Hello!
I am curious about my chances as a Medical School Applicant and need some advice. I am planning to apply during the 2018 cycle and am taking the MCAT in April. I apologize in advance if there are mistakes in this thread or if I went overboard describing my credentials - this is my first post on SDN and after years of looking at posts by other members, I wanted to see what people thought of my situation
Here are my credentials:
- Junior at Top Public University
- Biomolecular Science Major, Sociology of Health and Medicine Minor, Program in Entrepreneurship
GPAs:
- 3.45 cGPA
- 3.348 Freshman Year
- 3.330 Sophomore Year
- 3.700 Junior Year First Semester
- Aiming (and very possible) 4.0 Junior Year Second Semester
- 3.30 sGPA
- 3.75 Non-Science GPA
Volunteering:
- 6 Semesters volunteering at University Hospital (200+ hours, ~2 hours/week)
- 2 Semesters volunteering with hospice facility (100+ hours, ~2.5 hours/week)
- 2 Semesters volunteering with local food rescue/bank/soup kitchen (100+ hours, ~3 hours/week)
Research:
- Two Years (300+ hours, variable hours/week)
- Worked on two different projects with the same research group
- Year one was through a research program offered through the university as a class
- Year two was not through a research program - volunteered to continue work
Shadowing:
- 50+ Hours
- Multiple surgeons, mainly focused in Orthopedic Surgery
Extracurriculars:
- Active Member of American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
- Community Service Committee
- Fundraising Committee
- Active Member of Sports Medicine Club
- Active Member of Sorority
- Ritual Chair
- Philanthropy Committee
- New Member Education Committee
- Planning to start a Chapter of American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) on campus
Letters of Rec:
Science - B+ in class (Lecture - General Chemistry II)
Science - A- in class (Lab - Biochemistry)
Non-Science - A in class (Spanish)
Volunteering (Pediatric Physical/Occupational Therapy Gym)
Research (University Professor/Laboratory Director/Certified Athletic Trainer)
I am a Michigan resident applying to all Michigan schools, MD and DO. I am also open to suggestions of other schools to apply to, but my ultimate goal is to be accepted to Wayne State or MSU (MD or DO):
- Wayne State University
- Michigan State University COM
- Michigan State University CHM
- Oakland University
- University of Michigan
- Western Michigan University
- Central Michigan University
I realize that my sGPA and cGPA are below average. It took me a while to figure out how to study smarter and improve my grades, but this year I have tried harder than ever and I am extremely happy with the results. By the time I finish my senior year, I am hoping to have a 3.5+ cGPA and a 3.4+ sGPA. While I would prefer not to take a gap year, I know that that may be my only option to improve my GPA and continue with the upward trend I have been working on. I also realize that the MCAT is a large factor in my application that I don't know the results of. I am taking an MCAT prep course and will be preparing extensively on my own, so my hope (fingers crossed) is to finish 90th percentile or above. I am looking for guidance on other areas of improvement for my application and thoughts about my current chances. I would also be open to suggestions for other schools to apply to, but I am hoping to stay in-state for financial reasons.
Some Additional Questions:
- I got a C (my one and only of my whole life :/) in Genetics. How poorly would that be looked upon by medical schools?
- Is my GPA competitive enough to get me an interview?
- Should I cut my losses and take a gap year before applying?
- I am planning to continue all extracurriculars/volunteering/research into my senior year. Is that beneficial for my application, or do medical schools not care about activities/grades post application?
Thank you in advance!
Edit:
Forgot to include this. According to LizzyM, I have a score of 67.50 (62% applicants had a lower score, 38% had a higher score). According to Prospective Doctor, Wayne State is a reach, Oakland U and MSU COM are targets, and CMU is an undershoot. How reliable are either of these sites and their respective information? In addition, according to AAMC Table A-24.4, with my credentials (GPA and 90th percentile MCAT (again, just hopeful), I have about a 62% chance of acceptance to at least one medical school. I don't know if any of this information means anything to anyone, but I figured I would include it!
I am curious about my chances as a Medical School Applicant and need some advice. I am planning to apply during the 2018 cycle and am taking the MCAT in April. I apologize in advance if there are mistakes in this thread or if I went overboard describing my credentials - this is my first post on SDN and after years of looking at posts by other members, I wanted to see what people thought of my situation
Here are my credentials:
- Junior at Top Public University
- Biomolecular Science Major, Sociology of Health and Medicine Minor, Program in Entrepreneurship
GPAs:
- 3.45 cGPA
- 3.348 Freshman Year
- 3.330 Sophomore Year
- 3.700 Junior Year First Semester
- Aiming (and very possible) 4.0 Junior Year Second Semester
- 3.30 sGPA
- 3.75 Non-Science GPA
Volunteering:
- 6 Semesters volunteering at University Hospital (200+ hours, ~2 hours/week)
- 2 Semesters volunteering with hospice facility (100+ hours, ~2.5 hours/week)
- 2 Semesters volunteering with local food rescue/bank/soup kitchen (100+ hours, ~3 hours/week)
Research:
- Two Years (300+ hours, variable hours/week)
- Worked on two different projects with the same research group
- Year one was through a research program offered through the university as a class
- Year two was not through a research program - volunteered to continue work
Shadowing:
- 50+ Hours
- Multiple surgeons, mainly focused in Orthopedic Surgery
Extracurriculars:
- Active Member of American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
- Community Service Committee
- Fundraising Committee
- Active Member of Sports Medicine Club
- Active Member of Sorority
- Ritual Chair
- Philanthropy Committee
- New Member Education Committee
- Planning to start a Chapter of American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) on campus
Letters of Rec:
Science - B+ in class (Lecture - General Chemistry II)
Science - A- in class (Lab - Biochemistry)
Non-Science - A in class (Spanish)
Volunteering (Pediatric Physical/Occupational Therapy Gym)
Research (University Professor/Laboratory Director/Certified Athletic Trainer)
I am a Michigan resident applying to all Michigan schools, MD and DO. I am also open to suggestions of other schools to apply to, but my ultimate goal is to be accepted to Wayne State or MSU (MD or DO):
- Wayne State University
- Michigan State University COM
- Michigan State University CHM
- Oakland University
- University of Michigan
- Western Michigan University
- Central Michigan University
I realize that my sGPA and cGPA are below average. It took me a while to figure out how to study smarter and improve my grades, but this year I have tried harder than ever and I am extremely happy with the results. By the time I finish my senior year, I am hoping to have a 3.5+ cGPA and a 3.4+ sGPA. While I would prefer not to take a gap year, I know that that may be my only option to improve my GPA and continue with the upward trend I have been working on. I also realize that the MCAT is a large factor in my application that I don't know the results of. I am taking an MCAT prep course and will be preparing extensively on my own, so my hope (fingers crossed) is to finish 90th percentile or above. I am looking for guidance on other areas of improvement for my application and thoughts about my current chances. I would also be open to suggestions for other schools to apply to, but I am hoping to stay in-state for financial reasons.
Some Additional Questions:
- I got a C (my one and only of my whole life :/) in Genetics. How poorly would that be looked upon by medical schools?
- Is my GPA competitive enough to get me an interview?
- Should I cut my losses and take a gap year before applying?
- I am planning to continue all extracurriculars/volunteering/research into my senior year. Is that beneficial for my application, or do medical schools not care about activities/grades post application?
Thank you in advance!
Edit:
Forgot to include this. According to LizzyM, I have a score of 67.50 (62% applicants had a lower score, 38% had a higher score). According to Prospective Doctor, Wayne State is a reach, Oakland U and MSU COM are targets, and CMU is an undershoot. How reliable are either of these sites and their respective information? In addition, according to AAMC Table A-24.4, with my credentials (GPA and 90th percentile MCAT (again, just hopeful), I have about a 62% chance of acceptance to at least one medical school. I don't know if any of this information means anything to anyone, but I figured I would include it!
Last edited:
