3.46 cGPA 3.28 sGPA 36 MCAT - School List/Chances??

[Member2690]

Hello! Decided I wanted to go to med school a couple months back and am applying this cycle! My GPA and clinical activities are not too impressive, but I have been trying to shadow physicians and do more clinical work.

California Residency
Major: Molecular Biology, BS and Psychology, BA

cGPA: 3.46
sGPA: 3.28


MCAT breakdown:
36
PS: 12 VR: 13 BS: 11


My school list:

Albany Medical College
Albert Einstein College
Baylor College
Boston University
Brown
Case Western
Columbia
Commonwealth Medical College
Cornell
Creighton University
Dartmouth
Drexel
Duke
East Virginia Medical School
Emory
George Washington
Georgetown
Hofstra North Shore
Loma Linda
Louisiana State
Layola Chicago
Marshall University
Mayo Medical
Michigan State
Mount Sinai
New York Medical College
NYU
Northwestern
Penn State
Stanford
Stony Brook University
SUNY-downstate
SUNY-upstate
Temple University
Tufts
UC Irvine
UC Davis
UCLA
UCSD
UCSF
University of Cincinnati
University of Connecticut
University of Kansas
USC
University of Utah

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[deleted475515]

Only one way to find out! I will say however, I have a good friend who had basically the same gpa with a 33 MCAT and he was offered an acceptance to two different schools on your list but he had a lot of EC activities.

 

[BKN89]

How many hours do you have at the OT department? Typically shadowing is considered separate from a clinical experience. The volunteering at a group home *might* be considered a non-clinical activity - depends on your role as a volunteer though. What kind of work did you get to do there? Otherwise, you've got pretty good ECs!

As for your GPA, it is on the borderline low side, but its not THAT bad, and your MCAT more than makes up for it. I tell you this because I applied with a 3.45c/3.45s and a 36 MCAT. I received 6 interviews, including 1 from a top ten.

Be sure to get good letters, write your PS early and edit it til its perfect, and take off time if you need to to send back secondaries. You want to submit your primary and secondaries as fast as possible. I sent my primary on the day they opened it up, and I aimed for a same day turnaround for secondaries early on when they trickled in, and no more than 2 day turnaround for secondaries at peak time (worked full time so it was hard but if you're a good writer then you can do it). Take care to write well - a couple schools mentioned that they liked my secondaries, so it does matter.

USC seems more receptive to well rounded applicants than the UCs (none of whom took me, and I am also a CA applicant). However, your research might give you an edge and maybe land you an interview at one of the UCs. In general, your list looks good with a solid base of mid and upper mid tiers sprinkled with some top tiers.

Apply early, write fast, write well, and good luck!

 

[Member2690]

I have volunteered in the OT department for about 10 hours a week for 10 weeks and then after that for 3 hours a week for 20 weeks. Total of 160 hours. I work with the child and mother alongside the OT and provide the families with a biological background of the disorder/disability/problem the child had.

At the group home, I help with cooking dinners and teach singing. I also work with them on exercises provided by their doctors.

I have already started working on my PS and am having it edited as we type! I will definitely be submitting my application on the first day possible! Thanks so much!!

 

[Didierdrogba]

Honestly, I think your bad senior GPA will doom you (my GPA was originally pretty good, but my senior GPA was a 3.0) With an average-ish (31) MCAT, I didn't get any love from MD schools. I'd suggest OP to try SMPs while applying for MD schools. With OP's stats, DO schools should be an easy in if all else fails.

 

[Member2690]

Would It matter that I only took a few classes my senior year and got B/B+? As compared to the seven or eight in every other year?

Would they see that, or just see the overall senior year GPA and automatically put me out?

 

[anguisette]

Your cGPA is on the lower side, but not prohibitively so and your MCAT helps with that. Your sGPA is probably more troublesome, especially ending at a 3.0 your senior year. I'd check the MSAR for the sGPA 10th percentile for all the schools on your list. If you're at or below their 10th percentile, I'd remove them from your list or limit it to no more than a couple of these schools. For example, Columbia's 10th percentile for sGPA is 3.5.

As for your list, I like some of them but you probably have too many schools with high GPA averages. Keeping them is up to you (and your bank account), but I'd add more schools with lower averages.

Albany Medical College
Albert Einstein College - check sGPA
Baylor College - check sGPA
Boston University
Brown - check sGPA, and they reserve a large number of seats for their BS/MD applicants
Case Western - check sGPA
Columbia - check sGPA and cGPA
Commonwealth Medical College - mission is to train physicians who want to work in the area
Cornell - check sGPA and cGPA
Creighton University
Dartmouth - check sGPA
Drexel
Duke - check sGPA
East Virginia Medical School
Emory - check sGPA
George Washington
Georgetown
Hofstra North Shore
Loma Linda - you have to be ok with the lifestyle agreement choices
Louisiana State - not OOS friendly
Layola Chicago
Marshall University - primary care/regional focus I think?
Mayo Medical - small class size, check sGPA
Michigan State - not OOS friendly
Mount Sinai - check sGPA
New York Medical College
NYU - check sGPA
Northwestern - check sGPA
Penn State
Stanford - check sGPA and cGPA
Stony Brook University
SUNY-downstate
SUNY-upstate
Temple University
Tufts
UC Irvine
UC Davis
UCLA - check sGPA and cGPA
UCSD - check sGPA
UCSF - check sGPA and cGPA
University of Cincinnati
University of Connecticut - are they OOS friendly?
University of Kansas - not OOS friendly
USC
University of Utah - not OOS friendly

Since you're doing the other SUNYs, consider SUNY Buffalo as well. Don't forget UCR as a state school. Also consider Toledo, Rush, VCU, Wake Forest, Tulane, UVM, MCW, Jefferson, Rosalind Franklin, OUWB, and both Arizona campuses. If your main goal is to be a physician, I'd also do some research on DO and see if that's something that you may like.

 

[BKN89]

I have volunteered in the OT department for about 10 hours a week for 10 weeks and then after that for 3 hours a week for 20 weeks. Total of 160 hours. I work with the child and mother alongside the OT and provide the families with a biological background of the disorder/disability/problem the child had.

At the group home, I help with cooking dinners and teach singing. I also work with them on exercises provided by their doctors.

I have already started working on my PS and am having it edited as we type! I will definitely be submitting my application on the first day possible! Thanks so much!!

Good! I believe you have a good shot at mid tier MD schools. Also, while you do have a lot of elite schools, esp in CA, you are a CA resident so you might as well give it a shot. Looks like your clinical stuff is solid enough.

 

[java64]

Woah...are you me? Very similar GPAs, same MCAT, same state residency, activities somewhat close as well. Our school lists also look very similar except I'm trying to keep my list at 20 or under. Best of luck to you, I hope we both get in somewhere!

 

[CognitiveSci]

That downward trend does NOT look good at all. Apply early (as in Junes 1st), broadly (15-30 schools, if you can afford it), and stay away from the reaches (apply low-mid tier only).