Hi!
I'm more than a little confused about what schools I should apply for in this upcoming cycle. If you could help me decide, that would be great! I've gotten a lot of conflicting information and if I could get some guidance, it would be very helpful. I'll list out my stats first so that you get an overview of what I'm working with before I qualify with my background & story:
cGPA: 3.64
sGPA: 3.55
MCAT: 522
Volunteering Hours: 350+
Shadowing Hours: ~80 (and counting)
Clinical Hours: 50+ (and counting)
Lab: Currently working in one lab (with a high chance of being published soon), have worked at the lab for two years and two months. Other than that, have worked at a stem cell lab in high school.
I am a CA resident, Indian and went to a top state school.
Extracurriculars:
- Started a nonprofit that teaches kids code in rural areas. We've went to over 25 schools (here and internationally) and have given out laptops and scholarships. I didn't include these hours in volunteering, but it's definitely 1000+ hours of work.
- I've always loved teaching and have taught kids in several other clubs and organizations as well.
- Started a YouTube channel this past year that discusses world issues & their solutions. It has 90k subscribers to date. I don't want to give my identity away so I won't go into detail, but it's not strictly medically related. That being said, it has definitely shaped my worldview a lot and has been a huge part of my life. It has taught me a lot of organizational, leadership and entrepreneurial skills.
- Worked with an organization that does emergency medicine in other countries and have traveled with them.
- Part of a club that does biology/tech consulting, which mixes my two majors very well and did a lot of work for different well known companies.
Alright, so I know there a few obvious gaps: there's little clinical experience, subpar lab experience and my sGPA is on the low side. But I hope my background will provide reasons for why that is the case. College has not been an easy ride and for the first two years of undergrad there were a lot of unfortunate circumstances that shook me mentally. During my freshman and sophomore year, my grandpa, who has had clinical depression, repeatedly tried to commit suicide, I got concussions from two separate head injuries and at this time, my grandma also fell and was ill for a long time. I ended up getting two D’s and two C’s those years, which are my lowest grades. All of this happening one event after another was just difficult to stomach and take in all at once. Throughout all of this, my family’s financial situation wavered a lot so long work weeks were a norm. Overall, going through these experiences has taught me a lot about what it feels to be judged for failing, kicked down and feel mentally destitute. I've learned a lot on the rebound too. Because of this, it's only the last two years that I have been able to seriously work towards getting into medical school.
Regardless, my gpa trend is upwards. Like I mentioned, I had two C’s and two D’s among several other B’s and a few A’s during the first and second years. I was put on academic probation at the end of my sophomore year. My junior year, I worked a lot harder and got only A’s and B’s. I knew that still wasn’t going to be good enough to get my GPA past a 3.5, so my senior year, I worked even harder and only got A’s and A+’s. I graduated as a double major in CS and Biology and now am currently doing a PostBacc to show that I still have my science chops (the C’s and D’s were from OChem and GenChem). I also took the MCAT last summer and got a 522. Over the next year, I am planning on continuing to build my nonprofit and work at my lab full time. I have also received offers from medical/technology companies and that is an open option for the gap year too.
Given these stats and life experiences, what are my odds of getting into med schools and which ones should I apply to this cycle? Or do y’all think I should I wait another cycle and get more experience? Is it even worth shooting for T20 schools when I have C's and D's? I'm honestly worried that I may not even be eligible for Medical School at this point due to my grades. Thank you for your help!
