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deleted982921
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It is worth submitting all the secondaries for those schools.
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deleted982921
Thank you for your response! Should I email the ones I've already submitted to make sure they get my new MCAT score?
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It was a 508. I was able to save up enough money to only work part-time this summer (the first time I've had that luxury), so that's why there was such a big jump! Last time I took the MCAT I was working a lot more hours and only able to study in the evenings
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Your past WAMC... WAMC: Unique Story, 508 MCAT, 3.27 sGPA and 3.5 cGPA
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Update as of 10/11: I added all of the recommended schools and immediately submitted secondaries.
Emailed admissions at all schools I previously applied to & made sure they had updated MCAT scores - some of them even said "good job" which was really encouraging.
First DO interview invite received & accepted. Thanks for everyone's help, I'll keep updating this thread!
Emailed admissions at all schools I previously applied to & made sure they had updated MCAT scores - some of them even said "good job" which was really encouraging.
First DO interview invite received & accepted. Thanks for everyone's help, I'll keep updating this thread!
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The big question here is: do you have an upward trend in your GPA, or not? If you do, you're in great shape. If not, you're in OK shape for MD, maybe good to very good, and you're a strong DO applicant. Your circumstances are going to buy you a little bit of leeway for a low GPA. One thing you might take into consideration is your having supported your family; while that is genuinely admirable medical schools also want people that aren't going to leave in order to handle family issues. I'd recommend handling this topic rather delicately and seeking the advice of several adcoms about how best to approach that topic, if at all...@goro @LizzyM and @Moko might be able to weigh in on this.
Kudos to you; good luck. If you're not working during medical school you might find it easier than undergrad!
Kudos to you; good luck. If you're not working during medical school you might find it easier than undergrad!
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I think that the OP is one of those people who become competitive due to having a compelling story!
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You really should edit your first post on this thread to provide both MCAT scores. Having only one does not give the full picture that will appear on your application. That said, you seem to be fine. Be careful with the DO schools. They'll admit you and demand a big, non-refundable deposit and if you haven't received any other offers you'll feel compelled to accept and then have the bittersweet experience of losing the deposit if you get a better offer.
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Definitely agree at all DO and a lot of MD schools; if the GPAs are flat I'm not sure how much the top-20s would bite on the OP. If he has to reapply, a DIY postbacc would help a lot, as would a larger school list. I'd give Columbia, Dartmouth, and Vanderbilt a shot. Maybe WashU too. There might be other schools that like very determined low-ish GPA high MCAT applicants. The OP's GPA isn't low enough to give anyone any doubts about their academic ability; hell, if finances weren't an issue I wouldn't be surprised if they had had a 4.0!
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OP, try UCSF and UCLA as well
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deleted982921
Undergrad GPA went down when I switched to a science major, then an upward trend to 3.99 in my last year.
Grad school is also an upward trend in a difficult SMP - first semester was tough with two people in my family dying from COVID-19 and another being hospitalized. Tough layers of interpersonal stuff. But then it was uphill!
This might be unpopular, but I'd choose a school because they support my responsibilities to my community & family, over a school with a top ranking. I'm hopeful that I won't have to make that choice & I'll find somewhere with shared values! The advocacy and positive change I'd like to make for rural healthcare in America is based on my loyalty to the people and places I come from. If I continue to live and one day practice medicine in these places, I'll continue to be around disproportionate levels of poverty, domestic violence, and drug abuse. And that's exactly where we need physicians. I'm not looking to escape my history, but to gain more skills so that I can stay and be an effective advocate.
@LizzyM - I updated my original post. Thanks for the tip on DO - I pushed my interview to late December. Hopefully I don't run into that situation, but I understand that lots of students are waiting for these seats, so schools will want me to be decisive if they are gracious enough to offer me an acceptance!
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Yeah, if you applied to a DO school, then you are pretty much obligated to put the deposit down if it's your only A (Obviously only apply to schools you'd go to). My daughter's friend got an A from a decent DO school that she would be willing to attend. But she has her sights set on MD schools, without an II as of yet. This particular school wants $2k, non refundable, and the deposit is due 2 weeks after the A or else the A is retracted. Cruel, but that's life.
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It comes down to, "would you pay an extra one-time fee of $2K to go to a MD school rather than a DO school if you had the choice". For many people it is an easy choice. The DO school finds that the $2K non-refundable deposit takes away the sting of being rejected by an admitted applicant.
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This is more a reality in graduate/professional admissions than the way AMCAS schools do deposits. I knew of a dental school that required their incoming students to place installments of a $5K deposit ($1K non refundable in two/four weeks after A (according to traffic rules), $2K non refundable by March, $2K non refundable by May).
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deleted982921
I had an interview this week!
Overall, it was a positive experience and my interviewer left me feeling encouraged, regardless of the outcome. Just wanted to add some good news for anyone who comes across this thread and needs uplifted.
Overall, it was a positive experience and my interviewer left me feeling encouraged, regardless of the outcome. Just wanted to add some good news for anyone who comes across this thread and needs uplifted.
Congratulations! Was this an MD or a DO school?
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deleted982921
This was a MD school! Not my state school
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Congratulations! Maybe it was soon enough that you don't lose your deposit.
LizzyM: 77 | CO Resident | URM
MD - 1°: 34 | 2°: 34 | pre-II Hold: 0 | Pre-II R: 0 | II: 1 | Post-II R: - | WL: - | A: -
DO - 1°: 4 | 2°: 4 | pre-II Hold: 0 | Pre-II R: 0 | II: 1 | Post-II R: - | WL: - | A: -
Oh, btw, you can now change your signature.
