Any hope???

[Tightloop]

During my undergraduate, I had no idea what I wanted to do nor much interest in school, and rocked a pretty low (3.0-3.1 GPA) in anthropology. I realize this hurts me

Since graduation, I've travelled, grown up, and realized that medicine is my area of interest. I'm currently doing post bac work at the University of Washington. By the time I will be applying, I will likely be having a pretty high GPA (3.7-3.8) in all of my requisite courses (general chem, o chem, physics, stats, and bio). I will have worked at a medical translator in hospitals for a year and a half, and I will have worked in medical facilities in Colombia, South America for 4 months (2 months a year over 2 years). I've been taking MCAT courses and have done reasonable well in my practice tests (33-34ish) What are my chances at getting into med school, and what range of schools should I be looking at? Does my poor showing in my undergraduate work make me a write off?

I'd love to hear all your opinions/advice/critiques/etc - Thanks a lot - Steve

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[slatermd]

What are my chances at getting into med school and what range of schools should I be looking at? Does my poor showing in my undergraduate work make me a write off?

I'd love to hear all your opinions/advice/critiques/etc - Thanks a lot - Steve

Your chances are good if you apply to the right range of schools. An MSAR would help you figure out what this "right range" is for you.

Check out the "What are my chances" forum.

 

[WeAreNotRobots]

Move it, mods!

Render your verdict, catalystic!

 

[Tightloop]

Whoa, sorry! I didn't realize there was already an existing forum dedicating to these kinds of questions! I'll have to take a look, thanks guys.

 

[Tightloop]

During my undergraduate, I had no idea what I wanted to do nor much interest in school, and rocked a pretty low (3.0-3.1 GPA) in anthropology. I realize this hurts me.

Since graduation, I've travelled, grown up, and realized that medicine is my area of interest. I'm currently doing post bac work at the University of Washington. By the time I will be applying, I will likely be having a pretty high GPA (3.7-3.8) in all of my requisite courses (general chem, o chem, physics, stats, and bio). I will have worked at a medical translator in hospitals for a year and a half, and I will have worked in medical facilities in Colombia, South America for 4 months (2 months a year over 2 years). I've been taking MCAT courses and have done reasonable well in my practice tests (33-34ish). I've also worked as a wilderness fly fishing instructor/guide for 7 years in Alaska, not sure if that matters. Also, I'm a Washington state resident, if that makes any difference. What are my chances at getting into med school, and what range of schools should I be looking at? Does my poor showing in my undergraduate work make me a write off?

I'd love to hear all your opinions/advice/critiques/etc - Thanks a lot - Steve

 

[DancingThruLife]

If you stick with those post-bac and MCAT #'s, I would say that your chances are good. Remember, apply to a broad range of schools and make sure you have all your bases covered (volunteering, shadowing, good PS, awesome LORs, research if trying for a top school, etc).

Good luck to you!! I'm sure you will be fine.

 

[TheComebacKid]

Hey Steve,

Your undergraduate work, though it will not be completely forgotten, will not likely set you back that much given your strong performance in your post-baccalaureate work. You've clearly demonstrated that you can perform at a high level in all of the prerequisite coursework. Your medically-related EC's look very strong, especially given the fact that you invested a great deal of time in each activity. I think that shows a lot of commitment on your part. You don't have any research, which is not a deal breaker by any means, but if you ever find the time to get involved in some (clinical or bench research, doesn't matter) it will only help your application (and will also likely give you a good LOR). If you can't find the time to do it, I wouldn't bother with it, as finishing your post-bacc program with high grades and a solid MCAT score are most important right now. A score of a 33-34 would put you in great shape.

I think you should definitely apply to your state schools (of which I believe there is only one in Washington State, but I could be wrong). But for the most part, post-bacc students (that includes me, by the way) don't usually get accepted to the most elite schools in the country. But there is a pretty high success rate for a lot of post-bacc programs, and I think your hard work will ultimately pay off and land you an acceptance at some medical schools. It will be critical for you to apply early and broadly (meaning you apply to a good share of low-mid tier schools, and then throw in a few of your dream schools since you never know what can happen). Also, make sure you give sufficient explanation in your personal statement for why your undergraduate grades were not that strong.

Congratulations on such a huge turnaround, I think you're definitely working your way into med school. Best of luck and keep up the great work!

 

[CougarMD]

Merging this thread with the one in WAMC.

For future reference, we discourage posting the same thread in multiple forums.

Also, if you want something moved to a more appropriate forum (even if it was your own post) all you have to do is report the post by clicking that little "!" button on the post, and a mod will see the report and move it if appropriate.

 

[Catalystik]

I think your chances will be better if, in addition to high grades in the prerequisites, you also demonstrate capability in some upper-level Bio and Biochem classes.

To further appeal to UW, get some strong ECs in rural areas or with underserved populations and shape your ECs to accord with the school's mission statement, which includes "advancing knowledge and assuming leadership in the biomedical sciences and academic medicine" (aka teaching, leadership, and research).

Also, give some thought to including DO med schools on your application list, as they are more academically forgiving and only count the last class if you have retaken any coursework when they calculate your application GPA.

 

[shbrown2]

I think as long as you have turned your GPA around and made a visible effort to change your GPA (which you have), that is something to be admired and could be beneficial to you. As long as you do well on the MCAT, I definitely think you have a shot! Good luck!