My chances?

[buccsmf1]

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BS in biology
3.57 GPA
3.44 sGPA

Upward trend. 3.2 freshman year, 3.45 sophmore, 3.6 junior, 3.95 senior.

My freshman year really killed me, specifically a D i got in gen chem 2. I retook the class the following semester and got an A. Take that one D out of the equation and my gpa jumps to 3.65 and 3.55.

Graduated with honors from my public university. Florida resident.

Didn't know 100% that i wanted to go to medical school until the summer between my junior and senior year. That, coupled with the fact that my fiancee doesnt graduate untill next year, led me to wait till after my senior year to apply. I plan on continuing to take under-grad classes next year and volunteering. I will stress that interviews that while I took a while to decid what i wanted to do, once i did, my GPA and Extracurriculars increased exponentially.

Haven't taken the MCAT yet, taking it on july 2nd. Lets say for arguments sake that i get a 30... my goal is low 30s

My main problem is my Extracurriculars, which at this point are non-existant because i didn't know i wanted to go to medical school till late last summer. I plan on volunteering 5-6 hours a day while studying for the MCAT 4-5 hours each night for the next few months (7 days a week). This should get me somewhere around, lets say, 300 hours volunteering at hospitals by the time i send my application in. I'll also try to shadow a few doctors (my dad being a physician should make this easier to do).

I plan on applying to the lower-eschelon of MD programs along with DO schools. I have strong ties to EVMS where my dad received his MD and is currently an assistant professor as a practicing radiologist (he also donates to the school). This is where my family lives (norfolk) and is the #1 school on my list.

So.... how do things look from a neutral perspective?

 

[Fiddlergirl]

I would say you look pretty good. The science GPA is a little low, but the upward trend combined with a good MCAT score should offset that. Do you have any of those "leadership" positions schools love so much on your resume? If you don't, I would suggest trying to find a volunteer opportunity that addresses that. Good luck.

 

[witness23]

volunteering 5-6 hours a day is kinda excessive, imo. maybe study harder for the mcat and aim for the best that you can do. it will probably be more productive. if you volunteer 2 x a week for 4-8 hours/week and demonstrate leadership and learn from it, i think it will show in your application. good luck!

 

[mvenus929]

You didn't do anything for ECs throughout your undergrad career? It doesn't have to be medically related; that's just what you tend to see on SDN because a lot of people were always interested in medicine. But if you were in any sort of leadership position, that can make an impact. You just have to have some clinical experience as well.

 

[buccsmf1]

what do you guys mean by "leadership" positions?

And yea, i pretty much had zero ECs during my undergrad life. With my family living in virginia and my fiancee living 75 miles away I spent summers enjoying time with them, as opposed to volunteering or doing research. I spent most summers either with my family/fiancee or traveling. I spent about 3 weeks each summer traveling around europe.

 

[Fiddlergirl]

I'm terrible at definitions, so I'll give examples of leadership positions that either I or someone I know used on med school applications.

Girl Scout Troop Leader
Planned a Memorial day service at a local cemetery
Organized a program at a local nursing home

Basically, anything where you're attempting to get other people to cooperate and get something done.

 

[witness23]

ie playing Quarterback at Va Tech





oh wait

 

[Mobius1985]

what do you guys mean by "leadership" positions?

To quote myself from another thread:
Leadership: From a conversation with an adcomm member I learned that (at his school) one gets points for the intensity of the leadership experiences listed. Here are some examples of activities I've learned of on SDN and how I'd rank them (opinions, as always, may vary). Multiple experiences increase the score. It's OK to shine in another area if leadership isn't your forte.

Level I: 1) President of a club for a year. Led meetings. 2) Start small, common-interest club eg card playing, sport, WOW players. 3) Lead boyscouts in completing badge requirements. 4) Initiate food drive among your friends and collect donations for a food pantry. 5) Member of student senate.

Level II: 1) Club officer multiple years, eventually president. 2) Start new club attracting 20+ members to do community service, or arranging speakers, or to successfully campaign for a change on campus. 3) Shift supervisor or trainer of new employees.

Level III: 1) Board member for health-related organization or charitable foundation for several years who helps organize/participate in health fairs, involved in presentations to get funding for projects, brings opinions to the meetings and campaigns to effect change. 2) President of three clubs some of which do community service or raise money for projects. 3) Organize 3-4 charity concerts with large attendance coordinating multiple committees.

Level IV: 1) Chief Editor of school paper, writing editorials to sway opinion. Direct policy. 2) President of student senate. 3) NCO or officer in the armed forces who trained/led a team/unit in combat.

Level V: 1) Founded a charitable group, raised thousands of dollars for many projects, multiple year involvement, group continues after your departure. Branch groups started in other locations under your leadership. 2) Start a free clinic, recruit doctors, nurses, and student workers to volunteer their time. Raise the money for supplies/pharmaceuticals or get them donated. Help hundreds to thousands of patients in the time you're involved. 3) Start a successful company with 5+ employees and make a profit.

 

[Mobius1985]

I spent about 3 weeks each summer traveling around europe.

This is an interesting extracurricular. I'd list it under "Other."

 

[mvenus929]

what do you guys mean by "leadership" positions?

And yea, i pretty much had zero ECs during my undergrad life. With my family living in virginia and my fiancee living 75 miles away I spent summers enjoying time with them, as opposed to volunteering or doing research. I spent most summers either with my family/fiancee or traveling. I spent about 3 weeks each summer traveling around europe.

We're not just talking about summers, either. Things like joining a... writing club on campus count for ECs. Being part of a youth group at church. You had to have done SOMETHING with your time besides go to school....

 

[Stratego]

Median stats for those accepted at EVMS are GPA 3.6 and MCAT 31, so if you can score a 30+, you have a good shot.

 

[buccsmf1]

thanks for the input guys and gals. i've also recently decided to apply early decision to EVMS which i think will help my chances of getting in.

also, where can you get reliable stats about average gpa/mcat for accepted students? I hear sooooooo many different numbers for nearly every school. EVMS' official site says 3.44 and 30 mcat.....? My dad was helping a freshman the other day and the freshman told him the average is around a 3.4

 

[WaterBird]

applying early is very risky. Unlike college admissions, applying early for medical school puts you at a disadvantage at other schools if you don't get in early. It is an option that seems to be mainly used for people who have a compelling reason to stay in an area (ie their spouse works at that city and cannot move).

Only do it if you think the small admissions advantage (and the time/money you'll save by not filling out other secondaries) outweighs the very real chance that you will have to reapply. Also, I think I read somewhere not to do it unless you were at or above the numbers averages for the school, so it also depends on your MCAT.

 

[Mobius1985]

where can you get reliable stats about average gpa/mcat for accepted students? I hear sooooooo many different numbers for nearly every school. EVMS' official site says 3.44 and 30 mcat.....? My dad was helping a freshman the other day and the freshman told him the average is around a 3.4

The reason why the numbers seem so variable is that some stats refer to accepted students, and some refer to matriculated students. Further, numbers may refer to average, mean, or median. If you look at the School Selection sticky at the top of this forum, those numbers are straight from the MSAR (the new one that just came out) and refers to median for accepted students. Numbers for those accepted are always higher than for those who choose to matriculate at the school. Matriculation stats tend to come from a school's website.

 

[buccsmf1]

applying early is very risky. Unlike college admissions, applying early for medical school puts you at a disadvantage at other schools if you don't get in early. It is an option that seems to be mainly used for people who have a compelling reason to stay in an area (ie their spouse works at that city and cannot move).

Only do it if you think the small admissions advantage (and the time/money you'll save by not filling out other secondaries) outweighs the very real chance that you will have to reapply. Also, I think I read somewhere not to do it unless you were at or above the numbers averages for the school, so it also depends on your MCAT.

i see what you're saying but i already feel that EVMS is my best shot with my gpa and all the connections my family has to the school. I've heard that letting them know you want to practice medicine in the area is high on their list of important interview topics so that'll be easy for me to convince them of since my family lives 10 minutes from the school and my dad practices medicine in the area... My plan is to eventually practice medicine in norfolk regardless of where i get into school. I just feel that EVMS is already my best shot, so applying early decision will help out even more.

but this whole process is just frustrating to me because i know my gpa doesn't reflect how hard i've worked over the last 3 years. I came out of a crappy public high school and had no idea how to study, I got a 4.1 gpa in highschool without ever opening a textbook. Fall and spring of freshman year gave me a 3.14 gpa.... I got my crap together that summer and learned some new study techniques. Averaged a 3.7 during my final 3 years at school. And those years contain the hardest classes i took.... It's funny, my advisor took my 2000 and below level classes out of the equation because she said students usually use those to pad their gpa. But when she did it my gpa actually jumped to a 3.65 with only 3000 and 4000 level classes included. But this seems like a common theme around the board here so i know i'm not alone, freshman year is a killer to many.

 

[MacVA]

i see what you're saying but i already feel that EVMS is my best shot with my gpa and all the connections my family has to the school. I've heard that letting them know you want to practice medicine in the area is high on their list of important interview topics so that'll be easy for me to convince them of since my family lives 10 minutes from the school and my dad practices medicine in the area... My plan is to eventually practice medicine in norfolk regardless of where i get into school. I just feel that EVMS is already my best shot, so applying early decision will help out even more.

but this whole process is just frustrating to me because i know my gpa doesn't reflect how hard i've worked over the last 3 years. I came out of a crappy public high school and had no idea how to study, I got a 4.1 gpa in highschool without ever opening a textbook. Fall and spring of freshman year gave me a 3.14 gpa.... I got my crap together that summer and learned some new study techniques. Averaged a 3.7 during my final 3 years at school. And those years contain the hardest classes i took.... It's funny, my advisor took my 2000 and below level classes out of the equation because she said students usually use those to pad their gpa. But when she did it my gpa actually jumped to a 3.65 with only 3000 and 4000 level classes included. But this seems like a common theme around
the board here so i know i'm not alone, freshman year is a killer to many.

Let me know how it goes. I will likely be in your shoes this time next year applying to EVMS via EDP.