Suggestions?

[northwestres]

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Stats:

MCAT 29Q twice: phys10-ver8-bio11, phys10-ver10-bio9

cGPA: 3.45 sGPA: 3.33

Extracurriculars include:
mentoring for 19months,
resident assistant for 2.5 years with awards,
secretary of a campus club
volunteering at various walks and
over 100+ hours shadowing various physicians
served on various committees throughout undergrad
work-study student throughout college.
Division-I athlete for 1 year - women's crew
gap semester before college: waitress at a retirement home and a newspaper courier

Research:
Presented an article as lead author at Western Psychology Association conference and the the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Submitted for publication in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

Research Assistant in a Trauma department. 1 article accepted for publication. 3 more submitted for presentation at the national trauma meeting. at least 3 more will be submitted for conferences this summer. 1 will be a direct publication submission (it was presented at the national meeting last year).

Applied to various schools. Not too many reach schools (i.e. most had my mcat score in range and were private).

I received 1 interview at UW and was waitlisted.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

your ECs look decent, maybe slightly weak on the clinical side, but not too bad. Your numbers are your biggest hindrance. Did you apply DO? You are below average in everything for MD, and competitive for DO. Apply again, but be realistic and throw in a good number of DO schools. Keep building your app, but without a high MCAT to offset your low GPA, you probably aren't going to have much luck with MD. But still possible. Keep on keeping on.

 

[northwestres]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I am going to end up taking the MCAT a third time. Thoughts?

Oh I am also going to start an MPH program in the fall. Would this suffice in boosting my GPA?

 

[Agtongue]

The MPH will not change your undergraduate GPA as it is graduate work. From what I've gathered it is viewed as a nice EC. This is not to say it isn't a valuable asset, but likely won't convince adcoms that you can handle the tough sciences ahead. If you want to pursue an MD I would take more upper division undergraduate science courses (maybe areas where you performed poorly), and retake the MCAT when you are ready to kick its butt.

I have similar stats (MCAT 33 though), and with a very strong upward trend, and like you received one interview and was wait listed. So this year I took 2 upper div bio courses, added 2 new volunteer etc and will be attending a "high-linkage" SMP.

 

[Buzz Me]

MPH won't help. Post-bac classes will help your GPA.

 

[cabinbuilder]

Stats:

MCAT 29Q twice: phys10-ver8-bio11, phys10-ver10-bio9

cGPA: 3.45 sGPA: 3.33

Extracurriculars include:
mentoring for 19months,
resident assistant for 2.5 years with awards,
secretary of a campus club
volunteering at various walks and
over 100+ hours shadowing various physicians
served on various committees throughout undergrad
work-study student throughout college.
Division-I athlete for 1 year - women's crew
gap semester before college: waitress at a retirement home and a newspaper courier

Research:
Presented an article as lead author at Western Psychology Association conference and the the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Submitted for publication in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

Research Assistant in a Trauma department. 1 article accepted for publication. 3 more submitted for presentation at the national trauma meeting. at least 3 more will be submitted for conferences this summer. 1 will be a direct publication submission (it was presented at the national meeting last year).

Applied to various schools. Not too many reach schools (i.e. most had my mcat score in range and were private).

I received 1 interview at UW and was waitlisted.

Looks like you only applied to a minimal amount of schools and the one that is impossible to get into (UW). You need to apply to a bunch of schools. Your numbers are fine for DO and your MCAT is great. You have to apply everywhere these days. Can't be picky if you really want to be a doctor.

 

[Jamie561]

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I am going to end up taking the MCAT a third time. Thoughts?

Oh I am also going to start an MPH program in the fall. Would this suffice in boosting my GPA?

MPH will do nothing for your subpar GPA unfortunately

Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using Tapatalk

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

What's your in-state school? Have the PS readers read yours, and apply DO, unless you're dead set against it, apply June 1st, and if you don't have any interviews set up by Aug (I already had 2-3 DO interviews by mid Aug, and my stats are way lower) start taking some classes as suggested...

 

[northwestres]

In-state to WA.

The MPH program isn't for a GPA boost (although it would have been nice). I have an interest in the field of epidemiology and would be concentrating by masters toward that field to continue to do research as a physician.

I applied broadly to schools (about 20 in all - both east and west coast but mostly private due to my in-state being WA).

I guess I will look into retaking the MCAT due to my interest in getting an MPH (I will be mostly applying to MD/MPH schools this round) and possibly consider a summer Biology class. It is just difficult (but I suppose can be done) working full-time.

 

[Agtongue]

Try and add some more clinical stuff if you are dead set on the mph. Don't restrict yourself to mainly MD/MPH programs, apply to as many as you can afford/make sense.

Good Luck!