Medical School Admissions: How can I improve my chances?

[REL]

I was hoping for some feedback on what I can do to strengthen my application? I applied during the last application cycle and did not receive any interviews; I applied later in the cycle (submitted AMCAS in Sept. ’07 - waited for August MCAT scores), which I strongly believe hurt my application.

Undergrad: Biology major (May 2005), Departmental Honors, AMCAS calculations: Total GPA: 3.53 – BCPM: 3.52 AO: 3.53

MCAT: I took the MCAT twice last year (May and August) both times with scores on the lower side:
May - Physical Sci.: 9 Verbal: 11 Biological Sci.: 7 Essay: M
August – Physical Sci.: 7 Verbal: 10 Biological Sci.: 10 Essay: M

I am currently studying to retake the MCAT in April, though I will try to move the date to sometime in May … Will taking the MCAT a third time hurt my application more than it will help?

Research: I participated in a summer research program with a faculty member following my junior year. This experience led to two semesters of research with the same biology faculty member during my senior year. Since 2006 I have been working full time as a research assistant at a major Boston area hospital.

Volunteering: Through college I was a member of a volunteer group located on campus, and was involved in a number of wide ranging volunteer activities. I recently started volunteering weekly at a local Boston foodbank.
- Also I am an Eagle Scout and my Eagle Scout project, encompassed a small local food drive and leading my troop at a local food kitchen.

Clinical: I shadowed 2 physicians (pediatric pulmonology/allergy and rheumatology) over the course of the previous summer (~ 3 months).

Publications/Posters and Abstracts: Through my job, I have been listed as an author on a number of scientific publications including original research articles, book chapters, and first authorship on two review articles. Also, I have presented posters at two major scientific conferences

My take is that I need to apply much earlier and improve my MCAT scores … I would love suggestions on anything I can do now to strengthen my application for the upcoming application cycle. Since I am no longer in school, I feel lost in this whole process , so any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you all very much for reading and thank you for your comments!

Thank you for your inquiry. I looked at BU, BC, and MIT undergraduate averages over a recent 3 year period and all had groups of students that got into medical schools. Their averages MCAT's were all over 30, BPCM 3.5-3.6, and GPA 3.5-3.6. I dont know where you went to undergrad but that is about where you need to be to be competitive in the Boston area. Your GPA's are in line, but your MCAT is about 3 points off the average -- more importantly your PS/BS subcomponents total 16-17. That may portray a weakness in sciences to admissions committees and when coupled with an "average" GPA, they would look at other applicants depending upon their overall pool. I do suggest retaking the MCAT, but it must be much better in the science areas to give you a chance of changing the outcome - dont retake it until you know that it will be stronger in the PS/BS areas. I also didnt see much to do with a motivation for medicine, you did shadow two physicians, but I dont see any medical clinical volunteerism. A committee would ask "Why medicine?" and not come up with much of an answer based on the little bit you were able to supply here. Merge that ?lack of medical motivation? with a lower MCAT and "average" GPA with applicant pools of 6,000-10,000 to most of the Boston area med programs and I can understand your lack of interviews.

If you upgrade the med motivation and MCAT you will be more competitive. Taking a full-time MS in basic science may also be a good move to increase science knowledge to retake the MCAT and show more academics to admissions committees. I hope that this helps.

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[REL]

Hey,
I'm pretty new on these forums, and I think I've seen a question similar to mine, but my situation is a bit more specific. Essentially, I go to an alright college. The average incoming high school GPA was 3.22 so it's no Harvard. I went to this school because I had a shaky GPA during high school, but was able to pick it up. Although this college is lukewarm academically, I am in the Honors program at this college, which is more rigorous, demanding, requires a minimum GPA each year, and requires a final research requirement for graduation. I am a freshman right now; wrapping up my first year, and I have about a 3.7. I plan on doing summer research in the Sciences, volunteering about 200 hours at a hospital over the next couple years, and shadowing a neuropsychologist.
So now that the background covered, on to the couple subquestions:
a. Will a 3.7 at a mediocre college, although I am in Honors, be detrimental to getting into med school, and specifically very good med schools such as Yale?
b. I have research covered, I might do some studying abroad, but if I want to go above and beyond in my app, approximately how many hospital volunteer hours would I need to have to show I'm exceptional in my dedication to patient contact and service?
c. As I mentioned, I plan to shadow a neuropsychologist, who is not a doctor. I am interested in Psychiatry and I feel that this would be a good experience to learn more about the psychological applications of my field of study. Would the fact that I am not shadowing a doctor be detrimental to my application whatsoever?
d. Finally, what else could I do to really stand out in the massive crowd of applicants to show that I am driven to become a psychiatrist?

Thanks for your help, it's much appreciated.

Doing well in an honors program at the bachelor's level should help an MD program admissions office understand your academic capability, following that up with a strong MCAT can only help. Most programs will also look for the medical and people motivational aspects of volunteerism, along with teamwork, leadership, and probably some basic science research. Work closely with your premed advising office to ensure you are on track and that you understand the requirements for various medical programs. The annual AAMC MSAR book will be very valuable to you -- all premed offices should have this on hand for your review. Of note the MSAR says that the 2006 entering medical class at Yale had 99 students who averaged a GPA of 3.8 and MCAT of 35. A huge majority (78) were from out of state. According to the MSAR 76% showed comm svc, 86% med vol, and 90% research. So to your questions, a 3.7 is competitive; volunteerism is not normally quantified by hours, but by consistency over time; shadow an MD too; to stand out in their pool be at least average academically, but be very strong in the extra curricular areas. I wish you well.

 

[REL]

I have spent some time with a doctor, it was a DO and I spent about 3 months shadowing him in his work.

I did not do badly in the SMP which is the real kicker. I got mostly B's and a few A's. I ended up with C's in Biochem and Neuro which were both heavy credit load classes and I did not ahve enough A's to balance it out. I did not fail any classes. The state school here who I have talked with on more than one occasion about this did not seem to consider it a black mark against me since I did not fail any classes. Somehow I got the impression had I failed out that I would have been much worse off than I am now. Do you agree with this point of view?

As far as medical clinical work, what would you recommend? I have been volunteering at the local ER, but I gather from your response that does not fit the bill.

I appreciate your follow-up. As for the volunteering at the local ER that does begin to answer the medical motivation so you are on the right path there -- they will be looking for volunteerism over time. I am sorry that I dont have your original post available, I can only surmise that my response was more directed at consistency over time rather than lack of medical volunteerism. It may be that I perceived your experiences to be somewhat lesser than many applicants.

Regarding the SMP, you really have to do very well to have a good chance at being admitted to an MD program. Often the programs have you taking these courses with admitted first year medical students, so you have to out perform most of them to have a program take notice. Hoepfully this doesnt sound harsh, it isnt meant to be, but if you dont out perform the medical students then you are the "average" medical student -- often admissions committees arent looking for "average" medical students in the admissions process.

I think the general feeling in an admissions committee is that most applicants can complete an MD program, but in the admissions process they are generally looking for the strongest applicants, many of which who may be perceived to have very special talents. I hope that this helps.

 

[REL]

hi there, im a rad texh i have been working in a hospital for 3 yrs now, i have a 3.3gpa, and im taking my biology and chemestry classes so i can apply to med school and take the MCAT, Im a vol interpreter at the hospital where im working and also i do help doctors at the ER dep on my secound job, do i need to get more voluntary work? im planning to apply 2009for med school, any adv about if im in the right route? what else should i be worry about besides my GPA and MCAT test? does all my rad physics, and rad biology would be a plus on my applycation? also i have physicians on my family, i love radiology i know is a long process but am I to old to start? im 31 yrs old.
any adv will be apreciate it

Thank you for your inquiry. I would recommend contacting your school's premed advising office to have a discussion regarding the requirements and process for applying to medical programs. They will have the annual AAMC Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) book which will help you to understand admissions requirements for every MD program in the US as well as cost, application pool, and average entering class GPA/MCAT information. Most schools are looking for applicants that have solid academics, a motivation for medicine (often displayed by consistent medical volunteerism and some physician shadowing), humanitarianism (consistent community svc volunteerism), teamwork/leadership skills, and often some basic science research. Bring all of those things together in an application and you have a good chance at being selected for an interview.

 

[REL]

Hi, I am a freshman at UCLA and got a 2.86 GPA winter quarter (Chem: B-, Calc: C+, Bio/LS: C+, Eng: A). Currently, my BCPM is 2.79 and overall is 3.14. My AO is a lot higher, around a 3.85.

What do I need to do the remaining years as an undergrad to ensure that I am a viable med school applicant? Also, do you recommend retaking the classes I did miserably on?

Thanks.

Thank you for your inquiry. You need to work very closely with your institution's premed advisor as well as your academic advisor to make sure that you are traveling the proper path. They can help you with researching med school programs and their requirements. In general I do not recommend repeating course work, but rather to take the next course up the sequence to do well and show mastery of the subject. Sometimes schools have requirements for you to achieve a certain grade to complete a degree program or as a prereq for a follow-on course, if so you may have to retake the course. Again your advisors should be able to help you.

 

[REL]

Thank you REL, Can you please tell me what the average MCAT and GPA for UC Berkeley staudent entering MD program for the last 3 years? Or tell me where to find it?

UC Berkley 3 year matriculants: 887
MCAT: 32.1
BPCM: 3.50
GPA: 3.60

 

[REL]

thank a lot for adv, i have another question what about classes taking on another country, voluntary work done there, im from colombia and every time i go there i try to get involve in some time of voluntary work in a hospital, just to compare different approches and how cultural differences. should i include that in my appl?

What you are doing is good, but try to get some experiences here in the US. In most cases your academics wont count toward application to medical school, most programs will want to see US course work. Each school will have a policy regarding course work and what they will accept.

 

[Doodledog]

Hi I have been a part of an organization at my school for two years, I started off as an intern and I was elected to become one of their members that basically takes the role of helping the new interns and making sure that the organization is serving the needs of students. Recently, the chairperson for that organization moved to another state and I was not able to ask for a recommendation. Is it okay include my experiences at the organization in my personal statment, eventhough I don't have a recommendation from it? Thank you.

Yes. Letters of recommendations from volunteer organizations are not a key to most med school applications. What matters is what you did and how you explain it.

 

[Doodledog]

Hello Doctors,

Out of curiosity, how do admission committees weigh say 3 A's in a quarter with not many extracurricular activities versus 2 As and 2 Bs in a quarter with multiple extracurricular activities. Does it matter or is the focus more on the overall picture? Thanks.

It would take a spectacularly committed adcom member to go though every semester of an applicants application and figure out the ratio of GPA/ECA for them and make a judgment based on that. It's the whole picture that matters. Get the best overall GPA you can while continuing in ECAs. Both matter, but the GPA is harder to fix if it goes down while you're doing activities.

 

[REL]

I’m very impressed to find out how helpful you guys with so many inquiries. On this note, I would appreciate some advise for a hopeful premed student. Here are my stats:

Undergrad: Microbiology and Cell Science from the University of Florida (May 2007), AMCAS calculations: Total GPA: 3.30 – BCPM: 3.02

MCAT: I took the MCAT last Jan scores on the lower 20’s:May - Physical Sci.: 7 Verbal: 7 Biological Sci.: 8 Essay: MI’m currently studying to retake it in July 18th. So far the practice test are showing a great improvement: CBT 4 ( 31) and CBT 5 (33).

Research: I did two semesters of research in a Molecular Bio lab focusing on the studies of Fungi sporulation and biological insecticides. I’ve been working as a Research Associate dealing with the Microbiology aspect of wound care injuries since last summer (June '07). I’ll have some publications soon.

Volunteering: I volunteered at different special events for a post-treatment cancer facility. Could not do much volunteer hours as an undergrad since I worked 20 hours a week while attending school full-time - hence my crappy GPA.

Tutor Physics and Chemistry at a local HS.
Various small little projects with the community: Habitat for Humanity, Beach clean ups, Recreational facilities restorations, etc.

5 hours a week ER volunteer at a near by Children Hospital since last June 07.
Big Brother/ Big Sister: Taking my little brother 3 times a month for outings and activities since Feb '08.

Clinical: I want to shadow physicians while awaiting for the July 18th MCAT scores.

Publications/Posters and Abstracts: N/A. Soon to come.What follows is a brief description of my bio and some questions that I hope you guys can answer in a detailed and reasonable way. Thank you so much for your help; it is truly and greatly appreciated.

I’m 28 years old. Married, have a wonderful one year old son and work full-time as a Research Associate. Because of my family life and the fact that I had to work during school, my GPA suffered. Hence I moved back home instead of taking the MCAT right after graduating. I didn’t study much and because of my stupid over confidence I got a crappy MCAT score. Therefore I have decided to retake it in the hopes of achieving a better and more competitive score. I know I can do it; I just needed the wake up call and I got it with my scores.

• If I get a really good score on my upcoming MCAT, what are my chances of getting in? Do I need a SMP or MS (because of my GPA) if I do fairly well on the MCAT (34+)? And if I do need the MS or SMP:
• Would a regular Masters in Biomedical Science instead of the SMP help my cause?
• I would love to do a SMP to improve my GPA but they are so expensive and as you can see I can’t just get up and take my family across the states for a something that it might not even be necessary.
• Do I have to finish the MS or SMP program in order to apply to Med School?
• Since I’m taking the MCAT on July 18th and the scores won’t be available until mid-August, would this put me at a disadvantage? Would I be considered as a late applicant? I reckon that a great MCAT score is better than taking the test earlier, be an earlier applicant and getting an average score.
• Since I moved back to Miami, my personal life has gotten a lot easier. My wife’s family resides here in Miami and they are great, great help with our baby. I can also consider Atlanta as another city that I can live in, since my family lives there and they will love to help us with our baby. I’m willing to move anywhere in the country for Med School but these two cities are my priority choices.

I would like to thank you guys for making a difference in this website by helping us, the blind and desperate drivers in this though and very competitive road.
I would also like to thank Casca. I pretty much copied and paste your format for asking my questions so I’m thanking you for your indirect help . I'm sorry for the long post.

Thank you for your inquiry. Your first priority should be to convince an admissions committee that you have the academic horsepower to complete medical school. You GPA is not competitive, even with a very strong mid-30's MCAT. IMO you should not do an SMP because I am not convinced that you have the foundation to do better than most mid-level med students. You must strengthen your sciences for an admissions committee to consider you. A start would be to get into a very solid 1-2 year full-time MS in a basic science area and then retake the MCAT. If both are very solid you will become competitive as long as you continue your med motivation, helping others, etc. No guarantees though --- you may have to follow with an SMP if you dont get the interviews.

 

[REL]

I wanted to thank you for the advice to my post above.

I had some follow up questions to your response:

1.) What sort of medical clinical volunteering would you recommend I become involved in to improve my "med motivation"? I am currently slated to begin a medical career exploration program at the hospital where I work, which includes volunteering as a patient ambassador followed by volunteering in a dept. within the hospital.

2.) Would you recommend that I do more shadowing, and if so does it matter what type of doctor I shadow (general practitioner vs. a specialist)?

3.) If I start improving my med motivation stats now (beginning in April for example) is that too little, too late for the upcoming admissions cycle?

4.) As far as the MCAT is concerned, what are the minimum science scores that I honestly need to achieve in order to improve my chances (10, 11, 12)?

5.) I am actually looking to be competitive in or near the Philadelphia area, as my significant other is currently in the veterinary program at UPenn ... do you have any additional advice about applying to schools in this area as opposed to Boston?

Thank you for your time and any help that you can provide.

As for medical volunteering you should be in a clinical area, hospital/clinic, where you are around doc's as much as possible. You have to start somewhere and this would be the time to get it going to show that you are serious. Those getting into med programs are averaging 10's in the PS/BS areas around the nation.....around the northeast and eastern seaboard you would do well to get about 22 of your MCAT points out of the two science areas as many of their undergrad programs are stronger in their average scores. Boston, Philly, very similar.

 

[REL]

Hi, I graduated from UC Berkeley some time ago. I wasn't on the "medschool track" so to speak while an undergrad. I just took classes that I found interesting without any care for my gpa or otherwise. I was a double major in Biochemistry and Math. I ended up with an overall and bcpm gpa of 2.8. It wasn't until after I graduated that I developed my interest in medicine, and now I find myself in this gpa hole. What I'm presently doing is taking undergrad classes at a state school in order to show my academic abilities, while also volunteering in a hospital and working as an EMT. I haven't taken the mcat yet, but I'm averaging high 37+'s on the practice tests I have taken, and I feel as if I'll probably score in the 30s on the real test (I hope.) I don't plan on applying for at least another 2 years in order to do more volunteering/research/postbac classes. I had a few questions:

1) How do adcoms look at someone who has oddly distributed grades? In my situation my Biochemistry GPA and my medical school prereq GPA is ~3.5. But I recieved many Cs and C+/-'s in my upper division math classes and some engineering/computer science/electrical engineering classes that I took (and an F in a math class.) This is what brings my gpa down to a 2.8.

2) What kinds of classes should I take as a postbac? Should I take upper division science courses, or do I have to take upper division math courses since that is what I did poorly in? I feel like now that I know what my goals are, I no longer have a need to take math courses. I would much rather take upper division biology and chemistry.

3) Will 4 or more semesters of full time coursework at or near a 4.0 serve to , at least somewhat, increase the competitiveness of my application due to the upward trend?

Even though I am personally proud of the classes I took and the grades I received (the math classes were indeed very difficulty), I can see in retrospect the lack of commitment and immaturity that I possessed towards academics when I was younger. I feel fully confident that I have addressed any and all issues regarding my poor grades, and now I am performing at my potential. The thing I wonder is, even if I take another 100 units, my gpa would only increase to a 3.3. Is it more favorable to only try to get my gpa above a 3.0, and then apply to an SMP, or should I just take classes and get my gpa as high as reasonable possible?

Thank you very much for reading, and for all of your help.

Thank you for your inquiry. Presumably you are taking your classes toward some type of science degree, and doing it on a full-time basis. An admissions committee understands that maturity changes things. You cannot significantly raise your undergrad GPA --- an admissions committee will be looking for the "new you" and will view your current academics separately. You can impress them by 3-4 strong science, full-time semesters followed by a strong MCAT. You might also consider adding a 1 year MS in a basic science area to continue a strong upper academic trend. If you feel that your science foundation is very strong you can attempt a SMP vice MS, but be aware that IMO a SMP is like the last chance saloon --- do well and you help, do average or less and the outcome wont be as well. The MS will do the same thing without the perception --- and you can always so the SMP after the MS if things dont work out.

 

[REL]

Dear adcom,

I currently attend a 4 year university and am completing my B.S. My GPA is a bit low (3.2) and I was interested in taking summer classes at a community college to boost my GPA, and increase my chances come application time. I'm currrently a junior, but will be applying senior year. The courses I would take at the CC are not med-school pre-reqs (micro bio, anatomy, ecology etc). I will complete all the medical school pre-reqs such as chem etc at my university.

The main reason I'd like to take them at a CC is because it's significantly cheaper compared to my university so I could save a lot of money for apps for when I apply. It is my hope that community colleges don't think I took the easy way out, because honestly I'm just trying to save money, give myself a bit more breathing room senior year in regard to course load, and raise my gpa as much as possible by taking as many classes as I can before I graduate. I plan on taking 2 200 level science courses this summer totalling 8 credits (possibly intro to biochem (a graduation requirement) and microbiology (would satisfy the 200 level science credits I need).

Will adcoms mind if I take science classes that are not med-school pre-reqs at a community college? I've been recieving conflicting advice on this matter, and I really don't know what to do. Besides my GPA, my app is quite strong, and I predict I'll do well on the MCAT. Would it be better to take non-science classes? How would you view an applicant who is enrolled at a university that has taken classes at a community college? Is it ok to take non-science classes at a community college out of interest?

I don't what to do. I'd really appreciate any help,


thank you.

Thank you for your inquiry. Do not take sciences at a CC once you are at a 4-year institution, there is a negative perception there by many admissions committees. Take other courses there if you must, but not science courses. They will think that you are taking them to boost your GPA.

 

[REL]

What if reapplying after an acceptance has a big financial advantage, ie, if you wait one more year you will be considered a resident at your state medical school and the difference is close to 30K/yr?

You will need to have a good answer for your reason for declining an admissions offer. Money is not the answer in that you applied so therefore it must have been acceptable at the time of application. I have seen applicants gain admission the following year after improving their application and having a "good answer" for THE question.

 

[REL]

This semester, I will complete my BS. degree in neuroscience, with an overall gpa of 3.3. I will still have orgo chem to take. I took all the other pre-reqs at my initial college over 6+ years ago.

My study habits and ability to organize (I have preschool-aged children & a husband with a demanding job) have greatly improved since my first semester at my current university. Initially, I got a few C's at my current university due to having to care for 3 family members with major health issues (all documented at my univ.), pregnancy, and other issues. I have dean's listed the last 3 semesters and expect to do so again.

My questions are: Given that some med schools disregard pre-reqs older than 5 years old, should I re-take the pre-reqs at my univ. & attempt to boost my gpa or just refresh on chem, and then take orgo.? Does it look better to take the pre-reqs in a post-bac program?

Thank you for your inquiry. In many cases med programs would rather not see you repeat course work unless absolutely necessary to gain that foundation. You should take upper-level course work in the subject areas and do very well showing mastery of the lower-level principles etc. You should do your academics in a full-time basis to help a committee understand that your challenging loads can translate some idea of how you may do in their program. Maybe you can top it off with a 1 year MS in a basic science area and a strong MCAT --- depending upon what you have done recently, maybe just the strong MCAT if you have the F/t semesters done.

 

[REL]

Cliff notes: good grades, august mcat, broad spectrum of ECs but minimal hours.

My questions:
1) Should I apply this summer and wait for my MCAT scores to be sent to schools when they're ready? Or wait until 2009?
2) Do I have enough clinical experience? Should I shadow a doctor? What if I wait until 2009 to apply?

Thank you for your inquiry. If your MCAT comes out as you believe you will be in the average range of those who matriculated into most programs. You are very light in the medical motivation (vol, shadowing) and humanism (comm svc vol) areas, dont see any teamwork/leadership, nor basic science research which many have. Get the numbers you believe you have and work the EC's very hard and you will probably get a few interviews. Continue to update programs with a limited number of update letters (end summer, end fall) and you may get your foot in the door.

 

[REL]

Hello, I thought you could offer some suggestions as to what else I can do to improve my application.

I started off at a Top 20 undergrad, and graduated with a 3.30 overall GPA (AMCAS: 3.25/3.10 uGPA/BCPM), with an upward trend. I felt my uGPA needed work, so I enrolled in the Penn post-bacc program. I expect to finish the program with a 4.0/4.0 (my current standing), which would bring my overall numbers up to a 3.36/3.33.

I have a 35S MCAT (12PS, 12VR, 11BS) that was taken last September right before I began the Penn post-bacc program. I have several volunteering experiences that lasted over two years from undergrad, and I've been working in clinical research at the ER at HUP (Hospital of Univ. of Penn) 10 hours a week for a class this past semester to get more patient contact. I've also spent my fair share of time in scientific research with a publication and a few posters to my name... possibly a medical device patent on the way.

Given my numbers, which I think is still low, I am not sure what else I can do. Should I continue to take more classes? Or is this as good as it gets? FYI, I plan to apply broadly this coming cycle, and as early as possible. The plan was to find a clinical research job and to take a night class or two each semester. I have considered doing a SMP, but I just don't have the money to do one; I don't doubt that I can be successful in a SMP. Any suggestions would be helpful.

Good MCAT, strong second year of full-time (?) academics (bachelors? presumably 50-60 hrs? to achieved 2nd BS?). You have research, presumably a consistent history of med vol/Comm svc vol. Physician shadowing and teamwork/leadership not mentioned -- you should have these experiences to be more competitive.

You cannot significantly raise your UG GPA. What you want to do is convince a med admissions committee that your academics are now stronger than they were. Med programs will look at your most recent effort and will hope to see very good grades in full-time basic science academics (2-3 semesters would be very helpful.) Applying broadly, and early will be helpful. If my assumptions above are correct you will probably see a significant increase in responses this time around.

If you dont get in this year, your next step would be a full-time MS in a basic science discipline, but probably not an SMP. I hope that this helps.

 

[REL]

I am actually a career changer. I went to cornell undergrad (c/o2007) and was an engineering major for 2.5 years and went on to the undergrad business program after that. I had a major gpa of 3.8 and a cum gpa of 3.4, have been working for a year, and now want to go on to med school. i have gotten in to NYU, Penn, and University of Miami postbacc premed programs, and want to go to the best one to get me into med school. I am from south florida, living in new york right now. any insight you can have is greatly appreciated!!!!

By post-bac, I assume that you mean full-time second BS in a basic science area. Each program you mention is solid. Do well in any of them and you increase your stock. Make sure that you have addressed all of the EC's and continue to volunteer during your next degree. You should consider opportunities to continue the EC's, your cost, and personal support. Make your selection and then do well.

 

[REL]

Hello,
First let me thank you, whomever, for taking the time to answer this burdening dilemma I have. I am coming to the point in my life where I do not know what I should do. I feel like a track runner who slipped and fell on the start and is stumbling to regain his footing and win the race. My college years were a shocking slap to the face at my test-taking abilities - (averaging a 3.0 gpa despite ridiculous amounts of studying/effort) to which I became depressed beyond reconciliation from friends and family and it resulting in a plummeting 2.something during my final sophmore spring semester. I realized I need to take some time to regain my footing and figure out what was wrong and so took a semester off and took up an appointment with a psychologist (call it crazy, but I needed an outside opinion from someone other than my family to figure out what was wrong). Jumping back in and I average about a 3.6 gpa from my junior to senior year with deans list (straight As). I felt proud, needless to say, because I did not give up. But the issue still remained with my terrible 26 MCAT.
Story behind that was I took the mcat in the spring of my junior year and had a seizure (I do NOT want to blame it on that but the medication didn't help) and got a 24. So I jumped back in and retook it in the summer but only got a 26. I applied immediately upon receiving the grades and did not get in. Reapplied and am doubtful about getting in again.

So that's the story up until now. I have come upon a reevaulation of myself and realized my weaknesses and am trying to fix some of them as best as I can. I am working two jobs (pharmacy technician and toxicologist) while volunteering at a cancer center. I realized I was too busy focusing on my grades that I did not fully devote myself towards any healthcare experiences/any work experiences. I think I have a good handle of these things and I feel that this is enough for the time to show that I do still want to work in healthcare/am not some lazy person doing nothing with "time off". The toxicology work is amazing and is improving my skills in lab technique while also allowing me to improve greatly on my physiology/biochemistry/pharmacology. I couldn't complain, considering it basically lets me educate and sustain knowledge I will need in medicine. The pharmacy technician job is also great because it gives me a great glimpse into customer service and patient interactions and what have you.
Anyways, sorry to get off course here.
I am also studying again for the mcat. I think I know what the issue is, but basically I have this amazing confidence in my understanding of the material and even improved drastically in my scores (diagnostic was 9 ps and 10 bs).I think I am on the right path but I feel like I still need some guidance right now.
I am planning on taking the mcat in may/june and improving greatly (30 min or no go). But what I want to know is what I should do for the coming year? I was told to take a post-bacc that is tailored for low gpa students, which I would not mind, but I want to wait to do that, and actually want to take up teaching, maybe at Kaplan or someplace like a school for a year. My gpa is a terribly low 3.2 and I know that I would never be able to teach AND do a post-bacc like the ones I should take.

So I think I am asking; am I on a good track for improvement? Would the schools shrug me off because I applied twice (the ones I already applied to)? I know these aren't great questions, but I am worried that my immaturity and naivety in the application process basically screwed me over. I should not have reapplied without at least making some other improvements and that disappoints me terribly. I am trying to make amends and I feel that I am but now I do not know what I should do now. I am willing to wait, mind you, if that is what I should do. So, would it seem like a good idea to teach? I think that a part of my wants to give back to the community by teaching.

GPA - 3.2
MCAT - 26 (retaking)
Volunteer - group home for a semester
Shadow - cardiologist for a summer
Work - Clinic records/filing for one summer and a semester while in school
Currently - working as pharmacy technician part time, toxicology - full time, volunteer at cancer center

Thank you for your inquiry. I'm not sure that you understand what is necessary to be a competitive applicant for a medical program. In general you will have to show a very high level of academic achievement and passion for medicine and others. I recommend that you attempt to visit with the admissions office(s) of some of the med programs that you have previously applied to. Also work with your previous premed advising office if still available to you. Based on what I know from what you provided:
- Academics: You must do more. You began a good trend and must continue to follow-up to show a committee the real academic "you." This means that if your initial degree was not in a basic science discipline you should look into a second bachelors in a basic science area. Try not to repeat any course work. It may be that you have taken many of the UG basic science course work available; if true, then get into a 1 year MS in a basic science area of interest. Whatever you do, it should be full-time academics with a quality outcome. This additional experience should give you a stronger foundation for the MCAT. Looking in the MSAR shows that most medical program class entering averages are in the 3.7-3.8 GPA ranges and 30+ MCATs. You should get into these areas just to be an average applicant.
- Extra-curriculars: You should show a consistent history of medical, clinical volunteerism, ditto for community service, some physician shadowing, teamwork and leadership skills, and probably some basic science lab research. These things are what most of the rest of the applicant pool brings to the table. You should to just to be competitive with the group. I hope that this helps.

 

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hello, I am a graduate of a UC with a 3.3 gpa, 35M mcat (9 verbal), I decided late to apply so I took a year off to be sure it was right for me, working overseas in a developing country with the ministry of health, an NGO and now doing some research. I have a year experience research at my uni and worked as a firefighter emt for two years over summers, along with a few other shorter term volunteer experiences. I am planning to try and finish my research and return for interviews, but am still deciding on where to apply.
To sum everything up, I am currently strapped for cash so am deciding if I should bother applying to top 20 med schools with my gpa and limited vol experiences. Thanks for any advice!

Research schools and review MSAR to determine if the schools have accepted students in your GPA range. My thought are that you are a long shot, but it depends upon your trend in GPA; horrible freshman year followed by 3 strong years would put you in the 3.3 range. Make sure that you can show strong motivation for medicine and serving others. MCAT is 2-3 points above average for many schools entering class averages lately.

 

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My goal is to get into an MD/PhD program; a few of the schools I'm looking at include Cornell, Stanford, Northwestern (all very competitive!). I think I might have a decent chance of getting in, if not at one of the top schools at least somewhere. I have a 3.9 GPA, 36Q MCAT, am currently working in a research lab, as well as a variety of other things like volunteering, shadowing, and working in medical facilities.

I'm a junior right now, and originally planned on applying this summer to begin med school in fall 2009 (I've already asked for my rec letters and started my personal statement, etc.)

Here's my big predicament: Waiting an extra year would be beneficial for my future husband's career, so I'm trying to decide if waiting one more year to apply will increase my chances of acceptance or not. If I do wait, I will be continuing my current research and possibly participating in a Physician Scribes program. I'm only 20 so time isn't that much of a concern. I think having an extra year would help me feel less stressed about applying this summer (I'm also getting married in May) but I'm not sure how it would effect my likelihood of acceptance & am hesitant to change what I've been planning for 3 years.

Thanks for ANY input!

You would be fine taking the year off and living life a little before entering the rigors of the next four years. Many programs would look favorably on such a decision. Keep the motivational "fires" lit if you do that the year off from academics.

 

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This forum has been a great resource. Thank you so much for being so helpful!

I am writing because I would like any advice that you may have for the 2009 application cycle. I am graduating this semester from University of Florida with a degree in Biology. Here are my stats:

BCPM GPA: 3.66
Non-Science GPA: 3.75
Overall GPA: 3.69

August 2007 MCAT: 9VR 9PS 10BS O

I have been heavily involved in cancer research for the past 2 years. I was lucky enough to be able to design and carry out my out project under the guidance of my research mentor. The data was presented at the Undergraduate Research Symposium and the College of Medicine Faculty Research Day. We recieved a lot of interest at research day because our data indicate a potential novel theraphy for a type of pediatric tumor. We have submitted the paper for publication and if published I would be first author. I also used the research for my senior honors thesis and recieved highest honors. This has been a really great experience and I am so proud of everything, however, the time commitment created a deficit in other areas of involvement, particularly clinical exposure. In addition to research, my extracurriculars include:

Hospital Volunteer: ~100 hrs pediatric ER (senior year, high school)
~50 hrs family practice (freshman year, college)

Mentor/Tutor: ~50 hrs, local underserved elementary school (sophomore year, college)

Friends For Life: Member for ~3 years. No leadership positions.

Physics/Organic Chemistry Tutor: ~140 hrs (senior year, college)

I know that this lack of involvement combined with my MCAT scores is not going to make me especially competitive at any school but I was seeking advice on what I should be doing during my "year off" to improve my chances?

Thank you so much!

Thank you for your inquiry. It looks like you have really helped yourself in the research component, many programs will be happy with that. You have also shown that you are not too much of an academic risk, but your numbers are slightly below the numbers of the entering classes at the big 3 in Florida (MCAT 30-33) and GPA (3.7-3.8). Programs would also wonder about your motivation for medicine since there has been little for the past several years --- they may consider you more a researcher, and less an MD candidate. In taking the year off, you really need to address almost all of the extra-curriculars GPA/MCAT will be more acceptable. Make sure that you get a LOR from your research mentor and other strong faculty letters from those who know "who" you are. Finally retaking the MCAT and getting into the 30's would be a good move.

 

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i'm Graduating in a community college with a Gpa of 2.5 and i'm transfering to a University. i am a biology major and i'm trying my hardest to get into med school. well as i transfer to the university i suppose i'll have 2 more years to go. i'm not sure.
i Graduated in 2005 and now i'm 21 and it feels like i'm not accomplishing nothing at all. in my freshman year i took General Chem ( divided in 3 sequences) and Bio..i got a C in chem and i Audited Bio I. then i went on to the other sequence of chem i Audited, then took it again and i got a D. then i retook Bio and got a C. I took another Chem and got an F. i took anatomy and Physiology and got a F now i'm retaking it passing with a C. i got a D on the anatomy and physiology Lab, now retaking and passing with a B.

i have not volunteered nor shadowing because i know nobody at all.

my dream is to become a surgeon and i really don't know what i want to do if i'm not.

i work fulltime because i'm being raised by a single mom which can barely pay rent. if i don't work then nobody eats. working has taking a lot of effect on me doing good in school because i'm always tired and don't have enough time to study. when i transfer i plan on not working and actually taking a loan, but i have no fair credit, so i might have to work to pay my rent. i am alone in this world fighting to achieve my dreams, but everywhere i go seems like i'm the only ******ed person on earth.

i want to know if i even stand a chance or should i just pack my bags and find another career?
i know ii would improve my Gpa and work hard to get straight As but is it too late to do good? how long would it take to bring my grades back up if i reallllly want to make it?

Thank you for your inquiry. Based on what you have presented you are not able to focus on what is necessary to become a competitive applicant to medical school. Once you are able to devote time to your academics you will need to complete your bachelor's degree with at least four semester of very strong, full-time basic science courses and follow this up with a very strong MCAT. Along the way you will also have to begin to address the motivations in a convincing fashion. You may need to cease academics and focus on getting things in order and resume academics, probably retaking many of the basic required course work. I wish I could answer in another way, but I am not very hopeful in the near term for your chances in obtaining a med school seat.

 

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I graduated in 2006 with a BA in political science from the University of Central Florida. My cummulative GPA was a 2.33 I know this is going to be a constant challenge for me to overcome, in regards to admittance to any medical school.

I am trying to decide if it is in my best interest to apply to the post-bac program at the University of Northern Florida, or search for an SMP program, or take the pre-reqs for medical school at the University of Central Florida and hope I can eventually gain acceptance to the University of Florida Medical School.

I currently do not have ANY of the pre-reqs completed and will basically be starting from fresh in regards to my Science and Math GPA.

Any advice on what I can do to better imporve my GPA and make myself more competitive would be greatly appreciated. I am currently in the process of applying for volunteer work within Orlando Regional Medical Center to gain experience. I am also new to this forum so I do apologize if this is in the wrong location.

Thank you!

Definitely NO to a SMP, you dont have the solid basic science experience to do that. Yes to a 2nd bachelors degree, full-time, basic science program. You can get this via UCF or other programs as you desire. Yes to getting a consistent history of medical volunteerism, comm svc vol, some physician shadow, leadership/teamwork and hopefully some basic science research too.

 

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Hi there,

I just completed my first year of my undergraduate degree today (finals are over), and I've pretty much blown it already. I was too overconfident from doing well in high school, and signed up for this huge course-load of some of the toughest classes in my university, didn't manage my time well enough (which basically exacerbated the problem), the result being that I have a 2.5 GPA from first semester, and this semester isn't looking too great either. I just want to ask you all, who've been through the process and know the ins and outs, whether I have any shred of a chance of getting into a decent med school now? I'm planning to more or less devote this entire summer to prepping for all of next semester's classes, and now that I've been "humbled by the experience", so to speak, I have a more reasonable courseload for future semesters, so I believe, without being overconfident this time, that I can do a great deal better. Taking all of that in mind, do you think I should still try for med school or give up now and start working toward some other career path? I really am interested in medicine and have more or less wanted to be a physician since I was in middle school, but if I've already destroyed my chances now, I don't want to eat myself up in regret, but rather move on and try my luck somewhere else.

Thanks for your help!

You still have a strong chance at getting into most medical programs who will look at your entire application --- but you have to start now. Many, many of those in med programs had a bad, much worse, freshman year than you did. From this point forward though, you have only a slim margin for error at getting in from your BS. You must begin taking strong semesters of sciences and doing well, add a strong MCAT score when it is time. Ensure that you have a consistent history of medical volunteerism, comm svc vol, teamwork/leadership, and some basic science lab research. If you dont do a strong job in your BS, you can follow this up with a full-time MS in a basic science discipline to continue a very good GPA trend.

 

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Hey Guys, I am new to the forum and i am so glad that there is something like this to help students like me out!

I have currently a 2.5 science gpa and a cumulative gpa of 2.9 at the university i attend. Part of the reason that my gpa was low is because of some family circumstances i had to devote a major part of my time to. I also had a hard time my junior year because i was a transfer and it took me some time to adapt to the new system. This year however, i maintained 2 quarters of a 3.0 average and i am into my third quarter. i have 5 classes left to complete for my major. I know a big key player in the medical school decisions are the MCAT score and i am dedicating my whole summer for that. I currently have 2 research jobs one with the division chairman of the neuroscience department at my campus and one at a medical school nearby. Any recommendations on what i should do or what other classes i should take or repeat in order to raise my average. lets say that i got a 33 on my mcat, does that make me a competitive applicant to med school. I have pretty good letters of references so that is not my concern.

Thanks for all the help in advance!!

Thank you for your inquiry. I estimate that you have some work to do starting with your premed advisor and a trip through the MSAR to see what medical schools you want to target. You will probably find that few schools have admitted students with a 3.0 GPA, and a 33 MCAT is barely above average these days. You appear to have research covered, but I wonder if you can display the motivation for medicine (often a consistent history of med vol, same for comm svc vol, also need teamwork/leadership, some physician shadowing to be competitive. I recommend that you evaluate your goal, if it is MD, then immediately begin a full-time MS in a basic science discipline and do very well to inprove your competitiveness.

 

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I have recently talked to a pre-med counselor who has suggested that I should do a post-bacc to strengthen my application after a glance at my numbers.
I am a 4th year student at UCBerkeley, with a 2.85 GPA, and I will take the mcat at the end of this month, and after doing several practice exams, I feel comfortable that I will score 36+.

However, I feel that my counselor immediately dismissed my case once I had told him my GPA. I understand that this is detrimental to my chances as an applicant, regardless of what the rest of my application looks like.

I have had an upper trend in the past year, but it isn't enough to change my GPA from that 2.8. In my personal statement, I address the issue with my GPA because of the death of my grandfather, and when my father had to undergo surgery for pancreatitis, and it was a moment in my life where after losing one father, I felt like I would lose another.

I am considering my counselors advice and applying to an SMP (drexell, georgetown) in december, but I would also like to apply this cycle. Should I even consider applying this cycle? My counselor had discouraged me from trying, saying that it is most likely I will not get accepted (Because of gpa), and that I would reduce my chances of admissions as a reapplicant.

Could you give me some input on my situation? Thank you for your time.

I think I agree with your advisor. Look at the MSAR and look at how many MD programs have admitted someone with less than a 3.0 GPA. If your initial degree was not science, then a 2nd full-time BS in a basic science area is your best bet to prove your academics to an admissions committee. If your BS was science and there is not enough to put together a strong 2nd BS, then you should move to a full-time MS in a basic science area.

 

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REL,

I want to thank you for all that you do for us. Your advice is priceless.

I am a non-trad that is attending the Molecular Med. Masters at USF in the Fall. I have great extra-curriculars/work experience as well as volunteering and shadowing experience. My undergrad GPA is 3.4 I will be re-taking the MCAT in August before starting the masters program. I am also going to submit my AMCAS this month.

I realize that everything will be pending on my grad school performance and MCAT scores. My question is this: How do I keep from losing a year in between grad school and medical school? I am putting myself at a disadvantage by taking the MCAT in Aug., but I feel that I need to be completely ready before taking it again. I have allotted all of my time from May until Aug for MCAT preparation. I will continue to shadow and volunteer during my masters year, possibly research as well.

What else do you recommend for me to do to keep from losing the interim year and having to reapply?

Thanks for your thoughts!

There really isnt much that you can do that will clinch a spot this year and prevent a possible lost year. What you can do is continue the EC's, get a strong MCAT, submit your AMCAS in July/early Aug, and send an interest letter to your main programs. Follow this up with a letter and copy of your fall grade sheet at the end of the semester. If you had an upward trend in your BS for the last 3-4 semesters and add a strong MS semester you increase your chances. Not much else that you can do other than visit the program admissions office to show interest.

 

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Hello. I'd appreciate an evaluation of the of my medical school application and specifically what can be done to strengthen it. I'm a 4th year doctoral student in the department of Genetics and Human Genetics. I will graduate in May 2009 with my Ph.D. My graduate GPA is about 3.9. My undergraduate GPA is not so great, 3.2 cumulative with C's in my pre-requisite Chemistry courses, one of which I re-took and received an A. However, my GPA shows an upward trend...especially in my last two years. My degree is in Clinical Laboratory Science which is heavy in clinical courses and labs including hematology, microbiology, immunology, etc. I've worked and am currently working in a clinical laboratory while doing my dissertation research on gene expression in prostate cancer. I've presented at two regional conferences and I'm expecting a publication in January 2009. I'm very interested in continuing research as a physician. During undergrad, I didn't take physics and organic (hence my struggle in biochemistry). However, I had two semesters of intense biochemistry in graduate school. I just recently took my physics and organic at a reputable community college because of financial concerns and time-conflicts. I took the April 5th MCAT and received a 27P with a 7 in physical sciences, a 9 in biological sciences and an 11 on verbal. This is my first time taking the exam. I am an under-represented minority, and I am more concerned with having a solid understanding of medicine than the prestige of the school. Should I re-take the MCAT? What other suggestions can you make to help strengthen my application?

Yes, retake the MCAT. I dont see anything regarding your motivation for medicine or helping others. To be competitive you will need to show a consistent history of being there for others in a clinical medical environment, ditto for comm svc vol. You should also have some physician shadowing, demonstrate leadership/teamwork too. With only numbers and research, even a Ph.D., you may well be by-passed for an interview. It is possible that your URM status might get you and interview, but with no convincing motivations these offers may be very limited.

 

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First off, I'm new here, but I've been reading through a lot of this thread and the advice seems very sound, which is really helpful (compared to so many other sites out there it seems).

Anyway, a little background on myself:

I'm a senior at Ga. State, I'll get my BS in psychology in May of next year. I chose not to do the bio program here and they don't have a strict pre-med program so that wasn't an option. I transfered from another school (formerly a community college they just recently became a 4 yr. university). I've had, thus far, two semesters of bio (I will have to retake the second semester), one of chemistry, anatomy, statistics, college algebra and psychological statistics. My GPA in these is around 3.2 (excluding the second bio semester that I'll be retaking). My overall GPA is 3.05 currently but I anticipate I'll graduate (well as of May) with a 3.3 or thereabouts. I will probably stay enrolled at this university next summer and do the other biology and another chemistry section. I still will have not had O. chem at that point.

I've been in involved extracurricular activities off and on. My first college I was in student government as well as several other organizations. My current school not so much as I am a night student. I work full time in a physician's office (and have for 2 years now) so that doesn't leave a lot of time for other activities. I will be joining the psychology honor society (my psych. GPA is 3.4) this fall as well.

I plan to take the MCAT next year, not sure when exactly, as I don't have all the sciences down. I've enrolled in a review course and also started my own review and practice sessions. I'm confident I can do well on the exam given the amount of time I'm devoting to studying for it.

So, my question is, do I stand a chance? I think writing a personal statement should be relatively easy as I've had an (at least in my opinion) pretty interesting life (the reason I am pursuing medical school is my own medical history etc.) and I will be able to get references from several professors as well as my employer (who is a respected physician).

I am considering enrolling in a full-time post bac. pre-med program, or should I consider a MS in a science field? I don't want to do a MS in psych. as that is a 3 yr. committment, but I imagine I could get into another program with my science background.

Thanks...

At this point you are marginally competitive. Seriously increase your GPA and bring a strong 31+ MCAT and you increase your chances. I see leadership at the CC and probably interpret physician shadowing, but I see no volunteerism in a clinical or community service area. Most of your competition will have a solid consistent history of giving to others and also showing the qualities of a helpmeet in the classroom. Many will also have some basic science lab research also. You may want to consider a 2nd full-time BS in a basic science if there are enough courses available, or else a full-time basic science MS to increase your academic competitiveness. As for retaking courses, not a great idea unless it is very necessary to obtain your degree. Rather than repeat, go up to the 3rd course in the sequence to show mastery of the subject. AMCAS will count all courses taken when they compute your GPA even though your current academic institution may have a grade forgiveness policy.

 

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Here is my situation:
* 3.6-3.7 semester gpa (overall and science) from freshman - junior year
* 2.46 gpa senior year, first semester
* 3.65 gpa, senior year, second semester

unfortunately, every class I took that disastrous semester was a science class and so I went from a 3.65 science gpa to a 3.35. My course load that semester included physical chemistry w/ lab (C+), Biochemistry w/lab (C-), Advanced inorganic w/lab (B+), and Independent chemistry research (3 credits worth).

I now currently have a 3.5 overall with 3.35 science.

I've received A's in all core pre-med required classes (chem, orgo, physics I, calc, english) except for physics II (B-), intro bio (B+), and genetics (B+). I passed out of intro bio via AP credit, for which my college gave me credit.

With this in mind, I have a couple questions. Please feel free to answer as much or little as you want, as I know you are all busy folks
1. That one semester brought down my GPA significantly. Am I being too optimistic to think that adcom will be somewhat forgiving, or will that 3.35 still put me at a huge disadvantage? What can I do to fix this? I've taken so many science courses, that my GPA won't budge a meaningful amount.
2. What is the best way to address this dip? I don't want to come off as making any excuses. Do adcoms just roll their eyes when the family tragedy story makes its way into the ps? I do feel that this is such an abnormal trend in my gpa that I need to explain it. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
3. Do I need to retake biochemistry (C-)? I know it would be best to, but I would honestly much rather take another upper level bio course. My bio grades do not bode too well: biochemistry (C-), genetics (B+), intro bio I (B+). Will a good Bio MCAT score compensate for this? (ie.12 and above?)
4. I will be taking my MCATs for the first time in June with plans to apply for 2009 cycle. I feel like i can realistically get at least a 33. I will be submitting primaries with blind faith that I will do decently well. I am hoping secondaries will get sent while my MCAT score is pending and that schools will be able to receive my completed secondaries and MCAT score around the same time...I have a feeling you will tell me to wait a year to apply.
5. What kind of non-academic hobbies are appropriate to put on the amcas application? For example, my second passion is cooking/food and I feel like this would bring up interesting conversation and also reflects alot on my character. There are surprisingly alot of parallels with my passion for food and medicine!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm worried about my science GPA, my biology grades, and that I'm taking the MCAT in June.

Clinical experience is great (2+ years working as clinical research coordinator with tons of volunteering/leadership). My LOR from my current boss (MD) will be a glowing 20/10, while my academic LORS will probably be a good, but not great 7/10.

It looks like the AP in bio is the achilles heel. You should have taken college bio and you would probably have had the foundation to avoid what has caused you your problem. Adcoms who do a holistic review of your file may be forgiving if there is a bona fide reason for the dip. You must do very well in your senior year and follow-up with a strong MCAT. Do not retake courses if at all possible, do take the next course "up-the-sequence" to show mastery of that subject. Continue to show clinical med volunteerism, ditto for comm svc vol, ensure that you have some physician shadowing too. It may be that you might need to follow with a 1 year full-time MS in a basic science discipline if you dont get in this year.

 

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Here are my stats:

-Overall GPA 3.79, science GPA 3.6
-MCAT: PS8, VR9, BS10 Aug. 2005
PS7, VR8, BS11 Aug. 2006
-Plan on retaking the MCAT

Currently a full-time research associate, pending 1st author publication

Diverse extracurricular activities, including being a volunteer medical assistant for a free clinic for 2 years and ongoing.

Plan on applying for entry Fall 2010.

My question is:
I am interested in doing a one year biomedical masters (out of pure interest) or a SMP. Do you think one will benefit me over the other? Do you think that excelling at a SMP program will counteract my low MCAT scores, or will it only benefit people lacking in the GPA department?

Thank you very much!!!

Nothing will really counter-act your MCAT scores, showing strength in academic basic sciences will help though. Presumably your UG BS was in a basic science discipline. You have taken the MCAT twice and your subcomponent scores are consistent, scoring 18 both times on the science components, averaging 10.5 in BS and only 7.5 in PS. I would suggest some intense course work and study in the PS area and retake the MCAT -- of course continue 10+ in BS and see if you cant approach the same in VR. Overall your GPA should be competitive. If your initial degree was not basic science and you can get a 2nd BS in a basic science area that would be helpful overall to you. If you cant do the 2nd BS, then a full-time MS in a basic science area is the next step. The SMP pits you against those in med school and you must place in the upper 40% of that med class to help yourself with an SMP, if you dont have the foundation, you probably wont achieve to the level necessary. Use the SMP as a final action. Continue your EC's in a strong way. All of this being said, I dont know the details of your academics, trends, etc., as it stands now you would be moderately competitive as an applicant this year. Doing the above well increases your candidacy.

 

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This is a simple question that I will phrase in a complicated way. First the stats. UG was 2000-2004 at Union College in NY, philosophy major, 3.03 overall, 1.85 BCPM which includes only three classes, an F in Bio and C in advanced Calculus first term freshman year, and an A- in Forensic Chemistry. About a 2.3 the first two years and a 3.8 the last two years so strong upward trend. Just finished a post-bac from 2006-2008 in which I took two semesters each of Bio, Chem, O-chem and Physics, 4.0. Overall GPA, 3.21, overall BCPM 3.54. Have one non-matriculating graduate philosophy class in between with a B-. In the meantime I worked for the American Red Cross at blood drives as a phlebotomist for a year and a half and currently work as a blood bank technician in a big teaching hospital for the last two years during the post-bac. Have some other EC's from UG, published twice in philosophy in UG and was primary author on a poster at a big medical conference this year. With my only real EC since being a 5 month stint volunteering as a research assistant in the emergency room. Just got MCAT scores, 32R, 11PS 11VR 10BS. Was much worse than my practices but I am not retaking no way no how. Basically as I see it, my biggest shortcoming is my lack of volunteering. I have plenty of clinical experience working in the blood bank and some time in the ER, but I have not really volunteered as I have been taking night classes while working full time, followed by three months of MCAT prep.

Basically, should I pick up some sort of volunteering right now so I can put it on AMCAS for '09? I finally have the time, and I feel that some volunteering would help my app, but how cheesy will it be to add an activity that I started a week before I submit?

By all means, yes get that med vol and comm svc vol started yesterday! Presumably your postbac was a full 2nd BS of roughly 60hrs. The programs will look at the last ~4 years of your academics, a strong MCAT, some research and work in a med environment and they should be happy. They may wonder why medicine as an MD and whether you have the spirit of one who wants to work with others for their good. Volunteerism shows a value of who a person is -- many programs look deeply into applications now to find those who will be a part of a team of students in medical school. The spirit of helpfulness needs to be demonstrated as well as the motivation for MD. Get it started --- there are lots of highly-numbered applicants who get few (to none) interview invitations because they are only numbers.

 

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If I have a 3.63 overall GPA, but a 3.4 sci GPA, how will that affect me? How can I make up for the decrease in grades? (It's mainly because my specific major is very competitive and hard to get an A in...and my counselor said med schools are aware of this).

Thanks,
Monica

Thank you for your inquiry. Maybe yes, more than likely no. Many med programs do have an understanding of applicants from various undergraduate "schools" and some even refer to the data provided to them from the AAMC. You might consider visiting your Premed Advising Office to look at the AAMC/MSAR book to research the requirements of medical school programs, their starting class GPA/MCAT scores/ranges, and maybe even contact a program that is one of your primary targets to see if you would be competitive for their program.

If you provide me with your undergraduate institution's name, I might be able to provide you with the 3-year GPA/MCAT average of that program and how many actually entered a US MD program, but this is by school, not major. I wouldnt be too confident that too many med programs know schools by majors --- it would be more likely that a local MD program might have this knowledge, but I wouldnt expect many programs to understand GPA's by program.

 

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Great thanks! I go to UCLA

Over a recent 3 year period undergrads from UCLA: 993 matriculated to an MD program with a 31.1 MCAT, 3.54 SGPA, 3.61 GPA -- these are the averages of the 993. It would appear that you are right on target with your GPA's.

 

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Thanks in advance for your help in this matter.
Here is my question:

I am an east asian american. I went to a top state university and my stats are: gpa(science) 3.8. Overall 3.84. MCAT: 37R (10v, 15PS, 12BS). My extra activities are normal. I was told that my chances to get into a top 20 med school are very small as an asian american. Is this true?

Thanks again

I guess it depends upon the extra-curricular activities. Having gone to a top state university and posting what are probably average grades in the med applicant pool, but having a much higher than most MCAT that is well distributed into the sciences make you very competitive. The differences will be your demonstrated motivation for medicine and others, probably basic science bench research (since rankings are heavily based on research $), then to a lesser degree teamwork and leadership. Work with your advisor and see where your predecessors were accepted to med school --- if your "voices" are not from those in the know, they may be speaking out of spite or jealousy. Look at the newest MSAR and investigate the entering class numbers and other information provided there. If possible over the summer, go visit some programs to ensure that they are all that you believe they are. Some are big in name and little in support and real personality.

 

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I'd appreciate if anyone familiar with international students help me, I know there are only a few med-schools who accept such students, I have some questions :
I got my B.S. in basic science but in another country, our grades are pretty low comparing with U.S universities,it happens a lot that in a course the highest grade(after conversting to letter grade system)is C. I'm sure no one in the admission commitee will know that.
1-I've read here that I have to evaluate my degree in institutions here,will this GPA hurt me?

I'm currently getting my M.S. in basic science I'm taking undergrad courses right now..I'd really prefer to take grad courses like grad orgo instead of undergrad as it will be counted towards my degree,I heard exams are the same the only difference is that grad students have to have some papers,ppl tell me med-schools want undergrad courses...it doesn't really seem logical to me that a grad course is not accepted as pre_req because of the grading system is different ...
2-Should I take all undergrad courses?
3-If I'm getting my M.S in one these pre_req areas should I really take that undegrad pre_req(haven't been taken in U.S)?If I'm teaching labs, do I have to take those labs again? It really doesn't make sense to me.

My other question is about verbal,I haven't really taken any diagnostic to know how will I do, but I think not good at all so how low in verbal is acceptable considering English is not your native language?
4-What score you are normally expecting from international students?

What else do you recommend that I can do to help my situation?

Thanks a lot,

I do not anticipate that you will receive a direct response to your individual questions. If you will be an international applicant and not a US citizen or Permanent Resident Alien with a "green card" your options will be severely restricted as you stated. I recommend visiting a premed advising office near you to review the AAMC/MSAR (Med School Admissions Reqs) and look for schools that have admitted international students; you can also purchase this book at www.aamc.org if necessary. Communicate directly with those programs to see exactly what course work they will accept and what else they would expect to see from someone educated in another country.

 

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Hey everyone!

I was wondering if I could get some advice on what I could do to improve my medical school application with respect to extracurricular activities. I am applying to medical school by the end of the summer, and was wondering what kinds of activities I could get involved in to strengthen my application in this short period of time. Here is my situation:

I’m a senior at a private university in Colorado, and I'm a Biology and Psychology major with a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience and a minor in Chemistry. I have a 3.98 overall GPA, with a 3.97 in Biology and a 4.0 in Psychology. I’m graduating Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. I have not yet taken the MCAT.

For the past five years, I have worked as a billing specialist for a health care company, and part of my job involves reading patients’ charts and evaluating their condition to determine which insurance company will cover the nursing and therapy services that they require. I'm around nurses and therapists all the time, and often have to deal with patients over the phone. Is this considered clinical/health care experience? Does it help my application?

I have volunteered as a translator for a home care company for two years (2004-2006), and my responsibilities included translating for Russian speaking elderly at medical appointments and pharmacy consultations, as well as coordinating information between physicians, patients, and their families.

I have also volunteered as an assistant to the director of nursing at an Adult Day Services facility (2006-present), and have helped the nurse fill out physician reports on diet, blood pressure, and medication management for our clients, as well as helped the nurse in client education on various issues such as diet and exercise programs.

I have not volunteered at a hospital and I do not have research experience. However, I just accepted a position as a Volunteer Research Assistant in a Psychiatry lab at a hospital. Does this cover both bases with respect to research experience and hospital volunteering? Or should I still try to volunteer at a hospital separately from this research position ?

I have shadowed a dentist, and am planning on shadowing some more over the summer. Do you recommend shadowing a couple of physicians for a prolonged amount of time or shadow different types of physicians for a short amount of time?

Is there anything else that I can do?

Thank you very much for your insight!

Thank you for your inquiry. So why MD? You have spend some time around medical insurance, therapists, dentiets, and nurses. There is some value in seeing how they work with patients. So far you apparently haven't done any clinical medical volunteering in a situation where doctors are present and you haven't shadowed them. The research that is of most value would be basic science related lab work. Much of what you have listed would probably be considered the community service volunteerism. A display of leadership/teamwork skills and a an extreme passion for something medical would help to convince. You have been around medicine and to some degree patients, but not MD's to any real extent and no real med clinical volunteerism around MD's. You have a super GPA and hopefull will be able to match that with a 30+ MCAT to show your academic power. To be competitive in the pool you will have to be more convincing in your medical motivation at most programs.

 

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Hello!

I have a question that is actually too late since I plan to apply this cycle. My question is whether my lack of MD shadowing will hurt my application.

I do have hands-on clinical experience in the Emergency Department of a VA Hospital in which I basically followed nurses and doctors into the rooms and did whatever they let me do (take temperature, run EKG, etc.). I was allowed to observe (with patient permission) when doctors spoke with patients and I transported patients throughout the hospital and accompanied them to various departments for lab tests and things.

My other clinical experience is being a Nursing Home Aide in which I worked directly with medical staff to take personal care of residents (dressing, feeding, transporting, etc.) I also observed medical staff (more nurses than doctors here, though) when speaking with residents' families (it was an Alzheimer's nursing home).

I just don't know if the lack of shadowing sticks out. I actually have shadowed my former pediatrician and an internist before but this was after high school in the summer before college actually started, more out of interest than getting clinical exposure...

Thank you for your comments!

Some of your experiences seem to border on shadowing, so you probably wont be hindered too much. Just keep active in clinical volunteerism in areas where MD's abound.

 

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I applied two years ago and was accepted to an allo school, but declined the acceptance. Now I am getting ready to reapply in the application cycle beginning in a few weeks. I have read many of the threads saying that this is a bad move to make, but it is already gone and in the past.

In the meantime I am in a masters program for bioethics, volunteering, and working with patients in psychiatric facility. I did not withdrawal primarily for the school, but because after reflecting on my application I realized what I was missing was clinical experience and that I needed this just as much as the schools wanted to see it, to make sure I had the right impression of medicine when I made the commitment. It really was not about getting into a top tier school or my first choice. In fact my priorities in what I am looking for in a school has greatly changed.

That being said, is it going to greatly negatively affect my application? Should this be something I specifically address in my personal statement? I have heard that schools can look to see if you have any prior acceptances, is this something they do automatically? Is there anything I can do to help remedy this situation?

Thanks in Advance.

You are where you are. You probably do not need to discuss your prior acceptance in AMCAS, but you may have to say something in the supplemental application. Your reason above doesnt make complete sense to me in that you declined your acceptance because you realized that you needed more experience in the area --- at least one program thought you did enough to become an MD. Evidently something about that program was not right for you, or the timing was not right for you --- you need to be prepared to respond to such a question during an interview. I would caution you against responding that you declined your acceptance because you wanted to do more to become more competitive.

 

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I'm in a 4 year dual degree program (AB/AM) and have taken only 2 classes towards my Masters degree and didn't do well in either one of them. I'm not going to make excuses or explain myself as that doesn't change the fact.

My undergrad GPA is 3.7 while my grad is 2.66. I got a C in one of my grad classes which was taught by two professors. One of them really liked me, convinced me to take the class, and gave me an A at the end of the first half. He even offered to write me a letter of recommendation. The second one apparently didn't like me at all. But the bottom line is that my adviser will also explain this letter grade in his letter and told me not to worry since it has no relevance to medicine.

I have the option of combine the two grad classes with my undergrad degree, and thus lowering my undergrad GPA but not have a 2.66 on my app or listing them separately to count for my GRAD GPA. I'm just wondering what you guys think I should do to minimize the damage of these two classes.

Thanks.

Leave your undergrad alone, show your two grad courses with one being a lower grade. Explain as necessary to whomever asks. If you get a chance to take a few more grad courses, do so, but do well. One bump shouldnt kill you.

 

[REL]

I'd appreciate anyone's help re: a GPA question. (I'm a FL resident, so REL's in particular )

Exactly how low should my GPA be before I need to explain it?

My overall is a 3.78 or so. However, I did have one bad semester with a GPA of 3.02. My last 4 semesters I've had a GPA btw 3.9-4.0.

My inclination is just to let the whole thing go. I could explain it but I really don't feel like dwelling on that semester in my PS.

I feel like I may have enough strengths in other parts of my application where the 3.02 won't be the most interesting thing on my application.


Thoughts?

One bad semester wont crush your chances, especially if you have followed it up with additional very strong semesters (you evidently have done this). I would not dwell on this in your AMCAS application, but there are often questions on secondaries that ask for explanations about courses with lower grades, slow starts in college, bad semesters, etc. Make sure you have strong EC's and continue your med vol, humanism activities throughout.

 

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Hello, I was surprised to find this thread. First thank you so much for reading over all these inquiries and responding. I was wondering if someone could provide me with some insight to my own situation.

I am going to be a senior at a 4th tier university (bio major, chem minor), and from what I have heard, you are almost non-existent if you didn't attend an ivy, and the lower down the ranks your school is, the harder it is to get into med school. I actually was ranked 14/254 in high school...I was accepted to good private and state schools but chose to go where I did because I played tennis all through HS and was selected for the university team (Division II). However, prior to the fall I had a back injury and also was listed as the alternate come fall. I decided to quit and focus on my premed studies as it would be difficult anyway to pursue both. I then did not see it fit to transfer to a better school after developing good relationships with my premed advisor and other faculty and also succeeding at my school.

Here is a description of my app thus far: I have a 3.9 with the following activities: peer mentoring, tutoring various bio/chem classes, 100+ hrs shadowing a peds neurologist + cardiologist, 2 yrs volunteering at a pediatric hospital & a summer at another, president & founding member of the women in science club at my school (+ associated vol.), IM tennis, recreationally snowboard, Sigma Alpha Pi honors society and basic science research program this summer at a well-known research institution. My question is, based on my ugrad career, how are my chances of being accepted to med school, should I aim for high-ranked schools, adn what can I do to improve my app? (other than an excellent MCAT score which I plan to study for intensely next spring)

I also took organic chem II-6 wk summer class-at a rigorous state school and only made a C+. I chose to take it there because I could not get into the class at my school and wanted to graduate on time and also I felt organic 1 at my school seriously underprepared me for the MCAT. Obviously that fact did not help my grade but it was also an accelerated 6 wk course and I do not regret it as I had an awesome prof. Also, my A-in ochem 1 was really ~88.9 and that C+ was ~79.5 so they are closer than they appear. Will this C+ prevent me from getting into medical school? Thank you for reading!

It seems like you are doing all within your power to become a competitive applicant for medical school. More and more medical programs are going deeper into the records and beyond the numbers of each applicant. Do a 30+ job on your MCAT and you should be in solid shape for several invitations to interview. Continue working with your advisor and ensure that you use the MSAR to see the requirements of programs that fit your needs -- then apply. I am not sure of the rankings that you refer to, but most med programs look at specific applicants. Yes they will have perceptions about some undergrad programs, but the admissions offices also look for applicants who excel. They can check the "history" of programs and look at your numbers as to previous applicants and matriculants in to med programs. If your numbers are competitive with those who have previously matriculated, you have a decent chance at an interview. Many applicants have a "C" grade in a basic science course, and they get into med programs. The best way to cover that lower grade is do well in organic II and do well in subsequent strong semesters of classes. If possible you may also try to visit some med admissions offices to introduce yourself and show your interest.

 

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Hello, I was wondering what adcoms would think of "gaps" in extracurricular activities.

I'm an international student here in the U.S and wasn't able to qualify for paid research positions. On top of that, during the summer after my freshman year, I had a job at a lab in which I basically just observed and ended up cleaning glassware. From this experience and other attempts to join labs, I found that I wasn't taken seriously. So on my AMCAS, I don't really have anything other than tutoring for 1 summer and 1 semester.

I seriously started getting involved in research my junior year and found a lab that encourages volunteers and gets them involved in projects.

I am mainly concerned b/c many of the schools I am applying to are research-powerhouses and have 1 year of serious research.

Other than that, I feel like I'm ok: Hospice volunteer, Graphic designer for many years, rock climbing for fun, tutor, book publication, been moving around the world since birth. 37 MCAT, 3.7 GPA, international student.

How will adcoms perceive this "gap"? Do they look at an application from a semester by semester basis... or do they just check to see if you have the experience?

Thanks a lot for your help

Obviously do your homework on which med programs will admit international students. Research-oriented schools will look to see continuity of and duration of participation as well as production. The stronger duration and presentation/publication record, the stronger your application will appear to be. You have a stronger than average MCAT, probably an average GPA, and your hospice gets you some community service; it's good for humanism and being around medicine/patient, but not for being around MD's and clinical experience. The MD admissions committee would wonder about your choice for MD since there is no clinical volunteerism where doctors are, and there is no physician shadowing. Additionally they would also like to see some teamwork and leadership skills in an application.

 

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I just finished my first year in undergraduate college and I recently discovered that I have a health condition that could require me to stay close to a particular Medical Center close to home. This issue could possibly cause me to transfer to a university close to the medical center for two semesters (my second year in college). I plan to take the MCAT in my third year (Spring 2010).

I understand how competitive getting into medical school can be. And I just wanted to ask how transferring to a different 4 year university for one year and transferring back to my original university would affect my chances of getting into medical school in the future.

Here is an outline of my plan:
Undergraduate
-1st year (Fall 2007-Spring 2008) completed in original university.
-2nd year (Fall 2008-Spring 2009) need to transfer to a university close to medical center.
-3rd and 4th year (Fall 2009-Spring 2011) transfer back to original university and graduate from original university.


My Questions:
-Is it true that medical schools do not like seeing students "flip-flopping" between colleges? If so, how can I improve my chances for getting accepted with my situation?

-How can I make it clear to medical schools that my situation required me to transfer instead of appearing like I was looking for an easy way to get credits through transferring?

-Would medical schools like to see me take all my PreMed prereq courses in my original university if I plan to return and graduate from there? Would that help improve my chances of getting accepted?

-Would it help if I took honors courses in the university that I will transfer to?

Thank you for your time and concerns.

Flip-flopping is not good if it is for the sake of possibly gaining an advantage -- but med programs are wise to this. You should be fine, somehow work it into your essay that you needed to be in a certain area for medical purposes. It would be best that the program in your second year was a 4-year institution. If it is not, take very difficult course work, try to leave your science requirements alone if possible, and then return to your original school to take rigorous full-time semesters. Along the way make sure you maintain levels of volunteerism etc. Often you will be able to be more enlightening in your secondary application regarding your reasons for changing.

 

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Hi, I was just wondering what I could do to improve my ECs. I posted in another section, but didn't get much of a response. I feel like I'm an average, nothing special applicant when it comes to my ECs.

Volunteer Nurse Aide 800+ hours (over 2 years)
Physician Shadowing 200+ hours (over 2 years)
Nurse Aide (employment) 2 years
2nd Degree Black Belt 7 years, Taekwondo Instructor 3+ years
Soldier’s Angel (write letters, send packages, and craft blankets for deployed Soldiers)
Two Languages: Spanish and Japanese

I volunteer as a Taekwondo instructor 3-14 hours every week depending on if I'm needed and big exam weeks. For my Physician Shadowing I followed around many different specialists who allowed me to sit in on surgeries and exams. I’ve also sewn/quilted/crafted almost 100 blankets for in-need children and deployed soldiers, but I don’t really consider that volunteering. I have no research experience, though I would like too.

Thank you!

It appears that you are on the right track. You might consider volunteering a little more in a clinical environment, not shadowing. Also community service-wise you can get some time with hospice, feeding the homeless, etc. I wonder about teamwork and leadership as well as many applicants have some basic science lab research. All areas where you might want to improve.

 

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Hi, I've a few questions

do medical schools like it if you take undergrad-classes that you will take in medical school? would this actually improve your chances though?

does completing an honors thesis before application improve my application? when is a good time to do an honors thesis? (say you apply in the summer, would it be best to do it the fall before or that spring)

would taking electives such as an exercise class or a seminar of my interest that is not science related, look bad?

Thanks for all the help!

All good questions for your premed advising office. I will offer that taking as many sciences as possible, especially gaining a basic understanding of material that you will see in a medical program, cannot be a bad thing. Take what courses you can to satisfy your personal interests, this will be the last time in many years that you will be free to explore non-medical academics.

 

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There are some top tier schools that I've really come to admire and want to apply to, but I'm not sure whether my resume is necessarily up to snuff for them, and I was wondering what holes I would need to fill in order to be competitive. I'm currently filling out my AMCAS, hoping to be entering Med. School in Fall 2009.

3.93 GPA (summa cum laude) in Chem/Bio double major with a minor in a special liberal arts program. I am also in the Honors Program.

30R MCAT (8 verbal)

Lots of honor societies (Phi Beta Kappa, Mortar Board, ODK, others)

Lots of leadership (fraternity President, honor society President, numerous SGA committees, etc)

Organic chemistry research for the psat 2 years

I've shadowed a family medicine physician (1 week) and a general surgeon (1 day)

Last semester I volunteered at the University Medical Center lab (as a lab tech) for 50 hours

I currently volunteer at the local free health clinic 3-4 hours a week

I work as a microbiology TA

I have lots of employment experience, particularly in the restaurant business

I feel like the MCAT is my weakest area. Do I need to bring that up to be considered competitive at a top tier school?

Thanks, I really appreciate you taking the time to look at all of these.

Average academic and EC competitiveness. Yes, another MCAT would be a good idea if you can increase your VR and at least maintain your other areas -- this would move your academics into a higher tier. Based on what is presented I dont get a great feel for consistency of medical volunteerism over time, or very much community service volunteerism. You should increase your giving to others to raise your profile. A program would wonder about your medical motivation with good, but minimal shadowing, and apparently limited medical volunteerism.

 

[Doodledog]

I am currently a high school junior playing the college search game. I have a strong interest in medicine *hence I am on SDN =)* and want a school that appeals to me while still giving me the best pre-medical education. I've looked at numerous state schools and small private colleges that have great medical programs but don't really appeal to my personal taste. The school I would love to attend is The Evergreen State College, a small school in Olympia Washington. I feel its a fit for me and in talking with them have found they DO send people to medical schools although I still worry due to their untraditional grading scale. The school does not give letter grades but rather narrative evaluations of the students progress.And according to their websites medical schools simply weigh the MCAT heavier because it is the only objective measure of progress. While the school sends people to medical schools I need an unbiased opinion if an institute of this nature will be a detriment or benefit come time for medical school application.

This is an interesting question and one that will vary by medical school. One of the SDN mentors was accepted to multiple medical schools after going to an ungraded university but this person had many accomplishments and a very high MCAT. In general, I'd like to think it wouldn't matter but I'm not certain about that. Schools do include GPA in their calculations and so not having one will require them to individualize how they look at your application. This could work out okay, but it would not be consistent across medical schools.

Still, if this school is right for you and you have strong academics, I would go for it. I can't say for sure that it isn't going to make it a bit more challenging for you to prove yourself though.

 

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Hello, I am so happy to find this forum and greatly appreciate all the work you all have done. I would like to know what I could do to improve my chances to matriculate into a medical school. I am a non-traditional applicant with some unique circumstances. I will try to be short and brief with the background information:

Freshman yr Syracuse University – Science 3.34 non science 3.24 overall 3.28
Soph – Sr yr Cornell University – Science 3.01 non science 3.02 overall 3.01
1 yr EMT – Tompkins Cortland Community College – 2.0
Masters Physiology – NYMC - Science 3.58 overall 3.58

freshman yr at SU then transferred to Cornell for the remainder, took an EMT class concurrent with Jr. yr at Cornell. During 1st/2nd semester at Cornell suffered from Hashimoto’s hypothyroiditis and withdrew from 5 or 6 classes. Being the first in my family to go to college I focused on the time and personal interest more then preparation and grade and rushed by increasing the course load and taking a 10 credit EMT class to graduate “on time”. I took more then several graduate level neurobiology courses which I should not have taken if I wanted a high GPA, but I definitely loved every class. I took a year off to go to India in between undergrad and grad school. While in graduate school, I worked 3 jobs and volunteered.

EXPERIENCES OVERVIEW:
At Cornell:
Cayuga Medical Center – (150 hours) ER, same day surg, ICU, radiology volunteer
Cayuga Medical Center – Articular Cartilage Research
Cornell Theory Center – Taught Native American Indian high school students in Washington
Cornell Red Cross - Webmaster and member
4H Ithaca Community Teacher – Taught local 4th through 6th grade students
Subway sandwich shop – worked for money (not including in amcas)
Summers:
Worked at my parents stores

Gap year:
Traveled India, taught medically underserved community emergency medical techniques

At NYMC:
a research lab in the biochemistry department – worked 40-45 hrs/week got paid for 20hrs/wk
Animal care specialist - a private preclinical animal research facility (helicon therapeutics)
Medical secretary - a neurology private practice
Westchester medical center – (150 hrs) volunteered as a patient care representative.

Currently:
working (volunteering) as a computer specialist at the real estate company my dad now works for.



MCAT
2004 V-9 P-8 B-8 M
2005 V-8 P-8 B-8 M
2006 V-8 P-12 B-7 L
2007 V-9 P-10 B-11 M

I have taken the mcats a total of 4 times now 25m 24m 27l and 30m (8/2007). I view this as a testament to my determination, as well as proof of how 1 year of my graduate education affected my knowledge.

I have several questions:

About experiences:
I was in the biochem lab every week for about 40-45 hours but technically was only ‘working’ 20 hrs a week. How many hours should I put on the AMCAS application? I am afraid that, if asked, my research mentor may say 20 since that’s what she paid me for.
Should I include the work at my parents’ stores? I have a total of 12 activities, there is room for 3 more should I increase the number by including these two jobs?

About MSAR:
I recently bought the MSAR and would like to know if there is a useful way for me to view all the statistics. For a student like me I would think that the graduate school GPA counts more since my medical condition was stable during grad school. How should I view the GPA statistics? How should I go about picking which schools to apply to?

About the essay:
I plan to write the essay as a combination of why I want to be a Dr and why I want to help rural communities, while addressing all the shortcomings in my application and how my graduate school education has helped me to overcome them. I would also like to include how each class in the program was team taught by the medical school professors who in addition to including the medical school materials included their own research to the curriculum. Would it be acceptable to briefly include such a statement? As the essay is the main focus of the primary application is there something else I should address?

If I knew what I know now I would have taken time off during college, and I would have tried to get personal loans for living while in grad school so I could focus on school and would have gone to a post bac instead. However, I must move forward, and am now focusing on what I should do to help my chances. I am currently concentrating on obtaining a medically relevant job to gain some relevant experience and to pay back my loans, I would like to volunteer and take more classes (to keep my mind sharp) but as I have loans to pay back, I am primarily concerned with getting a job.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would be able to answer my questions to the best of your abilities. I am sorry if my brevity escaped me.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your inquiry. The only thing that I am not sure about is your academic strength --- your MCAT is finally in what is now the "average" applicant category. Your volunteerism and research are about average overall too. I wouldnt worry about how to list your research hours....list what you did, admissions committees want to know that you did with your time; with this in mind list working at your parents store. Use the MSAR to determine what an average applicant to each program "looks like" and then see if you are competitive for that program, and if you like what that program offers. Your essay should focus on why MD and what experiences led to your conclusion. I hope that this helps.