What are my chances? One Gap Year or Two?

[gavam08]

Hi everyone,

I'm a black female (NY State) in my last semester at an Ivy (HYP) looking at a 3.2/3.3sgpa (depending on which classes count for BCPM) 3.4 (hopefully 3.5 after this last semester) cgpa. so not great. Unfortunately no upward trend either, really all semesters have oscillated between 3.5/3.3/3.4 although I did go through a mental health/family hardship my junior year though I doubt that's much of an excuse. I was just extremely involved in extracurriculars and didn't decide to become premed until my sophomore year and just basically was mediocre with mostly Bs and some As in the premed classes (only one C+ was freshman year calc, but by B's i do have a B- in one sem of physics, one sem of orgo, and one lab). Planning on taking my MCAT in may. Lets assume I get a 510+

I have shadow experience, researched my entire undergraduate career (not published yet though one is in review), studied health abroad one summer, worked in a clinical setting. I already know I need to enhance my application which is why I am most definitely taking a gap year, but what I can't decide is if I should even bother applying to DO/MD lower tier and state schools this time around or just wait until I have done a full year in my gap year position.

Also if I applied to said schools along with some master programs and only got into DO, would I be allowed to do the masters instead and apply to MD schools a second time around? Or would not matriculating into the DO's count against me in the second application?

sorry if this is long this is my first post! thanks guys

disclaimer: i'm pretty certain ivy means jack **** when applying to med school if my gpa is that crap but just wanted to make sure so i included it

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[jarednogeek]

I think all you need is a good MCAT , 100 hours clinical / non clinical with underserved total and you’d get into an MD with a good school list. Your URM status helps you tremendously

 

[E38]

Well, what are you planning on doing for the gap year or two?
You're in a better position than I am right now, (I'm a sophomore, URM as well, but...no ivy lol) so your gap year can definitely get you into an MD. I wouldn't knock DO schools though, unless you're planning to work outside the US.

 

[Faha]

Post your MCAT score here when available and we can give you a more accurate assessment for your chances if you apply this year.

 

[Walter Raleigh]

DO schools: you'd probably want a 500+. MD schools, you'd probably want a 506+. Top 20s are going to be hard, but you've got a chance with 516+.

 

[gavam08]

Post your MCAT score here when available and we can give you a more accurate assessment for your chances if you apply this year.

thanks so much everyone! yeah you're right will def post the MCAT when i take it/receive score since this is all hypothetical until then I guess

 

[gavam08]

I think all you need is a good MCAT , 100 hours clinical / non clinical with underserved total and you’d get into an MD with a good school list. Your URM status helps you tremendously

wow i guess i'm pleasantly surprised i still have a shot--thanking my ethnicity right about now lmao. So regarding your and everyone else's fairly positive responses are you guys saying i should shoot for applying this coming cycle? or that i have a pretty solid chance AFTER my gap year (so i'd be applying june ish of 2020)?

Also this is the school list i have so far. obviously there are reaches in there but am i'm missing any solid or lower tier ones that are realistic? i'm not gonna be picky geographically though i do hope i get into one in state.

Case western
NYIT
Touro
Drexel
Rutgers
Mcgill
Tufts
Tulane
Western Michigan
Arizona
College of drew university med school —UCLA
Howard
Rosaland Franklin university
New York Medical College
The 4 SUNYs
Albert Einstein
URochester
Renaissance
Wash U
East Virginia
Virginia Tech
UCLA
NYU
Mount Sinai
Cornell Weill NYC
UChicago
Northwestern
Umichigan
Upenn

 

[jarednogeek]

wow i guess i'm pleasantly surprised i still have a shot--thanking my ethnicity right about now lmao. So regarding your and everyone else's fairly positive responses are you guys saying i should shoot for applying this coming cycle? or that i have a pretty solid chance AFTER my gap year (so i'd be applying june ish of 2020)?

Also this is the school list i have so far. obviously there are reaches in there but am i'm missing any solid or lower tier ones that are realistic? i'm not gonna be picky geographically though i do hope i get into one in state.

Case western
NYIT
Touro
Drexel
Rutgers
Mcgill
Tufts
Tulane
Western Michigan
Arizona
College of drew university med school —UCLA
Howard
Rosaland Franklin university
New York Medical College
The 4 SUNYs
Albert Einstein
URochester
Renaissance
Wash U
East Virginia
Virginia Tech
UCLA
NYU
Mount Sinai
Cornell Weill NYC
UChicago
Northwestern
Umichigan
Upenn

Depends when you can get those volunteering hours in by

 

[gavam08]

FML lmao so sike at getting that 510+ MCAT. My FLs were: 502, 510, 513, 509 and i got a 503.

I'm a little surprised because I assumed that my strength in psych and CARs would carry me despite a mediocre CP. Typically i was getting 126 on CP and 129s in psych and CARS. somehow on the real thing i got: 124, 125, 125, 129. So where do i go from here? Obviously one would say you must re take asap, but then I was speaking to a few black M1s (two at MD and 1 at a DO) and they all had 499-505s! I was shocked! So do I give it a shot and apply?

I guess why i'm questioning the retake is because my CARS was something I did not account for when i had never seen lower than a 127 on FLS and test day felt the same level of difficulty. My CP felt incredibly difficult on test day so that wasn't shocking. My BB i expected slightly higher but i was getting 125-127 anyways. Not really sure where to go from here?

 

[jarednogeek]

FML lmao so sike at getting that 510+ MCAT. My FLs were: 502, 510, 513, 509 and i got a 503.

I'm a little surprised because I assumed that my strength in psych and CARs would carry me despite a mediocre CP. Typically i was getting 126 on CP and 129s in psych and CARS. somehow on the real thing i got: 124, 125, 125, 129. So where do i go from here? Obviously one would say you must re take asap, but then I was speaking to a few black M1s (two at MD and 1 at a DO) and they all had 499-505s! I was shocked! So do I give it a shot and apply?

I guess why i'm questioning the retake is because my CARS was something I did not account for when i had never seen lower than a 127 on FLS and test day felt the same level of difficulty. My CP felt incredibly difficult on test day so that wasn't shocking. My BB i expected slightly higher but i was getting 125-127 anyways. Not really sure where to go from here?

I would apply DO/historically African American universities. If unsuccessful I would boost GPA and MCAT. and probably be boosting GPA/studying MCAT during the app year.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

FML lmao so sike at getting that 510+ MCAT. My FLs were: 502, 510, 513, 509 and i got a 503.

I'm a little surprised because I assumed that my strength in psych and CARs would carry me despite a mediocre CP. Typically i was getting 126 on CP and 129s in psych and CARS. somehow on the real thing i got: 124, 125, 125, 129. So where do i go from here? Obviously one would say you must re take asap, but then I was speaking to a few black M1s (two at MD and 1 at a DO) and they all had 499-505s! I was shocked! So do I give it a shot and apply?

I guess why i'm questioning the retake is because my CARS was something I did not account for when i had never seen lower than a 127 on FLS and test day felt the same level of difficulty. My CP felt incredibly difficult on test day so that wasn't shocking. My BB i expected slightly higher but i was getting 125-127 anyways. Not really sure where to go from here?

Metrics are good for DO schools and for sure the HBCU MD programs. You should be networking through AMSA and SNMA to get insight into additional schools you may want to include on your list who consider and accept applicants similar to you.