MD WAMC/School List - Strange situation but sGPA = 3.8, cGPA = 3.9

[peachnivea]

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Demographic: Junior at a mid-tier state school, URM (black female), High SES and child of physicians

Degrees: Natural Sciences (BS) and Film and Media Studies (BA)

Stats: 3.9 cGPA, 3.8 sGPA, but inflated with astronomy and low-level math courses, MCAT see below

Research: 1500+ hours as Research coordinator in Public Health. One poster presentation, 2 pending publications (first and second author). 100 hours as a clinical research intern at a concussion laboratory, I'm supposed to get a poster through this, but I'm unsure

Shadowing: Approximately 100 hours between three specialties. (Emergency Medicine, Orthopedic Surgery, and Primary Care Sports Med)

Clinical Hours: Appr. 1000 hours as a Clinical Research Assistant at level I trauma center

Non-Clinical Volunteering: 40 Hours of Meals on Wheels, 40 Hours of Soup Kitchen, 100 Hours volunteering at a non-profit for CPR education (I've taught CPR, but also developed the curriculum, assisted with grant writing and fundraising, etc)

EC: Writer, Assistant Editor, Editor-in-Chief, and Publisher of health and science magazine, Senior staff writer at school newspaper as a film critic.

LOR: Bad! One STEM professor I barely spoke to, One Public Health professor/my PI, one physician I shadowed, helped create a presentation for major conference for, and leader of CPR non-profit

Okay, now an explanation on the "strange" part. I'm in a higher-tier BS/MD program, but my dad wants me to apply out because he believes I can get into a tuition-free med school or get a scholarship somewhere else and use that to pull a scholarship out of my med school. I specify higher tier because I would have to get into a highly ranked med school for this leveraging idea to work.

I think this is a dumb and stupid idea.

Applying out would not jeopardize my acceptance, but I do not want to take the MCAT. I've taken a diagnostic exam and scored a 498, but I cannot imagine scoring higher than 515. I don’t want to take the MCAT because… the exam is difficult??? It's not insane that I don't want to take it. I worked hard so I didn’t have to take it, why would I now go and take it? In the case, I do get into another school that gives me a scholarship, would my school even match COA?

For those who believe I should apply out, based on my stats and demographics, what schools should I apply to?

Thanks!

 

[RockClimberMed]

Stick with the BS/MD...take the MCAT if you really want to unless your program stipulates against it and if you score well then reevaluate.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums.

I would also stick with the BS/MD agreement unless you are absolutely sure you want to roll the dice. But the MCAT is just a test that requires a lot of preparation. You can't be afraid of it because your future life will be full of exams more important than it. Also, if you feel your LORs are subpar, that's not good either.

I would not play the financial aid game until you get a competing offer. It's also hard to work with pure hypotheticals.

Why would your parents think you can get into a tuition-free school? Is it just because of your URM status? Being high SES will not help you if we are going race-neutral. Perhaps the schools where your parents graduated from might hold you in a little higher regard (legacy), but many admissions committees don't give you bonus points for an interview that way.

Could you complete a proper WAMC? What is your state of residence? What is your purpose as a physician? Have you connected with mentoring organizations supporting URM/Black physicians?

 

[jvquarterback]

Is dad not going to pay unless you apply elsewhere? I can imagine telling my child that in the future.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Is dad not going to pay unless you apply elsewhere? I can imagine telling my child that in the future.

The OP did mention the parents wanted them to get into a tuition-free school... 😉 . I just presume the parents think the OP can "do better." (Maybe they're right... don't know.)

 

[soapapple]

I assume your current BS/MD program allows you to apply out without losing the current admission. Please check that first. If they don't allow, you are saved and you just continue here. Oh.. I see that you mentioned applying out will not jeopardize your current acceptance so ignore this part.

Now, you are doing all this only to negotiate with the current school to see if they will match the scholarship assuming that you will get one. There are lots of ifs' and buts' here. First, you need to get a good MCAT score, then you need to write all those secondaries, then you need to get IIs from similar/better ranked schools, then you need to get an acceptance, not only an acceptance but with a sizeable scholarship. Then you can go back and negotiate with the current school if they can match so that you will continue in the current program with free tuition/COA. What is your plan assuming that you made it all the way to the end but your current school says they will not match scholarship offers. Will you go to the other school that offers the scholarship?

If it is a sizeable amount that you save in case this scheme works, may be you can try. But, it is a very, very, very long shot, overall. Writing MCAT is your first step. If you don't get a good score, all bets are off and you tell your dad it is not going to work and life is as usual for you. If you get a good MCAT score, you just pursue next steps but keep in mind that there is a chance that this plan can fail at any step. You should not feel bad if you don't get what you (or your dad) wanted after undergoing all this trouble. It seems almost like an entrepreneur journey.

 

[wysdoc]

Have you met the GPA requirements for your BS/MD admittance?
If yes, please stick with what you've got and enjoy your school.

We hear this story pretty often, that the parents who push and push you to apply BS/MD then decide it's not good enough for some reason.
It seems foolish to leave a guaranteed admission.

 

[soapapple]

Have you met the GPA requirements for your BS/MD admittance?
If yes, please stick with what you've got and enjoy your school.

We hear this story pretty often, that the parents who push and push you to apply BS/MD then decide it's not good enough for some reason.
It seems foolish to leave a guaranteed admission.

In this case, the parents do not think the BS/MD program is not good enough. As the admission is guaranteed, they just want OP to try her luck in getting free tuition/COA.

 

[soapapple]

Btw, it is too early to ask what schools you should apply. First, get the MCAT score and mention the current BS/MD program, then it will be easy for the folks here to suggest similar/better ranked schools.

 

[Med Ed]

It seems the only guaranteed outcome of taking the MCAT is some degree of resentment on your part.