MD WAMC - CA ORM 519/3.83

[shambalishambalu]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

1. cGPA: 3.83; sGPA: 3.55
2. MCAT: 519, 128/130/129/132 (first attempt)
3. Residency: CA
4. ORM
5. Undergrad Institution: T20 CA school, Humanities Major
6. Clinical experience: ~600 hrs (scribe in ED + outpatient clinic, inpatient volunteer in community hospital)
7. Research: ~700 hrs (Done at T5 med school; no pubs/presentations)
8. Shadowing: ~100 hrs (IM, Neurology, Urology, Ortho)
9. Non-clinical volunteering: ~1000 hrs (shelter, food bank, coordinated social services for underserved individuals as part of mobile nonprofit; had leadership here)
10. Other extracurricular activities: Lots of work hours from before college—waiting tables, clerking for local government, teaching ESL

I'm concerned about my sGPA, and I feel my app is very balanced and not very "spiky". Any advice on the school list would be greatly appreciated. I'm aiming for a surgical subspecialty, which makes places with a decent bit of prestige + access to research important. Still, gotta be realistic. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Faha]

You have a good list and should receive several interviews.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I will probe more into your sGPA, since you are concerned about it. Break down your grades and classes to calculate your science and BCPM GPAs.

 

[shambalishambalu]

I will probe more into your sGPA, since you are concerned about it. Break down your grades and classes to calculate your science and BCPM GPAs.

Since I wasn't a science major, I did fewer BCPM classes than most:

Gen Chem 1 (5) - B
Calculus 1 (5) - B
Statistics (4) - A+
Biostats (4) - A+
Intro Bio (3) - B+
Intro Bio Lab (2) - A-
Intro Bio 2 (3) - A
Intro Bio 2 Lab (2) - A
Ochem 1 (3) - B+
Ochem 1 Lab (2) - A
Ochem 2 (3) - B+
Ochem 2 Lab (2) - A
Physics 1 + Lab (4) - A+
Biochem (4) - A-
Physics 2 Lecture/Lab - Pending

My school has a special path where I only had to take one semester of Gen Chem.

 

[shambalishambalu]

You have a good list and should receive several interviews.

Thank you! I hope you're right.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

My suggestion to boost your sGPA is to take on a few more upper-level biomedical science classes like genetics, microbiology, anatomy, and physiology. I'm a little worried your science courses need a bit more depth for some schools.

 

[shambalishambalu]

My suggestion to boost your sGPA is to take on a few more upper-level biomedical science classes like genetics, microbiology, anatomy, and physiology. I'm a little worried your science courses need a bit more depth for some schools.

Unfortunately, I don't think that will be feasible as I've already graduated, and would like to try to apply this cycle. Do you think the sGPA should affect my list in any way?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Unfortunately, I don't think that will be feasible as I've already graduated, and would like to try to apply this cycle. Do you think the sGPA should affect my list in any way?

Comparing against other applicants for brand name medical schools, more will have taken "preferred" biomedical science classes like microbiology and immunology. You could get some slack as a humanities major, but many take upper-division biology too.