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So I am deciding whether or not I should apply to MD schools in the upcoming cycle
Stats and EC:
3.16 sci GPA with 3.34 cum GPA (Double Major in Biology and Dance) , URM (African American Woman), 2.5 years scribing ( 6 months in ED and 2 years in OB/Internal medicine office), 1 yr clinical research (no pubs), medical intern abroad for 4.5 months (Latin America and I am fluent in Spanish), 2 years as a Resident Assistant and 2 years of volunteering and leadership in volunteer organization on campus
What the hell happened:
Essentially, I had a couple rough semesters where I overloaded and got a few Cs in upper-level science classes my junior year and fall senior year. I was working 2-3 jobs (Scribing, Research, and RA) my third year and was not fully present in some of my classes. It really sucks because I know that some of those Cs would have been Bs if I didn't have too much on my plate. Anywho, I originally decided to hold back on applying and that my fourth year would have helped my GPA increase but it didn't. I ended up doing damage repair during the spring semester of my 4th year and delayed graduation to do a 5th year (this allowed me to keep some financial aid and scholarships). Even with the extra year, the best that I am looking at GPA wise is a 3.4 cumulative at the end of my 5th year and a 3.2 science gpa. Currently, I am standing at a 3.8/4.0 for the semester with one class that is an A-/B+, and believe that the issue to my poor academic performance in the past was overloading on ECs. I do not plan on working next semester to prepare for the MCAT and ensure I get a 4.0.
Questions:
How high would I have to preform on my MCAT to apply next cycle? I am studying to take the exam April or May 2018, but based on the response I might consider taking it late August or September after the summer.
Should I retake Gen Chem (got a C+ the first time in both 1 and 2, but only retook gen chem 1) and intro Biology ( got a B- my first semester) next semester to help with GPA repair for both MD/DO? I do plan to take 6 credits of upper-level science next semester but would like to take 12 credits and 4 credits of dance for my second degree. Again, I will not be working and will only be volunteering at the clinic I've worked with for the past 3 years.
Should I take a year to do a DIY postbacc of 32 credits to bump my cum to a 3.45/3.5 and science gpa to a 3.25/3.3? I would like to take classes at a CC but my C's were in Biochemistry, Advance molecular genetics, and Neuroscience. Gen Chem 2 is one course I got a C+ in that I might retake at CC but for the most part, my other classes were Bs and A- my first two years.
Is a SMP or certificate postbac better and if so do you have recommendations for ones in the Northeast region? I've been looking at OSU Med Path and Drexel DPMS because of linkage component and finances. Closest program to me is Georgetown, but it is very expensive even with the DC/MD scholarships?
Thanks in advance for reading all of this and offering advice!
Stats and EC:
3.16 sci GPA with 3.34 cum GPA (Double Major in Biology and Dance) , URM (African American Woman), 2.5 years scribing ( 6 months in ED and 2 years in OB/Internal medicine office), 1 yr clinical research (no pubs), medical intern abroad for 4.5 months (Latin America and I am fluent in Spanish), 2 years as a Resident Assistant and 2 years of volunteering and leadership in volunteer organization on campus
What the hell happened:
Essentially, I had a couple rough semesters where I overloaded and got a few Cs in upper-level science classes my junior year and fall senior year. I was working 2-3 jobs (Scribing, Research, and RA) my third year and was not fully present in some of my classes. It really sucks because I know that some of those Cs would have been Bs if I didn't have too much on my plate. Anywho, I originally decided to hold back on applying and that my fourth year would have helped my GPA increase but it didn't. I ended up doing damage repair during the spring semester of my 4th year and delayed graduation to do a 5th year (this allowed me to keep some financial aid and scholarships). Even with the extra year, the best that I am looking at GPA wise is a 3.4 cumulative at the end of my 5th year and a 3.2 science gpa. Currently, I am standing at a 3.8/4.0 for the semester with one class that is an A-/B+, and believe that the issue to my poor academic performance in the past was overloading on ECs. I do not plan on working next semester to prepare for the MCAT and ensure I get a 4.0.
Questions:
How high would I have to preform on my MCAT to apply next cycle? I am studying to take the exam April or May 2018, but based on the response I might consider taking it late August or September after the summer.
Should I retake Gen Chem (got a C+ the first time in both 1 and 2, but only retook gen chem 1) and intro Biology ( got a B- my first semester) next semester to help with GPA repair for both MD/DO? I do plan to take 6 credits of upper-level science next semester but would like to take 12 credits and 4 credits of dance for my second degree. Again, I will not be working and will only be volunteering at the clinic I've worked with for the past 3 years.
Should I take a year to do a DIY postbacc of 32 credits to bump my cum to a 3.45/3.5 and science gpa to a 3.25/3.3? I would like to take classes at a CC but my C's were in Biochemistry, Advance molecular genetics, and Neuroscience. Gen Chem 2 is one course I got a C+ in that I might retake at CC but for the most part, my other classes were Bs and A- my first two years.
Is a SMP or certificate postbac better and if so do you have recommendations for ones in the Northeast region? I've been looking at OSU Med Path and Drexel DPMS because of linkage component and finances. Closest program to me is Georgetown, but it is very expensive even with the DC/MD scholarships?
Thanks in advance for reading all of this and offering advice!
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