One more re-applicant needs advice

[170559]

I need advice on my application. I applied to all cali schools, OHSU last cycle. My stats:
-GPA c3.0, s3.3
-MCAT 29O(9,11,9)
-Volunteered in the ER ~36 hours(2006ish)
-Shadowed ~8 hours(2007)
-1 semester of post bac work
-tutored ~70 hours over an year (2008-2009)
-tutored through out college (community service/work study)
-Working as an EE last 5 years
-submitted primary in august

I got rejections everywhere w/o an interview. Here is what I have in addition this cycle:
-3 semesters of post bac work, mostly A's & B's
-retook the MCAT May, Not sure how i did but its the 3rd time around
-started the process to volunteer in the hospital beginning end of June
-lined up research starting fall

I know the research and the volunteering is kind of late but my work schedule has been completely insane the last few months. What do you guys think? Also I put in a lot of work last cycle on my PS and I want to use that mainly, I am mostly worried about not having new experiences to talk about and also being late at this point if I start with major revisions to my PS. Any advice appreciated!!!

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[catswym]

um, apply to more schools? Your stats seem low for the schools that you are applying to. I would try to find more MD schools with lower averages and/or look at DO schools.

Unless your MCAT score is significantly improved I don't think you have much more of a shot this time around with those same schools.

 

[the humming sea]

Maybe take a year off of applying and really get involved the best you can. Raise all your stats (and hours) and apply next year. I know that it sounds crazy but keep in mind that no matter when you start Med school you are probably going to work until you are 70.

oh yeah, and don't listen to the naysayers. I hope you find out great news about your new MCAT.

 

[MiniMoo]

Looking at your mdapps, I think you may have an unrealistic view of the strength of your application. Your GPA (both cumulative & science) are well below the average for students accepted into allopathic programs (~3.6). Your MCAT is also below average. Additionally, your clinical experience is extremely sub-par. Not only do you have no recent clinical activities (your ER volunteering & shadowing hours seem to have been obtained several years ago), but the number of hours you acquired would be considered very sparse. Most applicants have ~150+ hours of clinical volunteering as well as 30-60 hours of shadowing at the time of application.

I would recommend that you take the next year off to boost your ECs. I see that you're starting hospital volunteering again in June -- try to commit to ~3-5 hours/week for the next year. Find a couple of other doctors in different specialties to shadow. I would try to get at least 30-40 total hours of shadowing time in. If you are open to DO programs, I think your 29 MCAT is sufficient. However, if your goal is allopathic only, hopefully your new MCAT will yield a 32+. Does the 3.0 and 3.3 include the post-bacc work? If so, then your GPA still needs a lot of work. Again, if you're open to DO programs, they accept the most recent grade in GPA calculations. That means you could potentially raise your GPA quite quickly by retaking classes in which you did poorly. I would try to aim for a 3.3-3.4 at least for DO programs. For allopathic, I think 1-2 years of full-time post-bacc work and getting A's (not just "A's and B's") could possibly offset your low GPA. Doing an SMP program is another option that might be easier in the sense that it's just a 1 year commitment -- however, keep in mind that this is high risk, high reward (look into the SMP/Post-bacc forum for more information).

Finally, after all of the above, you would need to apply more broadly. I would strongly recommend that you apply DO as well as MD. If one of your main goals is to stay in CA, there is a DO school in Pomona called Western U. Their average GPA for accepted students is still quite a bit higher than what you possess now (3.56 cGPA, 3.52 sGPA), but your MCAT is on par with their average (28). With grade replacement, I think it would be your best chance at staying in-state.

I know that you're working full-time and extra time to take classes and volunteer is in short supply. But then you have to ask yourself how much you really want to get into medical school? If it's your dream to become a doctor, you need to find a way to make it work. Because your application, as it stands now, is pretty weak in all 3 major areas -- GPA, MCAT, and ECs. It doesn't mean you don't have a chance at med school, but it will take a lot of time, sacrifice, hard work, and patience on your part to get your app to where it needs to be in order to garner an acceptance.

 

[rbnsafsadgf]

You can get in with your numbers, but you gotta beef-up your application with activities, including clinical experience. Apply to a lot of schools that fit you! If you feel you are ready, apply this year. Be ready for the "what have you done since your last application to improve" question for secondaries and interviews.


People with a similar GPA and MCAT score had a 21.9% acceptance rate to MD schools.
http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table24-mcatgpagridall2007-09.pdf

When you say "cali" schools do you the UCs? or all MD schools in CA?

For out of staters OHSU is looking for: "Total GPA, as reported by AMCAS, of 3.65 or higher and a cumulative score of 32 or higher on the most-recent eligible MCAT."
-- http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/education/sc...admissions/academic-and-selection-factors.cfm
So, maybe don't apply there given this explicit policy.

 

[170559]

Thank you for all the great advice!!! I am definitely going to apply broadly this time around. I am waiting for my MCAT scores coming out end of the month before I make any decisions.