cGPA 3.32, sGPA 3.18, MCAT 30, non trad great EC's...thoughts?

[Flippinski]

Stats:
Female, 31, CA resident, US Navy Veteran
BS Civil Engineering & Mathematics
MS Civil Engineering

post cGPA: 3.81
post sGPA: 3.67
u cGPA 3.32
u sGPA 3.18
grad GPA 3.2

Taking MCAT either MAR15 and/or MAY16, testing around 30 or 504

Post Grad Grades:
Ab. Psych A
Sociology 101 A
Biology 1 A-
Biology 1 Lab A-
Organic Chemistry 1 B-
Organic Chemistry 1 Lab A
Genetics A
Biology 191 C+
Biology 192 A
Physics II A
Physics II Lab A
Genetics A
Intro to Psychology A
Cell Biology w/Lab A
Org. Chem II A

EC's
40 hrs Shadowing DO (OBGYN),
80 hrs ER Scribe
150+ hrs non-medical volunteering
15,000+ hrs of world competitive athletics
15,000+ hrs Project Management & Engineering
500+hrs Leadership
5000+hrs Coaching
1500+hrs Tutoring (Math & Science)
200+ Grad Research Assistant non-medical
2000+ hrs Research
80+ hrs Graduate Teacher Program Certification
2 published papers
2 international presentations
Honorably Discharged Veteran

I'm secure with getting good recommendations and I feel pretty good about my personal statement.

I'm looking at applying in May and I'm just looking for some advice about what I can do to strengthen my application further and what my chances are and where I should apply?

Here's what I'm looking at doing:

-take a couple more courses (Microbiology, Biochemistry), hopefully doing well with A's in these. Any recommendation on other courses I should look at?
-look into gaining more clinical hours through volunteering at Children's Hospital 4 hrs/wk (approx 80-100hrs)
-Studying like crazy for the MCAT to knock it out of the park!

Any advice on anything else I should do to strengthen my application?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ChrisMack390]

I think this app will look fantastic with a strong MCAT.

FYI - 504 is not equivalent to 30. That is more like 26 or 27. Don't get too worried, as the test prep ones are fairly deflated, but keep working hard.

 

[Flippinski]

I think this app will look fantastic with a strong MCAT.

FYI - 504 is not equivalent to 30. That is more like 26 or 27. Don't get too worried, as the test prep ones are fairly deflated, but keep working hard.

Thanks. those are two of the scores i tested at with previous practices. Any advice on what schools? Any holes I can close before I apply in May?

 

[Dr. America]

You'll get in somewhere, especially if you get one or two upper-level (400+) bio classes in there. Med schools love non-trads and everybody loves veterans

 

[Flippinski]

These are the schools i'm looking at:

MD:
Commonwealth
California Northstate University
UCSF
UC Davis
UVM
Temple
Drexel
Jefferson
NYMC
Stony Brook
Albany
Quinnipiac
Dartmouth
Penn State - Hershey
SUNY upstate
Colorado
Utah
Michigan State
USF
Hofstra

DO:
TUCOM-CA
RVUCOM
UNECOM
TouroCOM
PCOM

 

[Flippinski]

You'll get in somewhere, especially if you get one or two upper-level (400+) bio classes in there. Med schools love non-trads and everybody loves veterans

Took Genetics and Cell Biology. Any other one's you'd recommend?

 

[ChrisMack390]

Biochemistry for sure. From there, do whatever you are interested in. Consider immunology, neurobiology, anatomy + physiology, stem cell bio, cancer bio, etc. None of those are necessary - just take something appealing and relevant.

If you want to supplement your ECs at all, maybe consider more shadowing and in different specialties.

Also, if you are interested in osteopathic medicine that is great, but if you just have those as safety schools it does not really seem necessary (pending MCAT of course). Sure your undergrad GPA is a bit low, but you have killed it in all of your prereqs and have tons of interesting ECs and vet status. Aim high!

 

[Flippinski]

Biochemistry for sure. From there, do whatever you are interested in. Consider immunology, neurobiology, anatomy + physiology, stem cell bio, cancer bio, etc. None of those are necessary - just take something appealing and relevant.

Ok this sounds great. Thanks for the advice. Wish UNR has more upper level bio classes.

 

[Goro]

You're golden!!
And many thanks for your service to our country.

Stats:
Female, 31, CA resident, US Navy Veteran
BS Civil Engineering & Mathematics
MS Civil Engineering

post cGPA: 3.81
post sGPA: 3.67
u cGPA 3.32
u sGPA 3.18
grad GPA 3.2

Taking MCAT either MAR15 and/or MAY16, testing around 30 or 504

Post Grad Grades:
Ab. Psych A
Sociology 101 A
Biology 1 A-
Biology 1 Lab A-
Organic Chemistry 1 B-
Organic Chemistry 1 Lab A
Genetics A
Biology 191 C+
Biology 192 A
Physics II A
Physics II Lab A
Genetics A
Intro to Psychology A
Cell Biology w/Lab A
Org. Chem II A

EC's
40 hrs Shadowing DO (OBGYN),
80 hrs ER Scribe
150+ hrs non-medical volunteering
15,000+ hrs of world competitive athletics
15,000+ hrs Project Management & Engineering
500+hrs Leadership
5000+hrs Coaching
1500+hrs Tutoring (Math & Science)
200+ Grad Research Assistant non-medical
2000+ hrs Research
80+ hrs Graduate Teacher Program Certification
2 published papers
2 international presentations
Honorably Discharged Veteran

I'm secure with getting good recommendations and I feel pretty good about my personal statement.

I'm looking at applying in May and I'm just looking for some advice about what I can do to strengthen my application further and what my chances are and where I should apply?

Here's what I'm looking at doing:

-take a couple more courses (Microbiology, Biochemistry), hopefully doing well with A's in these. Any recommendation on other courses I should look at?
-look into gaining more clinical hours through volunteering at Children's Hospital 4 hrs/wk (approx 80-100hrs)
-Studying like crazy for the MCAT to knock it out of the park!

Any advice on anything else I should do to strengthen my application?

 

[Flippinski]

You're golden!!
And many thanks for your service to our country.

Deciding to prepare to completely change careers with no guarantees that I'll be successful in being accepted into Medical School (despite my tenacity and shear optimism that I will be successful) and to put all my spare time and effort into it over the past couple years, to hear from you @Goro that I'm golden, really means a lot. thank you.

As for serving, thank you for the accolade! The Navy has provided me with so much life experience and opportunities, I consider myself blessed to have served.

 

[Goro]

Veterans are highly prized as students. They do very well in my program, that's for sure.

Oh, don't forget USUHS!

Deciding to prepare to completely change careers with no guarantees that I'll be successful in being accepted into Medical School (despite my tenacity and shear optimism that I will be successful) and to put all my spare time and effort into it over the past couple years, to hear from you @Goro that I'm golden, really means a lot. thank you.

As for serving, thank you for the accolade! The Navy has provided me with so much life experience and opportunities, I consider myself blessed to have served.

 

[Flippinski]

Veterans are highly prized as students. They do very well in my program, that's for sure.

Oh, don't forget USUHS!

Dosn't USUHS require you to be in the military upon graduation?

 

[Goro]

Yeah; I threw that in not knowing if you're finished with military.

Dosn't USUHS require you to be in the military upon graduation?

 

[Flippinski]

Yeah; I threw that in not knowing if you're finished with military.

Gotcha. Thanks, I'm out.

 

[Goro]

that's OK. Oddly, the of all of my friends who were in the military, the Navy left those with the worst taste in their mouths. One guy who served on a tin can in the Pacific described it as "like being jail, with a chance of drowning". He did end up marrying an Admiral's daughter though!

Another friends served about the USS Vincennes. He bragged about water skiing behind the ship when it went full throttle!

Gotcha. Thanks, I'm out.

 

[Flippinski]

that's OK. Oddly, the of all of my friends who were in the military, the Navy left those with the worst taste in their mouths. One guy who served on a tin can in the Pacific described it as "like being jail, with a chance of drowning". He did end up marrying an Admiral's daughter though!

Another friends served about the USS Vincennes. He bragged about water skiing behind the ship when it went full throttle!

haha. that's awesome. With the Navy, as I'm sure with other branches, what job you end up in the end can highly influence your opinion once you're out. I like the water skiing story, haven't heard that one yet. Pretty awesome.

 

[Cardboard101]

EC's
40 hrs Shadowing DO (OBGYN),
80 hrs ER Scribe
150+ hrs non-medical volunteering
15,000+ hrs of world competitive athletics
15,000+ hrs Project Management & Engineering
500+hrs Leadership
5000+hrs Coaching
1500+hrs Tutoring (Math & Science)
200+ Grad Research Assistant non-medical
2000+ hrs Research
80+ hrs Graduate Teacher Program Certification
2 published papers
2 international presentations
Honorably Discharged Veteran

Holy cow, your ECs are incredible.
On an unrelated note:

 

[Flippinski]

Holy cow, your ECs are incredible.
On an unrelated note:

Haha, that's great. There are a lot of smart officers out there, learn how to work smarter not harder

 

[Flippinski]

How does the school list look?

 

[Syns]

Madam,

Add Duke and Tulane to your list.

Unless you can be considered a Utah Resident or attended a Utah High School, remove it from your list. OOS applicant matriculation is inflated because of regional deals.

Remove California Northstate from your list, they are a for-profit blood sucking nightmare.

 

[Flippinski]

Madam,

Add Duke and Tulane to your list.

Unless you are a Utah Resident or attended a Utah High School, remove it from your list. OOS applicant matriculation is inflated because of regional deals.

Does anyone know if being a veteran changes that? I know in Colorado, they consider all Veterans to be in state. Any other schools do that? I've always been a fan of Duke, thanks I'll add the other two.

 

[Syns]

Not sure on that front. I would make a quick call to Utah office of admissions to get their take. Often there are otherwise undocumented advantages that they will tell you about if you call.

 

[Flippinski]

Madam,

Add Duke and Tulane to your list.

Unless you can be considered a Utah Resident or attended a Utah High School, remove it from your list. OOS applicant matriculation is inflated because of regional deals.

Remove California Northstate from your list, they are a for-profit blood sucking nightmare.

Saw this on University of Utah's website (does that apply to me when I actually apply for admission, that I would be considered in state as being a veteran? I've tried talking to admissions about it at the UC Davis Pre-Health Conference and they were not quite sure).

A Veteran and his or her family are eligible for in-state tuition if they meet the following requirements:

• Be honorably discharged from the Armed Forces. (DD 214)
• Provide a written and signed declaration relinquishing residency in any other state and stating that they do not maintain a residency in another state.
• Provide objective evidence that they have relinquished residency elsewhere - Utah voter registration card, Utah drivers license, state ID, or vehicle registration, evidence of employment in Utah, rental agreement or utility bills.

For more detailed information contact the Admission Office

 

[Syns]

That sounds post-admission to me. Only one way to find out....

Utah: "http://tinyurl.com/876ale4"

"Here's My Number:
(801) 581-7498"