Interested in UWSOM with IA: Do I have a chance

[ktsiman]

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I have a cheating IA during fall sophomore of college. My current cgpa is 3.33 and sgpa is 3.11. I have made amends with the professor, retook the class and received a 3.0. However I withdrew from part 2 of the class due to family emergency during junior spring and later took it in senior spring, to which I had received a 1.3. This was my fault for taking on too many challenging courses while trying to complete my thesis. I am planning to do a diy post bacc and take 1-2 classes each semester, with extra attention to work load to better manage my success. I am a Washington resident, ORM, and hope to be able to apply to medical school in the next year. Just hoping to collect some hope as an extra motivator in my pre-med journey. Thank you.

Here are my stats:

cGPA - 3.33
sGPA - 3.11
MCAT - N/A

Non-Volunteer - 500 hours
Clinical Volunteer - 150 hours
Shadowing - 40 hours
Clinical Work (Paid) - 80 hours (just started; anticipate closer to 4000 hours after 2 years)
Research - 1200 hours (poster presentation, anticipating 2-3 publications and 1-2 first author)
Non-Clinical Work - DEIA roles (500+ hours during undergrad)

 

[AJS59]

I have a cheating IA during fall sophomore of college. My current cgpa is 3.33 and sgpa is 3.11. I have made amends with the professor, retook the class and received a 3.0. However I withdrew from part 2 of the class due to family emergency during junior spring and later took it in senior spring, to which I had received a 1.3. This was my fault for taking on too many challenging courses while trying to complete my thesis. I am planning to do a diy post bacc and take 1-2 classes each semester, with extra attention to work load to better manage my success. I am a Washington resident, URM, and hope to be able to apply to medical school in the next 2-3 years. Just hoping to collect some hope as an extra motivator in my pre-med journey. Thank you.

Here are my stats:

cGPA - 3.33
sGPA - 3.11
MCAT - N/A

Non-Volunteer - 500 hours
Clinical Volunteer - 150 hours
Shadowing - 40 hours
Clinical Work (Paid) - 80 hours (just started; anticipate closer to 4000 hours after 2 years)
Research - 1200 hours (poster presentation, anticipating 2-3 publications and 1-2 first author)
Non-Clinical Work - DEIA roles (500+ hours during undergrad)

Is the class in question a prereq?

The more time you can put between yourself and the incident, the better. Even better if you can find a way to engage in activities (i.e. honor council, student mentoring, etc.) to show your ethics.

Most importantly, however, is you'll need to stabilize and raise your grades. A 3.33 with a 3.11 sGPA is well below their averages. This is true of getting into any med school, not just UW or WSU

 

[ktsiman]

Is the class in question a prereq?

The more time you can put between yourself and the incident, the better. Even better if you can find a way to engage in activities (i.e. honor council, student mentoring, etc.) to show your ethics.

Most importantly, however, is you'll need to stabilize and raise your grades. A 3.33 with a 3.11 sGPA is well below their averages. This is true of getting into any med school, not just UW or WSU

Thank you for responding. It was Organic Chemistry. I just graduated and am planning to take 3 years off to better my grades and self.

 

[Faha]

Which URM community are you from ? If Hispanic, are you fluent in Spanish ?

 

[ktsiman]

I’m Thai and speak Thai fluently. Maybe I miscategorized myself. Sorry about that.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I need more descriptions of your actual activities. Quality counts as much (or sometimes more) than quantity.

But from what you listed, you have mentioned:
Clinical Volunteer - 150 hours
Shadowing - 40 hours
Clinical Work (Paid) - 80 hours (just started; anticipate closer to 4000 hours after 2 years)

So what will you do in full-time work in two years? Are we talking about an application 2 years away (more time from your cheating IA)?

What will you do with community service over those two years? I don't know if you have enough service orientation activity described (because you haven't given any descriptions). You need 150 hours of activities showing service orientation to avoid getting screened out at most schools... specifically food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation.

Your GPA also justifies pursuing a SMP. When will you do this for addressing your low undergrad GPA? Why would you take the MCAT if you aren't going to apply for 2 years?

 

[ktsiman]

I need more descriptions of your actual activities. Quality counts as much (or sometimes more) than quantity.

But from what you listed, you have mentioned:
Clinical Volunteer - 150 hours
Shadowing - 40 hours
Clinical Work (Paid) - 80 hours (just started; anticipate closer to 4000 hours after 2 years)

So what will you do in full-time work in two years? Are we talking about an application 2 years away (more time from your cheating IA)?

What will you do with community service over those two years? I don't know if you have enough service orientation activity described (because you haven't given any descriptions). You need 150 hours of activities showing service orientation to avoid getting screened out at most schools... specifically food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation.

Your GPA also justifies pursuing a SMP. When will you do this for addressing your low undergrad GPA? Why would you take the MCAT if you aren't going to apply for 2 years?

Sorry for my poor description. My mind is in 2024. I meant to say that I hope to apply next year. I have been volunteering for my local food distribution center since the beginning of college 2020 until summer 2021 when I returned to in person classes out of state. During this time, I accumulated 150 hours. I also tutor students virtually from underserved communities since 2020, in which I am still a part of. Short term volunteer opportunities such as Covid vaccine distribution, teaching assistant for students with disabilities, I have done throughout college. All of these experiences provided me with around 500 hours of community based volunteering.

I just graduated and am working a full time as a crc under a T20 school (ivy). I will get to work closely with patients and take part in publications. I plan to be in this role until I receive an acceptance. My tentative plan is to apply for medical school June 2026. I hope that the 2 years I will spend in this job will help put some time between me and the IA, as well as help me build stronger integrity. I am currently taking free in person classes using my tuition benefit from my current job. I would like to do an SMP but am concerned about finance. I will definitely save up if you believe that an SMP would greatly help.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Sorry for my poor description. My mind is in 2024. I meant to say that I hope to apply next year. I have been volunteering for my local food distribution center since the beginning of college 2020 until summer 2021 when I returned to in person classes out of state. During this time, I accumulated 150 hours. I also tutor students virtually from underserved communities since 2020, in which I am still a part of. Short term volunteer opportunities such as Covid vaccine distribution, teaching assistant for students with disabilities, I have done throughout college. All of these experiences provided me with around 500 hours of community based volunteering.

I just graduated and am working a full time as a crc under a T20 school (ivy). I will get to work closely with patients and take part in publications. I plan to be in this role until I receive an acceptance. My tentative plan is to apply for medical school June 2026. I hope that the 2 years I will spend in this job will help put some time between me and the IA, as well as help me build stronger integrity. I am currently taking free in person classes using my tuition benefit from my current job. I would like to do an SMP but am concerned about finance. I will definitely save up if you believe that an SMP would greatly help.

When will you take the MCAT? You aren't really in a big rush so you could prepare for a fall 2025 or winter 2026 date. Are you eligible for FAP?

Will you continue to do food pantry/distribution work over your two years working?

What upper-level biology courses do you have left? What were your grades in similar upper-level courses before you started taking courses post-graduation?

 

[ktsiman]

I am planning to take the MCAT in fall 2025 (October) and if needed, winter 2026 (April). I do qualify for FAP and will apply for it.

I am unable to continue the food distribution/pantry work at that particular site but am working to provide free meals to individuals experiencing homelessness 2 hours every week.

For courses I have taken:
Intro Biology 1 with lab: 3.7
Intro Biology 2 with lab: 2.7 (pass/fail)
Intro Chem 1 with lab: 3.7
Intro Chem 2 with lab: 3.3
Intro Physics 1 with lab: 3.7
Intro Physics 3 with lab: 3.3
Organic Chemistry 1: 1.3 => 3.0 (lab grade included in the final grade)
Organic Chemistry 2: 1.3 => will retake
Organic Chemistry II lab: 3.7
Genetics: 2.0 (hope to retake)
Genomics: 3.0
Biostatistics with lab: 2.3 (hope to retake)
Stem Cell Biology: 3.7
Immunology with lab: 3.0
Evolution of Medicine: 2.7
Histology: 3.7
Calculus 2: 4.0
Calculus 3: 3.3
Intro stats: 3.3
Senior Thesis: 4.0
Senior Thesis: 3.7

I have organic chemistry II and biochemistry left. If I may ask a few more questions. I am currently unable to afford an SMP would a diy post-bacc be sufficient? Additionally, I am wondering if it would be helpful for me to take part in medical volunteering outside of my clinical work? I currently am devoting 2 hours each day to study for the MCAT, would you advise me pausing and taking my remaining pre-reqs before committing to studying?

 

[Goro]

I have organic chemistry II and biochemistry left. If I may ask a few more questions. I am currently unable to afford an SMP would a diy post-bacc be sufficient?

Yes

Additionally, I am wondering if it would be helpful for me to take part in medical volunteering outside of my clinical work? I currently am devoting 2 hours each day to study for the MCAT, would you advise me pausing and taking my remaining pre-read before committing to studying?

Get your clinical exposure up to 200 hrs.
What is the nature of your non clinical volunteering? The schools that reward reinvention tend to be service loving.

What exactly was the nature of the infraction, and how old were you at the time?

You're in a marathon now, not a sprint. Take the MCAT and apply when you're 100% ready. Do not use some artificial time line.

 

[ktsiman]

Yes

Get your clinical exposure up to 200 hrs.
What is the nature of your non clinical volunteering? The schools that reward reinvention tend to be service loving.

What exactly was the nature of the infraction, and how old were you at the time?

You're in a marathon now, not a sprint. Take the MCAT and apply when you're 100% ready. Do not use some artificial time line.

I will work on obtaining more clinical exposure, thank you.

I utilized past exams and study materials during my final. I was 19 at the time. I am currently 22.

I will be sure to be sure to pay extra attention to my studies and keep in mind the score I am hoping to achieve. I hope to consistently score 512 before signing up for a date to take the MCAT. I plan to take my first I scored examine next month to evaluate my strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

have organic chemistry II and biochemistry left. If I may ask a few more questions. I am currently unable to afford an SMP would a diy post-bacc be sufficient?

What other classes would you take for a DIY?
You have said you would retake Genetics.
I don't think you need to retake biostats since you have another stats class. Is there a difference in content?

Classes that I notice are missing (scanning)
Anatomy (not for allied health)
Microbiology (not for nurses)
Human Physiology
Advanced Cell Biology or Molecular Biology
Human Physiology (not for allied health)
Neuroscience (biology of CNS/PNS)
Pharmacology
Virology

 

[ktsiman]

What other classes would you take for a DIY?
You have said you would retake Genetics.
I don't think you need to retake biostats since you have another stats class. Is there a difference in content?

Classes that I notice are missing (scanning)
Anatomy (not for allied health)
Microbiology (not for nurses)
Human Physiology
Advanced Cell Biology or Molecular Biology
Human Physiology (not for allied health)
Neuroscience (biology of CNS/PNS)
Pharmacology
Virology

Your suggested classes were exactly what I was thinking of taking. I was thinking of developmental biology, infectious disease within the biology department, bioethics (biology), and neurobiology. I am curious about the gpa threshold I should meet to be a good applicant for med school. Would a goal of 3.3 sGPA and cGPA of 3.5 be too low?

 

[AJS59]

Your suggested classes were exactly what I was thinking of taking. I was thinking of developmental biology, infectious disease within the biology department, bioethics (biology), and neurobiology. I am curious about the gpa threshold I should meet to be a good applicant for med school. Would a goal of 3.3 sGPA and cGPA of 3.5 be too low?

Depends on what schools you're trying to target...look up 25th-50th percentile ranges in GPA. That being said, your GPA may be already decently "baked in" atm and getting a number bigger than that may be challenging, so you'll have to focus on MCAT and rounding out the rest of your app

 

[ktsiman]

Depends on what schools you're trying to target...look up 25th-50th percentile ranges in GPA. That being said, your GPA may be already decently "baked in" atm and getting a number bigger than that may be challenging, so you'll have to focus on MCAT and rounding out the rest of your app

Thank you so much. I will definitely focus on completing my remaining pre-reqs, and MCAT, as well as rounding out the rest of my applications. My school aim is UWSOM as I would really like to be with my family and I do believe that your advices will help put me in a good spot for when I apply. I hope to post an update a year from now. Thank you again!

 

[thorntonjr]

cheating IA needs a high mcat+ x factor or ur cooked bronem