WAMC: 3.6 cGPA, 3.5 sGPA, 517

[circestree]

My undergraduate premed advising has not been particularly helpful (not discouraging, just super vague), so I was hoping for some advice here. Planning to apply for the 2025-26 cycle, info below:

1. 3.6 cGPA and 3.5 sGPA. U-shaped trend with my worst semesters being sophomore spring and junior fall. The grade I'm most concerned about is a B- in anatomy (median grade was a B and it is one of the only classes where my final grade was below the median recorded on the transcript).
2. First attempt MCAT 517 (127/131/127/132)
3. Maryland, strong ties to upstate NY
4. White ORM
5. Cornell
6. I currently have about 4,800 clinical hours combined from hospice/palliative care CNA and EMT during undergrad. About 2,500 of those hours are clinical volunteering through volunteer EMS.
7. NIH SIP program x2 and I'm now taking two years for their post-bacc program. Clinical research, published x5 in medium-impact journals and I have one first author paper in review at the moment. Also presented three times at NIH-specific poster days and twice at national conferences. After these two gap years, it’ll be about ~3000 total hours.
8. About 15 hours of palliative care shadowing in a hospice facility and 40 hours of shadowing anesthesia, radiology, pathology, and surgery at the NIH.
9. 500 hours of non-clinical volunteering at a soup kitchen where we assisted patrons with blood pressure and other vital signs checks and offered free and affordable healthcare resources in the area. I was the chair of this group for two years and got it back up off its feet after COVID, which was a big learning experience for me. Also ~200 hours of volunteering as a CPR and Stop the Bleed instructor for free classes for the community.
10. Major leadership roles in volunteer EMS agency, resident advisor for two years, sat on an advisory board for university officials re: public safety. Also was a TA for General Chemistry I and a Human Development class.
11. Dean's List x5 semesters.
12. Part of my GPA drop was due to health issues that have since been mostly resolved, though I was told not to discuss this in my application so I was planning on explaining my grade trend with time management skills and balancing my studies with new leadership commitments.

I was hoping to apply mostly MD though I am super open to DO programs. Here is my current school list:

• University of Maryland SOM
• University of Pittsburgh
• Dartmouth Geisel SOM
• Tufts
• Jefferson
• VCU
• NYMC
• Weill Cornell
• Albert Einstein
• Stony Brook
• Brown
• University of Rochester
• UVA
• Virginia Tech
• Hofstra
• University of Colorado
• SUNY Downstate
• SUNY Upstate
• Buffalo (Jacobs)
• Temple University
• Wayne State University
• Drexel University
• Rosalind Franklin
• University of Vermont
• Georgetown
• George Washington
• Eastern Virginia
• Penn State University
• Quinnipiac University
• Hackensack Meridian
• Oakland University
• Tulane University
• Wake Forest
• Albany Medical College
• Rush University
• Loyola University (Stritch)

Thanks in advance for any help!

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[Faha]

When are you planning to apply ?

 

[circestree]

When are you planning to apply ?

next cycle, so 2025-26

 

[Mr.Smile12]

As much as you can, how vague was the prehealth advising office? I mean, what were they vague about? Were they vague when you were a student (since you're at NIH now)? How about the NIH OITE premed advisor/s?

 

[Faha]

next cycle, so 2025-26

You should receive several interviews from your list of schools. Add West Virginia.

 

[circestree]

As much as you can, how vague was the prehealth advising office? I mean, what were they vague about? Were they vague when you were a student (since you're at NIH now)? How about the NIH OITE premed advisor/s?

I think I just had a lot of questions that they can't explicitly answer because they don't want to crush me or get my hopes up too high (I appreciate that their job is very difficult in that regard). I met with them while I was still a student about if I should apply to do a post-bacc program for my GPA (not the NIH post-bacc, which is essentially a research year, but a post-bacc where I took classes). They told me that people had been accepted to MD programs from Cornell with my stats, but otherwise couldn't really tell me whether a post-bacc would actually help or to what degree my grades would hold me back in the admissions office. I haven't been able to meet with them to have my school list reviewed yet, but when I asked about it in a meeting they just said that I should apply to "all the MD programs that our students generally have a good shot at." Overall they gave me a ton of helpful resources, but I don't think I came out of any meetings with them with any better understanding of my individual chances in the process.

I've heard great things about the OITE advisors, but haven't met with them yet as I started recently and I think there is some limit to how many meetings you can have with them as there's relatively few of them. I was hoping to get some feedback here about my school list before meeting with them so that they can be a sort of final critique.

 

[LunaOri]

Your volunteering is pretty light. I did 60 hrs of free clinic a week while doing a 17 hour semester, tutoring organic chem, research, and working full time to pay for my mom’s hospice. My MCAT was only a point better, but I didn’t really prepare for it. Have you considered DO schools or Caribbean?

What’s in your personal statement? Do you contribute any diversity? Have you had any major adversity or experiences to talk about? The doctor overseeing the free clinic I volunteered at had a cardiac arrest and no nurses were around, leaving me to handle BLS while also coordinating an active L&D situation with one of his patients. After I brought him back with the AED I ended up having to deliver the other patient before EMS could arrive. I’m saving that one for my interviews though, since I have plenty in my personal statement as it is.

Please stop trolling and trying to make other applicants feel bad.

 

[KaiBuzz]

I would recommend adding CWRU. They seem to like Cornell students.

 

[circestree]

Your volunteering is pretty light. I did 60 hrs of free clinic a week while doing a 17 hour semester, tutoring organic chem, research, and working full time to pay for my mom’s hospice. My MCAT was only a point better, but I didn’t really prepare for it. Have you considered DO schools or Caribbean?

What’s in your personal statement? Do you contribute any diversity? Have you had any major adversity or experiences to talk about? The doctor overseeing the free clinic I volunteered at had a cardiac arrest and no nurses were around, leaving me to handle BLS while also coordinating an active L&D situation with one of his patients. After I brought him back with the AED I ended up having to deliver the other patient before EMS could arrive. I’m saving that one for my interviews though, since I have plenty in my personal statement as it is.

Please stop trolling and trying to make other applicants feel bad.

its true i was the baby being born

 

[circestree]

I would recommend adding CWRU. They seem to like Cornell students.

good idea, thanks!!

 

[circestree]

You should receive several interviews from your list of schools. Add West Virginia.

will do, thanks!!