I’m very lost as to what more I should do, besides improve my numbers. App help pls?

[StressfulMD]

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Hello all,

Here’s a run down of my app as of this moment. If there is more I should do, or if it feels like I’m cookie cutter or checking off boxes, please comment and give harsh advice.

Year in school: rising junior

Country/state of residence: MA

Schools to which you are applying: Don’t have a list yet because my numbers are nowhere near where they should be. And I’m not applying for a good while. Planning on a gap year

Cumulative GPA: 3.344 (yes, I know. Is there still time to improve both GPAs?)

Science GPA: 3.225

MCAT Scores: None yet, haven’t even started preparing. Will likely take after graduation

Research – include any abstracts/posters/publications and how you were credited (eg. First author, senior author, etc):

-120+ hours clinical research. Primarily chart reviews working under an MD at local hospital, this is bound to climb as I stay with the lab longer. (That said...is this enough with regards to experience? Will I be grilled on lack of patient interaction here?)

-2 abstract pubs, not 1st or 2nd author. Again, this may increase

Volunteering (clinical) – include hours/sites: EMT-B active license but didn’t find a job yet. Rejected by school EMS last year and I don’t think I have time to work during the year

-considering hospice volunteering

Physician shadowing – include hours/specialties:

-104 hours in urology

-6 hours radiology (lel)

-working in getting more specialties in there

Non-clinical volunteering:

-Sunday school teacher at church, middle school

-participate in constant retreats, spiritual guidance. Have a lot of touching experiences with the kids I can definitely expand on in an essay if given the opportunity

-hymn leader and instructor

Employment history: none.

Immediate family members in medicine? (y/n): no

Specialty of interest: urology or general surgery. Obviously I haven’t seen enough to decide this, but of what I have seen, urology is absolutely awesome. Have a story about a personal experience involving urology and how caring and kind my urologist was during this awful experience.

Interest in rural health (y/n): absolutely not

So I’m not sure what else to improve on besides grades, given that some things need connections to achieve. I can’t travel abroad and don’t have the money or the want to (hate traveling).

Thank you guys.

 

[RocuROMANium]

It looks like you know what you're doing. Now for the hard part. You NEED to strive for a 4.0 the rest of your undergraduate career. That would get your GPA to a more competitive level and would show a great upward trend. I'm not saying you need a 4.0 trend or your screwed but that's what you aim for. For the MCAT, you know what to do. One and done.

 

[mwsapphire]

Get that GPA up and DO schools are totally within range for you, get a sci GPA 3.4+ and you can add MD too ( with a 513+ MCAT, below 512 and I'd stick with DO with a 3.4 gpa).
( This is assuming a 4.0 here on out is kind of unrealistic).

 

[StressfulMD]

Get that GPA up and DO schools are totally within range for you, get a sci GPA 3.4+ and you can add MD too ( with a 513+ MCAT, below 512 and I'd stick with DO with a 3.4 gpa).
( This is assuming a 4.0 here on out is kind of unrealistic).

I am not interested in DO for a bunch of personal reasons I won't get into, but what range secures MD for me, (that is also realistic)? Would 3.6 both work ok? And hopefully, I will be able to offset the low-ish GPA with a good MCAT, but I can't comment on that now, given that I have not touched on MCAT prep yet.

 

[StressfulMD]

It looks like you know what you're doing. Now for the hard part. You NEED to strive for a 4.0 the rest of your undergraduate career. That would get your GPA to a more competitive level and would show a great upward trend. I'm not saying you need a 4.0 trend or your screwed but that's what you aim for. For the MCAT, you know what to do. One and done.

By "competitive", would you also be implying competitive for MD? And, yes, I absolutely agree with aiming for a 4.0--I do really need it.

 

[MyOdyssey]

Chart review for clinical research is not the same as patient centric volunteering.

I don't see any patient centric volunteering on your resume.

I don't see any working with the disadvantaged outside of your social circle on your resume.

If you want to pursue DO, you need to shadow DO doctors and get DO doctor's recommendation letter.

 

[RocuROMANium]

By "competitive", would you also be implying competitive for MD? And, yes, I absolutely agree with aiming for a 4.0--I do really need it.

Go for the 4.0 because if you fall short, you end up in the 3.9 or 3.8 range which is obviously great too. Look, if I can achieve a 4.0 trend, than anyone can. Yea, I was referring to MD. The cGPA of the average MS matriculant last year was 3.71 so that's the best answer I can give you for a competitive GPA to aim for.

Check this out: Applicants and Matriculants Data - FACTS: Applicants, Matriculants, Enrollment, Graduates, MD/PhD, and Residency Applicants Data - Data and Analysis - AAMC

 

[Goro]

Hello all,

Here’s a run down of my app as of this moment. If there is more I should do, or if it feels like I’m cookie cutter or checking off boxes, please comment and give harsh advice.

Year in school: rising junior

Country/state of residence: MA

Schools to which you are applying: Don’t have a list yet because my numbers are nowhere near where they should be. And I’m not applying for a good while. Planning on a gap year

Cumulative GPA: 3.344 (yes, I know. Is there still time to improve both GPAs?)

Science GPA: 3.225

MCAT Scores: None yet, haven’t even started preparing. Will likely take after graduation

Research – include any abstracts/posters/publications and how you were credited (eg. First author, senior author, etc):

-120+ hours clinical research. Primarily chart reviews working under an MD at local hospital, this is bound to climb as I stay with the lab longer. (That said...is this enough with regards to experience? Will I be grilled on lack of patient interaction here?)

-2 abstract pubs, not 1st or 2nd author. Again, this may increase

Volunteering (clinical) – include hours/sites: EMT-B active license but didn’t find a job yet. Rejected by school EMS last year and I don’t think I have time to work during the year

-considering hospice volunteering

Physician shadowing – include hours/specialties:

-104 hours in urology

-6 hours radiology (lel)

-working in getting more specialties in there

Non-clinical volunteering:

-Sunday school teacher at church, middle school

-participate in constant retreats, spiritual guidance. Have a lot of touching experiences with the kids I can definitely expand on in an essay if given the opportunity

-hymn leader and instructor

Employment history: none.

Immediate family members in medicine? (y/n): no

Specialty of interest: urology or general surgery. Obviously I haven’t seen enough to decide this, but of what I have seen, urology is absolutely awesome. Have a story about a personal experience involving urology and how caring and kind my urologist was during this awful experience.

Interest in rural health (y/n): absolutely not

So I’m not sure what else to improve on besides grades, given that some things need connections to achieve. I can’t travel abroad and don’t have the money or the want to (hate traveling).

Thank you guys.

Stop shadowing
Stop research. Even a Cell paper isn't going to help you with your current stats.
Focus on GPA for the rest of your time in schools
Volunteer with patients (or get a clinical job with patient contact)
Engage in service to others less fortunate than yourself. Your church service won't count, except maybe at LUCOM and Loma Linda.

Seek out your school's learning or education center for help.

 

[Catalystik]

Physician shadowing – include hours/specialties:

-104 hours in urology

-6 hours radiology (lel)

-working in getting more specialties in there

The only other specialty you need is a doc in primary care (pediatrics, family med, internal med, OBGYN, or Psychiatry). Then stop.

 

[candbgirl]

I am not interested in DO for a bunch of personal reasons I won't get into, but what range secures MD for me, (that is also realistic)? Would 3.6 both work ok? And hopefully, I will be able to offset the low-ish GPA with a good MCAT, but I can't comment on that now, given that I have not touched on MCAT prep yet.

No range secures MD for you! People with perfect GPAs and MCATs and exemplary ECs are rejected every year. So if you think you are secure for MD with a 3.6 , maybe look for another career path. As @Goro always says”beggars can’t be choosers” so if you have totally eliminated DO with GPAs of 3.3 and 3.2 I really have no advice. If you want to be a doctor then work on your GPA, kill the MCAT and do something about your ECs. You most likely won’t be going to a research school so drop that. Find something in a hospital where you interact with patients and families. And get out of your comfort zone. Go find a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter and interact with people less fortunate than yourself. Show your altruistic side.

 

[deleted760180]

Go for the 4.0 because if you fall short, you end up in the 3.9 or 3.8 range which is obviously great too. Look, if I can achieve a 4.0 trend, than anyone can. Yea, I was referring to MD. The cGPA of the average MS matriculant last year was 3.71 so that's the best answer I can give you for a competitive GPA to aim for.

Check this out: Applicants and Matriculants Data - FACTS: Applicants, Matriculants, Enrollment, Graduates, MD/PhD, and Residency Applicants Data - Data and Analysis - AAMC

Not OP, but could I ask how you achieved a 4.0 your last 2 years? What dramatic change did you have in order for you to have such a drastic shift in GPA?

 

[Robin-jay]

-2 abstract pubs, not 1st or 2nd author. Again, this may increase

abstract pubs at conferences aren't publications

 

[efle]

Put most of your effort into GPA repair, second priority after that is doing as well as possible on the MCAT, and a very distant third/fourth priority after that would be better clinical and/or volunteer work.

abstract pubs at conferences aren't publications

If the conference bundles all the abstracts into a "Supplement" volume of the organization's journal, I guess it technically could be an "abstract publication"?

 

[Robin-jay]

If the conference bundles all the abstracts into a "Supplement" volume of the organization's journal, I guess it technically could be an "abstract publication"?

I'm not sure, does that happen very often? Usually conference abstracts are only relevant to said conference as a way for them to accept your project and then let you present. Many conference posters don't even have any novel publishable data, as many students are presenting what they've been working on, not what they've published.

 

[Catalystik]

abstract pubs at conferences aren't publications

. . . if they are published in a Conference Proceedings Booklet.

If the conference bundles all the abstracts into a "Supplement" volume of the organization's journal, I guess it technically could be an "abstract publication"?

. . . if it has a PubMed ID#.

I'm not sure, does that happen very often?

No, not often. But we see it.

 

[RocuROMANium]

Not OP, but could I ask how you achieved a 4.0 your last 2 years? What dramatic change did you have in order for you to have such a drastic shift in GPA?

I am a non-trad student who graduated with a much worse GPA than OP and after 2 years re-entered undergrad to boost my GPA. So my story is different because I made my drastic changes during those 2 gap years as opposed to doing it in between semesters. However, I had a sub 3.0 GPA and had literally NEVER made straight A's my entire life. So when I say, "if I can do it than anyone can do it," I mean it.

Here are some of the changes I have made: studying my lecture notes the next day (probably the biggest difference), focusing in class (I never touch my phone), efficiency with note-taking (I used to be paper and pen but found that I am WAY more efficient with a laptop), I start studying for exams ~5 days before (but it's not like I'm studying all day because I have already been reviewing my lecture notes which makes studying for exams so much easier!), and I used SI not because I needed help understanding something but because it was another way to study for the upcoming exam (it was great at reinforcing material from different perspectives and because I usually helped teach in my SI sessions. also, SI gave me a better insight as to how I was doing compared to my classmates).

Yes, all those times your professors told you to not cram and to study a little bit each day were telling the truth.

 

[Med Ed]

abstract pubs at conferences aren't publications

They are indeed. Not categorized with peer-reviewed journal articles, but they are publications nonetheless.