Am I done for-DACA student?

[LongshotStudent]

Hello everyone, this will be my first post. I am a sophomore attending Rhodes College. I am a neuroscience major with a minor in chem. My c.gpa is a 2.99 with a s.gpa of 3.1. (this is for 3 semesters)/(I did horrible in Calc-1). These are the classes I am currently taking,with the current grades as of now (still have a few more grades for each so I can still pull everything up)
Orgo-1, A
Molecular/Cellular Neuroscience, B
Cogn. Neuroscience-B
Perception-B
Wind ensemble-A
*Note that so far for my pre-Req classes, I have not gotten anything below a B, its just that calc-1 and humanities grades that have been nailing me.

EC-As of now
1 semester of Research in Vision(will continue in Summer and Fall and hopefully spring)
Member of a fraternity(held position of secretary and philanthropy chair)
Member of the Wind Ensemble(been playing for 10 years)
Rowing/Crew for a year
Internship at a clinic over the summer that can continue in the fall(with direct patient contact)
Volunteered at a soup kitchen for 40 hours freshman year(haven't been able to do that sophomore year though I have plans to continue in this summer through the fall)

Finally some extras.
I am bilingual (English and Spanish)-there is a possibility of getting a Medical Translation Certification in the fall.
I am URM (Mexican)
I have DACA status.

I was hoping for feedback from y'all as to whether I have a snowball's chance in hell into getting into MD/DO school in the US and what I should add to increase my chances(please be realistic if possible)

Thank You for Your Time-LongshotStudent.

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[gyngyn]

At this point your gpa gives us little evidence that you can survive medical school.
Do not take the MCAT until you are scoring in a target range for acceptance!
Get A's from now on.

 

[Cawolf]

I think a first step would be to attempt to secure permanent resident status.

 

[gyngyn]

I think a first step would be to attempt to secure permanent resident status.

This is often (always) beyond the control of the applicant.

 

[Cawolf]

This is often (always) beyond the control of the applicant.

Oh no, I completely understand. I have a close friend who just obtained their green card after a very lengthy process. I just figured that would be a good starting point to not being an international applicant.

 

[Doug Underhill]

Are DACA/"dreamer" students considered international applicants? 3.1 is kind of low for Hispanic applicants- you want to be somewhere around 3.3 to have odds better than a coin flip, assuming a MCAT of 31.

 

[s5260205]

Are DACA/"dreamer" students considered international applicants? 3.1 is kind of low for Hispanic applicants- you want to be somewhere around 3.3 to have odds better than a coin flip, assuming a MCAT of 31.

Based on the list published by AAMC (https://www.aamc.org/students/download/404292/data/daca.pdf), only a few schools recognise students with DACA status as domestic applicants, and I would guess that most other schools still consider DACA students as international students, i.e., ineligible for admissions in many schools. As it stands, the chances of OP being admitted dramatically diminish due to his immigration status since international students could only apply to a few schools and often need much higher average GPA/MCAT. And it is very possible that his applications won't even be considered to begin with, but this will certainly change as more schools become familiar with students with DACA status.

I would advise OP to contact schools he is interested in closer to his applications. For now, excel in all your courses, prepare for MCAT, and build on your ECs.

 

[LongshotStudent]

Thank You for the honest feedback.
As for the grades, I now that it is way too low however it is only my sophomore grades without the last semester included which leaves me at least 3 semesters if not 5 semesters at most to improve during undergrad. The humanities grades have been either B-/B+ range while my sciences have been B/A range. I had a c.gpa.2.75 & s.gpa. 2.92 (w/calc 1 grade) and s.gpa(3.25 w/0 calc 1 grade)- The calc.1 and humanities classes have been my weakness while the sciences have been my strengths with A's being my goal for the next semesters.

Also the MCAT's will play a role in whether I have a chance as well.
Also for EC/Experience
-I will have job as a tutor as well for the summer that could go on into my junior
-I have received notification that my internship for the summer will include shadowing and job of a basic translator(we have a massive hispanic population in the city)

*My pre-health advisor has been continually updating me with the MD/DO schools in the US that are friendly to DACA along with schools in Mexico that could give me a shot to come back to US. All that matters that I become some kind of doctor helping people somewhere.

Also does anybody know about DPM(podiatric) as a possibility?


Thank You for Your Time-LongshotStudent.

 

[s5260205]

Can you list all the ECs you've had so far? Have you had any other ECs besides the two you listed?

As a sophomore going into junior year, you should start looking for clinical experience and shadowing opportunities, as well as any other ECs you enjoy. I seem to get the idea that you have an interest in helping underserved communities. With your background, I would definitely advise you to build on your application around this central theme of helping underserved communities (as you are doing right now). Continue working on raising your GPAs, plan to prepare for the MCAT, and add increasingly more ECs as you become comfortable with time management and study/work ethics.

As for podiatry, there is still the issue of more graduates than residency spots available. Although the admissions requirements for podiatry are lower than medical schools, the competitions on securing residency spots are extremely fierce, not to mention you don't have the flexibility of pursuing other specialties as you would in medical schools. I would not recommend podiatry unless you have personally shadowed a podiatrist and are very informed on what the field entails.

 

[LongshotStudent]

My pre-health advisor has informed that as of now I am performing well enough (If I do well this semester) to have a realistic shot of medical school. He was the same one who informed about the possibility of podiatry.

My EC as of now/summer -
-1 semester of Research in Vision(will continue in Summer and Fall and hopefully spring)
-Member of a fraternity(held position of secretary and philanthropy chair)
-Member of the Wind Ensemble(been playing for 10 years)
-Rowing/Crew for a year
-intramural sports( soccer, volleyball, basketball over the past two years)
-Internship at a clinic over the summer that can continue in the fall(with direct patient contact)*This will have clinical and shadowing opportunities included
-Volunteered at a soup kitchen for 40 hours freshman year(haven't been able to do that sophomore year though I have plans to continue in this summer through the fall)
-Tutor in the summer
*There is a possibility of working at a place that helps specifically hispanic youth that I can look into as well.

Finally, do y'all know if the Kaplan services (like private tutoring or in class services) really help?

Thank You for Your Time-LongshotStudent.

 

[josebiwasabi]

As for podiatry, there is still the issue of more graduates than residency spots available. Although the admissions requirements for podiatry are lower than medical schools, the competitions on securing residency spots are extremely fierce, not to mention you don't have the flexibility of pursuing other specialties as you would in medical schools. I would not recommend podiatry unless you have personally shadowed a podiatrist and are very informed on what the field entails.

The first part of your paragraph is not true, there were more spots available than the applicants from this year's graduating class and the class of 2015 had 98% residency placement rate. I wouldn't call that "extremely fierce." The second part, I wholeheartedly agree with.

 

[Medschoolboy88]

 

[UBC2014]

You have plenty of time to keep your grades up. Keep improving towards As, and you'll be fine.

Don't stress now. Focus on grades first.