How many med schools should I apply to? I am thinking 30, maybe more?

[Aposteriori]

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I am Korean, and my mcat is 29, cgpa3.65 sgpa3.8. Took a gap year to hang out with my grandpa who had stomache cancer but recovered and to live with my cousin who suffers from massive bi polar and social anxiety to teach him health habits and study habits.
I have an insane upward trend. Messed up pretty bad freshman year, even got an IA for plagiarizing my second quarter and failed english, and in addition to that quarter got kicked out of school for failing all my other classes.
PS - wrote about single parent mom/cancer survivor/polio.
Great LOR 1 P.I., 1 science, 1 humanites, 1 D.O.
120hours of clinical and 36 hours of shadowing
1080 hours of research.
208 hours as a supplementary instructor for gchem and biology.
85 hours of nonclinicals.
320hours of humanites research
I went to UCR.
I finished applying to 12 D.O. schools today.
I live in California.

I am thinking 30? should I apply to more?

 

[Banco]

yeah i'd aim for at least 30 strategic applications.

I'd be more worried about that IA though.

 

[Aposteriori]

Thanks Banco! Yeah Im super worried about that IA, but hopefully, they see that it was during my freshman year and see the insane upward gpa trend and e.c. and LOR and personal statement...

I feel that md schools might forgive me more about the IA than Do schools...

 

[darthsubway]

I feel that md schools might forgive me more about the IA than Do schools...

Why do you think that?

 

[mmmcdowe]

Moving to WAMC

 

[Goro]

OP, this is outright delusional thinking.

I feel that md schools might forgive me more about the IA than Do schools...[/QUOTE]

 

[Aposteriori]

Hmm. so would you guys say that it would be the other way around? Do would be more forgiving?

 

[mathnerd88]

Applying to 30 schools is extremely expensive, not to mention a waste. Some of these schools are heavily biased for in-state applicants. You need to do research and find ones that are OOS friendly and more international friendly schools.

That IA will really screw you over, however, schools do not take kindly to cheating. That's one of the worst IA's you can get for ANY medical school. You also got kicked out of school, which is another huge academic blemish that adcoms will not take kindly to.

MD's are pretty much out of the question. For DO's, you're going to have to do a lot to fix that.

 

[Aposteriori]

Applying to 30 schools is extremely expensive, not to mention a waste. Some of these schools are heavily biased for in-state applicants. You need to do research and find ones that are OOS friendly and more international friendly schools.

That IA will really screw you over, however, schools do not take kindly to cheating. That's one of the worst IA's you can get for ANY medical school. You also got kicked out of school, which is another huge academic blemish that adcoms will not take kindly to.

MD's are pretty much out of the question. For DO's, you're going to have to do a lot to fix that.

Dang it! is there at least hope with D.O. schools or M.D. schools? Freshman year I was doing massive amounts of drugs, and I was hanging out with drug dealers. I also encountered God, and had a super change. But I dont want to put that in my ps or anywhere bc I dont want to raise additional red flags, nor do I want to sound preachy.

 

[mathnerd88]

Did you retake all those courses you failed in?

Also, going to be honest with you, if you were an ADCOM, and you had an applicant who had a history of drug abuse, would you want that person to be responsible prescribing drugs to other patients?

I mean I don't want to say that it is impossible to get in, but there is always a chance. ADCOMS may start even thinking that you got that high GPA because you cheated and got good grades afterwards.

You're going to have to provide an excellent story for those IA's.

 

[Aposteriori]

For my IA paragraph, I just wrote what happened, and manned up and said I take full responsibility and have matured since then.
I retook all the classes I failed in and got an A, B,A.

I'm going to expect the worst(0 any schools...) and hope for the best(1Md school acceptance haha). My application is almsot done. I am about to send it in tomorrow.(hope its early enough)

Perhaps the IA may make me stand out lol....

 

[ERK123]

Did you retake all those courses you failed in?

Also, going to be honest with you, if you were an ADCOM, and you had an applicant who had a history of drug abuse, would you want that person to be responsible prescribing drugs to other patients?

I mean I don't want to say that it is impossible to get in, but there is always a chance. ADCOMS may start even thinking that you got that high GPA because you cheated and got good grades afterwards.

You're going to have to provide an excellent story for those IA's.

Its not like this person is going to actually say that they did a ton of drugs in college...

 

[mathnerd88]

Its not like this person is going to actually say that they did a ton of drugs in college...

Of course not, but the IA for cheating is pretty much unforgiveable at most schools. It shows lack of ethics and morals, and that would be a huge liability for them.

 

[zero0]

I also encountered God, and had a super change.

Anyway, ethics is kind of a big deal in medicine. Most adcoms will question yours. Get ready to be grilled for that AI.

I assume the stats you listed are with retakes. MD schools don't allow grade replacement, so your numbers are going to be much lower there if you have a bunch of F's on your transcript.

 

[Grace184]

I agree...this IA is a Big problem. Will not be looked over as opposed to freshman with an IA for beer in his fridge. Also, you are a CA resident. I hope you're not banking on an MD acceptance from there- they have enough apps as it is and I'm fairly sure yours will be negated. Can you get any sort of LOR from the teacher that failed you? It may be a stupid question, but others have been able to and it has helped them take the "edge" off the IA, esp if you retook his class and stepped up.

 

[Grace184]

And leave drugs and God out of it. Always. In secondaries and interviews. That's an over share. Leave it at a "tough adjustment period."

 

[user3]

I am Korean, and my mcat is 29, cgpa3.65 sgpa3.8. Took a gap year to hang out with my grandpa who had stomache cancer but recovered and to live with my cousin who suffers from massive bi polar and social anxiety to teach him health habits and study habits.
I have an insane upward trend. Messed up pretty bad freshman year, even got an IA for plagiarizing my second quarter and failed english, and in addition to that quarter got kicked out of school for failing all my other classes.
PS - wrote about single parent mom/cancer survivor/polio.
Great LOR 1 P.I., 1 science, 1 humanites, 1 D.O.
120hours of clinical and 36 hours of shadowing
1080 hours of research.
208 hours as a supplementary instructor for gchem and biology.
85 hours of nonclinicals.
320hours of humanites research
I went to UCR.
I finished applying to 12 D.O. schools today.
I live in California.

I am thinking 30? should I apply to more?

make sure to apply broadly and blanket the least competitive schools- including Burrell, LMU, LUCOM, ACOM, WVSOM, VCOM-CC, KYCOM, WCU, PNWU.

and APPLY TO BURRELL ASAP. (brand new school, and likely your best chance).

 

[costales]

I don't know of any school that is not allergic to academic dishonesty. The medical profession is very conservative on character issues.

 

[oOKawaiiOo]

I was doing massive amounts of drugs, and I was hanging out with drug dealers. I also encountered God, and had a super change.

 

[user3]

I don't know of any school that is not allergic to academic dishonesty. The medical profession is very conservative on character issues.

Hopefully one of the newer schools that are currently forced to accept embarrassing amounts of applicants with substandard grades and MCAT's will take this person over the the former.

 

[Gandyy]

How is

Hopefully one of the newer schools that are currently forced to accept embarrassing amounts of applicants with substandard grades and MCAT's will take this person over the the former.

Nvm misunderstood