Super Low GPA, Unknown MCAT, Need Advice

[Femurz]

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Hey, wonderful people,

I'm in dire need of advice on my application. I used to be an athletic training major, but I didn't like it and switched after about 2.0 years. Everything below is everything I've done since I started college. I was a cruddy student, but I don't feel that my GPA represents who I am as a student. Not anymore, at least. I've already taken orgo and biochem and the worst grade I had was Gen Chem 2 (C- -->B+). Should I consider a Master's?

Thank you for your help!

I'm a White male from a rural area...

Concise MD Application

GPA: 3.24 (95 credits)

1. Will be taking a 5th year due to cruddy advising, in addition to a major change
2. Last 3 semesters (~2.7, 3.62, 3.76, Maybe a 4.0 this semester??)

MCAT: ???

Shadowing: 240 hours, all orthopedic subspecialties

1. Sports Shoulder/Elbow Surgery
2. Trauma Surgery
3. Hand Surgery
4. Hip/Knee Surgery

PCC: 2,000 hours (1,500 Care Aide at regional level-2 trauma center & 500 Med-Tech in a memory care unit)

Volunteer: 619 hours (Non-clinical)

1. Camp Counselor for several years
2. JV Football Coach (last ½ of 2024 season)
3. Assistant Wrestling Coach
4. Put together a group volunteer activity for a mushing race
5. Volunteer working at the tables during local wrestling meets/duals

Research: 200 hours

1. Energetics Lab (Hibernation/Habitat Testing)
   1. Help set up a working “hibernation facility.”
   2. Not in the lab anymore, no publications, still have a good relationship with the research advisor
2. Clinical Orthopedic Summer Internship
   1. Extremely Rare Fungal PJI in a Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: Case Report
      1. In Progress and should be published later this year
   2. Perioperative Work Associated with Shoulder Arthroplasty: An Ever-Growing Burden
      1. Partly completed (Dropped due to an inaccurate data retrieval system)
   3. More papers to come, I’m the first or second author on these and all future works aside from the surgeon I research under (data is pulled by a data analyst).
3. Biochemistry Lab
   1. Developing a BRET Sensor
   2. Just started this lab, and will work on heavy Biochemistry research for the next year or longer.

Athletics: 460 hours

1. Division 2 Football Freshman Year (quit due to financial reasons).
2. Invited to an Olympic training site (wrestling) that I had to turn down due to financial reasons.

Non-Clinical Jobs: 3,120 hours

1. Assistant teacher at a local daycare for several years
2. Live-in babysitter at an Outdoorsy club
3. Restaurant work

Miscellaneous:

1. Proposed and won $1,250.00 in funding to bring pre-med students on a trip to tour a med school.
2. Lived with a surgeon for 13 weeks through the summer on an orthopedic internship while simultaneously doing research with a crew of medical students.
3. Started a club to create more hands-on opportunities (volunteer, trip, shadowing, etc.) for our rural college students.
4. Awarded several substantial pre-medical and pre-health scholarships.
5. Was a state placer in heavyweight wrestling my senior year of high school.
6. Hobby is beatboxing (8yrs total), and I think I’m pretty descent, but never competed
   1. If you actually know who I am, congratulations lol
7. Hobby is the gym (540lb free squat and 335lb bench)
   1. Don’t take this as me gloating, please

Future LOR’s:

1. An elite orthopedic subspecialist (MD)
2. Biochemistry professor/research advisor (PhD)
3. Board letter (PhD’s & MDs potentially)
4. Molecular Biology Professor (PhD)
5. Hopefully, a few others in the future.
6. Potentially some teachers at a middle school that know me well?

I'm just wondering what I should do about my crap GPA and how I can improve my chances of getting into an MD program. Are there any schools that are known to be a bit more forgiving if the MCAT is decent? Any advice is welcome, but please be nice 🙂)

Thank you all!

 

[Faha]

Where is your state of residence? You have an upward trend in your GPA, which is good. When are you taking the MCAT?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

If you are pivoting from being an athletic trainer, I suggest having more shadowing experiences that are far away from ortho. General internal med perhaps.

Hard to make a call without an MCAT or (for me) your BCPM GPA. State of residence is important, as is your possible intention to pursue rural medicine or become an advocate for community health.

 

[Goro]

Hey, wonderful people,

I'

The GPA is fine for DO schools right now.

But if you're boning for the MD, read this:
Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention (updated for 2021)

 

[chilly_md]

You spent too much time shadowing, and it was all for surgery. I would suggest shadowing primary care for around 20-30 hours.
Your volunteering is essentially doing unpaid work for athletics. That category is meant for helping those less unfortunate (soup kitchen, homeless shelter, Ronald McDonald etc). The MD schools more lenient on applicants with lower grades earlier in their career have missions to help those underserved in the community.

On the plus side, you have strong clinical experience. Work on keeping grades up for the next year and scoring high on the MCAT.