cGPA: 3.49 sGPA: 3.34 MCAT: 30 ORM

[fatkitty]

ORM in sunny California at a SoCal UC:

GPA: cGPA: 3.489 sGPA: 3.345 (Rising trend)
Year by year breakdown for anyone interested
Freshman: Cumulative: 2.72 BCPM: 2.41 (Yeah, that was bad..)
Sophomore: Cumulative: 3.74 BCPM: 3.68
Junior: Cumulative: 3.67 BCPM: 3.46
Senior: Cumulative: 3.77 BCPM: 3.75 (One P/F during my last quarter for a class I took for fun. I passed.)

Major: Biology

MCAT: 30 (BS:12 PS:9 VR:9)

Extracurriculars:
Hospital volunteer - 1.5 yrs, ~200 hrs.
Div. I Track & Field athlete - 2 yrs. (Yes, ORM's can run and jump)
Various volunteering with athletics department (promoting healthy living habits and exercise at elementary schools, staffing charity runs, etc.) - ~40hrs
Undergraduate Research - 2.5 yrs. (no pubs, but I swear I didn't only PCR all day))
Tutor for a bunch of science subjects - 1 yr.
Shadowed a dentist?- ~40 hrs.
Just started volunteering playing violin in a hospital - 0 hrs.
Also trying to get my slimy pre-med fingers on a doctor that will let me follow him/her around - 0 hrs.
I like making stuff out of wood?

Currently in gap year working as Lab Assistant in same lab I did undergraduate research in. Still no pubs and it ain't lookin' bright.

LOR: Not quite sure, but let's assume that they'll be fairly average.

Honors and Awards:
Big West Conference All-Academic Team
Um..Graduated Cum Laude?
Dean's List - 8 quarters (Given to anyone with GPA >3.5 for the quarter)
Chancellor's List - 2011 & 2013 (Given to anyone on Dean's List for a whole academic year (3 qtrs)

Trying to go MD, but open to DO. I'm a hands on type of guy.

A couple questions for ya'll smart folk
Would it be worth it to take one or two more science class next quarter at the same school to raise my cGPA from 3.4884 to 3.500 (it's a bit of a psychological boost to me) but would it have the same effect on adcoms or any schools with strict GPA cutoffs?

Should I try retaking the MCAT (it'd be the MCAT2015)? If it was still the old MCAT, I'd definitely retake because I know I could do better. But I'm not so sure if I'd do better on the new format.

Thanks for reading! And any advice!

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[mmmbop2020]

I am in a very similar position as you - so I hope you get some good replies that I can use as advice for myself as well

JMO on the new MCAT: I signed up for the new one because the reg. opened on 2/11, a week before I got my 1/13 score back (2/18). I also got a 30 and am not taking the new MCAT now. My reasoning is the same as your hesitation for taking the new one - I don't feel confident enough in studying for a new exam. Like you, if it were the old version, I would study to retake. I spoke to *a few* medical students, residents and fellows at my job and they all said a 30 was a great score (just a few peoples' opinions, but I value their feedback). Essentially: I'd say don't retake the MCAT.

 

[y123]

ORM in sunny California at a SoCal UC:

GPA: cGPA: 3.489 sGPA: 3.345 (Rising trend)
Year by year breakdown for anyone interested
Freshman: Cumulative: 2.72 BCPM: 2.41 (Yeah, that was bad..)
Sophomore: Cumulative: 3.74 BCPM: 3.68
Junior: Cumulative: 3.67 BCPM: 3.46
Senior: Cumulative: 3.77 BCPM: 3.75 (One P/F during my last quarter for a class I took for fun. I passed.)

Major: Biology

MCAT: 30 (BS:12 PS:9 VR:9)

Extracurriculars:
Hospital volunteer - 1.5 yrs, ~200 hrs.
Div. I Track & Field athlete - 2 yrs. (Yes, ORM's can run and jump)
Various volunteering with athletics department (promoting healthy living habits and exercise at elementary schools, staffing charity runs, etc.) - ~40hrs
Undergraduate Research - 2.5 yrs. (no pubs, but I swear I didn't only PCR all day))
Tutor for a bunch of science subjects - 1 yr.
Shadowed a dentist?- ~40 hrs.
Just started volunteering playing violin in a hospital - 0 hrs.
Also trying to get my slimy pre-med fingers on a doctor that will let me follow him/her around - 0 hrs.
I like making stuff out of wood?

Currently in gap year working as Lab Assistant in same lab I did undergraduate research in. Still no pubs and it ain't lookin' bright.

LOR: Not quite sure, but let's assume that they'll be fairly average.

Honors and Awards:
Big West Conference All-Academic Team
Um..Graduated Cum Laude?
Dean's List - 8 quarters (Given to anyone with GPA >3.5 for the quarter)
Chancellor's List - 2011 & 2013 (Given to anyone on Dean's List for a whole academic year (3 qtrs)

Trying to go MD, but open to DO. I'm a hands on type of guy.

A couple questions for ya'll smart folk
Would it be worth it to take one or two more science class next quarter at the same school to raise my cGPA from 3.4884 to 3.500 (it's a bit of a psychological boost to me) but would it have the same effect on adcoms or any schools with strict GPA cutoffs?

Should I try retaking the MCAT (it'd be the MCAT2015)? If it was still the old MCAT, I'd definitely retake because I know I could do better. But I'm not so sure if I'd do better on the new format.

Thanks for reading! And any advice!

Your stats are below average for MD schools, but if you are open to DO and apply to both, you can probably get in this cycle, given that you collect same shadowing hours and a DO letter for the DO schools.