*^~*~^* The Official 2006-2007 "What Are My Chances/Where to Apply" Thread *^~*~^* part 01

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C.P. Jones said:
here's my question

gpa: 3.74, mcat: 29Q (unbalanced) waitlisted at schools such as evms, drexel, uconn, penn state

Should I bother applying to yale (i work in a lab here). i would love to go here, but i don't want to waste the money on it if i can't even get into those other schools
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same question
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OP, reading what you said made me a little stressed out. Relax a little. Keep on doing what you have been doing and you should be ok.
 
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Here's mine:
http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=5485

Hehe hopefully that's not too much font.
I'm going to retake the MCAT in August hopefully with a score of 35+, we'll see how that flies, and reapply in June.

Also, I'm an international student. Hence, my home state is "N" ... couldn't really fit in N/A and NA might almost mislead people into thinking of it as an actual state.

Thanks!! =)
 
gwiddlebones said:
Here's mine:
http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=5485

Hehe hopefully that's not too much font.
I'm going to retake the MCAT in August hopefully with a score of 35+, we'll see how that flies, and reapply in June.

Also, I'm an international student. Hence, my home state is "N" ... couldn't really fit in N/A and NA might almost mislead people into thinking of it as an actual state.

Thanks!! =)
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I looked at your schools and your numbers and I think you need to apply to way more schools. Also though, apply to less reach schools. You have 12 total schools and about 7 reaches. This is especially important as an international student. If I were you and I had the money, I would apply to around 20-30 schools. If you really want to be a doctor add about 10 back up schools to your list. Also your MCAT is a 29, several of the schools you have listed have average MCATs of around 35 for accepted applications.

Here are a few school suggestions for your score range:
Rosalind Franklin
Tulane
Albany Medical College
New York Medical College
Drexel
Jefferson Medical College
Temple
Meharry Medical College
Eastern Virginia Medical College


These are private schools I basically just found flipping through the MSAR. I didn't specifically check if these schools took internation applicants or not. Many of these schools have numbers equal to yours and some have numbers far below yours, such as Meharry and EVMS. So please if you are serious about becomming a doctor consider applying to several more schools with numbers below or at least equal to your own.

Also I had no idea what region of the country you wanted to stay in, or move to so I just picked these schools with reckless abandon to anything geographic. Also I didn't consider anything about the school other than their numbers as they compare to your own and that they accept OOS applicants.

Hope this helps!
 
Can some please advise me (aka butter me up like a hot piece of toast) on what is the minimum MCAT score I would need to get into MSSM, Cornell or NYU? What are my chances? MDApp Profile in signature.

Also: very possible schools in the northeast. I already have a list but would like to read other people's opinions since all I get at school are unhelpful ones.
 
remarkal3le said:
Can some please advise me (aka butter me up like a hot piece of toast) on what is the minimum MCAT score I would need to get into MSSM, Cornell or NYU? What are my chances? MDApp Profile in signature.

Also: very possible schools in the northeast. I already have a list but would like to read other people's opinions since all I get at school are unhelpful ones.
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These are the averages for the schools you requested. I don't know what to tell you from there.
School-Overall GPA-BCPM GPA-MCAT
Mount sinai--3.76-3.74-35
Cornell-3.79-3.81-35
NYU-3.81-3.81-35

You have a pretty complete application, so if you score between a 32-35 I'd say you have as good a chance as you could hope for. NYU accepted 66 in-state out of a total 1453 in-state last year. MSSM accepted 54 in-state out of a total 1475 last year. Cornell accepted 34 in-state out of a total 1101 last year.

Hope this helps!
 
remarkal3le said:
Can some please advise me (aka butter me up like a hot piece of toast) on what is the minimum MCAT score I would need to get into MSSM, Cornell or NYU? What are my chances? MDApp Profile in signature.

Also: very possible schools in the northeast. I already have a list but would like to read other people's opinions since all I get at school are unhelpful ones.
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are you kidding? your an awesome applicant :)
 
I go to Gatech. I sucked when I was a freshman, but raised up my grades.
I currently have science course gpa of 3.75 and overall gpa of 3.70.
My engineering classes have been hurting my gpa. My major is biomedical engineering and I'm currently minoring in Biochem.

I have two years of research experience in neurology related lab.
I volunteered 6 months at a hospice, 6 month at ER.

I was a president for some organization in my school.
I participated few intramurals.

Back to scores,

I've been consistently getting MCAT score of 34-36.
Here's my question.

Do I have a good chance for getting into any of following med school?

1. Cornell
2. Columbia
3. U.Chicago
4. Northwestern
5. UCSF
6. Emory
7. Vanderbilt
 
platanus said:
I go to Gatech. I sucked when I was a freshman, but raised up my grades.
I currently have science course gpa of 3.75 and overall gpa of 3.70.
My engineering classes have been hurting my gpa. My major is biomedical engineering and I'm currently minoring in Biochem.

I have two years of research experience in neurology related lab.
I volunteered 6 months at a hospice, 6 month at ER.

I was a president for some organization in my school.
I participated few intramurals.

Back to scores,

I've been consistently getting MCAT score of 34-36.
Here's my question.

Do I have a good chance for getting into any of following med school?

1. Cornell
2. Columbia
3. U.Chicago
4. Northwestern
5. UCSF
6. Emory
7. Vanderbilt
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yea, those BME classes are often killa for the GPA, but it sounds like you did a good turn-around with a current GPA of 3.75ish.
 
Hello! I will be a Junior in the fall. This semester I did terrible! I made a C in org II and a c+ in calc II. I wasn't expecting to do that bad. In org I I did well with a B+. My BCMP GPA isn't so hot, about a 3.1. Overall my GPA is a 3.3. I have been working in the hospital for about a year now and I have learned quite a bit about how things are. I volunteer weekly and I am involved in a few clubs on campus.
I have biochem and micro this fall.

If I push myself really hard and start doing better, do you think my chances will improve significantly? I plan to take the MCAT next spring and apply then also, so that leaves me two semesters to try and pick myself up. That grade in org II is really going to come back and bite me in the butt :/ It looks like I might need to stick around another year to get my GPA up before applying.
Thanks!
 
godsfshrmn said:
Hello! I will be a Junior in the fall. This semester I did terrible! I made a C in org II and a c+ in calc II. I wasn't expecting to do that bad. In org I I did well with a B+. My BCMP GPA isn't so hot, about a 3.1. Overall my GPA is a 3.3. I have been working in the hospital for about a year now and I have learned quite a bit about how things are. I volunteer weekly and I am involved in a few clubs on campus.
I have biochem and micro this fall.

If I push myself really hard and start doing better, do you think my chances will improve significantly? I plan to take the MCAT next spring and apply then also, so that leaves me two semesters to try and pick myself up. That grade in org II is really going to come back and bite me in the butt :/ It looks like I might need to stick around another year to get my GPA up before applying.
Thanks!
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For most people the best thing is to apply to schools where they will have a higher gpa/mcat then the average accepted. In your case that will be hard to find. Almost all American MD schools will be reaches with a 3.3/3.1. If you do extremely well on the MCAT that could help you out a lot and you could get in. Your ECs are about average, I mean you seem to have covered what most people try to do. You don't have anything too spectacular like founding a soup kitchen or something ridiculous like that. It would be worth your time I think to really concentrate and make sure you get all A's. If you could get both of your GPA's around a 3.5 you would be much better off.

If you are having trouble making good grades address why it is you are doing poorly. Too many classes, working too much, not sleeping enough etc, just not motivated? Figure it out and try to solve the problem.

Hope this helps!
 
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Hey, I know these threads are numerous, but what are your guys opinions of my MD Apps profile? I repsect your guys opinions, as many of you are further along in the process than me. If you think I'm annoying for posting this, flame me. Couldn't care less, heh.

Also, feel free to leave comments or suggest more schools to apply to I've found about 7 or 8 so far.

MFP
 
mfpullen said:
Hey, I know these threads are numerous, but what are your guys opinions of my MD Apps profile? I repsect your guys opinions, as many of you are further along in the process than me. If you think I'm annoying for posting this, flame me. Couldn't care less, heh.

Also, feel free to leave comments or suggest more schools to apply to I've found about 7 or 8 so far.

MFP
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fellow TNean here. you're looking good (you seem to be a little lacking on patient contact experiences if anything stands out), but without that mcat score its hard to say if you're a sure shot. the choice of schools (outside of tn) that you are applying to seems kinda odd, but I don't know your personal situation. PM me if you wanna chat more.
 
^ what he said.

Looks good to me. GPA is good enough and your EC's seem solid. If you rocked the MCAT, you'll be more than fine. :thumbup:
 
Wow! Thanks guys. I've been so paranoid reading the boards here, thinking if I don't have a 4.0 and 45 like these other people, that means I suck, lol. It's nice to get a little encouragement.
 
mfpullen said:
Wow! Thanks guys. I've been so paranoid reading the boards here, thinking if I don't have a 4.0 and 45 like these other people, that means I suck, lol. It's nice to get a little encouragement.
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sdn/mdapps is definitely not representative of the real world.
 
mfpullen said:
Hey, I know these threads are numerous, but what are your guys opinions of my MD Apps profile? I repsect your guys opinions, as many of you are further along in the process than me. If you think I'm annoying for posting this, flame me. Couldn't care less, heh.

Also, feel free to leave comments or suggest more schools to apply to I've found about 7 or 8 so far.

MFP
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This is looking a lot like a WAMC thread, so I'm going to give you some company and merge you into the main thread. Enjoy your new friends!
 
My Stats

Citizenship: Canada

Degrees: Bachelors of Science in Engineering Physics (elite engineering degree) and a Bachelors of Arts with Honours (majoring in political science)

GPA: ~3.4
Science GPA: ~3.3 (400- and 500-level engg and physics courses pulled me down)

MCAT: 32R (V9, B10, P13, R)

I have tonnes of ECs, though little in the way of clinical experience. I have worked in a physiology research lab, a biomedical engg research lab, and I have volunteered in a hospital.

Application History

I originally applied in Canada and didn't get any interviews. Not too surprising since a 3.4 GPA doesn't quite cut it in Canada (several schools have cut-offs of 3.7).

This past year I applied in the U.S. I got my application in pretty late (AMCAS in October, secondaries in November and early December). The schools I tried were

- Case Western Reserve
- George Washington
- Georgetown
- Vermont
- NY Medical College
- Rosalind Franklin
- East Virginia
- Penn State
- Jefferson
- Brown
- Dartmouth

Because I'm a Canadian citizen, I wasn't eligible at many schools and so I sent applications mostly to schools that tended to accept a Canadian or two each year, and where I was on par or slighly above the average academic stats.

I got zero interviews. Penn State, Vermont, NYMC, and Jefferson all seemed to hold my application to the end of their interview cycle before sending me a rejection letter, so I take this as evidence that I was close to getting an interview.

I also applied to the Atlantic Bridge Program and got a spot at University College Dublin.

Current Status

It strikes me that my two biggest weaknesses are the following:

1. My history doesn't show a clear interest/committment to medicine: neither of my degrees is in biology, and most of my ECs weren't medically-related. To be clear, I do have a strong interest in the field, but for a combination of reasons including having diverse interests, I've been involved in many non-medical activities.

2. I have a couple of very low grades on my application—one in biology (ecology) and one in biochemistry. Though I did fairly well (not great) in a higher level biochemistry course and in two other biology courses (cell biology, genetics) with the genetics course being higher level.

I'm taking up my spot at University College Dublin for next year—I want an international educational experience and I don't want to give up the one acceptance I have managed to get. I'm also fortunate enough to be able to afford to go. But I'm considering simultaneously taking one more try at U.S. and Canadian schools. Things I'm considering doing different this time around

- applying early!!!
- improving my personal statement (in hindsight, it could be better)
- putting a little more emphasis on my having volunteered in a hospital (e.g. mentioning this in my PS which I didn't do last time) and maybe even mentioning that I've followed my Dad (who's an MD) around a bit.
- possibly rewriting the MCAT (I think I can do a 35 or 36—I really expected to do better in VR)

I would appreciate your advice on else I should do to improve my chances. As well, do you think I have a decent chance of getting in at a NA school?
 
I'm a non-trad international student and my school doesn't have a pre-med committee so I'm kinda freaking out about the whole application process (I get nightmares about the AMCAS!). :confused: I guess I just need some idea of where I stand and whether I should even bother applying. I think my weakest points are my GPA and lack of clinical experience. Haven't taken the MCAT yet so don't know if that will be a plus or minus. Any comments or advice would be very appreciated. Thanks!

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=5508
 
godsfshrmn said:
So you don't think I should give up hope yet? :D
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No, just try to figure out what your problems with making low grades are. Then try to solve those problems. You might have to reapply or do a post-bacc or something else. If you want to be a doctor however, you will be a doctor. You just have to make it happen.
 
Who M.D. said:
Current Status

It strikes me that my two biggest weaknesses are the following:

1. My history doesn't show a clear interest/committment to medicine: neither of my degrees is in biology, and most of my ECs weren't medically-related. To be clear, I do have a strong interest in the field, but for a combination of reasons including having diverse interests, I've been involved in many non-medical activities.

2. I have a couple of very low grades on my application—one in biology (ecology) and one in biochemistry. Though I did fairly well (not great) in a higher level biochemistry course and in two other biology courses (cell biology, genetics) with the genetics course being higher level.

I'm taking up my spot at University College Dublin for next year—I want an international educational experience and I don't want to give up the one acceptance I have managed to get. I'm also fortunate enough to be able to afford to go. But I'm considering simultaneously taking one more try at U.S. and Canadian schools. Things I'm considering doing different this time around

- applying early!!!
- improving my personal statement (in hindsight, it could be better)
- putting a little more emphasis on my having volunteered in a hospital (e.g. mentioning this in my PS which I didn't do last time) and maybe even mentioning that I've followed my Dad (who's an MD) around a bit.
- possibly rewriting the MCAT (I think I can do a 35 or 36—I really expected to do better in VR)

I would appreciate your advice on else I should do to improve my chances. As well, do you think I have a decent chance of getting in at a NA school?
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1) It doesn't matter what undergrad degree you are working on. Many people say it actually helps to be something other than the cookie cutter biology pre-med.

2) Yeah I would say your gpa is the worst part of your application. Your MCAT is pretty good. You may want to do some more clinically relevent work/volunteer.

I think one of your problems is that you are taking two majors. Maybe it is just me, but I know my ultimate goal is to get into medical school, I've explored as many other jobs and life styles as I could and decided this is it. So I am doing what I can to be a doctor, I mean I do find some things interesting, like history and English but I don't have to major in them to learn about them. I don't want to say you shouldn't be attempting two majors but if you are trying to get them done in four years then I think clearly that is hurting your grades on some level. Don't be afraid to take five years to graduate, it isn't the end of the world, even six is not so bad.

Also from what I understand American and Canadian GPAs are calculated differently, in such a way that it is harder to have a 3.5 in America than it is in Canada. So that may also hurt your application somewhat. I would try to pull up your GPA as much as possible, lay off all the classes, maybe only take 12-15 hours next semester (if you've been taking more than that).

I don't really know anything about which schools accept canadian residents or not. So I would pick the areas you'd be interested in going and visiting all of that state's school's websites.
 
I'm applying in June and wanted to know what people thought about my chances. I have a 3.58 gpa overall, 3.45 science gpa, 31Q MCAT (10-bio,10-physical, 11-verbal). My extracurriculars are amazing though. I worked for a nonprofit company that operates in Iraq, and I did Red Crescent work there twice in the past three years during my breaks. I also have been doing research for the past 6 months and will continue doing that. Moreover, I have lots of leadership experience and I've shadowed dozens of doctors the past two years. Also, my science gpa is low because I took two science classses at a community college in high school.
I'm from california, which suck, so what are my chances at the top schools like UCSF, Harvard, Hopkins?
Thanks.
 
nsxnorcal said:
I'm applying in June and wanted to know what people thought about my chances. I have a 3.58 gpa overall, 3.45 science gpa, 31Q MCAT (10-bio,10-physical, 11-verbal). My extracurriculars are amazing though. I worked for a nonprofit company that operates in Iraq, and I did Red Crescent work there twice in the past three years during my breaks. I also have been doing research for the past 6 months and will continue doing that. Moreover, I have lots of leadership experience and I've shadowed dozens of doctors the past two years. Also, my science gpa is low because I took two science classses at a community college in high school.
I'm from california, which suck, so what are my chances at the top schools like UCSF, Harvard, Hopkins?
Thanks.
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you won't know until you find out by applying to them. use the search function on mdapplicants.com to see stats of people who've gotten into them. but be wary, it IS the internet.

in the meantime, apply broadly. even though you have good EC's (self-proclaimed), your numbers and PS (limited to 5300 characters) are what get you the interview. you can talk about your EC's then all you want.
 
nsxnorcal said:
I'm applying in June and wanted to know what people thought about my chances. I have a 3.58 gpa overall, 3.45 science gpa, 31Q MCAT (10-bio,10-physical, 11-verbal). My extracurriculars are amazing though. I worked for a nonprofit company that operates in Iraq, and I did Red Crescent work there twice in the past three years during my breaks. I also have been doing research for the past 6 months and will continue doing that. Moreover, I have lots of leadership experience and I've shadowed dozens of doctors the past two years. Also, my science gpa is low because I took two science classses at a community college in high school.
I'm from california, which suck, so what are my chances at the top schools like UCSF, Harvard, Hopkins?
Thanks.
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Yep, seems you have some interesting ECs there. But your numbers are a little low for the top 5. Go borrow an MSAR from your premed office or library. That will give you a real idea of how your numbers fit in with schools you are interested in applying to. I'm sorry that you're from cali, by the way. Does kind of make your life more difficult.

Here's what everyone tells everyone: apply broadly. You might catch someones interest enough and get an interview at a place with numbers above you. Your GPA/MCAT combo put you right about the middle of the pack for matriculants, so in all likelihood you'll get into a reasonable US med school, but not Hopinks or Hahvad.
 
dbhvt said:
Yep, seems you have some interesting ECs there. But your numbers are a little low for the top 5. Go borrow an MSAR from your premed office or library. That will give you a real idea of how your numbers fit in with schools you are interested in applying to. I'm sorry that you're from cali, by the way. Does kind of make your life more difficult.

Here's what everyone tells everyone: apply broadly. You might catch someones interest enough and get an interview at a place with numbers above you. Your GPA/MCAT combo put you right about the middle of the pack for matriculants, so in all likelihood you'll get into a reasonable US med school, but not Hopinks or Hahvad.
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Thanks, I'm thinking Tulane, Tufts, Boston Univ, Georgetown, Univ of Maryland would be fine with me. But thanks for the help.
 
Hey everyone. I graduated 2 yrs ago with a BA in Religion. I decided to pursue medicine as soon as I graduated, so I took my prereqs at a CC. Overall GPA: 3.68 BCPM: 3.79. I'm a certified EMT (haven't worked as one, though), some volunteering and shadowing (~125hrs), and I've been to Sarajevo, Bosnia on a non-medically related mission trip. Chances for med school? Particularly Virginia schools?
 
SeminoleFan3 said:
Hey everyone. I graduated 2 yrs ago with a BA in Religion. I decided to pursue medicine as soon as I graduated, so I took my prereqs at a CC. Overall GPA: 3.68 BCPM: 3.79. I'm a certified EMT (haven't worked as one, though), some volunteering and shadowing (~125hrs), and I've been to Sarajevo, Bosnia on a non-medically related mission trip. Chances for med school? Particularly Virginia schools?
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Well for one thing, your EMT certification isn't going to mean jack to the adcoms if you did nothing with it. I hope you've got some other good ECs; your college ministry work looks like a promising addition to your application.

Your GPA looks solid though and if the rest of your application is as equally strong then you should have a fair shot at med school.
 
infinite.inkwel said:
Hi everybody,

I need some help with the list of schools that I am planning on applying to. Here are my stats,

GPA:3.6
SGPA:3.4-3.5
Projected MCAT 11/10/12 P/Q
Double Major in social and biological sciences
WA resident from U of Washington

Reach:
UW
NYU or Columbia
OHSU
USC
U of Chicago
U penn

Hopefully:
George Washington
Georgetown
Rosalind Franklin
Loyola
U of Illinois
Tulane
Boston U
Tufts
Michigan State
Albany
Albert Einstein
NYMC
U of Rochester
Drexel
Jefferson
Temple
Medical college of Wisconsin

please help out with some safety schools and schools friendly to out of staters... I hope to stay on the coasts or midwest...
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You may want to pick up a MSAR to look for more safety schools. Overall good list :)
 
My turn!! My Turn!!!

Haha... Just kidding, but here goes.

GPA - 3.65
Science GPA - 3.7
MCAT - I'll tell you in October.
Majored in Engineering.

Worked in consulting for about 2 years. 3 by the time I apply. Will be 26 years old.

ECs
Bike riding.
Black belt in martial arts.
Piano playing for a very long time. (Assorted activities to mention with respect to music)
Put together a 5K race w/ my girlfriend (who is brilliant) --raised 6 grand to help build a girl's dorm in Tanzania. We'll be doing the 2nd annual version of that race this year.
Some other small volunteering type things.
A little bit of shadowing experience.

ECs that I plan to add BEFORE applying
Shadowing an ER doc. Working out the paperwork now...
Community clinic volunteer.
(I am lacking clinical experience, so I'm trying to get that together before I apply in a year)

I feel like I've got a shot with a good MCAT. What do you think?
 
Kikaku21 said:
My turn!! My Turn!!!

Haha... Just kidding, but here goes.

GPA - 3.65
Science GPA - 3.7
MCAT - I'll tell you in October.
Majored in Engineering.

Worked in consulting for about 2 years. 3 by the time I apply. Will be 26 years old.

ECs
Bike riding.
Black belt in martial arts.
Piano playing for a very long time. (Assorted activities to mention with respect to music)
Put together a 5K race w/ my girlfriend (who is brilliant) --raised 6 grand to help build a girl's dorm in Tanzania. We'll be doing the 2nd annual version of that race this year.
Some other small volunteering type things.
A little bit of shadowing experience.

ECs that I plan to add BEFORE applying
Shadowing an ER doc. Working out the paperwork now...
Community clinic volunteer.
(I am lacking clinical experience, so I'm trying to get that together before I apply in a year)

I feel like I've got a shot with a good MCAT. What do you think?
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That GPA in engr is really impressive -good for you!

I agree that it seems the only thing you are missing is clinical experience; get that, rock the MCAT and you're golden!

Good luck!

(BTW, the 5k thing is really cool and unique - way to go!)
 
anyone have any advice for me on my mdapps profile?
i'm not sure where to apply.

GPA: 3.83
BCPM:3.75ish

not sure of mcat but hopefully 30-33. highest in practice was a 35. any advice on ECs especially is much appreciated.
 
Were you doing pretty well on your practice MCATs?

Did you ever do any really hands on clinical stuff? Like Law2Doc (hey I got the reference right this time) said "Did you stand a chance of getting thrown up on?" What did you do in the oncologist's office? Your work with AIDS presentations sounds great.
 
Anastasis said:
Were you doing pretty well on your practice MCATs?

Did you ever do any really hands on clinical stuff? Like Law2Doc (hey I got the reference right this time) said "Did you stand a chance of getting thrown up on?" What did you do in the oncologist's office? Your work with AIDS presentations sounds great.
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yeah pretty well. i am worried about the lack of clinical, as i have more research and random volunteer experience.

at the oncologists office i took drinks/snacks to patients recieving chemo, attended the front desk at times, and did other random tasks in the office like helping make corrections in the doc's SOAP notes and pulling files. the rest of my clinical is all shadowing. would my app be a lot stronger if i volunteered in a hospital this summer?

thanks for all your help btw!
 
coco11 said:
yeah pretty well. i am worried about the lack of clinical, as i have more research and random volunteer experience.

at the oncologists office i took drinks/snacks to patients recieving chemo, attended the front desk at times, and did other random tasks in the office like helping make corrections in the doc's SOAP notes and pulling files. the rest of my clinical is all shadowing. would my app be a lot stronger if i volunteered in a hospital this summer?

thanks for all your help btw!
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I don't think so - Volunteering at a hospital wouldn't really give you any different experiences than the Onco's office.

See if you can find a free clinic - usually you can be more hands on there.

Did you sit and talk with the patients? Did the doc explain things about their treatment? Are there things you could talk about in your PS to address how you KNOW you want to be a doc? If so, you're probably be okay.

IMO
 
Anastasis said:
I don't think so - Volunteering at a hospital wouldn't really give you any different experiences than the Onco's office.

See if you can find a free clinic - usually you can be more hands on there.

Did you sit and talk with the patients? Did the doc explain things about their treatment? Are there things you could talk about in your PS to address how you KNOW you want to be a doc? If so, you're probably be okay.

IMO
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Thanks so much! I have a few instances of direct patient interaction and interactions with the doc that solidified the fact that i want to pursue medicine, and will definitely address it in my PS. The free clinic idea is a good one. Thanks!
 
I guess I'll step up to the plate now. I still have 1.5yrs before I apply because I've had to take a semester off due to a broken leg, fun fun. I still have senior year and then taking physics over summer/ extra semester after graduation to complete requirements. Anyway...

Right now
GPA - 3.1
SGPA-2.93
MCAT-year to go
Neuroscience Cellular/Behavioral

EC:
Capatin/member of Sailing Team will be 2yrs/4yrs
Member of Fraternity 3yrs
Volunteer FireFighter/EMT full time (24/7) for the town will be 4yrs
-Certifications: Basic and Intermed. FF; EMT; Trauma Life-Support; FF survival; Search and Rescue
Work as EMT for school sports
Work as private sailing coach
Spinal cord/stem cell research (NIH funded)-Umiami 8 weeks
Trauma Research injury classification and Motor Vehicle Accident research-Umiami 8 weeks (volunteer)
Biochemistry Research Morphogenisis of yeast-Umiami 8 weeks (volunteer)
Freelance boat repair and cleaning over summers
Study Abroad Nat. Sci. Australia

Basically my garbage GPA is due to all the extra course work I gave myself doing the volunteering as all the certifications I earned were during the semesters. I basically didn't have time to sleep my 1st semester sophomore year. My top choice would be Umiami. Any advice would be great. I am going to work my butt off this coming year and the next semester and I plan on doin paid research during the year between school and med-shool.

Thanks for any adivce, suggestions, chances at anywhere
 
I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts on my chances...

I'm a 27 year old non-trad with a BA from Loyola -- music major / psych minor. I worked in an unrelated field for two years before starting pre-med classes at Loyola in fall 2002.

GPA: 3.68 cum, 3.56 sci
MCAT: 32 (10 PS/11 BS/11 VR/M)

EC: Tons in undergrad, including 2 years as a resident assistant, serving on the university conduct committee, and student gov't involvement. Post-undergrad includes 6 months hospital volunteer work w/ direct patient contact. I've also volunteered for the past 12 years at a summer camp for children.

WORK (all full-time):
2 yrs in finance
9 months as a medical asst at a Social Security/Disability clinic
3+ yrs at a hospital, working in the neurosurgery academic office
All of my pre-med reqs have been completed while holding down a FT job.

Here is my current school list, keeping in mind that I currently live in Chicago and would hope to either: 1) stay here, or 2) relocate to another major city.

Northwestern
Loyola
Rush
UIC
U of Chicago
Rosalind Franklin
SLU
Wash U St. Louis
Georgetown
Boston U
U of Iowa (I'm originally from IA)
Creighton (lots of family in Omaha)
U of Arizona (lots of family in AZ)

Any thoughts on the above schools, or any advice on where else to apply? My advisor suggested applying to 12-15 schools, but after reading the board I feel like I should up it to 20. I'm less interested in "reach" schools and more interested in ones where I'd be a competitive candidate. Thanks!
 
First I'd like to say thank you for reading and responding.

Well I guess I'd better be persistent...

-Graduated June 05 UC Irvine
-2.94 overall
-Biological Sciences
-Taking August MCAT
-Currently work in construction management. Pretty good job, I got lucky.
-EMT licensed but never worked- apparently this means nothing although it does require time in the ER and ambulence both involving patient contact.
-Shadowed doctors in ER
-Tutored OChem 2 quarters for UCI - don't worry students didn't know I had <3.0.
-Worked in high school biology classroom for little over a year (like student teaching)
-Lifeguard for 3 years
-Always worked through college, about 20hours/wk average
-Research - lab monkey, 4th year
-Habitat for humanity club officer at UCI

I'm applying to a couple US MD schools, a few DO schools, and the Carribbean schools.

So tell me,

"What are my chances?"

But since MCAT is such a large component, what do you think my chances are if I get a 30? What are my chances of getting an interview?
 
Remiller said:
First I'd like to say thank you for reading and responding.

Well I guess I'd better be persistent...

-Graduated June 05 UC Irvine
-2.94 overall
-Biological Sciences
-Taking August MCAT
-Currently work in construction management. Pretty good job, I got lucky.
-EMT licensed but never worked- apparently this means nothing although it does require time in the ER and ambulence both involving patient contact.
-Shadowed doctors in ER
-Tutored OChem 2 quarters for UCI - don't worry students didn't know I had <3.0.
-Worked in high school biology classroom for little over a year (like student teaching)
-Lifeguard for 3 years
-Always worked through college, about 20hours/wk average
-Research - lab monkey, 4th year
-Habitat for humanity club officer at UCI

I'm applying to a couple US MD schools, a few DO schools, and the Carribbean schools.

So tell me,

"What are my chances?"

But since MCAT is such a large component, what do you think my chances are if I get a 30? What are my chances of getting an interview?
Click to expand...

the 2.94 is going to hurt, you need a good MCAT (32+?) to get a good number of interviews. even then, apply broadly. what do you mean by a 'couple' US MD schools?
 
kirexhana said:
the 2.94 is going to hurt, you need a good MCAT (32+?) to get a good number of interviews. even then, apply broadly. what do you mean by a 'couple' US MD schools?
Click to expand...

5 or fewer. Honestly those that have the lowest matric. GPA and those that are in less desireable areas.

I doubt I'll get a 32 or better, but it is possible. And I haven't taken it yet, which is a shot in the foot; even if I do really well, spots for people with low GPA/competetive MCAT will start getting filled before my scores are in.

Do you think I have a good chance with Carribbean schools?
 
DoctorPardi said:
I saw your MDapps profile and it looks like you're only applying to 13 schools. You haven't gotten your mcat score back yet but your GPA is below average for matriculants nationally and also at many of your selected schools.

For example:
here are the average matriculant GPAs for your chosen schools:
School-Overall GPA-BCPM GPA
Baylor-3.85-3.84
GWU-3.62-3.55
GT-3.69-3.65
Indiana-3.75-3.7 (Not friendly to OOSers!)
Loma Linda-3.76-3.73
Texas A&M- 3.83-3.79
Texas Tech-3.57-3.51
U of Alabama-3.77-3.72 (not friendly to OOSers!)
Texas Galveston-3.78-3.73
Texas Houston-3.69-3.58
Texas San Antonio-3.54-3.46
Texas Southwester-3.82-3.82

So I guess what I am saying is, I think you need more back up schools with lower average GPAs. Also you may want to drop UAB and Indiana because they are very unlikely to accept an out of state applicant. For example UAB's class last year had 160 people and only 16 were out of state. Similarly Indiana's class size was 280 and only 37 were out of state.

It seems like you want to stay in Texas which is fine, but it would be worth your time to think about other states you wouldn't mind living and researching schools in those states with lower GPAs. Also it looks like you have a good bit of ECs and with a solid MCAT you could be pretty competitive plus you mention a 4.0 in your post bacc and a good upward trend so that is promising. I guess all I the advice I can offer is to think about adding some more reach schools and possibly dropping UAB/Indiana unless you have strong connections to either state or just love either school.

Hope that was helpful :)
Click to expand...
Wow didn't think LLU was had such a high average GPA.
 
Remiller said:
5 or fewer. Honestly those that have the lowest matric. GPA and those that are in less desireable areas.

I doubt I'll get a 32 or better, but it is possible. And I haven't taken it yet, which is a shot in the foot; even if I do really well, spots for people with low GPA/competetive MCAT will start getting filled before my scores are in.

Do you think I have a good chance with Carribbean schools?
Click to expand...
Yeah, Carribean schools would look more favorably on your application than the ones in the US. DO schools "usually" are more lenient if your GPA or MCAT score is low. Have you considered a post bac? As mentioned above, apply broadly and make sure you pay attention to average GPA/MCAT scores and residency specifications.

Do yourself a favor and apply early and kick butt on the August MCATs because schools will not review your application before they're in (mid-October)
 
I have considered a postbacc and I will go this route if I don't get into any schools.

My app is just waiting for my essay. Everything else is ready to go. Thanks for your comments.
 
Remiller said:
I have considered a postbacc and I will go this route if I don't get into any schools.

My app is just waiting for my essay. Everything else is ready to go. Thanks for your comments.
Click to expand...
Do well on your MCATs (28+) and DO schools will send you interviews. No problem.
 
AMCAS overall: 3.55
BCPM: 3.36 EEK!
MCAT: 11 (PS), 10 (VR), 10 (BS), Q (WS)

My BCPM and overall are being pulled down by a craptastic sophomore year (3.07) which was also science course heavy (hence the bad BCPM). I have lots of EC's though - student government, overseas volunteering, VP of two clubs for two years, committee work, community/medical volunteering, 2 clinical research projects, 1 basic science research project, 1 publication, etc.

I had a chance to look at the MSAR: I'm noticing that there aren't a lot of 'safety' schools for someone in my position (average MCAT, lower GPA)...any suggestions on where to apply and the arbitrary 'what are my chances?'...

btw, I still have one more year to go...

Suggestions are much appreciated!
 
hey what about me? I know my GPA is low, I'm planing on applying to MD & DO schools in the midwest.
 
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