Minorities at top med schools

[Ibrahim05]

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I am just a freshmen in college but my gpa is horrible, it seems like my dream of going to an extremely good med school is fading with every second.

Can anyone tell me how the admission process works for minorities....cos i have a feeling most schools evaluate URMs and other applicants separately. do you guys contact the minority affairs people for the schools you applied to?

if on your application you do not fill in the part that asked if you have been at a disadvantage because of your minority status are you still given the benefits of an URM?

also if you guys dont mind can you post your undergrad school, gpa, mcat scores, rejections and acceptance.

I really really want to know where i stand right now

 

[Doctora Foxy]

I'm not a URM, but I might be able to help. What exactly is your GPA? My first semester I had a 2.8 and it all worked out ok.

And to answer one of your questions, you still get the perks of URM status even if you are not disadvantaged economically. Those are two separate classifications on AMCAS.

Admissions committees like to see an upward trend in grades, so if you can pull up your gpa from now on, it will all be fine. 🙂

Good luck, and welcome to SDN! 😀

 

[Ibrahim05]

my grade is around a 3.0 and i should be able to bring it up to a 3.3 or higher....i just want to know if a URM with a 3.0 gpa and good mcat scores can get into the top schools

 

[racergirl]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Ibrahim05:
•my grade is around a 3.0 and i should be able to bring it up to a 3.3 or higher....i just want to know if a URM with a 3.0 gpa and good mcat scores can get into the top schools•••••Geez, don't start selling yourself short just yet! 3.0-3.3 in freshman year is no big deal. MANY people do MUCH worse freshman year and are able to pull their grades up quite nicely come application time.

So focus on trying to do better from here on out, rather than hoping that a 3.0 will be "good enough."

 

[LBJeffries]

Don't settle for lower grades because it is easier to get in as a URM. Strive to bring your GPA up and beyond that of the overall averages of the particular school(s). It CAN be done. Work very hard at preparing yourself for the MCAT and perform exceptionally. You are still at the very early stages of your preparation and you have a lot of room to improve, so don't rest on the color of your skin.

 

[ussdfiant]

silver_eyes, is that you?

 

[Ibrahim05]

obviously i am working on improve the grades i am not going to get in just because of URM status only...i guess i just wanted to know how the process works for minorities.

and no i am not silver eyes

 

[Ryo-Ohki]

Study your ass off, volunteer, get some research experience and make a perfect score on the MCAT.

That is what you should be shooting for....especially if you want to get into a TOP medical school. How great would you feel if you knew you only got into a medical school because of your race?

 

[dynamic02]

Hey Ibrahim05,

I would have to agree with LBJeffries; you are still early in the process... when you finish this semester, figure out where you fell short-- was it your study habits, the subject material, etc?-- and then go after that next year. However, either way-- keep on working hard and do your best and also don't be afraid to ask for help.

let me tell ya-- the hard work does pay off! 🙂

p.s. have you decided on a major? i'm engineering, so if you have any questions about that and how to get in with that major, let me know and i can give you some suggestions.

 

[Ibrahim05]

i am in engineering at northwestern that is partially the reason for the low gpa. my extracurricular activities should be pretty good and i am sure i'll do well on the mcat. its the gpa thing that is causing me sleepless nights

thanks for the response people

 

[reesie0726]

I agree with many others. It is still early in you ugrad career so try to pull up your grades and do better from here on out. You did not do really bad this semester so it really should not hurt you if you show an upward trend in your grades. If you want specific info about urm's in the application process, pm me b/c I do not feel like starting the who affirmative action debate. But I will be more than glad to tell you about my experience as a urm applying to med school.

 

[LBJeffries]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Ibrahim05:
•i am in engineering at northwestern that is partially the reason for the low gpa. my extracurricular activities should be pretty good and i am sure i'll do well on the mcat. its the gpa thing that is causing me sleepless nights

thanks for the response people•••••I apologize for my earlier comments if they seemed harsh. Engineering is a very dificult major--period. On top of that you are trying to maintain a very high GPA, so I can understand your stress. I do believe that med schools factor in your major when looking at your GPA, and they respect that engineers have more difficult classes than biology majors; but that doesn't mean you should be content with where you sit now. Who knows how they interpret GPA exactly (or anything for that matter)? All we know as pre-meds, is that a 3.1 is better than a 3.0, and that a 30 MCAT is better than a 29. Thus I believe that you should never be content with anything less than a 4.0, ever. Don't worry about your cum GPA, because you can't change the past; but each semester from here on out, try your very hardest to get straight A's. I started slowly myself, so I know your predicament very well. I did not get into a top ten school but I was accepted to an allopathic medical school and to me thats all that matters. Good Luck!

 

[efex101]

All the above posters have given you excellent advice. I am a fellow URM and will be applying next year. I would highly encourage you to do the MMEP (Minority Medical Education Program) that some medical schools offer (Yale, UAB, and many others that I cannot remember). This program is offered through AAMC and it is a great preparation for med school apps. You have to fill out a PS, GPA worksheet, etc.. just like for the real deal. If you go to the AAMC web page you should be able to find it. Also if you think that you would enjoy research there are a ton of programs specifically geared for minorities (not just URM's). Many of these programs are offered at top schools. Good luck!

 

[inkysphinx]

I agree that a 3.0 is not anything for you to bail on being a doctor! Now, there are programs for minorities and disavdantaged students in general at various med schools. Also, you're still "young" as far as pre-med goes. Concentrate on your application as a whole: grades, extracurriculars, clinical experience, MCAT, etc etc etc. AMCAS has info about a minority summer program that you could do next summer. Do some research if you can. Don't just fall back on your minority status. Prove that you are a competitive applicant! You are NOT out of the running yet.

 

[monique]

Ibrahim,

I have about a 3.00 cum (U of Cincy undergrad), was also in engineering and I got into CWRU. I don't know if that's the kind of "top" school you were referring to or if you meant top ten. I got a 33 on the MCAT and it may have helped that I'm an Ohio resident. I applied to just 6 schools (NEOUCOM-accepted, U of Cincy-accepted, Wright St.-WL, Morehouse-WL, and Howard-?). Just wanted to give you some encouragement.