Non-trad here, just finishing up a DIY post-bacc. I ended undergrad with roughly a 2.77cGPA and a 2.3x sGPA. Currently, my PB GPA is 3.94 over 29 units, and I will complete another 7 units this summer. I know I'm barely making the cut here with my GPA, but I otherwise feel ready to apply.
*I'm submitting AMCAS before finishing my PB this summer because I don't want to wait til August for summer grades to count for AMCAS. For this reason, I want to apply sparingly, to only PB-friendly and lower-tier MD schools, but I'm mostly banking on DO. My summer classes, however, will actually push my cGPA and AACOMAS sGPA past a 3.00, so I'm waiting to submit AACOMAS until August, which hopefully is fine for DO cycle.* Please advise if you have thoughts on this.
*I'm submitting AMCAS before finishing my PB this summer because I don't want to wait til August for summer grades to count for AMCAS. For this reason, I want to apply sparingly, to only PB-friendly and lower-tier MD schools, but I'm mostly banking on DO. My summer classes, however, will actually push my cGPA and AACOMAS sGPA past a 3.00, so I'm waiting to submit AACOMAS until August, which hopefully is fine for DO cycle.* Please advise if you have thoughts on this.
- GPA:
- AMCAS: cGPA 2.99, sGPA 2.92
- AACOMAS: cGPA 3.03, sGPA 3.01 (includes projected summer grades)
- PB c/sGPA: 3.94
- MCAT score(s) and breakdown
- 508 (C/P 127, CARS 125, B/B 127, P/S 129). Scored a balanced 505 before that.
- CA resident, Asian/ORM, graduated 2016 from T20ish private in CA
- Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer)
- 4,000hrs clinical research, liver disease/transplant
- 250hrs clinical research, peds ER
- 400hrs shadowing, peds plastics at same place (mostly OR, some clinic)
- 200hrs volunteering, regional hospital
- Research experience and productivity
- contributions to many clinical research projects, study design, clinical trial management... see above
- 400hrs bench research in vascular surgery, 1 pub
- 700hrs bench work/lab tech
- Shadowing experience and specialties represented
- Liver disease/transplant, peds plastics, vascular surg, peds ER, gen surg
- Overall pretty surgery-heavy exposure/interests, heavy OR time
- Non-clinical volunteering
- Community service with religious org for 10+ yrs (feeding hungry, charity for underserved/homeless, interfaith work)
- Fundraising for relief efforts
- Other extracurricular activities
- I run a small business, art-related (6yrs), and often volunteer/fundraise with it
- 3yrs president of cultural club in college
- Relevant honors or awards
- none
- Anything else not listed you think might be important
- Random, but my minor in undergrad allowed me to take unique classes offered by med school instructors/at our university's med school (organ failure, forensic anatomy/toxicology, cultural competency in medicine, etc)
- Undergrad grades suck because I worked to support myself while premed
- Working capacity in Spanish and Hindi/Urdu
- DO:
- Alabama COM
- Arizona COM/Midwestern
- Arkansas COM
- AT Still (both)
- California Health Sciences COM
- Chicago COM/Midwestern
- DMUCOM
- Idaho COM
- KCU-COM
- LECOM (both)
- LUCOM
- LMU-DCOM
- NYITCOM (?)
- PCOM (both) (?)
- PNWU-COM
- RVU-COM
- Touro (all)
- UNECOM
- Univ of Incarnate Word COM
- UP-KYCOM
- West Virginia
- Western (both)
- William Carey COM
- Texas: all of them because (cheap fee)
- MD:
- UofA Tuscon
- UC Riverside
- Tulane
- Wisconsin
- Wayne State
- Wright State
- Michigan State
- Oakland
- EVMS
- Creighton
- USC, UCSF, Nebraska (reach, but personal ties)
- Low OOS, but based on MCAT, considering: UNLV, LSU New Orleans, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Missouri
- Also considering HBCUs... no significant contributions to the black community, but willing to chance it.
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