Way too early 2025 cycle WAMC

[wao2221]

1. cGPA and sGPA as calculated by AMCAS or AACOMAS : 3.47 cGPA, 3.63 postbacc (33 credits)
2. MCAT score(s) and breakdown. Include all (non-voided) attempts. : 507 (127/125/126/129)
3. State of residence or country of citizenship (if non-US) : TN, strong ties to NJ and CA
4. Ethnicity and/or race : white ORM
5. Undergraduate institution or category - small public school
6. Clinical experience (volunteer and non-volunteer) : RN x 5 years- 12k hours, mission trip x 2- 60 hours, nurse extern in undergrad- 750 hours
7. Research experience and productivity - none
8. Shadowing experience and specialties represented - 0, felt like working as a nurse for 5 years watching many physicians practice has given me a good representation of the career
9. Non-clinical volunteering - held 2 leadership positions in undergrad during senior year - 25 hours each, Food bank- 15 hours currently, will be getting more throughout the year
10. Other extracurricular activities (including athletics, military service, gap year activities, leadership, teaching, etc) : Serving as 3 different leadership positions at my nursing job
11. Relevant honors or awards- none of note
12. Anything else not listed you think might be important - I fear that my GPA and MCAT are hurting my chances. I took my postbacc courses online through a local community college/University of New England. I received A/A- in all of them except a precalc course (was 5 credits, self-taught, 4 week course, terrible idea) and Phys 1. I also took one class at a time because I was working full-time + OT since I have undergrad loans I wanted to pay off before school.

I know my mcat and postbacc GPA are low for MD (I will definitely be applying DO). Should I go ahead and schedule an MCAT retake or should I focus on finishing my postbacc classes and increasing my volunteer hours?

Potential school list:
ETSU
Tulane
NYMC
Creighton
Saint Louis
VCU
Wake
GWU
Drexel
Indiana
University of Iowa Roy
PITT
EVMS
Medical College of Wisconsin
TCU-UNT
Temple
Jefferson
Hackensack
NOVA MD
Vermont
Albany
Quinnipiac
ETSU
FIU

DO:
PCOM-Philly, Rowan-Virtua, Western-CA, LECOM-Bradenton, NOVA, DMU, VCOM-VA, WVSOM, Campbell, Touro-CA, RVU-CO

@Faha @Mr.Smile12 @Goro

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[Mr.Smile12]

I appreciate that you want a WAMC "early," though I am curious how "early."

You have plenty of time to get more experience hours. Yes, I agree your RN hours should count for something, but I suspect you still have to pay your dues and do some shadowing, especially in a field you were not working in. They are different fields and require different skill sets, even though both center on patient care. Find out the schools with strong nursing programs in interprofessional collaborations and early exposure in the curricula.

You need more community service hours. It's not clear what you have done more recently (within the last two years). I suspect some of your activities coincide with working as a nurse in a clinic/hospital, but it would help you to document all of your activities since undergrad. Without this information, you need a lot more in the food bank (get to 150 minimum by application).

Get some appointments with admissions staff at the medical schools around you in Tennessee. At least Belmont is new, and ETSU favors those who want to serve veterans or the rural Appalachians. You have a number of options which may include schools that work with your health system. Yes, check with DO programs too.

 

[Faha]

I suggest these MD schools with your stats:
ETSU
Tulane
NYMC
Creighton
VCU
Wake
GWU
Drexel
Indiana
EVMS
Medical College of Wisconsin
TCU-UNT
Temple
Hackensack
NOVA MD
Vermont
Albany
Quinnipiac
ETSU
FIU
Belmont
Alice Walton
Roseman
Loma Linda (if you fit their mission)
Rosalind Franklin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Penn State
Quinnipiac
You have a good DO list.

 

[wao2221]

I appreciate that you want a WAMC "early," though I am curious how "early."

You have plenty of time to get more experience hours. Yes, I agree your RN hours should count for something, but I suspect you still have to pay your dues and do some shadowing, especially in a field you were not working in. They are different fields and require different skill sets, even though both center on patient care. Find out the schools with strong nursing programs in interprofessional collaborations and early exposure in the curricula.

You need more community service hours. It's not clear what you have done more recently (within the last two years). I suspect some of your activities coincide with working as a nurse in a clinic/hospital, but it would help you to document all of your activities since undergrad. Without this information, you need a lot more in the food bank (get to 150 minimum by application).

Get some appointments with admissions staff at the medical schools around you in Tennessee. At least Belmont is new, and ETSU favors those who want to serve veterans or the rural Appalachians. You have a number of options which may include schools that work with your health system. Yes, check with DO programs too.

I suppose my post didn't really need to be a WAMC rather, just wanted to see if my application is somewhat competitive to the schools I've listed. I wanted to know what my chances were in regards to my application/stats as it stands now to decide whether or not I should begin studying for an MCAT retake or focus on my postbacc. In context with the rest of my application, are my stats "good enough" academically to at least not have any doors closed to some of MD schools I listed?

I'll definitely get some more volunteering in, unfortunately I haven't done much since undergrad. I can for sure find some shadowing as well.

When you say "find out the schools with strong nursing programs....", you mean to find which schools have both med schools and nursing schools, correct? If so, why does this matter?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

When you say "find out the schools with strong nursing programs....", you mean to find which schools have both med schools and nursing schools, correct? If so, why does this matter?

Accreditation expects interprofessional education for all health professions programs. There will be opportunities where medical students work with nursing students, PA's, pharmacists, etc. This should be factored in for each school you wish to attend.

Furthermore, you are coming in with nursing experience. It would help you to know your medical school values it versus disregards it because it wasn't "medical" experience. I don't think you can completely eliminate all the "hierarchy" mindset of some physicians, but you cannot bank that it doesn't exist at medical schools at some level.

 

[candbgirl]

Don’t list the mission trips. They aren’t looked at highly by application reviewers and you don’t really need those hours. What are your nurse external hours? Were they part of your training? If so , think about not listing them.
You will most likely be asked why you are leaving nursing so soon . Are you running away from a bad situation? Why medicine at this point?
Despite what you think, don’t apply without shadowing(50hours) and some nonclinical volunteering.
Good luck as you move forward.

 

[wao2221]

I suggest these MD schools with your stats:
ETSU
Tulane
NYMC
Creighton
VCU
Wake
GWU
Drexel
Indiana
EVMS
Medical College of Wisconsin
TCU-UNT
Temple
Hackensack
NOVA MD
Vermont
Albany
Quinnipiac
ETSU
FIU
Belmont
Alice Walton
Roseman
Loma Linda (if you fit their mission)
Rosalind Franklin
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Penn State
Quinnipiac
You have a good DO list.

Any thoughts on me adding Cooper or Rutgers? I know my stats are lower than their averages but I grew up in NJ (birth until I graduated high school) and my family still lives up there

 

[Faha]

Any thoughts on me adding Cooper or Rutgers? I know my stats are lower than their averages but I grew up in NJ (birth until I graduated high school) and my family still lives up there

Yes, add those schools and Cooper Rowan with your connections to New Jersey.

 

[wao2221]

Don’t list the mission trips. They aren’t looked at highly by application reviewers and you don’t really need those hours. What are your nurse external hours? Were they part of your training? If so , think about not listing them.
You will most likely be asked why you are leaving nursing so soon . Are you running away from a bad situation? Why medicine at this point?
Despite what you think, don’t apply without shadowing(50hours) and some nonclinical volunteering.
Good luck as you move forward.

Interesting thought on mission trips. Any reason why this is?

My extern hours were not apart of school, it was a separate job that I had ~ 750 hours.

Ill pick up some more volunteering and shadowing.

 

[candbgirl]

Interesting thought on mission trips. Any reason why this is?

My extern hours were not apart of school, it was a separate job that I had ~ 750 hours.

Ill pick up some more volunteering and shadowing.

It has been long held advice on these forums that mission trips are thought of as voluntourism. Many of these trips are set up where you “help” out for a short period of time and then the rest is vacationing. Or in some instances participants are actually taking jobs from local residents . So instead of teaching residents how to care for the local population college kids from the US fly in for seven days , displace locals in caring for people, and throw in a vacation to boot.
So be careful how you describe your “mission trips”!

You do need to drastically increase your nonclinical volunteering. Your current 40 hours aren’t worth mentioning.

Always remember, you only want to apply once with the best possible application. If you aren’t ready to apply next cycle, just wait until you have the best picture of yourself. Med Schools aren’t going anywhere.