WAMC DO primarily 3.04c 3.13s MCAT 515 CA ORM

[rhou777]

Hello everyone, just wanted to get some advise on whether or not I should apply for the next cycle, or take a post bacc to raise my GPA.

Undergrad GPA: 3.04c, 3.13s

I had a pretty rough time going through the first 2.5 years of my undergrad due to home troubles, before finally pulling myself together in the last years. I do have an upward trend going, but I am worried that it is not enough and I was wondering if I should consider a post bacc. My advisor was telling me that I could just take classes at a community college instead of doing an official post bacc, but I would like to get some second opinions on what I should do.

MCAT: First time: 128/127/128/124 total: 507, Second time: 129/128/130/128 total: 515

Demographics: Asian male from CA who graduated from a mid-tier UC

Clinical Experience: 1000+ hours working as a medical scribe in a hospital emergency room

Undergrad Research: 700-800 hours working in a medical biochemistry lab. No publications/posters, just a lot of research. I recently left due to graduating from school

Shadowing: 25 hours of eshadowing. I am currently trying to get actual shadowing but it has been hard due to covid.

Non clinical: 100 hours working at a food distribution facility serving the homeless population

Tutoring: I have around 60 hours working as a tutor for people preparing for their GREs at a local library.

Others: No immediate family in medicine.

I currently do not have much of a school list, and I am open to all suggestions. Thank you!

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[Faha]

You are competitive for some DO schools with your stats and I suggest these:
TUNCOM
AZCOM
ATSU-SOMA
UIWSOM
ACOM
NYIT-AR
WCU-COM
MU-COM
WVSOM
UP-KYCOM
LECOM (all schools)
PCOM (all schools)
A post bacc would be needed if you want to apply to MD schools.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What is your major? I know California isn't very generous with having you do DIY postbac courses at your 4y universities. What courses are you thinking about taking?

 

[rhou777]

What is your major? I know California isn't very generous with having you do DIY postbac courses at your 4y universities. What courses are you thinking about taking?

I’m a biochemistry major. Also I figured I wasn’t going to have much of a chance at any in state med schools regardless. The only schools I was looking at were touro and western really. As for courses, I don’t have anything specific in mind, I was thinking of just going with a post bacc program. I’ve applied to a handful of them at the moment.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I’m a biochemistry major. Also I figured I wasn’t going to have much of a chance at any in state med schools regardless. The only schools I was looking at were touro and western really. As for courses, I don’t have anything specific in mind, I was thinking of just going with a post bacc program. I’ve applied to a handful of them at the moment.

Then I don't get why you said your advisor encouraged you to take courses at a CC on your own.

At the programs where you applied, what courses are they offering? Have you taken those classes previously, or what would make them different?

 

[rhou777]

Then I don't get why you said your advisor encouraged you to take courses at a CC on your own.

At the programs where you applied, what courses are they offering? Have you taken those classes previously, or what would make them different?

Sorry I wasn’t clear about that. I was just stating what my counselor recommended, but my own plan is to just go through with an official post bacc program. I talked about that just get some opinions on whether the community college route was acceptable. In terms of the courses offered, they are primarily upper division science courses similar to what I have already taken, such as cell biology and physiology. I actually got As and a couple Bs in the classes offered. The problem with my low GPA stems from a couple Ds in my lower division classes that required retakes. Should I be focusing on a post bacc program that offers different courses? Or should I be doing something else rather than a post bacc?