Question?

[whattodowithmys]

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Hi,
First of all, thanks everyone for thier helpful input, its great to see perspectives from students that we wouldnt normally see on school websites etc. My question has multiple parts I guess...
First, I am a va resident, and I was wondering if that would be helpful at all in getting into the uva MSTP.
Also, I was wondering why UVa's BME program isnt listed by the participants on this site as one of the really good BME programs, looking at their website it seems to be a pretty good grad program.
My last question is more specific to myself. (Don't be afraid to tell me what you really think!):
I currently have a 3.4 double majoring at an ivy school. i have not yet taken the mcats (i will next spring), i have a bunch of ec's (volunteer, leadership, shadowing a dr., varsity athletics) and by graduation i wil have 2 years of research in cardiac electrophys. I was wondering if anyone thinks its possible for me to get into a mstp like uva given my grades, and if so what kind of mcat i should shoot for? Thanks so much!!!!

 

[the citizen]

Shoot for a 45 MCAT. Seriously: you will need a strong MCAT to make up for a 3.4 GPA. Otherwise, assuming your research is substantial, you can talk about it well, and you have good letters, I think you will be competitive at many programs.

 

[whattodowithmys]

shoot for a 45? Thanks dude.

 

[tofurious]

Shoot for a 45 MCAT

He's just joking. If your electrophys research is solid, that's as golden as a 45 MCAT. Electrophys is one of those areas of biophysical sciences that most biologists don't understand and will as a result respect. You will need at least a 32-35 MCAT though to slightly make up for the 3.4 GPA.

As far as I know, UVa is not a great school on paper but does pretty well in matches for the east coast residency programs.

 

[Neuronix]

As far as I know, UVa is not a great school on paper but does pretty well in matches for the east coast residency programs.

I would say shoot for a 34+, but that's just the arbitrary number I always say for a good MSTP MCAT score. Also, being a VA resident does not help you get into the UVa MD/PhD program. These programs ignore state residency. One possibility is if you went there for MD and then switched into the MD/PhD program, but this of course would be a last resort if offered.

As for the quoted statement, I think it's true for the MD program, but not for the MD/PhD program. If you go to UVa, you will be a MSTP MD/PhD student come residency time. As long as it's not something super-competitive, you'll probably get just about any residency you want.

 

[Gfunk6]

I agree with what the others have said. Your GPA is a tad low, but can be made up for with a good MCAT showing (34+ is good, but 35 or 36 would be optimal). The rest of your background looks solid.