Hi Everyone,
Hoping to get some advice on my stats and any suggestions on what to do to have a better chance of getting in. And any schools that I would be a good fit to apply to (have started a list already). There's a ton of info out there and being the first person in my family to apply to medical school I would love some advice and help on navigating everything.
A little about me, I have always had a passion for medicine and helping others. Originally planned on pursuing Dentistry and was on the Pre-Dental Track in undergrad. Had some personal/family problems that took my focus away from school and started to lack confidence in my ability to make it into Dental School. Slowly my GPA started to drop and I didn't perform well in the important pre-reqs. Decided to graduate and look for other career path options, I've had an interest business and art-got a job before graduating in 2022 with a film production company. Currently am in a management position and work about 50-60 hours a week. I have enjoyed this job and felt that I could learn a lot about business and help others through film and storytelling.
However, it is not fulfilling the need I have to make change and help underserved communities. After contemplation and talking to my advisor I decided to do a DIY Post-Bac at the U of U. To retake my pre-req courses that I didn't do well in (i.e. Ochem2, Physics, etc. C-/D). I have retaken those courses ( 24 credit hours total) and got all A's. I know that most Post-Bac's are 40-50 credits but taking anymore won't boost my GPA more significantly and with working 50 hours per week at my job I wanted to make sure I performed well in these and really gained a strong knowledge of the material-which I have.
While I originally planned on pursuing Dentistry again, I have found I have a deep passion for women's health (started when I was a Surgical Tech with the GYN Team) and want to help advance women's research and health. Which has led me to apply to medical school. While I don't have the best GPA I'm hoping with an upward trend in these courses, volunteer work, and a strong MCAT I'll have a fighting chance to get in. And with my experiences-hoping to show that I am committed to medicine and do have a passion for it. Just took some time and going down other paths to rediscover that passion.
Hoping to get some advice on my stats and any suggestions on what to do to have a better chance of getting in. And any schools that I would be a good fit to apply to (have started a list already). There's a ton of info out there and being the first person in my family to apply to medical school I would love some advice and help on navigating everything.
A little about me, I have always had a passion for medicine and helping others. Originally planned on pursuing Dentistry and was on the Pre-Dental Track in undergrad. Had some personal/family problems that took my focus away from school and started to lack confidence in my ability to make it into Dental School. Slowly my GPA started to drop and I didn't perform well in the important pre-reqs. Decided to graduate and look for other career path options, I've had an interest business and art-got a job before graduating in 2022 with a film production company. Currently am in a management position and work about 50-60 hours a week. I have enjoyed this job and felt that I could learn a lot about business and help others through film and storytelling.
However, it is not fulfilling the need I have to make change and help underserved communities. After contemplation and talking to my advisor I decided to do a DIY Post-Bac at the U of U. To retake my pre-req courses that I didn't do well in (i.e. Ochem2, Physics, etc. C-/D). I have retaken those courses ( 24 credit hours total) and got all A's. I know that most Post-Bac's are 40-50 credits but taking anymore won't boost my GPA more significantly and with working 50 hours per week at my job I wanted to make sure I performed well in these and really gained a strong knowledge of the material-which I have.
While I originally planned on pursuing Dentistry again, I have found I have a deep passion for women's health (started when I was a Surgical Tech with the GYN Team) and want to help advance women's research and health. Which has led me to apply to medical school. While I don't have the best GPA I'm hoping with an upward trend in these courses, volunteer work, and a strong MCAT I'll have a fighting chance to get in. And with my experiences-hoping to show that I am committed to medicine and do have a passion for it. Just took some time and going down other paths to rediscover that passion.
- GPA: 3.45 cGPA 3.2 sGPA (Before Post Bac 3.32 cGPA 2.8 sGPA)
- MCAT: Haven't taken yet-recent practice 516
- Utah Resident with strong ties to California (born there and all immediate family lives there).
- Would love to attend a school in California-but know they are competitive and mainly select In State Applicants.
- White/Female
- University of Utah For Undergrad-BS Psychology
- Volunteer Experience:
- 275 hours at a free clinic downtown (billing assistant and appointment scheduler).
- 50 hours University of Utah Hospital Cardiac Floor Volunteer
- Research experience and productivity
- 800 hours Research Assistant for a Skin Cancer/Behavior Study
- 400 hours Undergraduate Research Program-created a presentation and study that followed the rates of Skin Cancer in Women in Utah.
- Shadowing experience and specialties represented
- 20 Hours OB/GYN Shadowing (speciality I'm most interested in).
- 15 Hours Pediatrician Shadowing
- 15 Hours Endocrinology/Family Practice Shadowing
- Non-clinical volunteering
- 100 hours Serving meals to homeless and disabled at a local shelter (Present).
- 100 hours Student Mentor (Present).
- 50 hours Domestic Violence shelter volunteer (Present).
- Other extracurricular activities
- 2,000 hours Surgical Tech at Huntsman Cancer Institute-Mainly on the GYN and Plastics Team. Paid.
- Treasurer For My Sorority
- Study Abroad Italy
- Started Small Business for during summers
- 50 hours per week job in Film (Managment/Development) 2022-Present.
