Chances with several withdrawals?

[Snarkitroph]

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Hey folks, I was just wondering if I could get some input. I'm a Texas resident planning on applying this year, and I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to deal with some holes in my school record and what out of state schools to look at. I'm currently in the first of what will hopefully be only 2 gap years.

B.S. in Biology, B.A. in Psychology from small liberal arts college
GPA: 3.5 and 3.3 sGPA
MCAT: 35Q (12V, 12P, 13B)
EC's during college:
600 non-clinical volunteer hours
Leadership positions in a service fraternity, student government, Chem club, student ambassadors and NSCS, the longest of which was 4 year term.

Employment:
ER scribe for two years to current (accumulated probably 1500 hours?)
1 year as vet tech assistant Part time
3 summers academic research during summer and part time during the school year
1 summer research at a medical supply company

Gap year activities
ER scribe, 40 hr/week
300 hours of clinical volunteering at free clinic
30 hrs of shadowing an ob/gyn
150 hours volunteering with a local Rape Crisis Center

Additional -
EMT-B Certification (really only used so I can touch patients at the clinic)
1 publication, second author
Former competitive equestrian, now retired due to injuries - this will be a major part of my personal statement

One of the largest areas I'm worried about is my GPA and the fact that I have a number of withdrawals on my transcript. I had a head injury my junior year of high school and spent the two years doing weekly rehab, and the first three out of my five years at college learning to manage a new seizure disorder (it took me a while to adjust to the meds and accept I actually had to take them... Slow learner!). Because of that I have all A semesters and all B semesters with withdrawals in them, and an entire semester where I withdrew. I'm pretty sure I can explain most of that in my PS/interview, but any advice would be appreciated!

As a side note, I have now been seizure free for 2+ years and am well able to tolerate sleep deprivation. I've spoke to my neurologist about the stresses of med school and residency and he thinks I will be able to handle the stress without concern.

Again, any last minute advice and out of state school suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[TriagePreMed]

If you have documentation, I suggest you call your school and request drops instead of W's. It's simply unacceptable to punish a student with W's, but either way, a semester of W's probably won't kill your application.

 

[Snarkitroph]

Ah, I wish. All of the withdrawals were well past the drop date, and several were past the withdrawal date (1/2 through the semester). There is no way they would erase them - most I required documentation just to withdraw!

 

[Catalystik]

Hey folks, I was just wondering if I could get some input. I'm a Texas resident planning on applying this year, and I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to deal with some holes in my school record and what out of state schools to look at. I'm currently in the first of what will hopefully be only 2 gap years.

B.S. in Biology, B.A. in Psychology from small liberal arts college
GPA: 3.5 and 3.3 sGPA
MCAT: 35Q (12V, 12P, 13B)
EC's during college:
600 non-clinical volunteer hours
Leadership positions in a service fraternity, student government, Chem club, student ambassadors and NSCS, the longest of which was 4 year term.

Employment:
ER scribe for two years to current (accumulated probably 1500 hours?)
1 year as vet tech assistant Part time
3 summers academic research during summer and part time during the school year
1 summer research at a medical supply company

Gap year activities
ER scribe, 40 hr/week
300 hours of clinical volunteering at free clinic
30 hrs of shadowing an ob/gyn
150 hours volunteering with a local Rape Crisis Center

Additional -
EMT-B Certification (really only used so I can touch patients at the clinic)
1 publication, second author
Former competitive equestrian, now retired due to injuries - this will be a major part of my personal statement

One of the largest areas I'm worried about is my GPA and the fact that I have a number of withdrawals on my transcript. I had a head injury my junior year of high school and spent the two years doing weekly rehab, and the first three out of my five years at college learning to manage a new seizure disorder (it took me a while to adjust to the meds and accept I actually had to take them... Slow learner!). Because of that I have all A semesters and all B semesters with withdrawals in them, and an entire semester where I withdrew. I'm pretty sure I can explain most of that in my PS/interview, but any advice would be appreciated!

As a side note, I have now been seizure free for 2+ years and am well able to tolerate sleep deprivation. I've spoke to my neurologist about the stresses of med school and residency and he thinks I will be able to handle the stress without concern.

Again, any last minute advice and out of state school suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

What does your transcript look like for the last two seizure-free years?

 

[CodeBlu]

Hey folks, I was just wondering if I could get some input. I'm a Texas resident planning on applying this year, and I was wondering if anyone had any advice on how to deal with some holes in my school record and what out of state schools to look at. I'm currently in the first of what will hopefully be only 2 gap years.

B.S. in Biology, B.A. in Psychology from small liberal arts college
GPA: 3.5 and 3.3 sGPA
MCAT: 35Q (12V, 12P, 13B)
EC's during college:
600 non-clinical volunteer hours
Leadership positions in a service fraternity, student government, Chem club, student ambassadors and NSCS, the longest of which was 4 year term.

Employment:
ER scribe for two years to current (accumulated probably 1500 hours?)
1 year as vet tech assistant Part time
3 summers academic research during summer and part time during the school year
1 summer research at a medical supply company

Gap year activities
ER scribe, 40 hr/week
300 hours of clinical volunteering at free clinic
30 hrs of shadowing an ob/gyn
150 hours volunteering with a local Rape Crisis Center

Additional -
EMT-B Certification (really only used so I can touch patients at the clinic)
1 publication, second author
Former competitive equestrian, now retired due to injuries - this will be a major part of my personal statement

One of the largest areas I'm worried about is my GPA and the fact that I have a number of withdrawals on my transcript. I had a head injury my junior year of high school and spent the two years doing weekly rehab, and the first three out of my five years at college learning to manage a new seizure disorder (it took me a while to adjust to the meds and accept I actually had to take them... Slow learner!). Because of that I have all A semesters and all B semesters with withdrawals in them, and an entire semester where I withdrew. I'm pretty sure I can explain most of that in my PS/interview, but any advice would be appreciated!

As a side note, I have now been seizure free for 2+ years and am well able to tolerate sleep deprivation. I've spoke to my neurologist about the stresses of med school and residency and he thinks I will be able to handle the stress without concern.

Again, any last minute advice and out of state school suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Is it 35 or 37?

 

[Snarkitroph]

Pretty solid for my last two semesters - I think a 3.9 average. One of the seizure free years is my gap year.

And it's a 35? I'm computer less right now and both those 12 should be 11. My apologies.

 

[plumhill]

You have a legitimate medical reason for the W's, and not only did you (mostly) overcome your injury, you ended up doing quite well both GPA-wise and MCAT-wise! Your ECs and other activities are solid (especially your volunteering hours). So I don't see why any medical school would hold your W's against you, and if they did, that's probably not a school you'd want to go to anyways 😉

 

[Catalystik]

What does your transcript look like for the last two seizure-free years?

Pretty solid for my last two semesters - I think a 3.9 average. One of the seizure free years is my gap year.

How does junior year look? I'm thinking that two trouble-free years would give the ideal reassurance to adcomms. Having 1.5 years is likely good enough. And your good explanation, and a year of unblemished transcript, with luck, enough adcomms will have their concerns assuaged about your potential.

 

[Snarkitroph]

My junior year is not on of my better years, unfortunately. That's a big part of why I thought a gap year would be good for me, so I have can more time on record while I'm doing well... Unfortunately it won't be time in school. It is time that I'm working 60-70 hr/week, so it still has its own stressors!