MD & DO Need advice badly - thanks for help

[JibsGuy52]

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[aesklepi]

Do a master's program in the states.

 

[beeboops]

You should consider looking into a special master's program (SMP) in the states. These are programs that allow you to take upper level science courses, sometimes alongside medical students. If you do well in one of these programs (>3.5 GPA), then you have a good shot at medical school, whether that be MD or DO. However, these programs are notoriously difficult, and if you do poorly in one, your medical school dreams are basically over. Also, most programs require either an MCAT or GRE score, so it's difficult to say how competitive you are without one of these scores. For the program that I just finished, our cutoff is a 3.2 cGPA/sGPA and a 25 MCAT. It's also possible that you could do a post-bacc program, which is different in that you take the pre-requisite courses (orgo, bio, gen chem) instead of upper level science/medicine courses.

I cannot suggest doing a master's program (i.e., master's in biology, master's in neuroscience, etc.) since these are often seen as almost extracurriculars, and the GPAs for these types of programs do not have as much weight as your undergraduate GPA or an SMP GPA.

If you want to practice in either Canada or the US, I cannot recommend Caribbean school. Do a search about Caribbean med schools on SDN and you'll find any number of horror stories and reasons to not pursue a Caribbean MD. Basically, Caribbean schools take anyone with a pulse and a bank account, meaning that they have a huge attrition rate. Around half the class will drop out by the time graduation rolls around and another portion of the class will have difficulty in securing a residency position in the US. Even if they do, it will be a non-competitive residency, which may not be important to some people, but it's something you should be aware of. I can't speak as to the quality or job prospects of Irish medical school.

MD schools allow you to retake courses to your heart's content, but the grades for both courses (the initial course and the retaking of the course) will be factored into your GPA, which could lower it as compared to the GPA calculated by AACOMAS, the DO application service.

Also, do you have any shadowing experience? Especially if you are considering DO, you should look into shadowing a DO and learning more about osteopathic medicine. To be able to prove an interest in OM through shadowing and a letter from a DO physician would really increase your chances at DO schools.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Your GPA is just not going to cut it as an international. There are enough stories of Canadian applicants with 3.8+ GPAs and solid MCAT scores getting completely shut out in US admission. Even as a US citizen you would have an uphill battle and that doesn't account for how much harder things are for internationals.

I don't really advise SMP's in your case. You'll find the average stats of SMP programs like Georgetown aren't that low at all (3.3/32). These type of people are competitive for DO programs as is often times and are looking to risk it all to go to an MD(if you don't do well there is no coming back from it). And you have to do very well; a 3.7+ is what you need a 3.5 in an SMP won't cut it. From your track record, I don't see how you are going to get a 3.7 in an SMP if in undergrad you have yet to crack 3.5 for a single year(these programs are absolutely brutal: for it to be worth it you have to beat out more than half the first year medical students in the classes you take with them)

You're going to need to come to the US and prove your worth. A post-bac is the move I think here. Do at least a couple semesters(3+) either DIY style or in a formal program and do very well(3.7+ GPA). That combined with your re-takes in your Canadian school and a solid MCAT(70th+ percentile) and I think you can be competitive for DO schools.

 

[JibsGuy52]

Also, do you have any shadowing experience? Especially if you are considering DO, you should look into shadowing a DO and learning more about osteopathic medicine. To be able to prove an interest in OM through shadowing and a letter from a DO physician would really increase your chances at DO schools.

It is extremely hard to find a DO shadowing experience in Canada as DO licenced doctors are extremely rare. I have been volunteering actively in a hospital though.

 

[beeboops]

It is extremely hard to find a DO shadowing experience in Canada as DO licenced doctors are extremely rare. I have been volunteering actively in a hospital though.

I understand. I come from an area of the states that doesn't have many DOs, and I haven't actually shadowed one either. DO schools will take into account that there are few licensed DOs in Canada. If anything, you could do an e-mail mentorship with someone. I've seen a few people say this website has been helpful for them in finding a DO mentor (http://cf.osteopathic.org/iLearn/home.cfm), but I can't vouch for it myself. It's worth giving it a shot though.

Have you done any physician shadowing at all?

 

[ZedsDed]

Your GPA is just not going to cut it as an international. There are enough stories of Canadian applicants with 3.8+ GPAs and solid MCAT scores getting completely shut out in US admission. Even as a US citizen you would have an uphill battle and that doesn't account for how much harder things are for internationals.

I don't really advise SMP's in your case. You'll find the average stats of SMP programs like Georgetown aren't that low at all (3.3/32). These type of people are competitive for DO programs as is often times and are looking to risk it all to go to an MD(if you don't do well there is no coming back from it). And you have to do very well; a 3.7+ is what you need a 3.5 in an SMP won't cut it. From your track record, I don't see how you are going to get a 3.7 in an SMP if in undergrad you have yet to crack 3.5 for a single year(these programs are absolutely brutal: for it to be worth it you have to beat out more than half the first year medical students in the classes you take with them)

You're going to need to come to the US and prove your worth. A post-bac is the move I think here. Do at least a couple semesters(3+) either DIY style or in a formal program and do very well(3.7+ GPA). That combined with your re-takes in your Canadian school and a solid MCAT(70th+ percentile) and I think you can be competitive for DO schools.

I'll just add that if, for whatever reason, you decide to do an SMP, you will probably need to do a postbacc program (preferably two years) as well beforehand. Three reasons:

1.) There is no reason to think you will be successful in an SMP, and a poor performance will crush you.
2.) Legitimate SMPs will want to see at least a year of 3.7+ grades before they take a gamble on admitting you.
3.) More often than not, one year of excellent SMP grades doesn't nullify four years of poor undergrad grades. You are going to need multiple years of strong grades to show that your newfound academic success isn't just a fluke.

 

[GrapesofRath]

I'll just add that if, for whatever reason, you decide to do an SMP, you will probably need to do a postbacc program (preferably two years) as well beforehand. Three reasons:

1.) There is no reason to think you will be successful in an SMP, and a poor performance will crush you.
2.) Legitimate SMPs will want to see at least a year of 3.7+ grades before they take a gamble on admitting you.
3.) More often than not, one year of excellent SMP grades doesn't nullify four years of poor undergrad grades. You are going to need multiple years of strong grades to show that your newfound academic success isn't just a fluke.

I don't really recommend an SMP for the OP for this reason. It's hard for even medical students to beat the class average of their classes which SMP students need to. Imagine how much harder and more unrealistic it is for someone who hasn't even gotten a 3.5 in a single year to do just that.

Best bet for the OP is to come to the US and do some kind of post-bacc DIY or formally. Do 3-4 semesters of strong work(3.6+), aim for 65th percentile or so(rough estimate) on the MCAT and go the DO path. I think the OP will find success this route.

 

[ZedsDed]

I don't really recommend an SMP for the OP for this reason. It's hard for even medical students to beat the class average of their classes which SMP students need to. Imagine how much harder and more unrealistic it is for someone who hasn't even gotten a 3.5 in a single year to do just that.

Best bet for the OP is to come to the US and do some kind of post-bacc DIY or formally. Do 3-4 semesters of strong work(3.6+), aim for 65th percentile or so(rough estimate) on the MCAT and go the DO path. I think the OP will find success this route.

Concur. The sample of international applicants who come back from GPA redemption to matriculate into a U.S. MD school is so small as to be negligible.

 

[beeboops]

I actually work for an SMP-like program (not a true SMP in that there is no master's degree granted at the end and you're not taking classes with medical students), and we typically tell applicants below our cutoff to take maybe 4-5 graduate-level bio courses over a full academic year and ace them (>3.7). That, coupled with a competitive MCAT score, will help OP get into an SMP. Then, if they do get into an SMP and ace it, they'll have at least 2 years of excellent grades in graduate-level courses for medical schools to look at.

 

[GrapesofRath]

I actually work for an SMP-like program (not a true SMP in that there is no master's degree granted at the end and you're not taking classes with medical students), and we typically tell applicants below our cutoff to take maybe 4-5 graduate-level bio courses over a full academic year and ace them (>3.7). That, coupled with a competitive MCAT score, will help OP get into an SMP. Then, if they do get into an SMP and ace it, they'll have at least 2 years of excellent grades in graduate-level courses for medical schools to look at.

Acing a true SMP with medical students is MUCH easier said than done and happens less frequently than people like to think the way they just freely and loosely suggest them on here.

That's why I'm always hesitant to recommend them. There's a reason beating the med school average in a class full of medical students is hard; even half the medical students themselves(many of whom are 3.8+ students) studying full time can't do it.

 

[ZedsDed]

SMP-like program

With all due respect, I have never understood what this means. The whole point of an SMP is to take med school courses. Hence the "special" part of a special master's program. Could you please tell me what your program offers desperate applicants for the (presumably) large tuition they pay?

 

[beeboops]

With all due respect, I have never understood what this means. The whole point of an SMP is to take med school courses. Hence the "special" part of a special master's program. Could you please tell me what your program offers desperate applicants for the (presumably) large tuition they pay?

It's actually a lot cheaper than other SMPs (still pricey, however). The students take graduate level coursework that is taught by faculty that also teach in the medical school. No, it doesn't have the clinical focus that med school courses would, but you're covering the same info and in some cases, going even more in depth. We also set up shadowing and research experiences for students if they want and provide MCAT/DAT prep at no extra charge. There's also decent linkage with the dental and medical schools in that if you get above a certain GPA in the program and a certain MCAT/DAT, you'll have a guaranteed interview. I thought it was a decent deal for the money in terms of grade enhancement programs

 

[ZedsDed]

It's actually a lot cheaper than other SMPs (still pricey, however). The students take graduate level coursework that is taught by faculty that also teach in the medical school. No, it doesn't have the clinical focus that med school courses would, but you're covering the same info and in some cases, going even more in depth. We also set up shadowing and research experiences for students if they want and provide MCAT/DAT prep at no extra charge. There's also decent linkage with the dental and medical schools in that if you get above a certain GPA in the program and a certain MCAT/DAT, you'll have a guaranteed interview. I thought it was a decent deal for the money in terms of grade enhancement programs

Fair enough. The onus is on applicants to decide if it's worth the money.

 

[JibsGuy52]

I understand. I come from an area of the states that doesn't have many DOs, and I haven't actually shadowed one either. DO schools will take into account that there are few licensed DOs in Canada. If anything, you could do an e-mail mentorship with someone. I've seen a few people say this website has been helpful for them in finding a DO mentor (http://cf.osteopathic.org/iLearn/home.cfm), but I can't vouch for it myself. It's worth giving it a shot though.

Have you done any physician shadowing at all?

I haven't. I will definitely use this website! Thank you very much.

 

[JibsGuy52]

@ZedsDed So, is my move currently re-taking all of the classes I got a C or lower in?

 

[ZedsDed]

@ZedsDed So, is my move currently re-taking all of the classes I got a C or lower in?

In my opinion, that is the best option.

 

[JibsGuy52]

I understand. I come from an area of the states that doesn't have many DOs, and I haven't actually shadowed one either. DO schools will take into account that there are few licensed DOs in Canada. If anything, you could do an e-mail mentorship with someone. I've seen a few people say this website has been helpful for them in finding a DO mentor (http://cf.osteopathic.org/iLearn/home.cfm), but I can't vouch for it myself. It's worth giving it a shot though.

Have you done any physician shadowing at all?

I actually just tried to use the website. When I tried to make a account it only accepted american locations as a residence.

 

[Gandyy]

Redacted- Totally missed important point.

/facepalm

 

[ZedsDed]

Actually there is a lot of ignorance going about smp programs in this thread. A smp program is about 1/4th the course load of medical school and just because you are taking some courses with med students does not mean you are taking as many as they do. Often times, you take a select few with medical students and the other 4 or so are with your "SMP class". What's more is these programs are designed to make the student succeed and thus sometimes professors will "spoonfeed" what's going to be in the test. I know this because these are things all 5 of my friends who did SMPs at separate DO schools agree on. They all got in and they were all less than stellar undergrad students. My point is that while you should take your SMP very seriously, you guys are severely exaggerating the difficulty of a typical SMP program. It's not like medical school at all. In fact I think even Goro has said that the program volume is about 1/4 of medical school difficulty and courseload.

That being said if you are a bad undergrad student and you don't pick it up by 5 notches, you are going to get destroyed in a smp

Edit: Also all of those friends of mine did not have higher than a 25 mcat/3.5 GPa . 2 of them even dropped 4 points on their 2nd take and still got into their affiliated schools. I won't say which schools for obvious reasons but a couple of those friends got into those DO schools WITHOUT interviewing just because they met the minimum cutoff MCAT and had a 3.8+

If there was ever a way to "back door" your way to medical school....

Hm. You might wanna reread the thread (and some stickied threads in The postbacc forum while you're at it.) It's pretty obvious we're talking about MD SMPs. Very little, if any, of your points can be applied to MD SMPs. DO SMPs are their own beast entirely. Your friends wouldn't get very far applying to "true" SMPs like Georgetown with a 25 MCAT. Not to denigrate DO SMPs, but they serve a different purpose.

As for the course loads, mileage will vary here. Goro was talking about his school's SMP when he used that 25% figure. But yes, generally they are less. This might partially explain how SMP students are able to beat the med school average. "True" MD SMPs seem to hover around 30-50% of MS1 material. Some are much higher.

MD SMPs that contain a lot of grad classes are usually two years, and require a thesis; one MS1ish year and one year of research (ala EVMS.) Otherwise, they are generally one year of 75%+ straight-up med school courses, with a couple of hard science courses thrown in.

I can't speak about any grade inflation your friends witnessed in their prospective DO SMPs (there are plenty of rigorous DO SMPs btw), but I doubt you can really extrapolate their anecdotal experiences like you are doing, especially to MD SMPs.

 

[Gandyy]

Hm. You might wanna reread the thread (and some stickied threads in The postbacc forum while you're at it.) It's pretty obvious we're talking about MD SMPs. Very little, if any, of your points can be applied to MD SMPs. DO SMPs are their own beast entirely. Your friends wouldn't get very far applying to "true" SMPs like Georgetown with a 25 MCAT. Not to denigrate DO SMPs, but they serve a different purpose.

As for the course loads, mileage will vary here. Goro was talking about his school's SMP when he used that 25% figure. But yes, generally they are less. This might partially explain how SMP students are able to beat the med school average. "True" MD SMPs seem to hover around 30-50% of MS1 material. Some are much higher.

MD SMPs that contain a lot of grad classes are usually two years, and require a thesis; one MS1ish year and one year of research (ala EVMS.) Otherwise, they are generally one year of 75%+ straight-up med school courses, with a couple of hard science courses thrown in.

I can't speak about any grade inflation your friends witnessed in their prospective DO SMPs (there are plenty of rigorous DO SMPs btw), but I doubt you can really extrapolate their anecdotal experiences like you are doing, especially to MD SMPs.

Ah! I totally missed the MD SMP's part. Yea everything I said only applies to DO SMP's. I did have a friend who did a MD SMP and he had a 34 MCAT and said that program was pretty tough.

UGh totally my bad. I was typing that on a very old iphone at night on a safari browser that crashes every 10 mins. Give me a break

I'm 100 percent referring to DO SMP's. As far as DO SMP's go from my various friends' point of view (all I really have as actual data), they are representative of what I posted above.

What I have posted above is 100 percent what they told me. All of them. I have no reason to make this up at all.

 

[ZedsDed]

Ah! I totally missed the MD SMP's part. Yea everything I said only applies to DO SMP's. I did have a friend who did a MD SMP and he had a 34 MCAT and said that program was pretty tough.

UGh totally my bad. I was typing that on a very old iphone at night on a safari browser that crashes every 10 mins. Give me a break

I'm 100 percent referring to DO SMP's. As far as DO SMP's go from my various friends' point of view (all I really have as actual data), they are representative of what I posted above.

What I have posted above is 100 percent what they told me. All of them. I have no reason to make this up at all.

No worries. I don't doubt your sincerity man. It's just that if we are going to make a sweeping damnation like, "DO SMPs generally have grade inflation," we are going to need more than anecdotes. Or at least a lot more anecdotes.

 

[Gandyy]

No worries. I don't doubt your sincerity man. It's just that if we are going to make a sweeping damnation like, "DO SMPs generally have grade inflation," we are going to need more than anecdotes. Or at least a lot more anecdotes.

But I think we can both agree that getting into any medical school without interviewing is pretty ridiculous. Good for my friends though! Not really fair to others that may have been in the program however.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Ah! I totally missed the MD SMP's part. Yea everything I said only applies to DO SMP's. I did have a friend who did a MD SMP and he had a 34 MCAT and said that program was pretty tough.

UGh totally my bad. I was typing that on a very old iphone at night on a safari browser that crashes every 10 mins. Give me a break

I'm 100 percent referring to DO SMP's. As far as DO SMP's go from my various friends' point of view (all I really have as actual data), they are representative of what I posted above.

What I have posted above is 100 percent what they told me. All of them. I have no reason to make this up at all.

DO SMPs are often all about trying to prove your worth to try to attend that specific DO school the next year. I can absolutely believe some of the parts about being designed for these students to succeed and their being some some important stuff "spoonfeed" to them as I myself have a friend who did this. Also keep in mind the standard for doing well in a DO SMP can often times be less than MD SMP's. You don't necessarily need a 3.7+ to prove to that school you have what it takes to hack it there. But you can't compare this at all to an MD SMP and like ZedsDed alluded to this is all anecdotal info and speculation.

And as a side note people tend to over-state things when they say "it's only 1/4 of the material of med students have to do you should be able to beat them if you work hard". It's very difficult to do better than medical students, even if they have alot more material(and ZedsDed's estimation of 30-50% of medical student material is probably more accurate). Many MD classes with SMP's the median undergrad GPA is in the 3.7+ range(for the first year medical students). MCAT averages are also high. These classes are just loaded with students who have been straight A kids their whole lives and many of them know what it takes to do well and how to study efficiently/retain info very well. Alot are just very smart and whom taking alot of other classes isn't going to phase their performance in any one. As long as these kids are in a class, even if they have more classes, they are going to be very hard to beat, especially for SMP students with mediocre GPA's.

 

[Gandyy]

DO SMPs are often all about trying to prove your worth to try to attend that specific DO school the next year. I can absolutely believe some of the parts about being designed for these students to succeed and their being some some important stuff "spoonfeed" to them as I myself have a friend who did this. Also keep in mind the standard for doing well in a DO SMP can often times be less than MD SMP's. You don't necessarily need a 3.7+ to prove to that school you have what it takes to hack it there. But you can't compare this at all to an MD SMP and like ZedsDed alluded to this is all anecdotal info and speculation.

And as a side note people tend to over-state things when they say "it's only 1/4 of the material of med students have to do you should be able to beat them if you work hard". It's very difficult to do better than medical students, even if they have alot more material(and ZedsDed's estimation of 30-50% of medical student material is probably more accurate). Many MD classes with SMP's the median undergrad GPA is in the 3.7+ range(for the first year medical students). MCAT averages are also high. These classes are just loaded with students who have been straight A kids their whole lives and many of them know what it takes to do well and how to study efficiently/retain info very well. Alot are just very smart and whom taking alot of other classes isn't going to phase their performance in any one. As long as these kids are in a class, even if they have more classes, they are going to be very hard to beat, especially for SMP students with mediocre GPA's.

Right, thats applicable to MD smps though. I totally missed that you guys were talking about MD smps.

The average DO matriculant has an average gpa of a 3.4-3.5, not a 3.7 . Average MCAT is a 27 and since its an average there are many that are below and above that in a class as well.

I agree that a MD SMP is a totally different ballgame than a DO SMP. You say yourself that you realize there may be some "spoonfeeding" going on as you have a friend that did one of these.

I agree that it is ancedotal evidence but its more than 0, and it has 5 different cases for 5 different DO medical schools who have no affiliation with each other. If you look at my original post

I even said that you neeed to pick it up "5 notches or you are going to fail". I never said SMPS were super easy, just that from what I've gathered they seem to be specficially designed to be the backdoor

last chance entrance where if you work super hard you probably will gain an acceptance despite being a poor UG student and having a mediocre MCAT. (My MCAT is trash as well)

 

[GrapesofRath]

Yeah it makes sense. There are more 3.2/25 students who get into DO schools than people on this site tend to realize. Those in these DO SMPs probably have lower stats and the trade off is if you do decently in our SMP it's almost like equating it to someone with somewhat better stats(3.2/25) but who doesn't have proof of doing well in classes with DO medical students.

 

[ZedsDed]

I also agree with most of what is stated above. Considering AACOMAS's grade replacement policy, many DO SMPs seem to exist solely for getting low MCAT applicants into medical school. Are you going into a DO SMP @Gandy741 ? If so, please update the postbacc forum with your experiences when you are done!

 

[GrapesofRath]

Nah, I have a 29 MCAT and 3.7. I've been advised against doing a DO SMP.

I call it a trash MCAT because its frustrating to be borderline to your goal MCAT.

Yeah a DO SMP would be a horrendous idea. You should have your pick at a number of DO schools if you apply broadly.

There are people with 3.7/29's who get into MD schools(idk if you have already gone through an application cycle). Your an average MD matriculant minus 2 points on your MCAT. I wouldn't call that insurmountable with a smart broad list.

 

[Gandyy]

Yeah a DO SMP would be a horrendous idea. You should have your pick at a number of DO schools if you apply broadly.

There are people with 3.7/29's who get into MD schools(idk if you have already gone through an application cycle). Your an average MD matriculant minus 2 points on your MCAT. I wouldn't call that insurmountable with a smart broad list.

I have never applied to medical schools, and this is my first time applying to both MD and DO schools. However I do not want to make the same mistake as many MD hopefuls do and only apply MD and then have to wait a whole another year because they werent open to DO schools.

I am applying very broadly to both (swamppppppppppped with secondaries already and its only July 3rd...) as I want this to be my only application cycle. We'll see what happens though. Hopefully Lady Luck doesnt have different plans for me.

 

[ZedsDed]

I have never applied to medical schools, and this is my first time applying to both MD and DO schools. However I do not want to make the same mistake as many MD hopefuls do and only apply MD and then have to wait a whole another year because they werent open to DO schools.

I am applying very broadly to both (swamppppppppppped with secondaries already and its only July 3rd...) as I want this to be my only application cycle. We'll see what happens though. Hopefully Lady Luck doesnt have different plans for me.

Any IS schools that might show you some love?

 

[GrapesofRath]

Any IS schools that might show you some love?

If Gandy741 applies broadly and thoroughly to all the lower tier MDs I think they will be competitive regardless of whether he/shes in a lucky state. No guarantees they'll get accepted but I would be surprised if they didn't get II's.

 

[Gandyy]

Any IS schools that might show you some love?

There is 1 school. In fact, its my number 1 choice MD school. However, their median MCAT is a 31 so yea.....

My state is so bad ass (not really lol) that it also contains my number 1 or 2 choice ( I really really cant decide between two particular DO schools) DO school!

If Gandy741 applies broadly and thoroughly to all the lower tier MDs I think they will be competitive regardless of whether he/shes in a lucky state. No guarantees they'll get accepted but I would be surprised if they didn't get II's.

Well I thank you for your encouragement, but I do know I am in fact a borderline MD applicant.

Regardless I am applying pretty broadly? Around 22 MD schools and 18 DO schools.

Do you think thats broad enough?

 

[GrapesofRath]

There is 1 school. In fact, its my number 1 choice MD school. However, their median MCAT is a 31 so yea.....

My state is so bad ass (not really lol) that it also contains my number 1 or 2 choice ( I really really cant decide between two particular DO schools) DO school!




Well I thank you for your encouragement, but I do know I am in fact a borderline MD applicant.

Regardless I am applying pretty broadly? Around 22 MD schools and 18 DO schools.

Do you think thats broad enough?

You don't need to apply to 18 DO schools unless you really want to or have a reason to.

Yeah a list of 25 or so MD schools can work. Apply to each and everyone that you might have an outside shot of being competitive for.

 

[Gandyy]

You don't need to apply to 18 DO schools unless you really want to or have a reason to.

Yeah a list of 25 or so MD schools can work. Apply to each and everyone that you might have an outside shot of being competitive for.

Yea, sounds about right. I've never made a WAMC thread haha. I kind of just ask people.

 

[GrapesofRath]

These by the way are the 26 MD schools I would apply to in your shoes. Note some of them aren't particularly high yield(Tulane and Tufts average MCAT is 33 and Commonwealth is 78% in state for example) but in your shoes you apply anywhere it's possible you might have an outside shot at being considered to maximize the odds of getting one MD acceptance. If you give your state of residency there might be one or two more schools to add here as you might be close enough to a school geographically that might generate you more consideration than otherwise. I think you can get a couple II's with this list.

Quinnipac
Your State School
George Washington
Georgetown
Rush
Franklin
Loyola
Tulane
Tufts
Oakland
Western Michigan
Saint Louis
Creighton
Albany
New York Medical College
Drexel
Temple
Wright State
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
VCU
Vermont
Medical College Wisconsin
WVU

 

[Gandyy]

These by the way are the 26 MD schools I would apply to in your shoes. Note some of them aren't particularly high yield(Tulane and Tufts average MCAT is 33 and Commonwealth is 78% in state for example) but in your shoes you apply anywhere it's possible you might have an outside shot at being considered to maximize the odds of getting one MD acceptance. If you give your state of residency there might be one or two more schools to add here as you might be close enough to a school geographically that might generate you more consideration than otherwise. I think you can get a couple II's with this list.

Quinnipac
Your State School
George Washington
Georgetown
Rush
Franklin
Loyola
Tulane
Tufts
Oakland
Western Michigan
Saint Louis
Creighton
Albany
New York Medical College
Drexel
Temple
Wright State
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
VCU
Vermont
Medical College Wisconsin
WVU

That list is pretty similar to mine!

Sorry for partially hijacking your thread @JibsGuy52

 

[JibsGuy52]

@Gandy741 What's mine is yours. Thanks for the free bump! Haha.

 

[JibsGuy52]

Also, I just discovered this.

http://help.unicas.com:8888/aacomas...cademic-history-2/transcript-entry/index.html

It seems like there is a recalculated GPA for Canadian students of all universities. My new GPA calculation with this is a 3.41. I actually can't believe it.

 

[Gandyy]

Also, I just discovered this.

http://help.unicas.com:8888/aacomas...cademic-history-2/transcript-entry/index.html

It seems like there is a recalculated GPA for Canadian students of all universities. My new GPA calculation with this is a 3.41. I actually can't believe it.

wow they recalculated your cum gpa for that? Thats great news then huh?

 

[JibsGuy52]

@Gandy741 - The Canadian GPA system at its finest. And you need a 3.9 on that scale for Med school here.

 

[Gandyy]

@Gandy741 - The Canadian GPA system at its finest. And you need a 3.9 on that scale for Med school here.

Ah I see.

 

[GrapesofRath]

@Gandy741 - The Canadian GPA system at its finest. And you need a 3.9 on that scale for Med school here.

You're still in much better shape for DO schools with this and with a nice MCAT score(80+ percentile) you will be competitive for any SMP program if in fact you are willing to risk it all for the MD.