pleasantpeanut4
Full Member
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2023
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Academics: I need help with my school list, since my GPA is weak and MCAT is pretty mediocre. I already feel pretty bad having to reflect on these past few years, but might as well rip off the band-aid and move forward. I am an AA male who majored in neuroscience Columbia for undergrad, where I did fine, but was consistently a middle of the pack student. I mostly got “B+”s in my STEM classes, only getting an A in Orgo 1. The semester I took Biology 2 and Biology Lab, we went to P/F because of the pandemic, and I was anticipating an A in Bio Lab and at least another B+ in Biology 2, since I finally got used to my difficult professor’s style. The worst things on my transcript are a W from my freshman year in Calc 3, when I realized I didn’t need it for my major (my advisor thought I did and told me to take it), and during my final semester, I ended up in a Biochem course that I had heard was bad but had no idea how bad the professor was until I took it. Half the class dropped the class after the first exam and few ended up with A’s. I withdrew from my second semester of Orgo Lab (didnt need it to trad but needed biochem) and ended up with a C+. During my time, I was involved in various neuro/premed clubs, had 1 e-board position and was treasurer of another club. I also participated in the Quiz Bowl and various cultural clubs.
MCAT: 513 (C/P: 126, CARS: 132, B/B: 126, P/S: 129)
Clinical/shadowing: Since graduation, I’ve been working as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the local Children’s Hospital and it has reignited my love of medicine. I studied for the MCAT while working here and was hoping to offset my GPA, but that’s just the way life goes. I had severe asthma and allergies as a kid, and the hospital is actually where I spent a lot of my childhood. In fact, I’m working in the pulmonary division, so I am working alongside many doctors who knew me my whole life. I am getting a letter of recommendation from my former pulmonary specialist who mentored/encouraged me my eand am planning on getting one more from another doctor I work with, although I haven’t narrowed down who yet. I’ve been working here for months and have gotten shadowing, clinical and research experience during my duration.
Research: In terms of other research, I worked in a neuro lab during the summer before the last, did data extraction for another neuroscientist for over a year during the pandemic, and was the second author of a telemedicine systematic review in a low-tier journal with some doctors from Weill Cornell.
LORs: My strongest one will probably come from my mentor/pulmonary specialist, who used to work in admissions at the UW. The other doctors I am deciding between could also likely write strong letters bc of our close relationship. I am also getting a letter from the PI from the neuro lab, my orgo professor, one of my humanities professors, and I still haven’t heard back from my bio lab professor but the TA said she wrote positive notes about me to the professor if I ever needed a LOR.
School List: Before everything, I had always had this silly desire for the T20s but after I got my MCAT back and scored 4 points below my FL average, I had to reevaluate things, so this is my list:
UW (I’m a WA resident so this my number one choice), WSU, Einstein, NYMC, Tulane, Brown, Dartmouth, Albany, Temple, Jefferson, Drexel, Georgetown, Emory, Tufts, BU
Extreme Reaches: Mt Sinai, Duke, Columbia (very unlikely, only applying bc I went for undergrad and it’s still my dream school). I originally had hoped to shoot my shot at a few other T20s, knowing it wasn’t likely with my GPA, but now that I got my MCAT back and it’s become even less likely, I’ve accepted it probably isn’t worth the application fees. Sorry if this was hard to read, I just got my MCAT score back and wrote this while fasting. I can elaborate if anyone has any questions and thanks in advance
MCAT: 513 (C/P: 126, CARS: 132, B/B: 126, P/S: 129)
Clinical/shadowing: Since graduation, I’ve been working as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the local Children’s Hospital and it has reignited my love of medicine. I studied for the MCAT while working here and was hoping to offset my GPA, but that’s just the way life goes. I had severe asthma and allergies as a kid, and the hospital is actually where I spent a lot of my childhood. In fact, I’m working in the pulmonary division, so I am working alongside many doctors who knew me my whole life. I am getting a letter of recommendation from my former pulmonary specialist who mentored/encouraged me my eand am planning on getting one more from another doctor I work with, although I haven’t narrowed down who yet. I’ve been working here for months and have gotten shadowing, clinical and research experience during my duration.
Research: In terms of other research, I worked in a neuro lab during the summer before the last, did data extraction for another neuroscientist for over a year during the pandemic, and was the second author of a telemedicine systematic review in a low-tier journal with some doctors from Weill Cornell.
LORs: My strongest one will probably come from my mentor/pulmonary specialist, who used to work in admissions at the UW. The other doctors I am deciding between could also likely write strong letters bc of our close relationship. I am also getting a letter from the PI from the neuro lab, my orgo professor, one of my humanities professors, and I still haven’t heard back from my bio lab professor but the TA said she wrote positive notes about me to the professor if I ever needed a LOR.
School List: Before everything, I had always had this silly desire for the T20s but after I got my MCAT back and scored 4 points below my FL average, I had to reevaluate things, so this is my list:
UW (I’m a WA resident so this my number one choice), WSU, Einstein, NYMC, Tulane, Brown, Dartmouth, Albany, Temple, Jefferson, Drexel, Georgetown, Emory, Tufts, BU
Extreme Reaches: Mt Sinai, Duke, Columbia (very unlikely, only applying bc I went for undergrad and it’s still my dream school). I originally had hoped to shoot my shot at a few other T20s, knowing it wasn’t likely with my GPA, but now that I got my MCAT back and it’s become even less likely, I’ve accepted it probably isn’t worth the application fees. Sorry if this was hard to read, I just got my MCAT score back and wrote this while fasting. I can elaborate if anyone has any questions and thanks in advance
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