Low GPA =( Help appreciated.

[alwayshop]

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I would sincerley appreciate your help and advice. What are my chances for an MD? For top 10 and top 40? My fiancee is currently doing her PhD at Yale, so it would be ideal to attend there, but have I no hope?

Note: I will be applying next year, and the only different aspect by then will be the possibility of research pub additions.

BA in Statistics, Top public school
Ethnicity: East Asian, Male
State: California
Age: 25

Academic Statistics:
1.Without Post-bac
Cumulative: 3.25
BCPM: 3.30
2.With Post-bac
Cumulative: 3.45
BCPM: 3.52
I failed Ochem, GBio, GBio Lab in college. Retook a year after still as an undergrad, got a B, A, A. Ever since, I've gotten straight A's in 10 additional upper div. Bio classes and 2 upper div chemistry classes.
3. MCAT: 41R

Activities:
1. Tutoring disadvantaged (leadership)
2. Tutoring immigrants
3. Free social services and healthcare for the underserved (leadership)
4. Founder of a web-based immigrant community (leadership)
5. Church-based community service
6. Intramural soccer
7. Tennis Club

Clinical:
1.Volunteer for clinic catering to the uninsured(1 semester)
2.Volunteer at a local free clinic (1 semester)
3.Volunteer ER local general hospital (1 semester)
3.Shadowing (2 weeks)
4.Medical trip to Vietnam (1 summer)
5,Medical trip to South America (1 summer)

Research:
1.Clinical (1 year), no pubs

Etc.
1. I also worked in between 20-50 hours/week throughout college in order to support myself. My last 3 semesters of undergrad GPA: 4.0.
2. Took a couple Spanish courses to interact more freely with Hispanic immigrants.

 

[rockaction]

I don't pretend to speak for Yale adcoms, but 3.45 cGPA is a bit low for them. Then again, you have an awesome MCAT. But at a place like Yale a 41 MCAT and a 3.9 GPA is no guarantee. There's no harm in applying. I would say you've got a good shot in the North East somewhere.

 

[alwayshop]

Thanks for the input. How is my application looking holistically? For example, where do people with similar qualifications end up? Strength/weakness (other than GPA) of application?

 

[Baller MD]

Thanks for the input. How is my application looking holistically? For example, where do people with similar qualifications end up? Strength/weakness (other than GPA) of application?

How long are your extra curricular activities? Your clinical ones seem pretty short-term.

I wouldn't be too worried about that GPA since you seem to have an upward trend and you are clearly smart enough since you have an amazing MCAT score.

 

[alwayshop]

I have spent about a full year in hospitals (practically everyone in my immediate family has been hospitalized at some point) either as a patient or as a family member.

I'm not sure if that would count as "clinical experience" but I felt that I understood the responsibilities that come with being a doctor.

 

[coffeebythelake]

I'm not sure if that would count as "clinical experience" but I felt that I understood the responsibilities that come with being a doctor.

Being a patient doesn't count as clinical experience. 😴

 

[Moebius]

I would sincerley appreciate your help and advice. What are my chances for an MD? For top 10 and top 40? My fiancee is currently doing her PhD at Yale, so it would be ideal to attend there, but have I no hope?

Note: I will be applying next year, and the only different aspect by then will be the possibility of research pub additions.

BA in Statistics, Top public school
Ethnicity: East Asian, Male
State: California
Age: 25

Academic Statistics:
1.Without Post-bac
Cumulative: 3.25
BCPM: 3.30
2.With Post-bac
Cumulative: 3.45
BCPM: 3.52
I failed Ochem, GBio, GBio Lab in college. Retook a year after still as an undergrad, got a B, A, A. Ever since, I've gotten straight A's in 10 additional upper div. Bio classes and 2 upper div chemistry classes.
3. MCAT: 41R

Activities:
1. Tutoring disadvantaged (leadership)
2. Tutoring immigrants
3. Free social services and healthcare for the underserved (leadership)
4. Founder of a web-based immigrant community (leadership)
5. Church-based community service
6. Intramural soccer
7. Tennis Club

Clinical:
1.Volunteer for clinic catering to the uninsured(1 semester)
2.Volunteer at a local free clinic (1 semester)
3.Volunteer ER local general hospital (1 semester)
3.Shadowing (2 weeks)
4.Medical trip to Vietnam (1 summer)
5,Medical trip to South America (1 summer)

Research:
1.Clinical (1 year), no pubs

Etc.
1. I also worked in between 20-50 hours/week throughout college in order to support myself. My last 3 semesters of undergrad GPA: 4.0.
2. Took a couple Spanish courses to interact more freely with Hispanic immigrants.

If you go to a top public school, then it would be far wiser to ask your premed admission counselors. As we can see, jealousy has shown it self on this thread. A lot of useless comments by half assed individuals. A 41 will trump almost anyone's GPA. Make sure you explain why you did so poorly initially. I am pretty sure the people who gave those comments including the so called "medical student" probably scored 10 pts. lower than you on the MCAT.

 

[Stratego]

Being a patient doesn't count as clinical experience.

This statement is true from an adcomm's point of view, however, the OP has more than enough other nicely varied clinical experiences listed.

I'd also agree that an MCAT of 41 more than compensates for the 3.45 cGPA. The chances of an acceptance to a US allopathic med school is excellent.

 

[aggie08]

If you go to a top public school, then it would be far wiser to ask your premed admission counselors. As we can see, jealousy has shown it self on this thread. A lot of useless comments by half assed individuals. A 41 will trump almost anyone's GPA. Make sure you explain why you did so poorly initially. I am pretty sure the people who gave those comments including the so called "medical student" probably scored 10 pts. lower than you on the MCAT.

I'm sorry, but I don't think eikenhein's comment had anything to do with jealousy. Being a patient or family member of a patient has nothing to do with clinical experience.

Sure you learn a lot, I can vouch for that more than most. My step-dad had a double lung transplant my sophomore year and was subsequently in the hospital the better part of the next 6 months. I learned more spending time there with his doctors and nurses than I did in my family practice shadowing, but it sure did not count as any kind of clinical experience and I definitely didn't put that on my apps under clinical experience. Was it a talking point in interviews, learning experience, life-changing experience? Sure. However, it's not clinical experience like they are looking for on apps.

Anyways, to the OP: You have tons of clinical experience, so not using your time with family members on the actual app is not going to hurt you. Like I said previously, experience from things like that make good talking points, but wouldn't be considered "experience," I don't think. You have decent chances anywhere with that MCAT (congrats, by the way, that is just amazing). It will at least get you an interview and chance to explain what happened with your grades. You seem well-rounded in other areas, also. Don't sweat the GPA, too much - your MCAT can prove that you're a teachable and intelligent person. You're doing everything right that you can right now, so all you can do is apply and hope for the best.

Good luck!!

 

[alwayshop]

Thanks for the responses. This is such a frustrating process, especially when coupled with geographic constraints. The process seems so random that even after browsing the forums for hours, it's just hard to grasp what gets people in, especially in cases like mine - high mcat and low gpa. It doesn't help that my target school is Yale either..

 

[J ROD]

Yale is Yale. Apply and see what happens! They reject great apps all the time!!

But, I def think you have a great shot to be close to her. Just apply to all the schools there in the NE.