Seeking your feedback - much appreciated!

[baksy]

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Hi everyone - first off, wanted to thank you, SDN community, for invaluable information and insights.

Here's my situation:

Stats:

• Top Undergrad (think Ivy)
• Major - Economics
• Cumulative GPA: 3.42
• BCPM GPA: 3.17
• MCAT: 32 (12PS,10B,10V,Q)
• CA Resident

Extra-curriculars:

1. 5 research publications (1 first author) in well-regarded journals
2. 1.5 yrs - Volunteer at a Free Clinic
3. 5 months - Shadowing (and consulting local hospital on hand hygiene)
4. 3 yrs - Founder/President of students with disabilities organization
5. 2 yrs - Founder of Economics/Health Initiative
6. 2 yrs - President of 300+ student religious group

Work

1. 9 months (while in school) - Part-time research analyst at an M&A research group at the business school
2. 6 months (will be 1 yr by the time I apply) - Healthcare consultant at a leading Management Consulting firm (covering M&A Integration of hospitals/physician groups)
3. 3 months - Investment intern at a prestigious hedge fund (covering healthcare venture capital)

Possibly useful info?

1. Political asylum refugee
2. Disability - stuttering impediment - think King's Speech 🙂
3. Can write a good essay
4. Team Captain of intramural basketball team

What are my chances? Will schools screen me out due to low BCPM? I'm considering taking a couple classes to bring it up to 3.3, but it's difficult while on the consultant/traveling schedule. As my profile stands now, do you think I can get some interviews, any places I should target in particular?

I want to thank you guys and gals so much for taking the time to read and consider this post. I would greatly appreciate your feedback. Best of luck to everyone and I look forward to hearing back from you!

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Are you considering DO? With your stats you could probably get into a top tier DO program. Your GPA is low and your BCPM is very low. You say you are political asylum refugee. Does that make you a URM? The worst part is that you are from CA which effectively means you don't have a state school to fall back on, so you are OOS everywhere.

 

[Goro]

That poor sGPA will get you auto-screened out of every MD program, except perhaps the bottom of the bottom-tiers. It's near to bottom of acceptable for DO as wll, and would give pause to many AdComs.

How bad is your stutter? It might be an issue. We have to consider your ability to communicate to patients and peers.

Hi everyone - first off, wanted to thank you, SDN community, for invaluable information and insights.

Here's my situation:

Stats:

• Top Undergrad (think Ivy)
• Major - Economics
• Cumulative GPA: 3.42
• BCPM GPA: 3.17
• MCAT: 32 (12PS,10B,10V,Q)
• CA Resident

Extra-curriculars:

1. 5 research publications (1 first author) in well-regarded journals
2. 1.5 yrs - Volunteer at a Free Clinic
3. 5 months - Shadowing (and consulting local hospital on hand hygiene)
4. 3 yrs - Founder/President of students with disabilities organization
5. 2 yrs - Founder of Economics/Health Initiative
6. 2 yrs - President of 300+ student religious group

Work

1. 9 months (while in school) - Part-time research analyst at an M&A research group at the business school
2. 6 months (will be 1 yr by the time I apply) - Healthcare consultant at a leading Management Consulting firm (covering M&A Integration of hospitals/physician groups)
3. 3 months - Investment intern at a prestigious hedge fund (covering healthcare venture capital)

Possibly useful info?

1. Political asylum refugee
2. Disability - stuttering impediment - think King's Speech 🙂
3. Can write a good essay
4. Team Captain of intramural basketball team

What are my chances? Will schools screen me out due to low BCPM? I'm considering taking a couple classes to bring it up to 3.3, but it's difficult while on the consultant/traveling schedule. As my profile stands now, do you think I can get some interviews, any places I should target in particular?

I want to thank you guys and gals so much for taking the time to read and consider this post. I would greatly appreciate your feedback. Best of luck to everyone and I look forward to hearing back from you!

 

[Juan Solo]

First, I think that you have enough experiences in different areas to make you pretty well rounded applicant. Your MCAT scores and cGPA are competitive. I think the issue is your sGPA. Have you considered doing a post-bac? If you did well in a post-bac program then you would eleviate most concerns that schools may have regarding your sGPA.

 

[baksy]

Thank you guys for your responses. My replies to your questions/concerns:

1) Not considering DO at this time.
2) Asylum refugee, but not URM (not black/hispanic/native), I'm from a country no one ever hears about - closest identity would be "Two or more races."
3) My speech fluency is much better now, and one-on-one interactions are stutter-free. I stutter least when interacting with patients, it's strange. Also for my job as a consultant atm, my speech/interaction with senior hospital managers has been great so far.
4) I've considered post-bacc, but only maybe taking a couple courses, not a full-fledged program.

My question to you guys: I thought 3.0 was the cut-off med schools screen out on? Is it higher? Will they not even open up my application/read the essays, etc? I heard on other forums, people have had interviews with my stats (of course, I shouldn't use that to comfort myself in any way).

If I raise my bcpm to 3.2/3.3, will I still be screened out? How significantly would raising it to 3.2/3.3 help?

As always, I truly appreciate your responses and opinions.

 

[aspiring20]

Thank you guys for your responses. My replies to your questions/concerns:

1) Not considering DO at this time.
2) Asylum refugee, but not URM (not black/hispanic/native), I'm from a country no one ever hears about - closest identity would be "Two or more races."
3) My speech fluency is much better now, and one-on-one interactions are stutter-free. I stutter least when interacting with patients, it's strange. Also for my job as a consultant atm, my speech/interaction with senior hospital managers has been great so far.
4) I've considered post-bacc, but only maybe taking a couple courses, not a full-fledged program.

My question to you guys: I thought 3.0 was the cut-off med schools screen out on? Is it higher? Will they not even open up my application/read the essays, etc? I heard on other forums, people have had interviews with my stats (of course, I shouldn't use that to comfort myself in any way).

If I raise my bcpm to 3.2/3.3, will I still be screened out? How significantly would raising it to 3.2/3.3 help?

As always, I truly appreciate your responses and opinions.

i strongly dont think a 3.2/3.3 will get you screened out. you are correct that auto screen out happens at the 3.0 cut off mark. but at many places, even if your app doesnt make the number cutoff, a human will still read it.

with a 3.2 sGPA, your MCAT needs to be very high to compensate. and keep in mind that many/most schools focus more heavily on your cGPA in the initial screening process.

 

[baksy]

Thanks for the feedback "aspiring20", I thought the screen out was for bcpm.

I'm planning to apply this coming June and looks like I have two options to help this sgpa - which do you think is the most effective/reasonable given that I work full-time?

1) Take a class to raise bcpm to 3.2ish.
2) Prep for an MCAT retake by June - target goal of 35+.
3) Try to do both?

Thanks everyone

 

[aspiring20]

Thanks for the feedback "aspiring20", I thought the screen out was for bcpm.

I'm planning to apply this coming June and looks like I have two options to help this sgpa - which do you think is the most effective/reasonable given that I work full-time?

1) Take a class to raise bcpm to 3.2ish.
2) Prep for an MCAT retake by June - target goal of 35+.
3) Try to do both?

Thanks everyone

i would do both.

but whatever you do, make sure you dont underestimate the MCAT. spare no time or resources in your preparation. good luck

 

[Goro]

To be truely competetive MD schools, you need to get that sGPA up to 3.5. MCAT needs to be 30+.

Thank you guys for your responses. My replies to your questions/concerns:

1) Not considering DO at this time.
2) Asylum refugee, but not URM (not black/hispanic/native), I'm from a country no one ever hears about - closest identity would be "Two or more races."
3) My speech fluency is much better now, and one-on-one interactions are stutter-free. I stutter least when interacting with patients, it's strange. Also for my job as a consultant atm, my speech/interaction with senior hospital managers has been great so far.
4) I've considered post-bacc, but only maybe taking a couple courses, not a full-fledged program.

My question to you guys: I thought 3.0 was the cut-off med schools screen out on? Is it higher? Will they not even open up my application/read the essays, etc? I heard on other forums, people have had interviews with my stats (of course, I shouldn't use that to comfort myself in any way).

If I raise my bcpm to 3.2/3.3, will I still be screened out? How significantly would raising it to 3.2/3.3 help?

As always, I truly appreciate your responses and opinions.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Thanks for the feedback "aspiring20", I thought the screen out was for bcpm.

I'm planning to apply this coming June and looks like I have two options to help this sgpa - which do you think is the most effective/reasonable given that I work full-time?

1) Take a class to raise bcpm to 3.2ish.
2) Prep for an MCAT retake by June - target goal of 35+.
3) Try to do both?

Thanks everyone

it isn't about getting screened out automatically. most schools have a 3.0 cutoff but the reality is that without being a URM, very few have OOS luck with <3.4. It can be done, just realize that the odds are overwhelmingly against you and even worse with a 3.2. And a 32 is good, just not good enough to offset the GPA. There are record applicants every year so for every application with a 3.2, there are 20 with a 3.7. As long as there are more than twice as many applicants as seats, a 3.2 is probably not going to cut it for MD programs.

you are neglecting the fact that many who are lucky have good state schools that are generous to instate students which allows them to have lower scores. You are from CA which doesn't have that so you aren't going to get any special treatment for being instate. If you are serious about MD, you really should spend a few years raising that GPA significantly in order to have a realistic chance. A 3.2 won't get you computer rejected, but it is low enough that people will see it and through your app out without having even read your PS.

 

[baksy]

Oof, I guess that's harsh reality I'm facing. At this point, I think I have a better MBA application than Med school, quite ironic given my original plans...