3.63 GPA, 3.37 sGPA, strong EC, but 497 MCAT. Reapplying. What Should I Do?

[tennisgirl94]

Hey SDN,


Reapplicant here. I am conflicted at the moment, and I am hoping to get some advice! My credentials are as follows:
- female Hispanic
- GPA: 3.63
- sGPA: 3.37
- MCAT: 497
- EC: my newest addition to my application ->City Year (Americorps program involving teaching and mentoring underprivileged high school students for an entire school year), bio workshop leader in undergrad, founder/president/treasurer of several organizations, campus tour guide, peer health educator, transfer assistant, camp counselor for kids with intellectual disabilities, etc.
- Medical volunteering: 300 hours (at hospitals)
- Non-medical volunteering: ~2,000 hours
- Shadowing: 610 hours (mostly with ER and OR docs)
- Research: published on a poster

Other than improving my MCAT score, what's the best move for me?

I am debating between doing a graduate certificate in biology for a year to boost sGPA or doing a year of research.
I intend to take the MCAT in September (starting Kaplan course now), so unsure if I should wait till next cycle to apply?

Thanks for the help!

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[deev04]

You need to wait until next year and you need to improve your MCAT. You have everything else. Your GPA is fine, your ECs are great. There is no reason to sabotage your app by becoming a third time reapplicant because of lack of patience. I know delaying your app another year probably feels likes a big deal right now, but given the length of medical training, this year is a drop in the bucket. Not delaying and applying immediately after an unsuccessful cycle without improving the obvious deficit in your app (MCAT) also broadcasts to adcoms an inability to delay gratification.

@gonnif is all over these forums with his sage wisdom that reapplicants' biggest mistake is applying too soon after an unsuccessful cycle. Especially in your case where you will not take your MCAT until Sept (and this score needs to be improved), applying this cycle would be ill-advised. Focus on killing the MCAT. Do not take it until you are consistently scoring over 500 on practice tests, even if this means delaying the test until early next year. Submit your application next June.

 

[tennisgirl94]

You need to wait until next year and you need to improve your MCAT. You have everything else. Your GPA is fine, your ECs are great. There is no reason to sabotage your app by becoming a third time reapplicant because of lack of patience. I know delaying your app another year probably feels likes a big deal right now, but given the length of medical training, this year is a drop in the bucket. Not delaying and applying immediately after an unsuccessful cycle without improving the obvious deficit in your app (MCAT) also broadcasts to adcoms an inability to delay gratification.

@gonnif is all over these forums with his sage wisdom that reapplicants' biggest mistake is applying too soon after an unsuccessful cycle. Especially in your case where you will not take your MCAT until Sept (and this score needs to be improved), applying this cycle would be ill-advised. Focus on killing the MCAT. Do not take it until you are consistently scoring over 500 on practice tests, even if this means delaying the test until early next year. Submit your application next June.

Thank you so much for your reply! I really appreciate! You're right! It does feel like a big deal and and I am a little impatient. But I'm leaning more and more towards waiting and maybe just applying to DO schools this cycle (don't wanna take another chance with MD schools just yet until my odds are higher), and then re-sending my new MCAT score to them in October, assuming I do indeed kill it
What do you suggest I do during my gap year? (get a graduate sGPA with the graduate certificate in molecular and biological sciences vs. having a paid research position?)

 

[tennisgirl94]

I just replied to the duplicate post on this . A graduate certificate with graduate coursework will be a graduate GPA (I believe) and thus will not improve your undergrad sGPA. Additionally, without knowing your grade trends year by year, it is really impossible to advise. And taking a new MCAT in September with the hopes of reapplying in June with that score will likely get you rejected/screened out before your new score is ever seen. You will waste, time, money, effort and emotional resources that will only serve to make you a third time reapplicant. Is you goal to get into medical school or to get into medical school quickly? I would strongly advise that you put aside the desire to reapply now, spend 6 months to prep, prep, prep for the MCAT, blow the exam away and have a reasonable chance in applying next cycle

Hey, I replied to your other post! Sorry for double posting again! In my other response, I told you my grade trends (basically mostly A's and B's throughout, but screwed up my first semester as a freshman getting a C in trig and then again getting a C+ in orgo II as a sophomore and pushed through junior and senior year with all A's and only 2 B's). A part of me wants to get into med school and start already, but you're right. I need to improve my MCAT score and apply early next time since I already made the mistake of applying late last cycle. Other than improving my MCAT score, what else do you suggest I do during my gap year (getting a new graduate sGPA with the graduate certificate or having a paid research assistant position?)

Thanks again for your advice!

 

[tennisgirl94]

Rule 1: Take a Breath

lay out the grade trends year by year, BCPM and AO. If your freshman year was screwed up, then for purposes of school list, calculate without it. I want to see what it is and if you have strong last 2 -3 years, a grad certificate is a waste. You need a good MCAT and a year off. If you have a little patience, as a female hispanic, your grade trends and good GPA will get you in. If you under 25 years of age, you are a "kid" here. Id you start medical school at 26 and work until 66, you will have 40 years in medicine. So slow down and have some patience. I send people to medical school in their 30s, 40s, and 50s
___________________________________________________________________________
(see reapplicant guide from Ohio Med School dean attached)

As I advise all students, doing at least two full application cycles for both MD and DO, with a break in between for application repair and enhancement I find reapplicants with larger issues do not take a year or two between cycles to do this repair and enhancement. Many medical schools offer specific pages of advice for reapplicants, something I find few students look into. This would be true whether or not you are a specific reapplicant to that school. Below are links to a few and please note most say the most common mistake among reapplicants is applying again too soon

Should I do a Masters in my gap year / WAMC / advice please

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Reapplicants - Miller School of Medicine Admissions
Roughly 20% of the students who apply to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in any given year are reapplicants. Data that we have collected indicate they have a lower acceptance rate than do first time applicants

University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Heath
http://www.med.wisc.edu/education/md/admissions/reapplying/31716
(emphasis in the original)
There should be significant improvements in your application before reapplying. This might mean not reapplying the very next year. The most common error made by reapplicants is that they submit their next application too soon.

The Ohio State University College of Medicine
The Ohio State University College of Medicine - Tips & Advice
To maximize the chances of giving off this perception, you must allow enough time before reapplying. This will undoubtedly be the hardest part of the process, but be patient; if you rush it, you may join the ranks of those who are applying for a third time.

University of Minnesota Medical School
Re-Applicant
Though you can submit a second application immediately after your first application, you may want to consider waiting a year if you feel you need more experiences that help you demonstrate the essential and desired qualities of an ideal medical student.

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Reapplicants — admit
Our Ideal Candidate — admit

Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine
Advice for Re-Applicants | research.vtc.vt.edu

LSU Health Shreveport
Re-Applicants

University of Missouri
http://medicine.missouri.edu/admissions/nontraditional.html

East Carolina University, Brody School of Medicine
whatif

Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNTHSC)
https://www.unthsc.edu/texas-colleg...ants-home/common-mistakes-made-by-applicants/

Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
Reapplication - College of Osteopathic Medicine - Michigan State University

Thank you for your advice! Now I know there are two things that have to happen for me to have a decent chance at MD schools: 1. wait until next year to apply (should I apply to DO schools now?), 2. do very well on the MCAT in September. The application deadline for the grad certificate is June 15th, and I keep going back and forth about applying. Here are my grade trends:

Freshman BCPM: 3.04
Freshman AO: 3.26

Sophomore BCPM: 3.13
Sophomore AO: 3.37

Junior BCPM: 3.42
Junior AO: 3.69

Senior BCPM: 4.0
Senior AO: 4.0

Cumulative BCPM: 3.37
Cumulative GPA: 3.63

If I don't do the grad certificate to redeem myself from my undergrad sGPA, what will be the next best thing to do? research, getting a job as medical assistant, or scribing?
(Regardless of what I mainly do during my year off, I also plan on going on shadowing more in the primary care field and possibly going on a medical mission trip on the side)

Let me know what you think and if I should bother applying to the grad certificate program! Thanks again!

 

[tennisgirl94]

1) I would skip applying to MD or DO this cycle
2) Especially true as Sept MCAT is far, far, too late
3) The grad certificate seems unneeded, you should do some DIY postbacc courses in upper level Bio

1) I would skip applying to MD or DO this cycle
2) Especially true as Sept MCAT is far, far, too late
3) The grad certificate seems unneeded, you should do some DIY postbacc courses in upper level Bio

Thank you! Yea, not applying this cycle. As far as the DIY postbacc courses are concerned, what does that entail? Will that significantly improve my sGPA for MD schools?

 

[tennisgirl94]

1) Gotcha!
2) Yes, here is the link: Certificate in Molecular and Biomedical Sciences | Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine | Florida International University | FIU
3) Since, I am applying next cycle, I will still have this year and next year off. I'm going to focus on the MCAT until September, but if I see I'm still not getting the score I want with FL's a week before, I am going to postpone it to January. That means if I do this grad certificate, I basically have no time to study for the MCAT if I think I need to postpone it to January. Should I consider doing the grad certificate next year? Or just take upper level bio classes in January at a 4 year school?

Thanks again! Let me know what you think!

 

[tennisgirl94]

lets try to clear up a few things.
1) you are focusing on your overall GPA. Instead focus on you grade trend. What you want to do now is show that trend continuing with another term or 2 terms worth of impressive work.
2) that grad certificate in biology is possibly of use depending on what its for; do you have the program link?
3) a do it yourself postbacc would simply be taking advanced bio course at nearby four year school

Hey! I just got my MCAT score back, and I got a 507. I don't know how I feel about this. I should still apply next cycle, no?

 

[•Syzygy•]

Hey! I just got my MCAT score back, and I got a 507. I don't know how I feel about this. I should still apply next cycle, no?

definitely still follow gonnifs advice. your mcat average is a 502 and its too late for MD. if you apply early next cycle, you should do well given your urm status and decent gpa. your new mcat will help as well

 

[Faha]

You are competitive for all DO schools with your new MCAT of 507 and some MD schools. Where is your state of residence? Are you fluent in Spanish?

 

[tennisgirl94]

Thank you for responding! Yea, I'm going to wait until next cycle. Do you think I should re-take the MCAT?

 

[tennisgirl94]

You are competitive for all DO schools with your new MCAT of 507 and some MD schools. Where is your state of residence? Are you fluent in Spanish?

Hey! Thanks for replying! I live in Florida, and yes, I am fluent in Spanish

 

[•Syzygy•]

Thank you for responding! Yea, I'm going to wait until next cycle. Do you think I should re-take the MCAT?

i personally dont think you need to and a third mcat probably does more harm than good. i think you should be good to go for next cycle. your ec's are great and if you add even more this coming year, you will be a great candidate.

id listen to Faha in terms of specific schools

 

[tennisgirl94]

i personally dont think you need to and a third mcat probably does more harm than good. i think you should be good to go for next cycle. your ec's are great and if you add even more this coming year, you will be a great candidate.

id listen to Faha in terms of specific schools

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your feedback! I will definitely listen to Faha!

 

[Faha]

You could receive interviews at these MD schools with your stats:
ALL your Florida schools (add NOVA MD when it opens)
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Einstein
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
George Washington
Georgetown
Oakland Beaumont
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
Rush
St. Louis
Creighton
Tulane

 

[tennisgirl94]

You could receive interviews at these MD schools with your stats:
ALL your Florida schools (add NOVA MD when it opens)
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Einstein
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
George Washington
Georgetown
Oakland Beaumont
Loyola
Rosalind Franklin
Rush
St. Louis
Creighton
Tulane

Thank you so much for this list! I was planning on applying to all of the Florida schools. I am a little conflicted because my top choice is UMiami, but it's a little too late to apply now so I was going to wait until next cycle. But, I just saw on Nova's website that their MD program received preliminary accreditation a couple of days ago and their admissions portal is going to open at the end of the month for their charter class to begin in Fall of 2018. Right now, it's a little too late to apply to most, if not all, MD schools. But, since Nova's admissions portal is opening up soon, that means I would be applying early if I were to apply now. It would be the only MD school I would be applying to if I were to apply now. Should I apply to it now or wait until its schedule aligns with the rest of the MD schools next summer (that way I can apply to both Nova MD and UMiami - along with others - at the same time as opposed to just one school now)?

 

[Faha]

Wait until next year. You have a chance at Miami with your new MCAT of 507 and your GPA. Hispanic applicants who are fluent in Spanish are desired at many schools. Applying next year will also give your more options when you receive financial aid offers if you have more than one acceptance.

 

[tennisgirl94]

Okay.

Wait until next year. You have a chance at Miami with your new MCAT of 507 and your GPA. Hispanic applicants who are fluent in Spanish are desired at many schools. Applying next year will also give your more options when you receive financial aid offers if you have more than one acceptance.

That sounds amazing! I will definitely wait until next year to apply! This is such encouraging news! Thank you for making my day! Going to start working on apps soon! I still have all of my apps saved from applying last year. How much of the content can I use? Should my new app be completely different from the last one when I apply? Do you know anyone who could help me with this process? Sorry for all the questions! Thank you again!

 

[tennisgirl94]

Wait until next year. You have a chance at Miami with your new MCAT of 507 and your GPA. Hispanic applicants who are fluent in Spanish are desired at many schools. Applying next year will also give your more options when you receive financial aid offers if you have more than one acceptance.

Also, what do you think about doing this online medical physiology graduate certificate program from the University of Florida for the upcoming Spring semester? Transcripts would be released in time to apply to med schools next cycle. I am trying to copy the link to it here, but SDN won't let me. If you just type in google, "UF online medical physiology graduate certificate program," it will come up.

Since my science GPA is a little on the low side and it's too late to do a master's program, this would be my best bet to make up for it. But, I don't know if it's worth the money or if it's worth doing at all since it's online. I want med schools to see that I've redeemed myself from my undergrad science GPA and that I'm ready for med school classes (assuming I get all A's in these courses). Please let me know your thoughts as the application deadline for the online certificate is approaching! Thank you!

 

[Faha]

Many MD schools do not accept online courses. Try to take 1 or 2 science courses at a local college (community college is fine).

 

[tennisgirl94]

Many MD schools do not accept online courses. Try to take 1 or 2 science courses at a local college (community college is fine).

Thanks for the heads up! I won't be applying to that anymore. Taking 1 or 2 science courses at a community college during the spring semester will be a separate GPA from my undergrad science GPA, right?

I also found this program that UMiami med school offers (and it's not online): a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences (tuition is $41,500). The curriculum is composed of med school classes, clinical research, and physician shadowing. The program even offers an advisor to help with med school applications. With this route, I'd be getting a master's degree while boosting my science GPA.

What do you think I should do? The 1 or 2 science courses at a community college or the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences at UMiami's med school? I don't want to do something that's not necessary, but if will help boost my application a lot, it might be worth it. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[DSM_302.0]

You’re a solid applicant. The super expensive program seems like overkill. A few classes and continued ECs will be sufficient. He advising here is great

 

[Faha]

Science courses at a local community college will be included in your undergraduate sGPA. That is adequate for your situation.