Advice to get into a US MD school?

[AP7812]

Hi Everyone,

I'm very new to forums, so forgive me if I make any mistake with the posting.
Having just finished sophomore year, I am slightly concerned about chances of getting into a MD school. I have always been set on medicine, so I've never really made a back up plan (which...I'm beginning to regret now).

I am a Biology major (and WGS minor with an Honors certification) at a small, liberal arts state college and these are my stats:

Biology courses: A- (Intro. to Biology), C+ (Cell biology), B+ (Ecology), A (elective course).
Chemistry: A (Gen. Chem), B (Gen. Chem II Honors), W (withdrew from Orgo), A (Orgo I)
Physics: A- (Gen. Physics I), B+ (Gen. Physics II)
Math: A- (Statistics)
I received an A in 7 other classes apart from these.
I have yet to take Orgo II & Genetics.

My overall GPA is around a 3.7 (sorry I can't provide you with the exact number, three of the grades listed above are still pending, so my college has not updated my records).

I plan to graduate next year and use that year to get a Masters in science or public health. I am also hoping to have my MCAT score by January 2013 so that I can apply to medical school and attend interviews while doing masters.

Also, I work as a medical assistant at a private clinic. I also plan on shadowing an OB/GYN and doing a public health related internship this summer.
In terms of research, I will be working on a year long project with a molecular biology professor next year.

Apart from academics, I have quite a few music related extracurriculars and leadership program activities as well.

Since I'm not a minority, my chances would solely be based on my scores. I would really appreciate it if you could "chance me" and provide me with advise that could strengthen my application.

Thank you so much in advance!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[MedBound1]

Hello AP7812,

So you plan to graduate in 3 years and then do an MPH?

Your cGPA is fine if it's 3.7, looking at some of your science and math courses, your sGPA might be lower. If you are able to calculate these GPA's you will get a better response about what to do from SDN.

While many applicants chances hinge largely on 'scores', EVERY applicant needs something that makes them 'pop'. You say that you have quite a few music related EC's and leadership. You will want to write a passionate PS based on life experiences and those that have pushed you in the direction of medicine. If your GPA/MCAT is around the national average of acceptanced applicants (3.6 GPA and a 31-32ish MCAT), you need to stand out. EC"s like interest in music can be great for med school apps, they like to see a passion on the side in addition to medically related volunteering/shadowing etc.

Your state of residence can always weigh into your chances. The best advice is to apply early and broadly when that time comes. The two largest factors deciding your chances from here on out will be your MCAT score and finding some EC's that make your app really POP off the page (the way you explain it makes it sound like you are just checking things off the list that you think you need). Best of luck, hope this helps

 

[CopaceticOne]

What is your drive to do an MPH before medical school? There are quite a number of schools that have MD/MPH programs. Doing one of those will save you money in the long run...

Look at the sticky at the top of WAMC to see how your GPA w/ various MCAT scores will translate into potential acceptance percentages.

 

[DanGee777]

You will have a decent shot at more than a few MD schools assuming you get a decent score on the MCAT and put together a compelling application.

Since I'm not a minority, my chances would solely be based on my scores.

Just a heads up, but this line could be taken the wrong way by some folks, because your sentence seems to imply that URMs (underrepresented minorities) have some kind of separate gateway to MD admission and that their chances hinge more on other, more subjective parts of their aplication. Your chances of MD admission won't solely hinge on your MCAT scores, and that fact has nothing to do with whether you are a minority. All applicants, URM and non-URM alike, have to put effort into building up their applications so as to maximize their chances of admittance. As someone in this thread already said, if your application comes off as bland and typical, that will hurt you.

 

[AP7812]

Hello All,

Thank you so much for all of your valuable advice.

First off, I'd like to apologize for the statement pointed out by DanGee777. That was not my intention at all. I should have phrased that differently. What I meant to say was that I am not a URM. Sorry if that statement suggested anything else. Others stated if they were a URM, and that helped people advice them more accurately. I wanted to specify that I am not so that I could get the most accurate advice. I sincerely apologize if that statement offended anyone, that was not my intention at all. Thank you DanGee77 for bringing it to my attention. As I said before, I'm very new to forums and I will definitely keep my syntax and diction in mind in future posts.

Secondly, I'm very interested in public health since high school. In high school, I received several state wide awards for public health related competitions, and that's how I became introduced to the topic. I do not have room in my schedule to minor in public health, and so I would like a Masters in public health so that I can learn more about the subject. The reason I'm looking into programs prior to Medical school is that I will have a gap year in between college and medical school (due to the early graduation) and I am not sure how to use that year...

At the present, I am trying to look for women-health related public health programs. I am very passionate about working in global health and aiding in the empowerment of women through improvement of their healthcare. However, though I am trying, I have not received an opportunity to shadow anyone in this field. Could any of you advise me properly on who to contact? I applied to several summer public health internships (JHU SIP, Columbia SPHSP, etc.), but was rejected from them. I am trying to contact local women health service providers, but have not been getting many responses...

I am also very passionate about singing. I've been learning classical music for the past 9 years and have won several state wide competitions.

I don't want to appear as bland to the medical community as all of you mentioned. I will be trying to get more shadowing done this summer and the public health internship. What other extra curriculars do you think I should be involved in to make my application "pop"?

Also, MedBound1, I was able to calculate my cGPA to be 3.686 and sGPA 3.500.

Thank you once again for all of your time and advice!

 

[Catalystik]

Hi Everyone,

I'm very new to forums, so forgive me if I make any mistake with the posting.
Having just finished sophomore year, I am slightly concerned about chances of getting into a MD school. I have always been set on medicine, so I've never really made a back up plan (which...I'm beginning to regret now).

I am a Biology major (and WGS minor with an Honors certification) at a small, liberal arts state college and these are my stats:

Biology courses: A- (Intro. to Biology), C+ (Cell biology), B+ (Ecology), A (elective course).
Chemistry: A (Gen. Chem), B (Gen. Chem II Honors), W (withdrew from Orgo), A (Orgo I)
Physics: A- (Gen. Physics I), B+ (Gen. Physics II)
Math: A- (Statistics)
I received an A in 7 other classes apart from these.
I have yet to take Orgo II & Genetics.

My overall GPA is around a 3.7 (sorry I can't provide you with the exact number, three of the grades listed above are still pending, so my college has not updated my records).

I plan to graduate next year and use that year to get a Masters in science or public health. I am also hoping to have my MCAT score by January 2013 so that I can apply to medical school and attend interviews while doing masters.

Also, I work as a medical assistant at a private clinic. I also plan on shadowing an OB/GYN and doing a public health related internship this summer.
In terms of research, I will be working on a year long project with a molecular biology professor next year.

Apart from academics, I have quite a few music related extracurriculars and leadership program activities as well.

Since I'm not a minority, my chances would solely be based on my scores. I would really appreciate it if you could "chance me" and provide me with advise that could strengthen my application.

Thank you so much in advance!

Think about getting involved in some nonmedical community service with a cause you care about. Considering your interests, perhaps you'd be drawn to something like a Women's Shelter if there is one in your area.

I was able to calculate my cGPA to be 3.686 and sGPA 3.500.

Your cGPA is good, but the BCPM is on the low side relative to the average for those accepted of 3.61. Hopefully, besides OChem II and Genetics, you'll be taking some upper-level Bio and maybe Biochem next year to help raise this number..