Will I make it?

[Gumshoe]

Hey guys, I am a graduate one year out from Vanderbilt, have 10-8-10-S MCAT, 3.35 GPA, good recs, and some research experience last summer. My home state is IL. Do you think I have a shot? I'm all in. Just wanted to see what you guys thought about someone who is borderline with all these madd stats. I am fluent in spanish and I want to help in that area, which I thought would help. Any comments, criticisms, etc? Thanks for looking at my thread.

Cheers,
Gumshoe

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[dpark74]

Maybe this will make you feel better...MSAR book says someone with your stats will have a more difficult time than someone with a 3.5 and a 30, but there are many (hundreds) who are in med school with your scores (each year).

This may also make you feel better: I only have a 2.97 uGPA and have interviewed at one school already. (UIC)

Good luck.

 

[Explosivo]

Your MCAT is o.k., if you feel that you gave it your all when you took it then don't retake. Your GPA is o.k. as well. I too get discouraged looking at some of the ridiculous stats people post on here but just remember that people with avg. stats tend not to post them very frequently. People with higher stats, are usually very proud of them and are probably more at ease posting them.

You'd be a good candidate for UIC. Especially with your fluency in Spanish. Also, take a good look at Rush b/c you indicate that you'd like to serve in an underserved spanish speaking community. Rush is pretty big on that. As for top 25 med schools, don't waste your time applying to them. Shoot for lower and middle tier schools.

I'm from IL too and I'm applying right now. You can PM me if you need any more info.

Good Luck.

 

[Gumshoe]

How candid is that 2.97 GPA though? You have to have some type of EC research, etc. or something ... if not, great. I'm all about good people that aren't stereotypical pre meds getting in. I am not shooting for anything in top 25, don't worry. I just want to get into IL schools. What do you think about Loyola? Rush? UIC is the weakest, you're saying? Chicago Med I heard is not that nice in many ways, including tuition. At Univ. of Chicago, I may have a connection. Tell me your other thoughts. I hope I just get an interview.

Cheers,

Gumshoe

 

[Explosivo]

Originally posted by Gumshoe
How candid is that 2.97 GPA though? You have to have some type of EC research, etc. or something ... if not, great. I'm all about good people that aren't stereotypical pre meds getting in. I am not shooting for anything in top 25, don't worry. I just want to get into IL schools. What do you think about Loyola? Rush? UIC is the weakest, you're saying? Chicago Med I heard is not that nice in many ways, including tuition. At Univ. of Chicago, I may have a connection. Tell me your other thoughts. I hope I just get an interview.

Cheers,

Gumshoe

UIC is defintely NOT weak. It may not be ranked but they produce excellent clinicians. UofC Hospitals for example are looking to recruit more grads from UIC med for residencies b/c they have been very pleased with them. I'd say most residency programs are pleased with them in general b/c UIC grads are not spoonfed material and have to be really self-sufficient in order to succeed.

However, the knock on UIC is that they won't baby you and you have to deal with a lot of BS. You get what you pay for. It is a no-frills med school. This could be a potential problem and is one of my concerns. But, one could argue that it'll make you stronger in the end and better prepared for a residency. Despite the no frills approach the step 1 pass-rate is good and students go into a variety of residencies.

Again, IMHO, your best shots are at UIC and Rush.

 

[jennyw17]

hey guys, i'm kinda new on here. I just had one though about UofC. I've heard they're very competitive. I have a friend who went to yale, had a 3.5GPA and a 36 on his MCAT and didn't get in. So based on that and from what some of my other friends have told me University of Chicago is very hard to get into. I went to a small private school in MN, not a big name school obvioustly, but I'm not sure anyone from my college in the last 3 years has even had an interview there, even with like a 3.8GPA and a 30MCAT. Just some ideas.

 

[Gumshoe]

I don't know. I am no where NEAR those numbers, as stated, but I do have a connection. Life is all about them, but we'll see how far this can go. I'll keep you updated. I'm not sure I'd want to go to U of C that much, I have to research it. Obviously, it's rep is HUGE. But if it's the only place you get in, so be it.

Gumshoe

 

[Veilside]

Originally posted by jennyw17
hey guys, i'm kinda new on here. I just had one though about UofC. I've heard they're very competitive. I have a friend who went to yale, had a 3.5GPA and a 36 on his MCAT and didn't get in. So based on that and from what some of my other friends have told me University of Chicago is very hard to get into. I went to a small private school in MN, not a big name school obvioustly, but I'm not sure anyone from my college in the last 3 years has even had an interview there, even with like a 3.8GPA and a 30MCAT. Just some ideas.

well i know a girl with a 28 mcat and 3.4-3.5 gpa got accepted to pritzker last year. she graduated from u of c, so maybe that had a little to do with it, but a 28 mcat? comeon...

 

[jennyw17]

Well good luck. My stats arn't anywhere near that either, well we'll see soon enough about the MCAT, but I'm still applying there and at all of the other chicago schools. Plus i feel like it's always worth a shot, plus if you've got a connection, then go for it.

 

[Tweetie_bird]

Originally posted by Veilside
but a 28 mcat? comeon...

I am sure I may be misunderstanding you, but I have to ask. Are you saying 28 is too low? I know plenty of people with a 27-28 that got in. Hopefully I will be one of them next year.

 

[kaos]

Ditto here. I have a 28, and have interviews @ 3 schools so far. Look at it this way--the score altogether looks like it sucks because it's below 30, but when it's broken up (9, 9, 10) it's rather competitive!

 

[Veilside]

Originally posted by Tweetie_bird
I am sure I may be misunderstanding you, but I have to ask. Are you saying 28 is too low?

well for pritzker it is
and of course mcat isn't everything, but this girl really didn't have outstanding ECs: the usual research and no volunteering (at least none that i'm aware of)
i'm happy for her though, and this just goes to show you that u of c is very big on those "intangible" qualities. what are they exactly looking for? only God knows...

 

[Gumshoe]

9, 9, 10 is quite good, really
10-8-10 is better ahaha

Those are good ways to look at it. I got an S on writing.... does that matter???!!!

Gumshoe

 

[dpark74]

I really don't think the writing sample score matters as much as the other scores. Like my friend once said, "I've never heard of a person who had a T on the writing sample section and decided to apply to Harvard." There's a reason why it's graded differently. And unlike the other scores, you can make up for it on the secondary essays and the AMCAS personal statement.

 

[ocean11]

Gumshoe, your GPA isn't bad at all... hey one of my good friends just got into Saba with a 2.1. No but seriously if I were you I'd apply to Finch and Howard as well as the others on your list, plus your state schools.... I honestly think you can totally do it with a 3.35.... I think it's also great that you got a 10 in your verbal, I'd recommend redoing the MCAT though if things don't go your way this year.... get one of those Kaplan or Princeton books to help you with Physics and you'll ace it!

GOOD LUCK

 

[chapinsita]

I think you can make it! You have great MCATs, a 28 is really quite good! And the GPA will still be good as long as you show that you maintain good grades, or an uphill change. I think you should listen to the advice on this board and not be discouraged. Make sure you "sell" yourself to med schools. Downplay the MCAT and GPA by uplaying the fact that you have great recs and ECs. Write a killer essay and try to apply the earliest possible. I think you have a good chance, don't be discouraged!

 

[Tnasiri]

Did you ever make it?

 

[EMDO2018]

LOL bumped a 12 year old thread, back when a 28 was sorta competitive for MD.

 

[swolebrah]

Strong bump , he never made it .

 

[jacksonlikesturtles]

He was accepted to Pritzker.