nontradional student looking for help on where to apply

[jmu29]

Hi all looking for some advice on where to apply. I am a nontraditional student with a crazy story/route. Long story short, always wanted to go to med school, GPA has been up and down because my wife and I had our first child while I was a jr and second when I was a sr in undergrad which made me have to commute from WV to NY on a weekly basis at the time. I have 1d and 1f on my transcript from this (missed the final and got an F). Retook and got a's in both. c in orgo 1 retook and got an a. sGPA 3.01 cGPA 3.3+ (from previous aamc app), my transcript has cGPA 3.6. I dropped out in 2019 due to family circumstances and had to work more. Finishing my last course this fall semester and re-applying in may. last mcat score was 501 in 2019 with barely studying hoping for 510+ when i re-take. Where I shine is my extracurriculars which I started as a senior in high school. Worked as a scribe full time ~6500 hrs total, research in ortho trauma full time ~5000 hrs (paid) at rutgers, ortho sports med research at nyu (not paid) ~500 hrs, few hundred shadow hours (all ortho), worked in several unpaid research labs in undergrad for another few hundred hours, and have ~1500 hours volunteering in ED. I also have worked on about 7 medical studies that have been submitted and about 2/3 articles that have been published. since 2019 i havent done anything medical related, getting another job as a scribe now while i finish my last course and reeapply. What schools should I be looking to apply to? Prefer MD school but will probably apply do as well.

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[deleted1162863]

Sounds like you've put in a lot of work! Is there perhaps a pre-med advisor at your school you could reach out to?

 

[jmu29]

Sounds like you've put in a lot of work! Is there perhaps a pre-med advisor at your school you could reach out to?

Yes, I remember speaking with them when I was previously in school and they were not much of a help :/

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Where is your state of residence?

 

[jmu29]

Where is your state of residence?

New jersey

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Okay... let me ask you to format your profile: *~*~*~*IMPORTANT: How to Format Your WAMC Thread for Optimal Results and More!!*~*~*~* .

I'm going to presume your geographic preference is to stay in NJ, so are you closer to Philly or NYC? Would it matter? Your year-by-year GPA trend would be helpful.

 

[jmu29]

Okay... let me ask you to format your profile: *~*~*~*IMPORTANT: How to Format Your WAMC Thread for Optimal Results and More!!*~*~*~* .

I'm going to presume your geographic preference is to stay in NJ, so are you closer to Philly or NYC? Would it matter? Your year-by-year GPA trend would be helpful.

1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS: cgpa 3.34 sgpa: 3.01
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown 501, retaking 5/2024
3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US) NJ, USA
4. Ethnicity and/or race White
5. Undergraduate institution or category: transferred a couple of times but graduated from pace university
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer) Worked as a scribe full time ~6500 hrs total, research in ortho trauma full time ~5000 hrs (paid) at rutgers, ortho sports med research at nyu (not paid) ~500 hrs, few hundred shadow hours (all ortho), worked in several unpaid research labs in undergrad for another few hundred hours, and have ~1500 hours volunteering in ED. I also have worked on about 7 medical studies that have been submitted and about 2 articles that have been published. since 2019 i havent done anything medical related, but I just got a job as a medical scribe at RWJBH
7. Relevant honors or awards cum laude

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Right now, realistically if you submitted an application, you should be focused mostly on DO programs. I am not sure the in-state NJ MD schools will get to your application based on your GPA/MCAT (though they may give you a small break if your postbac/most recent GPA is 3.7+). I don't get a strong sense of your mission fit, so if your goal is to start medical school by next summer, go with the DO applications.

As mentioned, it seems you only want to travel a little farther than the Tri-State, so your options should include all of the DO schools from PCOM up to UNECOM. Include LECOM (number of seats and satellite campuses in Greensburg, Erie, and Elmira).

 

[jmu29]

Right now, realistically if you submitted an application, you should be focused mostly on DO programs. I am not sure the in-state NJ MD schools will get to your application based on your GPA/MCAT (though they may give you a small break if your postbac/most recent GPA is 3.7+). I don't get a strong sense of your mission fit, so if your goal is to start medical school by next summer, go with the DO applications.

As mentioned, it seems you only want to travel a little farther than the Tri-State, so your options should include all of the DO schools from PCOM up to UNECOM. Include LECOM (number of seats and satellite campuses in Greensburg, Erie, and Elmira).

Thank you! I am willing to travel since I have family in florida or tennessee. NY, PA and NJ are all close. I plan to retake the mcat 3/24 and apply 5/24 to start the fall of 25

 

[Goro]

Hi all looking for some advice on where to apply. I am a nontraditional student with a crazy story/route. Long story short, always wanted to go to med school, GPA has been up and down because my wife and I had our first child while I was a jr and second when I was a sr in undergrad which made me have to commute from WV to NY on a weekly basis at the time. I have 1d and 1f on my transcript from this (missed the final and got an F). Retook and got a's in both. c in orgo 1 retook and got an a. sGPA 3.01 cGPA 3.3+ (from previous aamc app), my transcript has cGPA 3.6. I dropped out in 2019 due to family circumstances and had to work more. Finishing my last course this fall semester and re-applying in may. last mcat score was 501 in 2019 with barely studying hoping for 510+ when i re-take. Where I shine is my extracurriculars which I started as a senior in high school. Worked as a scribe full time ~6500 hrs total, research in ortho trauma full time ~5000 hrs (paid) at rutgers, ortho sports med research at nyu (not paid) ~500 hrs, few hundred shadow hours (all ortho), worked in several unpaid research labs in undergrad for another few hundred hours, and have ~1500 hours volunteering in ED. I also have worked on about 7 medical studies that have been submitted and about 2/3 articles that have been published. since 2019 i havent done anything medical related, getting another job as a scribe now while i finish my last course and reeapply. What schools should I be looking to apply to? Prefer MD school but will probably apply do as well.

Your stats are lethal for MD, but OK (and I really mean "just OK") for DO schools.

Consider:
KCOM
MUCOM
ACOM
all VCOMs except LA
LECOM
UIW
UNECOM if you’re from the NE, OSUCOM if you’re from the Plains states and PacNW if you’re from that region
NYITCOM.AR
PCOM-GA
WCU

Note. A high MCAT will not remediate your low GPAs.
Fill out a WAMC template and I suggest that you do either a DIY post-bac or an SMP.
See this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

 

[Faha]

Post your new MCAT score here next year.

 

[Ellesandra319]

Hi all looking for some advice on where to apply. I am a nontraditional student with a crazy story/route. Long story short, always wanted to go to med school, GPA has been up and down because my wife and I had our first child while I was a jr and second when I was a sr in undergrad which made me have to commute from WV to NY on a weekly basis at the time. I have 1d and 1f on my transcript from this (missed the final and got an F). Retook and got a's in both. c in orgo 1 retook and got an a. sGPA 3.01 cGPA 3.3+ (from previous aamc app), my transcript has cGPA 3.6. I dropped out in 2019 due to family circumstances and had to work more. Finishing my last course this fall semester and re-applying in may. last mcat score was 501 in 2019 with barely studying hoping for 510+ when i re-take. Where I shine is my extracurriculars which I started as a senior in high school. Worked as a scribe full time ~6500 hrs total, research in ortho trauma full time ~5000 hrs (paid) at rutgers, ortho sports med research at nyu (not paid) ~500 hrs, few hundred shadow hours (all ortho), worked in several unpaid research labs in undergrad for another few hundred hours, and have ~1500 hours volunteering in ED. I also have worked on about 7 medical studies that have been submitted and about 2/3 articles that have been published. since 2019 i havent done anything medical related, getting another job as a scribe now while i finish my last course and reeapply. What schools should I be looking to apply to? Prefer MD school but will probably apply do as well.

Your stats are lethal for MD, but OK (and I really mean "just OK") for DO schools.

Consider:
KCOM
MUCOM
ACOM
all VCOMs except LA
LECOM
UIW
UNECOM if you’re from the NE, OSUCOM if you’re from the Plains states and PacNW if you’re from that region
NYITCOM.AR
PCOM-GA
WCU

Note. A high MCAT will not remediate your low GPAs.
Fill out a WAMC template and I suggest that you do either a DIY post-bac or an SMP.
See this:

• Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

currently a 2nd year med student, but will just reiterate that a high MCAT and the shiniest of EC's will not remediate a low GPA. I made this mistake: 5+ journal pubs, 512+ MCAT, thousands of hours working in clinical research and non profit world, BUT a 3.1 ish sGPA. I only received one MD II (subsequent WL that I didn't get off), not even from my instate MD school which has almost 90% instate preference. I received 3 DO II's, and I ended up at a great DO program (and wouldn't change a thing in retrospect), but if you are preferring to go MD, even with a 510+ MCAT, you're going to need to do an SMP. Again I wouldn't change a thing about where I ended up, but if I had had my heard set on going MD (which is worth some self reflection on if the case), I should have done an SMP. You are going to have to prove to adcom's that you can handle the rigor of med school curriculum, is proven through your GPA, not your MCAT, as much as I wish that wasn't the case. unfortunately as much as you may believe and may very well know you can handle it, you're going to have to prove that to adcom's through the numbers.

 

[rawrosaur]

currently a 2nd year med student, but will just reiterate that a high MCAT and the shiniest of EC's will not remediate a low GPA. I made this mistake: 5+ journal pubs, 512+ MCAT, thousands of hours working in clinical research and non profit world, BUT a 3.1 ish sGPA. I only received one MD II (subsequent WL that I didn't get off), not even from my instate MD school which has almost 90% instate preference. I received 3 DO II's, and I ended up at a great DO program (and wouldn't change a thing in retrospect), but if you are preferring to go MD, even with a 510+ MCAT, you're going to need to do an SMP. Again I wouldn't change a thing about where I ended up, but if I had had my heard set on going MD (which is worth some self reflection on if the case), I should have done an SMP. You are going to have to prove to adcom's that you can handle the rigor of med school curriculum, is proven through your GPA, not your MCAT, as much as I wish that wasn't the case. unfortunately as much as you may believe and may very well know you can handle it, you're going to have to prove that to adcom's through the numbers.

Could I ask which state school this was?