What Are My Chances and Other General Questions

[Cegar]

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You have no chance in hell.

 

[iA-MD2013]

You have no chance in hell.

that was mean, but kinda true. that 27 is really low

 

[coffeebythelake]

Hello, Canadian here. My stats: 3.71GPA, 27MCAT. Great trend, last one and a half years I had a 3.97GPA. Have research, volunteering work etc etc. Do you think I have any chance at US medschools.

GPA is okay. MCAT needs to be at least 33 for reasonable chance.

Can you list your volunteer, EC's and research experiences?

 

[DeAlighieri]

Hello, Canadian here. My stats: 3.71GPA, 27MCAT. Great trend, last one and a half years I had a 3.97GPA. Have research, volunteering work etc etc. Do you think I have any chance at US medschools.

Everything except your MCAT looks fine. Your MCAT score, however, is likely unrealistic for the vast majority of MD schools except Howard or Rosalind Franklin. You would probably have a very decent shot at DO schools, if you find that palatable. If you have your heart set on matriculating to an MD school, I'd say that a retake of the MCAT is in order, after you're consistently scoring in the 30's on the practice exams.

 

[MaybeADoc]

Everything except your MCAT looks fine. Your MCAT score, however, is likely unrealistic for the vast majority of MD schools except Howard or Rosalind Franklin. You would probably have a very decent shot at DO schools, if you find that palatable. If you have your heart set on matriculating to an MD school, I'd say that a retake of the MCAT is in order, after you're consistently scoring in the 30's on the practice exams.

except that rosalind franklin's average mcat last year was 31.5

 

[Ronnie Coleman]

Let's cut to the chase- what race are you?

 

[Cegar]

Let's cut to the chase- what race are you?

Oh, good call.

 

[Medicalhopeful]

^^ LOL. True though

 

[c3c4cam]

Hello, Canadian here. My stats: 3.71GPA, 27MCAT. Great trend, last one and a half years I had a 3.97GPA. Have research, volunteering work etc etc. Do you think I have any chance at US medschools.

Extracurricular: 6 years volunteering at hospital, cpl of research projects, research job for last 6 months, one abstract published, volunteer at homeless sheltor, distress center, construction volunteer at meditation center, reading buddies volunteer, few clubs, sports, speak/write 2 other languages.

My verbal brought me down in MCAT cuz I came to Canada and could not speak english at all and had a late start. That doesn't mean I am stupid, it just means MCAT's verbal section is useless. I just can't read fast enough

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Extracurricular: 6 years volunteering at hospital, cpl of research projects, research job for last 6 months, one abstract published, volunteer at homeless sheltor, distress center, construction volunteer at meditation center, reading buddies volunteer, few clubs, sports, speak/write 2 other languages.

My verbal brought me down in MCAT cuz I came to Canada and could not speak english at all and had a late start. That doesn't mean I am stupid, it just means MCAT's verbal section is useless. I just can't read fast enough

sorry...you're gonna have to read fast in med school.

 

[c3c4cam]

wut race am I, what is that suppose to mean?

 

[ChubbyChaser]

wut race am I, what is that suppose to mean?

Some minorities can be admitted with lower stats.

 

[c3c4cam]

oh, didn't know that, Canada doesn't work like that. But I am Punjabi/East Indian.

 

[w8ting2exhale]

oh, didn't know that, Canada doesn't work like that. But I am Punjabi/East Indian.

umm....I don't think your race is under-represented in medicine. Sorry. It's a pity though cuz your GPA and your ECs are not bad.

I have a question: even if you were to get into med school, how are you expecting to finance it?? You won't be eligible for any kind of financial aid and med school is pretty expensive.

 

[c3c4cam]

For you to study internationally, Canadian banks easily give you $150K-200K student line of credit. Govt also gives you interest free loans for 4 years for about 100K.
I think the govt gives you way more if I were to study in Canada. My undergrad didn't cost me much, govt gives you so many loans/scholarship, I have no debt! (I think BSc cost me around $2.5K/year out of my own pocket)

 

[katarzyna]

Dude, I currently go to a CC.

Should I take physics next sem or just wait if off till I transfer to a university?

 

[w8ting2exhale]

To c3c4cam: OK. Cool. So the bottom line is your MCAT score is not ideal & US med schools have a certain preference 4 American students. But who knows what can happen...I hate to deprive anyone of hope; as hope is my only motivation at this point.

To katarzyna: If you think you can still get a high grade if u take it @ a university, then wait.

Here's my dilemma: I have a ton of research experience (chemistry lab work) but very minimal clinical experience. I'm applying 2 med school nxt yr. In the meantime, if I commit myself to more research, I may actually graduate with distinction, but that would mean a more stressful senior yr w/ less focus on actually bringing up my GPA. Whereas volunteering in a hospital or shadowing a doc instead will be easier and more relevant to med school; but would involve sacrificing the opportunity to graduate w/ distinction. Plus my GPA is not awesome though it's from a top school (Overall:3.66, BCPM: 3.55, Non-BCPM:3.86) not to mention I need to study for the MCATs during my senior yr. So which shud it be?: do hard work that upon completion allows me 2 graduate w/ dinstinction (more research) or have an easier senior yr while focusing on boosting my GPA 2 the max & preparing 4 MCAT (clinical stuff). I'm so confused. AARRGG!! Being pre-med is seriously taking over my life!!

 

[lacrima]

figured you'd guys could give me help.
im finishing jr year at a pretty good school.
gpa: 3.4
sci gpa: 3.31
mcats: ??*

major: b.s. chem

I've done continuous research in two different departments(physics, biochem) since sophomore year and will be presenting the biochem research next yr. I've TA'd o-chem lab for 2 semesters. I've also volunteered freshman summer at a local hospital and hope to do it again. My exemplary ECs are a music consort for -1 yr to graduation, officer for three years of clubs that have no relation to medicine and a management job I've held for over a year. anyway, I've always thought of either medicine or graduate school though the latter is and less appealing the further enmeshed I get in research life.

*is it still feasible pursuing the MCATs and medicine? I never really felt i could do medicine intellectually until recently when I accepted that the the two semesters thst brought me down were due to valid personal issues but I worry it's too late. I know the final 5 science classes I take in my major will be at least > B grades. I do pretty well on standardized tests, so with my GPA and ecs and research and whatever, can i get into anything allopathic in this country providing a good(yet not 45T unreasonable) score on the mcats?


many thanks

 

[LittleCoconut]

Hi all, looking to see what advice I can get about my chances of acceptance to a US-accredited MD school.

GPA
3.33 (about the same science GPA)

Degree
BS in Molecular Biology from a good IL school in 2006.

MCAT
APR06: 28R (9 VR, 9 PS, 10 BS)
JUL07: 32R (8 VR, 11 PS, 13 BS)

My GPA has a strong upward trend (with a few hiccups, damn physics and orgo), about 3.6 over the most recent three years, including a 4.0 my final year. I started off bad due to personal trauma, family deaths, and illnesses. Instead of taking time off, I pushed forward with classes, eventually withdrawing several semesters and getting two F's that don't make sense (An F in a foreign language class when I've taught that language to children before).

Volunteering:
-Hospital OR - MAY05-OCT-06 ~4 Hours/week (cleaned up OR's post-surgery, transported patients, occasionally observed surgery, etc)

-Physiology Tutor - MAY06-DEC06 ~6 Hours/week

-Rape Crisis Hotline Counselor/Medical Advocate - JUN07-Present ~2-3 48-HR Shifts/month

-Physiology Undergrad Research Assistant - MAY06-DEC06 ~10 Hours/week

-Physiology Research Undergrad Supervisor - AUG07-Present ~5 Hours/week

-Volunteer with under-privileged pre-schoolers - APR08-Present ~7 Hours/week

-Nursing home volunteer - APR08-Present ~4 Hours/week

Relevent Paid Experience:

-Biology Lab Prep Staff/Administrative Asst. - MAY06-Present ~15-20 Hours/week

Completed a class in phlebotomy to try to get a related job, but given my degree nobody will hire me.

I've had to limit my EC's in order to care for my sick mother.

Looking to get into any IL MD school, but I'm also probably going to apply to a large number of out-of-state private schools. I'm applying as early as possible, and hitting more schools in hopes that one will look past my sub-par GPA. I want this more than anything else in my entire life, but I really really really don't want to look to DO schools or the Caribbean. Not that there's anything wrong with them, it's just not what I've been fighting for my whole life.

Do you think I have a shot? Thanks in advance! 🙂

 

[scarletgirl777]

are you serious ? I was told that postbacc is an option unless I wanted to D.O. or go to M.D. in the caribb's.

You have so many grades that are lower than a C...I doubt you can retake them all, which means you won't be able to take full advantage of DO grade forgiveness. And since your major is science, will doing a postbac raise your GPA significantly, like to a 3.0 or thereabouts? You should probably try to crunch numbers to figure that out.

 

[scarletgirl777]

Let's cut to the chase- what race are you?

So, affirmative action is generally not done for foreigners--if you're directly from Africa or Latin America and don't have a green card, you don't get to be included in the minority statistics.

 

[elxr06]

You have so many grades that are lower than a C...I doubt you can retake them all, which means you won't be able to take full advantage of DO grade forgiveness. And since your major is science, will doing a postbac raise your GPA significantly, like to a 3.0 or thereabouts? You should probably try to crunch numbers to figure that out.

Theoretically, yes the 3.0 is possible but realistically? That's tough to know...

 

[scarletgirl777]

Theoretically, yes the 3.0 is possible but realistically? That's tough to know...

Please don't take this personally, but it just seems like you have been struggling the whole time. a 2.5 science and 2.7 overall is just not very good. And that's just the institutinonal GPA, it doesn't factor in the Fs you had that you repeated (which you have to factor in for MD schools). I feel like a med school would have serious reservations about you being able to do the work, and you have to give them a really good reason to overlook this. An ACADEMIC reason--a great resume just won't be enough. And of course, you have to do very well on the MCAT.

 

[secret25]

Hey, this is just a copy and paste from my MDapplicants profile:

Application Year: 2009
MCAT Score: VR 11, PS 10, BS 10, R
BCPM GPA: 3.86 (or possibly closer to 3.80 depending on my grades this spring)
Overall GPA: 3.85

Brief Profile:
I'm planning on taking the MCAT again in June, because I'm taking a year off and I feel like I may as well.

Science-y ECs:
*Job at a doctor's office for a year, given clinical duties like giving allergy shots and performing allergy tests, in addition to checking patients in.
*Volunteer at a Free Healthcare Clinic for a year
*Volunteer at a large hospital for a semester
*Research in a professor's lab one semester
*Worked at two other Doctor's office but earlier in college/high school
*Wrote a thesis on public health issues in India, kind of an extension of my summer there.
*Officer of a pre-med organization for a year

Non-Clinical ECs:
*Taught English in the slums of India for a summer
*Tutored for a semester
*Mentored for a semester
*Teaching Internship, teaching science to disadvantaged, but motivated youths during summer school. Will be a full time teacher for the summer.
*Taking a year off, part of which will be to work and raise money and the second half will be to travel and begin to learn Spanish. Not really an EC, but figured I should explain.

I'm retaking the MCAT in June, applying at the end of June. I got a rec from both the doctor who I work for and the Nurse Practitioner there, in addition to my thesis supervisor. I'm about to ask the professor whose lab I work in because she's also my biology professor, for another rec, but my other science rec will be pretty blah, since it will be from my prof I had in OChem a year and a half ago; he knew me then, but I don't imagine he'll have anything too unique to say about me. I think my best recs will be the doctor and my thesis supervisor. I'm basically looking for recommendations on where I should apply, with my current MCAT score, and also where to apply if I can raise it a few points to an ideal 35. I'm hoping to raise it, but in case June 13th comes and I'm not happy with my scores, I want a few recommendations. Thanks for any and all help.

 

[Carlin]

Hi all 🙂

I'm thinking about applying EDP to Tulane, but I know that it would be a huge gamble, because if I don't get in, I'm seriously behind on my applications to other schools. It is definitely my first choice school though, for a multitude of reasons, so I feel like it would save me a significant amount of stress and expense to do early decision.

My stats-
MCAT: 36Q
GPA: 3.76, although it's likely to go down a bit this semester. P-chem has been quite a challenge for me all year. (Ahh, the fun of being a chemistry major.)

My extracurriculars are really what I'm concerned about. I don't have an extraordinary amount of clinical experience; I've spent some time shadowing a radiologist and an orthopedic surgeon, but that's it on that front. I am involved in my school, though. I am Vice President- Risk Management of my sorority, and am one of 13 members of my school's Undergraduate Judicial Council. I'm also involved in research in an organic chem lab.

Does it seem like a good idea to apply ED? Or should I hold out and just go through regular decision?

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Hi all 🙂

I'm thinking about applying EDP to Tulane, but I know that it would be a huge gamble, because if I don't get in, I'm seriously behind on my applications to other schools. It is definitely my first choice school though, for a multitude of reasons, so I feel like it would save me a significant amount of stress and expense to do early decision.

My stats-
MCAT: 36Q
GPA: 3.76, although it's likely to go down a bit this semester. P-chem has been quite a challenge for me all year. (Ahh, the fun of being a chemistry major.)

My extracurriculars are really what I'm concerned about. I don't have an extraordinary amount of clinical experience; I've spent some time shadowing a radiologist and an orthopedic surgeon, but that's it on that front. I am involved in my school, though. I am Vice President- Risk Management of my sorority, and am one of 13 members of my school's Undergraduate Judicial Council. I'm also involved in research in an organic chem lab.

Does it seem like a good idea to apply ED? Or should I hold out and just go through regular decision?

See if you cant schedule an interview before hand with tulane...or maybe a convo over the phone..THey will give you a hint as to whether or not you should apply EDP. From looks of it, even with the little clinical experience I think you would get in though.

 

[Raryn]

I'm applying in a little over a month and was wondering if I could get advice over where would be a good bet:

Undergrad Institution: California State University Fresno

Majors: I'm double majoring to get a B.A. in Chemistry and a B.S. in Biology. My school's chem BA basically has more of an emphasis on biochemistry than our chem BS and is populated by mostly pre-professional students.

MCAT: Taking it May 27th, which means my score will be released June 26th. By that point I should hopefully have the rest of the AMCAS filled out and since the AAMC doesn't release it to schools till like June 21st, I should only be a few days late. I've been averaging in the mid 30s on practice exams.
GPA: 3.80
BPCM: 3.82 (It may be a wee bit lower after this semester if my cell bio grade doesn't pick up. Its practically impossible for it to fall below 3.75 because of how many science units I have piled up though... and I cant break 3.9 either >.<)

ECs/Work
**Analytical Chem Research over the summer freshman year. The results were presented, just not by me.
**Organic chemistry research summer after sophomore year through fall Junior year. This is currently on hold because I really didnt have the large blocks of time needed for synthesis. Planning on starting up again late summer.
**Grading for the first semester organic class for the same professor I was doing research with. This was a paid position.
**I'm a member of the College Bowl (trivia) team at my college and have competed at the regional tournament.
**I've been a member (not officer) of the premed club at my university since freshman year. Have helped organize a few events, but nothing really major.
I've been volunteering at a local hospital since junior year of high school. Not very much medical stuff, but a lot of patient interaction, and I have been able to observe some medical procedures.
**I got a full ride scholarship in the honors program at my university straight out of high school. Almost all of our GE courses are replaced by more rigorous honors courses, and we get priority registration and such. I've also read applications for incoming students to said honors program.
**I've received various academic honors including Phi Kappa Phi, Golden Key, and have been on either the Deans or Presidents list every semester. I have also received various academic scholarships.
**I've been working as a tutor in math, chemistry, and physics for High Schoolers for about a year, and will continue. Some of the kids we work with are foster kids (through a program w/ the city), and having the explain the stuff has actually shored up my basic science quite a bit.

Personal Statement
Should be relatively strong. I've gone through a couple drafts already, and while it definitely still needs some work, its shaping up to be very good.

LORs
Should be pretty strong. Three are from professors of mine who I've taken several classes from and have gotten to know pretty well (1 chem, 1 bio, 1 history). One is from the dean of the honors college, and one from my boss, who has known me since high school.

Potential problems: I'm young. At the time of application I'll be 18. I'll turn 19 in November of my senior year. I've also gotten one C in my college career, in anatomy. The class was structured horribly and I almost pulled off a B, but I'm worried about the fact that a C in a class so vital to med school might be a huge red flag.

Schools
I'm planning on applying to all of the CA schools except Loma Linda, with UCSF being my dream school.
I'm also considering various schools in the St. Louis, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York areas, but haven't formulated my final list yet. I would appreciate some feedback on my application and where would be best.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

with a 35 and 3.85..youll get into cali.

 

[w8ting2exhale]

wow there are so many demands and not enough people answering questions...whats up with that?!

 

[AmyWho]

BS in Nursing (2007)
GPA: 3.7
Science GPA: don't know how to calculate since most of my classes were from nursing (Nursing = Science? )

Will take MCAT July 2008

Asian

EC:
Volunteer-Hospital 100 hrs
Shadow w/ DO 20 hrs
Research Assistant 60 hrs

Jobs:
SI leader/Tutor

Thanks for your inputs

 

[w8ting2exhale]

GPA seems OK but ECs can use a boost.

 

[M3dhop3ful]

Question:

How are MD/PhD programs in the States? are they more competitive than just MD programs? In canda they are somewhat more competitive, but i heard that some programs in the states are not..what's the real deal with them?

 

[ChubbyChaser]

Question:

How are MD/PhD programs in the States? are they more competitive than just MD programs? In canda they are somewhat more competitive, but i heard that some programs in the states are not..what's the real deal with them?

THey are more competitive, not sure how much more.

 

[ayushman80]

oh, didn't know that, Canada doesn't work like that. But I am Punjabi/East Indian.

Unfortunately us east indians are not an Under represented minority (URM). Your mcat is fine. Contrary to what many people on SDN like to think you DO NOT NEED a 4.0 GPA and a 35+ to get into med school. Higher scores help but there are MANY other qualities that schools are looking for. The exception is if you scored a 7 or lower on the verbal. This will hurt your chances somewhat.

MCAT and GPA are used to narrow down potential applicants in the first round cut. After that your essay, 2ndary app, and interview are all that count. You may not get the scholarships that someone with a 42 mcat will get, but don't underestimate your application.

 

[ghlee]

I'm just wondering what type of schools I should apply to. I'd prefer to stay in Cali, but I know to apply broadly.

Overall GPA = 3.6
Science GPA = 3.5
MCAT = 33R (V-9, B-12, P-12, W-R)

- Just graduated last year
- Went to a top 25 undergraduate program
- Currently working in a research lab with a clinical component (I consent cancer patients and collect blood, tissue, lymph nodes samples, which requires me to interact with many physicians and surgeons)
- Currently volunteer at YMCA, refereeing basketball games and mentoring children
- Research for a year
- Sports Medicine Internship
- Volunteered at the Medical Center
- Committee member for a health fair on childhood obesity in underprivileged neighborhood
- Volunteered at my church doing the sound and audio
- Multiple Honors Scholarships
- College Honors
- Dean's List (handful of quarters)
- Basketball Intramurals
- Worked at the recreation center during college
- EMT-B license and certified in the county
- Currently involved in the Volunteer Emergency Response Team for the county

I was also wondering whether or not i should retake my MCAT since I was shooting for a 35+, but screwed up on my verbal. Another thing, I was wondering about was if it was worth taking a couple of extension classes and if that would somewhat help me as well. Thanks.

 

[c3c4cam]

Hi all, looking to see what advice I can get about my chances of acceptance to a US-accredited MD school.

GPA
3.33 (about the same science GPA)

Degree
BS in Molecular Biology from a good IL school in 2006.

MCAT
APR06: 28R (9 VR, 9 PS, 10 BS)
JUL07: 32R (8 VR, 11 PS, 13 BS)

My GPA has a strong upward trend (with a few hiccups, damn physics and orgo), about 3.6 over the most recent three years, including a 4.0 my final year. I started off bad due to personal trauma, family deaths, and illnesses. Instead of taking time off, I pushed forward with classes, eventually withdrawing several semesters and getting two F's that don't make sense (An F in a foreign language class when I've taught that language to children before).

Volunteering:
-Hospital OR - MAY05-OCT-06 ~4 Hours/week (cleaned up OR's post-surgery, transported patients, occasionally observed surgery, etc)

-Physiology Tutor - MAY06-DEC06 ~6 Hours/week

-Rape Crisis Hotline Counselor/Medical Advocate - JUN07-Present ~2-3 48-HR Shifts/month

-Physiology Undergrad Research Assistant - MAY06-DEC06 ~10 Hours/week

-Physiology Research Undergrad Supervisor - AUG07-Present ~5 Hours/week

-Volunteer with under-privileged pre-schoolers - APR08-Present ~7 Hours/week

-Nursing home volunteer - APR08-Present ~4 Hours/week

Relevent Paid Experience:

-Biology Lab Prep Staff/Administrative Asst. - MAY06-Present ~15-20 Hours/week

Completed a class in phlebotomy to try to get a related job, but given my degree nobody will hire me.

I've had to limit my EC's in order to care for my sick mother.

Looking to get into any IL MD school, but I'm also probably going to apply to a large number of out-of-state private schools. I'm applying as early as possible, and hitting more schools in hopes that one will look past my sub-par GPA. I want this more than anything else in my entire life, but I really really really don't want to look to DO schools or the Caribbean. Not that there's anything wrong with them, it's just not what I've been fighting for my whole life.

Do you think I have a shot? Thanks in advance! 🙂

There is always a shot. I am a Canadian and I have talked to doctors about MD/DO, they just laugh at me. They say, nobody gives a crap about the degree's name, whether its MD/MBBS/MS/MBCHB/DO/BS etc. You should definately consider DO, as it is essentially the same degree with different initials, which no one cares about except ignorant,uneducated premeds. A rose is a rose weather you call it rose in English or Gulab in Hindi.

 

[jdla]

Last year I applied to these.

Albany Medical School
Drexel
Eastern Virginia
Howard
Morehouse
New York Medical College
Penn State
SUNY Upstate
SUNY Downtown
Temple
Tufts
RWJM
NJMS
University of Arkansas
University of Kentucky
University of Louisville
Rochester
West Virginia
Saint Louis


I applied to 19 schools. What medical school should I remove or add?

I want to apply to 18 medical schools. Is 18 enough or should I apply to more?

 

[Bibbed]

What's your MCAT? Do you have a substantial amount of ECs? Anything particularly unique about your app? And what's your home state?

GPA isn't all that admissions are based on.

 

[jdla]

I taking my MCAT in June.

Chemistry Tutor for 1 year
2 Research Projects
Published Abstract
Internship
Volunteer in Hospital 100 hours
Phi Sigma Pi
National Dean List
Independent Business Owner
Teacher Assistant to Kindergartens to 8th grade 1 year
Librarian Assistant 2 years
Mentor those who want to start their own business
NEAGEP Program @ UMASS
Special Dorm for women in math and science
Participated other in volunteer work: Relay for Life, Tenn State, and feed the children
Volunteer at my church
Scholarship Recipient

Other Jobs

Summer: Volunteering in the Hospital, Working on Job to promote environment awareness, and Shadowing a Doctor.

...

What's your MCAT? Do you have a substantial amount of ECs? Anything particularly unique about your app? And what's your home state?

GPA isn't all that admissions are based on.

 

[Bibbed]

Last year I applied to these.

Albany Medical School
Drexel
Eastern Virginia
Howard
Morehouse
New York Medical College
Penn State
SUNY Upstate
SUNY Downtown
Temple
Tufts
RWJM
NJMS
University of Arkansas
University of Kentucky
University of Louisville
Rochester
West Virginia
Saint Louis


I applied to 19 schools. What medical school should I remove or add?

I want to apply to 18 medical schools. Is 18 enough or should I apply to more?

Hmm... off the top of my head, I would consider adding VCU, Jefferson and Ohio State, maybe GW and Pitt. I'd knock off WVU (I think the require 3.5 GPA for OOS applicants). I don't have my book of med school admissions statistics right in front of me, but be wary of state schools that have low OOS acceptance rates. And I dunno about Howard, that's up to you if you wanna re-apply there, but I wouldn't.

Most of your list is pretty solid.


Edit -- I would aim for atleast a 32 on your MCAT, but preferably a 34+. I applied to most of the same schools as you last cycle with a 3.2/3.2 and a 35 on the MCAT, and didn't have much luck. Granted your GPA is significantly better than mine was, it just shows that you'll need a good MCAT too.

 

[jdla]

Hmm... off the top of my head, I would consider adding VCU, Jefferson and Ohio State, maybe GW and Pitt. I'd knock off WVU (I think the require 3.5 GPA for OOS applicants). I don't have my book of med school admissions statistics right in front of me, but be wary of state schools that have low OOS acceptance rates. And I dunno about Howard, that's up to you if you wanna re-apply there, but I wouldn't.

Most of your list is pretty solid.

Why not Howard? I was thinking of not applying there too.

What do you think about my EC?

 

[Bibbed]

Why not Howard?

I edited my above post (in case you missed it). I personally wouldn't apply to Howard, because I'm caucasian and I think they admit 75% or more AA. Those wouldn't be good odds for me. I don't know anything about you personally, so maybe that plays into your favor. I just meant that I wouldn't apply there. Sorry for the confusion.


Edit -- Your research exp. and volunteer work seems substantial. 100+ hours clinical is pretty good, was it all in one specialty (emergency, telemetry, children's, cancer, etc)? If it is all from one experience and you're not still doing it presently, I would consider trying to jump into a diff. type of clinical exp. just before this application cycle starts. It would show that you have some diverse clinical exp.

 

[jdla]

Hmm... off the top of my head, I would consider adding VCU, Jefferson and Ohio State, maybe GW and Pitt. I'd knock off WVU (I think the require 3.5 GPA for OOS applicants). I don't have my book of med school admissions statistics right in front of me, but be wary of state schools that have low OOS acceptance rates. And I dunno about Howard, that's up to you if you wanna re-apply there, but I wouldn't.

Most of your list is pretty solid.


Edit -- I would aim for atleast a 32 on your MCAT, but preferably a 34+. I applied to most of the same schools as you last cycle with a 3.2/3.2 and a 35 on the MCAT, and didn't have much luck. Granted your GPA is significantly better than mine was, it just shows that you'll need a good MCAT too.

Did you get into any schools?

 

[Bibbed]

Did you get into any schools?

No, I did not.

I also edited that other post.

 

[jdla]

No, I did not.

How many did you apply to?

What do you think made you not to get into any?

 

[Bibbed]

How many did you apply to?

What do you think made you not to get into any?

I wanna say 21, give or take. It's difficult to pinpoint where I went wrong. Though my GPA was low, it was a 3.9 for the last 3 years of undergrad (150 credits for me). So I had proven that I could work at a high level for an extended period of time. My ECs were average (so I beefed them up over the past year). My pre-med adviser told me it was a time thing. She said that adcoms want to see some persistence in applying from individuals with lower GPAs. She believes I will get in this year for sure.

 

[jdla]

I edited my above post (in case you missed it). I personally wouldn't apply to Howard, because I'm caucasian and I think they admit 75% or more AA. Those wouldn't be good odds for me. I don't know anything about you personally, so maybe that plays into your favor. I just meant that I wouldn't apply there. Sorry for the confusion.


Edit -- Your research exp. and volunteer work seems substantial. 100+ hours clinical is pretty good, was it all in one specialty (emergency, telemetry, children's, cancer, etc)? If it is all from one experience and you're not still doing it presently, I would consider trying to jump into a diff. type of clinical exp. just before this application cycle starts. It would show that you have some diverse clinical exp.

Are you saying before I apply I should start volunteer? I want to volunteer in May but then I want to focus on my MCAT. I not sure to wait or just do it now.

It was in cardiology.

 

[Bibbed]

Are you saying before I apply I should start volunteer? I want to volunteer in May but then I want to focus on my MCAT. I not sure to wait or just do it now.

That's a bit of a pickle, but I'd say volunteering for a few hours a week (3 or 4) wouldn't affect your MCAT too greatly. Being able to put 'May 2008 to present" on your app would be huge. I am planning on starting some additional clinical volunteer work in May myself. And by the time interviews start coming in you'll have an additional experience to speak to. However, if you already have clinical exp. in several different areas already it's not something I'd necessarily worry about right now. I don't know how you did on your previous MCAT, but bringing that score up for this cycle should definitely be your biggest concern.

I'm sorry, I'd love to continue this conversation, but I'm at work and there's DNA to prep. I'll be able to respond a little bit later if you have an further comments or questions.

 

[jdla]

That's a bit of a pickle, but I'd say volunteering for a few hours a week (3 or 4) wouldn't affect your MCAT too greatly. Being able to put 'May 2008 to present" on your app would be huge. I am planning on starting some additional clinical volunteer work in May myself. And by the time interviews start coming in you'll have an additional experience to speak to. However, if you already have clinical exp. in several different areas already it's not something I'd necessarily worry about right now. I don't know how you did on your previous MCAT, but bringing that score up for this cycle should definitely be your biggest concern.

I'm sorry, I'd love to continue this conversation, but I'm at work and there's DNA to prep. I'll be able to respond a little bit later if you have an further comments or questions.

I voided the exam. You answered my questions. If I have any later than I will.

thanks.

 

[dirkenator]

MCAT: 35

GPA: 3.7


psyc major

C in freaking organic chemistry I and genchem I B in gen chem II B in gen bio I

A's in everything else ( including upper level psychology classes, genetics, organic II, microbio)



2 years research ( 1 yr at my school 1 yr at a medical school)

over 10 places of non medical volunteering

billions of medical related volunteering

Exposure with surgeons, GPs, DO's ....

STUPID GEN CHEM AND ORGANIC... screwed me over 😡