In need of some serious guidance

[BPMED]

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Hey guys,

I need some serious help. I applied to 16 schools this cycle (MD), and received no interviews. Here are the schools I applied to as well as my numbers/extracurriculars that I applied with:

Albany medical college,
UCLA
Drexel
Eastern Virginia Medical School
GeWU
Loyola
NYMC
Rosalind Franklin
Rush
Temple
Tulane
UCSD
UCD
UCI
UIC
VCU

I am a Californian resident, by the way, and went to a UC for undergrad (engineering major)

sGPA/cGPA 3.22/3.34
MCAT 28T

ECs that I applied with:
- shadowing a DO (one time thing)
- ER volunteer ~100 hrs
- research scholarship award
- day trips to Tijuana, Mexico to test for hyperglycemia in free clinics
- research lab assistant (~2 years which included an independent research project)
- pre-med club member
- provost honors
- another pre-med club member
- bicycling for recreation
- weightlifting for recreation

Solid letters and personal statement.

In hindsight, I know I was applying with quite low numbers. Also, I am well aware that xome of my listed ECs are total BS (pre-med club, weightlifting, bicycling, I know i know...).

I have done a lot in the interim in terms of extracurriculars, and my application has definitely matured. Here is what I am working with now:

sGPA/cGPA 3.22/3.34
took 3 classes at community college (psychology for UIC) and received a 4.0 (12 units)
MCAT 28T (signed up for a retake in August)

ECs:
- shadowing a MD (weekly thing, and we are on very goods terms with each other)
- ER volunteer ~100 hrs
- research scholarship award
- day trips to Tijuana, Mexico to test for hyperglycemia in free clinics
- research lab assistant (~2 years which included an independent research project)
- senior citizen ESL counselor
- provost honors
- reading mentor for children who can't read well
- work experience (retail)
- published paper (3rd author)
- counselor for diabetes camp (will also do this again in August)

So, I have been thinking of pursuing a masters of arts in biology to boost my sGPA and to show medical schools that I can earn solid grades. Since my MCAT is in August, I was thinking of applying the next cycle (2013-2014) so that I can get my application submitted on day one. The timing would be perfect because I would be finishing my masters right before I (hopefully) head off to medical school. However, after talking to the physician I have been shadowing, he suggested I just apply this cycle to a few schools.

Now my question to you guys are the following:
- Do you think I have changed my application enough to gain admission, or should I pursue the MA first?
- What suggestions do you guys have for my application?
- Can I reuse the letters of rec from my first time applying?

I am really in need of guidance. Please tell me also if this is posted in the wrong section, and I will gladly repost to the appropriate forum.

Thanks.

 

[Agtongue]

A masters in biology will not boost your sGPA, It will give you a graduate GPA.

You have good ECs but are lacking numerically. Take more difficult undergrad courses to boost your undergrad gpa, kill the MCAT and apply to more schools, on June 1st.

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

- Do you think I have changed my application enough to gain admission, or should I pursue the MA first?
MCAT retake is key. Make sure you do a bunch of practice exams and definitely kill it! Some type of masters might be good to boost the sGPA. Although this might be tough considering you were an engineer and those classes might weigh heavily on sGPA (not sure how that works). A SMP might be a good way to get into a program. I think some SMPs are feeders into their respective med school.

- What suggestions do you guys have for my application?
The new ECs sound great. You seem to be on the right track now! Can you turn the biking into a stronger EC, maybe do something with biking and the community or with people with disabilities, or with a fundraiser. Just a thought.

- Can I reuse the letters of rec from my first time applying?
Probably...maybe get the doc you are shadowing to write one.

 

[BPMED]

A masters in biology will not boost your sGPA, It will give you a graduate GPA.

You have good ECs but are lacking numerically. Take more difficult undergrad courses to boost your undergrad gpa, kill the MCAT and apply to more schools, on June 1st.

I have heard a few mixed things from many people. I am aware that a masters will not boost my sGPA, but it will show that I can handle difficult sources courses. I have been told that since I am done with my undergrad, taking random undergrad science classes will not sit favorably to admissions committees, and that they would rather me try my hand at more difficult courses (therefore, the masters).

Do you think I can use the same letters of rec?

I have been really working hard on the MCAT, putting in 24+ hours per week starting about 2 weeks ago. I will in fact be taking my first practice test this Friday!

 

[BPMED]

- Do you think I have changed my application enough to gain admission, or should I pursue the MA first?
MCAT retake is key. Make sure you do a bunch of practice exams and definitely kill it! Some type of masters might be good to boost the sGPA. Although this might be tough considering you were an engineer and those classes might weigh heavily on sGPA (not sure how that works). A SMP might be a good way to get into a program. I think some SMPs are feeders into their respective med school.

- What suggestions do you guys have for my application?
The new ECs sound great. You seem to be on the right track now! Can you turn the biking into a stronger EC, maybe do something with biking and the community or with people with disabilities, or with a fundraiser. Just a thought.

- Can I reuse the letters of rec from my first time applying?
Probably...maybe get the doc you are shadowing to write one.

Thank you for your encouragement. This cycle of rejection has definitely left its mark on my ego and I have learned and matured accordingly. Unfortunately, an SMP is out of the question financially; I just cannot justify spending $50k for a program to get me into medical school.

 

[lalalaaaaaa]

Thank you for your encouragement. This cycle of rejection has definitely left its mark on my ego and I have learned and matured accordingly. Unfortunately, an SMP is out of the question financially; I just cannot justify spending $50k for a program to get me into medical school.

Yeah, I'm in the same boat with masters programs and bad luck. Definitely an ego blow to have a bad cycle, and 50k is a lot of debt for a SMP. If you find a good masters program on the cheap (oxymornon?), it might be your best bet. I think with low numbers, you need to keep up the strong ECs to stand out on that front when you reapply.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

You could apply DO. I got in with similar stats, but I did PB work (3.95 last 60cr), not an SMP. Doing some upper level science classes at a 4yr and pulling a solid 4.0 will show your skills, help your GPA, and is waaaaaay cheaper.

 

[Agtongue]

Continuing your education through undergraduate coursework is a great way to swing things in your favor. Why would getting a 4.0 in a solid year of undergraduate science courses sit unfavorably? It will raise your cGPA and sGPA (key indicators) and show that you can handle a sustained difficult course load. I have heard, performance in traditional masters programs are a difficult measure for adcoms. Undergrad is more standardized.

If you have too many units already, an SMP would be perfect once you retake the MCAT. They are scary financially, but have a proven record of getting applicants such as ourselves into schools.

 

[BPMED]

are you suggesting enrolling for a second degree and then bailing once i gain admission, or just taking a lot of upper-division science courses?

 

[Agtongue]

You could apply DO. I got in with similar stats, but I did PB work (3.95 last 60cr), not an SMP. Doing some upper level science classes at a 4yr and pulling a solid 4.0 will show your skills, help your GPA, and is waaaaaay cheaper.

Something like this. Could be an formal/informal post bacc, second bachelors however you prefer. Check out the post bacc forums for information on all of the various programs and stories of people who have gone through them.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=71

 

[BPMED]

thanks

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

I told my school that I was degree seeking (yep, I'm seeking a degree in medicine), to get fin-aid, and took as many classes as I could until I started pushing the credit cap... You don't need a second degree, you can just take UL science courses that interest you. You can throw in a couple lower-level ones as well, as it still boosts the number, but I would limit the number (I took 2 out of 15). There are ways to do this! Because your GPA is lowish you need a good solid 3+ semesters of solid A/A- work, no joking there, you're looking for a 4.0, or as close to it as possible... It worked for me, but I went DO, oh and they have grade replacement, so if you can retake anything you had a C or less in, do it, retake Ds or lower for sure if there are any

 

[Poisson]

Hey guys,

I need some serious help. I applied to 16 schools this cycle (MD), and received no interviews. Here are the schools I applied to as well as my numbers/extracurriculars that I applied with:

Albany medical college, - more non-traditional school by what I read – good choice
UCLA – very tough to get in, although I think I saw a non-trad engineer get in there from here, but his MCAT might have been more like 37, with a GPA a touch lower than yours
Drexel – good school I would guess
Eastern Virginia Medical School – guy I know didn’t get in here even after the Medical Masters, he applied DO and was a research assistant for 7 years before he got in, and just took a class or 2 at a time I think
GeWU
Loyola
NYMC
Rosalind Franklin
Rush
Temple
Tulane – I think this school accepts more non-trad profiles
UCSD
UCD
UCI
UIC
VCU

I am a Californian resident, by the way, and went to a UC for undergrad (engineering major)

sGPA/cGPA 3.22/3.34
MCAT 28T

ECs that I applied with:
- shadowing a DO (one time thing) – good job on shadowing the DO, how many MDs did you shadow?
- ER volunteer ~100 hrs – talked to an admissions officer, and she told me that for DO 200 hours was good, but I met a guy on here with the same GPAs as yours basically that is going DO with no volunteering in a hospital, the same school told me students get in with lower, but if you have lowish stats, more would help.
- research scholarship award – this is very good, and pretty much all schools give positive comments on research, do you have publications? These should be included, or maybe mentions of posters.
- day trips to Tijuana, Mexico to test for hyperglycemia in free clinics – good, as in your case you have US shadowing and volunteering, so this is a nice addition, it should not be used as a last ditch effort for a profile boost though, this is from an ADCOM telling me
- research lab assistant (~2 years which included an independent research project) – great job, was it in the same lab? Continued experience is good. Do you have a publication or thesis? Mention these. MD-PhD may be more likely to require this, if your stats are below average, but if you are a superstar they aren’t needed. If not completely into research don’t go this route
- pre-med club member – I have a feeling in general having AED on your profile gets attention as kind of a check from admissions. I just briefly mentioned alpha epsilon delta, and the admissions officer was like, hmm oh AED that’s good experience, isn’t a substitute for anything, but not bad addition
- provost honors – mention, but shouldn’t be big impact
- another pre-med club member – good job, what was done in this? Patient contact?
- bicycling for recreation – not sure if this counts much
- weightlifting for recreation – not sure if this counts much, but I think as a physician being healthy sets a good example for the patients, a guy at a local gym wears a t that says he goes for his MD for free, haha, hes bulking up

Solid letters and personal statement. – read these letters, do you think they are genuine; I think strict admissions people like to determine how much this person knows you, so a genuine letter that shows good merit from an average person may be better than a glossed over big-wig letter, just make sure you worked a lot with them

In hindsight, I know I was applying with quite low numbers. Also, I am well aware that xome of my listed ECs are total BS (pre-med club, weightlifting, bicycling, I know i know...). – consider asking if general ECs like bicycling should be listed? I’m a low handicap golfer, shot under par recently for 18 from the tips, but I don’t think I will list golf, but lot of docs play golf, haha, so I dunno, just joking!

I have done a lot in the interim in terms of extracurriculars, and my application has definitely matured. Here is what I am working with now:

sGPA/cGPA 3.22/3.34 – how many biology courses, what are the trends of these grades, if you get a 3.7 then a 3.2 and all over the place, this is not good for MD, DO may not flip AS much about this, but in general uperward trends are noted and positive from admissions and adminstration
took 3 classes at community college (psychology for UIC) and received a 4.0 (12 units) – community college? Psychology? I mean this is OK, but DO or MD don’t recognize this as science gpa; if you are thinking about physciatry as a career maybe, but won’t hold much weight
MCAT 28T (signed up for a retake in August) – this is gonna set you up for DO if you apply early, this is above most averages, thus would compensate for GPA; MD will not like this, but depending on your story, you could still gain admission; MCAT is like the ACT, keep taking it and your score most likely will go up….although I have heard stories, up and down down and up then finally the 3-0

ECs:
- shadowing a MD (weekly thing, and we are on very goods terms with each other) –

So, I have been thinking of pursuing a masters of arts in biology to boost my sGPA and to show medical schools that I can earn solid grades. Since my MCAT is in August, I was thinking of applying the next cycle (2013-2014) so that I can get my application submitted on day one. The timing would be perfect because I would be finishing my masters right before I (hopefully) head off to medical school. However, after talking to the physician I have been shadowing, he suggested I just apply this cycle to a few schools. – apply this cycle would not hurt, you never know if your app is in early, it’s a crap shoot, a dude I talked to on here didn’t do much to his profile, just one course and about a 27 and got DO.

Now my question to you guys are the following:
- Do you think I have changed my application enough to gain admission, or should I pursue the MA first? – if it’s a quick easy MA and you know you will ace it, do it. I wouldn’t think the MA caries a lot of weight, but a guy im meeting with Friday did a more exclusive post bac, then did an MA at the same school during the app cycle, 2 semester degree, and got in! hes a big time non-trad and got into a state MD school, of less prestige, but excellent facilities.
- What suggestions do you guys have for my application? – I think you should apply, see what happens, maybe check your statements, see if they are cheesy, or if there are any errors, apply really early, talk to admissions maybe
- Can I reuse the letters of rec from my first time applying? – don’t know

I am really in need of guidance. Please tell me also if this is posted in the wrong section, and I will gladly repost to the appropriate forum.

Thanks.

-tried my best to help, im a newbie in the process, just thought I would give my opinions, best of luck

 

[BPMED]

man this is ridiculously good advice.

This time around, I do have a published paper (3rd author), and all my research experience was from the same lab.I had to take psychology at a community college because I never did in undergrad, and UIC requires psychology or sociology, so I had to do that.

Poisson you are the wind beneath my wings =P

 

[BPMED]

doop

 

[beanbean]

Do an informal post-bacc and retake classes with poor grades.

Apply more broadly and apply DO. The DO grade replacement will help you a great deal.

Don't take the MCAT until you are ready; really ready! If some of your class retakes are basic prereq classes, these will help with your MCAT review.

Keep one solid EC going right now. You have done plenty. Just keep up something medically related like shadowing to show continuing interest.

I would not apply this year. I think you would be wasting your money. Next year with an improved GPA and MCAT you have a decent chance at some lower tier MD and DO schools.

 

[Buzz Me]

You need to take post-bac classes and improve your GPA. Your MCAT is also below average, so you need to study for a retake. Improve those numbers, and your chances drastically improve.

I would have applied more broadly and to more programs as well, with below-average numbers.

 

[cabinbuilder]

are you suggesting enrolling for a second degree and then bailing once i gain admission, or just taking a lot of upper-division science courses?

You don't have to claim a second degree, just enroll as a non-degree seeking student and take the classes you need.