3.72 cGPA 3.75 sGPA 515 MCAT - Not sure what to do

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studentproctor

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Hello,

My goal has been to go to a top tier MD/PhD program.
In terms of stats:
Major: Biochem/Mathematics

School: State school, not highly ranked but was in honors college

Research: Very strong. 1 Publication 3rd author. 2 submitted 2nd author. 1 in prep.
Currently working at the place I want to go on a very innovative project - probably 1st author Nature bound

ECs:
-President of student government and club on campus for 4 years
-Raised >$10,000 for charity
-150+ hours of volunteering (giving out food to homeless)
-international shadowing one summer (150+ hours)
-taught English in a war zone my freshman summer break
-volunteered with refugees the following summer

Awards:
-Leadership award for above.
-Placed in top 5 in university math competition.
-ACS award
-Several research fellowships, including one from university president
-couple of other random grad-prep programs that are called fellowships
LORs:
-Very strong, from some top scientists who I worked under
-worked with a professor on a university wide decision concerning academic calendar
-one from dean of honors college

I can definitely get a higher MCAT score, the score I received was actually lower than any I got on my practice exams, but this would require delaying another year. I'm a little stuck. Should I go for a masters and/or take the MCAT again or do I have a decent shot at applying this year?
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studentproctor said:
Hello,

My goal has been to go to a top tier MD/PhD program.
In terms of stats:
Major: Biochem/Mathematics

School: State school, not highly ranked but was in honors college

Research: Very strong. 1 Publication 3rd author. 2 submitted 2nd author. 1 in prep.
Currently working at the place I want to go on a very innovative project - probably 1st author Nature bound

ECs:
-President of student government and club on campus for 4 years
-Raised >$10,000 for charity
-150+ hours of volunteering (giving out food to homeless)
-international shadowing one summer (150+ hours)
-taught English in a war zone my freshman summer break
-volunteered with refugees the following summer

Awards:
-Leadership award for above.
-Placed in top 5 in university math competition.
-ACS award
-Several research fellowships, including one from university president
-couple of other random grad-prep programs that are called fellowships
LORs:
-Very strong, from some top scientists who I worked under
-worked with a professor on a university wide decision concerning academic calendar
-one from dean of honors college

I can definitely get a higher MCAT score, the score I received was actually lower than any I got on my practice exams, but this would require delaying another year. I'm a little stuck. Should I go for a masters and/or take the MCAT again or do I have a decent shot at applying this year?
Click to expand...

MCAT 515 is already 94 percentile and a 518 (if you got it) is 97 percentile.
I don't see a need for you to retake this exam, won't add to your creds and may make schools question why your level of perfectionism made you want to repeat it :)
 
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At this point, you need to focus on how to answer secondaries and interview questions properly. Use the career center for feedback on your written application. This advice is pointless at this point in time given applications will be taken soon.
 
studentproctor said:
Hello,

My goal has been to go to a top tier MD/PhD program.
In terms of stats:
Major: Biochem/Mathematics

School: State school, not highly ranked but was in honors college

Research: Very strong. 1 Publication 3rd author. 2 submitted 2nd author. 1 in prep.
Currently working at the place I want to go on a very innovative project - probably 1st author Nature bound

ECs:
-President of student government and club on campus for 4 years
-Raised >$10,000 for charity
-150+ hours of volunteering (giving out food to homeless)
-international shadowing one summer (150+ hours)
-taught English in a war zone my freshman summer break
-volunteered with refugees the following summer

Awards:
-Leadership award for above.
-Placed in top 5 in university math competition.
-ACS award
-Several research fellowships, including one from university president
-couple of other random grad-prep programs that are called fellowships
LORs:
-Very strong, from some top scientists who I worked under
-worked with a professor on a university wide decision concerning academic calendar
-one from dean of honors college

I can definitely get a higher MCAT score, the score I received was actually lower than any I got on my practice exams, but this would require delaying another year. I'm a little stuck. Should I go for a masters and/or take the MCAT again or do I have a decent shot at applying this year?
Click to expand...

Your CV looks really good, but if you've ever followed @Goro he's mentioned how university rankings can affect med school admissions. Don't quote me on this, and I'm not referring to any of his posts in particular, either, but at the top tier med schools you usually see a lot of people from HYPS and the ivies/public ivies. And, your GPA may be de-weighted a bit by admissions committee members, too; I'm not saying that to discount your work, but it is what it is (FWIW, I applied for a part-time teaching position at a community college and joined their alumni association this morning, but also attend Oxford for an MSc and earned a BS at a top 5 public school). While I had quite a few med school interviews at mid-tier schools prior to attending Oxford, and since I have a strong research background like you, doing so made me competitive at higher tier schools (e.g. a visiting scholarship at Harvard, applied to the Harvard/MIT HST program, met Department Chairs/center Directors at UCSF and Yale, talked to Dr. Tanzi from Harvard who's really well known in Alzheimer's research, etc.). I guess I'm more like Micho Kaiku, though, who teaches at a community college/CUNY since we enjoy helping community college students.
 
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Just apply to MD programs now, Fer crying out loud! !!



studentproctor said:
Hello,

My goal has been to go to a top tier MD/PhD program.
In terms of stats:
Major: Biochem/Mathematics

School: State school, not highly ranked but was in honors college

Research: Very strong. 1 Publication 3rd author. 2 submitted 2nd author. 1 in prep.
Currently working at the place I want to go on a very innovative project - probably 1st author Nature bound

ECs:
-President of student government and club on campus for 4 years
-Raised >$10,000 for charity
-150+ hours of volunteering (giving out food to homeless)
-international shadowing one summer (150+ hours)
-taught English in a war zone my freshman summer break
-volunteered with refugees the following summer

Awards:
-Leadership award for above.
-Placed in top 5 in university math competition.
-ACS award
-Several research fellowships, including one from university president
-couple of other random grad-prep programs that are called fellowships
LORs:
-Very strong, from some top scientists who I worked under
-worked with a professor on a university wide decision concerning academic calendar
-one from dean of honors college

I can definitely get a higher MCAT score, the score I received was actually lower than any I got on my practice exams, but this would require delaying another year. I'm a little stuck. Should I go for a masters and/or take the MCAT again or do I have a decent shot at applying this year?
Click to expand...
 
Correction. Without shadowing, or volunteering with patients, your app will be DOA.



studentproctor said:
Hello,

My goal has been to go to a top tier MD/PhD program.
In terms of stats:
Major: Biochem/Mathematics

School: State school, not highly ranked but was in honors college

Research: Very strong. 1 Publication 3rd author. 2 submitted 2nd author. 1 in prep.
Currently working at the place I want to go on a very innovative project - probably 1st author Nature bound

ECs:
-President of student government and club on campus for 4 years
-Raised >$10,000 for charity
-150+ hours of volunteering (giving out food to homeless)
-international shadowing one summer (150+ hours)
-taught English in a war zone my freshman summer break
-volunteered with refugees the following summer

Awards:
-Leadership award for above.
-Placed in top 5 in university math competition.
-ACS award
-Several research fellowships, including one from university president
-couple of other random grad-prep programs that are called fellowships
LORs:
-Very strong, from some top scientists who I worked under
-worked with a professor on a university wide decision concerning academic calendar
-one from dean of honors college

I can definitely get a higher MCAT score, the score I received was actually lower than any I got on my practice exams, but this would require delaying another year. I'm a little stuck. Should I go for a masters and/or take the MCAT again or do I have a decent shot at applying this year?
Click to expand...
 
studentproctor said:
I said I did 150+ hours on a funded international shadowing program.
Click to expand...
You should try to do some shadowing stateside. Exposure to international clinical practice is no substitute for understanding what you are getting yourself into as a US MD applicant.
 
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Here's the deal: You need to show AdComs that you know what you're getting into, and show off your altruistic, humanistic side. We need to know that you're going to like being around sick or injured people for the next 40 years.

Here's another way of looking at it: would you buy a new car without test driving it? Buy a new suit or dress without trying it on??

What are you going to say when asked how you know you are suited for a life of caring for the sick and suffering? “That you just know”? Imagine how that will go over!

From the wise LizzyM”: I am always reminded of a certain frequent poster of a few years ago. He was adamant about not volunteering as he did not want to give his services for free and he was busy and helping others was inconvenient. He matriculated to a medical school and lasted less than one year. He's now in school to become an accountant.

We're also not looking for merely for good medical students, we're looking for people who will make good doctors, and 4.0 GPA robots are a dime-a-dozen.

I've seen plenty of posts here from high GPA/high MCAT candidates who were rejected because they had little patient contact experience.

Not all volunteering needs to be in a hospital. Think hospice, Planned Parenthood, nursing homes, rehab facilities, crisis hotlines, camps for sick children, or clinics.

Some types of volunteer activities are more appealing than others. Volunteering in a nice suburban hospital is all very well and good and all, but doesn't show that you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty in the same way that working with the developmentally disabled (or homeless, the dying, or Alzheimers or mentally ill or elderly or ESL or domestic, rural impoverished) does. The uncomfortable situations are the ones that really demonstrate your altruism and get you 'brownie points'. Plus, they frankly teach you more -- they develop your compassion and humanity in ways comfortable situations can't.
 
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I've seen plenty of people get into top MD/PhD programs without any extensive shadowing or volunteering. What really matters for MD/PhD is your research experience. If you have strong letters of rec from mentors, good track record with posters/pubs, and can state your research passion clearly throughout the app and in interviews I think you have a fair shot. Remember the goal of MD/PhD programs is to train scientists not physicians (hence the name "medical scientist training program").

That being said, you do need to have a compelling reason why you need BOTH degrees.

But that's just my two cents and I think some people will have differing opinions.
 
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member9913 said:
I've seen plenty of people get into top MD/PhD programs without any extensive shadowing or volunteering. What really matters for MD/PhD is your research experience. If you have strong letters of rec from mentors, good track record with posters/pubs, and can state your research passion clearly throughout the app and in interviews I think you have a fair shot. Remember the goal of MD/PhD programs is to train scientists not physicians (hence the name "medical scientist training program").

But that's just my two cents and I think some people will have differing opinions.
Click to expand...
MD/PhD students need to be of Stanford/Harvard caliber.
 
I guess the question is what does it mean to be Stanford/Harvard caliber? In terms of stats? In terms of experience?

MD/PhD applications, to me, seem to be a different ball game than MD applications. Each school receives far fewer applications, giving them time to actually go through each application. Also some schools, like Stanford and Harvard, have two separate committees for MD/PhD: you have to get in both the med school and the grad school. Other schools, however, review your MD/PhD application in a joint committee. This again changes the admissions process.

I'm not sure. Maybe I'm wrong in most of these thoughts. But MD/PhD applications seem to be different than just MD applications. And by different I don't mean "more competitive" as a blank statement, but just a different game altogether.
 
Goro said:
MD/PhD students need to be of Stanford/Harvard caliber.
Click to expand...

image.jpeg
 
member9913 said:
I guess the question is what does it mean to be Stanford/Harvard caliber? In terms of stats? In terms of experience?

MD/PhD applications, to me, seem to be a different ball game than MD applications. Each school receives far fewer applications, giving them time to actually go through each application. Also some schools, like Stanford and Harvard, have two separate committees for MD/PhD: you have to get in both the med school and the grad school. Other schools, however, review your MD/PhD application in a joint committee. This again changes the admissions process.

I'm not sure. Maybe I'm wrong in most of these thoughts. But MD/PhD applications seem to be different than just MD applications. And by different I don't mean "more competitive" as a blank statement, but just a different game altogether.
Click to expand...
They are different. the stakes are higher. They're paying you to go to med school, after all.

Thus, my take is that one needs high stats PLUS research background.
 
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