Need some advice...3.2/3.3sgpa 31 mcat, great ECs. MD chances?

[WillburCobb]

Oh okay I understand what you mean. Should I stick to just science courses?

Yeah, upper levels. Nothing wrong with taking some non-science ones if they interest you though.

Which schools reward the upward trend more than others? I understand what you mean. Should I take normal course loads or like >20 credits per semester?

Only one I can think of off the top of my head is Tulane, though their mean MCAT is ~34 and I believe they have a cut-off at 30-31 fwiw. Take what you can handle and still do well. So far your track record shows you should probably be sticking to 14-16 credits per semester.

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[shaner123]

Yeah, upper levels. Nothing wrong with taking some non-science ones if they interest you though.




Only one I can think of off the top of my head is Tulane, though their mean MCAT is ~34 and I believe they have a cut-off at 30-31 fwiw. Take what you can handle and still do well. So far your track record shows you should probably be sticking to 14-16 credits per semester.

Okay I'll check out upper levels. Wow they have a cut off that high? Yeah I was looking at about 16-17 credits per semester for the next two years so that should get me close to a 3.4. Would I be competitive then?

 

[WillburCobb]

Okay I'll check out upper levels. Wow they have a cut off that high? Yeah I was looking at about 16-17 credits per semester for the next two years so that should get me close to a 3.4. Would I be competitive then?

Your odds would improve a bit. Take a look at the AAMC link I've alluded to and someone else posted in here. Though, as Goro stated you need to take these numbers with a grain of salt as they include ALL applicants, and some populations can skew the data (e.g., HBCs, Puerto Rico, states schools with lower means for matriculants that have a strong in state bias, ets.) FWIW I received several MD and DO accpetances with a 3.45c/3.35s. However, I cannot emphasize this enough, especially based on your posts through much of this thread, I am VERY lucky and definitely riding the outlier boundary. Only one of the those MD acceptances was genuinely in my favor (my state school - with a STRONG IS preferance); the others were nearing the statistical equivalent of me winning the lottery. n=1 is VERYweak statistically.

 

[shaner123]

Your odds would improve a bit. Take a look at the AAMC link I've alluded to and someone else posted in here. Though, as Goro stated you need to take these numbers with a grain of salt as they include ALL applicants, and some populations can skew the data (e.g., HBCs, Puerto Rico, states schools with lower means for matriculants that have a strong in state bias, ets.) FWIW I received several MD and DO accpetances with a 3.45c/3.35s. However, I cannot emphasize this enough, especially based on your posts through much of this thread, I am VERY lucky and definitely riding the outlier boundary. Only one of the those MD acceptances was genuinely in my favor (my state school - with a STRONG IS preferance); the others were nearing the statistical equivalent of me winning the lottery. n=1 is VERYweak statistically.

Thank you for your help. That's awesome you were accepted! I'll be sure to do as well as I can to get around 3.5 and hopefully my in state schools will show me love. That's basically what a dean told me that if I applied now it's like buying a lottery ticket hoping I win.

 

[shopsteward]

Which schools reward the upward trend more than others? I understand what you mean. Should I take normal course loads or like >20 credits per semester?

Quote from Goro in this thread -http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ergrad-science-gpa-3-0.1067421/#post-15164290

"SOME med schools believe in, and reward reinvention, as long as it's accompanied by a nice a high (>33) MCAT. Examples based upon posts here in SDN include Case, Tulane, NYMC, Drexel, Tufts and SUNY-Upstate."

(But don't think about retaking your 31 MCAT based on that statement: at the moment your MCAT is not your most important limiting factor, and with a strong 2/3 year upward trend and a convincing story you would have an acceptable chance at MD. If you spend a couple of years getting your gpa up to 3.4/3.5, have no luck with applications based on that gpa and you have evidence to show you can do very substantially (4+ equivalent) better on the new MCAT, you might retake then.)

As to courseload, take a standard course load, provided you can get all As in it. If you want MD, you need to get your gpa up more than anything else (although do keep up with relevant extracurriculars to demonstrate your dedication to helping sick people, as much as you can while maintaining that 4.0).

 

[shaner123]

Quote from Goro in this thread -http://forums.studentdoctor.net/thr...ergrad-science-gpa-3-0.1067421/#post-15164290

"SOME med schools believe in, and reward reinvention, as long as it's accompanied by a nice a high (>33) MCAT. Examples based upon posts here in SDN include Case, Tulane, NYMC, Drexel, Tufts and SUNY-Upstate."

(But don't think about retaking your 31 MCAT based on that statement: at the moment your MCAT is not your most important limiting factor, and with a strong 2/3 year upward trend and a convincing story you would have an acceptable chance at MD. If you spend a couple of years getting your gpa up to 3.4/3.5, have no luck with applications based on that gpa and you have evidence to show you can do very substantially (4+ equivalent) better on the new MCAT, you might retake then.)

As to courseload, take a standard course load, provided you can get all As in it. If you want MD, you need to get your gpa up more than anything else (although do keep up with relevant extracurriculars to demonstrate your dedication to helping sick people, as much as you can while maintaining that 4.0).QUOTE]

 

[shaner123]

Do these schools favor OOS? I'm gonna try a few practice mcats to see where I am at and if it's better I'll retake it. I'll definitely do everything you mentioned. Thanks for your help.