Any advice?

[jhdj8707]

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I knew when I applied that it was a long shot but I am determined to do whatever it takes to get in. So, as I come to the end of the application process with no interviews I am beginning to plan to reapply. I am having a hard time deciding whether I should reapply immediately or wait a year. So instead of obsessing over this on my own I decided that maybe some fellow pre-meds/reapplicants can give me some perspective.
I am currently on the interview waiting list at UC Davis and I am hoping this will eventually result in an interview but I am also trying to prepare for the worst.

Here are my current stats:
California resident in a medically underserved and educationally disadvantaged area
White
Cumulative undergrad GPA: 2.8 (3.5 Junior and 3.7 Senior)
Cumulative Science GPA: 3.2
MCAT: 26Q
2 publications in Emergency Medicine Journals (ACEP and SAEM)
>1000 hours as a volunteer research assistant in a county emergency department with 25% of that time being shadowing ER residents.
I was promoted to Head Research Assistant after 1 year in the program (>2000 hours as a paid research assistant).
2 Letters of Rec from ER faculty physicians (one is the research director)
Organizing a team to fundraise for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and walk at the Great Strides walk.
Member of the AMSA chapter at my university

I have been working 2 jobs and going to school full time for the last 3 years and I am also a single parent. My low cumulative GPA is due to an entire failed quarter my freshman year and a few C's my sophomore year. Basically I was 18 and unmotivated. I also was not interested in medicine at the time and had no career goals. Because I have been in school for almost 6 years I can only bring my cumulative GPA up by .1 at the most each quarter (it took me 3 years to go from a 1.8 to a 2.8). I am graduating this June with a BS in Chemistry.

I know that my stats are low and that probably is a big factor in the rejection but I also submitted relatively late (secondaries complete early october) due to some problems with the pre-med committee at my University. Also, I cannot ignore that Davis has me on this interview waitlist. Does this mean I actually have a shot there and would applying early make the difference between interview waitlist and interview?

So I guess my questions are:

Is doing post-bac for a year really worth it? I would hate to take courses just for the sake of boosting my GPA. Masters isn't really an option at this time.
Or
Would working full time and continuing to doing research and volunteering be sufficient?
And
Is reapplying immediately a bad idea?

I would appreciate anyones advice or experiences.

 

[notbobtrustme]

Depends on your goals...

If you want to do an MD, you got at least a 2 year rehabilitation. That cGPA will get you automatically screened out at the vast majority (if not all) MD schools. I know you said you're under interview wait at UCDavis, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Your MCAT score is also fairly low. MD average is something like a 30.8 or 31.1. You are 4-5 points below the average, which is another knock.

However, for DO, your MCAT score is right in the thick of it and you can take advantage of AACOMAS's grade replacement to replace your bad grades with retakes and potentially raise your GPA by a whole point (eg from 2.7 to 3.7). You'd still need at least a year, but it's a much faster track than the MD IMO.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

Yeah, not sure why you applied with a 2.8. That was a waste of money, time, and an application cycle. You could do a post-bacc, it doesn't need to be a formal one, and yes your GPA is probably repairable, but not likely to the extent that is said. I had a 2.8, it took me 80cr to move it up to a 3.2, even with retakes. It depends on the reason for the 2.8, if there are many Bs it is hard to budge, if you have a bunch of C or lower work that you can retake and get As, it will help with AACOMAS. While I was accepted with a 26Q, I was screened out at the MD schools I applied to, so AFTER you improve your GPA, study hard and retake it.

Either way, you're looking at ~2yrs worth of rehab work, but it is certainly possible...

 

[Digitalangel02]

Take time off to boost your cGPA and significantly increase your MCAT score in order to be as competitive as possible, keeping in mind that as a re-applicant you'll need to demonstrate significant improvement since your last application cycle. I would try to keep up with the research and volunteering if possible, but they are lesser priority next to your grades and the MCAT.

Then when it is time to apply do so early and broadly (not only among MD schools but also DO). With diligence and patience, it is possible to get into medical school. Best of luck!

 

[Buzz Me]

Not applying earlier didn't help, but it's your low GPA and MCAT that are killing your app. As stated above, you need some post-bac time to really improve that GPA...applying DO will help as well since you can replace some grades. I would prepare a backup plan since getting into UC Davis will be tough, as a California resident with those stats.

And the MCAT score needs to come up as well. You've got your work cut out for you - good luck!