Hi there. Today I got the news that I was rejected from an SMP that I thought could help me redeem my low GPA, and now I'm feeling discouraged about continuing to apply.
Given the very low GPA, I feel kind of iffy about taking the MCAT this week and am now wondering if I should void it afterwards. Reason being is I would not want to score well, then have it expire, only to apply again down the road and retake the MCAT and not score as high the second time.
- 2.9 sGPA and 3.0 cGPA for TMDSAS. Same for AMCAS and AACOMAS.
- MCAT score(s) and breakdown: I take the actual MCAT this Friday 5/27, but have been scoring 507-509 on AAMC practice tests. CP usually on the lower end around 124-126, CARS around 127-128, B/B and P/S around 128-130.
- State of residence or country of citizenship: TX resident
- Ethnicity and/or race: URM hispanic, low SES.
- Undergraduate institution or category: Public state school. I had a bad start as an early college HS student where I had to take CC classes in HS. I did poorly then and those grades have haunted me.
- Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer):
- Scribing in ED: 5020 hrs over 3 years
Homeless clinic volunteer: 30 hours
Campus counseling volunteer: 300 hours. (this was one of my most meaningful and I got 2 LORs from here)
- Scribing in ED: 5020 hrs over 3 years
- Research experience and productivity
- Neurobiology research: 200 hours but no pubs because it got shut down in March 2020 (COVID)
- Shadowing experience and specialties represented
- In person shadowing: 15 hours in ICU during COVID
- virtual shadowing: 90 hours (FM, EM, neurosurgery, urology, trauma surgery, MFM, radiology, peds)
- Non-clinical volunteering
- Big Brother Big Sister: 200 hours
- High risk pregnancy volunteer: 85 hours (this was another one of my most meaningful)
- Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
- Created an organization on campus for student parents and advocated for parenting and pregnancy accommodations
- Lots of hours as a member for different student organizations (LMSA, AMWA, a religious student org, ROTC)
- Relevant honors or awards
- Honor roll towards the end of my bachelors (2x)
- Anything else not listed you think might be important
Did a lot of advocacy for parenting/maternal health after having my own child as a single parent during college
I have over 150 hours of credits now, so my GPA is pretty stubborn. I've already taken 12 hours of postbacc classes at a 3.93 cGPA and 4.0 sGPA
Given the very low GPA, I feel kind of iffy about taking the MCAT this week and am now wondering if I should void it afterwards. Reason being is I would not want to score well, then have it expire, only to apply again down the road and retake the MCAT and not score as high the second time.