Need advice please!!

[unholymosquito]

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Hi folks,
As the title states, I need some advice from you good folks at SDN. I applied late this cycle. Primaries mid December and secondaries with LORs complete end of january. I applied to four schools, westernu comp, atsu soma, Azcom, and touro nv. I am currently on pre interview hold at Azcom and was rejected pre interview at soma. Still under review at western and touro. This late in the game, I'm pretty sure I won't be getting any interviews let alone acceptances. My question to you all is this: would it be more beneficial to do an SMP at say western and try to improve my application? My aacomas cGPA is 3.36 with a sGPA of 3.19. My grades for the first two years at a CC was 3.7. I then transferred to UCI my junior year. Right when I transferred I went through some family issues.. My mom was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and my sister suffering from anorexia and severe depression tried to take her own life. I was going to doctors appointments and chemo and attending school full time while working 35-40 hrs a week. It's not an excuse but it definitely played a role in my grades slipping. My GPA the last two years at UCI was a 2.4. After graduating, I retook all of the ochem and physics series and also took some extra courses like pharmacology, immunology,and physiology. I took about 35-40 units and received all A's and 2 B+'s. My GPA for those courses was a 3.8. So combined together I was able to pull my GPA up. I could have taken more classes but at over a grand per class, and the miniscule gpa change it didn't seem very cost effective. My MCAT was a 23 at the first try and 26 on the second. My extra curriculars are not that stellar either. Having a full time job while goof to school and caring for family didn't leave much time. I did vounteer at a feed the children foundation warehouse 2-3 hrs every saturday for about two semesters as a part of the chemistry club in college. I also volunteered at a local church during christmas for this program called project angel tree. But it was only for a couple of days. I was a member of he cricket club in college as well. Don't know if this counts, but in high school I started a math and science club. I shadowed a family practice DO for a couple of weeks. So what do you guys think?? Should I apply to an SMP and go that route? Retake the MCAT? Take more classes and raise my GPA? I know I want to go into medicine and will take whatever actions necessary to get there. Thanks for taking the time to read this post, I appreciate your help.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Write a great essay. Apply June 1st. Apply to DO schools.

You applied way way too late to even get looked at given moderate stats.

 

[snurpy]

I would agree with the above, and add that you also retake the MCAT and try to find some research / extracurric during the year. I don't think high school clubs are very important in this application process.

 

[koan]

This late in the game, I'm pretty sure I won't be getting any interviews let alone acceptances.

You never know, but you're probably right.

My question to you all is this: would it be more beneficial to do an SMP at say western and try to improve my application?

I'm not a fan of SMP's and here's why: they are expensive, most don't guarantee admission (although the Western SMP apparently has a 10-person linkage that guarantees admission if you keep GPA >3.0 and score 34+ on the MCAT... ahem), and you have to take another year off since the "benefit" doesn't materialize until the SMP is almost finished.

My aacomas cGPA is 3.36 with a sGPA of 3.19.... After graduating, I retook all of the ochem and physics series and also took some extra courses like pharmacology, immunology,and physiology. I took about 35-40 units and received all A's and 2 B+'s. My GPA for those courses was a 3.8

Are you sure you calculated your AACOMAS grades correctly? If you replaced the lowest grades with mostly A's I am surprised the sGPA is only 3.19. Is there a lingering C dragging the average down? Perhaps a retake of one such class would be worth the cost.

My MCAT was a 23 at the first try and 26 on the second.... So what do you guys think?? Should I apply to an SMP and go that route? Retake the MCAT? Take more classes and raise my GPA?

EC's are important, just like applying early and having great LOR's. But none of those things will make up for a combination of low GPA's and average MCAT. My feeling is that since it is probably too late to really affect your GPA, you should focus on scoring closer to 30+ on the MCAT. Save your SMP money, take a prep course starting now and retake the MCAT in May / June. Have your primary ready to go when the scores come in and submit to a broad swath of schools. Good luck!

 

[powersr8810]

I agree with the previous people about applying early, with your GPA and MCAT you could probably get interviews if you apply early enough. That is what I did and my undergrad GPA is a 3.05 and I have been accepted to 3 schools so far. If you do decide to take the MCAT for the 3rd time, make sure you do well b/c you have to get special waivers after 3 times if memory serves me right.

In my opinion the best thing you could do is get more clinical experience (shadowing, volunteering etc) and write a great personal statement about the troubles you went through. Use the troubles as a learning experience and show how it shaped you into the person you are now, what did you learn from it and how can you apply that to your future in medicine?

 

[dexs]

Start volunteering and continue shadowing Drs. Increase your EC as much as possible so when you apply first thing in June you can have a bunch of stuff you are currently doing and have lined up for the rest of the cycle.

Second, apply to A LOT more than 4 schools. With average stats it helps to cast a wide net, so long as you are willing to go to those schools. 4 is very selective.

If you apply early to a lot of schools, write a great essay, add some ECs you'll have a great shot. If you can really devote time to studying and think you can improve, retaking the MCAT and getting a higher score is obviously a good thing, but a 26 isn't a deal breaker so only retake it if you can give it 100%, another 23 would be worse than not taking it again.

Good luck!! Stick with it and it will happen.

 

[unholymosquito]

Thanks Guys,
I appreciate all the the advice. So it seems like the consensus is to forego the SMP and instead apply EARLY and write a good essay while working on EC's and possibly retaking the MCAT. I was thinking about retaking the MCAT in May anyway. I believe I can do better with a little more studying and practice tests. Time management is what killed me on my last try. I do feel like I should also get some more EC's in though. I am in the process of applying to volunteer for a mobile medical clinic sponsored by my local church. Every saturday they go to an underserved location and offer free medical services to a couple hundred people. But with it being february already, I'm trying to see how feasible it would be to study for MCATs and work on the EC's and apply Early June. And if I had to pick which should I work on? Thanks again.

 

[powersr8810]

Your MCAT is acceptable at DO schools, may be a tad low though. Remember, if you dont improve significantly though, it will look really bad especially on your third try. You are better off adding experiences to your application for next year.

 

[mnoon1]

was the couple weeks of shadowing all you have? maybe you can try shadowing physicians of different specialties. At my first interview we talked extensively about the different physicians I had shadowed: family practice, internal med, neurosurgery, ob/gyn physicians. At my second interview they were very interested in my different volunteering experiences so good call on increasing those. Also do you have to work? A lot of my clinical experience comes from being a nursing assistant, they seemed to like to talk about that, so if you need a job be a cna at a hospital. good luck!!!🙂

 

[unholymosquito]

OK, so I did end up getting 2 interviews this cycle but all waitlists. Not bad I guess considering I only applied to 4 schools and I was not expecting much considering how late I applied. I applied to Western, AZCOM, ATSU SOMA, and TUCOM NV. I emailed the schools to see what I needed work on. I was told to work on getting MCAT up to around 28 or more. Get more shadowing experience. Also they suggested that I try and get some research experience and get my GPA up by retaking some undergrad courses I did not do well in. Considering its April already, I know I cannot get very much done. But I will try for another few weeks hrs or so of shadowing so I can get up to around the 100 hrs the school suggested. I am planning on retaking the MCAT and score around 30ish. Now here is where I am undecided. My sGPA is 3.19 and cGPA is 3.39. I can retake an undergrad upper division science course that I got a C- in (my lowest grade) and hopefully get an A. This should push my sGPA over 3.2 and cGPA over 3.40. However, the class is offered in the summer mid June to end of July and will cost me around $1500 to take. This will mean my AACOMAS app will not be complete until End of July. Or I could forego the repeat and just retake the MCAT and get more shadowing done. The earliest MCAT I can take would be May 21st which means I will not be complete until end of June. So here are my options then
1. Apply June 1st. But if I do that the only thing I will be able to do is get more shadowing done. And would the benefit of applying early outweigh having a better MCAT score?
2. I could do the option of taking the MCAT as well as shadowing and apply end of June or
3. Retake the class as well as MCAT and shadowing and apply end of July.

What do you guys think?