3.2 cGPA / 32 MCAT + Good ECs

[Reptodoc]

Hi,

What a journey! After years of consideration, I've finally decided to take the plunge. I've been out of UG for two years now and have been working as a ortho rep (joints and trauma). The money is great, but my passion in the OR is that I should be doing the surgeries instead of selling. I had to retake some of the prerequisites but I'll be ready to apply next cycle.

Anyways, stats are 3.2 cGPA and a VR12/B10/P10/R mcat.

I know my gpa sucks, but as much as I would like to go back in time, I can't, nor do I want to, go into more debt trying to salvage anymore than I have to (2.9 to 3.2). I moved C's to A's and kept a couple of B's in them.

ECs: varisty athlete at top 25, ortho rep for two years (so that's what over 1000 hours in OR?), plus for a brief time in college I liquidated and closed my family's business. I am also involved in a study involving soft tissue balancing in total knees, sadly I will never be on the paper for it, but could discuss it ad nauseam.

Volunteering: very little, volunteered at children's hospital for about an hour a week my freshman and sophomore years, other than that, none to speak of.

Anyways, I'm looking for suggestions into which schools may be sympathetic to my application! I would love a school like umich, northwestern et al, but I doubt I could be the one person they take a year with my stats.


Thanks!

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[rabsa]

You need to review the MSAR to find schools within your range. You can also search the archives here- tons of threads on this already exist.

Obviously look into your state school(s).

Bear in mind that around 40% of applicants with stats similar to yours were accepted to MD schools over the past few cycles. If you are URM this will obviously be higher.

 

[Goro]

Absolutely no chances with MD schools; but DO schools are in range. I'd suggest getting more patient contact experience, as opposed to the operating room experience. You will need to show your altrusitic side.

Hi,

What a journey! After years of consideration, I've finally decided to take the plunge. I've been out of UG for two years now and have been working as a ortho rep (joints and trauma). The money is great, but my passion in the OR is that I should be doing the surgeries instead of selling. I had to retake some of the prerequisites but I'll be ready to apply next cycle.

Anyways, stats are 3.2 cGPA and a VR12/B10/P10/R mcat.

I know my gpa sucks, but as much as I would like to go back in time, I can't, nor do I want to, go into more debt trying to salvage anymore than I have to (2.9 to 3.2). I moved C's to A's and kept a couple of B's in them.

ECs: varisty athlete at top 25, ortho rep for two years (so that's what over 1000 hours in OR?), plus for a brief time in college I liquidated and closed my family's business. I am also involved in a study involving soft tissue balancing in total knees, sadly I will never be on the paper for it, but could discuss it ad nauseam.

Volunteering: very little, volunteered at children's hospital for about an hour a week my freshman and sophomore years, other than that, none to speak of.

Anyways, I'm looking for suggestions into which schools may be sympathetic to my application! I would love a school like umich, northwestern et al, but I doubt I could be the one person they take a year with my stats.


Thanks!

 

[katiemaude]

"Absolutely no chances with MD schools; but DO schools are in range. I'd suggest getting more patient contact experience, as opposed to the operating room experience. You will need to show your altrusitic side."

Eh? I would check out the MSAR and see if that's true. I'm just an applicant like you so take this with a grain of salt and look up acceptance rates for people with your stats. Assuming you don't get prescreened out for the 3.2 GPA, I don't see why you wouldn't have a shot for interviews at lower-tier MD schools. But maybe I'm just indulging in wishful thinking myself.

You need to get some volunteering in and fast if you want to apply next year. Find something that resonates with you. Also get some true shadowing experience.

 

[Barley426]

Absolutely no chances with MD schools; but DO schools are in range. .

Everyone on sdn is so quick to say things like this to anyone with a sub 3.6, and it simply isn't true. His gpa is low but is mcat is good, so he has a shot. His gpa will limit his chances so he should apply broadly, but shouldn't give up on MD. As rabsa linked, white applicants with around his stats have about a 40% chance at MD schools, which is clearly discordant with your "absolutely no chances" statement.

Alright I stumbled upon another post by goro dissuading another "low gpa" applicant. He told a guy with a 3.5 and a 41 to only apply low tier or DO, something is wrong here.

 

[ben kenobi]

Absolutely no chances with MD schools; but DO schools are in range.

This guy has no clue what he is talking about OP. Look up the AAMC gpa/mcat chart to get a rough idea of your chances.

 

[moneytree]

Apparently Goro is on an adcom...

 

[Barley426]

/\ At a DO school.

We're not saying he's going to have an easy time applying MD, but that it's possible. A 40% chance historically is more than "zero chances" and can't be written off solely as "legacy exceptions" or something like that as goro has said in the past of situations like this.

Giving people hard truths like "apply broadly and polish your app because your mcat isn't good enough to offset your low gpa, so you'll need great ECs and a lot of luck." is constructive and accurate, but saying "zero chances at md" is misleading, deflating (rather than motivating), and flat wrong. No credentials can change that.