WAMC with poor ECs? 522, 3.79 cGPA, 3.79 sGPA, nontrad

[hkb128]

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Short version of my story: Went to university 10 years ago at 15 years old. Did not take it very seriously and had no specific career plan. Decided at 20 (in 2018) I wanted to be a medical doctor. Took a semester of prereqs, then was out of school for a couple years due to life circumstances. Finished prereqs in Spring 2022. Searched high and low for clinical opportunities starting in fall 2021 but was not able to find any (lots of programs shut down in my rural area due to COVID) until early 2023, so I don’t have many clinical hours.

My dilemma: My MCAT will expire soon for many schools because I took it in 2021 (stupid, I know), so I really need to apply this cycle. However, my ECs are subpar. I am afraid I won’t get IIs at lower tier schools due to my MCAT, but I know I won’t get into a top school with my ECs. I just want to get in somewhere. WAMC? Will I screw myself and have to retake the MCAT and reapply next cycle?

My stats:

cGPA: 3.79
sGPA: 3.79
postbacc GPA: 3.96
MCAT: 522 (128/132/130/132)

nonclinical volunteering: 90 hrs humane society, 40 hrs photography and video editing for local running club, 20 hrs free organic chemistry tutoring (group sessions which I organized and led).

clinical volunteering: by time of app submission, should have over 100 hours (maybe 120) working as a caregiver at a hospice.

shadowing: ~100 hours total in ophtho, EM, FM, and radiology.

nonclinical paid work: Most of the jobs I’ve had are irrelevant and probably not worth putting on the app, so I am just including ~2000 hrs as an agricultural and pest management technician. Some lab work involved, including testing plants for viroids and identifying small pests via microscope.

hobbies/arts/awards:
- Writing. Am a published poet. Won a screenwriting award.
- Music. Was a paid wedding violinist for a few years in college and was in university orchestra.
- A few hundred hours of active participation/service in the Japanese Club at my university. Won a Japanese speech award.
- Outstanding student award for my major department (not science; given to one student annually).

LORs from: clinical experience coordinator, head of major department, chemistry professor, another nonscience professor who knows me well, and physician. working on second science prof.

 

[Faha]

Where is your state of residence ? If you could increase those hospice hours to 200 by late June you could apply in late June (this should be your highest priority in May and June)

 

[hkb128]

Where is your state of residence ? If you could increase those hospice hours to 200 by late June you could apply in late June (this should be your highest priority in May and June)

My state of residence is Mississippi, which has only one med school and I can’t apply to it because they require some courses I never took (biochemistry and two upper level biology courses). I am afraid of waiting too late to apply since I have to apply OOS only.

 

[Faha]

You could take biochemistry and those 2 biology courses in the summer and fall semesters at a local college. The clinical volunteering hours are important since your chances for interviews are low with only 100 hours. If you are unable to increase your clinical volunteering hours to 200 hours before a late June application then your chances for interviews will be limited. At top 40 schools (where applicants with your stats apply) you will be competing with applicants who have hundreds or thousands of hours of clinical and non clinical exposure. The non clinical hours you listed are not what medical schools are looking for. @Goro and @Mr.Smile12 - your opinions.

 

[hkb128]

You could take biochemistry and those 2 biology courses in the summer and fall semesters at a local college. The clinical volunteering hours are important since your chances for interviews are low with only 100 hours. If you are unable to increase your clinical volunteering hours to 200 hours before a late June application then your chances for interviews will be limited. At top 40 schools (where applicants with your stats apply) you will be competing with applicants who have hundreds or thousands of hours of clinical and non clinical exposure. The non clinical hours you listed are not what medical schools are looking for. @Goro and @Mr.Smile12 - your opinions.

You could take biochemistry and those 2 biology courses in the summer and fall semesters at a local college. The clinical volunteering hours are important since your chances for interviews are low with only 100 hours. If you are unable to increase your clinical volunteering hours to 200 hours before a late June application then your chances for interviews will be limited. At top 40 schools (where applicants with your stats apply) you will be competing with applicants who have hundreds or thousands of hours of clinical and non clinical exposure. The non clinical hours you listed are not what medical schools are looking for. @Goro and @Mr.Smile12 - your opinions.

I am not really in a position to go back to school this year. I will strongly consider waiting until late June to apply.

Are my chances bad at lower tier schools because of my stats? I don’t have many T40s on my list.

 

[Goro]

Short version of my story: Went to university 10 years ago at 15 years old. Did not take it very seriously and had no specific career plan. Decided at 20 (in 2018) I wanted to be a medical doctor. Took a semester of prereqs, then was out of school for a couple years due to life circumstances. Finished prereqs in Spring 2022. Searched high and low for clinical opportunities starting in fall 2021 but was not able to find any (lots of programs shut down in my rural area due to COVID) until early 2023, so I don’t have many clinical hours.

My dilemma: My MCAT will expire soon for many schools because I took it in 2021 (stupid, I know), so I really need to apply this cycle. However, my ECs are subpar. I am afraid I won’t get IIs at lower tier schools due to my MCAT, but I know I won’t get into a top school with my ECs. I just want to get in somewhere. WAMC? Will I screw myself and have to retake the MCAT and reapply next cycle?

My stats:

cGPA: 3.79
sGPA: 3.79
postbacc GPA: 3.96
MCAT: 522 (128/132/130/132)

nonclinical volunteering: 90 hrs humane society, 40 hrs photography and video editing for local running club, 20 hrs free organic chemistry tutoring (group sessions which I organized and led).

clinical volunteering: by time of app submission, should have over 100 hours (maybe 120) working as a caregiver at a hospice.

shadowing: ~100 hours total in ophtho, EM, FM, and radiology.

nonclinical paid work: Most of the jobs I’ve had are irrelevant and probably not worth putting on the app, so I am just including ~2000 hrs as an agricultural and pest management technician. Some lab work involved, including testing plants for viroids and identifying small pests via microscope.

hobbies/arts/awards:
- Writing. Am a published poet. Won a screenwriting award.
- Music. Was a paid wedding violinist for a few years in college and was in university orchestra.
- A few hundred hours of active participation/service in the Japanese Club at my university. Won a Japanese speech award.
- Outstanding student award for my major department (not science; given to one student annually).

LORs from: clinical experience coordinator, head of major department, chemistry professor, another nonscience professor who knows me well, and physician. working on second science prof.

I can't sugar coat this, but you're not going to get into ANY school with those ECs, much less a Really Top School. Do NOT think that you're going to be successful just because of your stats. you'll simply get crowded out by other candidates with betters apps.

Like it or not, You're going to need to bulk up on the ECs.. I have a high regard for people who work in hospice BTW.

 

[Faha]

In the coming year you should accumulate as many clinical volunteering hours as possible. Also 200+ hours of non clinical volunteering (homeless populations, food bank, etc.). You need those hours in case you are a reapplicant. If you accumulate 200 hours of clinical volunteering in the hospice by late June I suggest these schools if you apply then:
Vanderbilt
Washington University (in St. Louis)
USF Morsani
Miami
Wake Forest
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
George Washington
Cincinnati
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Penn State
Hackensack
Hofstra
Einstein
Mount Sinai
Rochester
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Tufts
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Medical College Wisconsin
Rosalind Franklin
Belmont (when it opens)
TCU

 

[hkb128]

Thanks everyone for your responses. Unfortunately there is simply not enough work available for me to do by late June that would get me over 200 hours. I have already requested and gotten more patient assignments than any other volunteer at the organization. I am thinking I will have to apply next cycle, but my fear is that retaking a 522 will look bad. And I don’t want to limit my school options to those which accept MCAT scores over 3 years old. My FL average was 524 and my real C/P score was lower than any of my FLs (giant flub on my part). I also hadn’t taken all the prereqs yet. So I think I’m capable of getting a higher score this time around, but the prospect of NEEDING one because it’s a retake is frightening.