Seeking advice and guidance

[Claveaut]

Just recently, within the last two years I decided I really wanted to go to medical school. I lost a family member to cancer and another fought the battle and is now in remission. After this I realized how much it mattered to me to make a difference in the medical field.

I am now a senior at my school, Grand Valley State University, and will be attending an extra year. Up until this point I was nothing but an average student. Mostly B's, B+'s and A's. But I do have two B-'s and three C+'s. The two B-'s were not in science related classes, but the C+'s were. I plan on retaking all my science classes that I received a low grade on in the upcoming year, as time deems sufficient. With my current schedule I will still have a C in a writing class, but I have already taken a higher level writing class to 'hopefully' prove I am a better writer than my previous grade shows, and I got an A in it. But, I may also have a C+ in Orgo. I am trying to take this class during the summer though, which means hopefully I can retake it. Besides the retakes it is my plan, and I will make sure I accomplish it, to 4.0 these last two years and make the deans list.

Basically with the way things stand now, if I accomplish all my goals, I will graduate with around a 3.55 GPA. I will be taking my MCAT in the coming Spring, which is where my first question comes up; what score should I be aiming for? I have a very strong will, and when I put my mind to something I do everything in my power to make it happen, so if I have a point to reach I feel like I can obtain it.

Also, over the summer I will be working directly with a local physician in the hospital, and hopefully will be attending a mission trip during the summer also. I work full-time so hopefully I can still accomplish this while working.

I do have two more questions though; realistically what schools do I have a chance of getting into? I don't want to apply to schools I know I don't stand a chance, and I am wondering if I could receive some sort of idea to what schools may accept me. Also, I have researched some post-bac schools in my area and have found one at Michigan for a one year Physiology and another in Chicago which is a two-year general pre-medical study. I am wondering if these would be a better idea than even applying yet? Preferably I would like to start my medical school training as soon as possible, but if my chances are slim of getting in, then I would much rather attend a post-bac before I waste excess amounts of money applying to schools.

I am sorry for my long post, but I am in terrible need of some sort of guidance right now. Any serious, well thought out answers will be much appreciated!

Thank you in advance!

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[Catalystik]

Just recently, within the last two years I decided I really wanted to go to medical school. I lost a family member to cancer and another fought the battle and is now in remission. After this I realized how much it mattered to me to make a difference in the medical field.

I am now a senior at my school, Grand Valley State University, and will be attending an extra year. Up until this point I was nothing but an average student. Mostly B's, B+'s and A's. But I do have two B-'s and three C+'s. The two B-'s were not in science related classes, but the C+'s were. I plan on retaking all my science classes that I received a low grade on in the upcoming year, as time deems sufficient. With my current schedule I will still have a C in a writing class, but I have already taken a higher level writing class to 'hopefully' prove I am a better writer than my previous grade shows, and I got an A in it. But, I may also have a C+ in Orgo. I am trying to take this class during the summer though, which means hopefully I can retake it. Besides the retakes it is my plan, and I will make sure I accomplish it, to 4.0 these last two years and make the deans list.

Basically with the way things stand now, if I accomplish all my goals, I will graduate with around a 3.55 GPA. I will be taking my MCAT in the coming Spring, which is where my first question comes up; what score should I be aiming for? I have a very strong will, and when I put my mind to something I do everything in my power to make it happen, so if I have a point to reach I feel like I can obtain it.

Also, over the summer I will be working directly with a local physician in the hospital, and hopefully will be attending a mission trip during the summer also. I work full-time so hopefully I can still accomplish this while working.

I do have two more questions though; realistically what schools do I have a chance of getting into? I don't want to apply to schools I know I don't stand a chance, and I am wondering if I could receive some sort of idea to what schools may accept me. Also, I have researched some post-bac schools in my area and have found one at Michigan for a one year Physiology and another in Chicago which is a two-year general pre-medical study. I am wondering if these would be a better idea than even applying yet? Preferably I would like to start my medical school training as soon as possible, but if my chances are slim of getting in, then I would much rather attend a post-bac before I waste excess amounts of money applying to schools.

I am sorry for my long post, but I am in terrible need of some sort of guidance right now. Any serious, well thought out answers will be much appreciated!

Thank you in advance!

With a 3.5+ cGPA, a two-year steep upward grade trend, and an MCAT score of 25+, you'd have an excellent chance of a DO med school acceptance. BTW, AACOMAS DO schools only include the most recent class if you retake for the same credit hours or greater when they calculate your application GPAs. So those retakes you plan would have a greater impact for DO schools than it would with AMCAS (MD).

With a 3.5+, upward trend, and an MCAT of 30, past applicants had a 50% chance of an MD acceptance. With a 32, they had a 61% chance, and with a 34, they had a 68% chance.

Whether you'd need to consider a postbac would depend on how your stats are doing closer to the time of application, and what type of med school is your aim.

 

[Catalystik]

After thought: I hope you weren't planning on getting all the shadowing and clinical experience over just one summer. The average applicant gains clinical experience , interacting with sick people for about 1.5 years. Try to work or volunteer in a medical environment as soon as possible, so as to get a decent amount of experience. It's fine to get the shadowing in over a brief time; try to include a primary care doc.

 

[Claveaut]

No, I do not plan on only working on experience over the summer, those are just part of my plans I already know will be in progress. I am starting a research program with a professor and M.D. at my school and am also trying to get another mission trip started over my Christmas break. Any other suggestions are very much welcome though!

Also, should I work to clear every C + off my GPA or would you recommend retaking them all. The only one I know I won't retake is WRT 150, but if I leave a C+ in Orgo, it would free the whole summer up for me to work in the medical field.

And finally would a post-bac increase my chances of getting into medical schools significantly? How would a post-bac look if I also want to pursue a teaching profession at a University in the future?

Thanks for the quick reply, Catalystik!

 

[Catalystik]

1) should I work to clear every C + off my GPA or would you recommend retaking them all. if I leave a C+ in Orgo, it would free the whole summer up for me to work in the medical field.

2) would a post-bac increase my chances of getting into medical schools significantly? How would a post-bac look if I also want to pursue a teaching profession at a University in the future?

1) Not necessarily. If you got a C+ for the first OChem class and a higher grade for the second, you would have redeemed it without a retake. A second consideration is: did you master the material? If not, a retake might still be considered if you can't teach the material to yourself.

2) I think you mean an SMP? Yes, it helps a lot if you have a good MCAT score but an inadequate GPA. This type of postbac, is not a traditional masters and would not have an impact on your marketability for a teaching position. It is not useful for any other purpose than to get into a health profession school.

 

[Claveaut]

Quick follow-up; how would volunteering for the Red Cross look? Just something I am considering!

 

[Catalystik]

This is a worthy organization that could be a good place to invest some nonmedical community service.

 

[Kangna]

Hello guys
I just found out my MCAT score today and I got a 22S. I know this is a terrible score. My GPA is 3.73 and I have great extra curricular stuff. I studied a lot for this test but I do not know what happened to me on the day of the test and I got very nervous. Anyways, I don't know what to do now. Should I just withdraw my AAMCAS applications or should I consider Caribbean schools? I know Ross requires an MCAT but is 22 good enough. Should I retake the test and apply for 2013?
Please let me know.
Thank You.
Kangna

 

[Stumpyman]

with great extracurriculars and a good GPA, I would definitely suggest a retake for the MCAT if you feel like you could actually improve.