Advice for Non-Trad Reapplicant

[SR71BLK]

Looking for advice. This is my second application cycle. I did not do my homework during the first application cycle (2016) and had no business applying.

I began at a community college at a young age. Graduated from a CSU in 2015. Ended up taking 6 years to complete undergrad. Had a weak CC GPA (70-80 semester units ~ 2.4 GPA). Transferred to CSU (60-65 semester units with ~ 3.5 GPA with an upward trend). Post-Bacc at a UC (33 quarter units with 4.0 GPA). Unfortunately, my overall GPA is still low. ~3.0 BPCM, ~3.2 AO, and ~3.05 Cumulative.

-Will be taking another 12-16 quarter units in post-bacc.

MCAT: 503 in 2015, 511 in 2018.

CA resident, ORM

Research:
-150 hours. Was invited as the main author for a review article (currently in review for publication).

EC's:
-180 hours Hospital Volunteering (COPE Health)
-8 hours Annual Free Health Clinic Volunteer (Shadowed DO/MD physicians)
-Crisis Text Line Volunteer ~ 40 hours (ongoing)
-Admin Specialist at a UC ~1300 hours
-Specimen Grosser (Pathology Lab) at UC ~1200 hours
-Tutoring ~ 250 hours (college students)

-Vehicle Sales/Manager ~ 3500 hours since high school (Family owned business where most of my attention was focused on during high school and community college)
-Customer Service (outsourcing) for large social media company ~ 560 hours
-Became Team Lead / Interim Operations Manager for same company ~ 500 hours (Contract ended)

School List (>35 MD schools):
All CA schools
Jefferson
Western Michigan (Stryker)
BU
OHSU
UNLV
Downstate
Drexel
Carle Illinois (was originally BME major)
University of Illinois
Rosalind Franklin
Tufts
Central Michigan
Penn State
Lewis Katz - Temple
Geisinger Commonwealth
Loyola
U Mass
U of Alabama
Florida Atlantic
Ohio State
Indiana U

-Did not realize some of these schools had strong IS preference (understand that these were giveaways)
-Waiting on 12 schools and pre-II hold for Loyola and PSU.
-Only applied to Western (Pomona) since I did not have a DO letter. Ideally, seeking MD due to wanting to pursue a specialty.

With the above, should I focus on continuing my DIY post-bacc or pursue an SMP? I am also looking into scribing as a way to gain additional clinical exposure. I understand that I will also need ~50 hours of shadowing, so I am working on that as well.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[SR71BLK]

@Faha @Goro Sorry for the long post.. Any advice?

 

[Goro]

Looking for advice. This is my second application cycle. I did not do my homework during the first application cycle (2016) and had no business applying.

I began at a community college at a young age. Graduated from a CSU in 2015. Ended up taking 6 years to complete undergrad. Had a weak CC GPA (70-80 semester units ~ 2.4 GPA). Transferred to CSU (60-65 semester units with ~ 3.5 GPA with an upward trend). Post-Bacc at a UC (33 quarter units with 4.0 GPA). Unfortunately, my overall GPA is still low. ~3.0 BPCM, ~3.2 AO, and ~3.05 Cumulative.

-Will be taking another 12-16 quarter units in post-bacc.

MCAT: 503 in 2015, 511 in 2018.

CA resident, ORM

Research:
-150 hours. Was invited as the main author for a review article (currently in review for publication).

EC's:
-180 hours Hospital Volunteering (COPE Health)
-8 hours Annual Free Health Clinic Volunteer (Shadowed DO/MD physicians)
-Crisis Text Line Volunteer ~ 40 hours (ongoing)
-Admin Specialist at a UC ~1300 hours
-Specimen Grosser (Pathology Lab) at UC ~1200 hours
-Tutoring ~ 250 hours (college students)

-Vehicle Sales/Manager ~ 3500 hours since high school (Family owned business where most of my attention was focused on during high school and community college)
-Customer Service (outsourcing) for large social media company ~ 560 hours
-Became Team Lead / Interim Operations Manager for same company ~ 500 hours (Contract ended)

School List (>35 MD schools):
All CA schools
Jefferson
Western Michigan (Stryker)
BU
OHSU
UNLV
Downstate
Drexel
Carle Illinois (was originally BME major)
University of Illinois
Rosalind Franklin
Tufts
Central Michigan
Penn State
Lewis Katz - Temple
Geisinger Commonwealth
Loyola
U Mass
U of Alabama
Florida Atlantic
Ohio State
Indiana U

-Did not realize some of these schools had strong IS preference (understand that these were giveaways)
-Waiting on 12 schools and pre-II hold for Loyola and PSU.
-Only applied to Western (Pomona) since I did not have a DO letter. Ideally, seeking MD due to wanting to pursue a specialty.

With the above, should I focus on continuing my DIY post-bacc or pursue an SMP? I am also looking into scribing as a way to gain additional clinical exposure. I understand that I will also need ~50 hours of shadowing, so I am working on that as well.

Continue your post back and apply the cycle. Target Drexel and Albany class schools, and apply broadly to DO. Beggars can't be choosy.

 

[Faha]

You should apply broadly to at least 10 DO schools. The majority of the MD schools you applied to were not realistic since 11 schools on your list prefer their own residents and accept very few, if any, non residents with your GPA.

 

[SR71BLK]

Thank you both for your feedback. Apart from GPA what else should I focus on improving?

 

[Ad2b]

@SR71BLK I think, like Goro said, just keep doing what you're doing; I see no gaping holes in your app with the extra things you're doing

Best of luck to you!!

 

[deleted964050]

You have a strong upward trend with regard to GPA. I think your personal statement and other soft factors like LOR will be critical to making sure things go well for you.

I agree with previous posters-doing the homework and figuring out where you're interested in going in the private but non-in state preference schools that are a match for your stats, in addition to DO schools, will be the best option. You can always cut out interviews after you are accepted somewhere you like.

 

[Ad2b]

You have a strong upward trend with regard to GPA. I think your personal statement and other soft factors like LOR will be critical to making sure things go well for you.

My concern is that you and your team only have Ivy league degrees and all of you went to that school. Don't take that wrong, congrats!!

However, most of the posters are not Ivy league nor have the credentials to apply to Ivy league or even in that realm. Keep that in mind. Often the best advice comes from people who have walked in similar shoes... and / or have been around a long time and seen many things pass through these SDN and other forums' walls.

The OP did exceedingly well, compared to most posters, on the MCAT; that's 91% not DO trend when including the latest GPA post bacc. The issue was his MD schools were like the one you all attended. And that, he/she is not qualified for.

Please don't give poor advice to students who come looking for help and think your Columbia/Harvard degrees make your advice and your career trajectories > anyone else (you didn't imply that directly but implicitly, you posting on threads by students who are asking for help is a way to promote your services for which, I don't think you're qualified - yet.)

 

[deleted964050]

Just to clarify, my suggestion was far from stating that the OP should be applying to schools that are outside of the realm of reasonable statistical probabilities of acceptance.

My post was meant to reinforce the idea that proper school selection in the context of everything else the OP can control at the moment will be critical.

In any case, OP, I think you're on the right track with your current mode of thinking. Keep demonstrating your abilities through coursework and quality experiences, and make sure to apply at the beginning of the cycle. Best of luck.