2013-2014 Underdawgs Thread ( Lets get it)

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Many people from my masters program with mcats in the low to mid 20's were accepted into a variety of schools. Best advice I can give is get your GPA up as high as you can to insure you don't get screened out. Good luck this cycle everyone. Don't give up.
 
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Lost Vagus said:
Hoping for some love this year.

3.25 cum 3.25 science 3.6 masters biomedical science. 26 mcat. 300 hours of shadowing. 2 years of research. Applied pretty late this last year (january) due to low undergrad gpa and needed my grades from my masters program. Ended up being wait listed at a majority of the schools I applied to. Don't make the same mistake I did. Apply early!

Many people from my masters program with mcats in the low to mid 20's were accepted into a variety of schools. Best advice I can give is get your GPA up as high as you can to insure you don't get screened out. Good luck this cycle everyone. Don't give up.
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Chances are very good. You are not an underdog.
 
Lost Vagus said:
Hoping for some love this year.

3.25 cum 3.25 science 3.6 masters biomedical science. 26 mcat. 300 hours of shadowing. 2 years of research. Applied pretty late this last year (january) due to low undergrad gpa and needed my grades from my masters program. Ended up being wait listed at a majority of the schools I applied to. Don't make the same mistake I did. Apply early!

Many people from my masters program with mcats in the low to mid 20's were accepted into a variety of schools. Best advice I can give is get your GPA up as high as you can to insure you don't get screened out. Good luck this cycle everyone. Don't give up.
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Pretty sure you'll do amazingly this cycle.
 
Is there a limit to # of EC's on AACOMAS? I was under the impression there was only 15...

I imagine it would look better for an underdog to list the maximum # (if there is such a thing) of EC experiences in an effort to balance the stats a little bit, even if some of them were minimal volunteer experiences.

Any thoughts?
 
Ogmora said:
Is there a limit to # of EC's on AACOMAS? I was under the impression there was only 15...

I imagine it would look better for an underdog to list the maximum # (if there is such a thing) of EC experiences in an effort to balance the stats a little bit, even if some of them were minimal volunteer experiences.

Any thoughts?
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I think it's better to have under 10 really good activities that you dedicated a lot of time to i.e longer than 5-6 months than 15 activities with like 1-3 month periods.

I think I have like 7 activities personally tbh.
 
serenade said:
I think it's better to have under 10 really good activities that you dedicated a lot of time to i.e longer than 5-6 months than 15 activities with like 1-3 month periods.

I think I have like 7 activities personally tbh.
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Understandable, quality over quantity...but what about little things like individual events that you partake in? If I wasn't worried about being below par as an underdog, I'd probably lump them all together as "Individual Volunteer Experiences" or something like that. But why not have the 5 or so really good activities as well as a bunch of little fundraisers or charities too. Something like a 5k or benefit concert?
 
O Grady said:
Thanks everyone for the responses, it really helps to have some good feedback like that.



So I was kind of wondering about this, because I know you can't double dip an experience like that, but I want to make sure I convey that we did a lot of community service (about 3 hrs a week for the whole 2 years) in addition to the discipline and rigor of the LDS mission experience, as well as leadership experiences. Should I put the of service hours in the # box, and then use the 750 character limit to explain everything else? I would ask my advisor these kinds of questions, but they are blatantly anti-mormon (living in Utah ironically) and tries to downplay the significance of the mission to all of us. I really appreciate your help 🙂
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That's exactly what I did. I explained that the number if hours listed was for weekly service projects, then used the rest of the space to talk about things I learned on my mission, with an emphasis on compassion, empathy, etc. Feel free to PM me if you have any more questions!

serenade said:
Mormonism, the leading cause of Utah's EC expansion ( average Utah app has over 3-5x as much volunteering as other states).
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I also read somewhere that Utah has the highest per capita number of DO applicants of any state, which is ironic because the U of U has a somewhat un-DO friendly reputation.

Lost Vagus said:
Hoping for some love this year.

3.25 cum 3.25 science 3.6 masters biomedical science. 26 mcat. 300 hours of shadowing. 2 years of research. Applied pretty late this last year (january) due to low undergrad gpa and needed my grades from my masters program. Ended up being wait listed at a majority of the schools I applied to. Don't make the same mistake I did. Apply early!

Many people from my masters program with mcats in the low to mid 20's were accepted into a variety of schools. Best advice I can give is get your GPA up as high as you can to insure you don't get screened out. Good luck this cycle everyone. Don't give up.
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Nice username! I lol'd.
 
heybigspender said:
Thanks, haha. How widely do you think I should apply? I was hoping to at least get into a school in a city...
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well at least not to DMU, KCUMB, Touro-NV, RVU or NSU since they have 3.00 sgpa minimums.
 
serenade said:
What are your study habits like?
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i took the practice tests and studied every question. however, the real mcat had subjects i didn't really cover like evolution or ones im not really good at (ie genetics and molecular). i think im going to just do practice problems and tests in the next 2 months for my last stab at the mcat.

Lost Vagus said:
Many people from my masters program with mcats in the low to mid 20's were accepted into a variety of schools. Best advice I can give is get your GPA up as high as you can to insure you don't get screened out. Good luck this cycle everyone. Don't give up.
Click to expand...

Can someone compile a list of schools we underdogs must apply to in the OP? Ive searched but it seems like people have different opinions regarding stats on different schools.

so far my list only has:
ACOM, AT-SOMA, Campbell, LECOM (Erie & Bradenton), Marian, PCOM (GA), KYCOM, Rocky Vista, TouroNV, VCOM (VA & SC), WCUCOM
 
drwho14 said:
i took the practice tests and studied every question. however, the real mcat had subjects i didn't really cover like evolution or ones im not really good at (ie genetics and molecular). i think im going to just do practice problems and tests in the next 2 months for my last stab at the mcat.



Can someone compile a list of schools we underdogs must apply to in the OP? Ive searched but it seems like people have different opinions regarding stats on different schools.

so far my list only has:
ACOM, AT-SOMA, Campbell, LECOM (Erie & Bradenton), Marian, PCOM (GA), KYCOM, Rocky Vista, TouroNV, VCOM (VA & SC), WCUCOM
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Love ur username 🙂
 
drwho14 said:
i took the practice tests and studied every question. however, the real mcat had subjects i didn't really cover like evolution or ones im not really good at (ie genetics and molecular). i think im going to just do practice problems and tests in the next 2 months for my last stab at the mcat.



Can someone compile a list of schools we underdogs must apply to in the OP? Ive searched but it seems like people have different opinions regarding stats on different schools.

so far my list only has:
ACOM, AT-SOMA, Campbell, LECOM (Erie & Bradenton), Marian, PCOM (GA), KYCOM, Rocky Vista, TouroNV, VCOM (VA & SC), WCUCOM
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That's not going to get you anywhere. Go buy the Princeton review books and chad videos, study those 4-5 hours a day then the last 2 weeks do the practice tests and you should at least get a 24.
 
drwho14 said:
i took the practice tests and studied every question. however, the real mcat had subjects i didn't really cover like evolution or ones im not really good at (ie genetics and molecular). i think im going to just do practice problems and tests in the next 2 months for my last stab at the mcat.



Can someone compile a list of schools we underdogs must apply to in the OP? Ive searched but it seems like people have different opinions regarding stats on different schools.

so far my list only has:
ACOM, AT-SOMA, Campbell, LECOM (Erie & Bradenton), Marian, PCOM (GA), KYCOM, Rocky Vista, TouroNV, VCOM (VA & SC), WCUCOM
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would recommend these schools: CUSOM, MUCOM, ACOM, WCU, PNWU, LMU, WVSOM, VCOM, PCOM-Ga, KYCOM, LECOM-E, SOMA, Touro-NV (if meeting requirements) and KCUMB (if meeting requirements).

some of these are regionally biased, but these schools seem the most underdog friendly.

do not recommend: CCOM (for the life of me, I cannot understand why I see zillions of underdogs with zero shot here apply.)
 
LaughingMan said:
After todays MCAT--I expect to be an underdog.

Probably gonna score 25-26 . Praying to at least hit a 27 so I can maybe make it to NOVA. :scared::scared::scared:
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Depending on your gpa, even with a score of 25 you may not be an underdog. from what I remember, you have an above average gpa, so having a below average mcat will do. A balanced 24 will get you love from the newish schools. 26 will make you competitive, even for Nova. Again, that's assuming my memory serves me correctly and you gpa is 3.5+.

Besides, I don't think you did that bad on the exam. Your performance on AAMC FL's was promising, so don't torture yourself prematurely.
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
Depending on your gpa, even with a score of 25 you may not be an underdog. from what I remember, you have an above average gpa, so having a below average mcat will do. A balanced 24 will get you love from the newish schools. 26 will make you competitive, even for Nova. Again, that's assuming my memory serves me correctly and you gpa is 3.5+.

Besides, I don't think you did that bad on the exam. Your performance on AAMC FL's was promising, so don't torture yourself prematurely.
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Always promising to hear positive feedback. iA me and you wrecked it.
 
LaughingMan said:
After todays MCAT--I expect to be an underdog.

Probably gonna score 25-26 . Praying to at least hit a 27 so I can maybe make it to NOVA. :scared::scared::scared:
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Lol, why so depressing? I actually choose not to take my retake today after figuring that while I may do better on the other sections I'll probably tank the ps again. But yah... was it harder than usual?
 
LaughingMan said:
After todays MCAT--I expect to be an underdog.

Probably gonna score 25-26 . Praying to at least hit a 27 so I can maybe make it to NOVA. :scared::scared::scared:
Click to expand...

Lol...My dream school as well....They heavily weight the MCAT, but if your GPAs are 3.5+, you will have a great shot with 26.
 
I'm in, sGPA 3.18, cGPA 3.41. 27S. MCAT retake on the boards for May 18th.
 
VinceViegel said:
So that you can show substantial improvement on your test. A 27 is already pretty good.
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Well I'm currently studying for finals, cumulative ochem 2 and physics 2. Planning on a lot of the concepts being fresh in my head. Taken a couple full-lengths at the end of long work/class days d/t overall lack of time, got a 25 on both. Planning on taking two more with full focus and no distractions after these two finals are done, physical sciences was my weak point on my first MCAT and now I'm fairing 8 to 10 questions more correct on physical sciences related passages.
 
serenade said:
Lol, why so depressing? I actually choose not to take my retake today after figuring that while I may do better on the other sections I'll probably tank the ps again. But yah... was it harder than usual?
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I think so. I went through all of EK and Kaplan--and BS had vocab I never even heard of. Also had another discrete that was rape--never seen it. I think those might have been experimentals though.
 
LaughingMan said:
I think so. I went through all of EK and Kaplan--and BS had vocab I never even heard of. Also had another discrete that was rape--never seen it. I think those might have been experimentals though.
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I had some questions like that too. I still got a 10.
 
LaughingMan said:
Yeah--I'm expecting a 7/10/9. I think that'll be my final breakdown.
In any case--I can retake if need be.

Best of luck to all in this coming cycle.
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You probably did fine. But yah, the ps section is beginning to be a giant terror for most people more so than verbal. I think people now literally need the Berkley review to get anywhere near a 10.
 
Hey guys can i join in on this? I have a 3.1 cgpa and 3.0 sgpa with a 24 MCAT. I will be retaking my MCAT later in June but I am thinking of changing it to July. Also, sorry to go off topic but can I do a WAMC too? Do you guys think I should wait for the MCAT and then apply to schools?
 
Dumbpremed said:
Hey guys can i join in on this? I have a 3.1 cgpa and 3.0 sgpa with a 24 MCAT. I will be retaking my MCAT later in June but I am thinking of changing it to July. Also, sorry to go off topic but can I do a WAMC too? Do you guys think I should wait for the MCAT and then apply to schools?
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Can you also state the amount of volunteer hours and shadowing hours? I think that will let us give you a more representative WAMC.
 
nightowl0721 said:
Can you also state the amount of volunteer hours and shadowing hours? I think that will let us give you a more representative WAMC.
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Oh sry, I have 270 hours at a local hospital and 50+ hours at Childresn' hospital and 80+ hours of shadowing.
 
Your GPA is at or a little above the average matriculant gpa.
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Hi my cGPA is 3.2 sgpa 3.2 and MCAT is 34Q (11/12/11), I have over 1000 hrs of volunteering but I am a Canadian applicant, I am planning on getting a DO ref very soon. Am I an underdog? If so what should I do to improve my chances,

thanks in advance.
 
Lunar Moons said:
Hi my cGPA is 3.2 sgpa 3.2 and MCAT is 34Q (11/12/11), I have over 1000 hrs of volunteering but I am a Canadian applicant, I am planning on getting a DO ref very soon. Am I an underdog? If so what should I do to improve my chances,

thanks in advance.
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With that killer MCAT score, you are NOT an underdog IMO....
 
Lunar Moons said:
Hi my cGPA is 3.2 sgpa 3.2 and MCAT is 34Q (11/12/11), I have over 1000 hrs of volunteering but I am a Canadian applicant, I am planning on getting a DO ref very soon. Am I an underdog? If so what should I do to improve my chances,

thanks in advance.
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underdog status DENIED

you should have a great cycle 🙂
 
Dumbpremed said:
Hey guys can i join in on this? I have a 3.1 cgpa and 3.0 sgpa with a 24 MCAT. I will be retaking my MCAT later in June but I am thinking of changing it to July. Also, sorry to go off topic but can I do a WAMC too? Do you guys think I should wait for the MCAT and then apply to schools?
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3.0/24 is an underdog. I wish you luck with your your retake.
 
I'd like to join you guys. 3.5 cgpa 3.27 sgpa and a 29 MCAT however, I think I am an underdawg considering that I have very poor LOR's and very little clinical experience and no shadowing. I am trying to start shadowing asap. Good luck everyone!
 
bvo21 said:
I'd like to join you guys. 3.5 cgpa 3.27 sgpa and a 29 MCAT however, I think I am an underdawg considering that I have very poor LOR's and very little clinical experience and no shadowing. I am trying to start shadowing asap. Good luck everyone!
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I don't think that is underdog worthy (which is not a bad thing haha!). You have plenty of time still to pick that up.
 
bvo21 said:
I'd like to join you guys. 3.5 cgpa 3.27 sgpa and a 29 MCAT however, I think I am an underdawg considering that I have very poor LOR's and very little clinical experience and no shadowing. I am trying to start shadowing asap. Good luck everyone!
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Statwise you're strong. Though what are your ECs like?
 
Hey guys

So feeling like asking here
As I previously mentioned
non-sGPA:3.43
sGPA:3.08
cGPA:3.18
MCAT:26 (retaken already, score out in June)
EC: volunteer at hospitals (~over 1000hr, over 5 year time), Lab (~2000hr), other involvements, such as club activities, World Vision, senior homes (couple hundred hrs)
Got LOR from the DO, science professors, hospital and other health professionals
Canadian

I am worried about the fact that I failed gross anatomy in my last term.
I am about to retake it as well. (that fail dropped my sGPA almost 0.2)
 
serenade said:
Statwise you're strong. Though what are your ECs like?
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I volunteered in the hospital for 100 hours, worked in a research lab, and did basic community service. So nothing to stand out. I'm most worried about my non-existent shadowing. It's crunch time for me to do that.
 
physicianguy said:
I volunteered in the hospital for 100 hours, worked in a research lab, and did basic community service. So nothing to stand out. I'm most worried about my non-existent shadowing. It's crunch time for me to do that.
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That's fine, but get some in very soon.
 
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