Multiple Fs / Left for a semester on Academic Probation / Reinvented myself in postgrad

[RoundedColumn]

Hey everyone. This is my first time posting. I'm trying to make a school list to apply next cycle, but I'm having trouble coming up with schools given my lackluster undergrad gpa and history of bad academic performance. Here is an outline of my application:

Basic Info:

• Undergrad: Cornell
• Major: Non-Stem
• Post Grad: Harvard Extension | DIY post-bacc while getting masters in a stem field
• Demographics: ORM | Male
• First Generation College

Objective:

• cGPA: 3.01 (when I exited undergrad it was a 2.9 failing intro bio, calc 3, and a writing class)
• sGPA: 3.52 (see failed bio and calc 3 but otherwise all As)
• post-bacc GPA: 3.90 (retook bio, got an A)
• MCAT: 526

Subjective:

• Volunteering
  • 1100 Clinical
  • 800 Non-clinical
  • 80 Shadowing
• Extracurriculars
  • Founded a finance org in undergrad using algo trading in the public equity markets / cryptocurrencies
  • Started a capital fund with a beginning assets under management of $10,000 | grown to $2 million
  • Massachusetts Medical Society Internship (focused on labor organization/unionization for doctors)
  • Rural Health Network Upstate NY Internship (focused on health equities in rural upstate NY)
  • Founded 501c3 non-profit to buy and forgive medical debt
• Research (no pubs unfortunately)
  • Research Assistant at an immunology lab at Cornell and another at Harvard (combined 400 hours)
  • Public Health policy research in undergrad (150 hours)
  • Labor research in undergrad
• Work
  • Validation Engineer at Pharma company
• LORs
  • 1 from non-stem professor in undergrad I got to know really well
  • 1 from immunology professor in post-grad
  • Thinking of asking some other people?
• Personal Statement
  • A bit emotional, but very descriptive and outlines who I am as a person quite well. Will be editing it some more
• Other
  • Most of the things I listed were done in the last two semesters in undergrad and 2 years in post-grad. I came into undergrad directionless and just didn't care. It didn't help when one of my parents passed away suddenly while I was in school. Didn't get to see or hear her one last time. That event practically turned my life around and is one of the primary drivers for me to enter and pursue medicine.

I'm concerned with is my very poor GPA yet high MCAT. It's difficult creating a school list without feeling as if I'll be auto-filtered because of the GPA. I've also heard schools who take lower GPAs also filter out high MCATs for yield reasons. Can anyone help make a school list or perhaps suggest anything I need to change or add on my application?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[HumanAfterAll]

Damn

 

[RoundedColumn]

Damn

Wait do you mean "damn" as in I'm screwed? : (

 

[SpicyOmlet]

"Started a capital fund with a beginning assets under management of $10,000 | grown to $2 million"

If you can do this don't go to medical school. Just ride this out and retire in like 5 years!

 

[HumanAfterAll]

Wait do you mean "damn" as in I'm screwed? : (

No lol, as in you seem like an accomplished person and I really hope your undergrad GPA does not hold you back. As a prospective applicant, I think all I could really offer in terms of advice is to get another LOR from a science professor. Otherwise, your app looks stellar (I think).

I hope you have a successful cycle when you apply

 

[RoundedColumn]

"Started a capital fund with a beginning assets under management of $10,000 | grown to $2 million"

If you can do this don't go to medical school. Just ride this out and retire in like 5 years!

Haha not my money though! But I do make some from from the commission fees. In all seriousness, I'm really devoted to medicine and am thinking of closing the fund to pursue med full time because I really don't care about the money. I feel something when I'm in that room watching the doctor I'm shadowing lift away the burden from his patient when he pronounces that they're no longer afflicted with whatever ailment they have. Idk it just makes life a little fuller

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Haha not my money though! But I do make some from from the commission fees. In all seriousness, I'm really devoted to medicine and am thinking of closing the fund to pursue med full time because I really don't care about the money. I feel something when I'm in that room watching the doctor I'm shadowing lift away the burden from his patient when he pronounces that they're no longer afflicted with whatever ailment they have. Idk it just makes life a little fuller

You must have met a lot of physicians. What do they say?

Sent from my SM-N960U using SDN mobile

 

[RoundedColumn]

You must have met a lot of physicians. What do they say?

Sent from my SM-N960U using SDN mobile

It's weird because they list all the bad things about medicine. A lot of them complain about the electronic systems, the paperwork, negotiating with insurance, and lack of time with the patient. When they learned about my finance background, many of them are quick to suggest remaining in finance. It's when I asked them about their initial motivation for becoming a doctor that they perhaps reminisce back to when they were premed applicants themselves. Many of whom describe their passion for helping others, but what was most poignant are the few that had hoped medicine would satiate their appetite for a philosophical understanding of science and how they can leverage their knowledge to effectuate change physically. I think that was what really hooked me. It was the most pure translation of our mental capacities into practical applications with the side benefit of helping people. Although I must admit that they felt that their initial perceptions of the medical field was merely youthful naiveté because the longer they were in the field the more they felt the weight of the medical system. For them, the profession felt less like opportunity to help their patients and more like an administrative job. It was disheartening but they said they would do it all again because they can't see themselves in any other field

 

[Faha]

Where is your state of residence ?

 

[RoundedColumn]

Where is your state of residence ?

Texas

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

526.
You missed fewer questions than I got right.

 

[DokterMom]

Texas tends to favor GPAs over MCAT, but a 526 might raise some eyebrows. Also, Cornell is a known grade deflator - though perhaps not well-known in Texas.

Other than your GPA, your application looks pretty stellar. So focusing on that - How many semesters of strong GPA do you have? And where did you retake that Bio?

 

[Etopn23]

I failed all of my freshman classes and got straight As after. Applied with a ~3.5/520 and prematched to all TMDSAS schools except UTRGV (didn't apply to the new ones - UH etc). You have such a unique application and ECs. I think you should apply widely at all tiers. My ECs were also fairly unique and it helped me stand out.

I think you'll have multiple As but it's hard to predict where. My GPA was <10% at most of my interviews and it didn't matter. MSAR will be useless for you.

 

[Faha]

Texas

It is difficult to predict where you could receive interviews with your GPA and a MCAT of 526. There are only ~15 applicants per year that apply with that GPA-MCAT combination. The acceptance rate is approximately 50%. I suggest these schools:
All your Texas schools (include the new MD schools TCU-UNT and University of Houston)
Tulane
Creighton
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
NOVA MD
USF Morsani
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Georgetown
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Seton Hall
Hofstra
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Also apply broadly to DO schools and I suggest these:
TCOM
SAM HOUSTON STATE
UIWSOM
AZCOM
ATSU (both schools)
TUNCOM
MU-COM
KCU-COM
DMU-COM
CCOM
PCOM (all schools)
LECOM (all schools)