WAMC Reinventor: 3.98 Postbacc GPA, 3.19 cGPA/3.3 sGPA, 518 MCAT

[Doctoscope]

I've been browsing the WAMC section for a few years, and I guess the time finally came to make my own.

I graduated from a UC in 2018 with a < 3.0 GPA (something like a 2.6 or something) in a math degree. I took a lot of credits for P/NP, and ended up NPing quite a few credits as well. I am a CA resident (GC holder).

I completed a postbacc at UCLA Extension + a couple of classes at a CC to take all the prereqs for the first time, and a few upper division courses as well. I finished the postbacc with a 3.98, 60 science units and 63 total units. I have no retakes in my postbacc.

AMCAS: 3.19 cGPA, 3.3 sGPA
AACOMAS: 3.19 cGPA, 3.9 sGPA (since math isn't a part of BCP)

My AMCAS/AACOMAS GPA chart pretty much looks like 2.x for the first 4 years of undergrad, then a 3.98 in the postbacc section.

I just received my MCAT score this morning and got a 518 (129/129/130/130).

COVID made it pretty hard to build unique EC's, but I managed to complete these for ~440 hours of clinical exp. and ~200 hours of non-clinical volunteering.

Clinical EC's (by 5/28): I have 400 hours from working at a private IM doc's office over a year (2021). I will have 40 hours with a hospice that I started in mid-2021, will continue throughout the app cycle. Visits have been limited due to delta and omicron.

Shadowing: 60 hours of primary care/sports med shadowing at the clinic I worked at. May or may not have additional DO shadowing, depending on how my search goes,

Non-clinical EC's (by 5/28): 150 hours of food donation delivery (2020 - now), and 50 hours of listening volunteering through 7Cups (April 2022 - now; started late).

I have ZERO research experience. I have some work experience working as a freelance software developer, a tutor, and as a waiter during a summer in college.

Since my ECs are very cookie-cutter, and I'm coming from a low GPA, what should my school list look like? Breakdown of MD vs. DO schools in terms of %? I was thinking I shouldn't bother applying to research-heavy schools that reward reinvention since I have 0 research.

Would love input from @Goro and @gonnif since you both have extensive experience with non-trad reinventors. Thank you.

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[Mr.Smile12]

Congrats on the MCAT score! I also presume California residency. That is quite a difference between AMCAS sGPA and AACOMAS BCP, which will definitely help. That means that for most of your prehealth-related courses (not the math stuff), your GPA would probably be around 3.9+ with your postbac courses? Any of those courses you had P/NP grades from earlier (meaning the non-math)?

I'm sure someone will note this (though you can always help with your application essays ). You certainly have a great shot for the right MD programs.

 

[Doctoscope]

Congrats on the MCAT score! I also presume California residency. That is quite a difference between AMCAS sGPA and AACOMAS BCP, which will definitely help. That means that for most of your prehealth-related courses (not the math stuff), your GPA would probably be around 3.9+ with your postbac courses? Any of those courses you had P/NP grades from earlier (meaning the non-math)?

I'm sure someone will note this (though you can always help with your application essays ). You certainly have a great shot for the right MD programs.

Thank you! Yes, all my undergrad work was in math/stats/CS, and all the pre-health requirements were taken post-graduation at UCLA Extension. My PB GPA is actually my pre-health GPA I think. All of my P/NPs were in math/non-pre-health courses as well.

 

[Doctoscope]

After reading through older, similar WAMC posts and Goro's list, I came up with a prelim list:

MD: USC, UCI, UCD, UCSF, Case, Dartmouth, Tufts, Emory, Kaiser, Pitt, Wake Forest, Wayne State, CUSM, Quinnipaic, Albany, NYMC, Hackensack, Drexel, GW, Gtown, Loyola, Rosalind Franklin, SLU, Creighton, Tulane, MCW, Oakland B, Temple, Thomas Jefferson, SUNY Downstate/Upstate (I graduated from a NY high school so I thought that could be a tie), Nova MD, Vermont

DO: PCOM, KCU, DMU, ATSU-KCOM, NYITCOM, VCOM-VA/Auburn, UNECOM, PacNW, TUNCOM

Are there any schools I should replace and/or add? I would like to minimize costs, so if there are schools that just isn't worth applying to, please let me know. I would love to hear your feedback @Faha and @Goro , thank you.

 

[Goro]

Add U VM, VANDY, COLUMBIA, TOURO.CA, BOTH WESTERNS, AZCOM.

DELETE UNECOM