What are the numbers to get into meharry and howard?

[dmitrinyr]

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I am very curious about their numbers. I am pretty sure that they are somewhere around the average for all other US MD programs but I want to be sure. So if anyone knows their official numbers, please post them in a reply.

I want to know if I can get an interview there as a non-URM with:

total gpa: 3.5
science gpa: 3.3

mcat: april 2002: 23
april 2003: 24
possibly retaking in august

1 year of EMT work. 1+ year of volunteering, tutoring and counceling at college, etc.

I personally don't think that I have a chance with my very low and national average mcat scores. I try to keep being realistic and so I might need someone to instill that reality into me.

Thanks,

dmitri

 

[zinjanthropus]

i don't think that these schools focus on the numbers too much and, for the most part, that is why their numbers may be lower then those at other institutions.

for example, howard's emphasis is on treating disease and illness particularly prevelant in African-American populations, as well as training minority physicians.

i think your chances for an interview at these places will depend more on whether you have a compelling reason to attend those schools, not on your gpa and mcat scores

Howard University 3.14 7.9 7.6 8.1
Meharry Medical College* 7.7 7.2 7.9

 

[funkless]

Howard is predominantly African-American. It's intended to cater to those whose social aptitudes (read: knowing how to cope with the difficulties of being an URM) compensate for any academic shortcomings. In other words, they accept URMs with lower scores, with the understanding that it takes more than a 36 MCAT to be a great doctor.

They expect their applicants to show that life as a minority has given them unique sensitivies and motivations.

The same goes for Meharry, more or less.

If you're a white male, you're not out of the running, necessarily. You just need to show them that you, too, have acquired these same sensitivities and motivations. Am I making sense?


--Funkless

 

[medicine2006]

I'm a second year at Howard. My class has several people who are not URM. About 80% of the class is of African descent. There is only one white male (possibly two the other guy is mixed). He is a staunch democrat and a true advocate of the underserved. You can't just be a non-urm with numbers better than their average. You have to show compelling reasons why you want to attend Howard.

 

[dmitrinyr]

Thank you for the posts. I think that the best way to assess whehter or not an applicant has "compelling reasons" for attending any medical school including howard or meharry is by giving that person an interview. It is hard to do this for every applicant especially to all of the non-URM applicants that apply to both of these universities. Trust me in saying that I would truly cherish a chance to study medicine in either one of these schools and all I need is a chance to have my voice heard.

Thank you to all and good luck.

dmitri

 

[BayouYankee]

Why not just take the MCAT again. Your GPA is ok, and I bet if you just concentrated 100% on the MCAT, you might be able to really boost your scores. That is what I did. I had no job, no school, no nothing - just full time MCAT for 8 weeks and it really paid off. Granted it was one of the worst times of my life, but it was definitely worth it. Good luck!

 

[dmitrinyr]

BayouYankee,

I agree with what you're saying and I am actually studying for the mcat in august. The thing is that I studied my as* off for the test this past april, I set it up that I only have like 6 credits and all of them where classes that didn't require any work or long essays. I was very confident before the mcat and confident after I took the mcat (at least confident that I scored at least 26-27) but I didn't. Now it is very hard for me to get the confidence and the skills back in order to ace this test in about 4.5 weeks.

 

[skypilot]

Just take the online practice tests over and over. Don't bother wasting your time doing anything else.

Anytime you don't understand a question and even if you do, look at the solution provided. You will this way cover only the material that is going to be on the MCAT and all of the material that will be on the test. Every test is in some ways the same. They ask a question from each category each time.