Hi. I am quite new to student doctor network even though i made an account a couple years ago which my friend actually helped make for me one day. I was wondering if I could get some constructive advice, help, opinions, or anything from people here. I have been reading a lot of posts on topics and to be honest, I feel pretty stupid compared to most of you with all your amazing stats and grades and MCAT's. This will probably be a long post as I want some advice and feedback. The main parts of my life academic journey starting from college include me going to undergrad at Ohio State University graduating with a major in Biology and minor in Business. I would take summer classes at Wright State University to transfer credit to Ohio State so I could make use of my summers. I started out freshman year pretty crappy with a low G.P.A. and struggling to adjust to college life, but worked consistently to improve my G.P.A. and also did very well in my summer classes I took at Wright State. I finished my undergrad career with not so impressive stats but an improvement of my barely 3.0 G.P.A. after my freshman year with a 3.3 G.P.A. and 3.1 science G.P.A. I graduated from Ohio State in spring 2011 and decided not to apply right away to medical school. I took the MCAT in August 2011, studied very hard and got a low score of 21R, 7's in all sections which upset me, but was about what I expected. Despite this, I applied to a few M.D. and D.O. schools for the entering class of 2012 and got rejected by them all by no surprise, but still felt very upset by it despite knowing I had no chance. I have taken graduate classes in the sciences such as Anatomy, Physiology, Neuroscience, etc at Wright State University which is very close to where I live and have undertaken a research assistant job this past September. I also studied very hard during the year to improve my MCAT score as I am not that great at standardized tests and improved my score to a 25 S [9PS,8VR,8BS]. I know this is not a great score but it is a 4 point improvement from a 21 and my writing score is great even though it is barely looked at all. I have worked very hard and got a 4.0 in 3 classes I took this semester and have chosen to apply to 10 D.O. schools this year: Ohio, Philadelphia COM, Marian, Campbell, LECOM Pennsylvania, and Florida, West Virginia, Pikeville, Des Moines, and Kansas City. By my calculations which i am sure are accurate or very close to the actual value, my gpa including all undergrad and grad courses combined is a 3.36 cum gpa and 3.18 sci gpa. I know this is low, but I am on an upward trend and earned all A's for this past semester. I finished the application this past Saturday, have transcripts in the process of being sent out as they were being held until my fall grades were final which was needed to boost my gpa that little bit and have my letters of rec being sent out. I have done a lot of extracurricular activities and have done a lot more volunteer work in the community, been doing a research job at Wright St, and have started tutoring homeless children at a place in Dayton twice a week for the last couple months. I was wondering if anybody had any advice, feedback on my chances which I know aren't too great, but are a lot better than last year, and feedback on what I should do or continue to do. It is frustrating to struggle this much to get into medical school, but I am resilient and really want to be a doctor. Sorry for making this long, but I just wanted some true advice and feedback.
Advice and help needed!!
- Thread starter mjkobe140
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Your stats would likely land you a few interviews at D.O. schools provided you had applied earlier in the year. Many schools finish interviewing students in March and April, and some finish as soon as February. That means your application will likely be complete and ready for review at the very end of most school's interviewing cycles, thus dramatically decreasing your chances of being invited to interview this year. It is really not wise to apply when you think your chances aren't too great. Ideally you should wait to apply when you know you have done everything possible to maximize your chances of success, which includes applying early. However, I have been in your shoes and understand the stress associated with the prospect of another year of uncertainty that comes with delaying your application.
Overall, it sounds like you are trying to make the necessary improvements with grades, mcat, and ecs. I would keep doing those things through the spring and next summer in case med school doesn't work out for you this year. If you think you can improve your MCAT by a few points then don't be afraid to take the test a third time. However, only retake the test if you are sure that you will improve your score. DO is becoming more and more competitive, and having a balanced score in the 26-29 range will really help someone with a relatively average gpa to stand out. Also, take some more classes this spring if that's possible. Schools like to see that you're being proactive (which you have been).
If you have to reapply next year, do so in June/July and have all of your secondaries completed by the end of September. Spend time on your personal statement and get a lot of feedback (don't reuse the statement if you have to reapply). Also, you may want to invest in a few "getting into medical school" style books. Most of them have very good advice about when to apply, what schools to apply to, and how to write your essays. SDN is also a great source, but many of these books are written by people on adcoms (not neurotic premeds like myself).
In the mean time, give your best effort on this application and be confident. Good luck!
Overall, it sounds like you are trying to make the necessary improvements with grades, mcat, and ecs. I would keep doing those things through the spring and next summer in case med school doesn't work out for you this year. If you think you can improve your MCAT by a few points then don't be afraid to take the test a third time. However, only retake the test if you are sure that you will improve your score. DO is becoming more and more competitive, and having a balanced score in the 26-29 range will really help someone with a relatively average gpa to stand out. Also, take some more classes this spring if that's possible. Schools like to see that you're being proactive (which you have been).
If you have to reapply next year, do so in June/July and have all of your secondaries completed by the end of September. Spend time on your personal statement and get a lot of feedback (don't reuse the statement if you have to reapply). Also, you may want to invest in a few "getting into medical school" style books. Most of them have very good advice about when to apply, what schools to apply to, and how to write your essays. SDN is also a great source, but many of these books are written by people on adcoms (not neurotic premeds like myself).
In the mean time, give your best effort on this application and be confident. Good luck!
Thank you very much for the response. I really appreciate it. Everything you said is absolutely true. I would have applied eariler, but took my MCAT on July 27th and only had a 3.0 graduate G.P.A. at that time; my A's this quarter raised that graduate G.P.A. to a 3.39 which looked much better. I know I applied a bit late, but I feel like I had to. I am panicked if medicine is right for me and what to do. It sucks falling behind and if I don't get into med school this year, it will be 2 years after I graduated from undergrad. Just stressful seeing most of my close friends in med school, seeming to succeed, and me feeling like a failure. I am taking a couple more classes spring semester and I know I have some chance and much better than last year even though it is not an extremely high chance. I have been job shadowing a D.O. doctor and that has been a great experience and also feel that my personal statement and letters of rec are pretty good. Thank you for the post and I hope I can get some interviews and maybe get into a medical school.
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I defiantly think you have a shot at DO school if you apply early next season. Like apply in June.
Congrats on the Mcat boost! Every bit helps.
Congrats on the Mcat boost! Every bit helps.
does anybody have any advice or tips on what i should do in the fall if I don't get into any medical schools this year? i have e-mailed a lot of people in admissions offices for the schools i applied to and they told me that they understand why i applied late and not to give up as i still have a chance to get in somewhere. if i don't, i am unsure what to do in the fall. i have taken numerous graduate courses in the sciences to improve my gpa, my mcat has improved 4 points not sure if i can do any better, and have improved in all my volunteer, shadowing, extracurriculars, etc. if i don't get in anywhere this year, i am definitely planning on applying in june for next year. i just need some suggestions on what to do in the fall. also, if i apply for a msbs or graduate science programs and if i apply in june for med schools, will med schools know how i did in courses in the fall if i do take classes?
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it would probably be better if the OP wasn't defiant about it.
first off, from your original post: I have worked very hard and got a 4.0 in 3 classes I took this semester and have chosen to apply to 10 D.O. schools this year: Ohio, Philadelphia COM, Marian, Campbell, LECOM Pennsylvania, and Florida, West Virginia, Pikeville, Des Moines, and Kansas City. Let's be realistic. Half those you don't have a chance at. Cross off DMU, KCUMB, and PCOM. Look more into Marian and Ohio (depending on residency). Your stats are low and you just have to deal with it. Congrats on the upward trend and the 4 point increase. With low scores, applying June 1st is probably the most important thing you can do for your application. And applying realistically. If you don't want to take courses, get a job and work full time. Either in a hospital or in a lab would be preferred but any job will suffice. While working, try to get more shadowing and community involvement/volunteering. Or you can take more courses.
thank you for the response. i am taking 3 more classes this quarter and hope to continue the upward trend. yeah i am still debating whether to possibly do a certificate program in anatomy, some msbs program to apply for, or getting a job. ur answer is realistic and helpful. do you or anybody else have updated statistics for applicants and accepted students for d.o. schools. i see so much discrepancy showing up online and some stats i see are way outdated and old.
