A little worried...

[gnu]

So I've been floating around these forums and I'm curious about what you all think about my stats.

I started up at a university in Washington and then left after 2 years to go to UC Davis. I ended up graduating from Davis with my BS in Physiology. My GPA suffered a little from the transfer because the prereqs I took up in Washington were not comprehensive enough to prepare for my first few upper division science classes, and ended up having a 3.0 quarter. Thats why I'm worried because that left quite a blemish on my transcripts.

Here's my stats:

cGPA: 3.56 (last 5 quarters 3.7+)
heavy in upper division science classes (in retrospect, not a good idea for getting that GPA up...)
BCPM GPA: 3.5
(Calculated based on spreadsheet)

MCAT: first time 27P (8P, 8V, 11B)
second time 33P (11P, 11V, 11B)

LORs: should be good

ECs:
- 300 hours volunteering in Cardiac Rehab Clinic with lots of patient interaction
- 2 quarters doing Opioid Addiction Epidemiological Research
- 36 hours shadowing ER physician
- 36 hours shadowing paramedics on ambulance
- Varsity Cross-Country and Track at both D-I universities
- Volunteer at campus radio station
- Worked for campus recycling where I managed a large revamping project
- Eagle Scout
- University Tutor, biochemistry, biomechanics, physics
- Anatomy lab TA and special class in human dissections for the next year's undergrad anatomy students
- Nationally Registered EMT-Intermediate (no real work in the EMS field though).
- Various clubs (Cycling Team, Pre-Med, etc.)
- Currently work for a pharamaceutical research company
- play the guitar a lot

Thats pretty much it. I'm a little worried about my GPA hampering me a little. Would it be a good idea to mention a little in my personal statement?

I'm shooting for a maybe mid-tier school. Thanks for your help. Hopefully you all can calm my nerves a little...

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[virusgirl]

I think you're in okay shape. I can't tell what year you're in, so if you have some time left, maybe consider taking some classes that you know you can do well in to boost your GPA a bit. That being said, your GPA isn't horrible and won't be a death sentence. We actually have very similar stats (my cGPA is a touch higher but we're the same for sGPA and MCAT) and I got plenty of interviews and 1 allo acceptance so far.

Just be sure to apply early to a broad range of schools. Mid-tier is a good goal; add plenty of lower-tier schools as well. I would also strongly recommend applying to DO schools, as you will be a very strong candidate for admission.

Relax. You're fine!

 

[drizzt3117]

I'd apply quite broadly. Your stats are a little low for mid tiers (if you're talking about schools like Case Western with 3.7/35ish, BU with 3.7/32, etc).

 

[gnu]

I was looking to apply pretty broadly.
I'm a California resident and I have strong ties to Nevada (grew up there, family still lives there, and there's this weird rule if you live in one of the border towns in Tahoe you qualify as a Nevada resident), here are the schools I'm looking at:

UC Davis, UC Irvine, USC, OHSU, University of Nevada-Reno, Loyola, Boston, Tufts, University of Vermont, Einstein (longshot), Georgetown, Wake Forest, George Washington, a lot of those Philidelphia schools, and pretty much every state school that accepts OOS (except for a few)

Is this a pretty decent list? I know a couple of them are longshots and there are a few more I'm considering as well. I want to apply to 25-30ish schools.

I'm not to sure on DO either. Don't you have to get a letter from a DO? Would I have time to get one before the application cycle starts?

Sorry, I ask a lot of questions.

 

[maikerbear]

I think a letter from a DO is only required by certain school. I remember reading someone's mdapps that claimed they applied to only schools that didn't require one. Not sure but good luck.

 

[virusgirl]

It could have been my mdapps, because that's how I chose the DO schools I applied to! Gnu, I don't recommend choosing DO schools the way I did!

Your stats are a little low for the California schools... those are some tough state schools to get into! Certainly apply, but understand that those are reach schools.

Your list of schools needs some work. Many of those places are extremely competitive, and while you shouldn't cross them off your list, you need more lower-tier schools. Think EVMS, VCU, RFU, Creighton, Tulane, etc. Also, state schools that aren't your state school are a bad idea unless you have very strong stats. That being said, UVM is good because they take a lot of OOS. I think the SUNYs and the Texas schools also are sort of nice to OOS, but I could be wrong.

DO LORs are required by most, but not all, osteopathic schools. There is definitely time for you to get one before the application cycle begins. Most DOs went through the same thing (needing a letter from someone in the field), so they'll likely understand that you need their help in this. If you don't know any DOs, network or just cold-call them (you can find DOs in your area on the AOA website) and see if you can shadow.