which school to apply to

[anonymous student]

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i need some advice from the assembled readers on which schools to apply to, i got a 32 MCAT(12, 10, 10, Q), have a 3.7 graduate gpa while getting an MS in chem but a crummy undergrad gpa(BS chem with minor in math), 8 years of clinical experience(no volunteer time however) and i am 32, will be 33 when i apply this summer.

i live in california where the UC's and private schools are a bitch to get into. which schools out there should i apply to in light of my circumstances, should i retake the mcat for a higher score?

any advice rendered will be appreciated

 

[BeckyG]

Hi,

If this is a serious post, then you're fine. I think most applicants would die for a 32 on the MCAT. Not knowing what your undergrad GPA is, its hard to say where you are competitive. In any event, look for schools with a higher average age for students (e.g., 24-26, rather than 22) - they tend to be more "friendly" to older applicants. Good luck!

 

[Katie]

apply to all the UC's anyway (just because you have nothing to lose and might get an interview or two), and good private schools to apply to are Tufts, Saint Louis U, MCP-Hahnemann, NYMC, Penn State, Temple, and VCU/MCV.

 

[mpp]

Don't forget Jefferson, Albany, and Dartmouth...

You're MCAT is great. Don't worry too much about the undergrad GPA. Some schools will offer pre-application meetings so that you can learn about the school to see if it will fit you. You can probably find out whether or not you would be a competitive candidate. Good luck...

 

[anonymous student]

thanks for all the advice and yes i am very serious, my undergrad GPA sucks(less then 3.0) i didn't know how to study and didn't work real hard, then i got to grad school and it was so much easier to work hard (more interesting) and enjoy the courses.

i applied to 3 UC's and got a secondary from davis but noone else. should i apply to ALL the UC's? like i said i have basically no volunteer time, what else should i do to strengthen my app?

 

[rajneel1]

the UC's are slow so don't sweat that. you will probably get into medical school somewhere...it might not be your top super duper choice though. so hang in there. i think you already have a strong application. there are alot of people with low undergrad GPAs who do really well in graduate school. you already proved that you know the undergrad material with the MCAT score and how you have told them that you can be a good student. so there is nothing really else to do. hang in there.