Low Numbers, Decent ECs, Unique Life Story

[DrOneDay7]

Edited for anonymity

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[gyngyn]

I hope you are not in CA. Florida?

 

[DrOneDay7]

Nope, I'm in Michigan!!

 

[gyngyn]

Nope, I'm in Michigan!!

Thank goodness. There are 3 IS where you have a fair chance. If your DO list is good, you should come out ok.

 

[DrOneDay7]

That's definitely reassuring to hear that I may have a shot somewhere. Unfortunately I applied long before I received my MCAT score earlier this month, so figured I might as well see what happens. Thanks for your feedback!

 

[DrOneDay7]

Does anyone else have any input? (Please!)

 

[Goro]

Apply broadly to the low-tier MDs, your state schools, all DO programs, and all ew MD programs,and I think you'll be fine. I have plenty of students who went though serious and chronic illnesses and other heavy stuff, who made it in on their academic bonafides. So I wouldn't bank upon your life story to overcome a significantly below avg MCAT score.

At this point, I've already applied but would really like some opinions on whether I stand a realistic shot. Despite dedication and hard work, my stats really aren't the greatest. My PS highlights a pretty crazy life experience, which I mentioned at the bottom of my post.

I applied to 6 IS MD schools and 7 DO schools (1 IS; 6 OOS), and I’m considering adding a few low-tier OOS MD schools.
I really appreciate anyone taking the time to read and answer!!!
-----------------------------------
3.68 cGPA (3.8+ after freshmen yr); 3.45 sGPA (3.6+ after freshmen yr)
Majored in Biology/Minored in Chem; graduated from Honors program
MCAT: 26 (10 PS/8 VR/8 BS)
Pretty disappointing but I’ve never been a pro at standardized tests, though my FLs were much higher. Don’t know where that 8 in BS came from considering I scored a 10 in BS on my very first AAMC FL and walked away from the real thing feeling like a 12 (must have took the bait on a lot of questions).
---------------------------------
~1,000+ hours clinical work
~150 hours ER volunteer (2 different hospitals)
~1 year tutoring pre-meds at my university in biological sciences
~1 semester volunteer tutor/mentor for underserved kids in elementary school
~4 years campus organization
____-3 leadership positions held, including VP
____-extensive on-campus/off-campus community service and volunteer work
~1.5 years undergraduate research
____-Honors Thesis + Publication + Award
____-Publication
____-3 national/local research conference presentations (abstracts + posters)
~2 undergraduate research awards/funding
~1 biological sciences department award (awarded to 1 student/yr determined by the faculty)
~1 physics department award (based on grades; given to 1 student/yr)
-----------------------------------
Significant life experience:

Freak accident nearly cost me my life and resulted in a severe head injury, 2 weeks in ICU, coma, and open-head surgery. Thankfully, I ultimately recovered with little long-term damage after having spent a long time working with different physician specialists. Dramatically changed my life and prevented me from doing a lot for a very long time, but was also the experience that opened my eyes to medicine.

 

[rudziutki]

Honestly, your story about a head injury might be personally significant to you, but the 'injury made me consider medicine' trope is so cliche at this point that you should not expect anybody else to be compelled by it. Unless you are a master of creative writing I guess.

 

[DrOneDay7]

Thank you very much for your input!!
I'm not banking on my story to compensate for my score (hope it didn't come off that way!), but only just to illustrate in my PS what initially turned me onto medicine and gave me determination and strength to succeed (well, clearly not so much success on the MCAT :/ but in other aspects of my life).

 

[DrOneDay7]

Honestly, your story about a head injury might be personally significant to you, but the 'injury made me consider medicine' trope is so cliche at this point that you should not expect anybody else to be compelled by it. Unless you are a master of creative writing I guess.

I understand what you're saying and I appreciate your feedback. I was hesitant to even include the injury due to fearing I'd sound cliche, but in reality, why hide the event that initially sparked my interest in medicine and made me want to continue learning more about it.

I was very careful not to make it the prevailing subject of my PS, but more so just a brief background opening. I then moved onto how medicine tied in with who I am, how I tested my decision through of medical experiences and anecdotes, and what I hope to achieve in the future as a physician.