This is going to be a post mainly talking about how I don't think my med school application is good enough. It will be a short summary of my app/who I am etc., so really whoever wants to listen to me can and whoever doesn't I understand - I talk too much
I graduated from a large university with a major in the health sciences and a minor in biology. My graduation gpa was around 3.2 (never got lower than a 3.0 gpa in a semester), however I switched my major my junior year and my grades considerably got better (gpa~3.5 up until graduation). I am currently in graduate school for a M.S. in another health sciences major, and will graduate with around a 3.8 gpa (two Bs all throughout). I take my MCAT April 29th and am pretty confident I will do well. those are my grades - here are my extracurriculars.
My whole theme of my personal statement, who I am etc deals with giving back. For example, I adopted a 1 mi stretch of highway near my university campus (i.e. there is a sign that says this highway adopted by [my full name] - I have to clean it a few times a year and document it). I am personally hosting a blood drive during this current blood crisis and almost exceeded my goal of donors by two fold. I have ~30 hrs volunteering at COVID vaccination clinics when vaccines were first rolled out. I have ~70 hours working as a COVID tester; I have personally tested approximately 1000 people during the pandemic. I have ~200 hrs as an intern directly working with debilitated patients in an exercise facility. I have ~100 comm service hours that have nothing to do with health sciences. I have ~150 shadowing hours and during those hours I directly worked with patients (took EKGs, heart rates, etc <-- I also did this as an intern). I have ~50 hours delivering meals to COVID quarantined kids on campus (that was my legit job for a while). I have ~300 hours working in a research lab under a very well respected PI; I am the lead behavioral specialist and am also trained in organ harvest and other surgeries (we work w rats). In high school - sophomore year of undergrad in the summer I worked for the public works of my township and said in my app when there wasn't anything to do, I drove around and cut down trees, filled potholes, etc to make the community nicer (all true, documented >1200 hours at this job) I have judged research symposiums, have been active in certain clubs in undergrad, and have (4) very well written LORs by professors/physicians who have really got to know me.
I have always been very confident and done well at interviews. I know how to sell myself and (kind of a cocky thing to say but) I know how to tell people what they want to hear. I can talk about any experience in my life for an hour. My friends and I google difficult interview questions and ask each other daily. I know for a fact I think differently than most people - I am an extremely driven, dedicated person and I have no doubt in my mind that I want medicine to be a huge part of my life (because you can never stop learning in the field of medicine - another big concept about me, I genuinely love to learn and believe you can't actually learn until you learn how to learn - make sense?)
this is just a stupid rant about my grades in early undergrad. I guess my main question is - do i have a chance at a good med school, even with my below average grades? I would like to get accepted to a good med school (my parents never graduated college), and can't get over the fact that most applicants have done what I do PLUS they have great grades. I just feel like there's absolutely nothing I can do to improve and im just stuck at being an idiot with bad grades (exaggerating but you get the point) thank you for reading
Should also add my first weekend of freshman year (literally, the first night I've ever went out) I got an underage consumption. Walking out of the club and the cop asked for my ID. so this was a misdemeanor AND also counted for a student conduct violation so I had to fill out both of those on the app.
I know I will never be the smartest person in the room, but I do know that I will always be one of the hardest working individuals.
I graduated from a large university with a major in the health sciences and a minor in biology. My graduation gpa was around 3.2 (never got lower than a 3.0 gpa in a semester), however I switched my major my junior year and my grades considerably got better (gpa~3.5 up until graduation). I am currently in graduate school for a M.S. in another health sciences major, and will graduate with around a 3.8 gpa (two Bs all throughout). I take my MCAT April 29th and am pretty confident I will do well. those are my grades - here are my extracurriculars.
My whole theme of my personal statement, who I am etc deals with giving back. For example, I adopted a 1 mi stretch of highway near my university campus (i.e. there is a sign that says this highway adopted by [my full name] - I have to clean it a few times a year and document it). I am personally hosting a blood drive during this current blood crisis and almost exceeded my goal of donors by two fold. I have ~30 hrs volunteering at COVID vaccination clinics when vaccines were first rolled out. I have ~70 hours working as a COVID tester; I have personally tested approximately 1000 people during the pandemic. I have ~200 hrs as an intern directly working with debilitated patients in an exercise facility. I have ~100 comm service hours that have nothing to do with health sciences. I have ~150 shadowing hours and during those hours I directly worked with patients (took EKGs, heart rates, etc <-- I also did this as an intern). I have ~50 hours delivering meals to COVID quarantined kids on campus (that was my legit job for a while). I have ~300 hours working in a research lab under a very well respected PI; I am the lead behavioral specialist and am also trained in organ harvest and other surgeries (we work w rats). In high school - sophomore year of undergrad in the summer I worked for the public works of my township and said in my app when there wasn't anything to do, I drove around and cut down trees, filled potholes, etc to make the community nicer (all true, documented >1200 hours at this job) I have judged research symposiums, have been active in certain clubs in undergrad, and have (4) very well written LORs by professors/physicians who have really got to know me.
I have always been very confident and done well at interviews. I know how to sell myself and (kind of a cocky thing to say but) I know how to tell people what they want to hear. I can talk about any experience in my life for an hour. My friends and I google difficult interview questions and ask each other daily. I know for a fact I think differently than most people - I am an extremely driven, dedicated person and I have no doubt in my mind that I want medicine to be a huge part of my life (because you can never stop learning in the field of medicine - another big concept about me, I genuinely love to learn and believe you can't actually learn until you learn how to learn - make sense?)
this is just a stupid rant about my grades in early undergrad. I guess my main question is - do i have a chance at a good med school, even with my below average grades? I would like to get accepted to a good med school (my parents never graduated college), and can't get over the fact that most applicants have done what I do PLUS they have great grades. I just feel like there's absolutely nothing I can do to improve and im just stuck at being an idiot with bad grades (exaggerating but you get the point) thank you for reading
Should also add my first weekend of freshman year (literally, the first night I've ever went out) I got an underage consumption. Walking out of the club and the cop asked for my ID. so this was a misdemeanor AND also counted for a student conduct violation so I had to fill out both of those on the app.
I know I will never be the smartest person in the room, but I do know that I will always be one of the hardest working individuals.
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