35 MCAT 3.2 cGPA 3.4 sGPA

[Blaughable]

Hey guys, I've been putting off making one of these threads but I do want to hear from all of you.

So as stated in the title, I have a 35 MCAT (14 PS, 11 BS, 10 Verbal). I have a 3.2 cumulative and 3.4 science GPA applying this cycle. I used to be an engineer at a very competitive school so my grades show a dip with considerable improvement (It's hard to stay motivated in something you hate). I am now an MCB major and loving it. (Molecular and Cellular Biology) I'm a first generation Mexican American with no physicians in my family if that matters.

Shadowing Experience: 200+ hours. Much of it in the Emergency Department. I have also shadowed an Anesthesiologist, Plastic Surgeon, Neuro Surgeon, Internal Medicine (ICU), General Surgeon, Cardiothoracic Surgeon.
Volunteering Experience: Center for severely disabled residents, multiple nursing homes, park volunteering, oncology department, emergency department. I would estimate 100+ hours. I did an EMT class which I passed. Did time on the ambulances, but never got certified or worked as one.

I hope to have very good letters of recommendation. One from an english professor, one from a dean, one from a Biochem professor, and one from the Emergency Department Director of where I shadowed.
I will be scribing this summer in the emergency department and hope to land a research position for next semester with my professor of Infectious Disease. I am the Vice president for a Latino Pre-Health Society at my school, and the Student Advisor of a Hispanic Engineering Society at my school. I've done lots of work promoting higher education to URM youth.

I should also add that I interview well. I know becoming a doctor is the only thing I want to do and am able to express why well.
So I AM going to apply MD. I know my GPA makes for some concern, but I have heard from many doctors that there still is a stigma attached to DO. I just want to put myself in the most competitive position coming out of Med School as I hope to go into surgery (I love the OR)
I don't want to hear any "MD's impossible," "DO or bust" responses. I know my general chances aren't great, but they still exist. I would like to know which MD schools/school types should I be looking at to apply. I'm a resident of Illinois. What are my chances of say applying to Northwestern, UIC, and Loyola. What schools in and out of state should I entirely rule out. What would be a reach/safety school for a person like myself.

Thanks in advance. I'm excited to hear what you guys think.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[DirkFor3]

You're an URM, right? If so, I would think you have a shot with those stats

 

[Goro]

You should add Rosy Franklin, and NYMC.

For the hell of it, try CCOM too...you'll easily get into there. And NO, there is no stigma to DOs anymore, except from MDs >60 years old, and in pre-med forums. It certainly hasn't affected my graduates who are now in residencies like Mt Sinai, Cleveland Clinic U AZ, Baylor, UCSF, and Harvard.

Hey guys, I've been putting off making one of these threads but I do want to hear from all of you.

I should also add that I interview well. I know becoming a doctor is the only thing I want to do and am able to express why well.
So I AM going to apply MD. I know my GPA makes for some concern, but I have heard from many doctors that there still is a stigma attached to DO. I just want to put myself in the most competitive position coming out of Med School as I hope to go into surgery (I love the OR)
I don't want to hear any "MD's impossible," "DO or bust" responses. I know my general chances aren't great, but they still exist. I would like to know which MD schools/school types should I be looking at to apply. I'm a resident of Illinois. What are my chances of say applying to Northwestern, UIC, and Loyola. What schools in and out of state should I entirely rule out. What would be a reach/safety school for a person like myself.

Thanks in advance. I'm excited to hear what you guys think.

 

[Blaughable]

You should add Rosy Franklin, and NYMC.

For the hell of it, try CCOM too...you'll easily get into there. And NO, there is no stigma to DOs anymore, except from MDs >60 years old, and in pre-med forums. It certainly hasn't affected my graduates who are now in residencies like Mt Sinai, Cleveland Clinic U AZ, Baylor, UCSF, and Harvard.

I would rather not debate this, but I'll bite. I can only express what I've heard from the physicians who I have asked this to, all of which were under 60. They usually say something along the lines of, "If you can go MD, go MD." No one's ever said "it doesn't matter." I would also prefer to go to a program that places more people in residencies in fields I would like to get into.

If I may ask, why do you suggest NYMC and Rosalind Franklin?

Oh and thanks for the quote

 

[Catalystik]

Hey guys, I've been putting off making one of these threads but I do want to hear from all of you.

So as stated in the title, I have a 35 MCAT (14 PS, 11 BS, 10 Verbal). I have a 3.2 cumulative and 3.4 science GPA applying this cycle. I used to be an engineer at a very competitive school so my grades show a dip with considerable improvement (It's hard to stay motivated in something you hate). I am now an MCB major and loving it. (Molecular and Cellular Biology) I'm a first generation Mexican American with no physicians in my family if that matters.

Shadowing Experience: 200+ hours. Much of it in the Emergency Department. I have also shadowed an Anesthesiologist, Plastic Surgeon, Neuro Surgeon, Internal Medicine (ICU), General Surgeon, Cardiothoracic Surgeon.
Volunteering Experience: Center for severely disabled residents, multiple nursing homes, park volunteering, oncology department, emergency department. I would estimate 100+ hours. I did an EMT class which I passed. Did time on the ambulances, but never got certified or worked as one.

I hope to have very good letters of recommendation. One from an english professor, one from a dean, one from a Biochem professor, and one from the Emergency Department Director of where I shadowed.
I will be scribing this summer in the emergency department and hope to land a research position for next semester with my professor of Infectious Disease. I am the Vice president for a Latino Pre-Health Society at my school, and the Student Advisor of a Hispanic Engineering Society at my school. I've done lots of work promoting higher education to URM youth.

I should also add that I interview well. I know becoming a doctor is the only thing I want to do and am able to express why well.
So I AM going to apply MD. I know my GPA makes for some concern, but I have heard from many doctors that there still is a stigma attached to DO. I just want to put myself in the most competitive position coming out of Med School as I hope to go into surgery (I love the OR)
I don't want to hear any "MD's impossible," "DO or bust" responses. I know my general chances aren't great, but they still exist. I would like to know which MD schools/school types should I be looking at to apply. I'm a resident of Illinois. What are my chances of say applying to Northwestern, UIC, and Loyola. What schools in and out of state should I entirely rule out. What would be a reach/safety school for a person like myself.

Thanks in advance. I'm excited to hear what you guys think.

Past Hispanic applicants from the last three years with a 3.2/35 had a 66% chance of an MD acceptance. Your upward grade trend, especially if steep, will make it more likely that you'll end on the positive side of those odds. Strong ECs would help even more.

Your shadowing is excellent, but your clinical experience could use augmentation, and if you don't start the scribing until summer, little more will be on your application if you intend to apply in June. Maybe you could state the hours for clinical volunteering vs nonmedical community service. I see you mention some youth mentoring, which is terrific, and you have some leadership also. The planned research won't be on the application either, unless you'd planned to wait until summer 2013 to apply.

Have you given thought to spending another year on GPA repair and adding all these other activities so that your application will appeal to a greater range of schools? If you decide to proceed, I suggest you spend the next year continuing to bump up your GPA and beef up your activities for the sake of update letters (where permitted), Secondary essays, and interview conversations that may sway adcomms positively in their consideration of your file. If worse comes to worst, your application will be much stronger a year from now if you need to reapply.

Schools in your range that you might research for "fit":

UKentucky, UWisc, Rush, Tufts, Cincinnati, Jefferson, Keck, FIU (13% OOS, but expected to increase), Temple, Albany, GWU,
Toledo, Wake, Creighton (no CC credit for prereqs), Nebraska, LSU-NO, NYMC, Vermont, Hofstra (newer)
Wayne, Wright, Drexel, FAU (new), Tulane, MSU (high OOS tuition), Oakland (newer in MI), Commonwealth in Pa (seeks to train rural NE PA docs), Arizona X 2,
VCU, Louisville, UIllinois, Buffalo,
EVMS, RFU, Cooper (new)

Loyola is a bit of a reach, but you might give it a try anyway.

 

[Blaughable]

Past Hispanic applicants from the last three years with a 3.2/35 had a 66% chance of an MD acceptance. Your upward grade trend, especially if steep, will make it more likely that you'll end on the positive side of those odds. Strong ECs would help even more.

Your shadowing is excellent, but your clinical experience could use augmentation, and if you don't start the scribing until summer, little more will be on your application if you intend to apply in June. Maybe you could state the hours for clinical volunteering vs nonmedical community service. I see you mention some youth mentoring, which is terrific, and you have some leadership also. The planned research won't be on the application either, unless you'd planned to wait until summer 2013 to apply.

Have you given thought to spending another year on GPA repair and adding all these other activities so that your application will appeal to a greater range of schools? If you decide to proceed, I suggest you spend the next year continuing to bump up your GPA and beef up your activities for the sake of update letters (where permitted), Secondary essays, and interview conversations that may sway adcomms positively in their consideration of your file. If worse comes to worst, your application will be much stronger a year from now if you need to reapply.

Schools in your range that you might research for "fit":

UKentucky, UWisc, Rush, Tufts, Cincinnati, Jefferson, Keck, FIU (13% OOS, but expected to increase), Temple, Albany, GWU,
Toledo, Wake, Creighton (no CC credit for prereqs), Nebraska, LSU-NO, NYMC, Vermont, Hofstra (newer)
Wayne, Wright, Drexel, FAU (new), Tulane, MSU (high OOS tuition), Oakland (newer in MI), Commonwealth in Pa (seeks to train rural NE PA docs), Arizona X 2,
VCU, Louisville, UIllinois, Buffalo,
EVMS, RFU, Cooper (new)

Loyola is a bit of a reach, but you might give it a try anyway.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reading my post and responding. It really means a lot. I really want to apply this cycle. I will definitely look into the list of schools you provided. For my volunteering experience I would break it down as 50 hours in hospital, 40 hours in assisted living environments, and 20 hours in outdoor community service. If ambulance ride time counts, than add another 24hours, but I'm assuming it doesn't.

 

[Catalystik]

Did you help with the patients while riding, or more shadow the EMT and just watch?

What did you do in the Assisted Living Center? How sick were the clients (if at all)?

 

[Blaughable]

Did you help with the patients while riding, or more shadow the EMT and just watch?

What did you do in the Assisted Living Center? How sick were the clients (if at all)?

Yeah I did help with the patients. It was part of the program to prove I had aqcuired the skills to work as an EMT. Very fun, but also very stressful. Imagine checking someones blood pressure in a wailing bumpy ambulance

Most of the assisted living centers were elderly patients. One contained both elderly and younger patients just recovering after health problems, and one in particular had extremely disabled patients none of which could walk or talk. It was helping the residents emotionally, not necessarily medically. So we'd play games with them, just sit down and talk, enjoy a movie, play the piano for them. Anything we could do to make their stay more enjoyable.

 

[Catalystik]

1)Yeah I did help with the patients. It was part of the program to prove I had aqcuired the skills to work as an EMT. Very fun, but also very stressful. Imagine checking someones blood pressure in a wailing bumpy ambulance

2) Most of the assisted living centers were elderly patients. One contained both elderly and younger patients just recovering after health problems, and one in particular had extremely disabled patients none of which could walk or talk. It was helping the residents emotionally, not necessarily medically. So we'd play games with them, just sit down and talk, enjoy a movie, play the piano for them. Anything we could do to make their stay more enjoyable.

1) I think it's worth mentioning this as clinical experience within the context of the experience's purpose, which was not volunteerism, but rather, related to a curricular activity.

2) Where the clients were bedbound, the activity is clearly a clinical experience. Many, but not all, adcomms will consider the socialization as clinical experience as well, so list everything.

 

[Blaughable]

Thanks everyone for the responses. In such a stressful time it always helps to have some guidance and support. I'm getting excited looking at the websites/stats/various videos for all these schools.

 

[Gas Rules]

I would rather not debate this, but I'll bite. I can only express what I've heard from the physicians who I have asked this to, all of which were under 60. They usually say something along the lines of, "If you can go MD, go MD." No one's ever said "it doesn't matter." I would also prefer to go to a program that places more people in residencies in fields I would like to get into.

If I may ask, why do you suggest NYMC and Rosalind Franklin?

Oh and thanks for the quote

You probably live somewhere where a DO stigma still exists. In Florida, "it doesn't matter" is almost the exclusive answer. I think you're almost a lock for an MD acceptance.

 

[alexrgross]

I am posting so you can see my MDapps, my stats are similar to yours with a slightly lower MCAT and stronger EC's.

Let me know if you want to ask anything, I discuss my previous application with schools often (which did not include a big portion of my ECs)

 

[wolfie77]

Update on your application OP?

 

[Blaughable]

Update on your application OP?

UPDATE:

My scribe position fell through unfortunately, but fortunately I landed an awesome research position for the summer. Stimulating, interesting, and fun. Everything I could have hoped for. And since I think this was one of the few pieces lacking from my application, hopefully it will help to make me a more rounded applicant. Also I'm just having a blast diving into the world of research.

I submitted my application on the 22nd (I know, kind of late, but it took forever to get my personal statement to where I wanted it). I'm still adding schools to my list, but here's where I'm at:

Boston U
Jefferson Med
Loyola
Northwestern (one of those cartwheel across the campus schools)
Rosalind Franklin
Rush
U of Vermont
Davis
U of Illinois
Carver
U of Wisconsin

Any other schools you recommend? Too many/few reach? Too many "U of.." schools? Most of these have pretty decent OOS percentages. I can really see myself at all of these schools and would be honored to go to any of them. Looking to add a few more schools. Let me know what you think??

Good Luck To Everyone!!!

 

[wolfie77]

UPDATE:

My scribe position fell through unfortunately, but fortunately I landed an awesome research position for the summer. Stimulating, interesting, and fun. Everything I could have hoped for. And since I think this was one of the few pieces lacking from my application, hopefully it will help to make me a more rounded applicant. Also I'm just having a blast diving into the world of research.

I submitted my application on the 22nd (I know, kind of late, but it took forever to get my personal statement to where I wanted it). I'm still adding schools to my list, but here's where I'm at:

Boston U
Jefferson Med
Loyola
Northwestern (one of those cartwheel across the campus schools)
Rosalind Franklin
Rush
U of Vermont
Davis
U of Illinois
Carver
U of Wisconsin

Any other schools you recommend? Too many/few reach? Too many "U of.." schools? Most of these have pretty decent OOS percentages. I can really see myself at all of these schools and would be honored to go to any of them. Looking to add a few more schools. Let me know what you think??

Good Luck To Everyone!!!

Perhaps this is me seeing myself in you as an applicant (Latino male with pretty good numbers) and my being an optimist, but I would go and shoot for UChicago as another "cartwheel" school. You're MCAT is pretty good and, you never know, they might not count that slightly low GPA against you. I would also go for UMich. They take tons of out of state people (so much so that they pissed off their state legislature). I see you're applying in Wisconsin...why no MCW?

 

[Blaughable]

Perhaps this is me seeing myself in you as an applicant (Latino male with pretty good numbers) and my being an optimist, but I would go and shoot for UChicago as another "cartwheel" school. You're MCAT is pretty good and, you never know, they might not count that slightly low GPA against you. I would also go for UMich. They take tons of out of state people (so much so that they pissed off their state legislature). I see you're applying in Wisconsin...why no MCW?

Yay for Latino Applicants!

Thanks for the advice! I have a really tight budget, so I'm being very meticulous with my school selection. I'm just worried that U of C, U Mich, and MCW are all a bit out of my grasp and would be a waste of money. I've always dreamed of going to U of C, I'll most likely add them just for kicks.

Any safety schools (even tho there's really no such thing with my stats) that you recommend?

 

[wolfie77]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=918501

^This talks about MCW. They're very oos friendly.

There's also Oakland in Michigan. They're a start up school that seems to be taking a lot of OOS.

Also consider SLU.

take a look at this thread:
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=816435

 

[Blaughable]

Ooo I might just give Oakland U a shot.

Thanks for the links!