Do I have any chance at MD? 3.08 cBCPM

[buggybaby]

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Hi,

A bit of background: I graduated from a Canadian university with a 3.09 cGPA and a 2.8 sGPA, primarily due to three C's in chemistry and an F in linear algebra. I have around 180 clinical volunteering hours, 30 shadowing hours, 30 non-clinical Spanish volunteering hours, 1 coauthor on publication with like 2 years research experience.

I’ve been working on a DIY postbacc through UCSD Extension, taking upper-level biology courses like physiology, immunology, and biochemistry. So now, I am at 3.19 overall / 3.08 cumulative science due to my 3.94 average in those classes.

I am considering doing in-person community college to retake my 3 C's in chem courses and to take my English credit since I just have philosophy credits. and then maybe transferring to a 4-year for some last credits to get more credibility.

Currently, I am in a medical assisting course and want to move to Texas for residency after I graduate since im in California and the in-state is really hard here. So the plan is to work there for a year and then apply the following year. Also I am half Latina and can speak Spanish so I plan to do more volunteering in that. In university also I had some severe health issues, so I am hoping to write about these to explain my grades.

So is my best bet getting like 510+ on MCAT and getting a 3.3 in science courses overall? I plan to take the MCAT in April I think but I worry about it expiring before I apply.

Any input would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[glycolysister]

Hey there! Lots going on here, and thanks for sharing all the details. I had a few questions and thoughts.

Are you a US citizen or permanent resident? Thinking through how realistic the Texas residency plan might be. How many postbacc credits will you have by the time you apply? A strong upward trend is great, and personally I don’t think retaking the C’s at a CC or 4-year school is strictly necessary if you continue to do well in upper-level sciences.

Are you considering DO schools as part of your plan? They may offer a bit more flexibility and could serve as a safety net alongside Texas MD schools, or even make moving to Texas unnecessary altogether👀.

Keep adding clinical hours as you can, but don’t neglect non-clinical volunteering either. If you can tie some of that community service to your background and Spanish skills, neat!

I’m sorry to hear about your health issues in undergrad. Be sure to frame them as experiences you grew from rather than excuses for grades.

On the MCAT, if April feels too soon for your projected application cycle, push it. You don't want to take that exam twice.

Lot of positives already! One step at a time.

 

[buggybaby]

Are you a US citizen or permanent resident? Thinking through how realistic the Texas residency plan might be.

Hi thanks for the response. Yes, US citizen.

How many postbacc credits will you have by the time you apply? A strong upward trend is great, and personally I don’t think retaking the C’s at a CC or 4-year school is strictly necessary if you continue to do well in upper-level sciences.

so far I have 15 but I am aiming for 24-30 I think to get closer to the 3.3. I think I just worry since those C's were gen chem 1 and 2 and org1 but maybe if I do well on mcat it will be ok.

Are you considering DO schools as part of your plan?

I am considering it but is it stupid to apply in my second cycle to them? I hope for MD so I can go for a more competitive speciality but I am not sure if that is outdated thinking or dumb since my stats are low.

Keep adding clinical hours as you can, but don’t neglect non-clinical volunteering either

do you have an estimate for how many hours I should have of each to off set everything?

Thank you again

 

[glycolysister]

so far I have 15 but I am aiming for 24-30 I think to get closer to the 3.3. I think I just worry since those C's were gen chem 1 and 2 and org1 but maybe if I do well on mcat it will be ok.

15 is a solid start, 30 is better. The Cs won't matter if you can master the material for the MCAT. Focus on upper level courses and do well in them.

I am considering it but is it stupid to apply in my second cycle to them? I hope for MD so I can go for a more competitive speciality but I am not sure if that is outdated thinking or dumb since my stats are low.

I would give it a lot more consideration. I see DOs all over the place, doing some really neat things (and they're awesome). Do you have a specialty in mind?

do you have an estimate for how many hours I should have of each to off set everything?

I will defer to the greats on the forum. They do all need to come up, and come up consistently. Though, there are no magic numbers in the process.

 

[Med Ed]

Agree with @glycolysister that there is a lot going on here.

If you are half Latina and speak Spanish then Texas is a good choice. The strategic approach is to target the mission-heavy schools: Texas Tech (serving western Texas), Texas Tech - El Paso (serving the western Rio Grande valley), UTRGV (serving the eastern Rio Grande valley), and UTMB (serving the underserved). Strong performance in your DIY postbacc, a solid MCAT, and evidence of mission fit will make you competitive at these institutions. The University of Houston is fairly new and may be worth considering.

Postbac: don't bother retaking old courses, just focus on the newer ones. 30 credits is fine. The goal here isn't to get your GPA above a certain threshold, it's to show what your current self is capable of.

MCAT: a 510 is 79th percentile. Many people think they'll hit that mark, few actually do. Get advice, make a logical plan, and stick to it.

Clinical hours: if you will be working as a MA then that will be covered.

Shadowing: get some primary care hours after you relocate to Texas, ideally in a setting that serves many Spanish-speaking patients.

Non-clinical volunteering: this can actually make (or break) your application. Find 1-2 quality experiences, ideally with underserved populations (of which there are many in Texas), and log as many hours as possible. The rule of thumb on SDN is that 150 hours of non-clinical is the minimum to be competitive in the modern admissions environment.

Severe health problems that impacted academics: there is a fine line between an explanation and an excuse. Tread carefully.

Research: already have 2 years with a publication, none further needed.