Application pending mcat non traditional app

[davidp17]

I am graduating in december 2024 and am finishing my pre med courses over the summer bio 1 and bio2 and biochem over the fall which is a class I am self teaching via anki now since I will not have finished that course by the time I take mcat. I wish to apply to both MD and DO schools this summer pending taking mcat in mid august. If my application is verified and processed only pending the score is this still too late in the cycle to be worth it? I currently am a Marine veteran (5 years of service) , with 75 clinical hours, 3.8 cumulative, 3.5 science gpa.

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[ClashRoyaleKing]

Please post in the traditional format for a full WAMC. It is difficult to ascertain your chances without your mcat and a full list of experiences. Based on the information here, it would probably be best to apply next cycle and not the upcoming 2024-2025 cycle.

 

[AJS59]

Wait till next cycle (or maybe even 2 cycles) and actually don't take the MCAT until after the fall when you've completed biochem (a very important topic on the MCAT!).

 

[candbgirl]

Here is the grid. Fill it out completely for the best advice. Good luck.

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[davidp17]

1. 3.2 cumulative GPA and 3.0 sGPA as calculated by AMCAS
2. 496 MCAT baseline score as of October 2024 testing in April 2025
   1. chem/phys 125
   2. CARS 125
   3. bio/biochem 123
   4. psych/soc 123
3. Wisconsin resident
4. Caucasian
5. Xavier university, American military university, Marquette University
6. volunteering
   1. 75 hours clinical direct patient interactions with elderly alzheimer and schizophrenic patients
7. Shadowing experience
   1. 50 hours shadowing orthopedic surgeon and cardiologist
8. Non-clinical volunteering
   1. 43 hours assisting shoppers at food pantry
9. 5 years active duty military experience with the Marines. Was in charge of 40 Marines and was proficient in public speaking, excel, and leadership
10. On my application i would my low freshman gpa as a lack of discipline and maturity that I recognized in myself hence the reason for joining the military where I gained the skills to be successful and my grades improved.

 

[AJS59]

1. 3.2 cumulative GPA and 3.0 sGPA as calculated by AMCAS
2. 496 MCAT baseline score as of October 2024 testing in April 2025
   1. chem/phys 125
   2. CARS 125
   3. bio/biochem 123
   4. psych/soc 123
3. Wisconsin resident
4. Caucasian
5. Xavier university, American military university, Marquette University
6. volunteering
   1. 75 hours clinical direct patient interactions with elderly alzheimer and schizophrenic patients
7. Shadowing experience
   1. 50 hours shadowing orthopedic surgeon and cardiologist
8. Non-clinical volunteering
   1. 43 hours assisting shoppers at food pantry
9. 5 years active duty military experience with the Marines. Was in charge of 40 Marines and was proficient in public speaking, excel, and leadership
10. On my application i would my low freshman gpa as a lack of discipline and maturity that I recognized in myself hence the reason for joining the military where I gained the skills to be successful and my grades improved.

What happened between your first post in march and now? You said you were previously at a 3.8/3.5 but now it's a 3.2/3.0?

If the 3.2/3.0 is your actual GPA, what is the breakdown of that by year (you mention a low freshman GPA)

I'm going to advise that you do not take that MCAT until you're scoring at least a 505 (if you're going for DO) and better for a 510 (if you want to try for MD).

I'm also going to advise that you try to get some more clinical volunteering down. I think you may be okay with the relatively low non-clinical volunteering because of your military service background (and thank you for your service btw!) but you should try to double those volunteer hours so you get to 150 minimum, and can show that you really want this profession.

Depending on your answer for GPA, and in what classes you got low grades, you may need to consider some form of a post-bac or SMP. Need more information first.

 

[davidp17]

the 3.8/3.5 was for my current school and not inclusive of all previous schools and measured with amcas. I wasn't aware of that at the time. My low grades were on non science courses as a freshman and I had one repeat math course that occured over deployment with lack of wifi and hecticness of deployment. I should have been better and found a way online and dropped the course but didn't. I retook that course and got an A however.

 

[chilly_md]

Gain another 200 hours of clinical experience. Agree that you should keep taking practice tests and brushing up on content till you have a significant increase.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

On my application i would my low freshman gpa as a lack of discipline and maturity that I recognized in myself hence the reason for joining the military where I gained the skills to be successful and my grades improved.

Could you show us how your GPA changed? What is your GPA in courses taken after your tenure as a Marine?

 

[davidp17]

Thank you all for the input. Sophomore year was completed while I was active duty even on deployments. I am hopeful that will show determination as military life for those who know is very busy and I was successful at achieving good grades while i was in service. Junior and senior year were completed post service. I don't want to make my application a pity party by any means, however with injuries sustained during service I had to face many challenges just making it through a day these last two years and there were many challenges to overcome in this pursuit. I want to mention some of this if asked about overcoming adversity etc. Would anyone recommend this approach? I just want to tactfully include it if possible without making excuses for myself.

Gpa trend as follows:
freshman 2.0
sophomore 3.46
junior 3.57
senior 3.35

 

[AJS59]

Thank you all for the input. Sophomore year was completed while I was active duty even on deployments. I am hopeful that will show determination as military life for those who know is very busy and I was successful at achieving good grades while i was in service. Junior and senior year were completed post service. I don't want to make my application a pity party by any means, however with injuries sustained during service I had to face many challenges just making it through a day these last two years and there were many challenges to overcome in this pursuit. I want to mention some of this if asked about overcoming adversity etc. Would anyone recommend this approach? I just want to tactfully include it if possible without making excuses for myself.

Gpa trend as follows:
freshman 2.0
sophomore 3.46
junior 3.57
senior 3.35

Once again, thank you for service.

Acknowledging the physical challenges is absolutely okay - and in fact that can help strengthen your application. Although the 2.0 doesn't correlate with the service year in your sophomore year - was there something else behind this?

One thing I would be careful of is how you describe challenges that you currently face. If you make it sound like your injuries during service are so sufficiently debilitating that it is difficult to make it through a day now, some schools may be turned off by that — after all, there are physical elements to medical school as well. You need to both comment on your past struggles and show your abilities now, if possible

 

[LindaAccepted]

1. 3.2 cumulative GPA and 3.0 sGPA as calculated by AMCAS
2. 496 MCAT baseline score as of October 2024 testing in April 2025
   1. chem/phys 125
   2. CARS 125
   3. bio/biochem 123
   4. psych/soc 123
3. Wisconsin resident
4. Caucasian
5. Xavier university, American military university, Marquette University
6. volunteering
   1. 75 hours clinical direct patient interactions with elderly alzheimer and schizophrenic patients
7. Shadowing experience
   1. 50 hours shadowing orthopedic surgeon and cardiologist
8. Non-clinical volunteering
   1. 43 hours assisting shoppers at food pantry
9. 5 years active duty military experience with the Marines. Was in charge of 40 Marines and was proficient in public speaking, excel, and leadership
10. On my application i would my low freshman gpa as a lack of discipline and maturity that I recognized in myself hence the reason for joining the military where I gained the skills to be successful and my grades improved.

A few thoughts and questions:

* You definitely need more clinical experience. You have enough shadowing. Try to get more clinical exposure in a way that complements your shadowing to date and your volunteering with the elderly.
* Question: Is there a reason your grades went down slightly senior year?
* As others have said, do not take the MCAT before your practice exam scores are where you want them to be.
* Are you now planning to apply early (June/early July) in the next application cycle?

 

[davidp17]

Thank you for the quick responses. My goal was to apply in May of 2025. I officially graduate next week and then will be using all my time to focus on MCAT prep every day and additional clinical volunteering. For clarity I was a freshman originally in 2016 at Xavier University where I got my 2.0 gpa. I was 19 when I joined the military and from there I took courses when I could online. I made sure to leave all my premed science courses for Marquette so that I could properly learn them and of course do the labs. I hope that clarifies the 2.0 for you AJS59. No particular reason for the gpa fluctuation this semester my only thought was adding in MCAT prep into my schedule accounted for a drop somewhat. Your input on not wanting to appear to physically disabled for school is a good point. My intention is to not come off that way simply highlight the challenges. Phrasing is a big factor in conveying the right message for sure. Again thank you all for the advice.