Low Academic Stats, Successful Cycle!
So excited to share my results, genuinely can't believe I am going to be a doctor!!! Thank you to this sub for being an invaluable source of information throughout this entire process. I remember alllll the way back in like 2018 looking at this sub for information...and now here we are!
Hopefully some of my story is helpful to folks in similiar situations.
My undergrad experience was SUPER rough, dealt with multiple deaths in the family including my father, had some serious health issues on my end, struggled with housing insecurity, and overall just struggled with my coursework. I also had been homeschooled and that left some major gaps in my knowledge that I covered up my first few years, but ultimately came out in the higher level coursework. I also worked over full time all 4 years, doing night shift as an ED scribe and training horses/giving horseback riding lessons. I graduated in 2020 with a gen bio major and a political science minor. My non-science GPA was actually great lol but obviously my science GPA was a bit of a nightmare. Being a physician had been my dream forever but at that point it was clear I was not going to be successful if I tried applying, let alone attempting the MCAT. When I graduated I was able to escape homelessness and begin working full time for a Public Health organization, alongside training horses part time. I did this for a few years and then pursued my MPH, and worked my full time job alongside a part time research role for both years. I continued to work both jobs once I graduated, moving into a homeless policy analytical role in my FT job. This is why my hours are so high, because beyond the gap years I also have always had a full time job and a part time job.
After my masters, I had originally planned on immediately taking the MCAT and applying but I was so insanely burnt out and could not really afford to take time off to study, after many tears, I decided to just take a break from pursuing med school. At the time it felt like a death knell, like I was giving up on the one thing that I had been chasing all these years. The one thing that kept me moving forward through all the terrible things. But it was ultimately the best decision I could have made. I spent 2 years just focusing on having a good life. I got to save, travel, spend time with friends, and just have fun. By taking this time, I also ended up developing an extremely strong narrative arc to my work, brough to fruition some genuinely impactful work (alongside a really amazing team!!!), and learned a lot about how the innards of the healthcare system works, as well as the realities of research. Although I am not greatly looking forward to being in insane debt at 40 years old, I would not go back and rush that time of my life.
Last year, I decided it was time to give this whole thing a try. I had set a deadline that if I did not get into med school by 30 that I was done. I was going to completely close that chapter on my life and simply pursue my public health career alone. I was only able to take a month off (which I was still extremely grateful for!) to study for my MCAT, so I spent the 6 months leading up to that period grinding every day, still working 60 hour weeks and then spending 4 hours every single day studying. Although 511 may not be that impressive to others, I am so proud of myself for grinding through that period and getting it done.
I developed all of my writing months in advance and worked through it, and my secondaries, with a tutor who was fantastic. If you can afford it, I would highly recommend. I also put a limit on myself that if I did not get in this year, I was not going to reapply. This was the universe's chance to tell me if this was the path for me, or not. I put everything I could into every aspect of my application, and I think it showed. I also only applied to schools in California and schools I would be truly willing to move for. You can see I withdrew from Loma Linda and Boston after submitting my primary. I did receive secondaries from these schools but I decided I was not willing to go to either of them for a number of reasons. My school list was extremely top heavy considering my stats but truthfully I was not willing to go through this arduous process and relocate my life to someplace I didn't care for.
I think what ultimately made me standout was my writing and my letters of recommendation. All five of my recommenders I consider close friends and colleagues, and all of them are extremely successful in their careers. I was able to read some of their letters and the genuinely made me sob, having their support on this journey really meant the world to me (and I think helped me get in!!!). I also think that I had a unique combination of experiences with the different jobs I have had, the policy centric activities, along with a ton of analytical/technical work. Also coming from a very low-income, rural upbringing to living through urban homelessness, all the way to serving people experiencing homelessness and wanting to be a physician doing street med was pretty compelling. My academic stats definitely did not help me lol.
All 4 of my interviews were MMI, which I feel are not my strongest interview format. I would have greatly preferred a more traditional interview style. This made me feel extremely rushed and also like I was giving a monologue rather than actually having a discussion. Both Tucson and Riverside were very early interviews, Tucson in August and Riverside in September. Both of my waitlists were not huge surprises to me. Davis I was sick for the interview and overall did not feel that I gave a strong performance. UCSD overall I was shocked they even interviewed me. I did not really enjoy the interview and there were quite a few questions I think they just did not like my answers lol. But I was unwilling at any point in this process to be inauthentic so its all for the best.
Deciding between Tucson and Riverside was actually a huge challenge for me. I live 45 minutes from Riverside and my entire network, personal and professional is in SoCal. I also do a specific hobby that I am extremely passionate about which would not be accessible in Tucson during med school. HOWEVER, Tucson has a lot of resources that I felt would be extremely helpful, including a really supportive program. Ultimately, I decided to go with Riverside because I plan to stay in California long term (and their match rates in CA are crazy high), I did not want to give up my hobbies, and I wanted to stay close to my community. I think perhaps if I was in a different stage of my life, I would have chosen differently but this was the right choice for me.
Happy to answer any questions!!! I am just so excited to be starting this next step in my journey and appreciate all of you who have paved the way.