WAMC in general and specifically for UICOM

[EliteKiller2020]

Hi! I applied here previously 2 years ago (during my junior year of undergrad) and didn't get an interview. I've re-applied this cycle to every DO school and 13 MD schools and gotten a lot of secondaries (17 DO and 5 MD so far)! My undergrad GPA and MCAT are low (3.30 and 495, respectively). However, I enrolled in an MPH program at George Washington University in September 2022 (after completing my undergrad in Spring 2022) and will be completing it this September (this was supposed to be a 2-year program but I am finishing it in 1 year). My GPA is currently 3.91.

• I've been volunteering at a free clinic for the uninsured and underinsured for the past 5 years (hundreds of hours volunteering here
  • making patient education materials using my MPH knowledge
• student and teacher at a karate school (student for 10 years and teaching for 5 years)
• 100 hours of shadowing
• President (2 years) and Secretary (1 year) of a club during my undergrad
• Volunteering as a teacher at a Sunday School for the past 4+ years
• Youth Committee Board Member at my local congregation for 4+ years
• Research in Computational chemistry during my undergrad (though it did get disrupted due to COVID, so I wasn't able to publish anything)

Based on this, what are my chances for any DO or MD school?

Now, one of the MD schools I've applied to is UICOM. I didn't get a secondary the first time I applied, but I got one this time! So I live in one of the cities where the campus is located (I don't want to dox myself by accident). I know the area of one campus quite well, so it is my main preference. The campus students are also collaborating with a local free clinic for the uninsured and underinsured. In my secondary, I pointed out that I also volunteered at this clinic for the past 5 years. I have also been using my MPH knowledge to create patient materials. I've collaborated with the medical students for this project and outside of it as well. I also attended a seminar about Health Inequities hosted at this campus, which I mentioned as well. The point is I really tried to show that I am familiar with a particular campus, have collaborated with students from the medical school, and have been involved in some capacity.

Based on this, what are my chances at UICOM? (Someone in the UICOM thread told me to post this question here)

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[Faha]

A 495 MCAT is not competitive for any MD school. If you applied to all DO schools you may receive interviews at some of the newer schools. Orlando may be opening soon and there will be several other DO schools opening in the coming year that you could try next year if you are not accepted in this cycle.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

If you posted before, follow the template.

Why don't you want to stay in public health? How recent is your MCAT? It's too low for a strong application. You might get a shot at schools that may not be eligible for federal aid so you might have to finance on private loans.

 

[RockClimberMed]

They want your secondary fee $$$. retake MCAT if you want to go to UICOM. MPH gpa does not compensate for undergrad GPA as it is not composed of BCPM classes.

 

[EliteKiller2020]

If you posted before, follow the template.

Why don't you want to stay in public health? How recent is your MCAT? It's too low for a strong application. You might get a shot at schools that may not be eligible for federal aid so you might have to finance on private loans.

I've always wanted to become a physician. I was planning to do an MPH regardless, either before or after med school. Since I didn't get in the previous cycle, I decided to do it now. Most recent MCAT was in September 2022, right before the MPH started.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I've always wanted to become a physician. I was planning to do an MPH regardless, either before or after med school. Since I didn't get in the previous cycle, I decided to do it now. Most recent MCAT was in September 2022, right before the MPH started.

The 495 is your first score then?

I agree if you are angling for UIllinois, unless you have a significantly compelling back story, 495 is really going to hold you back. You are at high risk of doing poorly on USMLE, so you need to show why UI will have the resources you need to succeed.

 

[EliteKiller2020]

The 495 is your first score then?

I agree if you are angling for UIllinois, unless you have a significantly compelling back story, 495 is really going to hold you back. You are at high risk of doing poorly on USMLE, so you need to show why UI will have the resources you need to succeed.

Second attempt: 484-->495. Looking back, I shouldn't have given the first one, but that is in hindsight now.

 

[candbgirl]

Second attempt: 484-->495. Looking back, I shouldn't have given the first one, but that is in hindsight now.

What do you mean by this?

 

[wysdoc]

What do you mean by this?

I conclude the OP is not a native English speaker; in some other cultures they use the term giving an exam or sitting an exam, rather than our American "taking" an exam.

 

[candbgirl]

I conclude the OP is not a native English speaker; in some other cultures they use the term giving an exam or sitting an exam, rather than our American "taking" an exam.

Thank you. I should have figured that out myself.,

 

[EliteKiller2020]

@candbgirl @wysdoc Apologies for the confusion. Yeah, I'm bilingual, and in the second language lingo, "giving"/"sitting" for an exam is used so I sometimes carry that over unintentionally.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Back to OP: Okay... do what you can with the UICOM secondary, especially if you think you have a compelling story showing motivation to work and live in the community closest to the satellite campus you want (if this is the reason you believe they sent you a secondary). No guarantees, but if you are confident they have the resources to get you to pass STEP 1, you might as well try. Make sure you highlight your MPH and community activities since they do have RMED (if that is something you really are going for).

In the event of a reapplication: first your MPH GPA like all graduate GPA's is not factored in the application stats on screening. Second, the MCAT shows that you have some challenges processing absurdly complicated academic material that you will encounter in medical school, including data analysis in the science sections. If your file gets dinged on final deliberations, your MCAT will hold you back. Your academic record needs to show strong proficiency in science concepts in your prerequisites and upper level biomedical science courses, so you may want to look into some DIY postbac options if cost is your concern.

If you aren't living north of I-94 in Chicago, I presume you have applied to SIU, and I hope that they give you a shot. If not, check with their admissions recruiters for suggestions on a reapplication plan.

 

[EliteKiller2020]

Back to OP: Okay... do what you can with the UICOM secondary, especially if you think you have a compelling story showing motivation to work and live in the community closest to the satellite campus you want (if this is the reason you believe they sent you a secondary). No guarantees, but if you are confident they have the resources to get you to pass STEP 1, you might as well try. Make sure you highlight your MPH and community activities since they do have RMED (if that is something you really are going for).

In the event of a reapplication: first your MPH GPA like all graduate GPA's is not factored in the application stats on screening. Second, the MCAT shows that you have some challenges processing absurdly complicated academic material that you will encounter in medical school, including data analysis in the science sections. If your file gets dinged on final deliberations, your MCAT will hold you back. Your academic record needs to show strong proficiency in science concepts in your prerequisites and upper level biomedical science courses, so you may want to look into some DIY postbac options if cost is your concern.

If you aren't living north of I-94 in Chicago, I presume you have applied to SIU, and I hope that they give you a shot. If not, check with their admissions recruiters for suggestions on a reapplication plan.

Thank you for your input!