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[wshelton]

quote:

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Originally posted by UACAT

Hi please tell me if I am competetive and what I can do to become more competitive:

3.20 GPA undergrad, 3.85 GPA graduate school-masters in public health (MPH-just graduated), 19 on MCAT (re-taking currently-what score would be advisable to make competitive?, 7 publications, volunteer over 5 years for clinic, volunteered at several underserved locations in arizona-with hispanic and native american populations and currently working in clinical setting.

Please advise if I am competitive, what could help and U.S. schools where I might have a chance.

thank you,
sarah c.

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Hi Sarah,
Thanks for contacting us. Currently you are not competitive for U.S. medical schools. You will need to get a higher science GPA by taking more advance level science courses and performing at a high level. And you will have to greatly improve your score on the MCAT exam. Hope this helps.
Best wishes,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

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[TDC]

Hello,
I am in the process of getting my PhD in molecular biology and currently have a 3.2 hoping to finish with a 3.4 gpa. My undergrad was much worse, where I finished with a 2.5. I plan on taking the MCAT soon and doing well on it. As far as extracurricular goes, I have a ton of teaching and volunteer experience and will have even more by the time I finish in 2 years. Will my undergrad GPA keep me out of med school or what can I do to improve my chances? I would like to go into oncology and plan on applying to in-state schools.

[wshelton]

quote:

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Originally posted by TDC

Hello,
I am in the process of getting my PhD in molecular biology and currently have a 3.2 hoping to finish with a 3.4 gpa. My undergrad was much worse, where I finished with a 2.5. I plan on taking the MCAT soon and doing well on it. As far as extracurricular goes, I have a ton of teaching and volunteer experience and will have even more by the time I finish in 2 years. Will my undergrad GPA keep me out of med school or what can I do to improve my chances? I would like to go into oncology and plan on applying to in-state schools.

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Dear TDC,
Thanks for contacting us. Your graduate school record should help your chances. So much depends on your MCAT score. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to prepare before you take it. Good luck!
Best,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Keep up with us on:

[TDC]

Thanks for the quick response. It was very helpful, and confirms what I have heard from other professionals. If you don’t mind answering one last question? I have heard some people mention caribbean schools as a last resort for getting into med school, such as ross and st. George. Would this hurt my chances of being an oncologist?

[JD1979]

I am 31 years old. I graduated in Business with a 3.3 GPA, then went to law school and graduated in the top half of my class. I have been practicing law for 5 years, and I am now seriously considering going to back to school to become a doctor.

In college, I took 4 semesters of Calculus with a GPA of 3.75 for those classes, but I have not taken the biology, chemistry, organic, etc. classes that are required for entry into medical school.

If I went back to school to take the required science classes for admission to medical school, what GPA in those classes, and MCAT would I need to have a good chance of being admitted to medical school? Also, what EC’s would be the best for someone in my position?

The medical schools I would be looking at would be in the Gulf region, TX, LA, MS, AL and FL.

Any answers to these questions or advice in general on med school later in life is much appreciated.

[wshelton]

quote:

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Originally posted by TDC

Thanks for the quick response. It was very helpful, and confirms what I have heard from other professionals. If you don’t mind answering one last question? I have heard some people mention caribbean schools as a last resort for getting into med school, such as ross and st. George. Would this hurt my chances of being an oncologist?

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Hi TDC,
Thanks for your follow-up. Attending a Caribbean school would not necessarily rule you out for oncology. You would have to be a good student and do well on the national boards, just like you would anywhere. Good luck.
Best,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Keep up with us on:

[wshelton]

quote:

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Originally posted by JD1979

I am 31 years old. I graduated in Business with a 3.3 GPA, then went to law school and graduated in the top half of my class. I have been practicing law for 5 years, and I am now seriously considering going to back to school to become a doctor.

In college, I took 4 semesters of Calculus with a GPA of 3.75 for those classes, but I have not taken the biology, chemistry, organic, etc. classes that are required for entry into medical school.

If I went back to school to take the required science classes for admission to medical school, what GPA in those classes, and MCAT would I need to have a good chance of being admitted to medical school? Also, what EC’s would be the best for someone in my position?

The medical schools I would be looking at would be in the Gulf region, TX, LA, MS, AL and FL.

Any answers to these questions or advice in general on med school later in life is much appreciated.

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Dear JD1979,
Thanks for your question. It’s possible for you to go to medical school. But you would have to to go back to school and complete your medical pre-reqs and take the MCAT and do well–say low 30’s. But you would also have to show a lot evidence of your dedication to serving patients–lots of ways to do that. If you would like more specific advice, you might call our office and sign up for a one hour consultation.
Best wishes,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Keep up with us on:

[ag2007]

Hi

I am a UCLA undergrad. I have a 3.06 overall gpa and a 2.8 science. I took the mcat twice, and the better score is a 33. What are my chances of getting into a American MD program?

[wshelton]

quote:

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Originally posted by ag2007

Hi

I am a UCLA undergrad. I have a 3.06 overall gpa and a 2.8 science. I took the mcat twice, and the better score is a 33. What are my chances of getting into a American MD program?

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Hi Ag2007,
Thanks for your question. Based on the information you provide, my sense is that you would not likely be competitive in MD programs in the U.S. with which I am familiar. My guess is you would need additional coursework in science to show you are able to show you are ready to perform at the medical school level. Hope this helps.
Best,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Keep up with us on:

[Sori]

Hello all,

I had a low GPA but that was mainly due to my mom developing cancer during my soph and junior year (where my GPA took the dive). However, my senior year I pulled it together and had a 3.75 GPA both semesters.

My stats look like this:

School: Bucknell University
GPA: 3.12
MCAT: 36R

2 Years Full-time job as research technician at a medical school with various co-author publications
2 Years Volunteer at a local hospital (400 hours+)
2 Years Volunteer EMS (600 hours+)
2 Years Asst. Scout Master

Do you think if I apply with these stats I would have a chance of making it into medical school?

[ashnol]

I graduated college in May, I have a 3.3 cum GPA, a 2.7 sciences GPA, a Political Science degree and I haven’t taken the MCATs although I feel they’ll be bad. I worked on an ambulance briefly, spent a summer interning in a research lab and now work as a counselor in a therapeutic group home. I have a lot of volunteer work and leadership roles on my resume. I want to apply to SGU for the MPH/MD program. What are my chances?

[wshelton]

quote:

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Originally posted by Sori

Hello all,

I had a low GPA but that was mainly due to my mom developing cancer during my soph and junior year (where my GPA took the dive). However, my senior year I pulled it together and had a 3.75 GPA both semesters.

My stats look like this:

School: Bucknell University
GPA: 3.12
MCAT: 36R

2 Years Full-time job as research technician at a medical school with various co-author publications
2 Years Volunteer at a local hospital (400 hours+)
2 Years Volunteer EMS (600 hours+)
2 Years Asst. Scout Master

Do you think if I apply with these stats I would have a chance of making it into medical school?

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Dear Sori,
Thanks for your question. Sounds like you came back strong after a bumpy period. This is a close call. It’s possible you could be competitive as some U.S. medical schools. I think it’s worth applying to a few schools, particularly in-state and other lesser competitive schools, just to see how you fare.
Best wishes,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Keep up with us on:

[wshelton]

quote:

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Originally posted by ashnol

I graduated college in May, I have a 3.3 cum GPA, a 2.7 sciences GPA, a Political Science degree and I haven’t taken the MCATs although I feel they’ll be bad. I worked on an ambulance briefly, spent a summer interning in a research lab and now work as a counselor in a therapeutic group home. I have a lot of volunteer work and leadership roles on my resume. I want to apply to SGU for the MPH/MD program. What are my chances?

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Hi Ashnol,
Thanks for your question. My sense is that your chances for admission to MD programs in the US are not good. You will have to check out your chances at SGU by checking with their admission’s office. Sorry I can’t assess your specific question.
Best,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Keep up with us on:

[Sori]

quote:

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Originally posted by wshelton

quote:

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Originally posted by Sori

Hello all,

I had a low GPA but that was mainly due to my mom developing cancer during my soph and junior year (where my GPA took the dive). However, my senior year I pulled it together and had a 3.75 GPA both semesters.

My stats look like this:

School: Bucknell University
GPA: 3.12
MCAT: 36R

2 Years Full-time job as research technician at a medical school with various co-author publications
2 Years Volunteer at a local hospital (400 hours+)
2 Years Volunteer EMS (600 hours+)
2 Years Asst. Scout Master

Do you think if I apply with these stats I would have a chance of making it into medical school?

---

Dear Sori,
Thanks for your question. Sounds like you came back strong after a bumpy period. This is a close call. It’s possible you could be competitive as some U.S. medical schools. I think it’s worth applying to a few schools, particularly in-state and other lesser competitive schools, just to see how you fare.
Best wishes,

Dr. Shelton
Senior Consultant
AdmissionsConsultants
703.242.5885

Keep up with us on:

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Dear Dr. Shelton,

Thank you for your feedback. I just have one more question. How much would very good recommendations from the PI of the lab at the medical institution help me into going to med school? MD vs MD/PhD

[shffl]

Hi AC,

I graduated from undergrad with a 3.1 GPA. I know I am not competitive so I will be enrolling in local university under “second-bac/post-bac” in order to enroll in more science courses. My question is because my GPA is lacking and I need to show the admission board that I can handle the course load at medical school, should I enroll in a lot of science classes at once and get A’s on all of them to demonstrate my capability? For example if the average student enrolls in 4 classes per semester, I will enroll in 5-6 upper div science and obtain A’s on all of them. If I continue this for 3 semesters + 1 summer, will it be beneficial?

Thank you

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