Post bacc or apply to DO or take new MCAT?

[CalCam13]

Hi everyone, I really need some insights here, my first time posting on SDN.

Situation: I have a cGPA 3.46, sGPA 3.32. I graduated from Berkeley so I heard adcomm gives a 0.1-0.2 gpa boost. I could possible raise sGPA to about 3.45 with taking community college courses like stat, micro, physio, anat, etc.

MCAT: I studied hard for at least 5 months but still blew it. Got a 25, 9/6/10. I think I could do a lot better with more time spent on verbal but it's too late to take the old MCAT now.

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So, here are the options.

1. Should I just apply to DO? I wish to become a medical professor but that dream has just been shattered. I feel like a disgrace to my parents who went through a genocide and worked so hard for me to have a better education.

2. Is it worth to do a post-bacc at all at a UC (such as UCSF) in the 1-year program? I think my gpa is below median but not too bad, right?

3. Or should I suck it up, work on my verbal passage comprehension (weakness), and also study the new subject for the new MCAT? And take those gpa booster classes at city college?

I'm leaning toward option #3 but I want to see your perspectives.
Looking forward to your opinions and thank you so much in advance for taking the time to reply.

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[BHB2008]

Woah. Calm down. You are not a disgrace. One test cannot make you a disgrace.

I don't think your GPA is bad enough to warrant a post-bacc, but maybe I'm wrong. Are you wanting to apply to CA MD schools? They are nearly impossible to get into.

Take another MCAT, dude. Do it. I assume you're somewhat young, and not rushed? Take your time, study up, hunker down, and nail it hard. You'll be fine.

Then, apply to MD and DO schools, and you'll certainly be a Doctor. (Btw, why the dream of "MD" and not "DO"? Doesnt' sound like the right motivation . . . )

 

[CalCam13]

BHB2008,

Thanks for the reassurance. I freaked out a bit. I don't mind going to another state for med school so the location is not too much of a factor but it'd be nice to stay in state. And yes, I think I will take another MCAT but it will probably be the new one since the old is completely filled in all the tests even in the nearby states.

As for MD vs DO, I've spoken with some DO about my career goal and with the information I gathered, it is more challenging to become a medical professor unless that person has a very solid track record. Well, all this is debatable. I just don't want to limit my option that's all by being realistic about the potential in each degree, eventhough they are equivalent.

 

[DocWinter]

Easy up. Nice work to get to where you are at. Yes, can apply as is, but you should apply very broadly to DO schools which are not "top tier". I mean 15-20 apps.
Is it too late to take the MCAT before the new one kicks in? Are you sure you can't get another crack at it? A 25 isn't peanuts, its right around the average score overall for exam takers. Don't be fooled to believe no one gets in with a 24/25.

Take a breath and really see about a retake, but if it were me (I was in your shoes with similar #'s) I would do what I did last year - apply to all the DO schools outside of the top 5-8 and got accepted.

 

[Dullhead]

...2. Is it worth to do a post-bacc at all at a UC (such as UCSF) in the 1-year program? I think my gpa is below median but not too bad, right?

Quick question: are you of URM or other disadvantaged status?

 

[HoboCommander]

With your stats, you would be lucky to even enter a DO school. The average stats of California DO schools is significantly higher. You got to reconsider your goals. No way would your parents consider you a failure if you become a doctor and make far more money than medical professors do. Just buy them a mansion, give them some grandchildren, and a maid, and tell them to stop complaining.

 

[Goro]

This will be the fastest path.
1. Should I just apply to DO?

No it hasn't. Do your homework. You can be a DO faculty at MD schools. Definitely at DO schools. But keep in mind this isn't about your parents, this is about you.
I wish to become a medical professor but that dream has just been shattered. I feel like a disgrace to my parents who went through a genocide and worked so hard for me to have a better education.

Your GPAs are towards the bottom of competitive for MD schools. You'd be fine for Loma Linda, for example. Ditto Rosy franklin and similar. MSAR Online is your friend.
2. Is it worth to do a post-bacc at all at a UC (such as UCSF) in the 1-year program? I think my gpa is below median but not too bad, right?

A VR6 will be lethal for MD schools and at some (like mine), but not all DO schools. You'll need to apply broadly to the latter, especially to the newest schools.

I guess it really depends upon how badly you're boning for the MD degree, which I sense is much more important to you than being a doctor more rapidly.
3. Or should I suck it up, work on my verbal passage comprehension (weakness), and also study the new subject for the new MCAT? And take those gpa booster classes at city college?

 

[CalCam13]

Quick question: are you of URM or other disadvantaged status?

I would qualify for the disadvantaged status because of my parents had very little education and we've been hoovering the poverty line. Plus, I'm also Cambodian so there are only a handful of Cambodian doctors that I know of and thus, URM?

 

[HoboCommander]

I'm curious, wouldn't Cambodian's fall under the "Asian" ORM umbrella?

 

[CalCam13]

Easy up. Nice work to get to where you are at. Yes, can apply as is, but you should apply very broadly to DO schools which are not "top tier". I mean 15-20 apps.
Is it too late to take the MCAT before the new one kicks in? Are you sure you can't get another crack at it? A 25 isn't peanuts, its right around the average score overall for exam takers. Don't be fooled to believe no one gets in with a 24/25.

Take a breath and really see about a retake, but if it were me (I was in your shoes with similar #'s) I would do what I did last year - apply to all the DO schools outside of the top 5-8 and got accepted.

Thanks for the encouragement and opinion. It's definitely too late to take the old MCAT. So, I think I'll start preparing for the new one and especially more focus on the verbal section by reading broadly.

 

[CalCam13]

This will be the fastest path.
1. Should I just apply to DO?

No it hasn't. Do your homework. You can be a DO faculty at MD schools. Definitely at DO schools. But keep in mind this isn't about your parents, this is about you.
I wish to become a medical professor but that dream has just been shattered. I feel like a disgrace to my parents who went through a genocide and worked so hard for me to have a better education.

Your GPAs are towards the bottom of competitive for MD schools. You'd be fine for Loma Linda, for example. Ditto Rosy franklin and similar. MSAR Online is your friend.
2. Is it worth to do a post-bacc at all at a UC (such as UCSF) in the 1-year program? I think my gpa is below median but not too bad, right?

A VR6 will be lethal for MD schools and at some (like mine), but not all DO schools. You'll need to apply broadly to the latter, especially to the newest schools.

I guess it really depends upon how badly you're boning for the MD degree, which I sense is much more important to you than being a doctor more rapidly.
3. Or should I suck it up, work on my verbal passage comprehension (weakness), and also study the new subject for the new MCAT? And take those gpa booster classes at city college?

Yes, I agree with you that going into medicine is about me. Being a doctor is the one profession that I can see myself being happy and able to wake up in the morning going to work everyday. This I have no doubt. Thank you for your reassurance.

Hm, I thought with the GPA/MCAT being at this stage, LLU would be out of the picture. Thank you and I'll definitely have another look at MSAR online.

As for MD vs DO, it's still a debate I have with myself and to find out more about. I just think that I'd like to have the option to choose between the two than rushing into one without more considerations and thinking about which degree will make me more effective in working with a population.

Thanks again!

 

[CalCam13]

I'm curious, wouldn't Cambodian's fall under the "Asian" ORM umbrella?

It depends on the school I think. CA schools are more aware of the Southeast Asian population and its under-representation in schools. I mean at Berkeley, we had <15 under-grad at any one year. Of that, I was one of 2 science majors or premeds

 

[HoboCommander]

Are Vietnamese people considered Southeast Asians too? There's a ton of them.

 

[Dullhead]

I would qualify for the disadvantaged status because of my parents had very little education and we've been hoovering the poverty line. Plus, I'm also Cambodian so there are only a handful of Cambodian doctors that I know of and thus, URM?

OK. California public school postbaccs usually have small intakes and are nearly always only for URM/disadvantaged. Maybe you qualify for SES disadvantaged - as you said, best to check the school's websites. I don't know much about how that determination is made.

 

[Being]

MCAT: I studied hard for at least 5 months but still blew it. Got a 25, 9/6/10. I think I could do a lot better with more time spent on verbal but it's too late to take the old MCAT now.

How did this happen? What were your practice test averages?