I am a California resident who graduated from a Texas school in the spring (Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, 3.25 cGPA and 3.03 sGPA). I took my MCAT in August and got a 32, which is good but unfortunately lower than my practice average of 34-35. I am looking for advice on how to proceed... I was planning on applying to Texas MD schools this cycle but it seems like a shot in the dark at this point. Thanks in advance!
3.25 cGPA, 3.03 sGPA, 32N MCAT
- Thread starter ranger4
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I agree that it is a shot in the dark. Without a strong Post-Bacc or SMP, I would forget M.D. schools. Given the low GPA, even D.O. school would be doubtful.
Alright, that's what I was afraid of, but thanks for your input. Would it hurt my chances in the future to apply now anyway? I have pretty solid ECs. I am planning on retaking the MCAT in January and from there applying for a SMP/post-bac program to work on my GPA, but I am worried that I would suffer from the gap between my graduation date and my application.
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Why would you apply if it'll be a waste of your money? If you want to waste it anyway, go ahead and apply. I would think it would be better if you just gave that money to charity or something.
Your chances would be significantly lower for Texas schools if you are a California resident and not a Texas resident. They accept <10% OOS. If you have to apply to California MD schools those are even tougher to get into...practically the worse state to be a resident of if you want to go to med school because of the competitiveness of the applicant pool. You might have a shot at some lower end DO schools like Touro and LECOM. I think the best thing to do is to apply for an SMP and if you get accepted, do well in it. If you are considering DO schools, you should try to take advantage of the grade replacement policy.
G
gmcguitar4
Wait until next cycle
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If your only goal is MD, I'd suggest that an SMP (Special Masters Program) would get you there the fastest. But these programs are competitve, so unless you have a steep upward grade trend in the sciences already, I'd suggest additional coursework to demonstrate your capability.
You can read about these programs in the Postbaccalaureate Programs Forum, attention to Dr Midlife's sticky at the top.
If you somehow qualify for Texas residency, look into the TCOM-affiliated biomedical masters which is like an SMP and has a better price tag.
I really appreciate the advice everyone! I read through the post-bacc forum and I agree that a SMP is most likely the fastest route to medical school, but I can't really afford the tuition and the cost of relocating at the moment. I am very inclined to enroll in my local 4-year in the spring and start taking full loads of upper-level science courses to boost my GPA, in addition to studying for a higher MCAT score. Would I be on the wrong track?
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Taking upper-level science courses at your institution would be nice and all but no where as effective as a SMP program. Retaking a balanced 32 would be a complete waste of time in my honest opinion unless you can actually score > 35 on the MCAT but even then I believe the issue is your GPA NOT the MCAT.
