School List Opinions - cGPA 3.57 sGPA 3.46 MCAT 28O Strong ECs/LORS

[skargylejohn]

Hey all!

cGPA 3.57
sGPA 3.48
MCAT: BS 12 PS 9 WS O VR 7

Practice Exams leading up to it
15, 28, 32, 37, 27, 28

Should have stopped after I got the 37 and rested before the exam, but my neuroses got the best of me and I took two more (27 and 28) a few days before I took the real exam. I really think it shook my confidence.

I'm listing most of my EC's and it's kind of a long list... Not sure if they would help me get an interview or not. I'm aware that my stats are definitely not ideal for MD. If you think I'd get auto-screened from any of these schools let me know, I don't want to waste money.

ECs
Clinical
-40 hour shadowing cohort of internists at a county hospital
-150 hours medical missions to Mexico - set up mobile clinics, performed and coordinated basic triage and treatment, assisted local and US Doctors/PA's in diagnosing locals.
-40 hour phlebotomy training at top 20 in-patient hospital
-100 hours volunteering in a cath-lab ER doing basic CNA duties.

Teaching
-2 years teaching gen bio I, professor appointed
-1 year tutoring human anatomy

Research
-Two summers and one semester (total 600+ hours) working with bacterial biofilms associated with Cystic Fibrosis. Developed protocol and techniques for comparing lab grown biofilms with biofilms grown from CF sputum samples. Wanted to establish protocols for lab based CF pharmaceutical testing to halt biofilm development.
One poster presentation and oral presentation.

Leadership
-Executive Director of a student run non-profit fundraising organization. Recruited and oversaw staff of 15, 30-35 hrs/week while full-time. Accomplishments: quadrupled attendance at events, garnered two corporate sponsors, raised several thousand outside of corporate sponsorships, established permanence at university among others.

Hobbies
-Self Taught musician and song-writer - self produced/recorded two demos, performed in several small venues over ten years.
-Played intercollegiate rugby for two years, coached for one.
-Wrote first draft of a novella.

Misc.
-Phi Delta Epsilon pre-medical member
-Studied at Oxford University - 3.8 GPA

and finally.... School List

UIllinois
OHSU - MD/Mph (born in portland, most of my family is in oregon)
UCD (super reach but would love to go there)
UCI (MD mentor and alumni of the program recommended it)
Loma Linda
USC (same mentor recommended it)
RFU
Creighton
NYMC
BostonU (reach?)
Wake Forest
Rush
Medical College of Wisconsin
MSU

Again, just want advice on which ones to not bother with. If I retook the MCAT and got a 32+ what would my chances be then?

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[FrkyBgStok]

Are you a cali resident? Are you applying DO? Is money a factor? Do you have a strong upward trend?

Without knowing those, I would say cross off all of the calis. Realistic answer is that if you don't have a generous state, all MD schools are going to be a reach. Your ECs look standard, but nothing to push you over the edge. MD may work out and if money isn't an issue, apply to every school you can. But if you need to stretch your money, your current list isn't going to do that. Do you have a MSAR?

 

[DanGee777]

Are you a cali resident? Are you applying DO? Is money a factor? Do you have a strong upward trend?

Without knowing those, I would say cross off all of the calis. Realistic answer is that if you don't have a generous state, all MD schools are going to be a reach. Your ECs look standard, but nothing to push you over the edge. MD may work out and if money isn't an issue, apply to every school you can. But if you need to stretch your money, your current list isn't going to do that. Do you have a MSAR?

Agreed. LizzyM of 63.7 is far below average for Cali schools, and also below every US MD school except the two or three schools with special missions that will generally accept LizzyM's of this low from non-URM applicants. The 28 with that GPA is probably a couple points shy of what you'd need to have shots at some of the low-tier private MD schools. I have heard that some schools may also screen you out with your 7 in verbal reasoning -- not sure about that one though, someone else will have to confirm if it's true.

How long did you study for the MCAT? I scored 2 points lower than you (although more balanced), but I was totally unprepared for the beast that is the MCAT. Major gaps in content knowledge, etc. If you think that you can improve it and would like to attend a US MD school, I would recommend either SN2ed's 3 month MCAT study schedule (link here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=623898) or a reputable MCAT prep course. With your cGPA, I'm thinking that you need a 32 or so to get into US MD. Your extracurriculars are good (I'd say slightly above average outside Cali, but not for Cali public schools), and so if you could get a 32 on a re-take and get complete by end of July 2013 at schools then next cycle should land you some interviews. A 31 might even get you a couple, but I'd feel much better about your chances with a 32 and applying right at the time the gates open.

As Fry said, applying DO is also an option. If you're interested in this pathway to a medical career, find a local DO immediately and shadow them for at least 20 hours so they can write you a letter of rec. Many DO schools require a letter from a DO, although not all that do require that you submit it before an acceptance. If you apply the first date that AACOMAS (DO app service) opens and get your secondaries in quickly, I imagine that you will get a bunch of DO interview invites. Your cGPA+MCAT make you competitive at all of them. If you're from Cali then certainly look into Western Univ of Health Sciences. It is considered a top-tier DO school with a strong record of matching its graduates into MD residencies in California and other western states.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=623898

 

[skargylejohn]

Are you a cali resident? Are you applying DO? Is money a factor? Do you have a strong upward trend?

Without knowing those, I would say cross off all of the calis. Realistic answer is that if you don't have a generous state, all MD schools are going to be a reach. Your ECs look standard, but nothing to push you over the edge. MD may work out and if money isn't an issue, apply to every school you can. But if you need to stretch your money, your current list isn't going to do that. Do you have a MSAR?

Sorry for the tardy reply, I'm graduating this weekend.

I am a cali resident and I am applying DO as well. Money is not a factor (although I want to make smart decisions) and I have an upward trend of 3.7-4.0 for the past two years. I was consistently marking B+/A- for the first two and a half years at school. I was diagnosed with ADHD (I fought medication for a long time, didn't think it was necessary) and as soon as I started taking medication I haven't had a gpa lower than 3.7.

Couple questions for you. I'm aware cali is virtually impossible with my stats, but I have a mentor who graduated from UCI Med and said I should apply to UCI, USC, and loma linda with my stats. He is a reputable source (president elect of SCPS, past president of PhiDE, federal legislative representative for SCPS, med school prof at UCLA etc...) so why should I not apply to UCI, USC and loma linda?

What EC's would push me over the edge? I have a bunch that were unlisted. I consider my GPA excellent considering I have averaged 40-60 hrs of ECs each semester on top of full-time schooling. But I also realize that an adcom might not look at my app twice because it is lower than the average matriculant GPA. Thoughts?

Yes I have an MSAR, but I'm not sure how to use it right. The second response accurately said that my LizzyM score is far below all US Med schools minus 3 (though I don't know which schools he/she was referring to). I chose schools where my stats were above their 10th percentile, but considering I'm a non-URM and a cali resident, that may be a wrong assessment. I'd appreciate your comments.

 

[skargylejohn]

Agreed. LizzyM of 63.7 is far below average for Cali schools, and also below every US MD school except the two or three schools with special missions that will generally accept LizzyM's of this low from non-URM applicants. The 28 with that GPA is probably a couple points shy of what you'd need to have shots at some of the low-tier private MD schools. I have heard that some schools may also screen you out with your 7 in verbal reasoning -- not sure about that one though, someone else will have to confirm if it's true.

How long did you study for the MCAT? I scored 2 points lower than you (although more balanced), but I was totally unprepared for the beast that is the MCAT. Major gaps in content knowledge, etc. If you think that you can improve it and would like to attend a US MD school, I would recommend either SN2ed's 3 month MCAT study schedule (link here: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=623898) or a reputable MCAT prep course. With your cGPA, I'm thinking that you need a 32 or so to get into US MD. Your extracurriculars are good (I'd say slightly above average outside Cali, but not for Cali public schools), and so if you could get a 32 on a re-take and get complete by end of July 2013 at schools then next cycle should land you some interviews. A 31 might even get you a couple, but I'd feel much better about your chances with a 32 and applying right at the time the gates open.

As Fry said, applying DO is also an option. If you're interested in this pathway to a medical career, find a local DO immediately and shadow them for at least 20 hours so they can write you a letter of rec. Many DO schools require a letter from a DO, although not all that do require that you submit it before an acceptance. If you apply the first date that AACOMAS (DO app service) opens and get your secondaries in quickly, I imagine that you will get a bunch of DO interview invites. Your cGPA+MCAT make you competitive at all of them. If you're from Cali then certainly look into Western Univ of Health Sciences. It is considered a top-tier DO school with a strong record of matching its graduates into MD residencies in California and other western states.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=623898

Thanks Dan, the plan by SN2ed is awesome. I studied for five months (while full-time with 35 hrs ECs/week) but made some tactical mistakes right before and during the MCAT and probably should have waited to take it. I have shadowed a DO and have a LOR from him, I also would love to go to a couple DO schools but I am trying to make a tough decision: go DO and pursue ER, or go MD and pursue surgery (trauma). I have been told that it is possible to get a GS residency from a DO school (one of the top three) but it's not as easy as MD grads. The decision is tough because I have volunteered/shadowed a trauma surgeon and an ER doc and loved both. But I don't want to get into a DO school, end up loving surgery more than ER and get stuck with a field I don't love. Thoughts?

I have been looking at WesternU and am planning to apply.

I am confident that I can easily score 4-6 points above my current MCAT, even though each point increase is exponentially more difficult. My post-MCAT practice scores were 32-37. However, I haven't had time to prepare properly this year because I co-founded and ran a non-profit fundraising org.

The question I have is simple: which schools will not look at my whole application (LORs, EC's, personal statement, track record, grade trends)? In other words, which schools that I listed above will see my GPA and MCAT and say "ewwww" and not give me a second thought?

I have a wide variety of experiences, traveled/lived abroad, raised in a multi-cultural home (though non-urm), have a passion and track record of philanthropic/under-served/under-privileged volunteer involvement, so I feel my application is unique and interesting enough to garner an interview or two, but only if I get past screening.

 

[Mazdave]

Sorry for the tardy reply, I'm graduating this weekend.

I am a cali resident and I am applying DO as well. Money is not a factor (although I want to make smart decisions) and I have an upward trend of 3.7-4.0 for the past two years. I was consistently marking B+/A- for the first two and a half years at school. I was diagnosed with ADHD (I fought medication for a long time, didn't think it was necessary) and as soon as I started taking medication I haven't had a gpa lower than 3.7.

Couple questions for you. I'm aware cali is virtually impossible with my stats, but I have a mentor who graduated from UCI Med and said I should apply to UCI, USC, and loma linda with my stats. He is a reputable source (president elect of SCPS, past president of PhiDE, federal legislative representative for SCPS, med school prof at UCLA etc...) so why should I not apply to UCI, USC and loma linda?

What EC's would push me over the edge? I have a bunch that were unlisted. I consider my GPA excellent considering I have averaged 40-60 hrs of ECs each semester on top of full-time schooling. But I also realize that an adcom might not look at my app twice because it is lower than the average matriculant GPA. Thoughts?

Yes I have an MSAR, but I'm not sure how to use it right. The second response accurately said that my LizzyM score is far below all US Med schools minus 3 (though I don't know which schools he/she was referring to). I chose schools where my stats were above their 10th percentile, but considering I'm a non-URM and a cali resident, that may be a wrong assessment. I'd appreciate your comments.

The 3 schools are all HBCs and since you said you're not URM those aren't really a viable option. UCI has a very strong Cali preference and being OOS your chances would be pretty much nil. USC and Loma Linda are private, and although your stats are low for them I don't think they consider state residency (check out Loma Linda's lifestyle contract and if you can live with that before applying though).

I actually don't think matching general surgery is that hard as a DO, though that's for someone who knows more about it to answer. To be competitive for MD schools I would look at raising your MCAT to a 32.

 

[skargylejohn]

I am a Cali resident though, unless you were referring to other OOS schools when you mentioned UCI.

 

[Mazdave]

I am a Cali resident though, unless you were referring to other OOS schools when you mentioned UCI.

Oh, I assumed from your OP that you were an Oregon resident and missed where you said you were from Cali. In that case, UCI and UCD would be reasonable, although still reaches (actually, UCD is less of a reach than UCI). USC is more of a reach than either of those.

 

[skargylejohn]

I've heard UCD is a much harder school to get into than UCI but then again it's all speculation so who really knows. Thanks for your advice though.

Anybody else have input?

 

[skargylejohn]

bump

 

[skargylejohn]

Bump

 

[Mazdave]

Unfortunately, I don't think there's much more advice anyone can give you. The reality is that with your stats, especially with that 7 in Verbal, and being a CA resident, your chances at MD are not that good. If you apply really broadly, you may get an interview or two based on your ECs, especially at more mission-focused schools, but an acceptance is far from a sure thing. Your options right now are:

A) Apply broadly to low tier schools with the understanding that you may get lucky or you may not.
B) Retake your MCAT to improve your chance at MD schools; raising it even a couple of points will really help you out.
C) Apply to mix of MDs and DOs and be fine with going DO if that's where you get in.

 

[skargylejohn]

Yup, plan C is in the works. If I don't get in anywhere I'm going route B.

 

[DocConk]

So.. How did it go?

 

[Goro]

Your state school, if any. But forget CA. Your mentor is, well, ignorant.


OHSU - MD/Mph (ONLY IF you're an OR resident; very hard to get into if you're OOS).
Loma Linda (but read their list of don'ts)
RFU
Creighton
NYMC
Wake Forest
Rush
Medical College of Wisconsin
Quinnipiac
TCMC
Penn state
VCU
EVMS
Albany
SLU
Drexel
Any DO program

Yes, but for next year's cycle.

Again, just want advice on which ones to not bother with. If I retook the MCAT and got a 32+ what would my chances be then?

 

[Theseus]

This thread is two years old.

 

[DocConk]

Yes, I really was just following up on this thread because he left us on a cliffhanger!