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My MCAT and GPA really held me back last application cycle, but I think I've cleared myself as an academic risk (hopefully). Any thoughts are welcomed!!!!
1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS – ~3.43 cGPA, ~3.24 sGPA with strong upward trend and ~3.8+ senior year science GPA in upper-level coursework (~30 bcpm credits), also had to work to pay for school all throughout undergrad
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown. Include all attempts. – 499 (124/127/122/126), 496 (126/125/122/123), 510 (128/127/126/129), Had actual time to study after classes slowed down senior year and ACTUALLY learned how to study for the test
3. State of residence – Tennessee resident, born in New Jersey
4. Ethnicity and/or race – Black, Ghanaian-American, first-generation American, URM
5. Undergraduate institution or category – University of Tennessee Knoxville, large public in-state university, graduated May 2026
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer) – ~1100 hr Emergency Department Medical Scribe, 48+ hr Hospital Volunteer in Ghana with anticipated return service of 48hr,
2600 anticipated hrs full-time Medical Assistant during gap year
7. Research experience and productivity – 63 hr Undergraduate Research Assistant in Infant Perception-Action Lab studying infant motor behavior, proprioception, and visual attention through frame-by-frame coding; internal presentations, no publications
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented – 145 hrs: Emergency Medicine, Infectious Disease, Fertility/Reproductive Medicine (IVF), Neurology, more in the coming months!
9. Non-clinical volunteering – 3650+ hr Youth Ministry Representative and church leadership/service, 145+ hr YMCA literacy tutoring and GirlTalk mentorship, 32+ hr Black Issues Conference volunteer, annual Habitat for Humanity fundraising/community engagement through RA role (~$2000 raised yearly, 3 years)
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
575 hr Executive Board member/President of African Student Association
445 hr Co-Founder/Vice President of National Society of Black Women in Medicine chapter
375 hr College of Arts & Sciences Ambassador
750+ hr Longtime hairstyling hobby helping peers and family with natural hair care and styling
1500 hr Resident Assistant
11. Relevant honors or awards –
2 academic and leadership scholarships, Junior of the Year for NAACP chapter, RA campus awards for Academic Success and Access and Engagement, Dean's List 4x, Magna and Summa my last 2 semesters.
12. Anything else not listed you think might be important –
Application narrative heavily centered around cultural humility, trust in medicine, and experiences navigating both Western and West African healthcare systems as a Ghanaian-American student. Fluent in Twi and English with conversational Spanish proficiency.
1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS – ~3.43 cGPA, ~3.24 sGPA with strong upward trend and ~3.8+ senior year science GPA in upper-level coursework (~30 bcpm credits), also had to work to pay for school all throughout undergrad
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown. Include all attempts. – 499 (124/127/122/126), 496 (126/125/122/123), 510 (128/127/126/129), Had actual time to study after classes slowed down senior year and ACTUALLY learned how to study for the test
3. State of residence – Tennessee resident, born in New Jersey
4. Ethnicity and/or race – Black, Ghanaian-American, first-generation American, URM
5. Undergraduate institution or category – University of Tennessee Knoxville, large public in-state university, graduated May 2026
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer) – ~1100 hr Emergency Department Medical Scribe, 48+ hr Hospital Volunteer in Ghana with anticipated return service of 48hr,
2600 anticipated hrs full-time Medical Assistant during gap year
7. Research experience and productivity – 63 hr Undergraduate Research Assistant in Infant Perception-Action Lab studying infant motor behavior, proprioception, and visual attention through frame-by-frame coding; internal presentations, no publications
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented – 145 hrs: Emergency Medicine, Infectious Disease, Fertility/Reproductive Medicine (IVF), Neurology, more in the coming months!
9. Non-clinical volunteering – 3650+ hr Youth Ministry Representative and church leadership/service, 145+ hr YMCA literacy tutoring and GirlTalk mentorship, 32+ hr Black Issues Conference volunteer, annual Habitat for Humanity fundraising/community engagement through RA role (~$2000 raised yearly, 3 years)
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc)
575 hr Executive Board member/President of African Student Association
445 hr Co-Founder/Vice President of National Society of Black Women in Medicine chapter
375 hr College of Arts & Sciences Ambassador
750+ hr Longtime hairstyling hobby helping peers and family with natural hair care and styling
1500 hr Resident Assistant
11. Relevant honors or awards –
2 academic and leadership scholarships, Junior of the Year for NAACP chapter, RA campus awards for Academic Success and Access and Engagement, Dean's List 4x, Magna and Summa my last 2 semesters.
12. Anything else not listed you think might be important –
Application narrative heavily centered around cultural humility, trust in medicine, and experiences navigating both Western and West African healthcare systems as a Ghanaian-American student. Fluent in Twi and English with conversational Spanish proficiency.
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