WAMC - nontrad 513 MCAT / 3.45 GPA

[Pettysmoothie]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hey all! The 2025/2026 application cycle will be my first attempt at applying to medical school. I graduated in 2020 and had every intention of applying back then but never sent the application. Five years later and I just got my MCAT score back and I'm ready to give it a shot. Taking some time away from the med school path was very rewarding and helped to reinforce my desire to pursue this field. Any advice on my current application/school list would be greatly appreciated!

Stats / demographics:
- cGPA - 3.45 Biochemistry degree graduated with honors in the major.
- sGPA - 3.35
- MCAT - First attempt in 2019: 511 (130,125,127,129). Second attempt in 2025: 513 (128,126,130,129)
- State of residence: CO (grew up in WI)
- ORM White male
- Undergrad: UW-Madison. Graduated in 2020.
Clinical experience:
- 120 hours Children’s hospital unit volunteer.
- 6,000 hours as a clinical research coordinator in pediatric neurology. No pubs or other productivity but I am hoping to gain some productivity here as I continue this role through the upcoming application cycle. Lots of direct patient facing experience here. Attended 4 conferences. Leadership: Currently serving as a mentor for new CRCs and a "research educator" as a preceptor for on boarding courses.
Research experience
- 300 hours undergrad research assistant in a surgery lab. Senior honors thesis with scholarship award written from this lab.
Shadowing experience and specialties represented
- 50 hours general surgery.
- 5 hours plastic surgery.
- 30 hours neurologist. Additional hours attending grand rounds with my current CRC role could be included here.
- Will be shadowing in the ED soon.
Non clinical volunteering
- After school science nights with elementary schools - 70 hours
- Campus volunteer program to various community organizations - includes one semester as a volunteer leader. (Meals on Wheels, Salvation Army, Local elementary school) 135 hours.
- Med supply drive during COVID to deliver supplies to sites - 10 hours.
- Animal shelter volunteer - 30 hours and continuing
- Volunteering as a ski instructor with kids with disabilities - 100 hours. Will be continuing this.
- International service trip working with primary care clinics. Strictly working on admin tasks. Got to shadow some patient visits here. 40 hours.
Other extracurricular
- Paid work as a clinical laboratory scientist post undergrad 4000 hours. Processing samples for early detection of cancer.
- Paid work as an office assistant during undergrad - 500 hours.
- Life guarding - 600 hours over summers during undergrad
- Track and field club 4 semesters. Competing with state D3 schools.
- Hobbies: Skiing, running (marathons and hill climb trail runs).

Relevant honors or awards - Senior honors thesis scholarship. Deans list one semester.
Anything else that is important? - GPA is lower but never had any course grade below a B. Upward trend with a 3.7 GPA during my final year. My plan leading up to / during the cycle is to continue working as a CRC and gain more nonclinical volunteering hours.

Current school list:
University of Colorado
University of Wisconsin Madison
Medical College of Wisconsin
Wake Forest
University of Minnesota
Albany
Loyola
Geisel
Ohio State
Georgetown
George Washington
Miami
University of Vermont
Quinnipiac
New York Medical College
Rush
Thomas Jefferson
Temple
Penn State
Drexel
Virginia Commonwealth
Rosalind Franklin
Tufts
Pitt
Hackensack
University of Utah
Saint Louis SOM
Creighton

Some of my experiences are pretty dated at this point so I am also wondering if this is something to be concerned about. Do school's view activities from 8-9 years ago differently? Would it be necessary to take some DIY postbac courses to show some recent academic success?
Thank you!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

ome of my experiences are pretty dated at this point so I am also wondering if this is something to be concerned about. Do school's view activities from 8-9 years ago differently? Would it be necessary to take some DIY postbac courses to show some recent academic success?

Have you met with any admissions representatives at schools on your wishlist? Recency bias is a preference: what have you done lately for your clinical and community service experience? When were your most recent courses taken? Check if there are issues with "old" prerequisites in case that affect your list. If you are taking courses since graduating, what is that GPA and what courses are covered?

Seriously though: what have you done with non-clinical community service, especially over the last 2-3 years since you have already graduated?

 

[Pettysmoothie]

Welcome to the forums.


Have you met with any admissions representatives at schools on your wishlist? Recency bias is a preference: what have you done lately for your clinical and community service experience? When were your most recent courses taken? Check if there are issues with "old" prerequisites in case that affect your list. If you are taking courses since graduating, what is that GPA and what courses are covered?

Seriously though: what have you done with non-clinical community service, especially over the last 2-3 years since you have already graduated?

Thanks for the response! I’ve been volunteering at a ski resort with the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) and volunteering at an animal shelter over the past year. I’ve also been trying to get in touch with a representative from Meals on Wheels to volunteer there, but I haven’t heard back yet. I've been able to shadow one of the neurologists I work with this year but all of my other shadowing experiences were back in undergrad. I’ve been working in my current role as a CRC for the past three years, but I started preparing for the MCAT back in August. It was tough to balance my study time with my full-time job.

My most recent course is from spring 2020. Most of the schools on my list don’t say that old prerequisite courses expire, but I’ll definitely keep an eye out for that. I’m also a bit concerned about the wording, ‘It is recommended that applicants retake courses if they have not retained mastery of the course content.’ That makes me second-guess myself. I’ll definitely reach out to some admissions reps to get their perspective as well.

 

[Faha]

Schools such as Rush and Loyola expect far more non clinical volunteering hours than you have. Minnesota and Utah admit few non residents with your stats and no connection to the state. I suggest these schools:
I suggest these schools with your stats:
Colorado
U Wisconsin
Medical College Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Ponce (St. Louis)
Creighton
TCU
Alice Walton
Roseman
Belmont
NOVA MD
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Hackensack
Albany
New York Medical College
Vermont
Quinnipiac
UMass
Methodist (when it opens)

 

[Pettysmoothie]

Schools such as Rush and Loyola expect far more non clinical volunteering hours than you have. Minnesota and Utah admit few non residents with your stats and no connection to the state.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[LunaOri]

Thanks for the response! I’ve been volunteering at a ski resort with the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) and volunteering at an animal shelter over the past year. I’ve also been trying to get in touch with a representative from Meals on Wheels to volunteer there, but I haven’t heard back yet. I've been able to shadow one of the neurologists I work with this year but all of my other shadowing experiences were back in undergrad. I’ve been working in my current role as a CRC for the past three years, but I started preparing for the MCAT back in August. It was tough to balance my study time with my full-time job.

My most recent course is from spring 2020. Most of the schools on my list don’t say that old prerequisite courses expire, but I’ll definitely keep an eye out for that. I’m also a bit concerned about the wording, ‘It is recommended that applicants retake courses if they have not retained mastery of the course content.’ That makes me second-guess myself. I’ll definitely reach out to some admissions reps to get their perspective as well.

Your MCAT score suggests that you have retained reasonable mastery of the subjects covered by that test.