What to do Next? (advice please!)

[MedicineMike]

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Ok, here is the gist of my story:

THEN:
-Division 1 scholarship athlete, graduated in 2007 with 2.66 GPA.
-Worked in 'real world' for a year and decided to go back to school to pursue my passion (medicine).
-Have completed all pre-reqs with 4.0 GPA (will be at ~40hrs post bacc 4.0 after this semester)
-Just took MCAT 9/3 and havent received my scores yet but probably will retake January, bc i know i can do better.

NOW:
-cumGPA: 2.92-- after this semester (assuming i keep my A's): 3.01
-bcpmGPA:: DO/MD: 3.84/3.67
-Work at a hospital, ~150 hrs volunteering, OR shadowing, MD LOR, other very good LORs etc.

What to do after this semester??!

As soon as this semester is over i have no idea what to do. If I sign up for another semester of classes, and get all A's, it only raises my GPA up from 3.01 to 3.07, and 3.84 to 3.87 respectively. My GPA is quite saturated so an entire semester of perfect grades doesnt really do much.

I am verified completely and am just waiting my MCAT scores. If i have to take MCAT in january, i will prob just reapply for the 2012 cycle. So what do i do after january?????

Do I:
1) find a job in research, or in a hospital?
2) get another random job making decent money and just wait to hear from schools?
3) take more classes with not much improvement in GPA?
4) get emt cert???

I have had a detailed plan up until this point, and starting Jan 2011 i have NO IDEA what to do!!!

Thanks and sorry for the long post

 

[DbDan]

Congrats on the large amount of successful coursework. What do you project your MCAT to be? What were your practice tests averaging? Its hard to say how to proceed without that MCAT score.

If you do well (30+) considering a considerable upward trend and your high sGPA I would be surprised if you didn't have an opportunity for admission this year.

Are you currently working? Why do you need to find a new job in January? If you have to re-apply I'd suggest finding something you enjoy to do that will support you; be it work at a hospital or research. Make sure your application is submitted June 1st and you have a solid MCAT you'll have a great shot.

 

[MedicineMike]

Congrats on the large amount of successful coursework. What do you project your MCAT to be? What were your practice tests averaging? Its hard to say how to proceed without that MCAT score.

If you do well (30+) considering a considerable upward trend and your high sGPA I would be surprised if you didn't have an opportunity for admission this year.

Are you currently working? Why do you need to find a new job in January? If you have to re-apply I'd suggest finding something you enjoy to do that will support you; be it work at a hospital or research. Make sure your application is submitted June 1st and you have a solid MCAT you'll have a great shot.

thanks Dan! I am currently working in a hospital part-time, training drs, and nurses on using a new electronic medical records program.

If i had to guess, I prob got in the mid to high 20s range on the MCAT. I KNOW i can get 30+, but it is just a difficult test!! haha.

My app is already verified in both aacomas and amcas.

If I don't hear from a school by the end of this year I will probably just work instead of take classes again. Might just move in with my girlfriend for a few months and bartend or whatever...I really just have no idea what to do

 

[DbDan]

thanks Dan! I am currently working in a hospital part-time, training drs, and nurses on using a new electronic medical records program.

If i had to guess, I prob got in the mid to high 20s range on the MCAT. I KNOW i can get 30+, but it is just a difficult test!! haha.

My app is already verified in both aacomas and amcas.

If I don't hear from a school by the end of this year I will probably just work instead of take classes again. Might just move in with my girlfriend for a few months and bartend or whatever...I really just have no idea what to do

Even with a mid-high 20s MCAT you've got a chance, although its getting later in the cycle so that is going to work against you a bit. If you haven't already, prepare every secondary now. That way when you receive them (if you haven't already) you can submit same day. Time is going to be very important for you. Also, hold out too much hope hearing back about interviews right away, processing takes time and there are more holidays around the end of the year. I know I didn't hear much if anything from Thanksgiving time till the end of the year last year. FWIW, LECOM-B and Touro-NV both seem to have very fast turnaround from submission of secondary to interview status.

EDIT: As for job, do what it takes to get by but I'd suggest keeping something clinically relevant if possible. Schools want to see that your time off is used well. They will also expect to see an improvement in your application if you have to re-apply next year. I'd try to find something that will make you stand out, be it more volunteer, a medical mission, shadowing, etc.

 

[CunningCaregivr]

Even with a mid-high 20s MCAT you've got a chance, although its getting later in the cycle so that is going to work against you a bit. If you haven't already, prepare every secondary now. That way when you receive them (if you haven't already) you can submit same day. Time is going to be very important for you. Also, hold out too much hope hearing back about interviews right away, processing takes time and there are more holidays around the end of the year. I know I didn't hear much if anything from Thanksgiving time till the end of the year last year. FWIW, LECOM-B and Touro-NV both seem to have very fast turnaround from submission of secondary to interview status.

EDIT: As for job, do what it takes to get by but I'd suggest keeping something clinically relevant if possible. Schools want to see that your time off is used well. They will also expect to see an improvement in your application if you have to re-apply next year. I'd try to find something that will make you stand out, be it more volunteer, a medical mission, shadowing, etc.

+ 1 for dbDan's words.

Give this year the best shot you have. Find the secondaries to your top choices now, so you are ready to go. By putting in a good effort now, you are improving your chances at an interview, waitlist, and at least a chance to say you are "an experienced reapplicant" next year.

Look around within your hospital for clinical opportunities. You can never learn enough from shadowing or finding a new position.

 

[MedicineMike]

Even with a mid-high 20s MCAT you've got a chance, although its getting later in the cycle so that is going to work against you a bit. If you haven't already, prepare every secondary now. That way when you receive them (if you haven't already) you can submit same day. Time is going to be very important for you. Also, hold out too much hope hearing back about interviews right away, processing takes time and there are more holidays around the end of the year. I know I didn't hear much if anything from Thanksgiving time till the end of the year last year. FWIW, LECOM-B and Touro-NV both seem to have very fast turnaround from submission of secondary to interview status.

EDIT: As for job, do what it takes to get by but I'd suggest keeping something clinically relevant if possible. Schools want to see that your time off is used well. They will also expect to see an improvement in your application if you have to re-apply next year. I'd try to find something that will make you stand out, be it more volunteer, a medical mission, shadowing, etc.

I plan on moving to NYC and finding a job bartending at night, and just so happens my gf lives down the block from a hospital (and NYU--If only i could get in that school!!). I will most likely try to shadow/volunteer/find any possible job paying $5/hr i can!! 🙂

My top choices are CCOM and NYCOM, and PCOM-GA, and LECOM-B. Also, Tuoro-NY.

+ 1 for dbDan's words.

Give this year the best shot you have. Find the secondaries to your top choices now, so you are ready to go. By putting in a good effort now, you are improving your chances at an interview, waitlist, and at least a chance to say you are "an experienced reapplicant" next year.

Look around within your hospital for clinical opportunities. You can never learn enough from shadowing or finding a new position.

I guess I have doubted myself this year already due to my lack of confidence after leaving the MCAT.

I already have a few secondaries but wont get my scores back for another 2 weeks or so. Should I get those secondaries in ASAP, even before my scores are released??

 

[Goro]

Considering the bang for the buck, you're much better off re-taking classes and improving your grades and cGPA to a competetive level. With your current numbers, you'd get an automatic rejection from my school (let's say it's somewhere west of the Mississippi). It's a very competetive this year, even more so than last year, the old nostrum of "low GPA + high MCAT" is good enough for DO school" just doesn't cut it anymore.

 

[MedicineMike]

Considering the bang for the buck, you're much better off re-taking classes and improving your grades and cGPA to a competetive level. With your current numbers, you'd get an automatic rejection from my school (let's say it's somewhere west of the Mississippi). It's a very competetive this year, even more so than last year, the old nostrum of "low GPA + high MCAT" is good enough for DO school" just doesn't cut it anymore.

ahh well its a good thing im not applying west of the mississippi 😀 (seriously, im not!)

but in all seriousness, my dilemma is that taking more classes will baaaaarely raise my gpa at all. I mean a semester of all A's will prob raise it .01-.02. That is a lot of work for little result.

 

[willen101383]

ahh well its a good thing im not applying west of the mississippi 😀 (seriously, im not!)

but in all seriousness, my dilemma is that taking more classes will baaaaarely raise my gpa at all. I mean a semester of all A's will prob raise it .01-.02. That is a lot of work for little result.

I was accepted with pretty much your exact stats if you do indeed get mid to high 20s on your MCAT. I finished undergrad a year before you with a 2.45 and raised it to a 2.9X after 2 years in graduate school. I would say dont waste your time doing more coursework because as you already know it wont raise that GPA too much. Let me know if you have questions!

 

[mmikey]

Considering the bang for the buck, you're much better off re-taking classes and improving your grades and cGPA to a competetive level. With your current numbers, you'd get an automatic rejection from my school (let's say it's somewhere west of the Mississippi). It's a very competetive this year, even more so than last year, the old nostrum of "low GPA + high MCAT" is good enough for DO school" just doesn't cut it anymore.

Low 3's science gpa, high twenties mcat, acceptance to two schools thus far with two more interviews.. I applied early, it's possible.

 

[MedicineMike]

Low 3's science gpa, high twenties mcat, acceptance to two schools thus far with two more interviews.. I applied early, it's possible.

that is very reassuring! Thank you so much for the confidence. Which schools were u accepted?

I was accepted with pretty much your exact stats if you do indeed get mid to high 20s on your MCAT. I finished undergrad a year before you with a 2.45 and raised it to a 2.9X after 2 years in graduate school. I would say dont waste your time doing more coursework because as you already know it wont raise that GPA too much. Let me know if you have questions!

Also, thanks for the information. I know i am a good applicant, just hoping my MCAT score is as high as i would like Do you think i should continue more ECs?

 

[willen101383]

that is very reassuring! Thank you so much for the confidence. Which schools were u accepted?



Also, thanks for the information. I know i am a good applicant, just hoping my MCAT score is as high as i would like Do you think i should continue more ECs?

Eh I dunno...if you really want to I doubt it would matter. I literally had next to no ECs when I applied. I did however have 4 years of work as a clinical lab technologist post college...which I assume would make up for that lack

 

[MedicineMike]

Just received MCAT score of a whopping 23Q. PS: 7 😕 VR: 8 BS: 8.

This changes quite a bit, and i plan on retaking in january. Is this cycle pretty much over for me now?