MD Average/Below Average Applicant, but lots of heart! Chance me! Make my day!

[YoClassicBasicORM]

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Hi,
First of all, I'd like you all to know that I stewed over my username for sometime before finalizing on Yo Classic Basic ORM, so I hope y'all appreciate my creativity (or lack thereof?).

cGPA: 3.67
sGPA: 3.48
MCAT: 34 (11/11/12VR) *Note: Took MCAT 2x, first score a year ago was 23 (6PS/8BS/9VR), I was a lost soul

Background: Norfolk girl born & raised, Caucasian, attended a larger Research University, no big rankings or anything though. Fooled around Soph/Jun year, decided I wanted to be someone, got a fire in my belly, my beautiful, awesome, wonderful, amazing (can't say enough) Southern Family by my side, I forged ahead, and improved my GPA by a lot. I might add that I'd prefer to stay in the South, but obviously beggars can't be choosers! My list is south heavy. That being said, even though I've worked hard, one of my main concerns is my sGPA being so low. Financially, I provide for myself, so I am applying only to 20 schools, can't afford more than that. All MD. I know y'all might be trying to say that it'd be in my best interest to apply DO as well, and I appreciate that, but, with eyes for surgery, I don't want any doors closed for me.

Extracurricular Activities

1. Clinical Volunteering: Been volunteering at the local Hospital since Freshman Year. Have around 600 Hours, I love that place! LOR #1 is from this location, my awesome Emergency Room Coordinator, who is one of the sweetest women in my life. At the hospital, I also work for a Youth UP program, counseling kids on how not to contract HIV/AIDS, and also serve as a counselor for young kids already diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
2. Shadowing: a couple of doctors. My childhood internist (60 Hrs), Urologist (50 Hrs), & Family Practice doc at Low-income NHSC Clinic I've been volunteering at (30 Hrs). LOR #2 is from my childhood internist, who is good as gold and couldn't write sweeter things about me!
3. Non-Clinical Volunteering: Been on a service trip to study violence in El Salvador, Started a Volunteer text study night with the Interfaith Alliance at my school (of which I'm a board member), and been a camp counselor for incoming Biology Students at our annual orientations, as well as Counselor for young girls interested in STEM (Girls kick butt!!)
4. General EC: Been a Teaching Assistant for the Biology Department for 3 years. Love it! LOR #3 is from my boss, who is a Professor there, and my LIFE MENTOR. She loves me and I love her!
5. Work/Jobs: Been a Resident Advisor for 2 Years (Did my service!), Worked at the Library for 3 Years, Paid for 50% of my College through my own earnings
6. Clubs/Activities: President of Botany Club, Class Representative for College of Science, Style Columnist for Newspaper
7. Research: Published 2 Papers on my work as a TA, been to 3-4 conferences, gotten a few grants, went to summer research program at Wake Forest School of Medicine, attended Summer Internship opportunity at UMD (the Wake Forest one is highly selective, the UMD one is pretty much, anyone who wants to). I did Chemical research at Wake, and got a publication out of it at the end of the summer.
8. Studying Abroad/Research Pt 2: I was a Critical Language Scholar in Azerbaijan this past summer, a fully-funded grant to study Azerbaijani Culture & Linguistics. Funded by State Department. Conducted research on their food processing techniques and dispersal throughout the country, as it's a largely agrarian society. Presented at international conference in Azerbaijan, and again at Cornell when I returned to the States.

As an aside, LOR #4 is from my Biochemistry Professor, a woman I think the world of! I don't know if I should include an LOR #5.

Schools I'm applying to (Really open to argument as to what schools do not belong here)

1. Eastern Virginia Medical School
2. Virginia Commonwealth University
3. University of Virginia
4. Virginia Tech Carillion School of Medicine (Should I apply here? Not sure if my stats match, and if IS matters)
5. Howard University (I've worked at a clinic with a mission congruous to that of Howard's)
6. University of Alabama
7. Tulane
8. Tufts
9. Temple
10. Emory
11. Albert Einstein (Not sure if this a smart choice)
12. University of Vermont
13. Penn State
14. Oakland
15. Wake Forest
16. Drexel
17. Hofstra
18. Rosalind Franklin
19. George Washington
20. Medical College of Wisconsin

Alternates So I have a list of schools that I'm fond of, and I don't know if I should switch out some schools from my Master list with these, so if y'all think I should, please let me know.

1. University of Maryland
2. University of South Carolina-Greenville (Absolute dream school, but I'm OOS)
3. Loma Linda (I very much agree with their lifestyle statement, though I am not Adventist, my faith is an integral part of my life, and would definitely be included in any secondaries I'd write for Loma Linda, it is not in my PS)
4. Uniformed Services? (I'd rather go to Medical School and have military commitment than just not go to Medical School. But I don't know if that's valid enough to constitute me applying here. Shouldn't you have a calling or something?)

Basically, I'm wondering what y'all think will be my general rate of success in this process, if you had similar stats what was the outcome, and if there's any way you know I could improve my application.

 

[GavinThePremed]

Your stats are pretty similar to my own. Nice retake! The BCMP is a bit low, but I don't think it'll be that big of a problem. I think you'll see success in your state schools at least, and that summer Wake program might help in getting an II at Wake.

Best of luck

 

[gyngyn]

Your main list is very good.
I think you will get more traction with Loma Linda than Howard as long as you have extraordinary devotion to your religion.
The military decision (like all mission based schools) must only be made by those with significant commitment to that mission.

 

[Goro]

I suggest the following. You're fine for Penn State, but I can't recommend a school whose parent body protected a child molester for over a decade.

1. Eastern Virginia Medical School
2. Virginia Commonwealth University
3. University of Virginia
4. Virginia Tech Carillion School of Medicine
5. Tulane
6. Tufts
7. Temple
8. Emory
9. Albert Einstein (Not sure if this a smart choice)
10. University of Vermont
11. Oakland
12. Wake Forest
13. Drexel
14. Hofstra
15. Rosalind Franklin
16. George Washington
17. Medical College of Wisconsin
18. SLU
19. Jefferson
20. ALL new MD schools
21. Loma Linda (but read their list of don'ts)
22. U Miami
23. Rush
24. Creighton
25. USC (maybe)
26. Albany
27. BU
28. Tufts
29. NYMC

 

[GavinThePremed]

I suggest the following. You're fine for Penn State, but I can't recommend a school whose parent body protected a child molester for over a decade.

1. Eastern Virginia Medical School
2. Virginia Commonwealth University
3. University of Virginia
4. Virginia Tech Carillion School of Medicine
5. Tulane
6. Tufts
7. Temple
8. Emory
9. Albert Einstein (Not sure if this a smart choice)
10. University of Vermont
11. Oakland
12. Wake Forest
13. Drexel
14. Hofstra
15. Rosalind Franklin
16. George Washington
17. Medical College of Wisconsin
18. SLU
19. Jefferson
20. ALL new MD schools
21. Loma Linda (but read their list of don'ts)
22. U Miami
23. Rush
24. Creighton
25. USC (maybe)
26. Albany
27. BU
28. Tufts
29. NYMC

@Goro, do you think SLU is a good choice for this applicant? I ask because I was just looking at the MSAR for Saint Louis, and their average GPA is hovering around the 3.8's. And +1 about Penn State, so, so disappointing.

 

[ProudMD]

Regarding your inquiry regarding Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) School of Medicine...

Your stats are very competitive for USUHS (and all other mid-tier schools), and your ECs are very strong as well.

However, unless you have a genuine desire to join the military and serve as an active duty officer for at least seven years after residency, I can't recommend that you apply to USUHS. You don't need to have any prior background/experience with the military to go to USUHS (in fact, the great majority of each USUHS class has zero military experience), but you do need to have a good understanding of both the benefits and challenges that are associated with a career as a military physician.

Let me know if you have any more questions regarding USUHS.

 

[GavinThePremed]

Regarding your inquiry regarding Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) School of Medicine...

Your stats are very competitive for USUHS (and all other mid-tier schools), and your ECs are very strong as well.

However, unless you have a genuine desire to join the military and serve as an active duty officer for at least seven years after residency, I can't recommend that you apply to USUHS. You don't need to have any prior background/experience with the military to go to USUHS (in fact, the great majority of each USUHS class has zero military experience), but you do need to have a good understanding of both the benefits and challenges that are associated with a career as a military physician.

Let me know if you have any more questions regarding USUHS.

I'd like to add...maybe it's just my University, but every premed will tell you that you'll spend a glorious 7 years raising your kids stationed in Germany or South Korea. And while I can't completely speak to the accuracy of that, I highly, highly doubt that it would be that "peachy."

Unless you planned and accepted a future in the Military, the hard realities of payback will bother you when they arrive. That being said, USUHS is a fine institution (I did a summer internship there) and a great campus in Bethesda, minutes away from DC.

 

[Doug Underhill]

A few comments:

1) your cGPA is slightly below the average of accepted applicants, but this is balanced out by an MCAT a point higher than the median

2) the sGPA is indeed a significant concern, I would apply DO as well because of this

3) Don't apply to Howard or Loma Linda, you don't meet their mission.

 

[GavinThePremed]

A few comments:

1) your cGPA is slightly below the average of accepted applicants, but this is balanced out by an MCAT a point higher than the median

2) the sGPA is indeed a significant concern, I would apply DO as well because of this

3) Don't apply to Howard or Loma Linda, you don't meet their mission.

She seems to meet Loma Linda's mission? I heard that second to Adventist applicants, they look for people who can adhere to their lifestyle policy and lead faith based lives, which she talks about. I'd definitely keep Loma on the list.

 

[Goro]

I forgot SLU! Yes, that would another on my list.

@Goro, do you think SLU is a good choice for this applicant? I ask because I was just looking at the MSAR for Saint Louis, and their average GPA is hovering around the 3.8's. And +1 about Penn State, so, so disappointing.

 

[Doug Underhill]

Preference at Loma Linda is given to Seventh-day Adventists, at least according to their Wikipedia page.

 

[GavinThePremed]

Preference at Loma Linda is given to Seventh-day Adventists, at least according to their Wikipedia page.

Little over half of their class is Seventh Day, everyone else is just...something else lol