Anxiety Levels are high! 3.0 GPA 34 MCAT What do I do?!

[TeaForMe]

Hello, up until this moment I was convinced that I would apply to a SMP program and that would be my way into med school, but recently I have been hearing things that are making me question this approach.

My current stats are a cGPA of 3.08 a sGPA about 3.2/3.3 and an MCAT of 34 (12/10/12). I have near 300 hours of volunteer experience and I have worked a minimum of 24 hours a week throughout my undergrad. I am planning on shadowing a primary care physician starting in a couple weeks and I've been working on getting a job as a scribe. Where do I go from here?

I would greatly appreciate any advice!


P.S. my last 7 quarters have an upward trend with an avg GPA of 3.85 and the last 5 quarters are closer to a 3.95. Also, how much attention is given the graduate GPA? Does it mask/make up for the uGPA?

THANK YOU!

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[Goro]

You're competitive for many DO schools, including mine. If you're boning for MD schools, you might not need a SMP. there are schools that believe in reinvention.

Suggest targeting your state schools, and the following:
all new MD schools
All low tier schools
Case
Duke
Dartmouth
U Miami
BU
Tulane



My current stats are a cGPA of 3.08 a sGPA about 3.2/3.3 and an MCAT of 34 (12/10/12). I have near 300 hours of volunteer experience and I have worked a minimum of 24 hours a week throughout my undergrad. I am planning on shadowing a primary care physician starting in a couple weeks and I've been working on getting a job as a scribe. Where do I go from here?

SPM or postbac that mimics med school can do wonders if you do well.
Also, how much attention is given the graduate GPA? Does it mask/make up for the uGPA?

 

[TeaForMe]

Thank you for the reply Goro,

I'm a bit hesitant to apply to DO schools. I've heard its harder to get into a residency program especially for surgery (I want to do trauma surgery).

Could you please elaborate on the benefits of doing well in an SMP/postbac, and if the benefits differ based on which one I complete? I am confident that I can graduate with with at least a 3.8.

Dreams of UCSF have been shot, but I'm hoping I can stay in California and hopefully get into USC, I'm not sure if that's at all realistic considering my current stats. I also graduated June 2014 and took the MCAT September 2014. Would this "gap" year hinder me in any way?

 

[NonTrad16]

Post bacs adjust your undergrad gpa, while SMP are graduate degrees (don't change undergrad gpa) that correspond to a pseudo medical school curriculum to demonstrate "you have what it takes". A general graduate degree doesn't do much for you, sadly.

If you've read about the presumed difficulties of DO matching, you've also read the thousand and one replies to that argument, so... Do what you will with those. I don't know what you'd have to do to approach USC at this point. Have a large cash donation you can make? (You're at the median MCAT and well below the 10% percentile gpa. I'm not trying to be snarky, but CA is very competitive).

If you want to stay near CA and can overcome your DO hurdles, there are a few programs in/near California.

 

[Darth Doc]

Thank you for the reply Goro,

I'm a bit hesitant to apply to DO schools. I've heard its harder to get into a residency program especially for surgery (I want to do trauma surgery).

Search the forums. Goro has discussed this extensively. Basically, DO gets you into a medical program and you can get into any competitive residency. You'll have to work hard (as you would in any program), but there are talented DOs in cardiology, orthopedic surgery, dermatology, etc. It's not limiting you to apply DO.