3.6 ugrad GPA/4.7 grad GPA, 40 MCAT

[arandall]

Hey,

I just wrapped up my master's at MIT (hence the 4.7 GPA, based on a 5.0 scale) and I'm planning on applying to med school. I just took the MCAT and got a 40, and I'm trying to plan out my list of schools... I have NC residency, so:

UNC
Duke
GWU
UVA
UPenn

My first-year grades in undergrad weren't my best (3.25), and I spent the rest of my undergrad getting my GPA back up, hence the overall 3.6. I grew up poor, and was working 2 jobs during undergrad. One of them was research, so I got to publish two papers, which was great for grad school apps. I was considering med school along with grad school, and decided on grad school for the past two years, but now I want to go to med school. Research just isn't for me; I'd much rather feel like I had an impact, where in research, you just never know.

Anyway, can any other people here take a look at my schools and give me an honest opinion of where I stand? Maybe help me refine a list based on my stats?

thanks.

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[hellolily]

Nice job on the MCAT One less thing you have to worry about. What are your ECs? Your list is a good start, but I would definitely add more schools. I think you have a chance at many top schools because of your MCAT and Masters but they also won't guarantee you anything. If you have the money you should apply more broadly as well. It'll definitely be more assuring to have more opportunities than less. Where did you go undergrad?

 

[arandall]

Thanks for the reply --

in grad school I tutored some, but frankly research took most of my time. I got a paper and patent application out, however.

In undergrad I was pretty involved in some mentorship activities, plus I shadowed a few doctors. I didn't get a chance to do anything like volunteer in a clinic, however. I went to a top state school for undergrad

 

[Catalystik]

MD-only schools looking at your application will wonder why you didn't apply to MD/PhD programs or PhD only. How soon can you begin some clinical volunteering or get a job in a clinical situation? Was any of your research patient based? How many shadowing hours do you have? What was your second job besides the research?

 

[arandall]

MD-only schools looking at your application will wonder why you didn't apply to MD/PhD programs or PhD only. How soon can you begin some clinical volunteering or get a job in a clinical situation? Was any of your research patient basied? How many showing hours do you have? What was your second job besides the research?

None of my research was patient based -- I do have a patent application for a therapeutic modality I worked on for two years.

I have maybe 40 hours of shadowing experience. My second job besides research was tutoring. For people that I knew weren't well-off, I did it for free. Otherwise it was for more pocket change.

 

[Acp2010]

I agree that you should add more schools. Though your stats are great, you don't want to apply to too few schools and end up having to reapply a year later. I would recommend applying to 10-12 schools - some top schools and some less selective schools to give yourself a great shot at acceptance. And get on that volunteering in a clinical setting! I think it will really round out your application.

 

[arandall]

I agree that you should add more schools. Though your stats are great, you don't want to apply to too few schools and end up having to reapply a year later. I would recommend applying to 10-12 schools - some top schools and some less selective schools to give yourself a great shot at acceptance. And get on that volunteering in a clinical setting! I think it will really round out your application.

I did a LOT of volunteering at Duke hospital before starting undergrad -- like 250 hours. Will that still count, or will I need something more recent? thanks

 

[Catalystik]

I have maybe 40 hours of shadowing experience. My second job besides research was tutoring. For people that I knew weren't well-off, I did it for free. Otherwise it was for more pocket change.

Teaching is an excellent activity that will strengthen your application, whether volunteer or paid. Nonmedical community service is also very helpful.

About 50 hours of shadowing is the average. Maybe you could beef that up a bit too? I usually suggest 60-80 hours to stand out. You've made a good start though.

 

[arandall]

Teaching is an excellent activity that will strengthen your application, whether volunteer or paid. Nonmedical community service is also very helpful.

About 50 hours of shadowing is the average. Maybe you could beef that up a bit too? I usually suggest 60-80 hours to stand out. You've made a good start though.

Like I said previously, I did a lot of volunteering when I was younger -- is that still something I could use on my application?

 

[ridethecliche]

Like I said previously, I did a lot of volunteering when I was younger -- is that still something I could use on my application?

I'm interested in this as well.

Not to derail the thread, but I volunteered a ton through high school. Once I got to college, I was playing a sport and working two jobs making it a little difficult to make time for anything but work and the aforementioned.

 

[MedSchoolManiac]

Yes, the volunteering will count. If u have timenow, do some more shadowing or volunteering. Or if you get a job that has direct contact with patients, do that instead. your numbers look great, and you just gotta do the easier stuff now. You shuld also increase that list to at least 20 schools-30 schools. You should try UCSF, UCLA, UCSD, UCI, and UCD, and Standford.

If u r unsure about which school is good for you, there is a guide that tells you about the schools and the requirements for each.

 

[Catalystik]

Like I said previously, I did a lot of volunteering when I was younger -- is that still something I could use on my application?

The mentorship you engaged in during undergrad is certainly worth listing as a volunteer activity. Something a bit more recent would be nice to see, but might not be essential.

 

[Catalystik]

Not to derail the thread, but I volunteered a ton through high school. Once I got to college, I was playing a sport and working two jobs making it a little difficult to make time for anything but work and the aforementioned.

There is no longer a prohibition against listing HS activities on the AMCAS application if they were meaningful. It's looked at more favorably if you continued an activity into the college years. Again, something more recent, not necessarily identical, would be helpful, but lucky for you, many adcomms may look at your sport involvement (if intercollegiate) as an altruistic, risng-above-self-interest type of activity also.

 

[Catalystik]

If u r unsure about which school is good for you, there is a guide that tells you about the schools and the requirements for each.

I believe that MedSchoolManiac is referring to the MSAR.

 

[adele87]

I had almost exactly the same numbers (minus the masters degree) and did well. Definitely apply to more schools, though -- I would recommend around 20. Volunteering or otherwise working with patients is an important experience to have; all schools wanted to hear more about my contact with patients.

I disagree that more shadowing hours would be helpful. No one seemed to care about shadowing when I applied (didn't really list it on my app). A couple people asked whether I had done any shadowing, and it was enough to mention a few shadowing experiences I had. It's good to have observed the daily life of a physician, but since you aren't really adding value for anyone by shadowing, it seems like a waste of time to do more hours. There was an interesting article in JAMA this week arguing that students shouldn't even be allowed to shadow before medical school. Anyway, I guess my point is that you are not going to "stand out" with more "hours", since following someone around all day is not an accomplishment in the way that leadership and volunteerism is.

Good luck!