My Journey - Low GPA/Low MCAT

[GratefulDoc]

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I have been hoping that I could write a thread like this for several years, and now that the season is coming to a close, I want to share my story for future applicants.

This has been a long and difficult journey and many times, I didn't know if i could make it to med school or if I even have what it took to be a doctor. I have been a lurker on this site for many years, and have wanted to ask questions, but hesitated because of the fear of being ridiculed due to my low GPA/low MCAT. When I read on threads with posters with GPA and/or MCAT that are similar to mine, and the response was those stats were lethal or the app would be circling the drain, my heart sank. Several SDN members have helped me through this process via PM, and I want to pay it forward. I created a new account to protect my identity. So, you will see that I only have one post, but I am not a troll. I am as real as can be.

Here is some info about me that typically would be considered lethal/uphill battle in SDN:
- I am a reapplicant, applied last year to 30 schools with zero interview
- My GPA is low/below average: cGPA of 3.4 and sGPA of 3.3 (1st semester Freshman GPA is ~2.5)
- I took MCAT multiple times. To be exact, I took MCAT 4 times (gasp!), and never got over 29. As a matter of fact, my score went down in #2 and #3. I almost gave up my dream to be a doctor because of this
- I took classes in the summer, core pre-med requirements at that, three years in a roll (Orgo I/II, Physics II, English, Stats). While most of these summer classes were at my home institute, one is not (i took it at my state school when i went home that summer)
- Because I needed to retake MCAT, my application was not complete until like from mid August to late August, which was quite late by SDN standard

I applied very broadly this cycle: 40+ MD schools and 8 DO schools. I received 4 MD interviews (attended all 4) and 1 DO interviews. I received some MD interviews quite early in the cycle (1st: mid-sept, 2nd: end of Sept, 3rd: early Dec, 4th: early March). I received two MD acceptances 3 days apart in mid-Nov. The 3rd acceptance in March. The 4th interview (in March) resulted in W/L. Since I already received two MD acceptance by the time i received my DO interview, I declined that interview and withdrew from all other DO apps.

I don't have any "catches" - I am not from one of the lucky states (as a matter of fact, based on AAMC data, I am from one of the states that have the highest number of applicants not getting into med school), I am not URM (as a matter of fact, I am ORM), I am not in military, I am not from disadvantaged background, I didn't have any publications, and I didn't win any awards.

What I do have and what I think helped me are the following:
- Two VERY strong recommendation letters from people (one of them a MD) that know me very well and spoke very highly of me and my character. I read the letters so i know they are extremely strong.
- Multiple leadership positions in different student groups that were consistent throughout my college career and showed many hours of work (e.g not resume padding)
- EC engagement that clearly showed my passion in one area (nothing earth-shattering or anything, just consistency and demonstrated time commitment over the years)
- I did a SMP and did reasonably well. I didn't kill it in any way (although I tried, and it was hard!), didn't get a 4.0 or anything close, but did decently (~3.7 GPA)
- I went to a top 15 school that is known to be academically rigorous. I know the general consensus in SDN is that your undergrad doesn't matter, but I believe that wasn't the case for me here
- I did have all the other premed activities like volunteer (400+ hours), shadow (~300 hours), research (500 hours), but nothing amazing

While my story is N=1, what i want to show is that it can be done. It is certainly not easy, and you do need to have something about you that you can tell a story on if you don't have rock-star stats. Throughout this process, it is my perseverance and commitment to my dream that helped me through. If you truly want to be a doctor, it can be done although you will have to work very very hard for it. I know the SDN wisdom is to apply broadly. I applied to 40+ schools, but i don't know if that really mattered. At the end of the day, the four MD schools that i received interviews are the four schools that i thought i would have a chance. The other ones, i wasn't sure but applied any way. I could have applied to those four only based from what my gut feel and saved a lot of money. But hindsight is always 20-20.

I know there will be many nay-sayers. I know my GPA and esp. my MCAT record is awful. Some of you may say that getting in is one thing, but with my MCAT record, Step1 will be a struggle for me. I can tell you that while i am concerned also, i know i will do everything that i can to succeed. I am very excited to start med school in a few months. Best of luck to you all!
-

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

Congrats!

I think your story is actually less uncommon than people (especially on Sdn, where people who get rejected with a LizzyM >80) think. Like Goro always says, 4.0 automatons are a dime a dozen. Schools can pack themselves with those students if they want, but often it's a bad idea.

They need people like you with significant life experiences and personalities to build a cohesive class.

Also, I don't think your mcat is all that bad. I fell like the <26 people are the ones who clearly struggle with the concept of standardized tests.

In any case, best of luck in school!

 

[Espressso]

Congratulations! I definitely admire this post.


Sent from my iPad using SDN mobile

 

[Goro]

😍😍😍

I have been hoping that I could write a thread like this for several years, and now that the season is coming to a close, I want to share my story for future applicants.

 

[Goro]

GD, can you PM me?

I have been hoping that I could write a thread like this for several years, and now that the season is coming to a close, I want to share my story for future applicants.

This has been a long and difficult journey and many times, I didn't know if i could make it to med school or if I even have what it took to be a doctor. I have been a lurker on this site for many years, and have wanted to ask questions, but hesitated because of the fear of being ridiculed due to my low GPA/low MCAT. When I read on threads with posters with GPA and/or MCAT that are similar to mine, and the response was those stats were lethal or the app would be circling the drain, my heart sank. Several SDN members have helped me through this process via PM, and I want to pay it forward. I created a new account to protect my identity. So, you will see that I only have one post, but I am not a troll. I am as real as can be.

Here is some info about me that typically would be considered lethal/uphill battle in SDN:
- I am a reapplicant, applied last year to 30 schools with zero interview
- My GPA is low/below average: cGPA of 3.4 and sGPA of 3.3 (1st semester Freshman GPA is ~2.5)
- I took MCAT multiple times. To be exact, I took MCAT 4 times (gasp!), and never got over 29. As a matter of fact, my score went down in #2 and #3. I almost gave up my dream to be a doctor because of this
- I took classes in the summer, core pre-med requirements at that, three years in a roll (Orgo I/II, Physics II, English, Stats). While most of these summer classes were at my home institute, one is not (i took it at my state school when i went home that summer)

I applied very broadly this cycle: 40+ MD schools and 8 DO schools. I received 4 MD interviews (attended all 4) and 1 DO interviews. I received some MD interviews quite early in the cycle (1st: mid-sept, 2nd: end of Sept, 3rd: early Dec, 4th: early March). I received two MD acceptances 3 days apart in mid-Nov. The 3rd acceptance in March. The 4th interview (in March) resulted in W/L. Since I already received two MD acceptance by the time i received my DO interview, I declined that interview and withdrew from all other DO apps.

I don't have any "catches" - I am not from one of the lucky states (as a matter of fact, based on AAMC data, I am from one of the states that have the highest number of applicants not getting into med school), I am not URM (as a matter of fact, I am ORM), I am not in military, I am not from disadvantaged background, I didn't have any publications, and I didn't win any awards.

What I do have and what I think helped me are the following:
- Two VERY strong recommendation letters from people (one of them a MD) that know me very well and spoke very highly of me and my character. I read the letters so i know they are extremely strong.
- Multiple leadership positions in different student groups that were consistent throughout my college career and showed many hours of work (e.g not resume padding)
- EC engagement that clearly showed my passion in one area (nothing earth-shattering or anything, just consistency and demonstrated time commitment over the years)
- I did a SMP and did reasonably well. I didn't kill it in any way (although I tried, and it was hard!), didn't get a 4.0 or anything close, but did decently (~3.7 GPA)
- I went to a top 15 school that is known to be academically rigorous. I know the general consensus in SDN is that your undergrad doesn't matter, but I believe that wasn't the case for me here
- I did have all the other premed activities like volunteer (400+ hours), shadow (~300 hours), research (500 hours), but nothing amazing

While my story is N=1, what i want to show is that it can be done. It is certainly not easy, and you do need to have something about you that you can tell a story on if you don't have rock-star stats. Throughout this process, it is my perseverance and commitment to my dream that helped me through. If you truly want to be a doctor, it can be done although you will have to work very very hard for it. I know the SDN wisdom is to apply broadly. I applied to 40+ schools, but i don't know if that really mattered. At the end of the day, the four MD schools that i received interviews are the four schools that i thought i would have a chance. The other ones, i wasn't sure but applied any way. I could have applied to those four only based from what my gut feel and saved a lot of money. But hindsight is always 20-20.

I know there will be many nay-sayers. I know my GPA and esp. my MCAT record is awful. Some of you may say that getting in is one thing, but with my MCAT record, Step1 will be a struggle for me. I can tell you that while i am concerned also, i know i will do everything that i can to succeed. I am very excited to start med school in a few months. Best of luck to you all!
-

 

[Lawpy]

Congrats OP!

😍😍😍

Saving this Goro excitement for the future

 

[Avicenna]

.

 

[Link2]

I'm thrilled for you, and forgive me if I sound caustic, but should people with shoddy track records in academics be in careers where they are in charge of other people's lives?

If they aren't suitable for medicine, they won't be able to complete medical school and residency.

 

[Avicenna]

GD, can you PM me?

Dont be shy goro, nothing wrong with making the first move

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

I'm thrilled for you, and forgive me if I sound caustic, but should people with shoddy track records in academics be in careers where they are in charge of other people's lives?

Reasonable in theory, except that your performance in undergrad (and the mcat) is a very poor predictor for actual patient care skill.

I'd choose good morals, good judgement, and good work ethic over good at taking mcats

 

[Avicenna]

Reasonable in theory, except that your performance in undergrad (and the mcat) is a very poor predictor for actual patient care skill.

I'd choose good morals, good judgement, and good work ethic over good at taking mcats

With those 3 criteria, you're saying you'd rather see a doctor who volunteered throughout college and made crap grades rather than a doctor who scored top grades and mcat, and did a lot of research?
You dont think that theres a level of intellectual/cognitive/intuitive ability shared between taking tests and making judgment calls as a doctor? And how about someone with gratefuldoc's demonstrated level of effort still struggling to make test scores, u dont think that translates at all into that person's capabilities in his practice as a doctor

 

[TehTeddy]

With those 3 criteria, you're saying you'd rather see a doctor who volunteered throughout college and made crap grades rather than a doctor who scored top grades and mcat, and did a lot of research?
You dont think that theres a level of intellectual/cognitive/intuitive ability shared between taking tests and making judgment calls as a doctor? And how about someone with gratefuldoc's demonstrated level of effort still struggling to make test scores, u dont think that translates at all into that person's capabilities in his practice as a doctor

This sounds like a false dichotomy. I don't think he meant he'd prefer an altruistic, dumb doctor over an exceptionally bright, cold one. Rather, what's being said is that morals, judgement, and work ethic are better predictors of quality care than GPA and MCAT scores.

 

[Avicenna]

This sounds like a false dichotomy. I don't think he meant he'd prefer an altruistic, dumb doctor over an exceptionally bright, cold one. Rather, what's being said is that morals, judgement, and work ethic are better predictors of quality care than GPA and MCAT scores.

Heres the thing, i never said anything about morals/work ethic, so when someone brings it up, they make it sound like gpa and mcat are irrelevent.

All im talking about is gpa and mcat. Would you agree that they are relevent to someone's capacity to work as a doctor? If so, do you think below a level of performance, one is still cut out to be a doctor (regardless of "morals")?

And another questionw while i'm at it, lets talk about "morals" for a second. how exactly is someone's morality going to affect his work as a doctor? Unless someone's a psychopath that intentionally tries to harm people. Lets take your average person and some super moral person, idk, the dalai lama. Is the dalai lama going to provide better care cause he's highly moral?

I keep hearing these buzzwords thrown around and cant help but feel like they're meaningless. Knifegunclub hit em all. How much does "morality" help? "Good judgment" is pretty much just intuition that can be reflected through grades/mcat. And "hard work" is good i guess but does it really matter when after all that hard work you're still not performing on par?

 

[kavorca]

I am not sure GPA or MCAT has much relevance at how good a doctor you will be. I think it is mainly a benchmark to compare applicants. High MCAT especially doesn't equate to better care IMO. Who cares if you Doctor got a 28 or 34 on his MCAT? Usually the only ones who care are the ones who got the higher scores. I think the MCAT has as much to do with how good a doctor you will be as a rookie RB's 40 time at the combine.

 

[Avicenna]

I am not sure GPA or MCAT has much relevance at how good a doctor you will be. I think it is mainly a benchmark to compare applicants. High MCAT especially doesn't equate to better care IMO. Who cares if you Doctor got a 28 or 34 on his MCAT? Usually the only ones who care are the ones who got the higher scores. I think the MCAT has as much to do with how good a doctor you will be as a rookie RB's 40 time at the combine.

Are you saying someone's intelligence/ability to memorize health facts related to their career as healthcare provider is of little relevance to their ability to practice medicine, or are you saying that that intelligence is not indicated by their gpa/mcat?

 

[kavorca]

Are you saying someone's intelligence/ability to memorize health facts related to their is of little importance to their ability to practice medicine, or are you saying that that intelligence is not indicated by their gpa/mcat?

Both.
It may equate to doing well in medical school but doesn't mean as much in residency or beyond. I understand that it's all we have ATM for judging applicants but it doesn't equate to patient care IMO. Nor does memorization equate to intelligence. I would never think that someone who has trouble memorizing mnemonics like MUDPILES is less of a doctor than someone who can work it out cause they understand what's going on.

I am not saying smart people don't do well on these tests or in life, just that the tests don't pick up all the good doctors. I think it has a low sensitivity and maybe high specificity for identifying good docs. My biostats are rusty.

 

[Avicenna]

Nor does memorization equate to intelligence

You're not 100% correct. There has been an established and uncontroversial link between general cognitive abilities (g factor) and most of the time people who are good at one are good at the other. I'm curious why you bring it up though, hows that relevant?

And if you're stance is "doctors don't have to be smart" idk how i can argue against that.

 

[stemingen]

Congratulations!!!

 

[kavorca]

You're not 100% correct. There has been an established and uncontroversial link between general cognitive abilities (g factor) and most of the time people who are good at one are good at the other. I'm curious why you bring it up though, hows that relevant?

And if you're stance is "doctors don't have to be smart" idk how i can argue against that.

That's not my argument. My argument is the MCAT is not great at identifying good doctors or even smart people. It may identify people who will excel at the first two years of Med school. I have no EBM to back me up. It's just the way I feel. I think the analogy to the rookie combine still is the crux of my argument. Being fast doesn't make you a great football player. It certainly helps, so the scouts use it. I think being smart will help you be a good doctor but the MCAT doesn't identify all the smart people. I would argue that a test like the LSAT may be better. I may be biased because I did much better on the LSAT then the MCAT.

 

[ace_inhibitor111]

Congrats to OP!!! I'm glad your hard work paid off. Living the dream.

 

[Avicenna]

That's not my argument

that's what you said when you replied "both". i don't mean to devolve into whether the mcat is good predictor of doctor, i'm talking about cognitive abilities as evidenced by general academic track record (of which mcat and gpa both are part of)

 

[kavorca]

i was talking about memorization in that previous post. I think GPA is important. I mainly was speaking of the MCAT and how good a test it is. I don't know anything about the new test, maybe it's awesome, but the old test, IMO, doesn't identify smart people.

 

[Avicenna]

I am not sure GPA or MCAT has much relevance at how good a doctor you will be

I think GPA is important

 

[kavorca]

I never said I was consistent. I just don't like idea that you have to have a 4.0/38 (or whatever the new high scores are) to be eligible to be a doctor. Nor do I like the idea that you have to be as compassionate as Jesus or volunteer like a Real Housewife to be considered worthy to enter the doors. I don't have a better idea to judge the applicants, but it's just annoying. You don't have to be a genius to do well in Med school, nor do you have to be pope Francis to be a good doctor. Anyway congrats to the OP. I am sorry the thread derailed.

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Are you saying someone's intelligence/ability to memorize health facts related to their career as healthcare provider is of little relevance to their ability to practice medicine, or are you saying that that intelligence is not indicated by their gpa/mcat?

The OP pulled off a 3.7 in an SMP, which clearly demonstrates a med school level academic aptitude. I honestly don't understand what you're fussing about.

 

[NewHorizons]

The OP pulled off a 3.7 in an SMP, which clearly demonstrates a med school level academic aptitude. I honestly don't understand what you're fussing about.

He's the same troll that thinks DO are inept... his craving to hold on to grades and equate them with ability is a testament to how desperate he is to wanting recognition.

Someone like him should honestly learn some humility.

 

[Avicenna]

.

 

[0dee]

Congratulations OP, this must have been one heck of a journey for you.

that's what you said when you replied "both". i don't mean to devolve into whether the mcat is good predictor of doctor, i'm talking about cognitive abilities as evidenced by general academic track record (of which mcat and gpa both are part of)

The problem with GPA is that there are many variants that play into this. For example, how do you compare a 3.9 degree in psychology to a 3.3 degree in biochemical engineering? So the rigor of the degree plays a big factor into this.

And I'd like to leave this here:

and dont worry about my career in med school. I got that covered. Bc performance in UG is a terrible indicator of performance in med school.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

With those 3 criteria, you're saying you'd rather see a doctor who volunteered throughout college and made crap grades rather than a doctor who scored top grades and mcat, and did a lot of research?

I literally could give less of a crap what my doctor did in college. Or anyone else with a post professional degree for that matter. I don't care about my lawyers undergrad GPA either.

You dont think that theres a level of intellectual/cognitive/intuitive ability shared between taking tests and making judgment calls as a doctor? And how about someone with gratefuldoc's demonstrated level of effort still struggling to make test scores, u dont think that translates at all into that person's capabilities in his practice as a doctor

No honestly. I'm a low GPA/high mcat person, and think both metrics are totally useless. They predict future abilitily to make similar grades and little else IMO. Obvious schools want a good student to go to their med school, but there's a reason doctors don't list their STEP scores on their websites.

Academics is a path to medicine, but medicine is not academics.

All im talking about is gpa and mcat. Would you agree that they are relevent to someone's capacity to work as a doctor? If so, do you think below a level of performance, one is still cut out to be a doctor (regardless of "morals")?

Frankly, no. I do not believe GPA or MCAT has the slightest bearing on practice ability.

And another questionw while i'm at it, lets talk about "morals" for a second. how exactly is someone's morality going to affect his work as a doctor? Unless someone's a psychopath that intentionally tries to harm people. Lets take your average person and some super moral person, idk, the dalai lama. Is the dalai lama going to provide better care cause he's highly moral?

I keep hearing these buzzwords thrown around and cant help but feel like they're meaningless. Knifegunclub hit em all. How much does "morality" help? "Good judgment" is pretty much just intuition that can be reflected through grades/mcat. And "hard work" is good i guess but does it really matter when after all that hard work you're still not performing on par?

Morals: I don't need the Dali lama but I want someone who won't perform unnecessary, ultra expensive surgery on me. Hence, morals are nice

Good judgement in a clinical setting =/= stellar mcat skills. Don't know how to further explain this one. If someone wants to help I'd appreciate it.

 

[Lawpy]

It's interesting how whenever someone posts an inspirational thread about their success in getting into medical school, the discussion suddenly shifts off-topic and collapses into a heated exchange and eventually a flame war.

 

[Skydive Fox]

Reading your story makes me feel so happy for you! Congratulations, OP! Wishing you the best of luck on your journey!

 

[escanoke]

I am not sure GPA or MCAT has much relevance at how good a doctor you will be. I think it is mainly a benchmark to compare applicants. High MCAT especially doesn't equate to better care IMO. Who cares if you Doctor got a 28 or 34 on his MCAT? Usually the only ones who care are the ones who got the higher scores. I think the MCAT has as much to do with how good a doctor you will be as a rookie RB's 40 time at the combine.

How many No. 1 drafts ended up being a fluke, there's this guy that got drafted in the 6th round, scouts said he was to lanky, not enough power, did have the "it" stuff. That guys name is Tom Brady. Stats can only convey so much and aren't always a direct correlation of anything, IMO maybe, just maybe only at the extreme ends of the spectrum. I think people are just butt hurt because they THINK they deserve it more than OPs


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[Avicenna]

I sounded more acrid than i intended, and i was so intent on defending my point that i got out of hand.
I didn't mean to offend op and i'd like to reiterate that I'm thrilled your efforts paid off

 

[GratefulDoc]

Thank you for all of the well-wishes. I really appreciate it.

I am very sorry that this thread turned into a heated debate, that was not my intent. As I mentioned in my opening post, I wanted to write this thread for future applicants. With that spirit in mind, I just want to respond to some of the questions that @Avicenna raised (Avicenna, I am not offended, don't worry).

I do believe that you need to have some level of intelligence to be a doctor. However, I don't believe a single number in GPA without regard to other factors is a reliable indicator of one's intelligence nor does it demonstrate a shoddy track record of academics. This is what @gonnif said above regarding the importance of grade trend. Take myself for example (this is not a humble brag, I am using myself as an example because I only know about my situation intimately). My GPA is below average mostly because of a tough freshman year. The academic rigor of my undergrad was much more than I expected or prepared for. I did well in high school mostly because of my innate smartness, but I didn't have the study skills needed to perform at the level required at my college. I struggled mightily in freshman. But after I learned what I needed to do, I was on Dean's List from sophomore to senior years. So,if you just look at one single number, I am not a very good student. However,if you look at my entire record, it told a different story.

With regard to MCAT, I don't think it is much of a measure of intelligence. I struggled big time with it as you guys know, but I do not question my intelligence. As a matter of fact, I was identified as a gifted student from elementary all through high school. I got 2200+ in SAT and 32 in ACT. So, not doing well (esp.not doing well by SDN standard) shouldn't shake one's confidence about his/her intelligence level. I know 29 is below average by SDN standard, and it appears as though from reading this site, you need a 33+ MCAT to have a chance. But the reality is that if you look at it, the national MCAT average is about 25. Anything above that is above average. As a matter of fact, I know multiple people from my undergrad who got into med schools with below 30 MCAT (they got into schools like Tulane, University of Washington, Tufts, GW, University of Miami, etc). So, it really can be done without a high MCAT, which again is just another number.

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

The backpedal is strong in this one.

2/10 troll work.

Avicenna's not a troll, I think he just words his opinions bluntly. Which inevitably leads people like me to jump to conclusions and post unnecessarily long rebuttals

 

[Avicenna]

The backpedal is strong in this one.

2/10 troll work.

Talk all the **** you want behind your computer, but I never backpedaled. I backed off bc I realize how much my arguments were made to sound like they were attacks against GD personally, sounding esp insensitive in a thread where he's celebrating years of effort.
If you want, open up your own thread about the efficacy of med school apps (and their emphasis on GPA/MCAT) at evaluating the potential of doctors and I'll chime in. I'm not gonna sound like I'm putting a specific person on blast.

 

[Zywie]

OP your story sounds very similar to mine. My GPA was actually a little lower than yours but my MCAT was a bit higher. my cGPA was ~3.3 and my sGPA was ~3.2. I took 44 credits my freshman year and following summer of almost all science and math courses and got a 2.5 before I decided I wanted to go into medicine which really hurt me. I scored a 30 MCAT both times I took it. I did an MS in Biomedical Science where I got a 3.9. I had pretty unique work experience after college and was brought up by a few interviewers how it made me stand out as a candidate. I applied 3 times, 1st time my senior year of college and received 0 interviews, the next time was after I completed my course work in my masters program but before I finished my thesis. I got wait listed at 4 schools and not a single acceptance. The third and final time I got in to one of my top choice schools and couldn't be happier. Always nice to hear of others who really paid their dues and seeing them pay off. Good luck to anyone else who may be struggling. Just keep your nose to the grindstone and keep working. Your breaks will come.

 

[Pinkswan]

I have been hoping that I could write a thread like this for several years, and now that the season is coming to a close, I want to share my story for future applicants.

This has been a long and difficult journey and many times, I didn't know if i could make it to med school or if I even have what it took to be a doctor. I have been a lurker on this site for many years, and have wanted to ask questions, but hesitated because of the fear of being ridiculed due to my low GPA/low MCAT. When I read on threads with posters with GPA and/or MCAT that are similar to mine, and the response was those stats were lethal or the app would be circling the drain, my heart sank. Several SDN members have helped me through this process via PM, and I want to pay it forward. I created a new account to protect my identity. So, you will see that I only have one post, but I am not a troll. I am as real as can be.

Here is some info about me that typically would be considered lethal/uphill battle in SDN:
- I am a reapplicant, applied last year to 30 schools with zero interview
- My GPA is low/below average: cGPA of 3.4 and sGPA of 3.3 (1st semester Freshman GPA is ~2.5)
- I took MCAT multiple times. To be exact, I took MCAT 4 times (gasp!), and never got over 29. As a matter of fact, my score went down in #2 and #3. I almost gave up my dream to be a doctor because of this
- I took classes in the summer, core pre-med requirements at that, three years in a roll (Orgo I/II, Physics II, English, Stats). While most of these summer classes were at my home institute, one is not (i took it at my state school when i went home that summer)
- Because I needed to retake MCAT, my application was not complete until like from mid August to late August, which was quite late by SDN standard

I applied very broadly this cycle: 40+ MD schools and 8 DO schools. I received 4 MD interviews (attended all 4) and 1 DO interviews. I received some MD interviews quite early in the cycle (1st: mid-sept, 2nd: end of Sept, 3rd: early Dec, 4th: early March). I received two MD acceptances 3 days apart in mid-Nov. The 3rd acceptance in March. The 4th interview (in March) resulted in W/L. Since I already received two MD acceptance by the time i received my DO interview, I declined that interview and withdrew from all other DO apps.

I don't have any "catches" - I am not from one of the lucky states (as a matter of fact, based on AAMC data, I am from one of the states that have the highest number of applicants not getting into med school), I am not URM (as a matter of fact, I am ORM), I am not in military, I am not from disadvantaged background, I didn't have any publications, and I didn't win any awards.

What I do have and what I think helped me are the following:
- Two VERY strong recommendation letters from people (one of them a MD) that know me very well and spoke very highly of me and my character. I read the letters so i know they are extremely strong.
- Multiple leadership positions in different student groups that were consistent throughout my college career and showed many hours of work (e.g not resume padding)
- EC engagement that clearly showed my passion in one area (nothing earth-shattering or anything, just consistency and demonstrated time commitment over the years)
- I did a SMP and did reasonably well. I didn't kill it in any way (although I tried, and it was hard!), didn't get a 4.0 or anything close, but did decently (~3.7 GPA)
- I went to a top 15 school that is known to be academically rigorous. I know the general consensus in SDN is that your undergrad doesn't matter, but I believe that wasn't the case for me here
- I did have all the other premed activities like volunteer (400+ hours), shadow (~300 hours), research (500 hours), but nothing amazing

While my story is N=1, what i want to show is that it can be done. It is certainly not easy, and you do need to have something about you that you can tell a story on if you don't have rock-star stats. Throughout this process, it is my perseverance and commitment to my dream that helped me through. If you truly want to be a doctor, it can be done although you will have to work very very hard for it. I know the SDN wisdom is to apply broadly. I applied to 40+ schools, but i don't know if that really mattered. At the end of the day, the four MD schools that i received interviews are the four schools that i thought i would have a chance. The other ones, i wasn't sure but applied any way. I could have applied to those four only based from what my gut feel and saved a lot of money. But hindsight is always 20-20.

I know there will be many nay-sayers. I know my GPA and esp. my MCAT record is awful. Some of you may say that getting in is one thing, but with my MCAT record, Step1 will be a struggle for me. I can tell you that while i am concerned also, i know i will do everything that i can to succeed. I am very excited to start med school in a few months. Best of luck to you all!
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I know I'm late but as a current premed sophomore who got a 2.6 cGPA freshman year, this post does give me a lot of hope. Been working harder this year so keeping my fingers crossed. I assume you've probably started med school now so good luck to you in everything you do.

 

[GratefulDoc]

I am bumping this since I posted a “4 Years Later” update, a number of folks DM’ed me and asked for my original thread. Here it is for folks who are asking.