<p>Hi everyone,
So I'm a bio major, chem & poli sci minor at the U of Miami and I was wondering what my chances are to get into a med school. I have a 3.593 gpa but that's going to go down after this year. I have shadowing experience with a great doc, and some volunteering. I had some family issues and other things that caused my grades to slip so I ended up with a D in Organic Chemistry I and C+ in Physics I, but A's in all my other classes. Clearly I have to retake orgo and I am but my question is well do I have a shot. I'm a junior, and I have scheduled the MCAT for january. Thanks for any advice.</p>
<p>impossible to chance without an MCAT score</p>
<p>on the practice tests i’ve taken about a 29</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/157998/mcat-gpa-grid-by-selected-race-ethnicity.html[/url]”>https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/157998/mcat-gpa-grid-by-selected-race-ethnicity.html</a></p>
<p>Do all you can to break 30, it is rather a magic number, that said, there are several students on this board (or their parents) who are successful med students with a 29, but it does not make the journey of admissions stress-free! And you need to bring something special to the table to offset the number.</p>
<p>Plus, it is often said/seen that people will score a couple of points below their practice scores! And we have all seen that happen here</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice!</p>
<p>The key factor (assuming that D becomes an A or A-) is what state you are a resident of. If you are lucky, you are a resident of a state with in-state med schools that do not admit applicants from outside the state. If you are really lucky, your state’s med schools have stats for admitted students that are a bit below the average nationwide. Alternatively, if you are from CA, your chances are very low without an excellent MCAT score.</p>
<p>State of residence matters more than most people realize.</p>
<p>state of residence matters more for publicly funded state schools than most people realize</p>
<p>and i am going to guess that OP is from florida based on the 305 at the end of his name</p>
<p>WAIT to take the MCAT! Wait till you are finished with both semesters of orgo and physics. There is no rush here and you want to get the best score possible on the first and only time you take it. You don’t want a 29; you want 30 or above. It doesn’t sound like much, but it is a huge deal to get 30 or above. </p>
<p>Just work on the other aspects of your total package first. Finish all the science classes, take the MCAT prep class, and give yourself some review time before you take the test. Go on with volunteering, get some patient experience, and do more shadowing. You need all of that. </p>
<p>And take more science classes to try to get your science GPA and overall GPA over 3.6. Timing and strategy counts a lot in med school apps. Don’t rush it.</p>
<p>"on the practice tests i’ve taken about a 29 "
-To score decently on real MCAT, bring you timed practice tests to consistent 35+.
-Make sure that your GPA stays in 3.6+
-Never under any cirsumstances mention again that “I had some family issues and other things that caused my grades to slip”. Erase it from your brain.</p>