Worried about my future..Need help

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rnwskim123

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Hello! i am a non traditional pre med student in need of help of advice. I have been through .alot...

I got messed up from bullying in high school, affected my mentality and my grades in first few years of college. those same bullies appeared in my classes again in first few semesters in college. Got depressed afterwards, which affected my schooling. and then Got academically dismissed with GPA 1.6 gpa. I then became a nurse and then a nurse practitioner, starting from community college to online Masters program at chamberlain university. I just completed my post bacc program with a GPA of 3.9, 33 credits. But overall GPA now even after post bac is 2.66. MCAT score is 515. I have 8 years of clinical experience. currently working 10 hours a day as an NP. I volunteer at red cross once monthly-as a blood donor ambassador. My dream school is university of Maryland school of medicine. There's no autoscreen and they look at each person holistically. My cumulative GPA being 2.66 is what worries me i am applying next year in 2025.

I cannot do SMP because I'm a sole provider in my family with one child,
 
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rnwskim123 said:
Im in Maryland.
Click to expand...
Apply broadly to MD and DO schools. Your best chances will be at DO schools. I suggest these DO schools:
WVSOM
UP-KYCOM
PCOM (all schools)
NYITCOM (all schools)
Touro-NY
MU-COM
DMU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
KCU-COM
AZCOM
TUNCOM
UIWSOM
WCU-COM
ACOM
LMU-DCOM
BCOM (both schools)
LECOM (all schools)
For MD schools you could try these:
Maryland
West Virginia
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
Drexel
Temple
George Washington
Georgetown
Wake Forest
Hackensack
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Tulane
Creighton
St. Louis
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Belmont
Alice Walton (when it opens)
Roseman (when it opens)
 
Mr.Smile12 said:
What do your postbac advisors recommend? Have you talked to the admissions team at Maryland?
Click to expand...
post bacc advisor said she's not worried. i should be able to get into an MD school considering that my bad grades that gave me aacademic dismissal were over 13 years ago.
 
Mr.Smile12 said:
If it's Maryland or bust, you need to talk with them about your profile and follow their advice. Have you done this? What advice did you get?
Click to expand...


This was emailed to me by the admissions dean of University of Maryland School of medicine herself, Dr. Quezada

"Hello,

Thank you for the additional information. I presume by "CP" you mean College Park (to me this means chest pain and by "SIE" you mean Science in the Evening? These are not acronyms I normally use so want to be sure. We actually do not focus more heavily on early or later grades, but rather look at all the grades together in a single continuum and consider the context of each. It is true that your undergraduate and overall GPA are not competitive, and so it will be important in your application for you to explain the context particularly for the weak undergraduate performance. Our secondary application provides a dedicated space for this type of explanation."


Basically, there's no real answer that I am given. Its nerve wrecking to me because I have worked so hard to make up for the stuff I had no control over in the past (depression made me dysfunctional). Its just unfair about stuff that happened to me back then because its affecting me to this day. I just hope that there is an forgiving adcom out there who can understand that I didn't start well off like other people back then, but I now have been able to pick myself up and portray as a hardworking student as any other competitive applicant now.
 
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rnwskim123 said:
can i hear your opinion? what are my chances for an MD school?

Ive seen even people on youtube getting into MD schools with 2.3...
Click to expand...
I don't know what you took for your postbac. You could get in, but you probably have specific geographical preferences that will make it more of a challenge.
 
Mr.Smile12 said:
I don't know what you took for your postbac. You could get in, but you probably have specific geographical preferences that will make it more of a challenge.
Click to expand...
I just basically retook all the courses that i flunked earlier, aced all of them and then added a couple more of new classes that i never took, specifically general chemistry 2, microbiology, and biochemistry. Aced them as well.

If needed, I can send my personal statement, and transcripts.

As for geographical preference, I have no problem applying in other locations like washington D.C schools. Its just the University of Maryland School of medicine, favor in state residents more than out of states.
 
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gyngyn said:
IS preference in a state like Maryland is not a significant advantage for most IS applicants.
At 11.5%, MD is one of the states where IS matriculation is least likely.
Click to expand...
well then....I don't know what to do anymore.

I mean I could retake the MCAT and get 520s ..but I don't know how good that would do for me.
I am well rounded.
I was a pro athlete for 8 years, i have been a nurse for 8 years. I volunteer 100 hours so far during my spare time..
I have a good upward trend in my course grades with straight A's on my post bacc (33 credits)

Is the GPA of 2.66 alone going to stop me in my tracks for good? like a college like university of Maryland or other schools that "do not have a screen out GPA" won't just put me in the low tier application pile automatically just cuz of horrible grades from 13 years ago right?
 
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gyngyn said:
Take a look at @Faha's list.
Apply to as many as you can reasonably afford.
Click to expand...
ok...i'll do that..

just curious tho, have you ever seen anybody like my stats get into an MD school? and how often do you see people like me get accepted?
 
gyngyn said:
A good strategy and a compelling narrative can overcome early missteps.
Click to expand...
can you clarify or give example of good strategy, besides applying multiple schools?

and by compelling narrative, you mean the personal statement ?
 
rnwskim123 said:
can you clarify or give example of good strategy, besides applying multiple schools?

and by compelling narrative, you mean the personal statement ?
Click to expand...
It's not just the number of schools, but the fit, the timing, and how you present yourself.
Your narrative runs throughout the application, not just the PS.
 
gyngyn said:
It's not just the number of schools, but the fit, the timing, and how you present yourself.
Your narrative runs throughout the application, not just the PS.
Click to expand...
ok..during my gap year right now, I also have more time to choose what i can do to improve my application.

would it be better to take another course that I never did like genetics or mammalian physiology course? or would you advise participate in research opportunities ? because I do not have any research experience.
 
rnwskim123 said:
would you advise participate in research opportunities ? because I do not have any research experience.
Click to expand...
Does research fit your narrative?
Do you have access to a type of research that you are enthusiastic about?
 
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Faha said:
Apply broadly to MD and DO schools. Your best chances will be at DO schools. I suggest these DO schools:
WVSOM
UP-KYCOM
PCOM (all schools)
NYITCOM (all schools)
Touro-NY
MU-COM
DMU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
KCU-COM
AZCOM
TUNCOM
UIWSOM
WCU-COM
ACOM
LMU-DCOM
BCOM (both schools)
LECOM (all schools)
For MD schools you could try these:
Maryland
West Virginia
Eastern Virginia
Virginia Commonwealth
Drexel
Temple
George Washington
Georgetown
Wake Forest
Hackensack
New York Medical College
Albany
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Tulane
Creighton
St. Louis
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Oakland Beaumont
Wayne State
Belmont
Alice Walton (when it opens)
Roseman (when it opens)
Click to expand...
Faha,

What are my chances of getting into all Medical schools in D.C and Maryland with my stats? (or any schools listed)

ethnicity: Asian

MCAT 515
cGPA 2.66, including the bad grades 13 years ago which was 1.6 GPA.
Huge upward trend in post bacc program-GPA with 33 credits is 3.97.
I aced -1 year of biology with lab, 1 year of physics with lab, 1 year of organic chemistry with lab, 1 year of general chemistry with lab and 1 semester of biochemistry (no lab),

I intend to take microbiology course in spring 2025.

strong athletic career in cage fighting. competed/fought for 8 years
5 years as a nurse (full time); I obtained my associate's degree in a community college and bachelor's degree online at chamberlain university.
3 years as a nurse practitioner (full time) I obtained my master's degree online from chamberlain university as well.

100 hours of clinical community volunteer hours at red cross as blood donor ambassador
currently getting volunteer hours at non clinical setting like soup kitchen at homeless shelter.

no research experience....but i am searching for one.
Maryland resident

my intention is to apply in 2025
 
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rnwskim123 said:
Faha,

What are my chances of getting into all Medical schools in D.C and Maryland with my stats? (or any schools listed)

ethnicity: Asian

MCAT 515
cGPA 2.66, including the bad grades 13 years ago which was 1.6 GPA.
Huge upward trend in post bacc program-GPA with 33 credits is 3.97.
I aced -1 year of biology with lab, 1 year of physics with lab, 1 year of organic chemistry with lab, 1 year of general chemistry with lab and 1 semester of biochemistry (no lab),

I intend to take microbiology course in spring 2025.

strong athletic career in Mixed martial arts. competed/fought for 8 years
5 years as a nurse (full time); I obtained my associate's degree in a community college and bachelor's degree online at chamberlain university.
3 years as a nurse practitioner (full time) I obtained my master's degree online from chamberlain university as well.

100 hours of clinical community volunteer hours at red cross as blood donor ambassador
currently getting volunteer hours at non clinical setting like soup kitchen at homeless shelter.

no research experience....but i am searching for one.
Maryland resident

my intention is to apply in 2025
Click to expand...
There is no data available for your chances of an acceptance at schools in Maryland or D.C.
 
Faha said:
There is no data available for your chances of an acceptance at schools in Maryland or D.C.
Click to expand...
can you clarify?

i dont understand. what data are we talking about? and where can i get this data?
 
rnwskim123 said:
can you clarify?

i dont understand. what data are we talking about? and where can i get this data?
Click to expand...
There is no data about an applicants chances for an acceptance at a specific school based on GPA and MCAT scores. You can look at the MSAR and see what the 10th and 90th percentile for MCAT and GPA at a specific school. You can also see the numbers and percentages of applicants who are interviewed and accepted to a certain school. I suggest you look at the MSAR data.
 
People have told me that all the time...I want to avoid being a reapplicant and make this one count..given my old stats 13 years ago messed up my grades today...being a reapplicant will hurt my chances even more..that's why im here to seek advice... is there anything else i can do to make myself more competitive than i am now, in preparation for applying for 2025.

to increase MCAT score to 520s?
spend another 10 years in the post bacc program taking extra 17 classes until i get a 3.0? i'll be 40 years at the time....
Am I missing anything from my stats?

I need help. Im not getting any answer I need like the those guys from the WAMC forum.
 
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Mr.Smile12 said:
Many schools are more explicit about rewarding reinvention, so check with GW and Georgetown. We have many in the nontrad forum who have shared your concerns before getting admitted.
Click to expand...
I read through MSAR for GW.

Does this medical school consider postbacc or graduate GPAs if the applicant has a lower undergraduate GPA?
No

one of the questions listed here about reinvention is a no. they do not reward reinvention?
 
If that's what GW says on the MSAR, check with the admissions team to confirm. GW gets over 10K applications (I think maybe 14K?), so they have a fairly high bar to select the candidates they want to interview. They have to do something to prioritize how they screen or select candidates. See if there have been any current students with a similar background (NP) as you that are current students or recent graduates. Otherwise, cross GW off your list, and reassess your goals to remain in the DC area for medical school. I'm uncertain the response from your UMD contact is that much better, which is why you need to ask current students or recent graduates.

From what I can tell, you probably have an application to clear the bar for an interview at some medical school. The question is that you have geographically limited us mostly to the DC area (thus, that is how I have limited the scope of my thoughts). Perhaps, yes, you might be given some consideration nationally, so getting in would be completely up to your school list.

NP's have gotten into medical school. No endorsements should be inferred:
medicalschoolhq.net

This Nurse Practitioner is on His Way to Medical School

Session 268 Matt has been accepted to multiple medical schools after realizing that he wanted to do more with and for patients. After working as an NP,
medicalschoolhq.net medicalschoolhq.net
medicalschoolhq.net

Why She Left the Premed Track, Became an NP, and is now an M1

Session 205 In today's episode, I talk with Hanaan, a nurse practitioner who is now going to medical school. Hanaan is also married with three kids in
medicalschoolhq.net medicalschoolhq.net

If your feedback from multiple admissions directors is to do an SMP, then by being insistent that you won't... well that's a barrier you have erected for yourself for those programs. I don't know where you did your postbac, but I'm going to presume UMCP since that's what hinted at by your letter. UMCP has their prehealth advising office, though I'm not sure if you can get advising from them as a graduate of their postbac program. I want to see if Meritus will accept applications as that will give you an additional in-state option you didn't have before and increase your chances at getting accepted without moving your family.
 
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Mr.Smile12 said:
If that's what GW says on the MSAR, check with the admissions team to confirm. GW gets over 10K applications (I think maybe 14K?), so they have a fairly high bar to select the candidates they want to interview. They have to do something to prioritize how they screen or select candidates. See if there have been any current students with a similar background (NP) as you that are current students or recent graduates. Otherwise, cross GW off your list, and reassess your goals to remain in the DC area for medical school. I'm uncertain the response from your UMD contact is that much better, which is why you need to ask current students or recent graduates.

From what I can tell, you probably have an application to clear the bar for an interview at some medical school. The question is that you have geographically limited us mostly to the DC area (thus, that is how I have limited the scope of my thoughts). Perhaps, yes, you might be given some consideration nationally, so getting in would be completely up to your school list.

NP's have gotten into medical school. No endorsements should be inferred:
medicalschoolhq.net

This Nurse Practitioner is on His Way to Medical School

Session 268 Matt has been accepted to multiple medical schools after realizing that he wanted to do more with and for patients. After working as an NP,
medicalschoolhq.net medicalschoolhq.net
medicalschoolhq.net

Why She Left the Premed Track, Became an NP, and is now an M1

Session 205 In today's episode, I talk with Hanaan, a nurse practitioner who is now going to medical school. Hanaan is also married with three kids in
medicalschoolhq.net medicalschoolhq.net

If your feedback from multiple admissions directors is to do an SMP, then by being insistent that you won't... well that's a barrier you have erected for yourself for those programs. I don't know where you did your postbac, but I'm going to presume UMCP since that's what hinted at by your letter. UMCP has their prehealth advising office, though I'm not sure if you can get advising from them as a graduate of their postbac program. I want to see if Meritus will accept applications as that will give you an additional in-state option you didn't have before and increase your chances at getting accepted without moving your family.
Click to expand...
ok Then how about I include Pennsylvania.
 
rnwskim123 said:
ok Then how about I include Pennsylvania.
Click to expand...
Pennsylvania will have a lot of schools around Philadelphia, and many of them have huge classes to fill, though I don't know how many come from articulation agreements. Many of them host postbac programs so I think the medical schools seem amenable towards nontraditional applicants. Reach out to them and see. Drexel, Temple, Penn State, Jefferson at least. Penn probably not, but they have their own postbac program too, so you might as well ask them. I'll let others comment more.
 
Mr.Smile12 said:
If that's what GW says on the MSAR, check with the admissions team to confirm. GW gets over 10K applications (I think maybe 14K?), so they have a fairly high bar to select the candidates they want to interview.
Click to expand...
16,062 last year.
MSAR indicates that a gpa<3.0 is non-competitive at GW...
 
Mr.Smile12 said:
Pennsylvania will have a lot of schools around Philadelphia, and many of them have huge classes to fill, though I don't know how many come from articulation agreements. Many of them host postbac programs so I think the medical schools seem amenable towards nontraditional applicants. Reach out to them and see. Drexel, Temple, Penn State, Jefferson at least. Penn probably not, but they have their own postbac program too, so you might as well ask them. I'll let others comment more.
Click to expand...
ok..
is there anything to expand my application to make myself more competitive than i am now? i can worry about school application next year, but right now im in my gap year.

I need to make my application more competitive.
im still stuck on what to do.
 
gyngyn said:
Does research fit your narrative?
Do you have access to a type of research that you are enthusiastic about?
Click to expand...
ok..
is there anything to expand my application to make myself more competitive than i am now? i can worry about school application next year, but right now im in my gap year.

I need to make my application more competitive.
im still stuck on what to do.
 
rnwskim123 said:
is there anything to expand my application to make myself more competitive than i am now?

I need to make my application more competitive.
Click to expand...
Schools that find your story compelling will interview you without additional gap year "expansions.".
Schools that do not overlook old missteps will not interview you, even if you "expand" your application.

You have already done what is necessary to convince the former, and nothing you do will convince the latter.

Identify the schools that might interview you. Write a compelling story. Use the gap year to do this well. There is a lot of pre-writing of secondaries that will be needed.
 
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Also keep in mind in creating your school list, that many state schools are not generous with financial aid to OOS applicants. Expect that you will have to take large loans, and/or your spouse will need to earn income.
 
gyngyn said:
Schools that find your story compelling will interview you without additional gap year "expansions.".
Schools that do not overlook old missteps will not interview you, even if you "expand" your application.

You have already done what is necessary to convince the former, and nothing you do will convince the latter.

Identify the schools that might interview you. Write a compelling story. Use the gap year to do this well. There is a lot of pre-writing of secondaries that will be needed.
Click to expand...
i'll write a compelling story. but is it true that the increase in the applicant pool size and thus increase in applicant to seat ratio makes this a much more difficult task?
 
rnwskim123 said:
but is it true that the increase in the applicant pool size and thus increase in applicant to seat ratio makes this a much more difficult task?
Click to expand...
The applicant pool is actually a bit smaller this year (compared to last year).
The pool size has no bearing on your ability to write a compelling narrative.
 
rnwskim123 said:
i'll write a compelling story. but is it true that the increase in the applicant pool size and thus increase in applicant to seat ratio makes this a much more difficult task?
Click to expand...
I concur: don't pay any attention to applicant pool size. There are many more "hidden" applicants (articulation agreement seats) than schools are disclosing publicly.
 
gyngyn said:
The applicant pool is actually a bit smaller this year (compared to last year).
The pool size has no bearing on your ability to write a compelling narrative.
Click to expand...
Since i will be worrying about secondaries alot, is there anybody here that can edit or assist students in their applications? Woudl you recommend any third parties or a certain person?
 
rnwskim123 said:
Since i will be worrying about secondaries alot, is there anybody here that can edit or assist students in their applications? Woudl you recommend any third parties or a certain person?
Click to expand...
The most effective secondaries are written in one's own voice.
All you need is grammar review and software can probably do that!

I have been largely unimpressed by paid consultants.
The NAAHP has impressed me (for the most part!) but they do not provide services to active applicants.
 
gyngyn said:
The most effective secondaries are written in one's own voice.
All you need is grammar review and software can probably do that!

I have been largely unimpressed by paid consultants.
The NAAHP has impressed me (for the most part!) but they do not provide services to active applicants.
Click to expand...
We have given a lot of free advice in articles regarding secondary essay writing, and "Becoming a Student Doctor" is available if you have a Gold Donor membership or qualify for a scholarship enrollment. But usually people just need to answer the prompt within the space limit.
 
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