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Hey guys! Sorry if this is in the wrong thread. I need advice on how to plan my year. My question is: do I still need to enroll in an SMP to become more competitive for medical school?
Background:
-Non-traditional
-ORM
-BS Biology
-Originally wanted to be a lawyer until I worked in one for a few years
-Went back to school to do GPA repair taking a total of 60 units with half being upper-division and the other half as non-science classes. It worked out this way because 1) I had already taken a lot of science classes prior to my DIY postbacc; and 2) not all classes were offered each year or were canceled.
-Also, only one year was full-time. The other year was part-time because I was working still and didn't know that full-time coursework was recommended.
-According to an AMCAs calculator, I have now reached the point of diminishing returns
Extracurriculars:
-300+ hours of hospital volunteer work
-70+ hours of shadowing a DO
-no research (unless you consider a senior thesis and my school's poster presentation as some?)
-tons of non-medical volunteer work due to my interest in law as an undergrad
-tons of leadership in undergrad
-currently tutor the GED to low-income adults
-decent LORs
Stats:
uGPA: 3.0 cum, 2.9 sci
DIY postbacc: 4.0 (60 units)
uGPA+postbacc: 3.3 cum, 3.2 sci
AACOMAS gpa: I think it's slightly higher because I only retook 2 classes (or 8 units; the other 52 units were new classes). I can figure that out.
No MCAT (plan on taking it in May)
I may be getting ahead of myself since I don't even know my MCAT, but I was thinking of applying this year to DO schools and select MD schools. I am aware that my best (and maybe only) shot is DO. I was also considering Rosalind Franklin's SMP, but if you think that my DIY postbacc performance will suffice, I will simply focus on the MCAT.
What should I do? How can I improve my overall application?
Background:
-Non-traditional
-ORM
-BS Biology
-Originally wanted to be a lawyer until I worked in one for a few years
-Went back to school to do GPA repair taking a total of 60 units with half being upper-division and the other half as non-science classes. It worked out this way because 1) I had already taken a lot of science classes prior to my DIY postbacc; and 2) not all classes were offered each year or were canceled.
-Also, only one year was full-time. The other year was part-time because I was working still and didn't know that full-time coursework was recommended.
-According to an AMCAs calculator, I have now reached the point of diminishing returns
Extracurriculars:
-300+ hours of hospital volunteer work
-70+ hours of shadowing a DO
-no research (unless you consider a senior thesis and my school's poster presentation as some?)
-tons of non-medical volunteer work due to my interest in law as an undergrad
-tons of leadership in undergrad
-currently tutor the GED to low-income adults
-decent LORs
Stats:
uGPA: 3.0 cum, 2.9 sci
DIY postbacc: 4.0 (60 units)
uGPA+postbacc: 3.3 cum, 3.2 sci
AACOMAS gpa: I think it's slightly higher because I only retook 2 classes (or 8 units; the other 52 units were new classes). I can figure that out.
No MCAT (plan on taking it in May)
I may be getting ahead of myself since I don't even know my MCAT, but I was thinking of applying this year to DO schools and select MD schools. I am aware that my best (and maybe only) shot is DO. I was also considering Rosalind Franklin's SMP, but if you think that my DIY postbacc performance will suffice, I will simply focus on the MCAT.
What should I do? How can I improve my overall application?
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