Supplementing my Lackluster Record

Five years and three application cycles after graduating from Cornell, I am  going to medical school. It was not easy to build my application up from an abysmal undergraduate science GPA and very average MCAT score—but it is possible with hard work and perseverance. I realized very quickly that I would have to supplement my lackluster undergraduate record with meaningful and relevant experience. While volunteering in two different hospital departments for two years after graduation and becoming a mentor, I also worked nearly full-time at an assisted living facility. Recognizing the need to bolster my academic record and MCAT score, I spent the subsequent three years attending a Master's program designed for students in my situation. After a full year of academic course work (taking medical school classes with medical students), I spent two years as director of a non-profit community outreach organization, was a teaching assistant for a medical school course, and conducted clinical research to complete a Master's thesis on Alzheimer's disease. I completed the program with a science GPA over 1.0 higher than my undergraduate GPA, and raised my MCAT score 4 points overall.

The top 5 most valuable things I learned about the medical school process:

#5 If you plan to do a post baccalaureate or graduate program, make sure that the program you attend offers upper-level science or even medical school course work. Retaking basic introductory science courses (unless you received a D or F grade) is not as impressive as excelling in classes geared specifically toward the practice of medicine (i.e., physiology, histology, biochemistry, immunology).
#4 Do not make excuses. If you had a bumpy start you will not be able to ignore it. However, as a non-traditional student, you are given the opportunity to demonstrate maturity and development. Make that point  in your application and interview: that was then…this is now. The journey has now become your most valuable attribute.
#3 Experience, experience, experience. More and more, medical schools are placing a premium on how much real world exposure you have had and the non-academic skills you have fostered. As a corollary to this, it is very important that you dedicate yourself to experiences that are meaningful to you, so that you may speak passionately about them in essays and interviews. Furthermore, intend to make a real commitment to everything that you do. It is ill-advised, and very obvious, to volunteer the minimum amount for an organization just to put it on your application.
#2 Apply early in the cycle. I know how often you will hear this but it is absolutely, 100% crucial.
#1 Do not give up. If this is truly what you want, keep working until you have achieved your goal.

These years gave me the opportunity not only to prove to others that I was serious about going to medical school, but also to prove to myself that this is exactly how I want to dedicate my career and life.  Best of luck to you all!