Medical school chances?

[CheeseCucumberSandwich]

Hi guys!

I’m a biological sciences sophomore with a 3.477 GPA (3.29 science GPA).

I’ve been told that I’m not competitive at the moment for med school. I like medicine a lot and want to be realistic about my chances.

I’d also like to list my extracurriculars so you can see my whole resume:

- member of my student newspaper
-I’ll be working in an HIV lab on my campus starting this summer
- I’ve been invited to join the board of committee for a charity so I can gain leadership skills and plan volunteering while gaining hours myself
-I mascot (shh!!! Secret )
-applied for a Graduate School preparation program and if I get in, I’ll be going to conferences and presenting my research.
-I shall also set up a time to shadow my neighbor who’s an OB/GYN.

I’m also hoping that if I DO apply, I can get a letter of recommendation from my orgo 1 professor. I started studying in the summer and have done really good in orgo - he said I was in the top 5% of my class for final orgo grades even though I got a B.

Hoping to get 3As 1B this semester if I work really hard.

PLEASE be honest and give me practical advice for increasing my chances. Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Your MCAT will be very important. Hard to advise without knowing that. Your SciGPA is a little light. An MCAT in lower 500s will get you a look from some DO schools. You will need a 515 plus to get any attention from MD schools. Just my opinion. Good luck and bet wishes.

 

[CheeseCucumberSandwich]

Your MCAT will be very important. Hard to advise without knowing that. Your SciGPA is a little light. An MCAT in lower 500s will get you a look from some DO schools. You will need a 515 plus to get any attention from MD schools. Just my opinion. Good luck and bet wishes.

Thanks! When should I take the MCAT? And let’s say I continually get a 3.5 GPA each semester - should I even bother applying to med schools after all?
Best

 

[Angus Avagadro]

ONLY when you are ready and have good scores on several practice tests. If you are not taking a gap year to improve your GPA, I would take it in April or May of your junior year. Make sure you have all the pre reqs in before as they are helpful with the MCAT. If you are not ready, then I'd work on getting the GPA improved and then take the MCAT. Your Overall GPA and SciGPA is light for most med schools. So it's up to you , MD or DO, take a year for grade improvement of going MD.

 

[candbgirl]

Your GPAs are low, especially your sGPA. The average GPA for MD matriculates is +3.7 and for DO +3.5 , I think. And these go up every year. You also need 150+ hours of clinical experience with the sick, injured and dying; 50 hours of physician shadowing including time with a primary care doc and 150+ hours of nonclinical volunteering to the unserved/underserved in your community. Think of homeless shelters, soup kitchens, camps for disabled kids, coaching a group of underprivileged kids in a team sport, volunteering at a VA hospital or senior citizen home etc.. Find something you are interested in and go for it. Don’t be scattered. You probably should plan to take a couple of gap years before you apply. This will help you build your application and fix your GPA. Frankly a 3.5 isn’t that impressive. But try to do as well as you can. Don’t even think of taking the MCAT until you have completed your prerequisite courses and only take it after you are scoring at or above your target goal on several FL practice tests. You really only want to take it once. As to LORs you should find out if your school has a Committee letter. If they do use that. Medical Schools expect you to use the committee letter if your school offers it. Your school will tell you what you have to submit to the Committee . If they don’t offer this letter you’ll have to find out what various schools want. Currently it’s letters from 2 science professors and a letter from a non science professor at a minimum.
Good luck.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Hi guys!

I’m a biological sciences sophomore with a 3.477 GPA (3.29 science GPA).

I’ve been told that I’m not competitive at the moment for med school. I like medicine a lot and want to be realistic about my chances.

I’d also like to list my extracurriculars so you can see my whole resume:

- member of my student newspaper
-I’ll be working in an HIV lab on my campus starting this summer
- I’ve been invited to join the board of committee for a charity so I can gain leadership skills and plan volunteering while gaining hours myself
-I mascot (shh!!! Secret )
-applied for a Graduate School preparation program and if I get in, I’ll be going to conferences and presenting my research.
-I shall also set up a time to shadow my neighbor who’s an OB/GYN.

I’m also hoping that if I DO apply, I can get a letter of recommendation from my orgo 1 professor. I started studying in the summer and have done really good in orgo - he said I was in the top 5% of my class for final orgo grades even though I got a B.

Hoping to get 3As 1B this semester if I work really hard.

PLEASE be honest and give me practical advice for increasing my chances. Thanks!

There's not much we know about you and your background. What's your state residency? Do you have an aspirational list of schools or careers? Have you done any significant shadowing? What clinical experiences have made the greatest impact on you?

If you don't have a good response, you need more time to think about why you want to go into medicine. Based on what you have described, you not only lack a competitive application, you don't even have a compelling one... one that tells others who will look at your accomplishments that you are on the right track to be a physician. Now you have time, and you have placed yourself under pressure to keep up with everyone else's expectations rather than develop your own. If you are serious, you know where you have to improve, and with others' help, you need to get it done.