MD & DO When to apply?

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Hey Team,

I'm on quarters and I have to decide between waiting a couple of weeks to get my latest quarter on my transcript, as well as grab an additional 40 hours of community service (really weak currently), or sending in my application the first day applications open.

Fall quarter I got all A's, winter quarter I only took one graded class and got an A-, and I plan on getting all A's this quarter. My thoughts were that an extra quarter would improve an upward trend and bump my GPA from 3.62 to 3.65

Major: Pharmaceutical Sciences
cGPA: 3.65
sGPA: 3.56
MCAT 30M 9V 10P 11BS

Clinical Experience: 1100+ hours
-STNA
-Worked as an aide in a nursing home/retirement community for a year (16 H/week)
-6 Months in an independent living section
-6 Months in a dementia unit
-Have been working in a brain and spinal cord rehab hospital for 8 months as a sitter

Shadowing:
-Will only have about 22 hours with 3 MD and 1 DO. I plan on doing some more during application season.

Volunteer:
-1 year (on going) in a hospital, most of the time in the E.D. (100 hours)
-Habitat for Humanity, will only have 4 months and about 50 hours, unless I wait a couple weeks to turn in my application.

Teaching Experience:
-Physiology TA 2 quarters
-Work with a professor and a group of students from my school at a science museum and do experiments with kids about drugs to teach them basic science/ interest them in higher education.

Research:
-8 weeks in a cancer research lab

Leadership:
-Co-lead a bible study for a year, and helped to mentor the freshman in that group.
-Worked in a Food Court from 8th grade to Freshman year in college. Was a "team leader" and helped to manage a staff (up to 60 people employed) for two years. I only worked this during my winter break of freshmen year and then quit.

Others:
-Boxing Club for 1 year
-Intramural Soccer for 2 seasons
-Intramural Volley ball for 1 season
-Planning on running a half marathon in a week
-In a scholars program freshmen year, where I lived in dorms with and did activities with other pre-business students (I came in thinking I wanted to do business).

Also, I'm an Ohio resident. Do I have a shot at MD? I would still take a DO acceptance.

Thanks for reading.

Originally Posted by NeuroticByN8ure

Hey Team,

I'm on quarters and I have to decide between waiting a couple of weeks to get my latest quarter on my transcript, as well as grab an additional 40 hours of community service (really weak currently), or sending in my application the first day applications open.

Fall quarter I got all A's, winter quarter I only took one graded class and got an A-, and I plan on getting all A's this quarter. My thoughts were that an extra quarter would improve an upward trend and bump my GPA from 3.62 to 3.65

Major: Pharmaceutical Sciences
cGPA: 3.65
sGPA: 3.56
MCAT 30M 9V 10P 11BS

Clinical Experience: 1100+ hours
-STNA
-Worked as an aide in a nursing home/retirement community for a year (16 H/week)
-6 Months in an independent living section
-6 Months in a dementia unit
-Have been working in a brain and spinal cord rehab hospital for 8 months as a sitter

Shadowing:
-Will only have about 22 hours with 3 MD and 1 DO. I plan on doing some more during application season.

Volunteer:
-1 year (on going) in a hospital, most of the time in the E.D. (100 hours)
-Habitat for Humanity, will only have 4 months and about 50 hours, unless I wait a couple weeks to turn in my application.

Teaching Experience:
-Physiology TA 2 quarters
-Work with a professor and a group of students from my school at a science museum and do experiments with kids about drugs to teach them basic science/ interest them in higher education.

Research:
-8 weeks in a cancer research lab

Leadership:
-Co-lead a bible study for a year, and helped to mentor the freshman in that group.
-Worked in a Food Court from 8th grade to Freshman year in college. Was a "team leader" and helped to manage a staff (up to 60 people employed) for two years. I only worked this during my winter break of freshmen year and then quit.

Others:
-Boxing Club for 1 year
-Intramural Soccer for 2 seasons
-Intramural Volley ball for 1 season
-Planning on running a half marathon in a week
-In a scholars program freshmen year, where I lived in dorms with and did activities with other pre-business students (I came in thinking I wanted to do business).

Also, I'm an Ohio resident. Do I have a shot at MD? I would still take a DO acceptance.

Thanks for reading.

What change would be seen in your AMCAS BCPM GPA without and with the extra quarter's grades?

Knowing how your registrar's office works (maybe after a phone call), how long would it take from the time you earn the new grades until the time they are mailed out to AMCAS?

It could be as late as the 21st of June.
My BCPM GPA would only move up to a 3.577.
Also, I know my shadowing and community service hours are weak, so would getting in more hours warrant waiting until the 21st to apply?

I think you'll be fine if you wait until the new grades come in. I'd be more concerned that you get the shadowing hours up before you submit (aim for 50 total), if you have to make a choice between that and more community service hours, but both would be nice if you can manage it.

You are lucky to have some excellent, less-selective schools in your state. A 3.65/30 gave All Applicants in the last three years a 62% chance of an acceptance. Your lower BCPM might drop that some, but your excellent clinical experience should raise it back up again.

Thanks for the advice Catalystik. You rock