How does it look if you apply with a WD the year before you apply? 3rd WD

[ariax]

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Hi,

I am currently taking an Embryology course and am not doing well and am considering withdrawing.

I am a senior and this is my 3rd WD. I received 2 my freshman year.

I am applying MD/DO June 2016 with a 3.54/3.34s GPA and 3.65/3.49-3.51s GPA. My MCAT is a 518.

I have 500+ clinical hours between a hospital and clinic, will have 100 non clinical (just started so perhaps only 7 months by the time I apply), 800+ hours for research with 1 poster and 75 hours of physician shadowing. I have club leadership in one club (not President).

Am I screwed for MD/DO? I just am concerned how a WD will look the year before I apply. Is this red flag unredeemable 🙁

I have been a long time lurker so I'm not new to SDN and would greatly appreciate the advice of @Catalystik @gyngyn @Goro @LizzyM

 

[GrapesofRath]

I'm assuming WD means Withdrawal and not a Withdrawal-Fail correct?

There's almost nothing that's absolutely unredeemable. Just focus on doing as well as you possibly can from here on out. All is hardly lost. Your stats are way way above the median DO matriculant and a couple W's isn't going to crush that.

Your MCAT is way above the average MD matriculant as well. Maybe consider staying an extra semester in college or two to take some more upper level science courses and ace them. That kind of upward trend combined with your MCAT score would certainly help your cause. But all in all, while 3 W's is certainly not ideal, there are certainly worse fates. There are ways of mediating and addressing academic issues, particularly when you have that kind of MCAT score. Mainly, just get a bunch of A's in upper level science courses.

 

[ariax]

I'm assuming WD means Withdrawal and not a Withdrawal-Fail correct?

There's almost nothing that's absolutely unredeemable. Just focus on doing as well as you possibly can from here on out. All is hardly lost. Your stats are way way above the median DO matriculant and a couple W's isn't going to crush that.

Your MCAT is way above the average MD matriculant as well. Maybe consider staying an extra semester in college or two to take some more upper level science courses and ace them. That kind of upward trend combined with your MCAT score would certainly help your cause. But all in all, while 3 W's is certainly not ideal, there are certainly worse fates. There are ways of mediating and addressing academic issues, particularly when you have that kind of MCAT score. Mainly, just get a bunch of A's in upper level science courses.

Thank you for the reply! Yes it is just a regular withdrawal.

I'm just kind of upset that I had a slight upward trend my junior year and I wanted to crush senior year but now I have this pesky WD (not to mention the year before I apply!). So it's like a upward trend with a few blemishes... I was mainly going to focus on DO but do you think I should give some MD schools a shot? I was considering retaking my MCAT for a higher MCAT score because some schools just LOVE high MCAT scores and it seems like much is forgiven in favor of a high MCAT score.

I was going to see how an app cycle shakes out and if it doesn't work out, I was considering some kind of DIY post-bac.

 

[Doug Underhill]

At this point, the question is whether you can handle the rigors of med school. You have a 3.5 with three Ws. This implies that you would have done badly in those three courses, which suggests that your GPA, had you kept them, would have been even lower, probably a 3.4 or so. The median DO matriculant is like 3.64 these days, despite having a MCAT much lower than you.

Don't retake the MCAT. Your score is already the equivalent of a 36, which is a fantastic score. I'd say you need to work on getting that GPA up.

 

[GrapesofRath]

At this point, the question is whether you can handle the rigors of med school. You have a 3.5 with three Ws. This implies that you would have done badly in those three courses, which suggests that your GPA, had you kept them, would have been even lower, probably a 3.4 or so. The median DO matriculant is like 3.64 these days, despite having a MCAT much lower than you.

Don't retake the MCAT. Your score is already the equivalent of a 36, which is a fantastic score. I'd say you need to work on getting that GPA up.

These might be off by a hair but the average DO GPA overall is 3.47. Average sGPA is 3.37. Note this factors in grade replacement. I doubt the median and mean vary by a 0.14 difference.

MD GPA is a 3.68 sGPA is a 3.63

Edit: No way the median is a 3.64 when only 41% of matriculants had 3.6+ overall and only 31% had a 3.6+sGPA.

 

[Doug Underhill]

I was looking at some of the more competitive DO schools only.

 

[WedgeDawg]

I was looking at some of the more competitive DO schools only.

Okay, but that's not what was indicated in your previous post.

 

[Catalystik]

Hi,

I am currently taking an Embryology course and am not doing well and am considering withdrawing.

I am a senior and this is my 3rd WD. I received 2 my freshman year.

I am applying MD/DO June 2016 with a 3.54/3.34s GPA and 3.65/3.49-3.51s GPA. My MCAT is a 518.

I have 500+ clinical hours between a hospital and clinic, will have 100 non clinical (just started so perhaps only 7 months by the time I apply), 800+ hours for research with 1 poster and 75 hours of physician shadowing. I have club leadership in one club (not President).

Am I screwed for MD/DO? I just am concerned how a WD will look the year before I apply. Is this red flag unredeemable 🙁

I have been a long time lurker so I'm not new to SDN and would greatly appreciate the advice of @Catalystik @gyngyn @Goro @LizzyM

I would look at your transcript and see how many other credit hours you were taking and what those classes were. What would I see?

What did you withdraw from previously, and how did you do on the retakes?

 

[ariax]

I would look at your transcript and see how many other credit hours you were taking and what those classes were. What would I see?

What did you withdraw from previously, and how did you do on the retakes?

So I was taking French 2, Music History (yes it is a joke class required to graduate), Ecology and Physiology and Embryology (this is the course I'm withdrawing from). I was at 17 credit hours and now I'm at 13.

My previous two retakes were in English (retook for an A) and History (retook for an A-).

 

[Catalystik]

So I was taking French 2, Music History (yes it is a joke class required to graduate), Ecology and Physiology and Embryology (this is the course I'm withdrawing from). I was at 17 credit hours and now I'm at 13.

My previous two retakes were in English (retook for an A) and History (retook for an A-).

Then even though you'll have a low course load that includes one "joke class," I wouldn't consider a Withdrawal from Embryology a "Red Flag", considering you still have two other science classes and redeemed the previous WDs with As.

Also, you have another term to show some solid performance.

 

[Goro]

I think that you'll be fine for all DO schools, and a decent number of MD schools IF you apply strategically. No reaches, for starters.