WAMC - low MCAT high GPA

[aprit1]

Here is another one of these of all of y'all who have passed this process. I got flamed for not having proper stats for MD, but had insecure housing when I took my first MCAT. Planning to retake soon, but I had some health conditions that slowed down my studying.

1. cGPA: 3.9x and sGPA: 3.9x currently (could go as low as 3.9x -0.02 after this semester)
2. MCAT score: 498 - 124/126/123/125 (studied for 6 weeks in my soph yr and took it) --> planning retake hoping to hit close to 510
3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US) - US and 2 other citizenships
4. Ethnicity and/or race - South Asian Female (edit - ORM)
5. Undergraduate institution or category - MSI (HSI) - R1 uni with only trauma 1 center in the state
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer) - paid RA (clinical study coordinator) --> 2 years, will project till I graduate (8 hours / week), hospital volunteering (2 semesters at different hospitals)
7. Research experience and productivity - 3000 hours - projecting to 4000 hours for app (been in the same neuro lab since freshman year), 4 pubs (2 first author review, 1 co-author basic science, 1 4th author), 1 paper under review, 1 2nd author paper in prep, 2 1st author papers in prep, 10 presentations - 2 national level travel awards, 7 poster contributions, RA job is also research + clinical, summer internship ~500 hours (public health experience)
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented - neurosurg, gen surg, forensics, vascular surg, emergency med, pediatrics (I tried to shadow a little of everything instead of sustained shadowing with one person except for peds cause my internship mentor was in peds)
9. Non-clinical volunteering - public service volunteering related to forensics
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc) - president of a club (student-run premed club), VP of another club (organized cultural event >300 people, and taught kids)
11. Relevant honors or awards - 2 national travel awards, Goldwater awardee, Dean's list (lame to say, but had to fill in), currently on NIH research stipend
12. was accepted to med schools in Ireland (5 year direct-entry program out of high school) and I said no cause I wanted to do MD/PhD and being an IMG could be a hassle

School List (I've been told I'm crazy for applying to this many - and not in any particular order - any schools I should take out? I'm planning on applying based on stats / location (have family in the area) and if they have a Neuro / Anatomy PhD program - current residency status in NM):
0) NIH MD/PhD OxCam Scholars (not a school)
1) The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix
2) Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine
3) UMass Chan
4) Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
5) Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine
6) University of Cincinatti
7) University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
8) University of Arizona -Tuscon
9) University of Rochester
10) Rutgers, New Jersey
11) University of Minnesota Medical School
12) University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
13) University of Pittsburgh
14) Rush University
15) University of Wisconsin--Madison
16) University of Miami School of Medicine
17) Tufts University School of Medicine
18) Loyola University, Chicago
19) The University of Alabama at Birmingham
20) University of Washington, Seattle
21) University of California Riverside School of Medicine
22) University of Maryland School of Medicine
23) Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine
24) Virginia Commonwealth University
25) University of Buffalo
26) University of Kansas
27) University of Missouri
28) Medical College of Wisconsin
29) University of Kentucky
30) Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University
31) Thomas Jefferson University
32) University of Toledo
33) University of Missouri - Columbia
34) University of Nevada - Reno
35) SUNY - Upstate Medical University College of Medicine
36) University of Louisville
37) University of New Mexico
38) University of Utah
39) Wayne State
40) University of Lewis Katz
41) Morehouse School of Medicine
42) University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
43) Loyola-Stritch
44) Howard University

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[VaultArmitage]

The rest of your app seems very strong but your MCAT will be a massive barrier to getting an MD/PhD spot. Slow down, take your time to really crush the MCAT and apply once you've gotten your score up. If you can swing a 515+ that will open a ton of doors.

Realistically, I don't see you getting in with that score. My school is firmly a mid tier and I've never seen us interview an applicant with less then a 513.

 

[ioniansea]

Not on admissions anywhere- so pls take with a grain of salt. But iirc the average MDPhD matriculant score was 516 last year so while a 510 is not amazing, I don’t think it’s the end of the world? Assuming you actually get that score, of course.

Your long-term productive research jumps out at me as strong. Also, are you considered disadvantaged? I think you could write a compelling essay about overcoming challenges while facing housing insecurity.

That being said, I would say just toss out all the T10-T20 schools from your list. And consider Fencer’s advice for applying broadly (posted elsewhere on the forum).

 

[aprit1]

Not on admissions anywhere- so pls take with a grain of salt. But iirc the average MDPhD matriculant score was 516 last year so while a 510 is not amazing, I don’t think it’s the end of the world? Assuming you actually get that score, of course.

Your long-term productive research jumps out at me as strong. Also, are you considered disadvantaged? I think you could write a compelling essay about overcoming challenges while facing housing insecurity.

That being said, I would say just toss out all the T10-T20 schools from your list. And consider Fencer’s advice for applying broadly (posted elsewhere on the forum).

Considered disadvantaged in terms of financial and ORM (but 1st gen immigrant). My essays aren't really about that though because I used it to talk about clinical experiences. I put down any T10-T20 that had research mentors that I was interested in and I could contribute to their lab with minimal training (advised by my home institution's adcom member to do that but idk how reliable that advice was). Will definitely get rid of many of them as I shortlist.

 

[aprit1]

The rest of your app seems very strong but your MCAT will be a massive barrier to getting an MD/PhD spot. Slow down, take your time to really crush the MCAT and apply once you've gotten your score up. If you can swing a 515+ that will open a ton of doors.

Realistically, I don't see you getting in with that score. My school is firmly a mid tier and I've never seen us interview an applicant with less then a 513.

Grinding for a decent score but I'm pretty realistic about my abilities so Idk if studying dedicatedly will up my score to >513. I'm planning on putting in the hours of studying but I understand that this past attempt will look like a red flag.

 

[pierty]

What research are you interested in? You should cut down your list to ~20 schools that you would be sincerely happy at, and able to find at least a couple labs/mentors that you are interested in (and note: while research interests are very important, the mentor-mentee match is just as critically important to your success, which is why having a few options at the outset is important. You don't see these factors until meeting mentors after acceptance).

Yes, your MCAT will be a barrier to many schools. However, there are programs - even ones with the strongest reputations - that admit students with low benchmarks when everything else about their application is strong (some MSTP admissions offices have the autonomy to interview applicants irrespective of the MD school's decisions, which tend to be more strict with bottom score filters). Focus on improving your score to the median matriculant (>516), and manage expectations accordingly (some schools will view your attempts as an average. Some will take a look at it, see you significantly improved, and give you the benefit of the doubt. Either situation can occur). Note that you will very likely not be considered a URM given your profile.

 

[aprit1]

What research are you interested in? You should cut down your list to ~20 schools that you would be sincerely happy at, and able to find at least a couple labs/mentors that you are interested in (and note: while research interests are very important, the mentor-mentee match is just as critically important to your success, which is why having a few options at the outset is important. You don't see these factors until meeting mentors after acceptance).

Yes, your MCAT will be a barrier to many schools. However, there are programs - even ones with the strongest reputations - that admit students with low benchmarks when everything else about their application is strong (some MSTP admissions offices have the autonomy to interview applicants irrespective of the MD school's decisions, which tend to be more strict with bottom score filters). Focus on improving your score to the median matriculant (>516), and manage expectations accordingly (some schools will view your attempts as an average. Some will take a look at it, see you significantly improved, and give you the benefit of the doubt. Either situation can occur). Note that you will very likely not be considered a URM given your profile.

Hi, I’m interested in neurodegenerative research / viral-induced neuro conditions. Pretty neuro / immune focused atm. I really care about my PI as you mentioned compared to the location / school since med schools are pretty standardized. Would it be a good idea to email some PIs after I submit primaries to ask them if I could be a good fit to talk about joining their lab in my secondaries?

 

[ddhopeful]

Considered disadvantaged in terms of financial and ORM (but 1st gen immigrant). My essays aren't really about that though because I used it to talk about clinical experiences. I put down any T10-T20 that had research mentors that I was interested in and I could contribute to their lab with minimal training (advised by my home institution's adcom member to do that but idk how reliable that advice was). Will definitely get rid of many of them as I shortlist.

It’s certainly a significant advantage being disadvantaged (FAP, low SES, first gen etc.) or from underrepresented backgrounds (URM) in academic medicine but it matters more in some programs than others. I have seen students from these backgrounds get into MSTP programs with 3-5 points lower MCAT scores and also lower GPA. So, I would look at the average/median MCAT score for the MSTPs (not all reveal that but they might tell you if you email them) and apply mostly to those where you are not lower than 5 points below their average. If you can get at least 512, your chances increase a fair bit. You can certainly apply to a few reaches if you have an excellent research fit. Good luck!

 

[pierty]

Hi, I’m interested in neurodegenerative research / viral-induced neuro conditions. Pretty neuro / immune focused atm. I really care about my PI as you mentioned compared to the location / school since med schools are pretty standardized. Would it be a good idea to email some PIs after I submit primaries to ask them if I could be a good fit to talk about joining their lab in my secondaries?

It would be a bit too early to message PIs before receiving an interview (I completely understand wanting to show your interest and compatibility early to put a spotlight on you, but most PIs do not serve on admissions committees, and it can be a conflict of interest for them to show significant favoritism if they are).

You can go to a meeting like the NIH medical school fair to talk with MSTP admissions directors directly about your interest and match for their programs - it's likely they will remember you when reading your application. After interviewing, you can reach out to individual PIs if they weren't part of your informal meetings during your interview day to set up meetings to talk with them, and then send a letter of commitment (only 1, written carefully to show you mean it) to the program you know you would like to attend mentioning the PIs you think you would match really well with.

The good news is that your interests are strengths of many schools (neurodegeneration and immune disorders are major centers at many schools) so you should have several options to choose from. I would start with the MSTPs with an MCAT range that includes your retake score, and work to non-MSTPs from there. With a good retake score and some planning, I don't think you'll have too much trouble - good luck!

(*small note: the Oxcam program only has partnerships with MSTPs, and most MSTPs do not partner with them, so it's a small portion of programs. There are only a handful on your list I believe that partner with them).

 

[ddhopeful]

Hi, I’m interested in neurodegenerative research / viral-induced neuro conditions. Pretty neuro / immune focused atm. I really care about my PI as you mentioned compared to the location / school since med schools are pretty standardized. Would it be a good idea to email some PIs after I submit primaries to ask them if I could be a good fit to talk about joining their lab in my secondaries?

Many MD-PhD programs have faculty researching neuro/immune areas such as HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder, neurological effects of Covid-19 etc. Exchanging emails with PIs and mentioning about your fit/interest in their research in the secondary can't hurt but I don't know how much it will help.