LizzyM Advice, and others

[luke587]

So i'm about to end my sophomore year of college with a 3.51 GPA and i have some questions.

If i can get up to a 3.6 by next spring (i'm doing 12 hours of credits this summer) is it worth it to apply? I've had a pretty good upward trend, i started out with a 3.5, went down to a 3.2 and have gotten it back up to where i was after my first semester. I went through the loss of two family members this year which kind of messed my grades up first semester, but I've since recovered this semester and received all A's and A-'s, and one B+. I volunteer at a hospital, TA a course, and am the vice president of three organizations on campus as well as other numerous organizations and will be doing research this summer, am i track? Thanks for the replies

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Aerus]

So i'm about to end my sophomore year of college with a 3.51 GPA and i have some questions.

If i can get up to a 3.6 by next spring (i'm doing 12 hours of credits this summer) is it worth it to apply? I've had a pretty good upward trend, i started out with a 3.5, went down to a 3.2 and have gotten it back up to where i was after my first semester. I went through the loss of two family members this year which kind of messed my grades up first semester, but I've since recovered this semester and received all A's and A-'s, and one B+. I volunteer at a hospital, TA a course, and am the vice president of three organizations on campus as well as other numerous organizations and will be doing research this summer, am i track? Thanks for the replies

Make sure you get enough research experience. It's a pretty big part of a good application.

Your other stats seem pretty solid. Make sure you apply to a good variety of in state schools, match schools, and a couple reach schools. We won't really know the list until you've taken the MCAT and have a score.

So, study HARD for the MCAT and best of luck to you!

 

[luke587]

so im not completely out of luck? My advisor told me i should switch into a different major before i continue on with the pre-med track but i love medicine and i love the classes I'm taking i think the only reason my grades dropped was because i lost two close family members within two months of each other one i still managed to get all B's and one B- (chemistry) but i got a A in organic chemistry this semester so that should off set the B- right?

 

[Aerus]

so im not completely out of luck? My advisor told me i should switch into a different major before i continue on with the pre-med track but i love medicine and i love the classes I'm taking i think the only reason my grades dropped was because i lost two close family members within two months of each other one i still managed to get all B's and one B- (chemistry) but i got a A in organic chemistry this semester so that should off set the B- right?

Medical schools could care less about your major. As long as you can relate it to your passion, you'll be fine.

I see no substantial weakness in your application that would make you ineligible for medical school. Your A in Orgo does not off set your B- in Chem. These are two different subjects. But remember, one B- does not make or break you. I know a few people who have gotten into top 20 med schools with a C in a class or two.

Regarding the death of your two close family members, if you can somehow write about how you overcame your hardships and relate it to how it now fuels your drive even more for success (as demonstrated by grades and future MCAT score), that won't be a bad thing in your application.

You should be very proud of your accomplishments. But remember, it's still incredibly hard to tell how you will fare with med school adcoms without an MCAT. TAKE THE MCAT, then ask us. Your application looks good now, but without an MCAT score, it's almost impossible to tell.

 

[luke587]

Aerus,

What she meant by switching majors was something not pre-med/health related such as business. Thanks for the replies i appreciate it! I love my major now (anatomy and health promotion) and am even a TA for one of the undergraduate courses.

 

[Aerus]

It's possible to go into business with a science degree. It's been done before. I don't believe business schools care a whole lot about your major either, as long as you have job experience and a good GPA.

Just stick with your major if you have a passion for it.

Take the MCAT, do well, and then make your list of schools.

 

[Catalystik]

What is your BCPM GPA now, and what could it be in a year?

Taking 12 semester hours in the summer is a heavy load. Consider that there's no rule you need to apply at the end of junior year. Don't put too much stress on yourself and end by messing up your grades and ECs. Sometimes it takes awhile to get back on your game after a major stress in your life.

 

[mvenus929]

Make sure you get enough research experience. It's a pretty big part of a good application.

OTOH, I didn't have any research experience (that's right... none), and I made it into a top 25 school. I'm also one of the few who didn't do research after first year. I chose to do other things.

Your medical school application is not about checking off a bunch of boxes and hoping for the best. It's about being passionate about what you do, and how you grow through your experiences. It's about displaying leadership potential, about interacting with people, and about loving medicine. Your MCAT and GPA are just tools med schools use to make sure you can handle the rigor of medical school coursework.

 

[Aerus]

OTOH, I didn't have any research experience (that's right... none), and I made it into a top 25 school. I'm also one of the few who didn't do research after first year. I chose to do other things.

Your medical school application is not about checking off a bunch of boxes and hoping for the best. It's about being passionate about what you do, and how you grow through your experiences. It's about displaying leadership potential, about interacting with people, and about loving medicine. Your MCAT and GPA are just tools med schools use to make sure you can handle the rigor of medical school coursework.

Of course it isn't required. Nothing is set in stone. While I do know one or two people personally who became doctors with no research experience in undergrad, they had made it up PLENTY in other fields.

You're going to be asked "Why don't you have research experience?" in at least one of your interviews. And if your answer isn't "I couldn't find something that captured my passion" or something along those lines, it's not going to be pretty. There is some check listing hypocrisy by the interviewers, despite their words.

Since OP is doing research, I'm assuming he/she might enjoy it enough to do enough of it. If you're interested in research and like it, you should have a lot of it, whether it's one long term project or a few mid length projects.

 

[Neurosis]

can we really summon LizzyM just by putting her name in the title of a thread? It seems like she's never around when you really need her to be

 

[mmmcdowe]

Moving to WAMC.

 

[LizzyM]

can we really summon LizzyM just by putting her name in the title of a thread? It seems like she's never around when you really need her to be

Not always, but often enough. Actually, the OP PM'ed me, too, and we handled it there.


OTOH, I don't do WAMCs. That's Catalystik's turf.
BTW, don't call me out in the title of a thread. Just put my name in the text of your post and if I have anything to add to the discussion, I'll respond.

 

[mvenus929]

You're going to be asked "Why don't you have research experience?" in at least one of your interviews.

I'm fairly certain that I wasn't even asked about research at the school I'm attending. I think the student interviewer made a comment along the lines of 'you're lucky you didn't do research, because then you don't have to field questions about your minimal role in the research'. Yes, some schools focus on it more than others.

But that wasn't the point of the post... the point was that it doesn't matter what you do, so much as how involved you are in it. Someone who does a year of Peace Corps and can talk eloquently about it but didn't do any research will do far better than someone who did 3 years of research and never really got emotionally invested in that research.

If the OP can get invested in that research and falls in love with their lab, then great. (My old roommate is an MD/PhD student, and can't fathom why I don't want to do research, and insists it's just because I haven't found the right lab to work in.) If the projects don't interest the OP, it's far better to seek out other opportunities, even if those opportunities aren't research-related.