MD 3.5 cGPA, 524 MCAT

[eatyourgreens1001]

White male, not URM or disadvantaged, PA resident
Undergrad: Top Midwestern Private School (Notre Dame, Northwestern, UChicago, etc)
sGPA: 3.41, cGPA: 3.55

MCAT
Chem/Phys-131 –----99th percentile
CARS-131 –---------- 99th percentile
Bio/Biochem-130 --– 97th percentile
Psych/Soc-132 –----- 100th percentile
Total- 524 (100th percentile overall)

Research:

• 1 year of research experience, including 1 summer full time research employment
• 1-time Research Grant Recipient
• 1 publication as of now (3rd author), hopefully another on the way
• 1 poster presentation at academic conference

Clinical Experience:

• Hospital volunteering: ~100 hours
• 40 hours shadowing emergency physician + cardiologist

Other activities:

• Club Tennis
• Peer Health Exchange (teaching health to kids in schools lacking comprehensive health education)
• 1 Week in Costa Rica working at camp for underprivileged children (~70 volunteer hours)

Preliminary Application List
UPenn
Pitt
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Columbia
NYU
Georgetown
GW
Boston University
Tufts
Maryland
Ohio State
UNC

Low GPA is a concern but thrilled with MCAT score, which hopefully can make up for other shortcomings. I'm planning on applying in the next application cycle this summer and am looking for some advice. Should I apply this summer or wait a year until next summer (GPA would hopefully by 3.5+s/3.6+c with another year of classes)? If I am in position to apply this year, where should I be looking? Definitely feeling lost trying to come up with a good list outside of my in-state schools.

Thanks in advance for your input! Happy Holidays!

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[GrapesofRath]

While your GPA won't turn any heads a 3.5/40 is a workable academic combination for a large number of medical schools, even potentially high end ones. An upward trend in addition to going to a school known for deflation/rigor would only help. So the focus shouldn't necessairly be on worrying about your GPA as much as it should be about acing your last semester and expanding upon your non research ECs which is a key area of focus.

The key thing to ask is beyond research experience what else do you bring? One area you are relatively lacking is clinical exposure. It would be beneficial to boost that. And perhaps just as importantly, what volunteer experience do you have; particularly with the less fortuante and most vulnerable populations? How much time have you spent through Peer Health Exchange? That's really the only activity I see with service to the less fortunate and more vulnerable communities. I think having that dimension of your app of service to the most disadvantaged is crucial here.

You obviously have done your fair share of research but for schools where this is a key focus(ie top 20 schools) they get way too many apps with top academics and research(including GPA) to begin with. Hence why the question of what else do you bring besides research and an MCAT score is important. And as for lower tier schools, I dont know if there is anything in your app that wouldnt make you come across as low yield(outside of some programs in your state). This is why I'm harping on expanding your ECs and adding a different dimension to your app; that's really where your best chance of success lies IMO. If you need an extra year to build up your non research ECs, that would be a very smart decision and investment of a year.

The school list isnt a bad start. I really would add all schools in PA(including TCMC and Penn State). I would ditch these low yield schools that get hoards of apps that wont interview very many people who hit 40 on the MCAT unless they have a good reason to believe that person will attend there such as Georgetown and GW(I would keep Drexel though).

Get MSAR at all costs. Target schools where your MCAT is close to their 90th percentile and your GPA is near the 10th percentile. For you with assymetric statistics, the right school list is particularly important.

Here are some potential examples:
Hofstra Einstein Wake Forest Cincinnati Case Western Cleveland Clinic Emory USC Keck Michigan Duke Ohio State Vanderbilt Miami WashU Dartmouth Stony Brook Columbia