3.37 Cgpa, 3.3 Sgpa, 24 MCAT

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shaner123

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Long-time Lurker here, just received my MCAT score today and not too thrilled (8PS/6VR/10BS). Have decent GPA and EC's. What are my chances at D.O. school? Podiatry?

--200 hours volunteering ER/patient floors.
--250 hours shadowing multiple sspecialties(mainly ortho) have a letter of rec from a doc and it's very strong
--100 volunteering at a homeless shelter
--Worked as a pharmacy technician for a year in high school
--1.5 years of research in an entomology lab studying bee virus pathology associated with colony collapse disorder with a puplication on the way in months
--4 strong letters of recommendation

--Most recent semester GPA: 3.75 and in higher level sciences courses

Strong upward trend compared to earlier years. Attend a large public university in PA and am a PA resident. Obviously the GPA is not the best. Do I have a shot of acceptance to an D.O. or podiatry school?
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retake MCAT and you have a chance at DO. as it stands you're competitive for podiatry
 
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@Goro any input? Preferably is my MCAT score enough to gain an acceptance? The 6 in verbal a deal breaker?
 
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Though I can't confidently say what your chances are with your MCAT and GPA combined. But, I would be willing to bet with an early application (first week) and with a wide spread applying to around 20 Osteopathic schools, you may have a decent chance at some of the newer schools. A 6 in verbal is not a deal breaker, though it can lengthen and add more uncertainties to you application cycle such as being on a lot of waitlists instead of getting acceptances right away. Also I would also like to add that every school probably puts a value on verbal differently. During one of my interviews (I too have a 6 in verbal) I was told that they see a stronger correlation for success on the boards with the Bio section of the MCAT (I scored well on) and that helped me. I see that you too scored well on the Bio section and that could indeed help you as well.
 
If you don't mind me asking, what were your stats? Where did you apply? Any interviews or acceptances?
 
shaner123 said:
Long-time Lurker here, just received my MCAT score today and not too thrilled (8PS/6VR/10BS). Have decent GPA and EC's. What are my chances at D.O. school? Podiatry?

--200 hours volunteering ER/patient floors.
--250 hours shadowing multiple sspecialties(mainly ortho) have a letter of rec from a doc and it's very strong
--100 volunteering at a homeless shelter
--Worked as a pharmacy technician for a year in high school
--1.5 years of research in an entomology lab studying bee virus pathology associated with colony collapse disorder with a puplication on the way in months
--4 strong letters of recommendation

--Most recent semester GPA: 3.75 and in higher level sciences courses

Strong upward trend compared to earlier years. Attend a large public university in PA and am a PA resident. Obviously the GPA is not the best. Do I have a shot of acceptance to an D.O. or podiatry school?
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chances are decent for the lower tier schools.
 
What are the lower tier schools? Can you give me a list of where to apply?
 
Thanks for the link. Which of those do I have a realistic shot at?
 
shaner123 said:
Thanks for the link. Which of those do I have a realistic shot at?
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I would pick any 15-20 schools, but avoid the Midwestern's, Touro's, RVU or public schools (except WVSOM).
 
Even ACOM and PNWU seem iffy. Considering your stats, unless you are from around that region, you may have difficult getting interviews from those two as well (from what I have seen this cycle). However, you will still have luck with WVSOM, KYCOM, VCOM (all three), and LMU. Even then, you can still apply to ATSU-SOMA, maybe touro-NV as a reach, and PCOM-ga (these schools are a little tougher). There will be new schools opening up as well.
 
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Thank you for the list. What about PCOM in philly since I'm from the area? The 6 in verbal is not going to hold me back anywhere?
 
retake mcat..at this stage if you dont want to raise the gpa which takes significant amount of time, then the likely area to improve in is the mcat. I dont think you will have a chance seeing the competition in DO school admissions. Nothing really stands out in your activity list except the shadowing maybe. Better be safer with a higher mcat then waste money gambling.
 
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PlaqueBuster said:
retake mcat..at this stage if you dont want to raise the gpa which takes significant amount of time, then the likely area to improve in is the mcat. I dont think you will have a chance seeing the competition in DO school admissions. Nothing really stands out in your activity list except the shadowing maybe. Better be safer with a higher mcat then waste money gambling.
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You don't believe that I would have a realistic shot with DO school with my stats? Will I be okay for podiatry schools? I don't really have the time to take the mcat again (I have reasons for this). You don't see a DO acceptance anywhere?
 
shaner123 said:
You don't believe that I would have a realistic shot with DO school with my stats? Will I be okay for podiatry schools? I don't really have the time to take the mcat again (I have reasons for this). You don't see a DO acceptance anywhere?
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I mean I have seen people get in with those stats. It's going to be very difficult though, which is why I can't say you have a certain percentage chance. Your LOR, personal statement, and activities will play a role so lets hope those are extraordinary. Many times the people with lower mcat scores have a 3.5+ gpa which helps but since you have both on lower end it works against you. Sorry if I'm being harsh but I feel like others are sugarcoating it. If there is nothing you can do at this stage then apply to newer schools like others have sugested. Maybe LUCOM may show some love.
If you are intersted in DO schools go into that. Don't compensate for podiatry schools because its entirely different and I actually do not know much about the stats required for those.
 
I agree with all the above posters. Some of the newer DO schools may show some love, but DO admissions is getting harder and harder each year.

I would try and target LUCOM. After browsing thier forums, they seem to take a chance on slightly lower stat applicants.Remember, all it takes is one acceptance
 
I'll target LUCOM. But do I have a chance at PCOM?
 
user3 said:
not very good, but worth applying to.
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They don't favor in state applicants? Is there any ECs to try and boost my chances? My gpa after this semester could be about 3.4 overall.
 
PCOM does favor in state but it is also a very good school with average stats being quite high. there is a thread with average stats for each DO school and quite a number of threads on newer schools
 
PlaqueBuster said:
PCOM does favor in state but it is also a very good school with average stats being quite high. there is a thread with average stats for each DO school and quite a number of threads on newer schools
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What are the newer schools?
 
PlaqueBuster said:
retake mcat..at this stage if you dont want to raise the gpa which takes significant amount of time, then the likely area to improve in is the mcat. I dont think you will have a chance seeing the competition in DO school admissions. Nothing really stands out in your activity list except the shadowing maybe. Better be safer with a higher mcat then waste money gambling.
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Why does his activities list not stand out to you? He has great volunteering hours in the health field and outside of the health field. He says he has strong LORs (subjective though) and an increase trend in gpa. I would say it's pretty decent to pretty good.

Not being rude, but I have ECs similar to his and want to know what would make my EC stand out more.
 
Agree with what's been said. Decent/strong? shot at pods, somewhat of a shot at DO schools. If you could get your MCAT up to a 27+ and strengthen ECs you'd be a much better applicant.

_sonwin said:
Why does his activities list not stand out to you? He has great volunteering hours in the health field and outside of the health field. He says he has strong LORs (subjective though) and an increase trend in gpa. I would say it's pretty decent to pretty good.

Not being rude, but I have ECs similar to his and want to know what would make my EC stand out more.
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Number of activities is a little low and sheer volume of hours is lacking. 300 volunteer hours isn't bad, but it's also nothing special. The research is great, but not having a pub when you submit doesn't help. Pharmacy tech was in high school, many schools won't look at pre-undergrad stuff. I see 3 things I would consider ECs, plus shadowing with no leadership positions. That does not stand out by any means.

I'd get more clinical volunteering or just volunteering hours in general. Having a job in the field also helps, but is by no means necessary if you have sufficient clinical exposure. Most med schools also like to see some kind of non-clinical ECs as it shows you have somewhat of a well-rounded life outside of medicine. I'd also try and get involved with a club or organization where you can have a leadership position. There's a difference between showing up and participating vs. being a leader, taking initiative, and actively organizing events and clubs. Here's a profile that @user3 posted to a different thread that I think is a great example of someone with very strong ECs. I'd say if you could have half as many activities and hours as this person you've got fairly solid ECs:

http://mdapplicants.com/profile.php?id=27675&refname=Search Results&refuri=search,search_appstatus:accepted,search_school:167,psr:0,orderby:,order
 
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I am not entirely certain on this, but I heard that PCOM usually likes a minimum of 8 on each sections. Now I have heard of people getting in with a 7 on a section, not sure about 6. Again, not entirely sure, so take that with a grain of salt. Good luck!
 
My ECs are not a positive? I thought of it as the best part of my application, no? With the 6 in verbal is my shot at DO school basically non-existent then?
 
Your EC seem fine, just definitely increase the hours. Now this can just be how I interpret it, but its not QUANTITY of EC, its the QUALITY of EC that you have. You are making progress in your volunteering, so that's great, just try to possibly bring up the hours as much as you can. I had only 3 different volunteering, but each one was well over 300 hours. Your research is fine, but it will really show you did something when you get a publication. This is a long and grueling process itself, I remember I didn't get my thesis published until 2014, and I had graduated in 2012. So just keep that in mind (Congrats though). Your 6 is not a killer, but it will definitely not help your changes. I would highly suggest a re-take, but if you don't, then like @user3 said, apply to the "lower-tier" schools and make your way up. Do not waste your money on schools such as Touros (NY, CA), CCOM, AZCOM...etc.
 
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Nesmall2 said:
Your EC seem fine, just definitely increase the hours. Now this can just be how I interpret it, but its not QUANTITY of EC, its the QUALITY of EC that you have. You are making progress in your volunteering, so that's great, just try to possibly bring up the hours as much as you can. I had only 3 different volunteering, but each one was well over 300 hours. Your research is fine, but it will really show you did something when you get a publication. This is a long and grueling process itself, I remember I didn't get my thesis published until 2014, and I had graduated in 2012. So just keep that in mind (Congrats though). Your 6 is not a killer, but it will definitely not help your changes. I would highly suggest a re-take, but if you don't, then like @user3 said, apply to the "lower-tier" schools and make your way up. Do not waste your money on schools such as Touros (NY, CA), CCOM, AZCOM...etc.
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I'll definitely increase my hours of each volunteering. I can't really make the research go any faster bc I'm at the will of my PI and can only do what she says to. It's good to know the 6 won't be the deal breaker it just worries me. I don't necessarily have time for a retake unfortunately. Like I asked before, what are good schools (preferably in northeast US) that I have a shot at?
 
How north would you consider for northeast? Is WVSOM and possibly VCOM too low for you? You stand a good shot at WVSOM, but also if you meet their mission. They really emphasize training physicians in rural areas of WV. If you are OK with that, then thats a good school. VCOM is also another option (VA option), but again, heavy emphasis on training physicians for the Appalachian areas, and training primary care physicians. LECOM might not be a bad option as well. Other than that, I don't think PCOM, Touro, NYIT or Rowan will show much love.
 
_sonwin said:
Why does his activities list not stand out to you? He has great volunteering hours in the health field and outside of the health field. He says he has strong LORs (subjective though) and an increase trend in gpa. I would say it's pretty decent to pretty good.

Not being rude, but I have ECs similar to his and want to know what would make my EC stand out more.
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What you said answers the questions. You have similar EC's. I had similar EC's. So do the majority of people applying to DO schools. Many matriculants have strong LOR, good PS, some research experience, and good volunteering hours and shadowing hours. When I say stand out I mean things like "publications" (his is on the way which doesnt count until it is atleast in press), abroad clinic, hospital job, etc.
 
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PlaqueBuster said:
What you said answers the questions. You have similar EC's. I had similar EC's. So do the majority of people applying to DO schools. Many matriculants have strong LOR, good PS, some research experience, and good volunteering hours and shadowing hours. When I say stand out I mean things like "publications" (his is on the way which doesnt count until it is atleast in press), abroad clinic, hospital job, etc.
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Did you have an interest in primary care in unreserved or rural medicine?
 
GypsyHummus said:
Did you have an interest in primary care in unreserved or rural medicine?
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it depends. I am interested in doing a dual degree so if the disease I would like to study is part of a rural or underserved population then I may work in that demographic.
 
Nesmall2 said:
How north would you consider for northeast? Is WVSOM and possibly VCOM too low for you? You stand a good shot at WVSOM, but also if you meet their mission. They really emphasize training physicians in rural areas of WV. If you are OK with that, then thats a good school. VCOM is also another option (VA option), but again, heavy emphasis on training physicians for the Appalachian areas, and training primary care physicians. LECOM might not be a bad option as well. Other than that, I don't think PCOM, Touro, NYIT or Rowan will show much love.
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Do I stand a good shot at LECOM and VCOM? What are my chances of specializing if I go to those schools instead of primary care?
 
shaner123 said:
My ECs are not a positive? I thought of it as the best part of my application, no? With the 6 in verbal is my shot at DO school basically non-existent then?
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Your ECs aren't bad, they just don't stand out from a lot of other applicants and are underwhelming compared to some. 6 in verbal isn't going to kill your chances, but it certainly isn't helping them either. Here's basically how I read your profile as it stands for DO schools in a nutshell:

GPA: Not bad, but below average. The upward trend also helps. (Slight) underdog.

MCAT: Mediocre with a 6 in verbal and a solid 10 in bio. Not a problem if the rest of your app is strong, but could be an issue if not. Underdog.

ECs: Strong research, with a publication it's a definite big plus. 250 shadowing hours tells me you've got exposure and are sure medicine is the path for you. 200 ER volunteer hours says you are trying to be involved, but did not dive in head first. Add the other 100 hours to make 300 total. That's about 1.5 hrs per week over the course of your 4 years in college. Not bad, but that's about the minimum that I would think any decent applicant should have. ~Average. (I don't include your pharmacy position because it happened in high school).

Overall, you're an underdog. If you could hit over a 27 on the MCAT it would help a lot. It would give you something that is above average at a lot of DO schools. As for your ECs, you can always build on them and you should definitely do that. If there is anything you're leaving out (part time jobs, clubs, community involvement, etc.) you should include it, even if it seems silly or is a limited amount of hours. I'm also curious about your research. How many hours/wk do you put in? 2? 10? Because that can make a huge difference. I'd also say that strong LORs are great, but everyone thinks theirs are strong. It's too subjective to really know how strong they are, and what one adcom thinks is an amazing LOR, another may see as simply good.

Does that mean you shouldn't apply this cycle or that you should give up on DO schools? No, but it does mean you're going to have a harder time than other applicants. I'm not saying any of this to discourage you, I'm just trying to be realistic. Keep in mind that tons of solid applicants get rejected every year and have to reapply. I had to apply 3 times, but I got in, which is all that matters in the end. If you don't get in this cycle and are willing to put in the work to prove this is the right path, you will eventually get in, even if it isn't this time around.
 
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Stagg737 said:
Your ECs aren't bad, they just don't stand out from a lot of other applicants and are underwhelming compared to some. 6 in verbal isn't going to kill your chances, but it certainly isn't helping them either. Here's basically how I read your profile as it stands for DO schools in a nutshell:

GPA: Not bad, but below average. The upward trend also helps. (Slight) underdog.

MCAT: Mediocre with a 6 in verbal and a solid 10 in bio. Not a problem if the rest of your app is strong, but could be an issue if not. Underdog.

ECs: Strong research, with a publication it's a definite big plus. 250 shadowing hours tells me you've got exposure and are sure medicine is the path for you. 200 ER volunteer hours says you are trying to be involved, but did not dive in head first. Add the other 100 hours to make 300 total. That's about 1.5 hrs per week over the course of your 4 years in college. Not bad, but that's about the minimum that I would think any decent applicant should have. ~Average. (I don't include your pharmacy position because it happened in high school).

Overall, you're an underdog. If you could hit over a 27 on the MCAT it would help a lot. It would give you something that is above average at a lot of DO schools. As for your ECs, you can always build on them and you should definitely do that. If there is anything you're leaving out (part time jobs, clubs, community involvement, etc.) you should include it, even if it seems silly or is a limited amount of hours. I'm also curious about your research. How many hours/wk do you put in? 2? 10? Because that can make a huge difference. I'd also say that strong LORs are great, but everyone thinks theirs are strong. It's too subjective to really know how strong they are, and what one adcom thinks is an amazing LOR, another may see as simply good.

Does that mean you shouldn't apply this cycle or that you should give up on DO schools? No, but it does mean you're going to have a harder time than other applicants. I'm not saying any of this to discourage you, I'm just trying to be realistic. Keep in mind that tons of solid applicants get rejected every year and have to reapply. I had to apply 3 times, but I got in, which is all that matters in the end. If you don't get in this cycle and are willing to put in the work to prove this is the right path, you will eventually get in, even if it isn't this time around.
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Thank you for your thoughtful response. It is greatly appreciated. I'm not able to retake the MCAT (personal reasons). I work for research about 15 hours a week but my publication will not be until after applying to med school. Is there any specific ECs that would bolster my application other than just improving time in what I have? Do I truthfully have a realistic shot at any DO school or is it time to think podiatry?
 
shaner123 said:
Thank you for your thoughtful response. It is greatly appreciated. I'm not able to retake the MCAT (personal reasons). I work for research about 15 hours a week but my publication will not be until after applying to med school. Is there any specific ECs that would bolster my application other than just improving time in what I have? Do I truthfully have a realistic shot at any DO school or is it time to think podiatry?
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15 hrs/wk for 1.5 years comes out to around 750 hours (sound about right?), which is huge. That alone makes your ECs far more respectable imo. I see 2 things that seem to be lacking in your ECs: leadership and diversity. Not having leadership experiences won't hurt you if you've got other good ECs (you do), but adding a leadership experience or two will definitely help. The diversity thing isn't really too bad either, but most med schools want well-rounded applicants with a life outside of medicine, or at the very least a hobby. If there's something you're interested in, join or start a club, no matter how stupid you think it is. One of my old roommates started a 'cheese aficionado' club where all the members brought a unique cheese every other week and they tasted them, one of his interviewers thought it was the coolest thing ever. Having a ton of medical experience/related stuff is great, but it's also good to show them you have a way to blow off stress/relax other than medicine.
 
Stagg737 said:
15 hrs/wk for 1.5 years comes out to around 750 hours (sound about right?), which is huge. That alone makes your ECs far more respectable imo. I see 2 things that seem to be lacking in your ECs: leadership and diversity. Not having leadership experiences won't hurt you if you've got other good ECs (you do), but adding a leadership experience or two will definitely help. The diversity thing isn't really too bad either, but most med schools want well-rounded applicants with a life outside of medicine, or at the very least a hobby. If there's something you're interested in, join or start a club, no matter how stupid you think it is. One of my old roommates started a 'cheese aficionado' club where all the members brought a unique cheese every other week and they tasted them, one of his interviewers thought it was the coolest thing ever. Having a ton of medical experience/related stuff is great, but it's also good to show them you have a way to blow off stress/relax other than medicine.
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So my research is a strong point now? Does leadership in volunteering count as in training many new volunteers? Could diversity include hobbies I do that aren't school related--such as traveling?
 
shaner123 said:
So my research is a strong point now? Does leadership in volunteering count as in training many new volunteers? Could diversity include hobbies I do that aren't school related--such as traveling?
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Never said your research wasn't a strong point. Just that it would look much better if you could get a publication out of it. Training new volunteers absolutely counts as leadership. It also shows you played an important role in the organization and you should definitely include that info. Diversity would include any activity that shows you have interests outside of medicine.. I don't think I'd include traveling as an activity unless you're doing something specific when you travel. For example, if you travel to national parks to hike. Basically if you do something on a regular basis (at least an hour a week) and are striving to improve yourself through that activity it can count. You just have to make sure you can explain what you gained from the activity and how it makes you a better person/stronger candidate.
 
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