3.7, 34, NJ resident with below average EC's- Where to apply?

[NJapplicant12]

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Here's my story:

GPA:
-3.70 cGPA 3.94 BCPM
-Spring semester of my Soph year I had 2 F's and Four W's due to personal/family issues. F's were in theology and english, W's were physics II/lab gChem II/lab. Rest of my transcript is A's and three B's
-Went to a pretty respectable liberal arts college

MCAT:
-Scored 11PS 12VR 11BS RWS for a 34R

Activities/EC/Volunteer:

-Minor awards and honors such as deans list and italian american scholarship
-certified EMT-B
-1 year of EMT experience on a volunteer squad ~3 hrs/week
-1 year of experience mentoring a child in a big brother program ~3 hrs/week
-20 hours of shadowing an ENT surgeon in clinic and OR
-several full and part-time jobs including teaching MCAT for a test prep company and selling defibrillators

Granted my fairly strong numbers but below average EC's, what should be my strategy for applying? What schools and what angles to play?

Some more info:

I'm 23 years old. Took a year off from school to study for MCAT and get volunteer/work experience. Was involved in very little EC during actual undergrad years. How should i explain this? Any insight is much appreciated!!! Thanks 🙂

 

[NJapplicant12]

Update: I also have a semester of research experience developing vaccines, but it was part of an upper level class. Can I list that as research experience, or does it not count if you earned credits for it?

 

[NJapplicant12]

anyone? 😍

 

[FIREitUP]

Is the gpa counting the F's? If so, I think you have a decent application, despite the lackluster EC's, you should be able to get in somewhere barring some sort of interview mishap or bad personal statement or something.

 

[sector9]

Update: I also have a semester of research experience developing vaccines, but it was part of an upper level class. Can I list that as research experience, or does it not count if you earned credits for it?

It counts, but make sure it fits with Catalystik's definition of research (did you have a hypothesis, develop an experiment to test the hypothesis, etc.)

 

[NJapplicant12]

Is the gpa counting the F's? If so, I think you have a decent application, despite the lackluster EC's, you should be able to get in somewhere barring some sort of interview mishap or bad personal statement or something.

Yeah the 3.70/3.94 GPA's are counting the two F's

 

[NJapplicant12]

It counts, but make sure it fits with Catalystik's definition of research (did you have a hypothesis, develop an experiment to test the hypothesis, etc.)

Thanks for the advice.. really appreciate it.

I can get more last minute shadowing with my family doc.. i also have all my paperwork in to start hospital volunteering ASAP.. worth doing one or both? Will either have an impact on this application cycle?

Thanks so much guys!!

 

[NJapplicant12]

One more bit of info:

Since I am an alumni, I will need to wait until july to sit before my school's pre-health committee. This will obviously delay my applications by about a month.

In light of this info, should I take another year off? In that year I could gain more clinical experience thru hospital volunteering, more EMT, and more shadowing. It would also be possible to get a research position by next year.

Another thing I have to consider is whether being a reapplicant will hurt me or not. Some on this forum are saying it will. Any links to an adcom forum contributor saying so?

Please help me out!

Thanks x 1,000,000

 

[Catalystik]

GPA:
-3.70 cGPA 3.94 BCPM
-Spring semester of my Soph year I had 2 F's and Four W's due to personal/family issues. F's were in theology and english, W's were physics II/lab gChem II/lab. Rest of my transcript is A's and three B's
-Went to a pretty respectable liberal arts college

MCAT:
-Scored 11PS 12VR 11BS RWS for a 34R

Activities/EC/Volunteer:

-Minor awards and honors such as deans list and italian american scholarship
-certified EMT-B
-1 year of EMT experience on a volunteer squad ~3 hrs/week
-1 year of experience mentoring a child in a big brother program ~3 hrs/week
-20 hours of shadowing an ENT surgeon in clinic and OR
-several full and part-time jobs including teaching MCAT for a test prep company and selling defibrillators

Granted my fairly strong numbers but below average EC's, what should be my strategy for applying? What schools and what angles to play?

Some more info:

I'm 23 years old. Took a year off from school to study for MCAT and get volunteer/work experience. Was involved in very little EC during actual undergrad years. How should i explain this? Any insight is much appreciated!!! Thanks 🙂

If you would be content with an acceptance by your state school or similar, with the added shadowing you could get in quickly, you might be fine and gain an acceptance. If you are more ambitious and want a larger pool of choices, then applying early next year, adding a year of research, augmenting your clinical patient experience with some clinical environment experience, getting in some more nonmedical community service and leadership (possibly within that same organization), would make a big difference.

Applying this year and setting at least some of those new factors into play might be necessary to get any acceptance (letting schools know via update letter).

Some schools outright state on their website that reapplicants don't appeal to them. But most schools, provided you improve your application since last applying, give you equal consideration.

You don't have to wait for your committee letter to be ready before you submit your application. You should wait for the primary care shadowing though.

 

[NJapplicant12]

If you would be content with an acceptance by your state school or similar, with the added shadowing you could get in quickly, you might be fine and gain an acceptance. If you are more ambitious and want a larger pool of choices, then applying early next year, adding a year of research, augmenting your clinical patient experience with some clinical environment experience, getting in some more nonmedical community service and leadership (possibly within that same organization), would make a big difference.

Applying this year and setting at least some of those new factors into play might be necessary to get any acceptance (letting schools know via update letter).

Some schools outright state on their website that reapplicants don't appeal to them. But most schools, provided you improve your application since last applying, give you equal consideration.

You don't have to wait for your committee letter to be ready before you submit your application. You should wait for the primary care shadowing though.

You're the man, Catalystik. Thanks for the awesome advice. What do you think of me applying to only my state schools this cycle so that I don't poison the well, so to speak, at private/out of state institutions? This way if I get accepted then fine, I'll go, but if I don't I can come back strong next cycle with plenty of new EC's and the numbers to boot.

Let me know!!

Thanks again. I love this forum 🙂

 

[Catalystik]

XX here, BTW.

I'm OK with that plan, but best to check with your state schools and be sure you won't be poisoning the well there either.

Once you submit to AMCAS and are verified, you are a reapplicant the following year in the eyes of AMCAS. Some schools consider you a reapplicant if you've ever applied anywhere, and others, only if you already applied to their school. Be sure your most favored OOS institution won't dis you on that basis so there are no surprises.

You would let your state schools know about improvements you're making periodically by writing them update letters if they permit them (some schools forbid supplemetal submissions, so check on that too, as this could be a major negative for you if your state schools are among them). You might read through SDN's schools specific forum threads for NJ and see if they can give insights in this area. Don't forget Cooper.

 

[NJapplicant12]

XX here, BTW.

I'm OK with that plan, but best to check with your state schools and be sure you won't be poisoning the well there either.

Once you submit to AMCAS and are verified, you are a reapplicant the following year in the eyes of AMCAS. Some schools consider you a reapplicant if you've ever applied anywhere, and others, only if you already applied to their school. Be sure your most favored OOS institution won't dis you on that basis so there are no surprises.

You would let your state schools know about improvements you're making periodically by writing them update letters if they permit them (some schools forbid supplemetal submissions, so check on that too, as this could be a major negative for you if your state schools are among them). You might read through SDN's schools specific forum threads for NJ and see if they can give insights in this area. Don't forget Cooper.

I should have known! Few guys are confident enough to have an adorable kitten as their avatar. In that case, you're the WOman.

As for my application, this makes everything much more complicated. I didn't realized I could be prejudiced at schools I didnt apply to just for applying in general. I guess it makes sense though. This is such a tough decision, as if I don't have enough difficult decisions to make in my life as it is.

I suppose if I call all of my top choices as well as my state schools and find out what their policy is on reapplicants I will be in a better position to make the judgement. If the consensus is that I will severely hurt myself by sending out any apps, I suppose I can wait another year. Assuming I make good use of this time off by participating in multiple EC's I should have a hell of a cycle next time around.

 

[NJapplicant12]

Just an update:

I ended up adding on a few weeks of shadowing with a GP and submitted my app as it was to a total of 27 schools. As of this point I have gotten 9 interviews, but no acceptances yet. Just a post-interview rejection, 3 wait lists, and some really poor turnaround time from other schools. Keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[Catalystik]

Did you feel you did well at the interviews?

 

[NJapplicant12]

I'd say I really shined at 3-4 of them, totally whiffed it at one (the rejection), and did mediocre with no huge mistakes at the others.

 

[Catalystik]

That sounds promising. Thanks for the update. Let us know how it goes.

 

[NJapplicant12]

Update: accepted to Drexel college of medicine!

 

[DoctorLacrosse]

Congrats man! Bet your glad you decided to apply haha. you're going to be a doctor!

 

[Catalystik]

Update: accepted to Drexel college of medicine!

Whoooo hoooo! That's great to hear.

 

[NJapplicant12]

Second update: Accepted to New York Medical College as well

 

[Catalystik]

It's awesome that you have a choice. And maybe more to come.