MD & DO 3.375 cGPA, taking MCAT this May. What are my chances and what more should I do

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My cGPA is 3.375 and sGPA is around 3.2 (No Fs or Ds, just a lot of Bs, B+s, and one C+ in biochem) from UC Berkeley (for all it's worth). I have experience volunteering in medical brigades and 6 months experience in clinical research. I'm studying to take the MCAT this May, but am worried/lost about whether i should bother applying to an M.D. or even a D.O. this cycle.

If my chances are low for both D.O. and M.D., what measures can I take to improve my chances? Would a post-bacc or a Special Masters Program be helpful? What other stuff should I be doing between now and the next application cycle (2013) if you think I'm not ready to apply just yet.

If my chances are good for D.O., what are good schools to target?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by jaf

My cGPA is 3.375 and sGPA is around 3.2 (No Fs or Ds, just a lot of Bs, B+s, and one C+ in biochem) from UC Berkeley (for all it's worth). I have experience volunteering in medical brigades and 6 months experience in clinical research. I'm studying to take the MCAT this May, but am worried/lost about whether i should bother applying to an M.D. or even a D.O. this cycle.

If my chances are low for both D.O. and M.D., what measures can I take to improve my chances? Would a post-bacc or a Special Masters Program be helpful? What other stuff should I be doing between now and the next application cycle (2013) if you think I'm not ready to apply just yet.

If my chances are good for D.O., what are good schools to target?

Thanks!

Very little chance for MD unless you can score a 34+ MCAT. Good chance at DO with a 27+ MCAT

Originally Posted by jaf

My cGPA is 3.375 and sGPA is around 3.2 (No Fs or Ds, just a lot of Bs, B+s, and one C+ in biochem) from UC Berkeley (for all it's worth). I have experience volunteering in medical brigades and 6 months experience in clinical research. I'm studying to take the MCAT this May, but am worried/lost about whether i should bother applying to an M.D. or even a D.O. this cycle.

If my chances are low for both D.O. and M.D., what measures can I take to improve my chances? Would a post-bacc or a Special Masters Program be helpful? What other stuff should I be doing between now and the next application cycle (2013) if you think I'm not ready to apply just yet.

If my chances are good for D.O., what are good schools to target?

Thanks!

SMP or postbac could help your case for MD, if you earned a 3.7+ GPA during the effort. But, if you can't do that now, how will you make it happen after you graduate?

To help decide if your ECs are in the ballpark for application consideration this coming season, you might list them all in more detail, including timeframes of involvement.

Delete the 3 after the decimal point in your GPA and you're good to go! More seriously, if you get a 33+ and apply broadly you might get in somewhere, but if you get a more average MCAT you'll probably have to do some GPA repair via postbacc/smp or apply DO.