MD 3.4 gpa/3.3 sgpa, 518 MCAT on second take, confounding circumstance

[Domepiece]

GPA: 3.4/3.3; MCAT: 29 then 518

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Faha]

These are schools I suggest with your stats:
Quinnipiac
Vermont
Penn State
Rochester
Einstein
Hofstra
Albany
NYMC
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
GW
Georgetown
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Medical College Wisconsin
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
St. Louis
Creighton
Tulane
Iowa
Arizona (both schools)
Any new private schools that open in 2018 (Seton Hall, Henricopolis, etc.)
If you could retain your Iowa residency it would greatly help your chances.

 

[Catalystik]

Any new private schools that open in 2018 (Seton Hall, Henricopolis, etc.)

Carle Illinois College of Medicine (Champaign-Urbana) is newly listed on the LCME Candidate & Applicant Programs list and it's rumored they'd like to seat their first class in fall 2018. It will an innovation-focused school, not supported by state tax dollars, so without a bias toward in-staters.

 

[Goro]

OP, I agree 100% with my learned colleague. And the attitude of "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" just leads to a donation these schools do not need. Take your SO out to dinner instead.

I can't recommend Penn state given how thier parent body protected a child molester for > 25 years.

Add any DO school, starting with DMU, KCU, KCOM, CCOM and MUCOM.

These are schools I suggest with your stats:
Quinnipiac
Vermont
Penn State
Rochester
Einstein
Hofstra
Albany
NYMC
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
GW
Georgetown
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Medical College Wisconsin
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
St. Louis
Creighton
Tulane
Iowa
Arizona (both schools)
Any new private schools that open in 2018 (Seton Hall, Henricopolis, etc.)
If you could retain your Iowa residency it would greatly help your chances.

 

[GrapesofRath]

You have several factors that complicate your outlook and can make you come across a riskier candidate to some.
Multiple MCAT scores(that are far apart from each other), downward GPA trend, reapplicant, asymmetric stats. Being a CA applicant on top of that makes it worse.
There are problems with either aiming "low" and going for commonly cited lower tiers with a 518 as well as aiming "higher" for those schools more in line with your second score. The thing is there isn't really a third option unfortunately.
These are often the hardest situations to give advice for. There's just no good way to predict who will show interest.

The best thing I can say is if you are already applying this cycle
a) Try and find reasonable choices you arent a reapp at(most of the ones youve picked so far are fine).
b)Look into a plan for some kind of academic enhancement in case you get shut out again. An SMP is worth a serious look. At least try and do some post-bacc work at a local State U if not that.
c) Realize a number of schools dont accept 3rd time apps(ie Loyola, Einstein, Keck etc) and that even those that do being a 3rd time app is certainly less ideal than a 2nd time. Likewise being a reapplicant at a school is not as ideal as being a first time app. It's always best to apply when you have the best possible app. Right now I think we can all agree with the downward trend you dont. Factor that in when deciding how many schools to apply to.

 

[starspells]

Carle Illinois College of Medicine (Champaign-Urbana) is newly listed on the LCME Candidate & Applicant Programs list and it's rumored they'd like to seat their first class in fall 2018. It will an innovation-focused school, not supported by state tax dollars, so without a bias toward in-staters.

Would it be dumb to apply to this new school if you didn't major in engineering or have other engineering type experiences?

 

[Catalystik]

Would it be dumb to apply to this new school if you didn't major in engineering or have other engineering type experiences?

While the Wikipedia article about the school emphasizes an engineering focus, I recall reading that other medically-related innovations will be fostered as well (related to computer science, mathematical modeling, etc). Since the founding dean hasn't begun work yet, the school's emphasis may continue to evolve. So, stay tuned. If you can make a case for having innovative ideas related to medicine, you might have an "In" even if you don't have a engineering degree.

 

[Domepiece]

Thank you to you all for your help. I was able to gain acceptance to my state school after my reapplication. I truly appreciate your time in answering my thread. All the best!