29R, 3.6 cGPA and 3.3 sGPA: Attempting to stay optimistic yet realistic

[ndfan18]

Hey Guys,

I hope I am posting in the right place. I am currently a senior who has decided to take a year off to pursue a 1 year Master of Science in Global Heath to learn more about medicine in under-served areas...as well as spread my wings and go abroad.

Thus I will be applying June 1st for med school. I had a rough stretch starting in my 2nd semester soph year to 1st semester junior year. In Orgo and Physics I ended up with 4 B-'s, 2 B's in Gen Bio and B+'s in Gen Chem. I admit this was a time where I was eager to enjoy college more outside of the classroom. I took the MCAT that summer (2011) ending up with 9 PS, 10 VR, 10 BS and R. This year I have taken Physiology, Embryology and Biochem this year receiving A, A- and A respectively.
It is worth mentioning that I am a Psych Major with a GPA of 3.84 Non-Sci GPA.

ECs: - Tutor for 3 years at grade schools
- Intramural Sports for 3 years
- Research in Multicultural Psych and Cognitive Psych
- Tutor in Chemistry at college
- Resident Assistant in Dorm
- Work at a hospital in Wound Healing Center
- Shadowed in a variety of clinical settings ( Cardio, Onc, GP, Urgent Care) >50 hours


So what I am asking from you guys is two-fold: 1) How does this look as an overall package? and (2) How many schools would you advise I apply to? I am considering ~25. I am considering exclusively M.D. schools as I have no interest in Osteopathic medicine.

I appreciate any candid feedback and wish all of you well in your respective endeavors

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[TriagePreMed]

Hey Guys,

I hope I am posting in the right place. I am currently a senior who has decided to take a year off to pursue a 1 year Master of Science in Global Heath to learn more about medicine in under-served areas...as well as spread my wings and go abroad.

Thus I will be applying June 1st for med school. I had a rough stretch starting in my 2nd semester soph year to 1st semester junior year. In Orgo and Physics I ended up with 4 B-'s, 2 B's in Gen Bio and B+'s in Gen Chem. I admit this was a time where I was eager to enjoy college more outside of the classroom. I took the MCAT that summer (2011) ending up with 9 PS, 10 VR, 10 BS and R. This year I have taken Physiology, Embryology and Biochem this year receiving A, A- and A respectively.
It is worth mentioning that I am a Psych Major with a GPA of 3.84 Non-Sci GPA.

ECs: - Tutor for 3 years at grade schools
- Intramural Sports for 3 years
- Research in Multicultural Psych and Cognitive Psych
- Tutor in Chemistry at college
- Resident Assistant in Dorm
- Work at a hospital in Wound Healing Center
- Shadowed in a variety of clinical settings ( Cardio, Onc, GP, Urgent Care) >50 hours


So what I am asking from you guys is two-fold: 1) How does this look as an overall package? and (2) How many schools would you advise I apply to? I am considering ~25. I am considering exclusively M.D. schools as I have no interest in Osteopathic medicine.

I appreciate any candid feedback and wish all of you well in your respective endeavors

Then you're toast because your chances are not very good. A 3.3 is at the 10th percentile of most MD schools and a 29 is too. A 3.6 is just the median. EC seem okay, but nothing impressive. 2 bad factors + 1 okay = not too good. You might benefit from spending another year doing sciences and establishing a better upward trend, or if you are in a state that heavily favors IS applicants, you might gather an acceptance or two.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

Then you're toast because your chances are not very good. A 3.3 is at the 10th percentile of most MD schools and a 29 is too. A 3.6 is just the median. EC seem okay, but nothing impressive. 2 bad factors + 1 okay = not too good. You might benefit from spending another year doing sciences and establishing a better upward trend, or if you are in a state that heavily favors IS applicants, you might gather an acceptance or two.

+1

OP- your numbers aren't competitive for MD. Period. 3.6 cgpa with a 3.3 sgpa and a 29 mcat. Looking at all those together, if you live in a very generous state you might have some luck there. You have absolutely nothing to set you apart. Your ECs seem week average and like triage said, nothing impressive. Masters programs are generally inflated so it won't help for med school admissions. If you want MD, you need to spend a year or two on undergrad level science classes to drastically raise your sGPA.

You are competitive for DO. Sorry.

 

[rexxx]

I'm in a similar situation GPA-wise. By the end of this semester i'll have around a 3.35sGPA and a 3.65 cGPA. I haven't taken the MCAT yet, but just based on my sGPA I have recently decided to wait another year to apply.

To be perfectly honest I also don't want to do DO, and I think with another year of hard studying and adding in some awesome ECs I can get into an MD school for fall of 2014. I'd rather wait a year than settle.

Was your MCAT score significantly lower than you were expecting? I don't mean to bash your stats at all but typically MD is thought of as 30+ at least... maybe you could study hard and retake the MCAT if you're getting practice scores that are significantly higher than your original score.

 

[byuhusker]

Very low chances MD, even with applying broadly. I applied with 33 MCAT, 3.7 Science, lower overall GPA, and I only had 3 MD interview invites. ( D.O. different story.) You would be pretty competitive for D.O., although not a "top applicant" by any stretch. I think most D.O. schools would surprise you at their quality, if you want to be a physician you should look at it. Of course DO has some negatives, but if your dream is to be a physician it's a means to an end. Good Luck, and if you really want that MD you can get it with some more work.

 

[Catalystik]

Hey Guys,

I hope I am posting in the right place. I am currently a senior who has decided to take a year off to pursue a 1 year Master of Science in Global Heath to learn more about medicine in under-served areas...as well as spread my wings and go abroad.

Thus I will be applying June 1st for med school. I had a rough stretch starting in my 2nd semester soph year to 1st semester junior year. In Orgo and Physics I ended up with 4 B-'s, 2 B's in Gen Bio and B+'s in Gen Chem. I admit this was a time where I was eager to enjoy college more outside of the classroom. I took the MCAT that summer (2011) ending up with 9 PS, 10 VR, 10 BS and R. This year I have taken Physiology, Embryology and Biochem this year receiving A, A- and A respectively.
It is worth mentioning that I am a Psych Major with a GPA of 3.84 Non-Sci GPA.

ECs: - Tutor for 3 years at grade schools
- Intramural Sports for 3 years
- Research in Multicultural Psych and Cognitive Psych
- Tutor in Chemistry at college
- Resident Assistant in Dorm
- Work at a hospital in Wound Healing Center
- Shadowed in a variety of clinical settings ( Cardio, Onc, GP, Urgent Care) >50 hours


So what I am asking from you guys is two-fold: 1) How does this look as an overall package? and (2) How many schools would you advise I apply to? I am considering ~25. I am considering exclusively M.D. schools as I have no interest in Osteopathic medicine.

I appreciate any candid feedback and wish all of you well in your respective endeavors

A nonscience masters won't redeem your low sGPA, like an additional year of upper-level Bio and Biochem would. But if you took upper-level bio not required for the masters during those years, that coursework would be listed under Postbac and incorporated into your overall undergrad GPAs.

 

[toby13]

I'm in a very similar situation as well. Here are my stats and some EC's:
MCAT: 31R
cGPA: 3.54

Over 200 hours of palliative care/hospice volunteering
Over 400 hours of hospital volunteering
leukemia/b cell development research for a year
air quality/microbiology research for a year - 1 publication
tutoring (bio/chem/physics for the past year)
competitive club soccer (just stopped playing)
7 LORs (3 from PIs, 2 from science professors, 1 from humanities prof, 1 from MD I work under while volunteering)
-they will all be very strong as I know them all very well

I want to apply to MD schools this cycle. I am also considering an SMP while I still apply this cycle. Here is my school list:

.1. ..Albany Medical College .
.2. ..Albert Einstein College of Medicine .
.3. ..Boston University School of Medicine .
.4. ..Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University .
.5. ..Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.
.6. ..Drexel University College of Medicine .
.7. ..George Washington University School of Medicine.
.8. ..Georgetown University School of Medicine .
.9. ..Hofstra North Shore .
.10. ..Jefferson Medical College .
.11. ..Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
.12. ..Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.
.13. ..Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
.14. ..New York Medical College .
.15. ..NYU School of Medicine .
16. Rush Medical College
.17. ..SUNY Downstate .
.18. ..SUNY Upsate .
.19. ..Temple University School of Medicine .
.20. ..The Commonwealth College .
.21. ..The School of Medicine at Stony Brook .
.22. ..Tufts University School of Medicine .
.23. ..UC Davis .
.24. ..UC Irvine .
.25. ..UCSF .
.26. ..University of Colorado .
.27. ..University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey – NJ Medical School .
.28. ..University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
.29. ..University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry .
.30. ..Virginia Commonwealth .
.31. ..Virginia Tech School of Medicine
.
Does it look reasonable and broad enough given my stats? I have saved enough money over my year off to pay for all these apps, so money isn't an issue. I just need advice on what schools to get rid of and maybe some to add that I haven't considered.

 

[rubisco88]

To the OP and not the thread hijacker: I think if you are a resident of a good state for applying to medical schools (for ex. Texas or Florida), you have a shot. I've seen people in Texas with mediocre ECs and around a 3.5/28-29 MCAT get accepted somewhere. If you live in California or New York, your chances aren't very good.

 

[235788]

consider a SMP if you want the US MD

 

[notbobtrustme]

Low MCAT is holding you back. Get that up to 30+ and you have a shot at an MD program.

 

[ndfan18]

I was scoring on AAMC tests between 28-32 peaking towards the end of my prep. Honestly, I have been torn over retaking the MCAT because I believe having not taken biochem and physio prior to the exam may have put me at a disadvantage as I only went on the general pre-reqs. Consequently, I felt as though I had to teach myself many concepts for the first time. If I am faced with taking the test again I will focus on more practice tests. Yet right now, it is irrelevant as I will take the MCAT again if med schools tell me it is a huge setback. I cannot justify re-taking it and possibly dropping a point.


My home state is MN and I am aiming for the U of MN at duluth program which does cater to those who wish to serve in rural and under-served areas, such as myself.

This Mater of Science in Global Health is science-centric and is the first of its kind ...thus it is through the college of science where the curriculum consists of courses such as: immunology, virology, microbiology, physiology, ecology, epidemiology, stats, etc. In fact, undergraduates at this university who are bio majors will be in some of these classes. So I am confident that this will only help my scigpa.

I did neglect to mention earlier that my gpa trend is something like this: FR: 3.8, 3.73; SO: 3.52, 3.3; JR: 3.25, 3.6; SR: 3.63, (3.8-4.0...tentative based on midterms). I would attribute this trend to difficulty in balancing elements of college life, I'm sure some can understand this. Hopefully the trend is considered if I continue to improve in the MS program.

One last piece of information is that I attend a top 20 university and will attend the same university next year for the Global Health program. In no way does this justify a poorer performance, but perhaps schools will acknowledge a harder curve to beat.

Thank you all for your comments, they are greatly appreciated.

 

[Alejandro]

Okay, everyone would like to be in a top-20 school. Who wouldn't?

But to be more constructive, a couple things I'm curious to ask:

Global health. You talk about global health yet you're interested in rural/underserved medicine? Why not shadow some rural MDs, or those that help the urban underserved? I dunno, it just sounds like two mixed signals. Medicine in a third-world country is different than rural medicine here, and I would argue further that it can be very difficult helping our underserved (natives, homeless, immigrant populations) given our broken healthcare system and social inequality. If you want to do global health, do it. But if you want to do rural medicine or urban medicine, you should probably pull-out from the global health stuff. But that's only my opinion. One could argue a diversity of interests helps.

I said I was interested in primary care, and I tried to back it up by working in a PCP clinic, and reflecting from that experience, while working in an ED and reflecting how primary care is done in an ER (unfortunately) a lot of the time.

You can apply to "top 30" schools and have a decent shot at things, but you gotta A) Bring up the science GPA, and B) Bring up your MCAT. I applied with a 3.4 sGPA/3.5cGPA, but my mcat was a 35. I am not trying to brag, but I'm trying to tell you that you can beat the initial numbers game, if you just put some more effort into it. Instead of a SMP/masters, I'd just take more upper div UG courses (and you can back that up cuz you're a psych major, and you can claim you just want more "basic science courses," cuz your masters course might not have the "science" that adcoms want. Not to mention the grade inflation too.)

I think before addressing the question of DO vs MD, is just simply bringing your grades/mcat up. Thats what I'd do. Then I would reassess and see what my options are. I retook my mcat as well, and bumped it from a 24 to a 35. (yeaaaa...24 is probably on the low end of DOs..)

Think about it. PM me if you have any further questions.

 

[Total180]

I was scoring on AAMC tests between 28-32 peaking towards the end of my prep. Honestly, I have been torn over retaking the MCAT because I believe having not taken biochem and physio prior to the exam may have put me at a disadvantage as I only went on the general pre-reqs. Consequently, I felt as though I had to teach myself many concepts for the first time. If I am faced with taking the test again I will focus on more practice tests. Yet right now, it is irrelevant as I will take the MCAT again if med schools tell me it is a huge setback. I cannot justify re-taking it and possibly dropping a point.


My home state is MN and I am aiming for the U of MN at duluth program which does cater to those who wish to serve in rural and under-served areas, such as myself.

This Mater of Science in Global Health is science-centric and is the first of its kind ...thus it is through the college of science where the curriculum consists of courses such as: immunology, virology, microbiology, physiology, ecology, epidemiology, stats, etc. In fact, undergraduates at this university who are bio majors will be in some of these classes. So I am confident that this will only help my scigpa.

I did neglect to mention earlier that my gpa trend is something like this: FR: 3.8, 3.73; SO: 3.52, 3.3; JR: 3.25, 3.6; SR: 3.63, (3.8-4.0...tentative based on midterms). I would attribute this trend to difficulty in balancing elements of college life, I'm sure some can understand this. Hopefully the trend is considered if I continue to improve in the MS program.

One last piece of information is that I attend a top 20 university and will attend the same university next year for the Global Health program. In no way does this justify a poorer performance, but perhaps schools will acknowledge a harder curve to beat.

Thank you all for your comments, they are greatly appreciated.

While you will be taking science classes, it is for a masters program and not an undergraduate program, which means it will be calculated into a graduate gpa, NOT your undergraduate sgpa. That is why people are telling you to just skip on the masters and take science classes in order to boost your science gpa. You could also keep doing/start doing some ec's that have to do with rural/urban medicine, since just saying that you want to do that isn't good enough, you have to have the experiences to back it up.

 

[Catalystik]

My home state is MN and I am aiming for the U of MN at duluth program which does cater to those who wish to serve in rural and under-served areas, such as myself.

This Mater of Science in Global Health is science-centric and is the first of its kind ...thus it is through the college of science where the curriculum consists of courses such as: immunology, virology, microbiology, physiology, ecology, epidemiology, stats, etc. In fact, undergraduates at this university who are bio majors will be in some of these classes. So I am confident that this will only help my scigpa.

It's my information that UMinnesota is one of the schools that has regarded masters-level work in making their interview-invitation decisions, but keep in mind that this is not true for all med schools.

 

[Temperature101]

To the OP and not the thread hijacker: I think if you are a resident of a good state for applying to medical schools (for ex. Texas or Florida), you have a shot. I've seen people in Texas with mediocre ECs and around a 3.5/28-29 MCAT get accepted somewhere. If you live in California or New York, your chances aren't very good.

Since when a 3.5/28-29 MCAT were mediocre...Getting into med school is competitively crazy...I better try podiatry then.