Chances?

[weirdmutt]

Stats:
cGPA: 3.62
sGPA: 3.44

Strong upward trend:
fresh; 3.36, 2.93
soph: 2.65, 3.23
junior: 3.91, 4.0
summer 2 classes: 4.0
senior:3.81, 4.0
senior:4.0, 4.0

Taking the mcat on June 21

EC's Brief:
3 years on the Team Development for Relay for Life, 2 of those years I was co-chair.
2 years on the board of my Pre-Health Club
~70 hours volunteered at humane society
~40 hours volunteered at Habitat for Humanity
~20 hours volunteered at food bank
1 year as a mentor for 4 biology freshman
~40 hours volunteered in the ER (still doing)
~about 50 hours shadowed between a MD and DO
starting a CNA job this week

How will taking the mcat on June 21 affect my chances? I'm perfectly fine with being an MD or DO so I will be applying to both. I'm from Colorado so that is where I would like to go but I'm not too hopeful about getting into CU. Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

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[Catalystik]

Stats:
cGPA: 3.62
sGPA: 3.44

Strong upward trend:
fresh; 3.36, 2.93
soph: 2.65, 3.23
junior: 3.91, 4.0
summer 2 classes: 4.0
senior:3.81, 4.0
senior:4.0, 4.0

Taking the mcat on June 21

EC's Brief:
3 years on the Team Development for Relay for Life, 2 of those years I was co-chair.
2 years on the board of my Pre-Health Club
~70 hours volunteered at humane society
~40 hours volunteered at Habitat for Humanity
~20 hours volunteered at food bank
1 year as a mentor for 4 biology freshman
~40 hours volunteered in the ER (still doing)
~about 50 hours shadowed between a MD and DO
starting a CNA job this week

1) How will taking the mcat on June 21 affect my chances? I'm perfectly fine with being an MD or DO so I will be applying to both.

2) I'm from Colorado so that is where I would like to go but I'm not too hopeful about getting into CU. Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

1) For MD, an end of July MCAT score release date shouldn't be a huge issue, provided you submit your application earlier so verification is complete by the same time. If you wait to submit until you have a score, it is likely take 4+ weeks before schools see your application. You want to avoid becoming Complete at schools (all Secondaries and LORs sent in) after 9/1.

The DO cycle runs later so submitting after the score is known would be fine.

2) I agree with you, as Colorado would want to see way more clinical experience than you will be listing. Unfortunately, a lot of other schools will feel that way too (though not to quite the same extreme). Your leadership, mentoring, and nonmedical community service look good. Keep some of that going through the application cycle. Any research? Don't forget hobbies, sports, and artistic endeavors.

 

[weirdmutt]

Thanks for the response! I have done 1 year of research, nothing too interesting. Hobbies include reading, rock climbing, hiking, snowboarding, ASL... I also worked a couple of summers at summer camps. Also a potential red flag is that I got 4 c's in science classes. I got one my freshman year and 3 in one semester my sophomore year. How that will affect me? But I did get a bunch of A's in upper division science such as biochem 1&2, reproduction, neurobiology, genetics, micro, population genetics, physics, immuno, cell phys, evo, ecology... Thanks!

 

[Catalystik]

Thanks for the response! I have done 1 year of research, nothing too interesting. Hobbies include reading, rock climbing, hiking, snowboarding, ASL... I also worked a couple of summers at summer camps.

Also a potential red flag is that I got 4 c's in science classes. I got one my freshman year and 3 in one semester my sophomore year. How that will affect me? But I did get a bunch of A's in upper division science such as biochem 1&2, reproduction, neurobiology, genetics, micro, population genetics, physics, immuno, cell phys, evo, ecology... Thanks!

Some schools weight earlier college years less, or later college years more, or drop out a bad semester altogether. Others don't do any of that, but if the rest of the application is solid, may focus on the steep upward grade trend and the upper-level Bio As that prove you have what it takes. Of course there are also schools that make no adjustments and won't like a lower BCPM GPA, thus the admonition to apply broadly, as you won't usually know which school does what. Few advertise their "formula."

 

[justd0it87]

Agree with the above posters, although I would have to say the upper level science courses do count for a lot if you do consistently well in them. Your cGPA is solid and sGPA is slightly concerning. I would really hit hard on this upcoming MCAT and dominate the test. I think you'll be fine, though. Again, most important thing: Apply EARLY and BROADLY.

 

[weirdmutt]

Here is a list of the potential schools that I'm thinking about applying to. What do you think?

Albany
Cooper medical school of Rowan University
Eastern Virginia
Florida Atlantic University
Georgetown University
Hofstra North Shore
Loyola
Marshall University Joan C. Edwards
Mercer
NY Medical College
Rush Medical College
Tulane
University of Arizona
CU (state school)
KU (all my family lives in KS)
University of South Alabama
Virginia Tech

DMU
KCUMB
TCOM
UNDNJ
PCOM
CCOM

 

[Catalystik]

Add Wayne which is known to consider most recent coursework. Marshall has regional bias, so don't apply there if you're not from an adjacent state. Last I looked, USAlabama took very few OOS, but UAlabama is a reasonable choice. Mercer takes no OOS. TCOM uses the TMDSAS application system, not AACOMAS.

You might also consider Wright, Drexel, FAU (new), Tulane, MSU (high OOS tuition), Oakland (newer in MI), Penn State (requires a research thesis), the other Arizona MD school, Louisville, UIllinois (high OOS tuition), Buffalo.

Of course, the list would change some if you got a high MCAT score.