Chances? Black female 503/cGPA:3.51

[TRussell74]

Hello! I am really looking for some advice on my chances of getting in this cycle with my stats. I am an Ohio resident and an 22 year old African-American female. Traditional applicant with a gap year.
GPA: cGPA= 3.51 sGPA= 3.13 with an upward trend. No Ds or Fs
MCAT: first attempt: 499 (125-125-124-125) second attempt 503 (126-123-127-127)
EC: Cello, choir, theatre, orchestra for 4 years
Shadowing: 30 hours with mostly primary care physicians
Volunteering: Clinical- ambassador at OSU East and University Hospitals volunteer
Community: over 100 hours as a camp counselor for inner city youth, Habitat for humanity, served lunch for elderly, miscellaneous, cleaned up local park
Research: none but worked as a lab helper for 10 months in a research lab.
Work experience: 2 years retail in high school. I worked as lab helper, campus safety officer, early reading tutor, Physics TA, and tutor during undergrad often working two jobs at a time.

This is current list, please give any input:
Case Western Reserve (I am legacy. Both parents graduated and father and aunt attended Case Medical)
University of Toledo
Ohio State Medical
University of Cincinatti
Wright State
Wayne State
Morehouse
Meharrey
University of Illinois
Loyola
Indiana University
Central Michigan
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

DO: Ohio University

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[Forever Geebs]

How many clinical volunteering hours do you have? I'm not familiar with what an ambassador does, time commitments, etc.

You may want to add more DO schools given your stats, particularly your two MCAT scores and average of 501.

The MSAR is a good resource you may want to consider investing in, as well.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Faha]

You should add more MD and DO schools to your lists. For MD schools I suggest these:
NEOMED
West Virginia
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Seton Hall
Drexel
Temple
George Washington
NOVA MD
Howard
Oakland Beaumont
Rosalind Franklin
For DO schools consider these:
MU-COM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
LECOM

 

[TRussell74]

How many clinical volunteering hours do you have? I'm not familiar with what an ambassador does, time commitments, etc.

You may want to add more DO schools given your stats, particularly your two MCAT scores and average of 501.

The MSAR is a good resource you may want to consider investing in, as well.

Best of luck to you.

Hello! I have about 50 clinical volunteering hours. As an ambassador I led people to parts of the hospital and delivered mail to the patients. At the children's hospital I went to the room and played games with the kids.

 

[TRussell74]

You should add more MD and DO schools to your lists. For MD schools I suggest these:
NEOMED
West Virginia
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Seton Hall
Drexel
Temple
George Washington
NOVA MD
Howard
Oakland Beaumont
Rosalind Franklin
For DO schools consider these:
MU-COM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
LECOM

Thank you. Do you think I'll really get into an MD school? I am also doing a community based research project with the American Heart association taking blood pressures in barber shops.

 

[TRussell74]

You should add more MD and DO schools to your lists. For MD schools I suggest these:
NEOMED
West Virginia
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Seton Hall
Drexel
Temple
George Washington
NOVA MD
Howard
Oakland Beaumont
Rosalind Franklin
For DO schools consider these:
MU-COM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
LECOM

Thank you! Is it more important for me to apply with schools closer to my stats or apply to schools that value diversity even if they are way above my stats?

 

[Faha]

If you apply to 25+ MD schools (including the ones I listed) you should receive interviews. It is better to apply to schools that are closer to your stats.

 

[878956]

Hello! I am really looking for some advice on my chances of getting in this cycle with my stats. I am an Ohio resident and an 22 year old African-American female. Traditional applicant with a gap year.
GPA: cGPA= 3.51 sGPA= 3.13 with an upward trend. No Ds or Fs
MCAT: first attempt: 499 (125-125-124-125) second attempt 503 (126-123-127-127)
EC: Cello, choir, theatre, orchestra for 4 years
Shadowing: 30 hours with mostly primary care physicians
Volunteering: Clinical- ambassador at OSU East and University Hospitals volunteer
Community: over 100 hours as a camp counselor for inner city youth, Habitat for humanity, served lunch for elderly, miscellaneous, cleaned up local park
Research: none but worked as a lab helper for 10 months in a research lab.
Work experience: 2 years retail in high school. I worked as lab helper, campus safety officer, early reading tutor, Physics TA, and tutor during undergrad often working two jobs at a time.

This is current list, please give any input:
Case Western Reserve (I am legacy. Both parents graduated and father and aunt attended Case Medical)
University of Toledo
Ohio State Medical
University of Cincinatti
Wright State
Wayne State
Morehouse
Meharrey
University of Illinois
Loyola
Indiana University
Central Michigan
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine

DO: Ohio University

Any chance you could retake the mcat?

 

[TRussell74]

Any chance you could retake the mcat?

No I don't really want to.

 

[TRussell74]

If you apply to 25+ MD schools (including the ones I listed) you should receive interviews. It is better to apply to schools that are closer to your stats.

Why should I apply to that many? I was planning on 12-16.

 

[Faha]

You need to apply to many schools because your MCAT is low and your sGPA is low for most schools. Hopefully, if you apply to 25+ schools you may receive a few interviews.

 

[878956]

No I don't really want to.

I don’t know. You might get in but I don’t feel you are giving yourself the best shot of getting in. This process is competitive, expensive and spending one cycle without giving yourself the absolute best chance isn’t worth it.

I have two friends with similar profiles to you that did not get an interview in this cycle. This is n=2 but you should take it seriously.

 

[Forever Geebs]

I don’t know. You might get in but I don’t feel you are giving yourself the best shot of getting in. This process is competitive, expensive and spending one cycle without giving yourself the absolute best chance isn’t worth it.

I have two friends with similar profiles to you that did not get an interview in this cycle. This is n=2 but you should take it seriously.

This isn’t a bad idea. Also, I would apply to more DO schools. Are you open to that or only pursuing MD?


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[TRussell74]

I don’t know. You might get in but I don’t feel you are giving yourself the best shot of getting in. This process is competitive, expensive and spending one cycle without giving yourself the absolute best chance isn’t worth it.

I have two friends with similar profiles to you that did not get an interview in this cycle. This is n=2 but you should take it seriously.

It could be a death sentence if I do not do significantly better.

 

[TRussell74]

This isn’t a bad idea. Also, I would apply to more DO schools. Are you open to that or only pursuing MD?


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I am open to DO. But my stats are slightly below that of black matriculants.

 

[TRussell74]

You need to apply to many schools because your MCAT is low and your sGPA is low for most schools. Hopefully, if you apply to 25+ schools you may receive a few interviews.

My stats are only slightly below that of black matriculants according to AAMC.

 

[Forever Geebs]

Don’t cling to URM as a free pass. Med schools want to see you can handle the rigorous course load, and while the MCAT isn’t an indicator on physician or med school success, it is an aid in their evaluation of you. The fact that you’ve retaken and scored marginally better, combined with your GPA, is worrisome. It’s this reason alone why we’ve provided the recommendations that we have. That said, it’s entirely your decision as to whether you want to consider those recommendations or not.

There’s already an assumed risk by applying, so why not be the most competitive applicant you can be?


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[Forever Geebs]

By the way, @TRussell74, I am not trying to downplay the work you've put in to become a physician. I am merely encouraging you to be the best applicant you be vs. comparing yourself to others of the same demographic (e.g. "but my stats are slightly below that of black matriculants"). You don't want to be below average, so demonstrate that you have what it takes by being the most competitive applicant you can be. If what you're telling us is you've already reached that level then that's OK, but I think you yearn for more hence why you started this thread to begin with.

Either way, I wish you the very best of luck and hope you achieve your goal of becoming a physician!

 

[Walter Raleigh]

Yep. URM is a boost, and if the GPA has an upward trend she could be competitive for her state schools. However, it's not a free pass - it just boosts you one, maybe two "tiers" worth of applicants. The WedgeDawg Applicant Rating System assigns it about seven points, or about 5-8 LizzyM points - which seems about right.

 

[TRussell74]

Yep. URM is a boost, and if the GPA has an upward trend she could be competitive for her state schools. However, it's not a free pass - it just boosts you one, maybe two "tiers" worth of applicants. The WedgeDawg Applicant Rating System assigns it about seven points, or about 5-8 LizzyM points - which seems about right.

After sophmore year, I have received nothing but 3.88 and above every semester including Biochem, Physiology, cell Biology, Histology, and Anatomy.

 

[TRussell74]

By the way, @TRussell74, I am not trying to downplay the work you've put in to become a physician. I am merely encouraging you to be the best applicant you be vs. comparing yourself to others of the same demographic (e.g. "but my stats are slightly below that of black matriculants"). You don't want to be below average, so demonstrate that you have what it takes by being the most competitive applicant you can be. If what you're telling us is you've already reached that level then that's OK, but I think you yearn for more hence why you started this thread to begin with.

Either way, I wish you the very best of luck and hope you achieve your goal of becoming a physician!

I understand. Thank you for all of your advice. I know my application could be stronger, but I would like to move forward. I made the post for advice on schools to apply to. I am a musician (cello, choir, and theatre) and come from a family of primary care physicians, so I am a more holistic applicant.

 

[Forever Geebs]

I understand. Thank you for all of your advice. I know my application could be stronger, but I would like to move forward. I made the post for advice on schools to apply to. I am a musician (cello, choir, and theatre) and come from a family of primary care physicians, so I am a more holistic applicant.

I'm just trying to set realistic expectations. I know how close it feels, but remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep trucking and I hope you have a terrific and successful cycle.

 

[Walter Raleigh]

After sophmore year, I have received nothing but 3.88 and above every semester including Biochem, Physiology, cell Biology, Histology, and Anatomy.

Okay. That's a strong upward trend - evidence that a student's changed and reinvented themselves. @Goro has a list of schools that reward reinvention...but there's a catch: generally you need a strong (515+) MCAT score to really seal the deal on reinvention. 503's not going to cut it in that respect.

 

[OchemOficionado]

Listen to Faha. Your stats put your chances 19% above the national acceptance rate. Apply to 25 schools and interview well and you’ll likely get in. 503 for a Black woman isn’t a death sentence, but you’re right, taking it a 3rd time likely isn’t wise. Your gpa is a bigger concern to me, but I think Faha’s advice is on point. You should throw your hat in the ring for UCLA Drew as well. It’ll all work out for you! Good luck!

 

[TRussell74]

Listen to Faha. Your stats put your chances 19% above the national acceptance rate. Apply to 25 schools and interview well and you’ll likely get in. 503 for a Black woman isn’t a death sentence, but you’re right, taking it a 3rd time likely isn’t wise. Your gpa is a bigger concern to me, but I think Faha’s advice is on point. You should throw your hat in the ring for UCLA Drew as well. It’ll all work out for you! Good luck!

Thank you very much. I plan to apply broadly and really play up my experiences and interview skills. I retook 2 of the 3 classes I got Cs in so my retake sGPA is around a 3.3 but AAMCAS doesn't count retakes.

 

[MedicalDoge]

What state are you a resident in? I would be prepared for DO, but according the AMCAS tables you have a 29% of getting MD. However, I used the grid for 502-505 MCAT and 3.4 -3.59 GPA range. With your science GPA being much lower than the cumulative, and you also having a 499 score (some schools average, some take highest), I would say the chances are a bit slimmer. However, your URM status will boost you a bit. Definitely apply to a broad range of DO. goodluck!! I think a lot of this depends on your state too.


https://www.aamc.org/download/321508/data/factstablea23.pdf

 

[TRussell74]

What state are you a resident in? I would be prepared for DO, but according the AMCAS tables you have a 29% of getting MD. However, I used the grid for 502-505 MCAT and 3.4 -3.59 GPA range. With your science GPA being much lower than the cumulative, and you also having a 499 score (some schools average, some take highest), I would say the chances are a bit slimmer. However, your URM status will boost you a bit. Definitely apply to a broad range of DO. goodluck!! I think a lot of this depends on your state too.


https://www.aamc.org/download/321508/data/factstablea23.pdf

Thank you for your response. I am an Ohio resident. I do suggest though that you look at the AMCAS table for black students, it says I have an 80% chance of an MD if the school takes my best score. I do think with my science it may be less than that but I do plan to apply to a few D.O.s

https://www.aamc.org/download/321514/data/factstablea24-2.pdf

 

[MedicalDoge]

Thank you for your response. I am an Ohio resident. I do suggest though that you look at the AMCAS table for black students, it says I have an 80% chance of an MD if the school takes my best score. I do think with my science it may be less than that but I do plan to apply to a few D.O.s

https://www.aamc.org/download/321514/data/factstablea24-2.pdf

Ah nice! I wonder why they don't have an updated table for that, but I am sure more recent data would be similar. I like your chances to get in somewhere, especially state schools. Definitely add NEOMED as someone above mentioned.