LOW GPA/MCAT Success Stories (Posts by Nontrads Already Accepted to Med School)

[deleted1016374]

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[futuredoc_11]

22 hours with a 3.8 at the time of AMCAS/AACOMAS submission. 16 more during the app year to finish up prereqs and gear up for a reapplication if needed.

sorry do you know how many credits is 22 hours?

 

[GonnaBDoc1996]

Finally posting on this thread brings me such gratification that it is second only to actually getting accepted. So here's to a future me that will also read this thread endlessly while deciding whether to apply


1. Your age and GPA and MCAT if you have it.

24 years old (23 when applying)
Overall GPA 3.35, BCPM GPA 3.41, AO 3.29
MCAT first attempt 30, second attempt 515


2. Your financial and work situation.

I'm not poor but I couldn't afford certain resources while applying (no MCAT classes, no application counseling, limited number of applications, etc.). I work full-time as a research coordinator. I didn't take time off to apply, so I had to start every process way earlier to account for the fact that I could only work on my application after work.


3. Your family and significant other situation.

I've been in a committed relationship for 4 years with someone in a 4-year graduate program. I chose to only apply in the region we are currently living, because I was not willing to do long distance during medical school. We've done it before and I have realized I need the social and emotional support system to succeed at school and still feel fulfilled. This limited my application to 8 schools.


4. Your plan or your path to success.

During undergraduate I had a tough bout of depression that resulted in a 2.5 GPA early in my 4 years, and a lack of motivation. I made a huge effort to turn things around, and my GPA increased each semester, ending in a 3.8, and I got a volunteer job doing undergrad research, which I absolutely loved. Before graduating, my GPA was 3.2 and I decided to try to apply to med school. A class advisor basically ripped apart my application and chances of getting in, and I ultimately decided not to complete my secondaries and make sure med school was really what I wanted. So I ended up applying for full time jobs in research and started working right after I graduated. My intention was to work 1 year in research and then do 1 year as a scribe to decide whether I wanted an MD or PhD. My research job ended up involving a lot of work in the hospital, so I decided to stay for 2 years as I was already getting a lot of experience. I ended up deciding I couldn't see myself as a PhD (as much as I adore research - you can still do research as an MD), and after shadowing a ton of physicians I just felt really at home.

So here's what I was thinking about my application at the point when I applied the second time (this time). My GPA was slightly better than my first application, so I could highlight the upward trend. I didn't have the money to do an extra post bacc or a masters to get my grades up. I decided to retake the MCAT to prove I had really mastered the basic science material. I studied for 6 months after work (about 3 hours a day). I ended up with a great score and schools I got feedback from commented that I made sense of my grades on my application and they weren't worried about that - I had a strong upward GPA trend and my MCAT demonstrated mastery of the material. After all, as crushing as the numbers can be for a pre-med, it really is only one part of the application.

I asked for my letters of recommendation in January before I applied, while my professors were on break. This allowed us time to have a real conversation, and when a million students were requesting letters in May, they prioritized mine. Picking letter writers was difficult for me because I went to a huge school and had no meaningful relationships with professors for the first 3 years. My last year, I really made a point to get to know one or two professors I really liked, and was fully present in class and made a lot of extra effort. I still talk to these professors to this day (because I actually like them, not because of my application anymore). I think it worked out well that I did this in my "depth" courses because they knew my work on a deeper level than they would have in gen chem for example. If you're in this situation, remember you only need 3-4 letters to apply (if you go the individual letter route). You don't need to become BFFs with your teacher in every class. That would be exhausting. I ended up getting a letter from my undergrad professor and research advisor, my current boss who is an MD/PhD (I shadowed her too), and another professor that I got on with very well in a tough bio course.

So I think there's some common saying about med applications that you need to balance 6 things: GPA, mcat, research, volunteering, clinical exposure, and extracurriculars. I think my mcat and GPA balanced out, but they were nowhere near enough to carry my application.

Research: I've already mentioned I've done a lot of research; 3 semesters in undergrad and 2 years now full time. I believe it's extremely important to have an in-depth experience in research rather than a series of shallow ones. So in my opinion, commit more time to one lab rather than switching between a bunch every couple semesters. You want to show that you've actually been engaged in the research, contributed to it somehow, and can talk about it articulately. If you're having trouble getting started in a lab, try offering to volunteer at a lab first. If you're doing well, it will be worth their time to keep you on and offer you credit or hire you, because they've already trained you. I volunteered for 6 months at my first research position and ended up getting to do really cool stuff (brain sectioning for example) instead of just administering questionnaires all day. I think it was because the lab wasn't responsible for keeping me or putting me through some run-of-the-mill program. My current full time job is in clinical research, so I spend half my time in the office, and half my time running studies in the hospital. I can't say I'm really working with patients, but I'm very comfortable in the setting and working with nurses. Technically I also work with some clinical populations so I could say that on my application as well. Mostly what I've done is take every minute opportunity to learn new skills, and do data analysis. At this point I can explain my research inside and out, and I've done a poster presentation and worked on some smaller data analysis projects. I don't have a paper in my name (yet), but I can clearly articulate what I've learned and the interprofessional skills I've developed. Take comfort in the fact that not everything has to be about what's on your CV - they do interviews for a reason.

Clinical experience: all I've done is shadow for 75 hours. I shadowed in sleep medicine, neurology inpatient and outpatient, diagnostic neuroradiology, interventional neuroradiology, and neurosurgery. My job was a huge asset here, because I could tell the physicians I already had clinical privileges at the hospital I work at. I also got to shadow my bosses. Next, I literally cold called (cold emailed technically) physicians I looked up in the directory in specialities I was interested in. A lot of them love interested students and are happy to help. Sometimes you need to follow up once or twice because they're busy. But what ended up happening was I got to know them, told them what I was all interested in, and some of them would refer me directly to another physician I could shadow in another speciality. Never hurts to ask. If you're struggling, start with the people you know, including your family physician. One common criticism on my application after following up with rejections was my lack of clinical experience. To this day I think that is highly subjective. I know people who've volunteered in hospitals for years and have no experiences with patients. Or people who've gone to Haiti for 2 weeks and that's it. It all counts, but there's no way to get REAL "clinical experience" as a pre-med. That's what doctors do. Just do what you can and try to show what you learned from it. A great option if you have time is to become a CNA.

Volunteering: I really didn't have any. It shocks me that some students have like a million hours and their application looks perfect. When I was in school, I was so busy I had no free time to volunteer. Same with my current job. And I couldn't afford not to work after school in order to have time to volunteer. So I just tried to beef up those random few things I did as an undergrad - relay for life, fundraisers for clubs I was in, etc. I think they care more about seeing that you actually have ties to your community and care about people to the extent that you'll donate your time. I felt I was doing this, but not in ways that allowed me to note a hundred hours on my amcas.

Extracurriculars: I didn't go crazy with this because I really wanted to focus on my grades and my research. But I was part of a co-ed fraternity that focused on agriculture/community service, and I also helped start a student org that supported college students with chronic disease. I felt really passionate about this last one and we managed to give out a few scholarships before I left. My experiences with that org played a big role in my application - it fueled a lot of my desire to be a doctor.

All in all I felt like a well-rounded applicant who could speak meaningfully about my experiences and qualifications. Having 2 years off really developed me as a person.


Application timeline/numbers:
Letters requested January
MCAT taken May
8 Primary applications: sent the day after the AMCAS opened (6/8/16)
8 secondaries submitted within 72 hours of receipt. Finished all mid-July.
2 interviews: 10/14/16 and 2/10/17
Waitlisted at the first school 11/4/16 and accepted 12/15/16.
Accepted at the second school 3/3/17.
Rejected from 6 schools.


APPLYING EARLY WILL ONLY HELP YOU. You're competing with thousands of students who will submit the minute amcas opens. Turn around your secondaries immediately (set a 2-3 day deadline for yourself). They are exhausting and you'll want to quit but send them all in - if you weren't going to finish the secondary why did you waste money on the primary? You can draft some of the major essays before you start secondaries - just Google it. Next, the silence will be deafening. Don't call a school every week because you think they forgot about you. They didnt. The interview season won't end until March or April and you have a lot of waiting to do. Send updates if the school accepts them (I didn't to be honest). Otherwise be patient. A year or more of your life will pass on this application - don't look back on a bunch of anxiety and application status-checking. Go out and have fun and keep working on yourself. When it pays off some day you will only have 4 years of hard work to look forward to. So enjoy your time now.


In summary:
SDN can be a very negative place to be while applying. It can also be a great source of information. Try to be honest with yourself. On one hand, be honest with yourself about your shortcomings and how you can improve them. You can ignore them all you want, but adcoms won't. On the other hand, be honest with yourself about your skills and why you think you'd be a great doctor (academically and in the field). Applying to med school is so freaking competitive that there will always be someone who will tell you that you won't get in or shouldn't apply. If you've been objective and think you'd be a great fit, there is no reason not to apply. Always be open to feedback. Take every rejection as an opportunity to get feedback and learn about yourself. Don't give up - learn more and make informed choices.

When I re-read my post it doesn't feel like the odds were stacked against me on this last application. But from where I've started, I came a long way.

This is such a great explanation of your experience. This may sound weird but I love you for doing this. Gives me so much hope

 

[roundcubenine]

These stories are so inspiring ! vidmate

 

[BillytheEchidna]

I'm currently 31, and was just admitted to the University of Michigan!

I got a degree in physics from MIT with a ~3.0 GPA in 2001. My last semester was the worst. After that, I worked on a biocomputation research project for several years (with a few publications), then briefly at a document-management software company, and then joined the Peace Corps, where I taught math and physics. While there, I was involved in several health related projects, and decided that I wanted to go to med school when I came back to the US.

I was lucky enough to have a lot of support, both financially and otherwise, from my parents. I applied to and was accepted to a good, well organized postbac program. I came back from the Peace Corps in 2009 and started my postbac, paying with a mix of savings, loans, and money that my family chipped in. While in college, I'd been a bit of a flake, lacking in direction, and didn't really care about grades. In my postbac, I was focused and knew where I was going. I solidly applied myself, and managed to get a 4.0, bringing my cumulative GPA up to 3.23 (according to the official AMCAS calculation). I've always been a good test-taker, and with a fair bit of work spent studying, managed to slam dunk the MCAT with a 42R.

I called a professor in the med school that I used to work with on my post-college biocomputation project to see if he had any advice, and he offered me a spot in his infectious diseases lab. He's been a particularly amazing mentor, advocate, and resource, and has given me lots of great advice and a phenomenal LOR.

I applied to 10 schools and got interviews at several of the very best. Strangely, the mid-level schools have shown me a lot less interview love. I've just been accepted to the University of Michigan, and am still waiting to hear post-interview results from UPenn, Mayo, and Columbia. No rejections so far. I'll edit this part as I hear from more schools.

As I see it, my biggest obstacle has been my poor undergrad grades. My second biggest weakness as an applicant has been meager clinical experience (I probably have less than 100 hours in a clinical setting).

On the plus side of the ledger, my poor college grades were at least at a highly respected school with no reputation for grade inflation, and included some tough classes (one of my letters of recommendation from undergrad is from a professor in whose class I got a B, but who I believe pointed out in his letter that it was the hardest undergrad math class at the institute). Between my postbac grades (4.0) and MCAT (42R) it's clear than I'm bright, and am applying myself in a way I didn't back in college. My LORs are stellar. I have great research experience. My Peace Corps service seems to impress, and provides a wealth of good stories to talk about.

I spent a lot of time carefully crafting my personal statement, and think that in the end it provided a good sense of who I am as a person, portrayed me as mature, thoughtful, committed to medicine, compassionate, interesting, driven, and smart. I addressed my poor college performance head on in the personal statement, and then quickly moved on to more positive ground.

Each non-traditional student's path is his own, and so there's a limit to how much my experience can inform your own plans. The main lesson I think that my case has to offer for other students is that your cumulative GPA does not need to be all that great to give you a shot at even the top schools. I see people talking about how they'd need 5 full time semesters of straight As to bring their cumulative average to a 3.5, or whatever. This is clearly not necessary, if you have enough other things in your favor. Kids with a high GPA are a dime a dozen for adcoms. Mature, thoughtful people with a wide variety of experiences are ****in' gold. I think that you do need to prove yourself to be smart and academically capable, but it's a mistake to plan on spending years on end doing that. Spend some of the extra time you save by looking past your cumulative GPA further developing your strengths as an applicant, and I think it'll work out much better for you.

Also, don't be afraid to aim high. I got an interview at Mayo, which I believe is the most selective school in the country, but still haven't heard anything from most of the mid-tier.

And finally, I want to wish you all the best of luck!

Phitz, your story is inspiring. I did undergrad at Michigan and had very poor grades, due to a total lack of coping skills/giving up and not really trying. I don't live in Michigan anymore, but it's my secret dream to someday redeem myself at U of M med school. I hope everything is going well for you!

 

[ampersandwich]

Merry Christmas guys! I'm thrilled to post in this thread finally. I found all of the other success stories super inspiring and hope mine can make a positive impact on other non-trads who can only see the bumpy road ahead.

1. Your age and GPA and MCAT if you have it.

• Age
  • 25 - Started DIY post-bacc while still working full-time
  • 28 - Started formal SMP
  • 29 - First (unsuccessful) application cycle
  • 30 - Second cycle - SUCCESS!
• GPA
  • Undergrad (bio degree): 2.5cGPA, 2.1sGPA
  • DIY post-bacc (36 credits): 3.7ish --> brought up overall uGPA to 2.8cGPA, 2.5sGPA
  • SMP gGPA: 3.58
• MCAT
  • 2018 (pre-SMP): 507
  • 2019: 517

2. Your financial and work situation.

Parents paid for my public school undergrad tuition at a UC, but cut the cord once I graduated as I found a full-time role immediately. I worked in biotech as a RA/scientist in a bioengineering role for six years, making $50K -> $67K -> $82K + equity. I got extremely lucky as I purchased as many shares as possible in my company, which exploded in growth over the years I was employed there. My company also gave about $5.5K/yearly in "academic assistance," which I used to pay for my DIY post-bacc.

Thanks to the aforementioned shares, I was able to pay for my SMP out-of-pocket - about $60K tuition total over two years. During my second (research thesis) year, I found a funded research position and another part-time position on campus, making roughly $15K. I also trapped a man got engaged; my SO paid for our living expenses after I funded our cross-country move and paid to help him refinance his considerable student debt (roughly ~$35K).

3. Your family and significant other situation.

Parents were very supportive but pretty hands-off. My dad loves it (he was also a career changer late in life) but my mom thinks I'll never give her grandbabies now.

I met my SO (at the time, a PGY2) during the beginning of my DIY-post-bacc. We got engaged, I followed him across the country for fellowship and did my SMP in the same city. We recently COVID-eloped so now we're married! He has promised to follow me for med school to avoid long-distance. It's a little stressful because he's pretty subspecialized now, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that it all works out.

4. Your plan or your path to success.

I was an idiot in undergrad. I have no idea what I was thinking and this period of my life remains a black hole. I didn't even party that much? Like what was I doing!!! Anyway, I have a very regretful uGPA with many failed classes, including OChem II which I retook thrice. Like I said, I was an idiot.

When I initially decided to change my career, I had asked my parents for help in funding a full-time SMP. They gently suggested that I keep working and figure it out myself instead. I'm VERY glad they didn't enable my BS. Working full-time while doing a DIY post-bacc really helped me learn how to manage my time and gave me an opportunity to grow up. I think if I had done an SMP right away, I would have flunked out. I took a combination of UC Extension classes in person after work, and community college courses (mostly online), completing 6-8 credits a semester. I retook all of my failed classes and ultimately had a 3.7-3.8.

My SO is mostly very supportive, though he knew it was an upward climb. When I first told him I wanted to do medicine, he encouraged me to think REALLY seriously about whether it was worth it. It actually gave me pause for a semester and I explored other options like CS, project management, data science, etc. Ultimately I realized I wanted to be a masochist doctor. When he matched for Fellowship, I applied to SMPs in his new city so we could move together.

This was actually hard because for all my hard work I still had <3.0GPA, a typical requirement for SMPs. I ended up emailing program directors and BEGGING for a chance. I got very, very lucky--someone did and I was admitted. I spent the summer before the program studying for the MCAT, thinking maybe I could get it out of the way. This was dumb and I scored very average (507). It was all forgotten soon becauseeeee..

My SMP kicked my ass. It was the HARDEST thing I've ever done, a two year program structured so the first year followed a MS1 curriculum and the second year is all research/thesis. I remember laying in bed before finals the first semester, too exhausted and in despair to even cry. My final GPA was only a 3.58, which is OK but certainly not >3.7 like I was aiming for. The program did prepare me immensely for the MCAT and I was able to score a 517 after 4.5 weeks of dedicated studying after finals.

My first application cycle* was a mess. I was so burnt out from my SMP that even though I was verified/had my MCAT score by mid-July, I didn't get my secondaries in until August/Sept. I do believe this ultimately hurt me because my uGPA was so low. I applied to way too many schools (~45**) and added some in September when I wasn't hearing back (stupid, stupid, don't do this). I only got one II from a state school (my SMP school literally didn't even INTERVIEW me) which turned into a forever WL.

(Aside, it was awful to wait on the WL with an SO who needed to know where to look for jobs. I wish I had just withdrawn from the WL in May because it was bull**** being in limbo. Many, many stress-fights ensued which could have been avoided.)

My second application year, I came in swinging. My PS (which I made few changes to from my first cycle) and my secondaries (all rewritten) were polished and prepared. My LORS were strong and verified -- all of my writers sent me a copy afterwards, they really were glowing. I only applied to 30** schools and received 27 secondaries back. I was complete everywhere by the end of July, usually with a 0-3 day turnaround time. This paid off immensely because I got two MD II in August. I got two more in Sept + October (including from my SMP school this time), and was admitted before Thanksgiving. In early December, I was admitted to my SMP school, a T30. I'm deferred at my two other IIs right now but I am still thrilled that it all paid off. [Edit 07/21/22: I ended up being accepted at all four schools I interviewed at. Proof that if you get to the interview stage, you're in the running to be accepted regardless of your uGPA!] After five years, $100K (give or take), I'm finally going to start medical school next year!!!

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* ECs:

• 99,999+ research hours (from my previous job and thesis)
  • 5 abstracts from various projects
  • 1 patent
  • 1 third-author pub in a low impact journal (eventually got a few more this year but after I submitted my app)
• 250 clinical volunteering hours (150 at hospital, 100 at clinic)
• 150 non-clinical volunteering hours
• 80 shadowing hours (4 different specialties, including two primary care and one DO)

** Only MD included here. I did apply to DO both years but found out that I am a piece of poo to them. My sub-3.0 GPA was not tolerated and I received noooooo interest. I know Goro says that DO schools reward reinvention, but I found that to be utterly false in my case.

 

[bngli]

Your age and GPA and MCAT if you have it.

Currently 28, will be 29 when school starts.

GPA
1. Undergrad: cgpa 3.149, 2.55 BCPM
2. DIY postbacc (all BCPM): 2.89
3. Cumulative undergrad: cgpa 3.04, BCPM 2.7
3. SMP (all BCPM): 3.8

MCAT
1. 2014 MCAT: 24
2. 2015 MCAT: 28
3. 2020 MCAT: 513

Your financial and work situation.

Pretty privileged, this part is where people will hate me. Buuut, I did live the low income, disadvantaged life until I was ~21 years old. My parents' financial situation improved half way through college. The majority of my life was lived as part of a low-middle income immigrant family, which has shaped my life more than the privileged part has IMO.

Father paid for undergrad (half price private school due to scholarship, still waaaaay too expensive), postbacc, and SMP. No loans. Has offered to pay for med school too. Feel super guilty about all of that since there is no way I can ever pay him back. But if I ever do make it to a good financial situation, I will do everything I can to pamper him in his old age.

First job was as a scribe for a year, made ~$14/hour for ~30 hours/week. Next job was analyst for a year, ~$60k salary. Took a year off for SMP. Next job was an analyst for ~$70k the first year, ~$85k the next year, and currently make ~$100k.

Very into /r/financialindependence. I had a goal to reach CoastFIRE as described here: I thought the FIRE movement wasn't for me until I discovered Coast FIRE. Now, I have a retirement plan that makes sense for my lifestyle. Made it with 2 years to spare! Briefly thought about going balls to the walls FIRE until I'm 40, retire, then going to med school in my "retirement".

My current plan is to take dad up on his offer and not touch my funds. Maybe take out loans if I have to.

Your family and significant other situation.

Awesome parents. Single.

Things I did wrong.

1. DIY postbacc (2 years): Easily my biggest mistake, aside from doing poorly in my first 4 years. And even then I think this beats it. After I graduated, I had no idea what to do. I thought the DIY postbacc would be better because it would be easier and cheaper than the SMP (LMAO). I ended up bungling this and had to do the SMP anyway. I made no money, I got even worse grades (my lowest grades ever happened here), had a terrible social life, and felt even worse about myself. Total waste of time, money, and effort. I wish I had used the time to go travel the world or even start my health IT career sooner. Hell, I would have been better off if I went back to my minimum wage high school job for a year. I've beat it to death already, but it is my biggest regret.

2. Taking the MCAT before I was ready. I was in a rush to take the MCAT in my senior year, which made no sense because my grades were poor and I had to do extra years anyway. I was dumb and thought, "oh, I'll just knock the MCAT out of the park and it'll make up for the grades" . Then I was in a rush to take the MCAT before it changed to the new format. At least that time I got an average score and it probably made a stronger case to get me into the SMP.

3. Majoring in biology because I thought it would help my GPA. It only made it worse. I should have majored in something easy or interesting, and then tacked on the prereqs. I wish I had majored in geology (I know, not what most people think of as interesting, but I think it is cool).

4. Not doing the SMP earlier. Knowing what I now know, I should have done the SMP right after undergrad. The SMP is what got me in. Maybe I should have done the SMP after a gap year. But 3 years later was a bit much. I was like the 5th or 6th oldest in a class of 30 something students. I would have fit in much more if I was in my early 20s rather than my mid 20s.

5. Waiting two years after the SMP to apply. My initial difficulties did a number on my confidence. My application in 2020 isn't much different than what it would have been in 2018. Maybe my MCAT would have been lower, but since the SMP was still fresh in my mind it might have even been higher. I also had more time to study back then and the competition only gets harder every year. I should have believed in myself more after the SMP.

6. Not investing earlier. I didn't invest at all until 2016, and didn't start seriously until 2018. I think I only put $2k in my 401k for my first salaried job. I kept all the money I saved from that job in a savings account, ugh. Also, whhhhy didn't I invest in Bitcoin, AMD, and TSLA. I heard about Bitcoin and AMD back in 2013 and followed the developments but never invested. And same for TSLA in 2018. Uuuuuugggghhhhh.

7. Not applying as early as I could for this cycle. I can't believe I still made this mistake. I believed the whole "the cycle has been pushed back due to COVID". I don't believe it. It worked out for my top choice, but really bit me in the ass for my second choice.

Your plan or your path to success.

Getting my first full time job really made me grow up fast. I still attribute it to being the thing that turned my life around. It gave me more confidence. Got me into /r/financialindependence so I got good financial habits that will translate to /r/whitecoatinvestor. It exposed me to health IT, which is really fascinating to me and still something I want to be involved in after becoming a physician. The work ethic I developed there also eventually turned me from someone who struggled with grades and the MCAT to someone who finally did well in both.

 

[_DeBakey_]

Late 20's

cGPA: 3.5
sGPA: 3.2
1 D
4 W's
3 C's
7 years to graduate

MCAT 1: 498
MCAT 2: 504

Current 2nd year DO student at a founding five school

 

[jayevid]

Great Success, This forum is such an inspiration to me.
vidmate.app saveinsta

 

[Teedoe]

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