Non-trad- looking for advice

[CaptRetired]

Hi, y'all.
I appreciate your advice. I am a (medically) retired military Captain. My first year of college (1995-1996) a terrible year for me. In 2 quarters, I failed 3 classes, made 2 D's, etc. I wasn't even looking at pre-med back then, frankly I didn't care. I dropped out, joined the Air Force and got a Management degree online at a state university. I went to officer training and later earned my Master's Degree in Business because it was expected (3.46 graduate GPA). When I found out I was being retired, I went out and took all my pre-reqs (4.0 GPA postbacc- Gen Chem and Orgo, Bio and Phys, plus Calc 1&2, and Intro to Psych). That brought my sGPA up to 3.57 and my cumulative up to 3.22 (AMCAS verified... I am filling out AACOMAS still).

I took the MCAT before Orgo 2 and Phys 2 (because it was the best timing for me) and made a 26 (Bio-8, Verbal-7, Phys-11). I have an early application into Mercer (local, plus I want to be a rural pediatrician somewhere around GA).

I have shadowed 3 MDs (Hand Surgeon, gastroenterologist, and a rural pediatrician) totaling about 200 hours.

I spent 14 years active duty Air Force, with 6 trips to the desert.

I have LOTS of volunteer hours, but all toward church.

I am classified as disadvantaged.

I actually barely got an application into about 3 DO schools last cycle, but only got one interview (near my hometown in AL) where I obviously did NOT get picked up.

I am looking for an honest evaluation of my chances for both MD and DO schools.

Thanks!

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[Euxox]

I think you have a decent app. Your cumulative GPA is a bit low, but since you are many years removed from undegrad and your MBA, I think it will be easy to convince adcoms that your earlier bad grades were simply due to a lack of maturity and that your postbacc coursework proves that you now "get it" when it comes to academics.

The biggest flaw is the MCAT. The fact that you got such a low MCAT even after getting such a high postbacc GPA might make adcoms think that your postbacc coursework was rather easy.

Do you have any clinical work or volunteering experience? This is a must. You probably won't get into any MD or DO schools if you do not have any clinical work or volunteering.

Your military service could be a great asset in your med school applications. You have to come up with a narrative that shows how your military experience has given you skills that are critical for a good physician, and you have to think carefully about how you are going to present this narrative in your personal statement, your secondaries, and your interviews. Think of yourself as a salesman. You have a great product (military experience), but it is all about the pitch, and you need to make sure that you don't sell yourself short.

I'm willing to bet that you will get into at least one medical school if you apply to 15+ schools and apply both MD and DO. That said, I would advise retaking your MCAT if possible.

Thanks for your service and good luck!

 

[Goro]

You should be fine this year if you applied early, but if you don't have any patinet contact volunteer experience, that can get you rejected as easily as a 2.0 GPA. I've read reports here from people with stellar numbers but who wer eint he same boat as you.

You do need to show us that you'll like being around sick and injured people for the next couple of decades.

And many thanks for your service to your country.

Hi, y'all.
I appreciate your advice. I am a (medically) retired military Captain. My first year of college (1995-1996) a terrible year for me. In 2 quarters, I failed 3 classes, made 2 D's, etc. I wasn't even looking at pre-med back then, frankly I didn't care. I dropped out, joined the Air Force and got a Management degree online at a state university. I went to officer training and later earned my Master's Degree in Business because it was expected (3.46 graduate GPA). When I found out I was being retired, I went out and took all my pre-reqs (4.0 GPA postbacc- Gen Chem and Orgo, Bio and Phys, plus Calc 1&2, and Intro to Psych). That brought my sGPA up to 3.57 and my cumulative up to 3.22 (AMCAS verified... I am filling out AACOMAS still).

I took the MCAT before Orgo 2 and Phys 2 (because it was the best timing for me) and made a 26 (Bio-8, Verbal-7, Phys-11). I have an early application into Mercer (local, plus I want to be a rural pediatrician somewhere around GA).

I have shadowed 3 MDs (Hand Surgeon, gastroenterologist, and a rural pediatrician) totaling about 200 hours.

I spent 14 years active duty Air Force, with 6 trips to the desert.

I have LOTS of volunteer hours, but all toward church.

I am classified as disadvantaged.

I actually barely got an application into about 3 DO schools last cycle, but only got one interview (near my hometown in AL) where I obviously did NOT get picked up.

I am looking for an honest evaluation of my chances for both MD and DO schools.

Thanks!