cGPA 3.6, sGPA 3.6, 31 MCAT, can I just do MD or should I apply DO?

[soswim]

Here are my stats:
3.6 cGPA
3.6 sGPA
31 MCAT

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[GrapesofRath]

Do you want to waste a year if you don't get into an MD school to have to apply to a DO schools a year from now? That's the only thing this comes down to.

You are competitive enough that you should land some II's. But as many people on this site can tell you, from those with 3.8/36's and those with 4.0/34's who get shut out completely from MD schools; nothing is guaranteed.

 

[Goro]

Yes, a few can't hurt to have.

I cast a wide net in terms of MD schools. Should I consider applying to DO schools as well?[/QUOTE]

 

[Banco]

Those are some crazy hours for your activities, especially on top of being an athlete...god damn.

With a well balanced list you'll be good for MD.

 

[soswim]

thanks everyone! any suggestions for DO programs I would be competitive at?

 

[md-2020]

Here are my stats:
3.6 cGPA
3.6 sGPA
31 MCAT
top 5 undergrad school
varsity athlete + multiple all american awards + academic all american
1000+ hours shadowing (infectious disease, clinical microbiology, plastic surgery, pediatric urology)
1500+ hours research in neuroscience lab, acknowledged on paper
3000+ hours research in molecular bio lab, no paper (yet!)
1000+ hours community service
plus work 2 part time jobs during school year (40 hrs/wk) and 2 full time jobs during summer (80+hrs/wk)
first generation college student
socio-economic disadvantaged

I cast a wide net in terms of MD schools. Should I consider applying to DO schools as well?

Are you URM or just SES disadvantaged? If URM you're golden at many MD schools.

Edit: Why did you shadow for 1000+ hours....holy ****

 

[Nietzschelover]

Are you applying as a rising senior or new graduate? How in the world were you a college all-american athlete, working 40 hours a week during the school year, 80 hours during the summer, and obtaining over a 1000 hours in shadowing, two different kinds of research, and then, for fun, over 1000 for community service? Did you do all that shadowing during the graveyard shift? Don't see how all of those hours (for shadowing, research, volunteering) add up even if you were taking zero classes. If all of that is accurate, on top of being first generation and SES-disadvantaged, it's hard to imagine you not getting into a MD program.

 

[soswim]

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[hopefulERdoc251]

I hate to float your boat, but holy hell you have one impressive resume. You are probably the definition of an absurdly well rounded applicant

 

[GrapesofRath]

I'm white female... so not URM.

I started shadowing in high school - went to a high school that prepares kids for a future in medicine. So since I've been shadowing some doctors since I was 14 the hours have added up substantially. My college pre-health advisor told me I should include all the hours even if it was in high school. Most of my shadowing hours during college have been during holidays - winter break, spring break, when I was home in the summer.

1000+ hours includes being on-call for a volunteer EMS squad, also includes a service project that I've been involved in since 2007.

applying as a rising senior, I have so many extracurriculars because I didn't sleep much in college haha. Also very good at time management. Researched ~30 hrs per week during semester (go in on weekends frequently). Study in down time in lab. Work nights so that I can send money home. Part of the 80 hrs/week in the summer is 40-50 hrs in lab that's paid by my school, then I work nights and weekends at a second job. I'm only a one sport athlete so our season isn't too long. I did what I had to do to make sure I could activities I wanted to do (service, athletics, lab work) and still be able to help my parents out by sending money home each month. You'd be amazed how much time you really have to get stuff done.

Don't include anything from high school. Regardless of how much you've done, make sure all the hours add up correctly for all points throughout college. There've been all too many stories ADCOMS have told on here of applicants literally saying they did more than can fit in the 168 hours allotted in a week.

 

[Nietzschelover]

Shadowing specialists at age 14? Was that awkward?

Sorry, hope I'm wrong, but the whole story not ringing true for me.

Not just 1500 hours in one lab, but 3000+ in another, then 40 and 80 hours a week of work, then a 1000+ hours of volunteering, and in spare time earning All-American awards. Generally being an All-American requires more dedicated hours than just a short season. And you're just a rising senior? And while doing all that weren't you a little worried about your relatively low GPA?

 

[Goro]

You're fine for any DO school.

 

[soswim]

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[md-2020]

I'll break it down for you then:
started working in a neuroscience lab my freshman fall semester for 12 hrs/week for 14 weeks (168 hrs), then january semester, 5 weeks at 40 hrs/wk (200 hrs), spring semester 15 hrs/week for 14 weeks (210 hrs), summer at 50hrs/week for 14 weeks (700 hrs), sophomore fall 15hrs/week for 14 weeks (210 hrs), january semester (200 hours), sophomore spring (210 hrs) = 1698 hrs. that's lab #1
left that lab to join lab #2:
sophomore spring 12 hrs for 2 weeks (24 hrs), summer at 50hrs/week (700 hrs), junior fall 30 hrs/week for 14 weeks (420 hrs), january semester (200 hours), junior spring 30 hrs/week for 14 weeks (420 hrs), junior summer 50-60 hrs/week (I'll say 750 hrs).projecting to next year: senior fall 20 hrs/week for 14 weeks (280), january (200 hrs), senior spring (280 hrs) = 3274 hrs. (amcas tells you include projected hours)

swimming requires ~20 hrs per week (less out of season, but we'll say 20 on average)
two part time jobs require 20-40 hrs/week together depending on hour availability
class (actual lecture time) = 12 hrs
so including max lab time in the semester = 30 hrs
total hours per week = 102 hr
still leaving 9ish hours per day with free time on the most hectic week ever to sleep and study and eat (more free time than I ever had in high school actually!)
and most of the paid work was on weekends, whereas as lab was more heavily present during the week
plus study time for classes happens at work (I work in a library, I'm allowed to study when not helping people), and at lab when I have down time
community service happened on the 2-5 weeks I am home per year, along with shadowing. service also happened when I had random days off from school (veteran's day, columbus day; 10-12 hr days) like I said I included some high school hours there because the project/shadowing was continuous over the course of those years and I was advised to list the total hours.

my "relatively low" GPA has an upward trend. I suffered academically when I took on an extra job to send money home so that my mom could pay for her breast cancer treatments. But I earned a 4.0 in a mostly upper level science class curriculum my junior year. additionally I attend one of the most difficult schools in the country, so my 3.6 is not the same as a 3.6 from other schools.

you find a way to manage everything when you don't have any other choice.

Well if you attend Harvard your 3.6 will be about a 3.2 at comparable Tier 1 schools

You'll do great, just make sure your hours/activities seem reasonable to adcoms, and not stretched. Err on the side of caution when rounding up large numbers. Good luck.

 

[soswim]

Well if you attend Harvard your 3.6 will be about a 3.2 at comparable Tier 1 schools

You'll do great, just make sure your hours/activities seem reasonable to adcoms, and not stretched. Err on the side of caution when rounding up large numbers. Good luck.

thanks for your encouragement I tried to err on the side of caution, don't worry. trying to explain to my prehealth committee where all those hours came from taught me to make sure I can back everything up.

and haha I don't go to Harvard....but you're close

 

[itsogre]

With your massive amount of research hours you should have a publication or an abstract/presentation. while it's not a red flag to NOT have pubs as in undergrad clearly nowhere close, but you did dedicate many more hours than is usual to research, even if its basic science thats slower to publish. Does your PI not publish undergrads? What about a poster presentation at a local conference? Quality over quantity is a good rule here, where quality is pubs/presentations and quantity is hours spent. I think a coauthor or presentation would be really beneficial to your app. It's either publish or perish for your PI, and quality of most basic science research is judged by pub productivity unfortunately

Don't include high school hours, esp. for shadowing. Shadowing is relatively low yield as application fodder after 50-100hr and isn't useful as a source for reference letters.

Post your school list?

 

[soswim]

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[Banco]

I think you have a good shot at the 3 NJ schools, so your list is fine.

Thought if you don't want to go too far from home, you should remove: Rush, Loyola, Mayo, Case

 

[itsogre]

I asked you about your research productivity because some interviewer might ask why so many hours or why not a PhD, so you should have an answer ready for that. I had # of hours comparable to yours, and was asked in all interviews why I wasn't pursuing a combined program or a PhD.

I think you will be just fine at NJMS and RWJ, and (maybe) Cooper since Cooper is really mission centric. You should get an interview at Drexel. Hofstra's MCAT average is p high, so I couldn't count on an interview there. gl you should do fine.

 

[soswim]

Got it - I think I'm ready to explain everything on my resume in an interview and be able to explain away any looks of PhD interest.

But thanks everyone for your help! I really appreciate it!

 

[md-2020]

Got it - I think I'm ready to explain everything on my resume in an interview and be able to explain away any looks of PhD interest.

But thanks everyone for your help! I really appreciate it!

You should be fine. Lots of students, including myself, do a ton of research and don't pursue a PhD. That's a huge commitment.