Hi everyone!
I posted a "what are my chances" post awhile back, but now that applications are coming out, I have been giving myself stomachaches worrying that I wont make it in anywhere..
GPA: 2.9 (hopefully a little bit higher once my spring grades come in)
MCAT: 27R
EC: -Therapeutic recreation work with kids with disabilities, autism, Down Syndrome for almost 10 years
- Special Olympics Director
-Work in an Optometry office
-Volunteer for and Osteopathic Children's Center
-President of the Colleges Against Cancer organization (part of the American Cancer Society) on campus
- Relay for life co-chair
Theres more, but you get the idea..
I have great letters of rec from a DO, people I've worked with, but am having trouble getting a science professor to write me one (b/c of my low GPA).
What do you think? (Thanks in advance for your help!)
Ok well first off gpa, as you are well aware I am sure it is a bit low. I have even seen people say that some schools have a 3.0 cutoff. Although I do not think many of them have this. So if I were you I would do my best to hit that 3.0 mark.
MCAT is good. A 27, as been said before on here is just above average. That will help you definitely, but you still need to push that gpa if you can.
Your EC's look wonderful and so you should have a good shot in my humble opinion. You do need to get that science prof recommendation though, if I were you I would go talk to the profs in one or two of the sciences let them know your goals and perhaps talk to them about why you did not do your best in those classes. Maybe if you get to know them and they see how much you want to become a doctor they will write you a good rec. Or if you are taking more science classes now get the grades and get to know the profs while you are in the class this will be very beneficial.
Not much more I can add, and I must leave work now. I am sure Spiced will add some good info so pay attention for that.
Edit: Oh last important bit, maybe the most important - Apply early and broadly!!
Goodluck.
It's a bit of a tag-team effort, isn't it?
So, okay, what do we have here, today, drivemeh0me? I concur with my colleague, Animus. However, he's right that I'm going add a few things here, mostly my opinions and general impression. These, I want to emphasize, are my views only and not to be construed as actual fact.
It's hard to categorize you as an applicant. What I mean is, number-wise, you are not that compelling, but your work/activities seem phenomenal and you've been involved in them for quite a long time. You are sure to stand out in an interview and in your essays based on those. I applaud your accomplishments, they will work well in your favor. Definitely leverage them and write good essays.
However, we cannot ignore your limited academic accomplishments. It's largely a myth that any one factor can make up for a deficiency in any other area. Your GPA is well below average. Some schools may have a problem with it, others may balance it out with your other accomplishments. I don't know how they will respond individually and I'm not an adcom member, so I have no insight on their process. I think some schools are going to ask you to address your poor undergraduate performance during interviews, so it would behoove you to address it well. Your MCAT is pretty good, but not really exceptional in the context of your GPA; no other comments about that, except, good work on the test.
All in all, you do stand a chance if you applied as is. Apply EARLY and broadly, to all the schools you think you would attend. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of early application in your case. However, I wish to pose a question to you: are you sure you want to apply right now? If, after checking, the answer is, "yes," then I wish you good luck; give it your best go, and we'll see what happens. But if your answer is, "no," then there is another possible activity to consider that could potentially improve your chances and options here: doing some post-baccalaureate work (or extending your current baccalaureate work).
In my limited experience, one of the things that adcom members look for is academic suitability for the rigors of medical school. Your 2.9/27 showing doesn't strike me as standing out in that area. As I mentioned before, some folks might have a problem with it, while others will take it in stride. One way to demonstrate your academic proficiency is to trend A's in several fulltime semesters of advanced undergraduate science classes. Besides increasing your GPA, this becomes evidence of your academic ability. You can point to how you got 35 credits of straight A's in hard science courses, or whatever. I was asked about my past academic problems and I threw that fact out there in response; there were no more questions after that. It seems like making this kind of academic trend can really do much to apease adcom members. This is directly addressing the question that they have.
You will notice that I made the assessment that I made for StringerBell because he had an excellent graduate work showing. In my opinion, it helped to demonstrate his true academic ability. However, unless I remember incorrectly, at least one school still had problems with his low science GPA even despite his great graduate work.
So in conclusion, if you think applying right now is what you want to do, then I wish you good luck and fortune. Apply EARLY and broadly. Get complete as soon as possible. You have a chance and I think you'll probably wow the schools with your great extracurricular work/activities. You'll probably interview well. Applying early will do much to swing things in your favor. If it isn't compelling for you to apply right this moment, then you could improve your academic standing by doing some post-baccalaureate work; this would be very high-yield improvement to your application.
Numbers aren't everything, however, so it's hard to say what will happen. Give your best shot. Good luck and remember to take everything I said here with a grain of salt. I am not an expert, just a helpful guide.
