Looking towards the 2017-2018 cycle

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Semmelweiser

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first of all, it's so great that you're doing well. congratulations on your journey and the growth that it's lent.

I have a lot more to say, but I wanted to ask first: have you considered DO (and why yes or no) and what is your science GPA? also what's the breakdown of your 518?

you are also an exceptionally eloquent writer, and I have no doubt that your personal statement was polished. but because of your circumstances and just how much material you have to navigate around to tell your story, I'd recommend at least 20 pairs of eyeballs (both those who know you well and those who you don't) reading and rereading your personal statement.
 
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first of all, it's so great that you're doing well. congratulations on your journey and the growth that it's lent.

Thank you for the kind words :) ! I wouldn't wish the experience on anyone, but I also wouldn't change it for myself; I don't think I would be the person I am today, nor ready for an education in medicine, without it. Also, congratulations on your acceptances! It looks like you absolutely killed it this cycle!

...have you considered DO (and why yes or no) and what is your science GPA? also what's the breakdown of your 518?

My sGPA was 2.66 prior to the addition of my recent coursework. With the additional coursework but without grade replacement, my sGPA is 2.83. With the additional coursework and grade replacement, my sGPA is 3.01. Pending successful completion of A&P and Biochemistry, it will go higher for both (it will be my first time taking each course).

The breakdown for my MCAT is 130/127/130/131. I am still pretty shocked by the overall distribution: CARS was always (and has always been) my highest score in practice testing and I feel there's room for improvement, while I was coming at the Phys/Chem and Bio sections with limited formal coursework exposure (or it being 7ish years removed), so it feels like I over-performed. Psych/Social is essentially my day-to-day practice, so I was expecting the score I received. As a random aside I will say that studying for the MCAT/teaching myself the content was absolutely exhilarating, and was one of the first times I really feel like I was able to embrace "education" as I had always desired. It has me looking at the USMLE like "...how YOU doin".

As for the consideration of DO programs, I have minor hesitations. First I will say that as a resident of Michigan I have complete respect for DO training and the quality of physicians it produces, but I don't know that I am as closely aligned with some of the underlying philosophy, specifically OMM. It alone would never stop me from pursuing it as an option, but it's something that weighs into my overall consideration. Another hesitation stems from my expectation that almost inevitably at some point (call it TCK wanderlust) I will end up practicing overseas. I am aware of how DOs can pursue licensing or are recognized in other countries, but the process often does require additional steps or is associated with limitations that put me a little on edge. My final hesitation is the classic: I struggle with concern that my specialization and academic/research options may be impacted. I can honestly say I don't know what specialty I would want to pursue right now. If anything, it always seems odd to me that anyone who hasn't been exposed to the real core of a specialty's practice (which is hard to achieve through shadowing) would feel so certain about their interests in a particular specialty. If I had to tip my arrow an extra two degrees towards one thing or another it would probably be Obstetrics and Gynecology with a possible interest in pursuing MFM/high-risk obstetrics, where the chances associated with a DO degree would likely not be as impacted, but I know that I am going to fall in love, then fall out of love, then find a new love, then cheat on that love with another new love, then go back to my original love, at least half a dozen times during clerkships, and I would hate for that specialty soap-opera to be impacted by any additional external factors.

...because of your circumstances and just how much material you have to navigate around to tell your story, I'd recommend at least 20 pairs of eyeballs (both those who know you well and those who you don't) reading and rereading your personal statement.

That is fantastic advice, thank you! I think I went a little light on my outsider perspective this time around (I'm glad you loved my essay, Mom), and a new essay would certainly benefit from as variable of review as can reasonably be obtained. Like you said, it's a dense story that can easily overwhelm a 2000 some character space, so I walk that fine line of offering too little so the context isn't adequately described, or too much so that it drowns out other essay elements or sounds like excuse-making. I am going to get started on it soon, and will definitely be expanding my review scope!
 
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Hey again! You are amazing and I am rooting for you at CMED (& everywhere)!! Idk if you have already considered this or not, but when I wrote my personal statement I wrote how my adversities gave me a new motivation (and unique perspective) to pursue medicine. I can send you a PM of it if you would like! Honestly, I think your application is solid minus the GPA issue but I think you already know that!! ;)

If you have to apply next year, would you consider applying to schools outside of MI? There are several schools that really like non-trad students or students with life experience. I applied to a lot of schools based on their mission and not their MSAR stats and still received IIs.
 
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@Goro I was looking through this, and everything seemed great aside from the 2.89 GPA. I would, as an ADCOM, be impressed by your score but GPA requires years of hard work. I'm not sure which schools would admit someone with a 2.89 GPA, so I would suggest adding clinical hours and more work with the underserved. Mainly, I would suggest taking on a heavier load of classes that could add to your GPA because that would be a big reason for someone to keep you out.
 
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It was very hard to read through the Stephen King length novella. To help me better help you, what was your GPA/sGPA YEAR BY YEAR? Strong rising GPA trends are always helpful, BTW.

Your MPH will not count for MD schools, but DO school will.

A 518 MCAT is nothing to sneeze at. But what worries me is that there is a great deal of inconsistency in your transcript, which will give pause to screeners and Adcom members who will worry about your ability to handle the rigors of a medical school curriculum. Prolonged and consistent academic excellence allay these fears. Now, if an Admissions dean tells you that yuou need more scientific coursework, why are ignoring that advice?

1. What do you recommend I do to supplement my application beyond taking additional coursework? I was told pretty explicitly by an admissions director from one of my rejections that I was voted against by a couple of committee members due to needing "8-12" more credits of coursework to demonstrate sustained ability/success, and that once I had this they believe I would be a strong candidate for their program. I am hoping to do this through 10 credits of A&P and Biochemistry.

The PS is for "Why Medicine?" and "Who Am I?" Swecondaries will have prompts for "anything else you want to tell us?" or "give examples of your overcoming adversity" or "explain poor academics"

2. How much of my history do I disclose through personal essays/during interviews/through supplemental statements? My original approach (as seems to be recommended on SDN) was to basically not, but following conversations with a couple of physicians who serve as adjunct faculty at various programs, it was recommended that I do. This year's essay ended up addressing it pretty directly, but not dwelling on it nor turning it into an excuse (at least from my perspective). If it ever came to it, I have statements/records from treating professionals attesting to my experiences.

BU, NYMC, Albany, your state schools, Tulane, UCSF, Columbia, Pitt, Duke, Case, Rosy Franklin, Drexel, Tufts, Dartmouth, any DO school.

3. What schools out there really appreciate reinvention, or have a similar mission and are realistic considerations? I know that CMED and MSU-CHM are pretty closely aligned with my interests in target demographic. I wouldn't say I am focused on primary care exclusively, rather whatever specialty I would enter my goal would be to perform it in areas of high need/with vulnerable populations. I would also like to become more involved in research, so programs that have that academic connection to research would be amazing. Lab work is a bit of an unknown to me at this point, but I could at least see myself doing research around the physical-social-emotional intersection of health. I am a major learning junkie, and I know that I want to be involved in the academic/research side of medicine throughout my career.
 
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It was very hard to read through the Stephen King length novella. To help me better help you, what was your GPA/sGPA YEAR BY YEAR? Strong rising GPA trends are always helpful, BTW.

Your MPH will not count for MD schools, but DO school will.

A 518 MCAT is nothing to sneeze at. But what worries me is that there is a great deal of inconsistency in your transcript, which will give pause to screeners and Adcom members who will worry about your ability to handle the rigors of a medical school curriculum. Prolonged and consistent academic excellence allay these fears. Now, if an Admissions dean tells you that yuou need more scientific coursework, why are ignoring that advice?

1. What do you recommend I do to supplement my application beyond taking additional coursework? I was told pretty explicitly by an admissions director from one of my rejections that I was voted against by a couple of committee members due to needing "8-12" more credits of coursework to demonstrate sustained ability/success, and that once I had this they believe I would be a strong candidate for their program. I am hoping to do this through 10 credits of A&P and Biochemistry.

The PS is for "Why Medicine?" and "Who Am I?" Swecondaries will have prompts for "anything else you want to tell us?" or "give examples of your overcoming adversity" or "explain poor academics"

2. How much of my history do I disclose through personal essays/during interviews/through supplemental statements? My original approach (as seems to be recommended on SDN) was to basically not, but following conversations with a couple of physicians who serve as adjunct faculty at various programs, it was recommended that I do. This year's essay ended up addressing it pretty directly, but not dwelling on it nor turning it into an excuse (at least from my perspective). If it ever came to it, I have statements/records from treating professionals attesting to my experiences.

BU, NYMC, Albany, your state schools, Tulane, UCSF, Columbia, Pitt, Duke, Case, Rosy Franklin, Drexel, Tufts, Dartmouth, any DO school.

3. What schools out there really appreciate reinvention, or have a similar mission and are realistic considerations? I know that CMED and MSU-CHM are pretty closely aligned with my interests in target demographic. I wouldn't say I am focused on primary care exclusively, rather whatever specialty I would enter my goal would be to perform it in areas of high need/with vulnerable populations. I would also like to become more involved in research, so programs that have that academic connection to research would be amazing. Lab work is a bit of an unknown to me at this point, but I could at least see myself doing research around the physical-social-emotional intersection of health. I am a major learning junkie, and I know that I want to be involved in the academic/research side of medicine throughout my career.
His GPA is a 2.9in the sciences. Wouldn't you recommend increasing that for MD
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone, and apologies for the delayed response! I was lost in the snowy north for the holidays.

....but when I wrote my personal statement I wrote how my adversities gave me a new motivation (and unique perspective) to pursue medicine. I can send you a PM of it if you would like! Honestly, I think your application is solid minus the GPA issue but I think you already know that!! ;)

If you have to apply next year, would you consider applying to schools outside of MI? There are several schools that really like non-trad students or students with life experience. I applied to a lot of schools based on their mission and not their MSAR stats and still received IIs.

Thank you so much! I feel like touched on it in my essay but it could definitely be developed more. In retrospect I don't know that I tied the two main threads of thought I had going on in my essay together well enough, so cohesion is a major focus next time around. I am so glad you have had success with using adversity as a motivator, and with this cycle overall :) !

I will also definitely be applying to schools out of state next cycle. I've lurked through the various re-invention threads and stalked enough of SDN's ADCOM legends to have an idea of schools that may fit/appreciate the less conventional wavelength of my application.

It was very hard to read through the Stephen King length novella. To help me better help you, what was your GPA/sGPA YEAR BY YEAR? Strong rising GPA trends are always helpful, BTW.

Haha a fair statement, as I am nothing it not excessively verbose (without the benefit of murderous cars or sewer dwelling clowns). Here is my cGPA/sGPA breakdown year by year:

Freshman: cGPA - 2.0, sGPA - No science
Sophomore: cGPA - 3.5, sGPA - 2.75
Junior: cGPA - 3.64, sGPA - 3.82
Senior: cGPA - 2.64, sGPA - 2.09
Grad GPA: cGPA - 2.89, sGPA - 2.0
Post-Bacc: sGPA - 4.0

...what worries me is that there is a great deal of inconsistency in your transcript, which will give pause to screeners and Adcom members who will worry about your ability to handle the rigors of a medical school curriculum. Prolonged and consistent academic excellence allay these fears. Now, if an Admissions dean tells you that yuou need more scientific coursework, why are ignoring that advice?

My intent is not to ignore their advice; I probably should have said what can I do "in addition to" rather than "beyond". My current plan results in an additional 14 credits of upper level science (Biochemistry, Organic II, Anatomy and Physiology, A&P Lab) that was not included on my transcript for 2016-2017. I may be able to take coursework during the first half of the summer as well, which would result in an additional 4 credits towards my 2017-2018 application (and 18 credits total).

The PS is for "Why Medicine?" and "Who Am I?" Swecondaries will have prompts for "anything else you want to tell us?" or "give examples of your overcoming adversity" or "explain poor academics"

2. How much of my history do I disclose through personal essays/during interviews/through supplemental statements? My original approach (as seems to be recommended on SDN) was to basically not, but following conversations with a couple of physicians who serve as adjunct faculty at various programs, it was recommended that I do. This year's essay ended up addressing it pretty directly, but not dwelling on it nor turning it into an excuse (at least from my perspective). If it ever came to it, I have statements/records from treating professionals attesting to my experiences.

BU, NYMC, Albany, your state schools, Tulane, UCSF, Columbia, Pitt, Duke, Case, Rosy Franklin, Drexel, Tufts, Dartmouth, any DO school.

3. What schools out there really appreciate reinvention, or have a similar mission and are realistic considerations? I know that CMED and MSU-CHM are pretty closely aligned with my interests in target demographic. I wouldn't say I am focused on primary care exclusively, rather whatever specialty I would enter my goal would be to perform it in areas of high need/with vulnerable populations. I would also like to become more involved in research, so programs that have that academic connection to research would be amazing. Lab work is a bit of an unknown to me at this point, but I could at least see myself doing research around the physical-social-emotional intersection of health. I am a major learning junkie, and I know that I want to be involved in the academic/research side of medicine throughout my career.

Thank you for the feedback! I will definitely tweak my essay for the next year; I think I conflated "Who am I?" and "Give examples of overcoming adversity.", when in reality I can do a more nuanced job differentiating how the adversity has helped define who I am without getting into the minutia of the specific adversities that is better saved for a secondary prompt. I will also be researching each of those programs!

Getting past the autoscreen is the issue.

It's interesting you bring that up. I actually didn't make it past the initial screen at either CMED or Western (GPA was too low); I had to send an email inquiring about whether additional human review was given to applications that don't make it past the cutoff for one of the two metrics. I don't know if it's something that would work at other programs, or if I should exclusively target programs that don't have a pre-secondary screen. The ideal scenario (assuming no offer this year) is applying with a 518 MCAT, 18-22 credits of 4.0 science coursework taken between Jan 2016 and June 2017, with concurrent continuation of all of my clinical work/volunteering/etc. I guess I don't know if that will be enough to open doors to secondaries/interviews.
 
If you apply braodly, you should be able to shang some love with this.

The ideal scenario (assuming no offer this year) is applying with a 518 MCAT, 18-22 credits of 4.0 science coursework taken between Jan 2016 and June 2017, with concurrent continuation of all of my clinical work/volunteering/etc. I guess I don't know if that will be enough to open doors to secondaries/interviews.[/QUOTE]
 
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Good advice here. I think you should be open to the idea of applying DO, too. They love weirdos with good reinvention stories. At least, I think that's what worked for me.
 
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