2013-2014 Underdawgs Thread ( Lets get it)

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Great thread! I'm a non-trad underdog as well. I'm just finishing up the last of my secondaries. I would've applied sooner, but I took the MCAT late due to serious illness.

Undergrad GPA= 2.9c, 2.8s
Grad School GPA = 4.0
Overall GPA = 3.2c, 3.1s
MCAT= 25/27

Tons of ECs-- 5,000+ hours of physician shadowing/community service, publications, etc. Great LORs.
Very unique personal history.
Applied to 11 DO, 18 MD (I don't know why I even bothered with MD, honestly)

To be honest, my application is so unusual that I have no idea where I stand for DO schools (any feedback?). I know I'm a long shot (in the back of my mind, I'm preparing myself to reapply next year), but I hope that I'll get some luck. I'm really eager to start medical school and practicing medicine.

Good luck to everyone-- we can do it. 🙂
 
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user3 said:
not that many people seem to be applying to LUCOM...if you are an UD and paranoid about your chances and don't mind the religious affiliation, I would recommend applying there (even if you don't meet their minumums). I would not be surprised if lots of 3.1/22's were accepted.
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How do you know that?... I was contemplating of withdrawing my application tomorrow... Do you think I should give LUCOM a shot even with my 4 in VR. URM AA with stats: 3.2cGPA, 3.3+ sGPA and 22 MCAT (9/4/9)....
 
Temperature101 said:
How do you know that?... I was contemplating of withdrawing my application tomorrow... Do you think I should give LUCOM a shot even with my 4 in VR. URM AA with stats: 3.2cGPA, 3.3+ sGPA and 22 MCAT (9/4/9)....
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Oh come on temp your better than them.
 
Long time lurker, here goes:
3.5c, 3.32s, MCAT:25, 26
1.5 years MA for spine surgeon
2 years RA while in undergrad
5 years bank teller while in undergrad
200 hours hospital volunteering in sterile processing
200 hours non medical volunteering
100 hours shadowing both MD & DO
2 years teaching college success class for freshman
5 letters: 1 MD, 2 DO, 1 Science Professor, 1 former employer

Submitted secondaries to: CCOM, AZCOM, MSU, DMU, KCUMB, PCOM, PCOM-Ga, NSU, Marian, VCOM-VC, Western-Lebanon, Erie-SH.

ii-Erie-SH
Pre interview hold-AZCOM

Should I add more schools?
 
podge22 said:
Long time lurker, here goes:
3.5c, 3.32s, MCAT:25, 26
1.5 years MA for spine surgeon
2 years RA while in undergrad
5 years bank teller while in undergrad
200 hours hospital volunteering in sterile processing
200 hours non medical volunteering
100 hours shadowing both MD & DO
2 years teaching college success class for freshman
5 letters: 1 MD, 2 DO, 1 Science Professor, 1 former employer

Submitted secondaries to: CCOM, AZCOM, MSU, DMU, KCUMB, PCOM, PCOM-Ga, NSU, Marian, VCOM-VC, Western-Lebanon, Erie-SH.

ii-Erie-SH
Pre interview hold-AZCOM

Should I add more schools?
Click to expand...

No I think you have a good mix of schools. You should have luck somewhere.
 
podge22 said:
Long time lurker, here goes:
3.5c, 3.32s, MCAT:25, 26
1.5 years MA for spine surgeon
2 years RA while in undergrad
5 years bank teller while in undergrad
200 hours hospital volunteering in sterile processing
200 hours non medical volunteering
100 hours shadowing both MD & DO
2 years teaching college success class for freshman
5 letters: 1 MD, 2 DO, 1 Science Professor, 1 former employer

Submitted secondaries to: CCOM, AZCOM, MSU, DMU, KCUMB, PCOM, PCOM-Ga, NSU, Marian, VCOM-VC, Western-Lebanon, Erie-SH.

ii-Erie-SH
Pre interview hold-AZCOM

Should I add more schools?
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You should consider getting another science and non-science letter of rec. I know off the top of my head CCOM, DMU, and PCOM all require more than one professor if you do not have a pre-med committee letter.
 
VisualEvolution said:
You should consider getting another science and non-science letter of rec. I know off the top of my head CCOM, DMU, and PCOM all require more than one professor if you do not have a pre-med committee letter.
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My undergrad sends out committee packets, sorry I probably should have mentioned that. Thanks for the feedback though.
 
I just finished applying to over twenty schools altogether. I am freaking out a little because i am super late.

Right now what do i need to do besides waiting for my application to be verified and sent to all the schools. I will be making sure my letters of recommendation are in order.

Just to double check how and when exactly do I get secondaries? if I do, that is.
 
Look at the specific schools secondary questions in the application season forum and start pre-writing. It will take about a month or more to get verified so try to have your responses ready to submit right away.

akumar29 said:
I just finished applying to over twenty schools altogether. I am freaking out a little because i am super late.

Right now what do i need to do besides waiting for my application to be verified and sent to all the schools. I will be making sure my letters of recommendation are in order.

Just to double check how and when exactly do I get secondaries? if I do, that is.
Click to expand...
 
akumar29 said:
I just finished applying to over twenty schools altogether. I am freaking out a little because i am super late.

Right now what do i need to do besides waiting for my application to be verified and sent to all the schools. I will be making sure my letters of recommendation are in order.

Just to double check how and when exactly do I get secondaries? if I do, that is.
Click to expand...

I applied late as well. While it's certainly going to put us at a disadvantage, acceptances are possible. My secondaries were delayed because I took the MCAT late-- some schools sent secondaries instantly (via e-mail), whereas others waited weeks after they received my MCAT scores. Just depends if they pre-review your application or not.

Just focus on writing the secondaries essays in advance (they're posted online on SDN) and try not to stress too much. With persistence and hard work, you WILL get into a med school. 🙂
 
23 on my second mcat. interviewed at PCOM-GA and denied 🙁

i guess ill just go to the Caribbean. or something else i dont know
 
Points said:
23 on my second mcat. interviewed at PCOM-GA and denied 🙁

i guess ill just go to the Caribbean. or something else i dont know
Click to expand...

Do not give up hope. I had the same MCAT, 1st try (verbal sucked) and got in at what I think is an amazing school - ACOM. I have a 3.9 science GPA though. I think that may have had something to do with it.
 
Okay guys, lay it on me:

3.09c/2.74s/27 (11v/9b/7p)

tough neurobio major and neuroscience minor
lots of MD and DO shadowing
decent volunteer work
excellent EC's: college marching band, athletics, etc
1 year research in a neuro lab

submitted secondaries to PCOM, NYCOM, LECOM-E, LECOM-B, LMU; waiting on secondary from TouroCOM and UNE
rejected pre-secondary from WVSOM, AZCOM, and ATS-SOMA

Do I have any shot?
 
KDneuro said:
Okay guys, lay it on me:

3.09c/2.74s/27 (11v/9b/7p)

tough neurobio major and neuroscience minor
lots of MD and DO shadowing
decent volunteer work
excellent EC's: college marching band, athletics, etc
1 year research in a neuro lab

submitted secondaries to PCOM, NYCOM, LECOM-E, LECOM-B, LMU; waiting on secondary from TouroCOM and UNE
rejected pre-secondary from WVSOM, AZCOM, and ATS-SOMA

Do I have any shot?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately your science gpa is below the cut off for basically all medical schools ( 2.75) as such you'll be unlikely to receive any interview invites. Consider spending a semester retaking some courses.
 
KDneuro said:
Okay guys, lay it on me:

3.09c/2.74s/27 (11v/9b/7p)
Click to expand...

Hi there,

I also went to a brutal undergrad and got my tail kicked in science. Does your alma mater discuss this in their committee letter? I know mine adds a statement on the first page indicating that their grade deflation is so severe that med schools should add about 0.3-0.5 points to science GPAs. Because of this, friends of mine weren't precluded from interviews at top programs (e.g. Yale)-- even with 3.0 GPAs. Some schools, unfortunately, disregard the statement.

Statement or no statement, it's helpful to retake at least a couple courses-- you don't want to get filtered out of schools just because you have a 2.74 and not a 2.75. State schools and/or their extension schools have really affordable course options.

Because there's so much that goes into admissions decisions, I can't comment whether or not you'll be admitted to the schools that you listed (I don't even know that for myself). Since you're currently applying, the best thing you can do is bolster your chances of getting in this cycle while also having a back-up plan for next year should you not be admitted. This means getting your secondaries in quickly and continuing with your ECs this semester. If you can, next semester, try to retake a course or two (AACOMAS is far more generous with GPA re-take calculations than AMCAS).

Your MCAT is much stronger than your GPA, but if you know you can achieve a higher score with a retake, then I would go for the January exam-- DO schools will accept it. You have a competitive DO score (~1 pt below average at the top programs), but getting that coveted 30 would definitely offset some of your GPA issues. I have the same MCAT as you and plan to retake on 1/25 so that it will be considered for this year's apps-- and if I don't get in this cycle, then at least my new (and hopefully improved) score will be ready for an early re-application. But if you don't think a score improvement is feasible in January, defer a retake.

I was in your shoes a couple years ago and ended up working while taking 2 courses in the evenings. It was brutal, but it really helped my application. Worst case scenario, you can do a gap year to improve your application. I know it's not the ideal situation, but it's really not that bad and people are going to med school much later than they used to.

Hope I provided some useful information somewhere in there. Good luck with your applications-- with persistence, you will persevere. 🙂

Good luck!
 
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Thanks Ortho! It was very refreshing to see your response. I'm not sure whether my committee letter includes any information about the difficulty of courses / grade deflation. I'm looking into retaking a science course next semester, I know that's something I need to consider.
As far as back up plans go, I've been looking into post bacc programs but even a lot of those require a 3.0 science GPA. Any suggestions? So far I'm thinking of applying to LECOM and VCOM's programs. Would it make much of a difference to adcoms if I got an MS degree or post-bacc certificate? I'm not really sure what will help me most.
 
Points said:
23 on my second mcat. interviewed at PCOM-GA and denied 🙁

i guess ill just go to the Caribbean. or something else i dont know
Click to expand...

hey, i'm sorry to hear that! maybe you will have better luck next cycle!
would you mind telling me if you are a GA resident or not??
 
I want to thank everyone on this thread for their support and words of wisdom. I thought I had no chance with my MCAT score, but I was proven wrong. I received 4 interview invites, have been accepted to 3, and I am still waiting to attend the last. SDN, for all its neuroticism, is extremely valuable.
 
postbacpremed87 said:
I want to thank everyone on this thread for their support and words of wisdom. I thought I had no chance with my MCAT score, but I was proven wrong. I received 4 interview invites, have been accepted to 3, and I am still waiting to attend the last. SDN, for all its neuroticism, is extremely valuable.
Click to expand...

Congrats!!!! Mind sharing your stats?
 
postbacpremed87 said:
I want to thank everyone on this thread for their support and words of wisdom. I thought I had no chance with my MCAT score, but I was proven wrong. I received 4 interview invites, have been accepted to 3, and I am still waiting to attend the last. SDN, for all its neuroticism, is extremely valuable.
Click to expand...

I don't think your numbers were that bad... 3.8/3.9/23 was more than sufficient for the newer schools.
 
Points said:
23 on my second mcat. interviewed at PCOM-GA and denied 🙁

i guess ill just go to the Caribbean. or something else i dont know
Click to expand...

most schools will take your highest MCAT. did you apply to other schools, like LUCOM, LMU, WCU, VCOM, LECOM-SH, ACOM, WVSOM, SOMA, KCOM, Touro-NV, CUSOM, MUCOM, Touro-Middletown (NY), and KYCOM?
 
user3 said:
I don't think your numbers were that bad... 3.8/3.9/23 was more than sufficient for the newer schools.
Click to expand...
+1... I think SDN users should be very careful in taking advices from so called adcom members here... There is applicant in the WAMC forum with 3.8+ c/sGPA and 27 mcat with a 6 in VR and everyone was saying he/she will be auto-rejected for MD. That applicant is already sitting on an MD acceptance... So take what people say in here with a grain of salt. Weight your options first before making decisions on what being said by strangers on SDN.
 
KDneuro said:
Thanks Ortho! It was very refreshing to see your response. I'm not sure whether my committee letter includes any information about the difficulty of courses / grade deflation. I'm looking into retaking a science course next semester, I know that's something I need to consider.
As far as back up plans go, I've been looking into post bacc programs but even a lot of those require a 3.0 science GPA. Any suggestions? So far I'm thinking of applying to LECOM and VCOM's programs. Would it make much of a difference to adcoms if I got an MS degree or post-bacc certificate? I'm not really sure what will help me most.
Click to expand...

Hi there--

First of all, I need to post my bias upfront and say I re-took a few pre-med classes independently at a post-bac school (in other words, I did not enroll in their official program even though I took the same classes as everybody else).

You don't necessarily have to do a post-bac certificate program. Many of the 'official' pre-med post-bac programs are costly (e.g. Columbia is $1,512 per credit), whereas taking courses 'a la carte' at a school can be more affordable (e.g. this physics is $1,200 for an entire class). Yes, it is nice to get an official 'recommendation' from a post-bac committee, but if you have your undergrad's support, it's not necessarily worth the tens of thousands extra you'd pay instead of just taking the few classes you need independently. As for getting in, some post-bac schools let you take their courses without being accepted into the post-bac program. For example, Harvard Extension School has an excellent pre-med post-bac program that you can apply to (the acceptance rate is ridiculously high), but many students just take the classes that they need (none of my classmates ever realized I wasn't even officially enrolled in their program, so it was fine). No point in repeating courses that you already did well in, IMO.

The advantages to applying to an official post-bac program is that it's full-time (so you can focus), you get a letter from them (assuming you hit a certain GPA benchmark), and some of them 'feed into' certain med schools. The downside is that it's very expensive, full-time (bye bye ECs or work), and saying that you have a certificate in pre-med doesn't mean much once you've been admitted to med school. Are you really going to put you got a certificate in pre-med on your resume when you're a physician? I don't think so. That's why I retook a couple classes and went on my merry way.

Another option to consider (if you have the means), is a special master's program. This, like an official post-bac program, you will have to apply to. For example, if you really need to re-take a lot of chem classes, etc. then it might be better to get rewarded with a special master's in biochem rather than some post-bac certificate that won't mean much years from now. Many of my friends elected this route, and in retrospect, I wish I would have done that instead. A friend of mine with a 3.2 GPA did the special master's at Georgetown and is now enrolled in their med school. Another college friend of mine with a similar GPA did the same program and now attends Tulane. Even those that didn't get into med school right away at least got to walk away with a master's degree that helped them get great jobs during their gap-year re-applications (and it will certainly help their medical research careers in the future).

Hope some of this was helpful. Good luck-- let me know what you decide to do. 🙂
 
MPHOrtho13 said:
Hi there--

First of all, I need to post my bias upfront and say I re-took a few pre-med classes independently at a post-bac school (in other words, I did not enroll in their official program even though I took the same classes as everybody else).

You don't necessarily have to do a post-bac certificate program. Many of the 'official' pre-med post-bac programs are costly (e.g. Columbia is $1,512 per credit), whereas taking courses 'a la carte' at a school can be more affordable (e.g. this physics is $1,200 for an entire class). Yes, it is nice to get an official 'recommendation' from a post-bac committee, but if you have your undergrad's support, it's not necessarily worth the tens of thousands extra you'd pay instead of just taking the few classes you need independently. As for getting in, some post-bac schools let you take their courses without being accepted into the post-bac program. For example, Harvard Extension School has an excellent pre-med post-bac program that you can apply to (the acceptance rate is ridiculously high), but many students just take the classes that they need (none of my classmates ever realized I wasn't even officially enrolled in their program, so it was fine). No point in repeating courses that you already did well in, IMO.

The advantages to applying to an official post-bac program is that it's full-time (so you can focus), you get a letter from them (assuming you hit a certain GPA benchmark), and some of them 'feed into' certain med schools. The downside is that it's very expensive, full-time (bye bye ECs or work), and saying that you have a certificate in pre-med doesn't mean much once you've been admitted to med school. Are you really going to put you got a certificate in pre-med on your resume when you're a physician? I don't think so. That's why I retook a couple classes and went on my merry way.

Another option to consider (if you have the means), is a special master's program. This, like an official post-bac program, you will have to apply to. For example, if you really need to re-take a lot of chem classes, etc. then it might be better to get rewarded with a special master's in biochem rather than some post-bac certificate that won't mean much years from now. Many of my friends elected this route, and in retrospect, I wish I would have done that instead. A friend of mine with a 3.2 GPA did the special master's at Georgetown and is now enrolled in their med school. Another college friend of mine with a similar GPA did the same program and now attends Tulane. Even those that didn't get into med school right away at least got to walk away with a master's degree that helped them get great jobs during their gap-year re-applications (and it will certainly help their medical research careers in the future).

Hope some of this was helpful. Good luck-- let me know what you decide to do. 🙂
Click to expand...

The unofficial postbac is a good way to go in my opinion because it's cost effective and allows you more freedom for your own scheduling. However, do realize some schools will only look at your postbac courses seriously after you have accrued sufficient credit hours. The amount is another arbitrary standard that varies. I think one of my state MD schools like to see at least 30 credits or something if one does a postbac. If one goes to school full-time, that can be easily accomplished with 2 semesters; however, if one is taking courses part-time, a significant longer time is required. So stuff to think about.
 
I am working on pre-writing my secondary essays. In one prompt I am toying with the idea of discussing my role as an ER Tech by mentioning not only my patient care responsibility but also that I have spent time doing the 'unglamorous' things (i.e. wiping butts, cleaning up puke, having drunk patients take swings at me ext.) Do you think that would get read as me whining, or does it show commitment to medicine?
 
Hayden19 said:
I am working on pre-writing my secondary essays. In one prompt I am toying with the idea of discussing my role as an ER Tech by mentioning not only my patient care responsibility but also that I have spent time doing the 'unglamorous' things (i.e. wiping butts, cleaning up puke, having drunk patients take swings at me ext.) Do you think that would get read as me whining, or does it show commitment to medicine?
Click to expand...

The ass wiping and cleaning stuff are more nursing duties. There are better things to discuss.
 
Hayden19 said:
I am working on pre-writing my secondary essays. In one prompt I am toying with the idea of discussing my role as an ER Tech by mentioning not only my patient care responsibility but also that I have spent time doing the 'unglamorous' things (i.e. wiping butts, cleaning up puke, having drunk patients take swings at me ext.) Do you think that would get read as me whining, or does it show commitment to medicine?
Click to expand...

Absolutely talk about working in the ED and how you contributed to the care experience, but you don't necessarily need to mention that you cleaned up after a manual fecal disimpaction.

This is your opportunity to shine, so instead focus more on the unique skills, attributes, and/or insights that you may have gained from the experience. You don't need to come up with some mind-blowing revelation, but do use it to illustrate why you are special and how you can bring a unique perspective to X med school. For example, did you work with underserved populations? If so, what aspect did you enjoy and how will you build upon that experience as a med student at X university? Did being an ED tech inspire you to pursue other volunteer opportunities? Did the experience shape the way you view ongoing community health efforts and how you view your future role in those endeavors? Was it challenging to comfort people in their most vulnerable moments? Or was it easy? Etc etc.

In describing this experience in a broader context, you'll not only be able to not only illustrate why you're awesome and unique, but you'll also be able to SHOW these schools how you'll build upon this experience and use it to impact their school's community in a positive way (and in turn, they'll be thinking "whoa, we'd be crazy not to admit Hayden19!).

Secondaries are brutal, so I feel your pain. Hope you found something helpful in there. Good luck. 🙂
 
Post-Bach underdog, here are my stats:

Post-bachelor science GPA = 3.90
Post-bachelor nonscience GPA = 4.0

Cumulative science GPA = 3.79; nonscience = 3.20

Overall GPA = 3.38

MCAT = 23 (ps 8, vr 7, bs 8)

EC: shadowing experiences, taught ESL overseas for a year, mentor, tutor, some community stuff, and "research" at the medcenter

Schools I that I sent my primary application to:

ACOM
ATSU-KCOM & ATSU-SOMA
CUSOM
KCUMB
LUCOM
MUCOM
LMUCOM
PIKEVILLE
VCOM - both campuses
WCUCOM
WVSOM
PCOM-Ga
OSUCOM
Ohio
PNWU-COM

So give it to me straight, what are my chances?
 
Underdog here. Just wondering what my chances are realistically.

Overall GPA: 3.45
Science GPA: 3.25
MCAT: 25 (8,8,9)

100 hours of volunteering and research
40 hours of DO shadowing
Worked 2 different part-time (25+ hours) jobs while a full time student from sophomore thru junior yr
5 letters of recommendation (2 science, 1 non science, research supervisor and DO)
Currently a lab tech

What are the schools I have the best chance of getting into?
 
On my phone so I can't link it, but look a few topics down about Touro having a 30 MCAT average. User3 posted the schools mean stats in there. That's a good start.
 
beweezy said:
Post-Bach underdog, here are my stats:

Post-bachelor science GPA = 3.90
Post-bachelor nonscience GPA = 4.0

Cumulative science GPA = 3.79; nonscience = 3.20

Overall GPA = 3.38

MCAT = 23 (ps 8, vr 7, bs 8)

EC: shadowing experiences, taught ESL overseas for a year, mentor, tutor, some community stuff, and "research" at the medcenter

Schools I that I sent my primary application to:

ACOM
ATSU-KCOM & ATSU-SOMA
CUSOM
KCUMB
LUCOM
MUCOM
LMUCOM
PIKEVILLE
VCOM - both campuses
WCUCOM
WVSOM
PCOM-Ga


Your school list is good... You have a good chance if your application has been verified....
OSUCOM
Ohio
PNWU-COM

So give it to me straight, what are my chances?
Click to expand...
 
Jay112 said:
Underdog here. Just wondering what my chances are realistically.

Overall GPA: 3.45
Science GPA: 3.25
MCAT: 25 (8,8,9)

100 hours of volunteering and research
40 hours of DO shadowing
Worked 2 different part-time (25+ hours) jobs while a full time student from sophomore thru junior yr
5 letters of recommendation (2 science, 1 non science, research supervisor and DO)
Currently a lab tech

What are the schools I have the best chance of getting into?
Click to expand...
You will have a good shot at these schools: ACOM, LMU-DCOM, VCOM(CC &VC), CUSOM, LUCOM, SOMA, PCOM-GA, SOMA, LECOM-E, LECOM-SH. You can thrown in a couple of reaches like NSU, AZCOM etc... but these schools have high average MCAT score.
 
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