Unusual Applicant.

[Kal_life4]

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Members don't see this ad.

*unusual because GPA is largely damaged by high school college credits only*
Me: White, Male, 23yo

Academics:
B.S. Biomedical Science (minor: Chemistry)
cGPA 3.51 / sGPA 3.34
EXTREME UPWARD TREND
(2.45 GPA over 20 science college credits taken while in high school) -without these high school classes I have a 3.7 cGPA / 3.5 sGPA
-also family tragedy between freshman/sophomore year caused slight dip
(finished university with 5 consecutive 4.0 semesters and a 3.86 cumulative at my last university)
MCAT 511 (127/128/128/128)

Work/Activities:
Non-clinical service = Community Organization (378 hours - 1 year), Resource Coordination (198 hours - 1 year), Camp Counselor @ Navajo Nation Summer Camp (1,344 hours - 4 years)
Intercollegiate athletics = College Powerlifting Team (658 hours - 1 year)
Intramural Sports = Indoor/Outdoor Soccer&Volleyball (576 hours - 4 years)
Research/Lab = Infectious disease research - amphibian model (150 hours - 2 years)
Presentations/Posters = Presented poster at Association of Southeastern Biologists Conference (36 hours)
Paid clinical employment = Ambassador (transport/radiology assistant - BLS trained, etc.) (409 hours - 3 months)
Volunteer clinical employment = Vice President and University-appointed Student Service Supervisor for MedServe (pre-med volunteer-mobilizing organization) (330 hours - 2.5 years)
Paid employment = Sales Rep & Tire Technician @ Sam's Club (433 hours - 3 months), Delivery Assistant @ PepsiCo (1120 hours - 3 months), Owner/Operator @ Landscaping Business (4482 hours - 5 years)
Shadowing = Orthopaedic Surgeon, ENT, Trauma, Infectious Disease Specialist (50 hours listed on app - 150 by end of summer - started 4 years ago on/off shadowing)
Artistic Endeavors = Theatre - lead role in 1 play, minor role in 1 play (240 hours - 2 years), Collegiate Men's Chorus (141 hours - 1 semester)

Letters of Rec:
3 Science Faculty (1 Research) - Micro, Biochem, Physio
2 Non-science Faculty - Philosophy, English
1 Service Letter - Community building/Resource Coordination
1 Clinical Letter - Orthopaedic Surgeon from shadowing

Personal Statement: 'No spelling errors, clear experience-driven passion for medicine' - talk about how several family and friend medical tragedies and the repercussions helped me decide to become a physician (also alluded to how this negatively impacted my academics for one semester).

Schools applied to (Virginia resident)
(MD)=23: Albany, Rosalind Franklin, Creighton, Drexel, EVMS, Quinnipiac, George Washington, Georgetown, Temple, Loyola, Medical College of Wisconsin, NYMC, Nova Southeastern, Vermont, Rush, Seton-Hall, Tulane, Uniformed Service School, VCU, VT Carilion, Wake Forest, Wright State
(DO)=8:
WVSOM, LUCOM, Pikeville, A.T. Still, ACOM Midwestern, Des Moines, VCOM Blacksburg, PCOM
---The Uniformed Services School of Health Sciences is my dream school (median gpa 3.71, MCAT 509, high OOS) = What do you think my chances are there? I come from a largely military family.

 

[787593]

MCW 😍

 

[candbgirl]

I think you’ll be okay. If you get any interviews don’t blame your GPA on high school. Your situation isn’t unusual and ADCOMS know high school kids are stupid and don’t see the big picture. Good luck.

 

[787593]

I think you’ll be okay. If you get any interviews don’t blame your GPA on high school. Your situation isn’t unusual and ADCOMS know high school kids are stupid and don’t see the big picture. Good luck.

This is really good advice. You do not want to be seen as whiny.

 

[Kal_life4]

I think you’ll be okay. If you get any interviews don’t blame your GPA on high school. Your situation isn’t unusual and ADCOMS know high school kids are stupid and don’t see the big picture. Good luck.

Absolutely! How should I spin it if they ask? Also what do you think my chances are at MD? All the online calculators based only on GPA MCAT and ethnicity say about 50% chance.

 

[deleted972488]

I think you’ll be okay. If you get any interviews don’t blame your GPA on high school. Your situation isn’t unusual and ADCOMS know high school kids are stupid and don’t see the big picture. Good luck.

This advice seems to contradict itself. Don't give an explanation that adcoms are aware of and understand?

 

[candbgirl]

Absolutely! How should I spin it if they ask? Also what do you think my chances are at MD? All the online calculators based only on GPA MCAT and ethnicity say about 50% chance.

Don’t spin it. If you are asked in an interview you can just say you grew up and realized what you needed to do to realize your dreams and goals. Remember they have your transcripts and can see your upward trend. If you get an interview they know about it and have decided to give you a chance.

I never speculate on chances. It’s pretty much a crap shoot. Just keep improving your application so you can update schools throughout the cycle( for schools that allow/accept updates). Again, good luck.

 

[Goro]

Of your list, delete: Wright State, replace with Wayne State

I can't recommend LUCOM; replace with CUSOM and/or VCOM-SC or PCOM-GA. Also consider MUCOM or LECOM


You are fine for Uniformed Services School of Health Sciences