My chances and some advice please.

[pirate518]

Hey Everybody, I just joined the forums but I’ve been reading them for awhile. I am planning on trying to apply to med school sometime either during Summer or early Fall and I wanted to ask the group some questions.

I’m a 27 year old non-traditional applicant, live in rural NC and graduated in July 2009 with a BS in Public Health. If it matters, I’m also a URM (Hispanic, speak both Spanish and English fluently). My AMCAS GPA’s: 3.15 cGPA, 2.48 sGPA, non-sci 3.58. Just by those numbers I’m pretty sure my chance at an MD school is shot. My AACOMAS GPA’s are: 3.44 cGPA, 3.04 sGPA, and non-sci 3.69. I have not taken the MCAT yet. During undergrad, I obtained my EMT-B and volunteered for 2.5 years with a local rescue squad. I finished my Paramedic certification sometime after undergrad, started a few months before graduating, and worked as a Paramedic in an emergency 911 county for about a year. I currently work in a rural community health clinic as a medical case manager. Letters of Recommendation are not going to be problematic due to the physicians I work with being very supportive of my goals. After living and working in rural NC for going on 9 years, I know this is where I want to come back to and practice medicine. Due to these factors, DO school does not sound bad at all for what I want to accomplish. I do want to go into family medicine, and I have already had direct patient contact for years. My questions are these:

Am I correct in my thinking MD school is pretty much shot? If I can go ahead and rule this out, I can focus on attempting to get accepted at a DO school.
Is DO a legitimate possibility? If DO is the route to go, Campbell is at the top of my choices so I do not have to displace my family with a big move (wife, 8 month old, mortgage).
If I cannot or do not get into Campbell, what are some recommendations for schools to try to apply to in the region?
What MCAT score would be an acceptable score to combine with my GPA’s? I am trying to study after work, but having a family and work responsibilities are really bogging down my time I've been studying for about 2.5 weeks, last diagnostic was a 20.

Thank you very much!

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[smccreery86]

Hey Everybody, I just joined the forums but I’ve been reading them for awhile. I am planning on trying to apply to med school sometime either during Summer or early Fall and I wanted to ask the group some questions.

I’m a 27 year old non-traditional applicant, live in rural NC and graduated in July 2009 with a BS in Public Health. If it matters, I’m also a URM (Hispanic, speak both Spanish and English fluently). My AMCAS GPA’s: 3.15 cGPA, 2.48 sGPA, non-sci 3.58. Just by those numbers I’m pretty sure my chance at an MD school is shot. My AACOMAS GPA’s are: 3.44 cGPA, 3.04 sGPA, and non-sci 3.69. I have not taken the MCAT yet. During undergrad, I obtained my EMT-B and volunteered for 2.5 years with a local rescue squad. I finished my Paramedic certification sometime after undergrad, started a few months before graduating, and worked as a Paramedic in an emergency 911 county for about a year. I currently work in a rural community health clinic as a medical case manager. Letters of Recommendation are not going to be problematic due to the physicians I work with being very supportive of my goals. After living and working in rural NC for going on 9 years, I know this is where I want to come back to and practice medicine. Due to these factors, DO school does not sound bad at all for what I want to accomplish. I do want to go into family medicine, and I have already had direct patient contact for years. My questions are these:

Am I correct in my thinking MD school is pretty much shot? If I can go ahead and rule this out, I can focus on attempting to get accepted at a DO school.
Is DO a legitimate possibility? If DO is the route to go, Campbell is at the top of my choices so I do not have to displace my family with a big move (wife, 8 month old, mortgage).
If I cannot or do not get into Campbell, what are some recommendations for schools to try to apply to in the region?
What MCAT score would be an acceptable score to combine with my GPA’s? I am trying to study after work, but having a family and work responsibilities are really bogging down my time I've been studying for about 2.5 weeks, last diagnostic was a 20.

Thank you very much!

First question: Other than the good LORs by the docs you work with, do you have good LORs in mind from old instructors (especially science)? Most schools require at least one, and I know they change the rules a little when you've been out of school for a while, but even so...something to think about.

Honestly, that science GPA is definitely going to be a hurdle you may not be able to overcome with MD schools. I don't know if you've had the opportunity to look at the MSAR, but it puts you well below the 10th percentile for all the schools I've looked at.
Overall, every factor makes you a much better DO candidate. Your "nontraditional" status, interest in rural care, amazing experience working in the field, less-than ideal GPA...
Either way, to balance out your GPA, you're going to want to do very well on the MCAT (I'm talking like 29+).
Hope this helps a little. If you have any more questions, want to know my stats, etc. feel free to ask. I'm an open book and all about helping others who are serious about med school get there!

 

[as1212559]

First question: Other than the good LORs by the docs you work with, do you have good LORs in mind from old instructors (especially science)? Most schools require at least one, and I know they change the rules a little when you've been out of school for a while, but even so...something to think about.

Honestly, that science GPA is definitely going to be a hurdle you may not be able to overcome with MD schools. I don't know if you've had the opportunity to look at the MSAR, but it puts you well below the 10th percentile for all the schools I've looked at.
Overall, every factor makes you a much better DO candidate. Your "nontraditional" status, interest in rural care, amazing experience working in the field, less-than ideal GPA...
Either way, to balance out your GPA, you're going to want to do very well on the MCAT (I'm talking like 29+).
Hope this helps a little. If you have any more questions, want to know my stats, etc. feel free to ask. I'm an open book and all about helping others who are serious about med school get there!

I concur. MD is essentially out of the question with that sGPA unless you pump money into an SMP.

For DO, your sGPA is still a hurdle, but a 28+ MCAT would open a lot of doors for you. You have a lot of very good experiences which will add a lot to your application. Do you have an upward trend in grades at all? The issue is whether or not it is evident that you can handle a heavy science curriculum.

Remember that with diagnostics you want to probably be hitting 2-3 points above your goal before you take the actual test, as many people report a drop in score on test day. My score actually fell about 4 points from my diagnostic average, and one below my goal, but I still had a good enough score for DO schools (29). I also had a lower sGPA (3.15) and a 3.4 cGPA when I applied. I had good success with those numbers and a smart application. 3 interview invites, 2 interviews attended, 2 acceptances.

I think with a 28+ Campbell and other schools would definitely be interested in you, especially since you are local and want rural primary care, which I'm sure aligns with their mission. Being a fit with a school's mission is important, although being a fit with their academic standards has to come first. Also look into the VCOMs and LMUDCOM as they are somewhat in your region.

You could get some love from Campbell with lower than a 28 too, but aim high. I can say from experience that a high MCAT kicks doors in the DO world if your GPA only knocks on them.

Good luck!

 

[Goro]

I think you're going to have to apply carefully. Even as a URM, that's a pretty low sGPA. we've low wait listed URMs with numbers that low. Naturally, this discussion is a bit premature without an MCAT score.


My AMCAS GPA’s: 3.15 cGPA, 2.48 sGPA, non-sci 3.58. Just by those numbers I’m pretty sure my chance at an MD school is shot. My AACOMAS GPA’s are: 3.44 cGPA, 3.04 sGPA, and non-sci 3.69. I have not taken the MCAT yet. Am I correct in my thinking MD school is pretty much shot?


Yes

Is DO a legitimate possibility? If DO is the route to go, Campbell is at the top of my choices so I do not have to displace my family with a big move (wife, 8 month old, mortgage).


PCOM-GA; LMU, ACOM; EViaCOM; Pikesville; LUM-DeBusk; MarionCOM

If I cannot or do not get into Campbell, what are some recommendations for schools to try to apply to in the region?


You'll need a 25-30. A 20 is reject material.

What MCAT score would be an acceptable score to combine with my GPA’s? I am trying to study after work, but having a family and work responsibilities are really bogging down my time I've been studying for about 2.5 weeks, last diagnostic was a 20.