MD & DO 3.3c /3.43s PB /Top 3 MPH nontraditional chances?

[kellerman75]

I'm a 30 year old nontraditional student who wants to be an infectious disease doctor working in the developing world. I had a terrible Sophomore year in undergrad and ended up with a 2.0 science GPA. After college I worked for an NGO for 6 years, and planned on becoming an Epidemiologist. While completing my MPH, I came to the conclusion that I could contribute more as a physician. So, I retook all of my science prereqs (with 10 year old C's I couldn't remember even the basics) plus some upper level Biology classes. Here are my details:

-3.19 cUG GPA/2.0 sUG GPA (3.5 cGPA without Sophomore year)
-Dean's List 5 semesters in UG
-3.43 sGPA in PB work (3.83 Biology, 3.06 Chem/OChem, 2.7 Physics)
-MPH from Top 3 Program
-Strong LORs from Dr and PhD that I worked for at NGO and PB science profs
-Passionate and unique PS
-MPH practicum designed program to treat parasites in children in Latin America
-Summer building mud huts in African village during UG

EC during PB
-200+ hours volunteering in infectious disease clinic
-200+ hours volunteering in ER

I plan on applying to all my in-state MD & DO programs plus the following:

-3 reach MD schools
-7 low/mid-tier MD schools
-10 low-tier MD schools
-5 DO schools

I know that my scores on the MCAT will have a big impact on my chances, but given what I've done to date what are my chances for MD? DO?

Thanks!

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[MajorBubblez]

We really can't give too much advice with an MCAT score pending. That's a huge piece of the puzzle.

That said, med schools won't care too much about your MPH. Sure if you've got some great experiences out of it, it will absolutely help, but it doesn't add a ton as a degree in of itself.

Honestly, unless your MCAT is over a 38 I wouldn't recommend applying to any 'reach' schools. Mid tiers are a stretch at this point. Your original undergrad grades are pretty terrible, and unfortunately your post-bac grades are very mediocre. That's too bad, you should have really locked down getting a 4.00 post-bac instead of worrying about ECs.

If you can score 30+ I think you've got a decent shot at DO schools. Just please keep in mind that they're also competitive and while they have slightly lower stats on average, they aren't a cakewalk to get into. That said, DO Schools only take the highest grade for any course repeats, so that may improve (perhaps significantly) your cGPA and sGPA. If those two can get above 3.5 than I think you've got a very good shot at DO schools. Honestly, I'm not sure it's worth it financially to pursue an MD school acceptance unless you're able to get a 34+ on the MCAT. I think at that point you'll just be donating to medical schools.

 

[Doug Underhill]

Yeah, what's your DO GPA? The grade forgiveness policy may make it substantially different. A 3.3 AMCAS cGPA is not going to find much love from MD adcoms.

You should aim for a 28 MCAT and go DO only. They say DO isn't really about the numbers, and I think you might have that criteria DO adcoms are looking for.

 

[kellerman75]

Major & Doug,

Thanks for the feedback! My DO stats would be sGPA: 3.38/ cGPA: 3.51. As for my PB grades, I'm not a 4.0 student and probably never will be. I did the EC's during PB because I would have quit otherwise. After spending all of my adult life doing charity work, it hurt me going even 6 months without doing something to help. Since I've been back in school, I've sat with demented old ladies in the ER on a Friday night when no one else in the world cared about them and convinced HIV patients to jump through all the bureaucratic hoops one more time to get their free meds for another few months. I wouldn't trade those experiences for a few extra points on my GPA.

I have to say that your feedback differs from Dr's I talked with and the premed adviser at the top 25 school where I took my PB classes. They put much more emphasis on my story and what I wanted to do as a Dr. They told me that med schools could easily fill every spot with 4.0 students, but would rather have a diverse group of students that wanted to pursue a variety of careers in medicine. Have I been lead astray?

What schools were you accepted to? Perhaps they are far better than the schools that I will be applying to. Are there any regional differences? I'm applying from the South.

I see on mdapplicants.com that there are people accepted with grades comparable to mine. Is there anyone on this forum that like that? What do you think separated you from candidates with higher stats?

Thanks again for your time!

 

[Goro]

I suggest that it would more practical to forget the reaches and the mid-tiers, and focus on your state schools (if any), more low tiers and more DO schools. The PB work is marred by the less than stellar performance in Orgo and Physics. PBs are your chance to shine and your star is dimmer than the successful reinventer. BUt, you have a compelling story and I think that's worth something!!!

-3 reach MD schools
-7 low/mid-tier MD schools
-10 low-tier MD schools
-5 DO schools

I know that my scores on the MCAT will have a big impact on my chances, but given what I've done to date what are my chances for MD? DO?

Thanks![/QUOTE]

 

[MajorBubblez]

Major & Doug,

Thanks for the feedback! My DO stats would be sGPA: 3.38/ cGPA: 3.51. As for my PB grades, I'm not a 4.0 student and probably never will be. I did the EC's during PB because I would have quit otherwise. After spending all of my adult life doing charity work, it hurt me going even 6 months without doing something to help. Since I've been back in school, I've sat with demented old ladies in the ER on a Friday night when no one else in the world cared about them and convinced HIV patients to jump through all the bureaucratic hoops one more time to get their free meds for another few months. I wouldn't trade those experiences for a few extra points on my GPA.

I have to say that your feedback differs from Dr's I talked with and the premed adviser at the top 25 school where I took my PB classes. They put much more emphasis on my story and what I wanted to do as a Dr. They told me that med schools could easily fill every spot with 4.0 students, but would rather have a diverse group of students that wanted to pursue a variety of careers in medicine. Have I been lead astray?

What schools were you accepted to? Perhaps they are far better than the schools that I will be applying to. Are there any regional differences? I'm applying from the South.

I see on mdapplicants.com that there are people accepted with grades comparable to mine. Is there anyone on this forum that like that? What do you think separated you from candidates with higher stats?

Thanks again for your time!

I'm not applying to top tiers by any mean, but the truth is there are so many applicants at the moment that there are so many diverse students with 3.8/4.0's. . Diversity alone doesn't cut it. Its just a very competitive time to apply atm. I would take the advisor's advice with a grain of salt- it's most likely out dated. Many of the docs I shadowed (including professors at Harvard) were behind on how competitive the process has become over the last 5 years, and yet insisted in giving me advice. I think I read somewhere that the average matriculation MCAT score increased by 1 point from 2002 to 2010. From 2011-2013, it increased another point and a half. This may not be exactly right, but it's the overall trend. Thank the recession. With that in mind, I would really avoid applying to reach schools or even mid-tiers, unless you completely kill your MCAT.

I can appreciate your experiences, and they may ultimately help you be a great doctor. However, that time spent volunteering etc. has hurt you in that it has made it much harder to get accepted to med school. I'm applying from the south too (TN), so I recommend your state schools, new private MD Schools, and DO Schools.

Being blunt, IMHO you need a 30+ MCAT score. There are examples of people with lower stats being accepted, but stats don't give the whole picture and it's foolish to treat them as such. Be realistic. Get the MSAR. And study your butt of for the MCAT. You can get in, but it's going to take a lot of work.