Addressing PTSD + unbalanced stats

[chickenawesomeness]

Hey guys, was wondering if anyone could provide insight on some problems I am facing as a first time applicant. I kinda have weird stats with a 516 MCAT and 3.58 cGPA and sGPA from a top public university (CA resident). The main unknown with my application is how I address overcoming PTSD twice. Once was during my last year of high school when an accident I was involved in took the life of my best friend (I reference this in my PS as its my initial motivator to pursue medicine).

Then during my junior year when I survived a mass shooting and it compounded on my previous PTSD from high school. I essentially never went to lecture because I was afraid of dense public spaces and my GPA dropped significantly. However, I luckily got my life together and maintained a 4.0 for my senior year. I have decent ECs (1100 EMT, 500 hours research no pubs, adequate volunteering, most likely scribing in gap year)

Due to the stigma around mental health, I am afraid of referencing overcoming PTSD too much will make ADCOMs think I am unfit to become a doctor. But, it's pretty essential to my undergraduate years/life and its the only thing I can think of for adversity/diversity essay prompts.

My two questions:

1. How the hell do I address and explain being in a mass shooting/does it count as hardship?
2. Is my school list broad enough with unbalanced stats + strange GPA dive?

My List is:

Albany
Albert Einstein
Rosalind Franklin
Quinnipiac
Indiana
Kaiser
Temple
Loyola
Medical College of Wisconsin
New York Medical College
Penn State
Saint Louis
Seton Hall
Tulane
Arizona - Phoenix
UC Davis
UCI
UCLA
UCSD
UCSF
Colorado
Miami
University of Wisconsin
Western Michigan

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[deleted1063986]

You can frame it as overcoming trauma and being resilient without disclosing a diagnosis. Good luck!

 

[chickenawesomeness]

Wish I thought of that before I disclosed it in my primary lol I will be sure to frame it as resilience in my secondaries. Thanks

 

[Goro]

Hey guys, was wondering if anyone could provide insight on some problems I am facing as a first time applicant. I kinda have weird stats with a 516 MCAT and 3.58 cGPA and sGPA from a top public university (CA resident). The main unknown with my application is how I address overcoming PTSD twice. Once was during my last year of high school when an accident I was involved in took the life of my best friend (I reference this in my PS as its my initial motivator to pursue medicine).

Then during my junior year when I survived a mass shooting and it compounded on my previous PTSD from high school. I essentially never went to lecture because I was afraid of dense public spaces and my GPA dropped significantly. However, I luckily got my life together and maintained a 4.0 for my senior year. I have decent ECs (1100 EMT, 500 hours research no pubs, adequate volunteering, most likely scribing in gap year)

Due to the stigma around mental health, I am afraid of referencing overcoming PTSD too much will make ADCOMs think I am unfit to become a doctor. But, it's pretty essential to my undergraduate years/life and its the only thing I can think of for adversity/diversity essay prompts.

My two questions:

1. How the hell do I address and explain being in a mass shooting/does it count as hardship?
2. Is my school list broad enough with unbalanced stats + strange GPA dive?

My List is:

Albany Medical College

Albert Einstein

Rosalind Franklin

Quinnipiac

Indiana

Kaiser

Temple

Loyola

Medical College of Wisconsin

New York Medical College

Penn State

Saint Louis

Seton Hall

Tulane

Arizona - Phoenix

UC Davis

UCI

UCLA

UCSD

UCSF

Colorado

Miami

University of Wisconsin

Western Michigan

What are your year by year GPAs?

 

[Monkeymojo]

Can't comment on the school list. As for strategies on writing about PTSD I would recommend paying special attention to the flow of the personal statement, ensuring it is hitting the proper tones at the proper times. It can be easy to focus a little bit too much on the struggles and not enough on your ability to overcome them, lessons you learned, and how you are now using this to hopefully aid others.

While painful, I am guessing you now believe that your past experiences are going to make you into a BETTER physician, if that is the case, make sure you explicitly state it!

 

[chickenawesomeness]

What are your year by year GPAs?

cGPA 3.6, 3.5, 3.0, 4.0
sGPA 3.8, 3.5, 2.9, 4.0

 

[Goro]

You have a broad U-shaped trend which IS explainable by your unfortunate events. I'm terribly sorry that you had to go through all that.

My personal view is that I'd gamble on you. Hence, I suggest the following:
ALL UCs, but UCR ONLY IF you're from the Inland Empire
U MI (maybe)
USF Morsani (maybe)
Mt Sinai
U VA (maybe)
Mayo (maybe)
U CO (maybe)
Case (maybe)
NYU-LI
USC/Keck
Dartmouth
BU
Pitt
U VM
Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Rush
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Creighton
Tulane
Seton Hall
MCW
Loyola
Emory
Hofstra
Tufts
Oakland-B
Western MI
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Nova MD
TCU/UNT
Kaiser

As insurance, IF you get no love by Nov, add: AZCOM, both Westerns, PacNW, TUNCOM, and Touro-CA

 

[chickenawesomeness]

You have a broad U-shaped trend which IS explainable by your unfortunate events. I'm terribly sorry that you had to go through all that.

My personal view is that I'd gamble on you. Hence, I suggest the following:
ALL UCs, but UCR ONLY IF you're from the Inland Empire
U MI (maybe)
USF Morsani (maybe)
Mt Sinai
U VA (maybe)
Mayo (maybe)
U CO (maybe)
Case (maybe)
NYU-LI
USC/Keck
Dartmouth
BU
Pitt
U VM
Miami
St. Louis
Albany
Albert Einstein
Rochester
Rush
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Creighton
Tulane
Seton Hall
MCW
Loyola
Emory
Hofstra
Tufts
Oakland-B
Western MI
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Nova MD
TCU/UNT
Kaiser

As insurance, IF you get no love by Nov, add: AZCOM, both Westerns, PacNW, TUNCOM, and Touro-CA

Thanks for the list! I will definitely add some of your suggested schools before I'm verified