How am I lookin'...? And some advice

[pbhigag]

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I'm going to graduate with a BA in Biology and a Minor in History in the Spring of 2010
3.4 Science GPA
3.5 Cumulative GPA
Haven't taken the MCAT yet.

Extracurricular Activities and Awards (if it says that i did something until 2010, then I just intend to do it until I graduate)
- On scholarship 2006-2010
- Dean's List two or three times
- Research - helped write a paper published at an ivy league - Summer 2008
- Student Ambassadors 2006-2010 (75 hours community service)
- Alpha Epsilon Delta (Prehealth Honorary) Member 2007-2010
- Alpha Epsilon Delta Officer 2008/2009
- Beta Beta Beta (Biology Honorary) Member 2008-2010
- Volunteering - Hospital Emergency Department - 50+ hours - 2007-2010
- Volunteering - Johns Hopkins University - 150+ hours - 2008-2010
- TA for Biology 101 - Fall 2008
- Working with one other student to improve the Pre-Medical Advising Program - Fall 2008
- Shadowed an Otolaryngologist and a Neurosurgeon in Baltimore - Summer 2008
- Big Brothers Big Sisters 2008-2010
- Men's Crew Team 2008-2010 (Rowing)
- Worked in the office of a Cardiologist during summers - 2006-2010
- Intramurals - Football, Basketball, and Dodgeball - 2006-2010
- Joined a fraternity - Fall 2008


This spring, I'll run for my school's Board of Governors, for the Student Ambassador President, and as an AED officer.


My GPA was a 3.7 up until last semester but there was a death in the family and I missed (and messed up in, once i got back) school. I think I have good extracurriculars, so if I get a good MCAT, how competitive will I be? I'll be applying to state schools, along with OSU (my sister goes to Vet school there, but I'm not holding my breath) and UK (legacy), but I don't really know where I should look after that.

 

[UNMorBUST]

Well i be the first. Your EC's are very good. Your GPA is low but if you can recover it to say a 3.6 and a solid MCAT you will do well. If your GPA remains the same you will need a higher MCAT to balance it. You will have to explain the poor semester, however, in me opinion, will not be frowned upon for it due to a legitimate reason. Best of luck to you.

 

[Mobius1985]

Your GPA is currently below the mean for acceptees to med school, but you have two more semesters of grades before the traditional application time to get it up. Is an upward trend a reasonable possibility?

Right now, you'd need an MCAT of 32+ to be competitive at lower-selectivity schools.

You have enough leadership now, but with the addition of one of the officer postitions you plan to run for, this will be stronger. Your clinical experience looks very good. Your sport and humanitarian envolvement make you look well-rounded.

You say you "helped write a paper". Did you also engage in research, and if so, how many semesters? A research experience would be desirable, to increase the number of schools willing to consider you.

All in all, your application is shaping up well. The few problems I see are fixable, and you have some time to do it. Work on getting your Letters of Reference lined up and start thinking about your Personal Statement.

 

[pbhigag]

Your GPA is currently below the mean for acceptees to med school, but you have two more semesters of grades before the traditional application time to get it up. Is an upward trend a reasonable possibility?

Right now, you'd need an MCAT of 32+ to be competitive at lower-selectivity schools.

You have enough leadership now, but with the addition of one of the officer postitions you plan to run for, this will be stronger. Your clinical experience looks very good. Your sport and humanitarian envolvement make you look well-rounded.

You say you "helped write a paper". Did you also engage in research, and if so, how many semesters? A research experience would be desirable, to increase the number of schools willing to consider you.

All in all, your apllication is shaping up well. The few problems I see are fixable, and you have some time to do it. Work on getting your Letters of Reference lined up and start thinking about your Personal Statement.

Thanks for your help - yeah, I did research during the summer and am working for them now. I'm going to school a couple of hours away from the lab, so they've been sending me electron microscope pictures to analyze and send back. I'll do work for them next semester and then for part of next summer too.

Other than last semester, my grades have been on an upward trend. I should get nearly all A's this semester and hopefully next semester I can do the same. I'm going to try to take one of the summer school sessions and then do research for the other half of the summer. As for the MCAT, I've signed up for a test date in late May and I think I'll do Kaplan next semester.

 

[Mobius1985]

Your research plan sounds good. I'm glad to hear an upward grade trend is a good possibility. If you're taking Kaplan, it will take a lot of your time to do it right (speaking from personal experience. Kaplan did right by me, but I did every bit of recommended homework and practice test), so consider a lighter than usual course load next semester, so as not to imperil your GPA.