My concern is primarily whether my GPA (which is less than the median at most schools) will hold me back from getting interviews at upper mid-tier/upper tier schools. What should be my guidelines when selecting schools, do I have a chance as long as my GPA is above their bottom 10 %? Would it be reasonable to add a few more competitive schools to my list? Although I don't just care about rankings, I do want to apply to the best institutions that I can.
The major changes since my post last year are mostly related to research and are:
1. I’ve done a poster presentation at a national conference and had my abstract published
2. Continuing to work on my own research projects and have had two students work under me in the lab
3. will be the first author on a paper in a solid journal (IF ~ 4)
4. Added a B.A in History and a minor in Philosophy to total 3 majors and 1 minor.
General
Residency: South Carolina
Applicant Type: Traditional
cGPA: 3.65
sGPA: 3.57
MCAT: 35 (12,11,12)
Majors: B.S. Chemistry, B.S. Biochemistry and B.A. History
Minor: Philosophy
LizzyM:
Volunteering - Non-Medical
1 Year Food Not Bombs - 3-4 hrs per week
- acquired food and cooked
Volunteering - Medical
1.75 Years Hospital Volunteering - about 250 hours
- stocking supplies, answering phones and call bells, transporting patients
1.5 Years Hospital Infusion Center Volunteering - about 150 hours
- also some stocking supplies, but a lot of my time is spent sitting checking on patients to see if I can get them anything as well as providing them with company while they get their chemo or other treatment.
1.25 Years Hospice Volunteering - about 100 hours
- almost exclusively providing companionship to hospice patients, either in their homes or in a hospice house. Also provided respite care to primary care givers.
Clinical Experience
I consider my volunteer experiences at the infusion center and with hospice to be clinical experience. If I am remiss in this judgment, please let me know.
Research
2.5 Years Biophysics Research – 15 - 25 hrs/ week during school and ~ 60 hrs/ week during summer
- Spent first 3 months simply doing prep for experiments such as isolating cells and cell culture. I graduated to running experiments and understanding the science behind them. For the past 1.5 yr I have been working fairly independently under a mentor with my own project (I share responsibility with my mentor in designing my own experiments and developing theories).
- One national poster presentation
- First author journal publication (IF ~ 4)
- Graduating this year, but will continue to work full time doing research during my year off while I’m applying.
Shadowing
Total: about 48 hrs
16 hrs General Surgeon
8 hrs Geriatrics
16 hrs Family Practice
8 hrs Cardiologist
Leadership
Supervisor at a retail store - worked there for 1.5 years, supervisor for 8 months
1 semester of tutoring - this is ongoing
1 semester of being an SI leader
Was a mentor to a high school student in our lab for her research project
- Responsible for teaching her all lab techniques as well as basic science background
- Decided what experiments she should do and oversaw her work
ECs
2 years of film club
recreational runner throughout college - completed 5k, 8k and 1 marathon
lifelong motorcycle enthusiast - have ridden since I was 16
Work Experience (This amounts to having almost continuously worked through college)
1.5 years retail store - during school 15-20 hrs/week during summer 30-40 hrs/week.
6 Mo restaurant work - during school 15-20 hrs/week during summer 30-40 hrs/week.
1 semester SI Leader - dedicated about 12 hrs/ week to this.
2 summers research lab - easily 45 - 50 hrs/ week.
1 year research lab (paid) – about 20-25 hrs/ week
1 semester tutoring - just a few hours per week.
Current School List (roughly descending order according to selectivity)
Vanderbilt University
University of Virginia
Dartmouth Medical School
Case Western Reserve University
Emory University
Tufts University
Brown University
Saint Louis University
University of Rochester
Boston University
Yeshiva University
Medical College of Wisconsin
Georgetown University
Temple University
Loyola University Chicago
University of Vermont
Wake Forest University
Tulane University
Medical University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
Virginia Commonwealth University
USC Greenville
Thank you so much for your time and comments.
The major changes since my post last year are mostly related to research and are:
1. I’ve done a poster presentation at a national conference and had my abstract published
2. Continuing to work on my own research projects and have had two students work under me in the lab
3. will be the first author on a paper in a solid journal (IF ~ 4)
4. Added a B.A in History and a minor in Philosophy to total 3 majors and 1 minor.
General
Residency: South Carolina
Applicant Type: Traditional
cGPA: 3.65
sGPA: 3.57
MCAT: 35 (12,11,12)
Majors: B.S. Chemistry, B.S. Biochemistry and B.A. History
Minor: Philosophy
LizzyM:
Volunteering - Non-Medical
1 Year Food Not Bombs - 3-4 hrs per week
- acquired food and cooked
Volunteering - Medical
1.75 Years Hospital Volunteering - about 250 hours
- stocking supplies, answering phones and call bells, transporting patients
1.5 Years Hospital Infusion Center Volunteering - about 150 hours
- also some stocking supplies, but a lot of my time is spent sitting checking on patients to see if I can get them anything as well as providing them with company while they get their chemo or other treatment.
1.25 Years Hospice Volunteering - about 100 hours
- almost exclusively providing companionship to hospice patients, either in their homes or in a hospice house. Also provided respite care to primary care givers.
Clinical Experience
I consider my volunteer experiences at the infusion center and with hospice to be clinical experience. If I am remiss in this judgment, please let me know.
Research
2.5 Years Biophysics Research – 15 - 25 hrs/ week during school and ~ 60 hrs/ week during summer
- Spent first 3 months simply doing prep for experiments such as isolating cells and cell culture. I graduated to running experiments and understanding the science behind them. For the past 1.5 yr I have been working fairly independently under a mentor with my own project (I share responsibility with my mentor in designing my own experiments and developing theories).
- One national poster presentation
- First author journal publication (IF ~ 4)
- Graduating this year, but will continue to work full time doing research during my year off while I’m applying.
Shadowing
Total: about 48 hrs
16 hrs General Surgeon
8 hrs Geriatrics
16 hrs Family Practice
8 hrs Cardiologist
Leadership
Supervisor at a retail store - worked there for 1.5 years, supervisor for 8 months
1 semester of tutoring - this is ongoing
1 semester of being an SI leader
Was a mentor to a high school student in our lab for her research project
- Responsible for teaching her all lab techniques as well as basic science background
- Decided what experiments she should do and oversaw her work
ECs
2 years of film club
recreational runner throughout college - completed 5k, 8k and 1 marathon
lifelong motorcycle enthusiast - have ridden since I was 16
Work Experience (This amounts to having almost continuously worked through college)
1.5 years retail store - during school 15-20 hrs/week during summer 30-40 hrs/week.
6 Mo restaurant work - during school 15-20 hrs/week during summer 30-40 hrs/week.
1 semester SI Leader - dedicated about 12 hrs/ week to this.
2 summers research lab - easily 45 - 50 hrs/ week.
1 year research lab (paid) – about 20-25 hrs/ week
1 semester tutoring - just a few hours per week.
Current School List (roughly descending order according to selectivity)
Vanderbilt University
University of Virginia
Dartmouth Medical School
Case Western Reserve University
Emory University
Tufts University
Brown University
Saint Louis University
University of Rochester
Boston University
Yeshiva University
Medical College of Wisconsin
Georgetown University
Temple University
Loyola University Chicago
University of Vermont
Wake Forest University
Tulane University
Medical University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
Virginia Commonwealth University
USC Greenville
Thank you so much for your time and comments.