WAMC: Non-trad, cGPA: 3.6, PB GPA 3.8, 506 MCAT

[newolduser]

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-PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE-

I want to preface this by saying I've gone to school A LOT. I really just love school, so my GPAs are a bit of a wild ride.

Background Info

• AMCAS GPAs:
  

  Year in School	cGPA	credit hours	sGPA	credit hours
  Undegrad (2011 grad)	3.46	136	3.43	12
  PB #1 (2012-2013)	3.47	31	3.44	28
  PB #2 (2020-pres)	3.97	77	3.96	59
  PB Combined	3.83	110	3.80	87
  Grad School (2019 grad)	3.94	65	3.88	7.5

• MCAT score: 9/2020 - 506 (125/128/125/128) // retake this month, but want to get started on a school list in case I void
• State: AZ, but strong ties to NJ
• White woman
• Undergraduate: T25 private, west coast, humanities major

Experiences:

• Clinical experience: Peace Corps (2000 hours clinical, 2000 hours other), birth/abortion doula (200 hours)
• Research: 50 hours, no pubs (obviously)
• Shadowing experience: 90 hours (all but 2 in the ER, but got to see a lot of docs come thru the ER, 2 hrs hand surgeon, will be doing 4 hours sports medicine in July)
• Non-clinical volunteering: AmeriCorps VISTA (2000 hrs)
• Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
• Relevant honors or awards: 1/4 scholarship to undergrad, 1/2 scholarship to a top 5 grad school in my area of study
• Anything else not listed you think might be important: strong record of volunteerism both home and abroad & want to go into primary care (those two things are the focus of my PS) // COVID-19 Epi since May 2020 (4000 hrs already, another 2000 projected) // extensive teaching & tutoring background since middle school // interned for the US Gov // wrote a public health curriculum for a native community college // lots of HIV-related experience, including one abroad // have worked since I was 14, including 20 hrs/week throughout undergrad and grad school - did my most recent (full-time) post-bacc while working full-time and growing then birthing a kiddo // mentor for a young woman from my Peace Corps country - helped her apply and get into a US College, then navigate it through her first year (will continue doing this until she graduates)

School list (all MD so far):

• UA - Phoenix (my tippy top choice)
• UA - Tucson
• Creighton (Phoenix Campus)
• Mayo (Phoenix Campus - and only if I can get my MCAT above their minimum)
• Rush
• SLU
• Wake Forest
• Carle Illinois

The plan is to apply MD, and if I don't hear anything by September, apply DO as well, but only to the 2 Phoenix schools. I'm aware that beggars can't be choosers, but I think my experiences and my GPA more than balance out my MCAT. Please let me know if I'm wrong.

 

[chilly_md]

That MCAT score will limit your options and would lead me to suggest you should apply DO as well. Mayo is likely a donation, being an AZ won't help especially without research experience. Carle has a heavy engineering focus, which I don't think you have with your humanities major. It seems Goro suggested a list to you in 2020:

WAMC (Nontrad, Killer ECs, uGPA 3.51, 506)

GPAs (this needs some explanation) Graduated undergrad in 2011, started a PB in 2012, left the country in 2013, started DIY PB in March 2020 uGPA 3.51, sGPA 3.58 3.10, 3.55, 3.15, 3.75 - looks like a camel but the 3.15 was after a close family member passed away pb: 3.64. Can never get above a...

forums.studentdoctor.net

Did you apply with that list? If you did, did you receive any interviews? What has changed since then?

 

[Bonne Nuit]

Since this is your second cycle, you need to apply DO as well unless you significantly improve your MCAT (513+)

If you void your MCAT and apply with a 506 again, you should only apply DO and your state MD. The other allopathic schools on your list are not realistic options for a reapplicant with a 506.

If a focus of your PS is your desire to practice in a primary care specialty, your experiences need to back that up. I see you have clinical experience through Peace Corps, but it is unclear what that entailed and how relevant these experiences were to the practice of primary care medicine in the United States. If you wish to keep this angle to your PS, then I recommend shadowing a primary care physician before you apply.

You obviously have an extensive track record of nonclinical service and you've discussed this at length here, but I note that you've provided comparatively little information about your clinical activities. Ensure you are not inadvertently de-emphasizing your clinical experiences on your application. The question adcoms are asking of you is: "Why is it necessary that you become a doctor in order to help people in the way you want to help them?" If they can't figure this out from your PS and supporting ECs, your application won't gain much traction.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Some allopathic schools that could be considered

MCW
Oakland
Drexel
Rosalind
Hackensack
Creighton
Creighton AZ
Quinnipiac
NOVA

But focus should be on DO. Can add some MD though

 

[newolduser]

Wanted to stop by and say that I've been successful thus far with only MD schools. I have an A to my state school, and an interview with a WedgeDawg "Cat 2" school. I did do an MCAT retake [511 (125/131/125/130)], but I think my strengths lie in 1) my service experiences and 2) my ability to write about them. So, even if you have low scores, write your dang heart out! Start getting your app for next year together now, seriously, and write from the heart about 3-5 different experiences, then pull them together for your Personal Statement and Secondaries.

Edited to add: Please feel free to DM me if you have questions, want a review of your PS, or anything like that. Happy to help. Don't be discouraged!