What Are My Chances and Other General Questions

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I don't really think you need to cut down that list either. Just save up some money and go for it! Remember the goal here (other than getting in) is to only have to go through this process once in your life!

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Well today I sat down and outlined my academic coursework plan for the next 5 semesters (2.5) years. I am now considered a junior even though I haven't completed half of the credits I need to be ready to apply. This is because I decided not to pursue a biology major like my school recommends all pre-meds do. I decided on psychology because I like the subject material, there are far more research opportunities here in psychology, and I like the department, my advisor is fantastic etc. etc. Now I attend a state public school here in Illinois. I was considering transferring to a more "prestigious" university to complete out my pre-med curriculum last summer but the fact is I love my school too much. Even though its not a huge or highly respected institution, im gunna do all 4.5 years here and at the end of the day I'll let the chips fall where they may.

Anyways I want your opinion on how I'm doing... here some things I want to mention ...

I just completed my year (8 hours + 2 labs) of biology this semester. I took Plant biology and animal biology. I got a B in both courses. I plan to take another advance level bio class with lab to help ameliorate the fact that I didn't get As and also because many of you have advised me that schools may not continue (or already may not) accept botany as part of the pre-req.

My psychology gpa is a 4.0, my science gpa is a 3.0 (i have 2 years of chem, plus 1 year of physics still left). My overall gpa is 3.42 (it went down this semester from 3.5). I've been enrolled in the honors college here since the 2nd semester of my frosh year.

I plan on graduating with under and upper-level honors in Psychology with minors in Chemistry and Law Enforcement & justice administration.
The law enforcement is because when I first began college I thought I wanted to go into law enforcement so this is what I pursued. As such, I had a lot of the coursework already completed so I decided to just go ahead and declare it a minor - it'll be complete after this summer session. The chem minor is because I have to take most of the course work as pre-reqs for med. school along with one course (im thinking biochemistry... which will count as both a bio and chem class). I'm hoping schools will consider this class an adv. level bio class (such as what U of I requires).

My extra-curricular activities are great. I'm involved in the Student Honors Association and I was elected to a senate position with the Student Government Association here on campus for next year. Our school has 13,500 students we represent. I was also appointed vice president of the NAACP chapter... I'm an Irish kid as white as walls in my bland apartment but I'm good friends with the president who actually begged me to help him out with the organization. I accepted the position because I believe in diversity and also because I think It'll open up a lot of doors for me and probably be something that stands out on my application to med school.

Right now I work for a major chain pharmacy here in town part-time. I really am going to have to cut back my hours to focus more on school (high amount of hours did hurt me this past semester). I think this might help in the application process even though im not pre-pharm ... what do you think?

I have to complete a thesis and do research as part of the psych. honors program. I plan to continue research starting next spring (after the required psych. stats and research course).

I know I need to raise my current 3.42 gpa at least .3 or more and especially work on my science gpa. But besides that, what do you think so far? Any suggestions??? thank you
 
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Hi everyone!

I've been lurking on these forums for a couple years and decided I really wanted to ask a question.

I am a resident of Iowa and I will be applying to many of the schools in the upper Midwest (Iowa, UoMN, Mayo, Wisconsin, Michigan schools, Northwestern, Pritzker, WashU) because I have family and a gf keeping me here. However, I also want to send about three applications out to a few top-ranked schools in other parts of the country.

If you would be willing to help me out, what do you think those schools should be. I want to place a premium on student happiness, research exposure and quality of teaching rather than sheer prestige. Assume my application is very strong and I would have a strong chance at any individual school (3.95 GPA, 42 MCAT, solid EC's and letters).

Thank you for any help you can give! :)
 
ehh i don't know...18 is just so many. i luckily don't have to save up money b/c my parents are paying. that's why they want me to apply to as many places as possible. like i said, i just feel it's almost wrong of me to apply to that many for a few reasons:

1) how many ppl can or do apply to that many? i feel like i have an unfair advantage

2) my advisor will probably freak when they find out they have to make 18 premed packets. as a result, they might even discourage me from applying to that many anyways

3) i'm not that competitive of a candidate. my gpa is below average and right now my mcat is crap. it's not like i can guarantee my mcat will get much better. i may be setting myself up for 18 rejections. even 1 acceptance and 17 rejections still sounds very demeaning. then if i do have to reapply, where am i gonna apply to for a fresh start? i'll have used up all the schools i might be competitive at! i hear reapplying to the same school is very difficult

so anyways, if you did have to cut some of them, what would anyone suggest?
 
If you don't significantly improve on that 26 (like say a 33+ to counter it) you can be doing irreparable harm to your chances.

Why did you only score a 26? What will be different in 2 months?

You are getting the proverbial "cart before the horse" on this...you need to slow down, regroup on the MCAT prep, and maybe take a later test and go for it next cycle...
 
If you don't significantly improve on that 26 (like say a 33+ to counter it) you can be doing irreparable harm to your chances.

Why did you only score a 26? What will be different in 2 months?

You are getting the proverbial "cart before the horse" on this...you need to slow down, regroup on the MCAT prep, and maybe take a later test and go for it next cycle...

what makes me think ill do better? i barely studied the first time around. i didn't have time. i'm retaking it july 10th and have 2 months to study now without much else going on. regroup and wait till next cycle? are you serious? no way. i can still apply early before i get my retake back since i have a score to apply with.

i agree it's risky applying to that many schools, tho, when i cant guarantee a better score till i get my score. oh and thank you moderator for moving my post here so i get no responses, appreciate it!
 
Originally Posted by hrfan
Ok,
GPA 3.6 Science 3.5
MCAT 31R
Private university in midwest
Research with poster.
Volunteering overseas and at university hospital
Good LOR's

What are my chances?

Very slightly below average GPA, exactly average MCAT (assuming the MCAT is balanced). Apply broadly and early and you´re probably going to get some interviews.
 
I'm worried about getting into med school...

GPA- 3.5
BCPM-3.2....hopefully after this summer
MCAT-34R

4 years of research...going on 5. Multiple poster presentations...research competition...many ec positions with officer holdings and 3-yr commitment thus far
volunteering
Good LOR's
 
so one question...

I'm currently CNA trained, and working as a CNA/rooming nurse for a volunteer medical clinic that serves the underserved population, and have and will hopefully be shadowing future physicians. it doesn't look like i'll be able to get research experience, as i'm a senior and have been getting negative response (too late in the game, i'm going to be a senior) from labs. anyways, without the research experience, does anyone have any suggestions (EC's) for what i could do become more competitve? i'm going to be applying in 2009 after I graduate, so i have time this year and next to get some more cool experiences prior to applying.
 
OK I'm ready to play the odds game...

I would REALLY like to get into one of these schools:

CALIFORNIA
·Loma Linda School of Medicine
·Stanford University
·University of California, Davis
·University of California, Irvine
·University of California, Los Angeles
·University of California, San Diego
·University of California, San Francisco
·University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine

HAWAII
·University of Hawaii

OREGON
·Oregon Health Sciences University

What are my odds of being accepted to one of the above schools?

My stats:

4 years at a California State University
Overall GPA: 3.92
BCPM GPA: 3.91
MCAT: PS 13, VR 10, BS 9, WS O, Overall-32O
Approximately 75 hours of critical care volunteer work (all clinical)
Yearly Mexico mission trip for the last 4 years over spring break
 
OK I'm ready to play the odds game...

I would REALLY like to get into one of these schools:

CALIFORNIA
·Loma Linda School of Medicine
·Stanford University
·University of California, Davis
·University of California, Irvine
·University of California, Los Angeles
·University of California, San Diego
·University of California, San Francisco
·University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine

HAWAII
·University of Hawaii

OREGON
·Oregon Health Sciences University

What are my odds of being accepted to one of the above schools?

My stats:

4 years at a California State University
Overall GPA: 3.92
BCPM GPA: 3.91
MCAT: PS 13, VR 10, BS 9, WS O, Overall-32O
Approximately 75 hours of critical care volunteer work (all clinical)
Yearly Mexico mission trip for the last 4 years over spring break

Your GPA is excellent but your MCAT score is a bit unbalanced. Stanford, UCSD, UCLA, and UCSF are reach schools so it might be difficult especially since you don't have any research background.

I hear UH accepts mostly in-state...
Loma Linda wants Christians...
Rest of the schools seem decent. You just better write an excellent PS to pass all those screenings.

If I were you I would apply to more schools.
 
so one question...

I'm currently CNA trained, and working as a CNA/rooming nurse for a volunteer medical clinic that serves the underserved population, and have and will hopefully be shadowing future physicians. it doesn't look like i'll be able to get research experience, as i'm a senior and have been getting negative response (too late in the game, i'm going to be a senior) from labs. anyways, without the research experience, does anyone have any suggestions (EC's) for what i could do become more competitve? i'm going to be applying in 2009 after I graduate, so i have time this year and next to get some more cool experiences prior to applying.

There are quite a lot of applicants who don't have research experience. Why don't you try creating a program in your area that helps the community or study abroad/mission trips? Do things that interests you! Playing sports, doing artwork, or other fun things can help strengthen your application by showing you have more interests.
 
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I have a question about interfolio.
I was looking through the interfolio website and it seems like there are only certain medical schools that accept LOR's through interfolio.
Is this true?
So do most people use mix of interfolio and plain old regular paper mail?
 
I have a question about interfolio.
I was looking through the interfolio website and it seems like there are only certain medical schools that accept LOR's through interfolio.
Is this true?
So do most people use mix of interfolio and plain old regular paper mail?
For the schools that dont accept it...you can just handtype the mailing address and interfolio will send it out via snailmail
 
Hi, I just joined this forum and I am in dire need of some opinions on my chances at med school.

I am going to be applying for the 2009-2010 cycle. I have graduated from a top 20 college with a degree in bio-engineering. My gpa is a 3.2 and I have a 32 MCAT score. I am a minority and will be applying to all my state schools and many private and generally easier to get into schools. I have logged many research positions and am a fellow in a research program. I have shadowed many doctors for many hours. I know this is a very general glimpse of me, but please tell me your thoughts on my chances at getting into ANY medical school.
 
Hi, I just joined this forum and I am in dire need of some opinions on my chances at med school.

I am going to be applying for the 2009-2010 cycle. I have graduated from a top 20 college with a degree in bio-engineering. My gpa is a 3.2 and I have a 32 MCAT score. I am a minority and will be applying to all my state schools and many private and generally easier to get into schools. I have logged many research positions and am a fellow in a research program. I have shadowed many doctors for many hours. I know this is a very general glimpse of me, but please tell me your thoughts on my chances at getting into ANY medical school.
If you are really a URM with those stats you will most likely get into an allopathic medical school
 
I agree, URMs are truly underrepresented so they get some "breaks" when it comes to the application process. However, your acheivements shall be noted by several medical schools. The only advice I have is trying to boost your GPA to better your chances. Remember, be humble in this process.
 
Thank you for such speedy responses. I would also like some recommendations of schools to apply to. My home state is Florida so i'll apply to those however what are some other schools that I may have a shot at.
 
Thank you for such speedy responses. I would also like some recommendations of schools to apply to. My home state is Florida so i'll apply to those however what are some other schools that I may have a shot at.
check out the MSAR they have info on OOS states and acceptance rates...or look at usnews.com
 
Hey guys. I want some advice.

I'm about to be a junior, and here is what I have accomplished so far
-3.7 GPA in honors Biomedical Engineering.
-3.8 BCMP
-Freshman engineer of the year at my university
-Published a paper in a low impact journal as a coauthor (it was a journal about engineering education, for ASEE)
-Was secretary of the largest science club on campus
-Worked for a short time as a recruiter for my university
-Gave 5 presentations to donors, teachers, faculty, etc. about our engineering program
-Worked 2 years doing engineering tutoring, advising, drafting, and computer aided design
-Taken up Photography as a hobby
-Worked for 3 months helping my professors develop a new freshman engineering curriculum
-Gonna deffinitely have excelent letters of rec.

Planned this summer:
- Researching chemicals and their effects on bone groth
- Supplimental instructor for math

These are my percieved negatives:
- pretty weak in math... Never got anything but Bs in 5 math courses a row
- 2 Ws so far
- lack of job shadowing
- B in orgo 1
- sightly weaker in social sciences *Bs here and there

Alright.... with the above considered..

What kind of schools am I looking at for my "reach" schools?
What are some good "middle-of-the-range" schools?
What are some safety schools that fit my stats?

What MCAT scores will make me competitive enough to get into a reach?

Thanks for the advice guys.
 
What do I need to do to get to a top 10 school?
To have a good chance, you need to at least maintain - and probably improve - your GPA and get a 35+ on the MCAT. After that, you need to rock the interviews. Also, you'll have to write excellent essays and secure very strong recs. Getting into top 10's is no joke.

Oh, and clinical experience. Get lots of it. Since you have none, even if you destroy the rest of the application process, you're going to be SoL at most schools, top 10 or otherwise.
 
Hey guys. I want some advice.

I'm about to be a junior, and here is what I have accomplished so far
-3.7 GPA in honors Biomedical Engineering.
-3.8 BCMP
-Freshman engineer of the year at my university
-Published a paper in a low impact journal as a coauthor (it was a journal about engineering education, for ASEE)
-Was secretary of the largest science club on campus
-Worked for a short time as a recruiter for my university
-Gave 5 presentations to donors, teachers, faculty, etc. about our engineering program
-Worked 2 years doing engineering tutoring, advising, drafting, and computer aided design
-Taken up Photography as a hobby
-Worked for 3 months helping my professors develop a new freshman engineering curriculum
-Gonna deffinitely have excelent letters of rec.

Planned this summer:
- Researching chemicals and their effects on bone groth
- Supplimental instructor for math

These are my percieved negatives:
- pretty weak in math... Never got anything but Bs in 5 math courses a row
- 2 Ws so far
- lack of job shadowing
- B in orgo 1
- sightly weaker in social sciences *Bs here and there

Alright.... with the above considered..

What kind of schools am I looking at for my "reach" schools?
What are some good "middle-of-the-range" schools?
What are some safety schools that fit my stats?

What MCAT scores will make me competitive enough to get into a reach?

Thanks for the advice guys.

You wont get in....you have no clinical experience...sorry
 
I bet man... sounds tough as all hell.
I think I can improve my GPA. Biomedical engineering is tough as all hell though.
35 on the MCAT.. I know its not your typical stadrdized test, but I've always done well on those "big tests."

My recs will DEFINITELY be strong. I've done this college que a few favors, and will get a rec from the dean.

The essay will be tough... I'm so much better at speaking than I am at writing.
The interview though, I think I can nail. That's practically been my job for the last 2 years.. presentations, questions and answers, sales pitches, etc.

But man.. the hardest part will be GPA improvement and the MCAT.
Biomedical engineering is so, so, soooo hard.

oh, and does being a disadvantaged student affect anything?
 
:::You wont get in....you have no clinical experience...sorry:::

We're both adults here man. No need to get condescending or act like a jerk dude.
 
Hi, I'm really nervous about this and I would really appreciate your advice.
I am applying this year and I would like to know how competitive my application is and what range of schools I should be aiming for.

-------------------------------------------------------------
I'm a student who recently completed masters of science in biology with a 3.9 in 2008. With:

Undergraduate GPA 2.62, BCPM GPA 2.9 in 2006 in an engineering school with biology degree(initially an engineering major, switched second year)

MCAT 12 Phys, 11 Biol, 9 Verbal = 32 M; Aug. 2005

Clinical experience
5 months of volunteering at a local ER and internal medicine
6 months of rounding with general surgery team at a local medical school's hospital
15 months of shadowing at pathology service
1 month in cardiology

Publications
secondary author in an article in Journal of American College of surgeons
secondary author in an article in annals of surgery
(hopefully 2 pathology journal articles by the end of the year)

Presentations
2 posters for United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology Annual Meeting (www.uscap.org)

Other activities
6 months microbiology research during undergraduate
2 years of part time retail job(during college years, which explains my low gpa) and another job for 5 months
1 month participating in M1 PBL class at a local medical school
Publication of a religious book currently sold in bookstores
------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm planning on taking another MCAT this coming August but I would also like to know how well I could do without MCAT.
 
:::You wont get in....you have no clinical experience...sorry:::

We're both adults here man. No need to get condescending or act like a jerk dude.
Is it not the adult thing to tell you the truth???? It is pretty much an unwritten requirement to have some sort of clinical experience.

Go volunteer at a hospital or something and your chances will be much better.
 
Hi, I'm really nervous about this and I would really appreciate your advice.
I am applying this year and I would like to know how competitive my application is and what range of schools I should be aiming for.

-------------------------------------------------------------
I'm a student who recently completed masters of science in biology with a 3.9 in 2008. With:

Undergraduate GPA 2.62, BCPM GPA 2.9 in 2006 in an engineering school with biology degree(initially an engineering major, switched second year)

MCAT 12 Phys, 11 Biol, 9 Verbal = 32 M; Aug. 2005

Clinical experience
5 months of volunteering at a local ER and internal medicine
6 months of rounding with general surgery team at a local medical school's hospital
15 months of shadowing at pathology service
1 month in cardiology

Publications
secondary author in an article in Journal of American College of surgeons
secondary author in an article in annals of surgery
(hopefully 2 pathology journal articles by the end of the year)

Presentations
2 posters for United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology Annual Meeting (www.uscap.org)

Other activities
6 months microbiology research during undergraduate
2 years of part time retail job(during college years, which explains my low gpa) and another job for 5 months
1 month participating in M1 PBL class at a local medical school
Publication of a religious book currently sold in bookstores
------------------------------------------------------------------

Your MCAT is not the problem its your UG gpa
 
:::You wont get in....you have no clinical experience...sorry:::

We're both adults here man. No need to get condescending or act like a jerk dude.

You do need to start working on getting some kind of clinical experience ASAP. It can be through shadowing, volunteering, or paid work. Lack of it will keep you from getting into schools that you'd otherwise be a competitive candidate.

Chubbs was blunt, but his words were honest.
 
Yes so I did master's 40 hours for a year and managed 3.9. Is there anything else that I could do? Where should I be applying?

thank you
Its really hard to judge ppl like you....Obviously smart judging from the masters GPA and MCAT, but a really low ug GPA which might make schools hesitant on offering you an interview.

Plus alot of schools require a minimum 3.0 gpa. If I were you, I would call up a couple schools and set up meeting with their Deans of Admissions, they would give you the best advice.

I do know Texas Triathlete had a similar MCAT and GPA and he is attendinga well respected DO school next fall, so this might be something to consider since DO schools tend to be more forgiving
 
Yes so I did master's 40 hours for a year and managed 3.9. Is there anything else that I could do? Where should I be applying?

thank you

Which state are you a resident of? Usually state schools are the best bet with a low undergrad GPA. Unfortunately, the credits from your Master's don't affect that, and the undergrad GPA is the one that a lot use for pre-screening.
 
georgia resident,
undergrad from georgia institute of technology and
masters from georgia state university
 
Which state are you a resident of? Usually state schools are the best bet with a low undergrad GPA. Unfortunately, the credits from your Master's don't affect that, and the undergrad GPA is the one that a lot use for pre-screening.

Suppose I re-took BCPM post-bac classes. Are those grades going to be part of undergrad gpa?
 
:::You wont get in....you have no clinical experience...sorry:::

We're both adults here man. No need to get condescending or act like a jerk dude.

He's right though. Looking as this application as is, it would make someone wonder, why does he want to be a doctor? Also your GPA is great, a 3.7/3.8 as an engineer is impressive. Your main concern is that your ECs include nothing medical or community service oriented.
 
georgia resident,
undergrad from georgia institute of technology and
masters from georgia state university

Suppose I re-took BCPM post-bac classes. Are those grades going to be part of undergrad gpa?

Other people are going to know this better than I do without looking it up, but I'm pretty sure GA has some state schools that heavily favor in-state students.

Yes, those post-bacc classes get calculated along with the undergrad GPA.
 
:::Your main concern is that your ECs include nothing medical or community service oriented.:::

I am doing research on chemicals and bone growth under the biomedical engineering program here.
I have organized community events as the secretary of the departmental club on campus (built playgrounds for local schools, etc)
I have 2 years to get clinical experience, that wouldn't be hard to find.
I know that my medical-related clinical experience isn't much right now, but I'm pretty confident that everything else will be top of the line as far as ammount of research, LORs, ECs, GPA (definitely gonna improve it), Publications, Presentations, Awards, etc.

The only reason I took offense is because the poster above decided to play Mr. Adcom and flatly said I won't get in (pretty jerky thing to say, especially since I wasn't asking "will I get in?").

So, if you had my stats then, what would you do over the next 2 years?
I am tied up for the summer, that's for sure (Biomedical research on bone growth, Supplimental instructor)

But next year and the year after, what kind of Clinical experience should I try to get? I live in a small town right now about an hour and a half away from any major regional medical center, and the local medical center isn't much as far as experience goes, they don't even have an email adress.
 
:::Your main concern is that your ECs include nothing medical or community service oriented.:::

I am doing research on chemicals and bone growth under the biomedical engineering program here.
I have organized community events as the secretary of the departmental club on campus (built playgrounds for local schools, etc)
I have 2 years to get clinical experience, that wouldn't be hard to find.
I know that my medical-related clinical experience isn't much right now, but I'm pretty confident that everything else will be top of the line as far as ammount of research, LORs, ECs, GPA (definitely gonna improve it), Publications, Presentations, Awards, etc.

The only reason I took offense is because the poster above decided to play Mr. Adcom and flatly said I won't get in (pretty jerky thing to say, especially since I wasn't asking "will I get in?").

So, if you had my stats then, what would you do over the next 2 years?
I am tied up for the summer, that's for sure (Biomedical research on bone growth, Supplimental instructor)

But next year and the year after, what kind of Clinical experience should I try to get? I live in a small town right now about an hour and a half away from any major regional medical center, and the local medical center isn't much as far as experience goes, they don't even have an email adress.
ok....well without clinical experience all of the schools are reaches....Is that better Mr. Sensitive?
 
OK so I have to choose which schools to apply to before I take the MCAT in June so I would love some input...I have been scoring in the 28-29 range :scared:on practice tests and am working really hard to break a 30.

UG GPA: 3.08
Post Bacc: 4.0 (43 hrs, all science)
Overall: 3.35
Science: 3.52

Clinical experiences: currently working as a medical assistant at an urgent care/primary care facility, 2 yrs working with autistic children in college, 1 yr working as a social worker/family counselor, one year as a chiropractic assistant.

I am a VA resident an am applying both MD and DO, and would love to stay in state at either VCU or EVMS. Was also thinking of applying to Drexel but am hesitant to apply anywhere else because I know my MCAT scores will either help me, or kill my application.

Thanks for your help!
 
Hey ChubbyChaser,
You know, you may think pretty highly of yourself, like you know everything, calling all schools reaches for me, but the fact still remains, you pretty much answered a non-question when I posted my first post. Has nothing to do with sensitivity, simply calling you out on your strawman answer. I came here simply looking for a little bit of advice and such, and with 2 more years to go, I've got extra stuff that I can do to further my chances (i.e. clinicla experience).

You, on the other hand, decided to be a bit of a jerk and play Mr. Adcom, saying "You won't get in." whenever nowhere in my post did I ask "Am I going to get in anywhere?" Intellectual nudity through and through, man.
 
Hey ChubbyChaser,
You know, you may think pretty highly of yourself, like you know everything, calling all schools reaches for me, but the fact still remains, you pretty much answered a non-question when I posted my first post. Has nothing to do with sensitivity, simply calling you out on your strawman answer. I came here simply looking for a little bit of advice and such, and with 2 more years to go, I've got extra stuff that I can do to further my chances (i.e. clinicla experience).

You, on the other hand, decided to be a bit of a jerk and play Mr. Adcom, saying "You won't get in." whenever nowhere in my post did I ask "Am I going to get in anywhere?" Intellectual nudity through and through, man.
:( Im hurt, however it seems to be that everyone else also agrees with me. I am just a little more blunt then others. I prefer not to BS around the truth..You have a good application set up as long as you can get a decent amount of clinical exposure via hospital volunteer, free health clinic or whatever and as long as you do well on your MCAT.

I really dont understand why you took offense to what I said. You may have not asked "will I get in anywhere?" You did however ask what schools are you rreach, which ones are middle range, and which ones are safeties. Pretty similar if you ask me

Also...I think you are the one who thinks a little too highly of himself :: "I'm pretty confident that everything else is top of the line."
 
I'll be a senior this coming fall. My GPA was seriously ruined by my first two years of school. I raised my GPA significantly with my junior year's GPA which could've been higher but I had to get a leg saving emergency surgery just a couple of weeks before finals during second semester... My knee doctor just told me yesterday that I didn't need anymore surgeries :D

Here's my MDApps profile... help please? I don't know what to do...

http://www.mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=10404
 
:( Im hurt, however it seems to be that everyone else also agrees with me. I am just a little more blunt then others. I prefer not to BS around the truth..You have a good application set up as long as you can get a decent amount of clinical exposure via hospital volunteer, free health clinic or whatever and as long as you do well on your MCAT.

I really dont understand why you took offense to what I said. You may have not asked "will I get in anywhere?" You did however ask what schools are you rreach, which ones are middle range, and which ones are safeties. Pretty similar if you ask me

Also...I think you are the one who thinks a little too highly of himself :: "I'm pretty confident that everything else is top of the line."

See though, that is all I was asking for. A little bit of advice. This has nothing to do with how "Blunt" you may see yourself as being, this has everything to do with your seemingly automatic approach to answering a non-question. Anyone can read my first post and clearly see that the tone of the post was one more of advice, and as such, your latest post (minus the digs) would have been the better answer to my first post. A much better answer, one that doesn't involve any rudeness, or as you seem to like to call it, bluntness. It's not constructive at all to just come into a thread like this and say "You're not gonna get in." You may get kicks from saying it, but when people come onto this thread for advice, they are asking about something that will affect their livelyhoods for years to come.

So look, I don't disrespect you. I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt that you were trying to be entirely benign, and your advice is much appreciated, so let me rephrase my original post.
1) If I can get... say, 40 hours of job shadowing and 40 hours of clinical volunteering, for a total of 80 hours of clinical experience
2) If I can get my GPA up to a 3.8 (3.9 is probably out of reach at this point)
3) If I can get, say, a 35 on my MCAT

Then here is what I am looking at:

I'm about to be a junior, and here is what I have accomplished so far
-3.8 GPA in honors Biomedical Engineering.
-3.9 BCMP
-Freshman engineer of the year at my university
-Published a paper in a low impact journal as a coauthor (it was a journal about engineering education, for ASEE)
-Was secretary of the largest science club on campus
-Worked for a short time as a recruiter for my university
-Gave 5 presentations to donors, teachers, faculty, etc. about our engineering program
-Worked 2 years doing engineering tutoring, advising, drafting, and computer aided design
-Taken up Photography as a hobby
-Worked for 3 months helping my professors develop a new freshman engineering curriculum
-Gonna deffinitely have excelent letters of rec.
- Researching bone growth (lab/research experience)
- Supplemental instructor for math
- 35 on the MCAT
- 40 hours of job shadowing
- 40 hours of of clinical volunteering ( probably candystriping, not much in the area)

These are my percieved negatives:
- pretty weak in math... Never got anything but Bs in 5 math courses a row
- 2 Ws so far
- lack of job shadowing
- B in orgo 1
- sightly weaker in social sciences *Bs here and there

So if I can get these stats, what am I looking at in terms of reach/middle/safety?
 
Hi all,

I was wondering what you guys think my chances might be in the top 10 schools, and what you think I might do to improve my application to get it in shape.

Chemistry Major, Polisci Minor
Current GPA: 3.92 in a top 20 undergrad.

MCAT: Have yet to take, but on practice tests I'm scoring around a 35 on average.


-2 years research in a chemistry lab, with a possible publication at the end of this summer/next year.
-TA'd gen chem lab for one year
-TA'd orgo lab for one year
-TA'd in political science
-Shadowed ED physician for ~60 hours.
-Worked at Starbucks over summers
-Lead role in a play freshman year
-Only sporadic volunteering over the past two years, hope to do so more regularly this year.
-Dean's list every semester
-Phi Beta Kappa
-On track to produce a senior honor's thesis to graduate with honors.

Thanks for taking a look!
 
:::Your main concern is that your ECs include nothing medical or community service oriented.:::

I am doing research on chemicals and bone growth under the biomedical engineering program here.
I have organized community events as the secretary of the departmental club on campus (built playgrounds for local schools, etc)
I have 2 years to get clinical experience, that wouldn't be hard to find.
I know that my medical-related clinical experience isn't much right now, but I'm pretty confident that everything else will be top of the line as far as ammount of research, LORs, ECs, GPA (definitely gonna improve it), Publications, Presentations, Awards, etc.

The only reason I took offense is because the poster above decided to play Mr. Adcom and flatly said I won't get in (pretty jerky thing to say, especially since I wasn't asking "will I get in?").

So, if you had my stats then, what would you do over the next 2 years?
I am tied up for the summer, that's for sure (Biomedical research on bone growth, Supplimental instructor)

But next year and the year after, what kind of Clinical experience should I try to get? I live in a small town right now about an hour and a half away from any major regional medical center, and the local medical center isn't much as far as experience goes, they don't even have an email adress.

I didn't realize you were ABOUT to be a junior--and if you're applying straight out, then you only have one year. But it's hard to answer these questions for people who have so much time left. For example, a goal of a 35 is a good one, but this is not something you can predict, and there's a big difference between a 35 and a 33--people definitely can score 5+ points less on the real thing than on practice. Seriously, just aim as high as possible, by the time you apply averages at top schools for matriculants may be closer to 37.

But anyway, just consistently do things that show you are interested in medicine. I think medical research is a good idea, and you seem smart, so figure out what you can do with resources you have. If you live somewhere so small that all you can do is candystripe at a small hospital, I think that's fine. I'm starting to realize that where you live/go to school really affects what you can do and really doubt that that's going to be looked down on. And with all ECs consistency helps, so keep that in mind.

And really, I don't know why people are getting hung up on GPA, a 3.7 GPA is not going to keep you out. That's ridiculous. Would it be better if you had a 3.9? Yes. But your GPA is not a disadvantage.
 
Hi all,

I was wondering what you guys think my chances might be in the top 10 schools, and what you think I might do to improve my application to get it in shape.

Chemistry Major, Polisci Minor
Current GPA: 3.92 in a top 20 undergrad.

MCAT: Have yet to take, but on practice tests I'm scoring around a 35 on average.


-2 years research in a chemistry lab, with a possible publication at the end of this summer/next year.
-TA'd gen chem lab for one year
-TA'd orgo lab for one year
-TA'd in political science
-Shadowed ED physician for ~60 hours.
-Worked at Starbucks over summers
-Lead role in a play freshman year
-Only sporadic volunteering over the past two years, hope to do so more regularly this year.
-Dean's list every semester
-Phi Beta Kappa
-On track to produce a senior honor's thesis to graduate with honors.

Thanks for taking a look!

I'll break it down for you.

Pros:

-Excellent GPA
-35 on MCAT practice tests is pretty good
-Stellar ranking. Top 20? Can't beat that. Nice:thumbup:
-Research
-Shadowing
-Really good extracurriculars overall.

Cons:

-Nothing lol. You seem to have it on a lockdown. :thumbup:

Since everything here is very impressive, I'd say you should be able to get some excellent letters of recommendation. You have the GPA, ranking, good MCAT practice scores, research, shadowing, volunteering, etc. If you're able to get that publication out, I think that would distinguish you even further.

I think you stand an excellent chance at top med schools. Good luck !!
 
I was wondering if somebody could comment on where I stand as an applicant.
I go to a top 20 school and study biochemistry (more physical science than biology, which might explain my lower GPA)
Overall GPA: 3.56
Science GPA: 3.52
MCAT: 34 fairly balanced

EC's:
Shadowing (20+hrs in 2 specialties)
Hospital Volunteering: 150+hrs
Research for 2+yrs but no pubs
Tutoring

Strong and varied LORs
 
As far as getting in goes, I imagine you're in good shape as long as you apply early and broadly and to state schools, etc., etc. If you're trying to get into a top school, you'll be a longshot.
 
Anyways here are my stats so far and I hope I can build on it some more.

Freshman GPA
1st semester 3.3
2nd semester 3.0
Ya this was a bad year had to deal with the losses of both my grandmother and my great grandmother, people who were very close to me. I also didn't know how to approach college.

Sophmore year GPA
1st semester 3.64
2nd semester 3.67 (I took 17 hours with 2x honors liberal arts, physics, biostats, bio 2 this semester)

Junior year GPA
1st semester 4.0 (with Ochem 1 and upperlvl Bio class)
2nd semester 3.88 (Ochem 2, analytical chemistry, Genetics with lab) Had to self teach genetics because we had a sub for the entire semester so I got a B+



my Overall GPA is 3.65 and I believe that my overall Science is over 3.5 give or take.

My extracurriculars are avg I did some volunteering summer of my freshman year around 200 hours in hospital ER, various campus organizations such as American Chemistry society, AMSA etc.

I have decent LORs from science profs and will get more next semester.

so what kinda of scores on the MCAT will I need to be competitive in TX med schools? I don't really care about UTSouthwestern or BCM, med school is med school for me. I really want to stay in TX though and be able to visit my family once in a while.
 
thetubes...I would say you are competitive for top 20 schools and will definitely get in a top 50 school.
 
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