMB, Ohio, UND (want to stay in the midwest)
Click to expand...

Sounds good, DMU is admittedly my top school. But MU-COM has honestly enticed me.
 
serenade said:
Sounds good, DMU is admittedly my top school. But MU-COM has honestly enticed me.
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🙂 we could be besties at the same school!

think i have a decent shot if i meet my goal?
 
serenade said:
Well previously I held the notion that an underdog is someone with severely low chances. Potentially 10%, meaning being over an average of 1.5 to 2 standard deviation from the mean as compared to the average.
That being said I now think if you're .5+ std away from an average in two categories or more (Sgpa,Cgpa,mcat) then you're a valid underdog. Likewise being above 1 or having a 6 subscore in a single cat is valid.
Click to expand...

A valid underdog?
 
Anicetus said:
Good. Then I am part of the club 😎 (14/6/11)Q
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If you are an ESL, you are not an underdog. Per the big boss, Goro, schools are willing to turn a blind eye for you if your sciences scores are 10+ and English isn't your first language.
 
touchpause13 said:
Figured I'd pop by while I'm taking a break from studying for finals.
I'll be a re-applicant and am taking classes now and over the summer.
My GOAL is to be a 3.5c 3.4s 3.7ns applicant by the end of July.
25 MCAT

English Major, women and gender studies minor
DII athlete
ORM
residency: ND
~200 hours volunteering
~1000 hours clinical (CNA)
~100 hours teaching (biology TA)
~500 hours leadership (team captain, on exec for sorority)

dream schools: MU-COM, DMU, KCOM, KCUMB, Ohio, UND (want to stay in the midwest)
Click to expand...

just curious, where did you apply and interview this year?
 
Good luck everyone! I was a big underdog last cycle (2.83c, 3.2sci, 27), but kept my head up, was myself during the one interview I was granted and was lucky enough to gain an acceptance. Remember SDN is not an accurate representation of the real world, don't sweat all the small things you read about or get caught up in n=1 stories. Try not to worry too much, nor sit and refresh your email all day. it's a long stressful process that everyone has to deal with, try to occupy your mind with other things. I wish all of you all the best and PM me any specific questions I will try to help out as best I can.
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
I'm curious too. You look very good on paper, what went wrong?
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A 3.5/3.4/25 are close to average, which probably means that a good amount of people will get rejected with those stats. I'd imagine at least 30 to 50% of the defacto average applicant will be rejected.
 
user3 said:
just curious, where did you apply and interview this year?
Click to expand...

Ibn Alnafis MD said:
I'm curious too. You look very good on paper, what went wrong?
Click to expand...

serenade said:
A 3.5/3.4/25 are close to average, which probably means that a good amount of people will get rejected with those stats. I'd imagine at least 30 to 50% of the defacto average applicant will be rejected.
Click to expand...

I applied with a 3.3c and 3.1s GPA and i started w/ a 24 MCAT. I also applied late (i retook the MCAT in September and then didn't finish all of my secondaries until October)
I received iis to WVCOM, LMU and MU
didn't go to the west virginia interview, was waitlisted at LMU and rejected at MU. I called MU and they said my biggest problem was science gpa was too low and my app was too late.
given that I was a much bigger underdog last cycle and got a good deal of love I am very hopeful for this season after correcting my mistakes from the previous cycle. (i swear i am getting all my secondaries finished in July yall)
 
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touchpause13 said:
🙂 we could be besties at the same school!

think i have a decent shot if i meet my goal?
Click to expand...

If you reach that goal, you won't be an underdog anymore 🙂.

mfas said:
Good luck everyone! I was a big underdog last cycle (2.83c, 3.2sci, 27), but kept my head up, was myself during the one interview I was granted and was lucky enough to gain an acceptance. Remember SDN is not an accurate representation of the real world, don't sweat all the small things you read about or get caught up in n=1 stories. Try not to worry too much, nor sit and refresh your email all day. it's a long stressful process that everyone has to deal with, try to occupy your mind with other things. I wish all of you all the best and PM me any specific questions I will try to help out as best I can.
Click to expand...

n=2, both GPAs <3.0, >33 MCAT, late app (secondaries complete by Jan).

In all fairness though, my history is a bit lopsided with tons of ECs/work, and the last 70-some credits being ~3.8 (I let you figure out how bad the older 120 had to be).

touchpause13 said:
I applied with a 3.3c and 3.1s GPA and i started w/ a 24 MCAT. I also applied late (i retook the MCAT in September and then didn't finish all of my secondaries until October)
I received iis to WVCOM, LMU and MU
didn't go to the west virginia interview, was waitlisted at LMU and rejected at MU. I called MU and they said my biggest problem was science gpa was too low and my app was too late.
given that I was a much bigger underdog last cycle and got a good deal of love I am very hopeful for this season after correcting my mistakes from the previous cycle. (i swear i am getting all my secondaries finished in July yall)
Click to expand...

You'll get in this cycle for sure, but that's only if you don't get pulled off the LMU waitlist first. :xf:
 
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hallowmann said:
If you reach that goal, you won't be an underdog anymore 🙂.



You'll get in this cycle for sure, but that's only if you don't get pulled off the LMU waitlist first. :xf:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the support dear!! I really appreciate it!!
😍
 
mfas said:
Good luck everyone! I was a big underdog last cycle (2.83c, 3.2sci, 27), but kept my head up, was myself during the one interview I was granted and was lucky enough to gain an acceptance. Remember SDN is not an accurate representation of the real world, don't sweat all the small things you read about or get caught up in n=1 stories. Try not to worry too much, nor sit and refresh your email all day. it's a long stressful process that everyone has to deal with, try to occupy your mind with other things. I wish all of you all the best and PM me any specific questions I will try to help out as best I can.
Click to expand...

Wow...You were truly an underdog. Congrats...
 
Let me join the underdawg group again!
Third time applying
Third time taking the MCAT

3.67 cGPA 3.36 sGPA
22 MCAT twice (8/8/6) (8/7/7)
Third score comes back the end of June!

I really hope the saying third times a charm is accurate
 
touchpause13 said:
Figured I'd pop by while I'm taking a break from studying for finals.
I'll be a re-applicant and am taking classes now and over the summer.
My GOAL is to be a 3.5c 3.4s 3.7ns applicant by the end of July.
25 MCAT

English Major, women and gender studies minor
DII athlete
ORM
residency: ND
~200 hours volunteering
~1000 hours clinical (CNA)
~100 hours teaching (biology TA)
~500 hours leadership (team captain, on exec for sorority)

dream schools: MU-COM, DMU, KCOM, KCUMB, Ohio, UND (want to stay in the midwest)
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat as you. Reapp. But only applied to three schools: MUCOM MSUCOM LECOMB (and a few MDs). Really only wanted MSUCOM and I'm still on the waitlist there. Most on here would not consider me an underdog, and it was my own fault for not applying broadly enough. This time around I will. If I had a 10 on BS instead of PS, I would probably be in by now.
Sgpa: 3.6
Cgpa: 3.7
MCAT: 10/8/8
 
DOC9090 said:
I'm in the same boat as you. Reapp. But only applied to three schools: MUCOM MSUCOM LECOMB (and a few MDs). Really only wanted MSUCOM and I'm still on the waitlist there. Most on here would not consider me an underdog, and it was my own fault for not applying broadly enough. This time around I will. If I had a 10 on BS instead of PS, I would probably be in by now.
Sgpa: 3.6
Cgpa: 3.7
MCAT: 10/8/8
Click to expand...

no interview from MUCOM or LECOM-B?
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
If you are an ESL, you are not an underdog. Per the big boss, Goro, schools are willing to turn a blind eye for you if your sciences scores are 10+ and English isn't your first language.
Click to expand...

I am not ESL so I got THAT going for me, haha.
 
TheU12 said:
Let me join the underdawg group again!
Third time applying
Third time taking the MCAT

3.67 cGPA 3.36 sGPA
22 MCAT twice (8/8/6) (8/7/7)
Third score comes back the end of June!

I really hope the saying third times a charm is accurate
Click to expand...

Good luck!
 
Good luck all you underdogs! The application cycle is a beast (as most of you already know). Don't let the little things get to you, enjoy your summer and make sure you have enough cash for all those damn interviews....I'm still paying off my credit card haha
 
0 interest credit card is a good idea fyi

Sent from my SCH-I405 using SDN Mobile
 
So being as it's relevant for this thread, what are the schools that have a certain cutoff for MCATs either total or for each section. And what are some schools that pre-screen out some low GPAs either science of cumulative?
 
Hello folks!

3.3 cgpa / 3.2 sgpa / 29q / CA resident / white male / 1st gen

Any advice for schools? went with PCOM MSU NSU CCOM AZCOM ATSU-AZ WesternU-Pom DMU last year, rejected pre-interview(although I applied late-ish)
 
Wipeout416 said:
Hello folks!

3.3 cgpa / 3.2 sgpa / 29q / CA resident / white male / 1st gen

Any advice for schools? went with PCOM MSU NSU CCOM AZCOM ATSU-AZ WesternU-Pom DMU last year, rejected pre-interview(although I applied late-ish)
Click to expand...

Shocked you didn't even get an interview. How late is latish?

What ECs did you have?
 
Wipeout416 said:
Hello folks!

3.3 cgpa / 3.2 sgpa / 29q / CA resident / white male / 1st gen

Any advice for schools? went with PCOM MSU NSU CCOM AZCOM ATSU-AZ WesternU-Pom DMU last year, rejected pre-interview(although I applied late-ish)
Click to expand...

You are not an underdog.

Applying late in conjunction to applying only to top tier schools while having very average stats caused you to be rejected.

Apply on June 1st to 15+ schools and you'll get some love.
 
LaughingMan said:
Shocked you didn't even get an interview. How late is latish?

What ECs did you have?
Click to expand...

Standard ECs of shadowing, OR, volunteer work of varying degrees, raising money, etc. No DO letter however.

Biggest one and most driving force has been my involvement with a nonprofit ophthalmology group. Spent some time in the Andes developing a diabetic retinopathy program..

December for your other question, had some unforeseen circumstances. Oh well. Looking forward to this cycle.

@Ibn, thanks for the feedback. I was worried about the GPA. I do plan to broaden my school list 🙂
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
You are not an underdog.

Applying late in conjunction to applying only to top tier schools while having very average stats caused you to be rejected.

Apply on June 1st to 15+ schools and you'll get some love.
Click to expand...

This.

Wipeout416 said:
Standard ECs of shadowing, OR, volunteer work of varying degrees, raising money, etc. No DO letter however.

Biggest one and most driving force has been my involvement with a nonprofit ophthalmology group. Spent some time in the Andes developing a diabetic retinopathy program..

December for your other question, had some unforeseen circumstances. Oh well. Looking forward to this cycle.

@Ibn, thanks for the feedback. I was worried about the GPA. I do plan to broaden my school list 🙂
Click to expand...

Yeah, your stats are around average (a bit higher MCAT, a bit lower GPA), so you need to expand your school list. Its very top heavy for the more competitive programs. If you apply early and broadly, you should have options, but definitely broaden that list.

Also, I would strongly suggest getting a DO letter. Many programs either require it or strongly recommend it. From your list alone, PCOM, Western, AZCOM, and CCOM all strongly recommend a DO LOR.
 
Last edited:
Wipeout416 said:
Hello folks!

3.3 cgpa / 3.2 sgpa / 29q / CA resident / white male / 1st gen

Any advice for schools? went with PCOM MSU NSU CCOM AZCOM ATSU-AZ WesternU-Pom DMU last year, rejected pre-interview(although I applied late-ish)
Click to expand...

To not have a single interview out of 8 schools with those numbers is very strange. I would call some of them and make sure there was not some kind of red flag in your file.
 
Hey all,

Currently my stats are 3.02/3.01 c/sGPA. Assuming I get a 4.0 this summer, I can bring my sGPA to 3.31 according to AACOMAS.

Will I be able to send in an updated transcript to AACOMAS once I finish the summer semester? Will I have to wait on the verification?
 
Ogmora said:
Hey all,

Currently my stats are 3.02/3.01 c/sGPA. Assuming I get a 4.0 this summer, I can bring my sGPA to 3.31 according to AACOMAS.

Will I be able to send in an updated transcript to AACOMAS once I finish the summer semester? Will I have to wait on the verification?
Click to expand...

You should be above every GPA cutoff with a 3.0 (except for KCUMB), so you can easily submit it with your current transcripts on June 1st to get verified, and then when your summer grades come in you can submit the transcripts for the update. Just make sure you code the retakes properly (i.e. the ones you are taking over the summer should be labeled RNY, RNY, as opposed to R02, L02, etc.).

I also would hold off on submitting the secondaries until your new grades come in, but I would definitely fill out as much of them as you can.
 
So underdogs list on the front... any day now, right?
 
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