Help low GPA/ high MCAT URM When to apply?

[deleted1058633]

Hi all,
I am a disadvantaged low SES afro-carib non-trad student. My parents are both immigrants and have less than a HS education. I attended a top 10 university in the Midwest for undergrad. I current work as a clinical research coordinator (2 years) and have 2 first author publications.

I stopped taking premed courses after fall of my junior year of college. I had some difficulties in undergrad due to unresolved PTSD and sought counseling in the middle of my junior year of college. I wanted to know whether I would be competitive to apply or if I should delay applying to medical school (and if not what can I do to strengthen my app)? What would be some good schools for me and when should I try to apply? Thank you for your help!

Here are my stats:
cGPA: 3.2 (with postbacc)
sGPA: 2.9 (with postbacc)
MCAT: 520
State: IL

ECs:
Sexual Health Peer Educator (3 years) - Leadership position (1 year)
Minority Interest sorority (3 years) - Leadership position (2 years)
Peer Advisor (1 year)

Summer internships:
undergrad hospital public health community outreach intern
undergrad hospital psychiatry research intern

Work experience:
Psych Lab assistant (6 mo.)
Perinatal Pathology lab research assistant (1 year)
Genetic medicine lab assistant (1 year)
Clinical research coordinator in psychiatry + OBGYN (2 years)

Clinical Volunteer experience:
100 hours Spanish medical interpreter at a community health center

Other volunteer experience:
20 hours soup kitchen
40 hours autism speaks
50 hours relay for life
80+ hours sorority related charity events

Shadowing experience:
40 hours in OBGYN and Neonatology

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[Faha]

You can apply in the next month. However, I recommend that you take enough additional undergraduate level science courses at a local college in the next year to increase your sGPA to 3.0 . You will be screened out at some schools with your current sGPA of 2.9 . Another 100+ hours of clinical volunteering and some primary care shadowing hours would also help.
I suggest these schools:
U Illinois
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola
Medical College Wisconsin
Indiana
Howard
Meharry
Morehouse
UCLA Drew
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Wright State
TCU-UNT
NOVA MD
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Seton Hall
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac

 

[deleted1058633]

You can apply in the next month. However, I recommend that you take enough additional undergraduate level science courses at a local college in the next year to increase your sGPA to 3.0 . You will be screened out at some schools with your current sGPA of 2.9 . Another 100+ hours of clinical volunteering and some primary care shadowing hours would also help.
I suggest these schools:
U Illinois
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola
Medical College Wisconsin
Indiana
Howard
Meharry
Morehouse
UCLA Drew
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Wright State
TCU-UNT
NOVA MD
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Seton Hall
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac

Thank you for your response! I do plan on getting another 100 or so hours 2020-2021 volunteering as an interpreter. I'm quite uncertain I'll be able to get any more shadowing in due to COVID-19. I'd like to also mention my postbacc work was completed at my alma mater and I completed several upper division science courses- human anatomy, advanced physiology, and immunobiology. Not sure if this helps also but my role as an RC is largely patient facing and I primarily work on a large FDA trial involving pregnant women.

 

[Faha]

You should receive several interviews if you apply to the schools I listed.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

Yeah, what Faha suggested. Ideally you'd get another 100 hours of clinical experience and take enough science courses to get the GPA above 3.0. As an URM candidate you may be less likely to get autoscreened for the sub-3.0 GPA. Also you've got a strong story and excellent MCAT. Do that, and you could aim for the top schools that reward reinvention like Columbia, UCSF, and Dartmouth - but even then, don't go too top heavy. Good luck.

 

[deleted1058633]

Yeah, what Faha suggested. Ideally you'd get another 100 hours of clinical experience and take enough science courses to get the GPA above 3.0. As an URM candidate you may be less likely to get autoscreened for the sub-3.0 GPA. Also you've got a strong story and excellent MCAT. Do that, and you could aim for the top schools that reward reinvention like Columbia, UCSF, and Dartmouth - but even then, don't go too top heavy. Good luck.

Thanks for the feedback! I'm going to try and squish in 2-3 more science courses depending on what my postbacc program offers and hopefully that'll push my sGPA above that 3.0 mark. I'm a little bummed because COVID meant my school only gave P/NP grades spring quarter so my sGPA could've gone up, but c'est la vie!

Do you happen to know if Northwestern tends to admit students from their undergrad institution more often than not? I'm interested in going to Feinberg. Pritzker is another reach school of mine, but I'm definitely keeping my options wide open.

Thanks again!

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

I don't know about Northwestern.

What was your GPA, broken out year by year?
Were you in a formal postbacc program?
How many credits of postbacc work do you have, and what was your GPA there?

You might be in a very good place with a 3.0+ GPA and 30+ credits of 3.7+ postbacc work. Things would go better for you if you took another year to boost your clinical experience and GPA, but you could do OK applying this year if you've got 30+ credits of 3.7+ postbacc work. Good luck.

 

[LeaveNoTrace]

With a 3.4 postbacc GPA, you could apply to maybe five or so top 20 schools, 10 mid-tiers, some lower-tier schools, and DO schools. Your URM status will buy you some forgiveness, but top schools want to see closer to a 3.7.

 

[Shotapp]

Very nice MCAT score. Your post-bac GPA is low but I think you should receive a few bites from schools.

 

[saren99]

Hi all,
I am a disadvantaged low SES afro-carib non-trad student. My parents are both immigrants and have less than a HS education. I attended a top 10 university in the Midwest for undergrad. I current work as a clinical research coordinator (2 years) and have 2 first author publications.

I stopped taking premed courses after fall of my junior year of college. I had some difficulties in undergrad due to unresolved PTSD and sought counseling in the middle of my junior year of college. I wanted to know whether I would be competitive to apply or if I should delay applying to medical school (and if not what can I do to strengthen my app)? What would be some good schools for me and when should I try to apply? Thank you for your help!

Here are my stats:
cGPA: 3.2 (with postbacc)
sGPA: 2.9 (with postbacc)
MCAT: 520
State: IL

ECs:
Sexual Health Peer Educator (3 years) - Leadership position (1 year)
Minority Interest sorority (3 years) - Leadership position (2 years)
Peer Advisor (1 year)

Summer internships:
undergrad hospital public health community outreach intern
undergrad hospital psychiatry research intern

Work experience:
Psych Lab assistant (6 mo.)
Perinatal Pathology lab research assistant (1 year)
Genetic medicine lab assistant (1 year)
Clinical research coordinator in psychiatry + OBGYN (2 years)

Clinical Volunteer experience:
100 hours Spanish medical interpreter at a community health center

Other volunteer experience:
20 hours soup kitchen
40 hours autism speaks
50 hours relay for life
80+ hours sorority related charity events

Shadowing experience:
40 hours in OBGYN and Neonatology

Super off-topic but I was wondering if you had any MCAT advice? I have a similar scores to you and was wondering what you did/what method you used to achieve such a great score?