unsure about things...advice?

[jinbunx]

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Like some of the others on this board I feel pretty bummed when I look at my stats. My undergrad g.p.a. stands at a 3.38 and my MCAT score was a dismal 30. Considering all of this, which schools would you apply to? I don't want to give up the fight just yet, but I don't want to be horribly unrealistic about my chances of any medical schools. Are there any MD/DO or postbacc programs that people found particularly helpful? Does it matter that I only took 3.5 years to finish my undergrad? Any advice or shared sense of anxiety is appreciated. btw my state of residence is TX.

 

[MsKrispyKreme]

Your MCAT score is fine. You might want to take BCPM courses as an informal post-bacc while you apply. I think you should apply to every single one of your state schools in Texas as well Morehouse and Howard. Then tack on a couple of other mid-tier schools in locations that you would like to live in as well as 1-2 "dream schools" Make sure you apply EARLY. Have your AMCAS submitted by the end of July, and have all of your secondaries submitted by the end of August.

Good luck.

 

[njbmd]

Your MCAT score is fine. You might want to take BCPM courses as an informal post-bacc while you apply. I think you should apply to every single one of your state schools in Texas as well Morehouse and Howard. Then tack on a couple of other mid-tier schools in locations that you would like to live in as well as 1-2 "dream schools" Make sure you apply EARLY. Have your AMCAS submitted by the end of July, and have all of your secondaries submitted by the end of August.

Good luck.

This post above nails it. You need more coursework with all As and then early, broad application. One more year should get you where you need to be. It doesn't matter that you finished in 3.5 years, you didn't finish strong. You need to do some post bacc and get that application done early.

 

[scarletgirl777]

Like some of the others on this board I feel pretty bummed when I look at my stats. My undergrad g.p.a. stands at a 3.38 and my MCAT score was a dismal 30. Considering all of this, which schools would you apply to? I don't want to give up the fight just yet, but I don't want to be horribly unrealistic about my chances of any medical schools. Are there any MD/DO or postbacc programs that people found particularly helpful? Does it matter that I only took 3.5 years to finish my undergrad? Any advice or shared sense of anxiety is appreciated. btw my state of residence is TX.

I actually think you might be able to get in now, assuming your ECs are up to snuff (a big assumption I suppose), and especially considering your TX residency, but an extra tenth of a point on your GPA would be very helpful. Is your science GPA lower than your overall GPA?

 

[Lauren87]

a 30 is pretty high for a URM, it may be enough to balance your gpa IMO. So apply!!!

 

[Xtiansqueen]

You can def. get in with those stats...I did! I'm from Texas too. You should really apply early (i'm talking like within the first week of the application cycle). Apply to every Texas school but don't forget out of state. I love my state but I chose an out of state school I liked better than any of the Texas schools.

 

[jinbunx]

You can def. get in with those stats...I did! I'm from Texas too. You should really apply early (i'm talking like within the first week of the application cycle). Apply to every Texas school but don't forget out of state. I love my state but I chose an out of state school I liked better than any of the Texas schools.

Thanks for sharing your story. I love Texas too, but if I get accepted out of state then I'll have to pack some tex-mex recipes and be gone. Do you mind if I ask about your ECs? Like which organizations you were in (how long and significant your role was), what kind of volunteering you did and how many hours, what jobs you had, and if you did any research.

 

[flaahless]

Like some of the others on this board I feel pretty bummed when I look at my stats. My undergrad g.p.a. stands at a 3.38 and my MCAT score was a dismal 30. Considering all of this, which schools would you apply to? I don't want to give up the fight just yet, but I don't want to be horribly unrealistic about my chances of any medical schools. Are there any MD/DO or postbacc programs that people found particularly helpful? Does it matter that I only took 3.5 years to finish my undergrad? Any advice or shared sense of anxiety is appreciated. btw my state of residence is TX.

You're fine. Make sure you put together a compelling app. And most importantly, apply to UCSF. Good luck 👍

 

[LovelyMD]

This post above nails it. You need more coursework with all As and then early, broad application. One more year should get you where you need to be. It doesn't matter that you finished in 3.5 years, you didn't finish strong. You need to do some post bacc and get that application done early.

OP, I'm going to play the devils advocate. While students do get in with a 3.3-ish and a 30, (sometimes even get accepted to top schools), I would err on the side of caution and not get tooo complacent. The reason why I say this is that med school admissions is becoming more competitive every year, and I can think of several people I know with stats like these who haven't been accepted anywhere this cycle and are stressing out about sitting on multiple waitlists. And the people I'm talking about are URMs.

(I'm not saying you won't be successful this application cycle-- after all, there is a LOT more to the application besides GPA and MCAT. I'm just playing the devils advocate and telling you to apply EARLY and apply smart because it's competitive out there.)

 

[19nbj58]

OP, I'm going to play the devils advocate. While students do get in with a 3.3-ish and a 30, (sometimes even get accepted to top schools), I would err on the side of caution and not get tooo complacent. The reason why I say this is that med school admissions is becoming more competitive every year, and I can think of several people I know with stats like these who haven't been accepted anywhere this cycle and are stressing out about sitting on multiple waitlists. And the people I'm talking about are URMs.

(I'm not saying you won't be successful this application cycle-- after all, there is a LOT more to the application besides GPA and MCAT. I'm just playing the devils advocate and telling you to apply EARLY and apply smart because it's competitive out there.)

Im gonna have to second this. The people who get in with similar #'s really underestimate the strength of their application as a whole.

 

[xscpx]

I am nearly completely convinced that there is a computer generated random list at each school of who gets accepted.


A good friend of mine got accepted flat out, not waitlist, with a 3.0 GPA and 25 on the MCAT. Then a girl I work with had a 3.5 and 31 and didn't get in anywhere. I just find it so strange how many discrepancies there are. That being said, don't lose hope, but don't be too overconfident either. Do your best to better yourself as much as possible and hope for the best.


Unless of course, it is some big random list....or maybe conspired list😱 Maybe slipping a $20 to the adcoms might not be such a bad idea! 🙂

 

[Brigade4Radiant]

OP, I'm going to play the devils advocate. While students do get in with a 3.3-ish and a 30, (sometimes even get accepted to top schools), I would err on the side of caution and not get tooo complacent. The reason why I say this is that med school admissions is becoming more competitive every year, and I can think of several people I know with stats like these who haven't been accepted anywhere this cycle and are stressing out about sitting on multiple waitlists. And the people I'm talking about are URMs.

(I'm not saying you won't be successful this application cycle-- after all, there is a LOT more to the application besides GPA and MCAT. I'm just playing the devils advocate and telling you to apply EARLY and apply smart because it's competitive out there.)

I have to disagree with this.Itdepends on the URM. With the OP's stats some URM's have around a 90% chance of acceptance to medical school.

 

[LovelyMD]

I have to disagree with this.Itdepends on the URM. With the OP's stats some URM's have around a 90% chance of acceptance to medical school.

I think you misread my post-- I wasn't saying that the OP couldn't get in. Right, some URM's do get in with those stats. But I was trying to negate the claim that being URM means you should be complacent with those stats. Of course you'll see folks get in with those stats, but there are many factors to the application that helped them get a lot of success. The OP can have success in the application cycle, but make sure to put your best foot forward in all aspects of your application and don't get too confident. (But then again, no med school applicant should ever really be too confident).

 

[flaahless]

Im gonna have to second this. The people who get in with similar #'s really underestimate the strength of their application as a whole.

Or... the people that don't get in with similar #'s really underestimate the importance of the rest of the application.

 

[LovelyMD]

Or... the people that don't get in with similar #'s really underestimate the importance of the rest of the application.

Based on what I'm seeing, I think it's a combination of both.

 

[19nbj58]

Or... the people that don't get in with similar #'s really underestimate the importance of the rest of the application.

that too. I just meant that it can be misleading when someone tells their friends that they got in with such-and-such #'s while neglecting to mention their excellent essays, ec's, letters, life experiences and interviewing skills.