Really need some honest advice

[GW_2008]

Hi everyone. I am seeking some honest advice about potentially applying to medical school for the 2022-2023 application cycle. I am required to submit a draft primary application to my undergraduate pre-health advisory committee, for which they will provide me a committee letter. I do not want to waste their time if applying this cycle is a futile effort. I apologize if this is really long and I really appreciate anyone who can give me advice.

Info about me:

ORM, Texas resident

Attended a T20 undergraduate institution in the South, Major: Sociology, Minor: Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Overall GPA 3.39, sGPA hovering around 2.8-2.9 depending on system (i.e. AMCAS versus others).

Did bench research in undergrad (no publication), ~200 hours of community service, published as 3rd author of a retrospective study in Dermatologic Surgery (research from end of HS to the middle of college).

Currently in my last semester of my Epidemiology MPH (large public institution), Overall GPA 3.92. Significant research, clinical, and volunteer work. Currently involved in three research projects through which I am likely to receive at least one first-author pub and my name on a conference presentation. My research mentor (who also taught two of my classes) is an infectious disease physician and head of the epi department who is likely to write me a glowing recommendation. I also work as a lead contact tracer for my university (this position involves coordination with clinical care, symptom assessments, cluster investigations, and leadership position within the team).

I received a D in Orgo and retook it last spring semester (while in my grad program) at my undergrad institution and got a B+. I was on track to receive an A in my retake but my grandmother (essentially my third parent) was hospitalized and I was a caregiver for her until she passed away. Took an undergrad microbio course at my graduate institution this past fall and received an A.

I am scheduled to take the MCAT on 4/29.

After graduation from my MPH, I am planning on seeking a clinical research position. I will have significant experience, including biostatistics coursework on logistic regression/survival analysis and the design and analysis of clinic trials.

I have accumulated approx. 500 hours of clinical experience through shadowing (~90 hours), volunteering, and working as a volunteer medical assistant.

I am not sure how or if I would discuss this in my app, but I was a caregiver for significant periods during my undergrad and this past year for multiple family members. I was also severely depressed throughout my undergraduate degree and lost two family members in the past 1.5 years. I don't want this to be an excuse, I know it is not.

EDIT: Apologies to everyone for not putting an actual question on my post. My question is whether people think it is a good idea to apply this upcoming cycle. I would be applying to MD and DO schools (AMCAS, TMDSAS, and AACOMAS). My tentative school list includes all Texas schools (including the 3 DOs), 17 OOS MD programs, and 2 OOS DO programs.

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[Bonne Nuit]

Hi everyone. I am seeking some honest advice about potentially applying to medical school for the 2022-2023 application cycle. I am required to submit a draft primary application to my undergraduate pre-health advisory committee, for which they will provide me a committee letter. I do not want to waste their time if applying this cycle is a futile effort. I apologize if this is really long and I really appreciate anyone who can give me advice.

Info about me:

ORM, Texas resident

Attended a T20 undergraduate institution in the South, Major: Sociology, Minor: Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Overall GPA 3.39, sGPA hovering around 2.8-2.9 depending on system (i.e. AMCAS versus others).

Did bench research in undergrad (no publication), ~200 hours of community service, published as 3rd author of a retrospective study in Dermatologic Surgery (research from end of HS to the middle of college).

Currently in my last semester of my Epidemiology MPH (large public institution), Overall GPA 3.92. Significant research, clinical, and volunteer work. Currently involved in three research projects through which I am likely to receive at least one first-author pub and my name on a conference presentation. My research mentor (who also taught two of my classes) is an infectious disease physician and head of the epi department who is likely to write me a glowing recommendation. I also work as a lead contact tracer for my university (this position involves coordination with clinical care, symptom assessments, cluster investigations, and leadership position within the team).

I received a D in Orgo and retook it last spring semester (while in my grad program) at my undergrad institution and got a B+. I was on track to receive an A in my retake but my grandmother (essentially my third parent) was hospitalized and I was a caregiver for her until she passed away. Took an undergrad microbio course at my graduate institution this past fall and received an A.

I am scheduled to take the MCAT on 4/29.

After graduation from my MPH, I am planning on seeking a clinical research position. I will have significant experience, including biostatistics coursework on logistic regression/survival analysis and the design and analysis of clinic trials.

I have accumulated approx. 500 hours of clinical experience through shadowing (~90 hours), volunteering, and working as a volunteer medical assistant.

I am not sure how or if I would discuss this in my app, but I was a caregiver for significant periods during my undergrad and this past year for multiple family members. I was also severely depressed throughout my undergraduate degree and lost two family members in the past 1.5 years. I don't want this to be an excuse, I know it is not.

EDIT: Apologies to everyone for not putting an actual question on my post. My question is whether people think it is a good idea to apply this upcoming cycle. I would be applying to MD and DO schools (AMCAS, TMDSAS, and AACOMAS). My tentative school list includes all Texas schools (including the 3 DOs), 17 OOS MD programs, and 2 OOS DO programs.

Keep in mind that everything I'm telling you hinges on a good-to-great MCAT performance in April. Without your MCAT, it's really difficult to give you meaningful advice. I also do not know the TMDSAS system very well, and I'll caution you that my advice is coming from the perspective of someone who went through AMCAS a couple years ago. I can give some general pointers, though.

Your clinical experience hours are great. You have a good amount of research and community service hours. Shadowing: check. Your ECs are in order, and how "strong" they are will likely depend on what you got out of them, and, more importantly, how you write about them.

In terms of your story/personal statement/secondaries: stay far away from discussing any mental health diagnoses. I'm keying in on your phrase "severely depressed" which is absolutely understandable in terms of the amount of loss you've endured, but if you also received a formal MDD or clinical depression diagnosis, do not disclose this. It is very, very difficult to write about mental health disorders in a way that's going to help your application. Most of the time, it will harm it. You just simply aren't given enough space to discuss your mental health with the nuance it deserves, and any disclosure can give adcoms a reason to question your emotional fitness for medical school.

However, losing a loved one is of course a tremendously sad experience, and It is absolutely OK to talk about these losses on your app. In fact, I recommend you put your academic struggles in their proper context by mentioning the deaths in your family. My condolences, by the way, it sounds like you had a rough couple years.

While I think discussing your significant caregiving experience could be an interesting angle to your PS, I am not the best essayist in the world and I don't have great advice on how you'd go about telling that story. I recommend working with your university's writing center or asking around your Master's program if there are any good on-campus resources for personal statement writing. I got help from the writing tutors at my postbac university and they were essential in helping me develop my narrative.

Your uGPA is going to make it extraordinarily difficult to go MD outside of Texas. There is also a pretty well-established bias against TX residents in OOS MD admissions, as everyone knows Texans are extremely likely to stay in state. Consider applying to zero OOS MD (unless you get a truly stellar MCAT), and applying to every single OOS DO you can afford. I suspect you may struggle with TMDSAS given your 3.39 uGPa/<3.0 sGPA, and if TMDSAS schools aren't biting, non-TX DO schools are going to be your best shot.

Be prepared to be screened out of some secondaries due to your sub 3.0 sGPA. If you get autoscreened, you should contact the admissions office directly, point to your upward GPA trend, and ask them if they would be willing to reconsider. In my experience, medical schools are often willing to bend the autoscreen for people with upward trends.

To answer your final question: assuming you get a good (my guess is that you'll start being more competitive around a 512+) MCAT, I think you are ready, in terms of having all the pieces together, to apply this year. I don't think it will be a waste of the premed committee's time to look at your application. You're not an unreasonable applicant by any means.

But, just speaking candidly, I don't know if you'll get in on your first try. That sGPA is really tough. You could try a cycle, see how you do. If you don't get in, you'll very likely need to take a year to do a DIY postbac of high-level undergraduate science coursework or an SMP to overcome the undergraduate/science GPA situation.

I am going to tag @wysdoc in here. If she is around and able to help, hopefully she can offer you some better TMDSAS-specific guidance.

Also, @Goro, what are your thoughts? What MCAT score would OP need to have to be competitive for OOS DO?

 

[wysdoc]

@GW_2008 you have had a lot to handle in the last few years.

Texans have a really tough time getting interviews at OOS MD schools even with high GPAs, so I don't think AMCAS is the best option for you right now.

I have 2 suggestions for you:
1. Instead of getting another job at this moment, let yourself have a break and take 3 months to study hard for the MCAT. It will be worth your time.
2. I suggest applying to TMDSAS MD schools (2 DO schools are also on the TMDSAS system) and to OOS DO schools on AACOMAS.

 

[Goro]

Keep in mind that everything I'm telling you hinges on a good-to-great MCAT performance in April. Without your MCAT, it's really difficult to give you meaningful advice. I also do not know the TMDSAS system very well, and I'll caution you that my advice is coming from the perspective of someone who went through AMCAS a couple years ago. I can give some general pointers, though.

Your clinical experience hours are great. You have a good amount of research and community service hours. Shadowing: check. Your ECs are in order, and how "strong" they are will likely depend on what you got out of them, and, more importantly, how you write about them.

In terms of your story/personal statement/secondaries: stay far away from discussing any mental health diagnoses. I'm keying in on your phrase "severely depressed" which is absolutely understandable in terms of the amount of loss you've endured, but if you also received a formal MDD or clinical depression diagnosis, do not disclose this. It is very, very difficult to write about mental health disorders in a way that's going to help your application. Most of the time, it will harm it. You just simply aren't given enough space to discuss your mental health with the nuance it deserves, and any disclosure can give adcoms a reason to question your emotional fitness for medical school.

However, losing a loved one is of course a tremendously sad experience, and It is absolutely OK to talk about these losses on your app. In fact, I recommend you put your academic struggles in their proper context by mentioning the deaths in your family. My condolences, by the way, it sounds like you had a rough couple years.

While I think discussing your significant caregiving experience could be an interesting angle to your PS, I am not the best essayist in the world and I don't have great advice on how you'd go about telling that story. I recommend working with your university's writing center or asking around your Master's program if there are any good on-campus resources for personal statement writing. I got help from the writing tutors at my postbac university and they were essential in helping me develop my narrative.

Your uGPA is going to make it extraordinarily difficult to go MD outside of Texas. There is also a pretty well-established bias against TX residents in OOS MD admissions, as everyone knows Texans are extremely likely to stay in state. Consider applying to zero OOS MD (unless you get a truly stellar MCAT), and applying to every single OOS DO you can afford. I suspect you may struggle with TMDSAS given your 3.39 uGPa/<3.0 sGPA, and if TMDSAS schools aren't biting, non-TX DO schools are going to be your best shot.

Be prepared to be screened out of some secondaries due to your sub 3.0 sGPA. If you get autoscreened, you should contact the admissions office directly, point to your upward GPA trend, and ask them if they would be willing to reconsider. In my experience, medical schools are often willing to bend the autoscreen for people with upward trends.

To answer your final question: assuming you get a good (my guess is that you'll start being more competitive around a 512+) MCAT, I think you are ready, in terms of having all the pieces together, to apply this year. I don't think it will be a waste of the premed committee's time to look at your application. You're not an unreasonable applicant by any means.

But, just speaking candidly, I don't know if you'll get in on your first try. That sGPA is really tough. You could try a cycle, see how you do. If you don't get in, you'll very likely need to take a year to do a DIY postbac of high-level undergraduate science coursework or an SMP to overcome the undergraduate/science GPA situation.

I am going to tag @wysdoc in here. If she is around and able to help, hopefully she can offer you some better TMDSAS-specific guidance.

Also, @Goro, what are your thoughts? What MCAT score would OP need to have to be competitive for OOS DO?

510+.