Should I apply this year?

[fawkes]

Hi,

I am a senior with a 3.52 overall GPA (3.4 science) at UC Berkeley, double majoring in bio and a social science major. I thought my school's difficulty level is something admissions committees would consider, but apparently only the GPA and MCAT scores matter. I haven't taken the MCAT yet and only started preparing this January.

I have significant research experience and volunteer experience with underserved communities, and about 40 hours of shadowing. I am also doing an honors thesis in my research lab and have participated in competitive research programs.

My question is: with a decent MCAT score (~32) will I be able to get into a middle (even low-ish) tier US med school? I have the option of spending a fifth year at my institution and raising my GPA (also having more time to study for the MCAT) but I would rather just go for it if I can get in to a decent school.

Also, is 40 hrs of shadowing a specialist enough clinical experience?

Eventually I would want to get into a competitive residency program like surgery. But I heard that your rank in the med school matters a lot more than the actual school for residency positions... Any comments?

Thank you SO much for your much needed advice!

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[Catalystik]

I am a senior with a 3.52 overall GPA (3.4 science)
1) I thought my school's difficulty level is something admissions committees would consider, but apparently only the GPA and MCAT scores matter.
2) My question is: with a decent MCAT score (~32) will I be able to get into a middle (even low-ish) tier US med school? I have the option of spending a fifth year at my institution and raising my GPA (also having more time to study for the MCAT) but I would rather just go for it if I can get in to a decent school.

3) Also, is 40 hrs of shadowing a specialist enough clinical experience?

4) Eventually I would want to get into a competitive residency program like surgery. But I heard that your rank in the med school matters a lot more than the actual school for residency positions... Any comments?

1) Actually, some schools do factor in a modifying factor, but they don't advertise it so it can't be relied on to help you.

2) With a 3.52/32, AAMC data from the past three years sugggests you'd have a ~47% chance of an acceptance to an AMCAS school somewhere. A 3.59/32 gives 55.5% chance. A 3.59/35 gets you to 67%. I think that a less quantifiable positive benefit would come if you raised your BCPM GPA of 3.4 with a string of A in upper-level science over 1-3 semesters. Spending more time in school won't help at all if you get more Bs.

3) "Enough" shadowing varies by institution. About 50 hours seems average, so I tend to suggest 60-80 hours so to appeal to as many schools as possible, split among 2-3 types of specialty, of which one is primary care.

4) At this time, General Surgery is not terrifically competitive. How competitive you are is based on USMLE (or COMLEX) scores, grades in third year clerkships (not so much the first two basic science years), LORs, AOA (MD honors society), and possibly relative rank in your class (if the school even asseses this). Research is important for some specialties.