Should I even go through the trouble of building my application? *TX*

[artvandelay786]

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[baxt1412]

should you better yourself? yes.

you can't just rely on doing well on the MCAT. how do you know this is what you really want if you haven't proved it by doing the most closely related thing that someone without specific qualifications can do (ie volunteering, shadowing, etc) for hundreds of hours?

the attitude of wanting to just skate by will not serve you well in the future.

 

[artvandelay786]

What are you talking about?

I'm saying that if I do not have a legit chance of getting into medical school, I would try to focus myself at becoming good in another field or profession.

Has nothing to do with anything you mentioned.

It is what I want to do based on shadowing and volunteering and my informal exposure to the medical profession. But if I have an unrealistic dream, I will have to come to terms with it and make the best of my academic/professional situation.

 

[baxt1412]

-.-

yes it's worth the effort if it is truly what you want to do. you most certainly have a chance of getting into medical school. i can't speak on texas admissions.

 

[claduva94]

Yes. Your background is definitely a sufficient foundation to build a medical school application on.

 

[DokterMom]

Assuming you're a legal Texas resident, you're a little behind time-wise (nothing you don't already know) but certainly haven't dug a hole for yourself that you have to dig your way out of. With Good ECs, your 3.75-ish GPA and a 29-31 MCAT stands you in pretty good stead for a TX acceptance. If you're not a TX resident, better become one soon, because that's a major IF.

 

[artvandelay786]

Thank you! I am a Texas resident but I am mainly concerned that my GPA is no good (science GPA). I still do not understand why people say a TX acceptance is easy for TX residents when the average GPA is rather high (IMO) at 3.7+ and even 3.8+ at UTMB/Baylor/UTSW.

 

[DokterMom]

Thank you! I am a Texas resident but I am mainly concerned that my GPA is no good (science GPA). I still do not understand why people say a TX acceptance is easy for TX residents when the average GPA is rather high (IMO) at 3.7+ and even 3.8+ at UTMB/Baylor/UTSW.

The med school application process is easier for Texans. Nine schools, representing the full range of competitiveness, each with a 90% in-state mandate (Baylor 75%) meaning they'll actually read your application. (Not like the 10,000+ applications schools like Rosalind Franklin or Georgetown get.) Because the full range of schools is represented and because in-state tuition is so low, smart Texans don't even bother applying out of state (most out of state mid-tiers know they're wasting their time interviewing Texans, so they don't, much) unless they're so competitive for the very best schools (Harvard, Hopkins, Stanford, etc.) that they might actually choose over much-cheaper Baylor or UTSW.

So the standard for Texans is: Apply to all nine schools. Cross your fingers. Get some interviews. Pre-match in the fall, match in the winter, or agonize on a very few wait lists. Roughly 60% get an acceptance somewhere -- same as the national average. Texans get to skip the "Should I apply to 20 schools? 30? 40? " and "Which 20? 30? 40?" anxieties, then have 15, 25, 35 fewer secondaries to write, and 11, 21, 31 fewer applications to worry about. Not to mention $200K less debt after they graduate.

In other words, you should thank your lucky stars you're a Texan...

 

[artvandelay786]

Wow, that was an incredibly informative post. I guess the great state of Texas does have its advantages. 🙂

As far as stats are concerned, do you think that the relatively high science GPAs (like at UTMB for instance) are skewed by the really, really competitive/good-stats applicants from out-of-state who want cheap tuition? Some of my friends and advisors have told me that I should be fine, but my GPA is much lower than the average and so I wonder if the 10% of OOS matriculants bring up the average GPA and its actually a bit less for in-state applicants?

 

[clairephillips]

Hi there! I'm a current Texas applicant too. I'm a teacher, nontrad with a 3.84 cgpa, 3.74 sgpa, and will get my MCAT scores back September 9th. My recommendation to you is to make sure this year "goes well," as you say, get more ecs for sure, register NOW to take the MCAT by the end of the year or end of January because there are major changes to the MCAT that will make your almost already strong scores defunct, but don't go overboard with your MCAT. Your gpa needs to be your main focus, and be sure to get involved in clinical volunteering/shadowing as much as you can. If you're in Austin, pm me and I'll give you contact info for some great volunteering opportunities.

 

[clairephillips]

Hi there! I'm a current Texas applicant too. I'm a teacher, nontrad with a 3.84 cgpa, 3.74 sgpa, and will get my MCAT scores back September 9th. My recommendation to you is to make sure this year "goes well," as you say, get more ecs for sure, register NOW to take the MCAT by the end of the year or end of January because there are major changes to the MCAT that will make your almost already strong scores defunct, but don't go overboard with your MCAT. Your gpa needs to be your main focus, and be sure to get involved in clinical volunteering/shadowing as much as you can. If you're in Austin, pm me and I'll give you contact info for some great volunteering opportunities.

Oh yeah, and I wouldn't rule out A&M, Tech, UTHSCSA or Foster even with your current gpa.

 

[clairephillips]

Oh yeah, AND making the argument that your scores aren't good enough for Baylor and UTSW so you can't go to medical school is like saying you can't get into TCOM because you can't get into Harvard. They are completely different systems, so relax. It is most definitely not too late.