MD 3.72 cGPA, 3.67 sGPA, 37 MCAT, limited clinical and ECs

[MegNeedsAdvice]

I am currently a Senior entering into a one-year Masters Program before (hopefully) going on to medical school. I'm going to be applying this June, so I wanted to get some insight into whether or not the schools I am applying to are attainable.

First of all, here's some information about myself:

• I am a double major in Biological Sciences and Applied Mathematics, with a minor in Sustainability.
• My cumulative GPA is 3.72 un-weighted.
• My Science GPA is 3.67 un-weighted.
• I took my MCAT in 2012 and received a score of 37R.
• I have held three leadership positions; one as the founder/president of a student organization, the other as a lead tutor, and the third as a lead TA.
• I have been a Genetics TA for the past 3 years (since Sophomore year), a tutor for the past two years, and a student researcher for the past 3 years.
• I was a student researcher in two labs, one focusing on bioinformatics and the other on bioethics/science policy.
• I have two C's (Organic Chemistry and Linear Algebra) and three W's (withdrawals) on my transcript. I completed two of the classes that I withdrew from, and received an A in each.
• I have volunteered in the Emergency Department for the past year and a half, and also help out at my local public library.

My primary concerns are my lack of clinical experience and the C's & W's on my transcript. I have applied to various scribe programs, but will not be able to start until mid-May due to my schedule constraints right now.

I am very interested in epidemiology, public health, and science policy (the reason for me switching labs), so I am planning on applying to some MD/PhD programs. My PI is encouraging me to apply to John's Hopkins, Yale, and UNC-Chapel Hill, but I don't think I have good chances.

Thank you all for your help and I am completely open to any suggestions you may have!

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[Katsu]

Are you a junior or a senior right now? If you're a senior and want to enter medical school after you finish your 1-year masters, you should apply this June for entering med school in Fall 2015.

Your numbers are great and will not hold you back at any program. You can't do anything about your W's/C's, but it shouldn't affect you too much because your overall GPA is great. Your clinical experience is very weak though. Even if you don't do the scribing job you mentioned, I would still try to shadow various specialties for a few hours each. That will show medical schools (and yourself!) that you've seen enough of medicine to confidently enter the field.

Although you've got the numbers for a top tier school, you need to bolster your research. Keep working in your lab and try to aim for a poster presentation or get your name on a publication. Top schools love strong research experience. Are you committed to getting your masters degree? In the end it might be a better idea to pursue a research year. I've seen my classmates work at the NIH, CDC, etc. for a year to get research experience (which includes public health research). This might help your application more.

Also, are your sure you're more interested in an MD/PhD rather than an MD/MPH? You can most likely do anything in public health and health policy with an MD/MPH that you could do with an MD/PhD. Admissions for an MD/MPH is easier than an MD/PhD, but you'll have to pay tuition. Either way, make sure you have a clear idea of what you want and your future goals. This will help when writing your essays and proposals, as well as choosing schools. Bloomberg (at Hopkins), for example, loves applicants with international experience. When choosing schools, add a few safety choices and then apply to schools with strong public health programs. Mailman (Columbia), Harvard, UNC, etc..

 

[MegNeedsAdvice]

Thank you for replying!

I am currently a Senior and will be applying this June. I will definitely aim to increase my clinical experience this summer and hopefully reflect that in my secondaries.

The reason I'm pursuing an MS is because my PI is amazing and is helping me gain more research and medical experiences. I have done a poster presentation already and am working on my thesis, and I will most probably be able to publish a paper with my PI during my Masters.

I love statistics and bioinformatics, as well, and I found that many MPH programs tend to not focus on those aspects as much as PhD programs in Epidemiology. I will definitely take your advice to heart as I look towards where to apply!

 

[MalibuPreMD]

USC has a 4 year MD/MPH where you can focus on epi/biostatistics and you won't have to pay tuition for the MPH degree. USC focuses on the MCAT more than GPA and your numbers fall in line with our averages. I think that once you get heavily involved in med school your interest in a PhD in epidemiology will likely decrease. I have noticed interviewing applicants that many want to intertwine their pre-med passions into their careers as physicians - but once you start the schooling process and become involved in clinical care that interest subsides for the vast majority. This does not hold true for MD/PhD students in basic science. It's more for the MD students with interests in business, policy, epidemiology/public health. That's why I think the 4 year degree offered by USC is great - you can still go on to a PhD program after med school IF you are still interested in it - but you lose no time or money in the process.

 

[Catalystik]

I am currently a Senior entering into a one-year Masters Program before (hopefully) going on to medical school. I'm going to be applying this June, so I wanted to get some insight into whether or not the schools I am applying to are attainable.

First of all, here's some information about myself:

• I am a double major in Biological Sciences and Applied Mathematics, with a minor in Sustainability.
• My cumulative GPA is 3.72 un-weighted.
• My Science GPA is 3.67 un-weighted.
• I took my MCAT in 2012 and received a score of 37R.
• I have held three leadership positions; one as the founder/president of a student organization, the other as a lead tutor, and the third as a lead TA.
• I have been a Genetics TA for the past 3 years (since Sophomore year), a tutor for the past two years, and a student researcher for the past 3 years.
• I was a student researcher in two labs, one focusing on bioinformatics and the other on bioethics/science policy.
• I have two C's (Organic Chemistry and Linear Algebra) and three W's (withdrawals) on my transcript. I completed two of the classes that I withdrew from, and received an A in each.
• I have volunteered in the Emergency Department for the past year and a half, and also help out at my local public library.

My primary concerns are my lack of clinical experience and the C's & W's on my transcript. I have applied to various scribe programs, but will not be able to start until mid-May due to my schedule constraints right now.

I am very interested in epidemiology, public health, and science policy (the reason for me switching labs), so I am planning on applying to some MD/PhD programs. My PI is encouraging me to apply to John's Hopkins, Yale, and UNC-Chapel Hill, but I don't think I have good chances.

Here is the list of prospective schools I am definitely applying to:

John's Hopkins
Yale
UNC - Chapel Hill
USC - Keck
University of Arizona - Tucson
University of Arizona - Downtown
Georgetown University
University of Michigan
NYU School of Medicine

I have a list of other schools I am interested in, but I haven't narrowed it down yet.

Thank you all for your help and I am completely open to any suggestions you may have!

For MD-only, the average applicant applying to med schools with hospital volunteering has about 150 hours spread out over 1.5 years. If you have that, and the position offered patient interaction, then your active clinical experience isn't "weak." But I don't see any shadowing mentioned, which you need to acquire. I suggest at least 50 hours.

 

[BrawnsNBrain]

I don't want to be 'that negative guy' because I'm really not a 'negative Nancy'.

I think you need shadowing as @Catalystik said, but I think you also need more lower/mid tier schools. I had a colleague get turned down with a 35 on the MCAT which serves him right because he only applied to ~6 schools (close to top tier), and he had below the bare minimum for clinical experience. Add some more 'safety' schools and you will have a good application cycle.

 

[Goro]

GPAs are good. Nothing wrong with aiming high provided you have a high MCAT score to go with them.

However, no ECs, no med school for you. You ned to show us you know what you're getting into.

I am currently a Senior entering into a one-year Masters Program before (hopefully) going on to medical school. I'm going to be applying this June, so I wanted to get some insight into whether or not the schools I am applying to are attainable.

First of all, here's some information about myself:

• I am a double major in Biological Sciences and Applied Mathematics, with a minor in Sustainability.
• My cumulative GPA is 3.72 un-weighted.
• My Science GPA is 3.67 un-weighted.
• I took my MCAT in 2012 and received a score of 37R.
• I have held three leadership positions; one as the founder/president of a student organization, the other as a lead tutor, and the third as a lead TA.
• I have been a Genetics TA for the past 3 years (since Sophomore year), a tutor for the past two years, and a student researcher for the past 3 years.
• I was a student researcher in two labs, one focusing on bioinformatics and the other on bioethics/science policy.
• I have two C's (Organic Chemistry and Linear Algebra) and three W's (withdrawals) on my transcript. I completed two of the classes that I withdrew from, and received an A in each.
• I have volunteered in the Emergency Department for the past year and a half, and also help out at my local public library.

My primary concerns are my lack of clinical experience and the C's & W's on my transcript. I have applied to various scribe programs, but will not be able to start until mid-May due to my schedule constraints right now.

I am very interested in epidemiology, public health, and science policy (the reason for me switching labs), so I am planning on applying to some MD/PhD programs. My PI is encouraging me to apply to John's Hopkins, Yale, and UNC-Chapel Hill, but I don't think I have good chances.

Here is the list of prospective schools I am definitely applying to:

John's Hopkins
Yale
UNC - Chapel Hill
USC - Keck
University of Arizona - Tucson
University of Arizona - Downtown
Georgetown University
University of Michigan
NYU School of Medicine

I have a list of other schools I am interested in, but I haven't narrowed it down yet.

Thank you all for your help and I am completely open to any suggestions you may have!

 

[MegNeedsAdvice]

Thank you all for your responses!

I am looking to strengthen my clinical ec's this summer and upcoming academic year through a scribe program and shadowing, and will definitely follow your advice on applying to a greater variety of schools and considering an MPH.

As far as volunteering, I get a lot of patient interaction and have close to 200 hours logged. However, there is limited contact with physicians, so I will seek to improve that.

 

[Catalystik]

Thank you all for your responses!

I am looking to strengthen my clinical ec's this summer and upcoming academic year through a scribe program and shadowing, and will definitely follow your advice on applying to a greater variety of schools and considering an MPH.

As far as volunteering, I get a lot of patient interaction and have close to 200 hours logged. However, there is limited contact with physicians, so I will seek to improve that.

Sounds good.

 

[MegNeedsAdvice]

I do have one more question, though. If I were to be employed as a scribe, would that be equivalent to shadowing? Or would you suggest that I do shadowing on top of the scribe program for more exposure?

 

[Catalystik]

I do have one more question, though. If I were to be employed as a scribe, would that be equivalent to shadowing? Or would you suggest that I do shadowing on top of the scribe program for more exposure?

Scribing is considered to have embedded shadowing, but if it takes place in the ER, you won't get a view of the longitudinal care which is provided in office locations. Not that every school cares if you have that, but it does make fielding a lot of common interview questions easier.

 

[MegNeedsAdvice]

Scribing is considered to have embedded shadowing, but if it takes place in the ER, you won't get a view of the longitudinal care which is provided in office locations. Not that every school cares if you have that, but it does make fielding a lot of common interview questions easier.

That makes a lot of sense and I will definitely look into it. Thank you!