MD & DO I Have an Odd Case, Will I Get in?

[TommyPrince]

Hey there, Hope everyone is doing well.
I am going to be applying to med schools very soon and I was wondering for some feedback. This is my first post on SDN so I hope I'm doing this correct

Anyways, coming into undergrad, I was diagnosed with Leukemia and struggled through chemotherapy treatment for the first two years of undergrad. My cgpa for those years was definitely not competitive. It was around a 3.1 but I basically felt like garbage everyday from the chemo. I am now in complete molecular remission and I feel much better. My junior year 1st semester I retook my O-chem course I didn't do well in and I achieved a 3.75 gpa. Second semester junior year I got a 4.0 with 3 science classes. My cgpa before applying will be around a 3.45 but my science gpa is around a 3.1. I still have one more year of undergrad that can bring up my gpa but I did do well on the mcat (85th percentile). I don't like to make excuses but it was the chemotherapy for the leukemia that really hindered my performance in school for my first two years. Some other things that I think will definitely help my application is that I work 2 jobs at school (math tutor and biology TA). I am involved in many EC's. I also have 300+ volunteer hours working with people with disabilities and around 50 hours of shadowing. I have spent the past four summers working at a camp for kids with cognitive disabilities and other disabilities (110 hour weeks). I spent one summer there working in the nursing building and acquired over 1000 clinical hours. I don't know if this will help but I am fluid in ASL (American Sign Language) from working with deaf kids.

So basically my question is what are my chances of getting in? I want to do primary care and I plan on applying to both multiple MD and DO schools. I just feel as if the 1/500000 (I did the math ) chances of me being diagnosed with CML really hurt my gpa. Also is it acceptable to send a short email to the admissions of the schools I am applying to and basically saying "Hey I think I would be a great fit at your school, I was worried that your application scanning might eliminate my application due to my low gpa. That low gpa was because of the constant chemotherapy treatment I was undergoing. So I was wondering if you could hand pick my application out and give it a second glance?" I would obviously make the email much more formal and nicer sounding.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you very much!

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[OneTwoThreeFour]

You should take a bunch of science courses your senior year. If it gets above 3.2 or so you won't be autoscreened at most places. There is a section on most secondaries where you can explain parts of your application not addressed elsewhere. If you don't receive secondaries from schools after many people report getting them, you could try reaching out then.

 

[Balo]

Some schools will definitely look at extenuating circumstances, and often times the applications will have a place for you to explain additional details. Looking at stats alone, you have a much better chance at DO schools, but you also have a chance at MD schools assuming you also have a decent MCAT.

Edit: It looks like you did do well on the MCAT. Applying broadly will probably help.

 

[tammyp]

For AMCAS maybe mark your application as disadvantage and use the disadvantage essay to explain your situation. Supposedly if you say you're a disadvantage student (doesn't have to be financially disadvantaged) at least one person on the board has to look at your applicaiton. Not sure how true this is but maybe an adcom like @Goro could let you know.

 

[Goro]

Hey there, Hope everyone is doing well.
I am going to be applying to med schools very soon and I was wondering for some feedback. This is my first post on SDN so I hope I'm doing this correct

Anyways, coming into undergrad, I was diagnosed with Leukemia and struggled through chemotherapy treatment for the first two years of undergrad. My cgpa for those years was definitely not competitive. It was around a 3.1 but I basically felt like garbage everyday from the chemo. I am now in complete molecular remission and I feel much better. My junior year 1st semester I retook my O-chem course I didn't do well in and I achieved a 3.75 gpa. Second semester junior year I got a 4.0 with 3 science classes. My cgpa before applying will be around a 3.45 but my science gpa is around a 3.1. I still have one more year of undergrad that can bring up my gpa but I did do well on the mcat (85th percentile). I don't like to make excuses but it was the chemotherapy for the leukemia that really hindered my performance in school for my first two years. Some other things that I think will definitely help my application is that I work 2 jobs at school (math tutor and biology TA). I am involved in many EC's. I also have 300+ volunteer hours working with people with disabilities and around 50 hours of shadowing. I have spent the past four summers working at a camp for kids with cognitive disabilities and other disabilities (110 hour weeks). I spent one summer there working in the nursing building and acquired over 1000 clinical hours. I don't know if this will help but I am fluid in ASL (American Sign Language) from working with deaf kids.

So basically my question is what are my chances of getting in? I want to do primary care and I plan on applying to both multiple MD and DO schools. I just feel as if the 1/500000 (I did the math ) chances of me being diagnosed with CML really hurt my gpa. Also is it acceptable to send a short email to the admissions of the schools I am applying to and basically saying "Hey I think I would be a great fit at your school, I was worried that your application scanning might eliminate my application due to my low gpa. That low gpa was because of the constant chemotherapy treatment I was undergoing. So I was wondering if you could hand pick my application out and give it a second glance?" I would obviously make the email much more formal and nicer sounding.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thank you very much!

You have what I call a very compelling story. naturally, MCAT will make or break your app. Shoot for 513+ for MD, 510+ for your state schools and 508+ for DO.
A U-shaped GPA trend is very common. Rising GPA trends are always good, and many schools give more weight to the last 2-3 years of GPA, rather than the cGPA. Your chances will be best with your state schools.

And note to tammyp, the disadvantaged box is for economic indicators that happened prior to college, not life events. Growing up poor affects how one can get into college, or what college one goes to.

 

[TommyPrince]

You have what I call a very compelling story. naturally, MCAT will make or break your app. Shoot for 513+ for MD, 510+ for your state schools and 508+ for DO.
A U-shaped GPA trend is very common. Rising GPA trends are always good, and many schools give more weight to the last 2-3 years of GPA, rather than the cGPA. Your chances will be best with your state schools.

And note to tammyp, the disadvantaged box is for economic indicators that happened prior to college, not life events. Growing up poor affects how one can get into college, or what college one goes to.

Thank you very much for the response. This is good news because part of me thought I was down for the count and would not be able to get in anywhere my gpa. I really appreciate it!

 

[DokterMom]

How many 'good' semesters will you have before applying? I'd want to see a minimum of four, six would be better. But, as @Goro says, once you make it past the auto-screens (which is what the 4-6 good semesters would most help with), I think your story and exceptional ECs would make you a strong applicant. I'd ask yourself how you feel about trading a year's GPA-repair work for increased medical school prestige and possible expanded specialty options. What I mean is that with four good semesters, I think you're a strong candidate for a mid-tier with a mission; six good semesters (so a post-bac) could make you a strong candidate for a top-tier school. Do you care enough to wait?

But to circumvent the auto-screens -- I imagine you've got a pretty wide network of medical professionals by now. I'd seek their counsel about where they went to school and ask their advice for how best to improve your own application. Hopefully, some of these fine folks will get the great idea to offer to make a call on your behalf. Or be assertive and ask them if they would be willing to. So long as you are willing to take 'no' for an answer, it's OK to ask. Sometimes an alumni call is enough to get you an interview your paper-only application might not have.

Best of luck to you --

 

[TommyPrince]

How many 'good' semesters will you have before applying? I'd want to see a minimum of four, six would be better. But, as @Goro says, once you make it past the auto-screens (which is what the 4-6 good semesters would most help with), I think your story and exceptional ECs would make you a strong applicant. I'd ask yourself how you feel about trading a year's GPS-repair work for increased medical school prestige and possible expanded specialty options. What I mean is that with four good semesters, I think you're a strong candidate for a mid-tier with a mission; six good semesters (so a post-bac) could make you a strong candidate for a top-tier school. Do you care enough to wait?

But to circumvent the auto-screens -- I imagine you've got a pretty wide network of medical professionals by now. I'd seek their counsel about where they went to school and ask their advice for how best to improve your own application. Hopefully, some of these fine folks will get the great idea to offer to make a call on your behalf. Or be assertive and ask them if they would be willing to. So long as you are willing to take 'no' for an answer, it's OK to ask. Sometimes an alumni call is enough to get you an interview your paper-only application might not have.

Best of luck to you --

This was immensely helpful. Thank you very much. I am definitely willing to wait and improve my GPA and do post-bac work. I still see my oncologist every six months (have to continue monitoring my blood of course) and I know he would be willing to help. One of my best friends family friends also is an ADCON at a state school I would love to attend. I want to serve the vulnerable population and that school is big on rural primary care physicians (which is exactly what I want to do). I plan on talking to her very soon. Thank you very much again. It is greatly appreciated.