MD Do I have a chance at MD?

[Alohabeachgirl]

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[Goro]

There are MD schools (and all DO) that reward reinvention. YOu also have a very compelling story. We like come-from-behind stories..it's in our national DNA.

I suggest:
Albany
NYMC
The Philly Triplets
U Miami
Tulane
SLU
MCW
Creighton
GWU
VCU
EVMS
Gtown
Wake
Any DO school
UCI
UCD
UCR IF you're from the Inland Empire
Tufts

 

[Alohabeachgirl]

There are MD schools (and all DO) that reward reinvention. YOu also have a very compelling story. We like come-from-behind stories..it's in our national DNA.

I suggest:
Albany
NYMC
The Philly Triplets
U Miami
Tulane
SLU
MCW
Creighton
GWU
VCU
EVMS
Gtown
Wake
Any DO school
UCI
UCD
UCR IF you're from the Inland Empire
Tufts

Thank you SO much! I really thought I had no chance at any MD schools (especially UC's) but this gives me so much hope!

 

[el_duderino]

I think you have a good shot, as well. Good luck.

 

[deleted274002]

Other: ORM, Female, California resident

What is "ORM"?

 

[Alohabeachgirl]

What is "ORM"?

over-represented minority. I'm East Indian (South Asian)

 

[Mwooster]

Hi everyone, this is my first post of SDN so please bare with me if I commit a SDN faux paus.

I'm wondering if I even have a chance at MD with my stats.

Undergrad: Top 25 private school, Presidential Scholar (Half tuition scholarship for all four years)
Major: Public Health
GPA: 3.18 sGPA: 2.85 (approximately, still trying to figure out what count as BCPM)
GPA shows strong upward trend during my senior year.
MCAT: 511
Extracurricular: Research in two labs one semester each, one that focus on an underserved/vulnerable population. 120 hours of shadowing an orthopedic surgeon, 250+ hours of volunteering at soup kitchens/tutoring/mentoring with an all-women's service group at my university. I was a Resident Assistant for 2 years as well, and was on the marathon team for 1 year. Interned at a mobile health company for a year as well. I am currently applying to do an additional semester of research (which will hopefully result in a publication) as well as a fellowship where I will conduct research abroad and publish my results.
Other: ORM, Female, California resident

The reason for my low undergraduate GPA is because I was in an abusive relationship in for two years in college (sexually assaulted, unplanned pregnancy, etc) and it took a while for me to get out of it. I may mention it in a secondary or something but I will not make it a focus on my personal statement/app. I also took a lot of engineering classes early on during undergrad, which were unrelated to my major, and got bad grades which also brought down my GPA.

I am now in a SMP program at the same school I did undergrad, took the same classes as the first year students at the medical school (a top 25 med school), and earned all A's. I anticipate getting all A's the upcoming semester as well.
SMP Master's GPA: 3.95

With these stats, do I have a chance at MD at all? I would definitely be applying to low tier MD schools. Is there anything else I can do to increase my chances?
Thank you if you read all of this!

Halfway reading your post, I was thinking "she is the ideal candidate for an SMP."

Agreeing with @Goro, Keep up the good work in your SMP. Your strong SMP performance and your MCAT will carry you when the time comes as long as you apply smartly and strategically. Strong applicant to all DO schools and "lower tier" US MD Schools.

 

[LizzyM]

off-topic but it bugs me: "bare with me" is a way of saying let's get naked together (no one says this, I hope!). "bear with me" comes from "help me carry this load, struggle with me". I think you mean the latter.

 

[Alohabeachgirl]

off-topic but it bugs me: "bare with me" is a way of saying let's get naked together (no one says this, I hope!). "bear with me" comes from "help me carry this load, struggle with me". I think you mean the latter.

haha sorry about that, just noticed that!

 

[deleted274002]

over-represented minority. I'm East Indian (South Asian)

Is reporting ORM a thing now? Perhaps I've been out of the med school application game for too long (and college application game as well), but I can understand the relevance of the URM designation and it's importance for diversity. I'm not entirely sure what the relevance of ORM would be. Schools are not going to reject you based on that.

 

[jakridge3]

I would also like to inquire about my own prospects. I haven't finished my undergrad yet, but I'm getting ready to get back to it.

I started off flunking out of college about 10 years ago. Had about a 0.67 GPA with 28 credits.

Since then, I've gotten an associates degree in radiography and I have an overall GPA of 3.3. Going back to get my undergrad will probably require about 90 more credits if I'm going to study outside of the allied health fields, which I think could be advantageous and give me a lot of opportunities to raise my GPA.

However, with my academic track record, I know it's an uphill battle. Should I consider double majoring? Would a graduate degree help?

Thanks

 

[el_duderino]

Double majoring won't help. With your current GPA plus finishing a bachelor's with a high GPA, you will be fine. Do well on the MCAT, get your shadowing and clinical experience, etc.

 

[mydogmolly]

someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think engineering/CS courses count towards BCPM. So if you're including those in your calculations, you might actually be a bit better off than 2.85.

Congratulations on all your successes!

 

[Osminog]

"bear with me" comes from "help me carry this load, struggle with me".

Or "I am accompanied by a large, shaggy-haired mammal."

 

[jakridge3]

Double majoring won't help. With your current GPA plus finishing a bachelor's with a high GPA, you will be fine. Do well on the MCAT, get your shadowing and clinical experience, etc.

I thought as much but I thought I would ask for opinions. Thanks.

How heavily do you think a prospective medical school will weigh my professional experience as an X-ray tech? I’ve got 2.5 years under my belt and recently got promoted to a weekend managerial position for a mobile X-ray company. I figure I’ll take three more years and make sure I do a good job on the rest of my undergrad coursework, so by the time I’m finished I will be at 5.5-6 years of professional radiography experience.

 

[el_duderino]

I thought as much but I thought I would ask for opinions. Thanks.

How heavily do you think a prospective medical school will weigh my professional experience as an X-ray tech? I’ve got 2.5 years under my belt and recently got promoted to a weekend managerial position for a mobile X-ray company. I figure I’ll take three more years and make sure I do a good job on the rest of my undergrad coursework, so by the time I’m finished I will be at 5.5-6 years of professional radiography experience.

I expect it would be considered as patient contact, and go towards helping establish that you understand what working with patients is like.

 

[gyngyn]

Ortho shadowing may not have the desired effect. Primary care is so much better.

 

[Alohabeachgirl]

Thanks everyone for this advice so far. I've already worked on a couple of personal statement drafts, but i don't know if I should use my ps to mention my assault/abortion as a way to explain my bad grades. I've heard mixed reviews. I don't want to hijack the adcom's emotions and sound like I am making excuses, but at the same time I don't know if all schools' secondaries will have an "adversity" essay where I could mention it. I have heard mixed reviews about explaining bad grades on personal statements. The AMCAS guide says you can mention it but the general SDN advice is not to. What do you think @gyngyn @Goro @LizzyM

 

[el_duderino]

I think there are still a significant number of people who think that abortion is immoral or wrong, and it would be dangerous to talk about that in a personal statement, as it could bias an adcom against you. I'm sorry you had to go through that. I'm sure it makes a compelling story in a personal statement, just be cautious and understand it's a risk.

 

[candbgirl]

Is reporting ORM a thing now? Perhaps I've been out of the med school application game for too long (and college application game as well), but I can understand the relevance of the URM designation and it's importance for diversity. I'm not entirely sure what the relevance of ORM would be. Schools are not going to reject you based on that.

Not really but on SDN it makes a difference when people are advising students. URM has more leeway etc than ORM. It’s helpful if that info is in the initial post so good info is provided.