WAMC? 3.14 uGPA (15 years ago), 3.9 grad GPA in engineering, 512 MCAT

[midnight_kitchenaid]

Looking for a little feedback here before I despair for this cycle. Would love someone on an adcom to comment on that GPA disaster.

Stats:
34YO M ORM (white), grew up poor but otherwise not particularly disadvantaged
3.14cGPA from a T10 / 2.2 sGPA, both cGPA and sGPA were great my senior year and there is upward trend in sGPA (1.53, 1.46, 2.5, 3.5). Graduated with honors in my major. This is from 15+years ago.
PhD in Bioengineering at unremarkable state school 3.9 sGPA, 3.95cGPA, took a lot of extra classes to show I could do science and aced almost all of them. Graduated in 2020. Won numerous grad-student awards
MCAT 512; 126/129/128/129 (results from June 2024, first time taking it)
Taking gen chem and ochem at a local school this year to replace getting Cs across the board.

Research:
Two prestigious postdocs, lots of competitive NIH funding at postdocs
Work in biotech at the moment in research-heavy role where I publish
20+ pubs, mainly first or senior author
30+ conference presentations
One nationally prestigious award, a few big grants where I am the PI.

Clinical and Volunteer:
10,000+ hours as volunteer EMT working primarily with underserved populations
2,000 hours paid EMT
50 hours shadowing but I'm counding some of my EMT work as shadowing as we would stay in the ER and watch/help
Miscellaneous volunteering at park cleanups, food pantries, youth mentoring organizations (2500 hours over the last 10 years)
Taught free CPR classes at schools
Taught free health classes at schools

Other work experience:
Worked a corporate job for several years before going back to graduate school.
Worked full time in UG and grad school
Leadership in lots of grad student/postdoc organizations
Leadership positions in my professional organizations currently

Miscellaneous
"Interesting" life story, have lived and worked in various places around the globe
Trilingual
Compelling (I think) narrative of why medicine
Currently a CA resident but no long-term ties to that state (or any state)

School list - I have already received secondaries to almost all
Reach: Dartmouth
Tufts
Boston University
UCSD
UCLA
UCSF
Stanford (LOL) - applying b/c of someone I work with who insists but this is a donation
Mount Sinai
Keck

Potentially good fits:
UVM
Quinnipiac
Drexel
Tulane
OHSU (some ties to Oregon)
Loma Linda
Kaiser
Jefferson
Temple
UIC (some ties to IL, same reason for the other IL schools below)
Loyola Chicago
Rush
Rosalind Franklin

Any schools to add? Is this endeavor doomed because of my UG GPA? I like to think I have reinvented myself but seems ugGPA is the end all-be all.

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[LunaOri]

You could add UMass, which likes research. Your stats are low, but your story is good.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

So what do you want to do as a physician? Did you apply to Carle?

 

[midnight_kitchenaid]

You could add UMass, which likes research. Your stats are low, but your story is good.

Thanks, I thought they weren't OOS friendly? Any chance lots of research helps with low stats?

 

[midnight_kitchenaid]

So what do you want to do as a physician? Did you apply to Carle?

Carle's stats on MSAR seemed too high but perhaps I should add them. I want to apply research more directly by working with patients rather than being on the bench-only side. I'd be interested in continuing to do research but my interests are in doing actual patient care.

You seem like you know your stuff - any insight into whether my grad GPA will offset my ug GPA since it was so long ago? I know my MCAT isn't the 520+ you see on here but I figured 84th percentile isn't horrible.

Thanks in advance!

 

[wysdoc]

Carle's stats on MSAR seemed too high but perhaps I should add them. I want to apply research more directly by working with patients rather than being on the bench-only side. I'd be interested in continuing to do research but my interests are in doing actual patient care.

You seem like you know your stuff - any insight into whether my grad GPA will offset my ug GPA since it was so long ago? I know my MCAT isn't the 520+ you see on here but I figured 84th percentile isn't horrible.

Thanks in advance!

In addition to Carle, you could add
-Virginia Tech Carilion (smaller school but likes the juncture of tech/medicine)
-EnMed program at Texas A&M. The application to EnMed is separate from the Texas A&M application, and you can apply via AMCAS without having to fill out the TMDSAS app. They have an underutilized makerspace for the EnMed students to use, and are located in the Houston Medical Center area. EnMed School of Engineering Medicine

 

[midnight_kitchenaid]

In addition to Carle, you could add
-Virginia Tech Carilion (smaller school but likes the juncture of tech/medicine)
-EnMed program at Texas A&M. The application to EnMed is separate from the Texas A&M application, and you can apply via AMCAS without having to fill out the TMDSAS app. They have an underutilized makerspace for the EnMed students to use, and are located in the Houston Medical Center area. EnMed School of Engineering Medicine

Thank you for those suggestions and for taking the time to respond! I'll add those schools.

I'd love your take on my uGPA versus grad GPA - sorry to keep repeating the question on here but I don't have access to a premed advisor. Do you think I have a chance at an MD school with my stats or should I retake the MCAT and try to repeat ug coursework again? I'd love to get in this year but don't want submitting these secondaries to just be a waste of money/time.

 

[wysdoc]

Thank you for those suggestions and for taking the time to respond! I'll add those schools.

I'd love your take on my uGPA versus grad GPA - sorry to keep repeating the question on here but I don't have access to a premed advisor. Do you think I have a chance at an MD school with my stats or should I retake the MCAT and try to repeat ug coursework again? I'd love to get in this year but don't want submitting these secondaries to just be a waste of money/time.

I think your recent work has shown that you are not the kid you were years ago, and that you are capable of the rigors of medical school.
Schools that don't screen out your GPA with a computer program and actually read your stuff will see that.

 

[midnight_kitchenaid]

I think your recent work has shown that you are not the kid you were years ago, and that you are capable of the rigors of medical school.
Schools that don't screen out your GPA with a computer program and actually read your stuff will see that.

Thank you very much for this perspective. I hope they see that. My cGPA is above a 3.0 so as long as they aren't screening with computer programs based on sGPA hopefully they will read the rest.

 

[LunaOri]

Thanks, I thought they weren't OOS friendly? Any chance lots of research helps with low stats?

UMass is very OOS friendly. And they have lots of research funding, so they like applicants with a research background, even though many of their graduates go into primary care.

 

[midnight_kitchenaid]

UMass is very OOS friendly. And they have lots of research funding, so they like applicants with a research background, even though many of their graduates go into primary care.

Thank you and that's good to know! I've added it to the list.