What are my chances?? 3.312 sGPA, 3.65 GPA, 35 MCAT

[DCERDoc]

-21 y/o African American female.
-Attending public university that is ranked within the top 20 in the country.
-3.312 sGPA, 3.65 cGPA, 35 MCAT
-My major was Biology and my minor was African-American studies.
-I have been a CNA and an EMT-B for the past five years (received certification for both when I was in my junior year in high school).
-I only have one year of research experience ( *will this be a set-back for my application?)
-I have volunteered for the Red Cross (50 hrs)
-I only have 50 hrs of shadowing experience, but I hope to have 100 by the end of May (*wishful thinking lol*)
-I also volunteer as a peer health educator for the health center on campus.
-Member of the Honor Society.
-Applying for 2014 cycle.

**I’m currently working in the ER as an EMT, and over the summer I will be doing research with an accredited institution.

I would love to hear your opinion on my chances of getting into DO school. I would also love some suggestions of places I should apply based on my credentials.

Thanks!!

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[OneTwoThreeFour]

2 things:

The one related to your post: A DO should be a slam dunk for you. If anything, MD is well within your sights (especially with that MCAT score). But this is based off of me being a serious lurker on here for a while.

Unrelated: Can we get out of the whole "top 20" thing? I feel like it's every 3rd post, and since there's no consensus as to what that means, it isn't helpful without more specifics (for example: I went to a private university with a reputation for hard sciences). Or even tell us your school/state! That way we could talk about IS vs. OOS options.

 

[DoctorLacrosse]

Ill be honest with you, as an AA applicant with that mcat and GPA, I think you can apply anywhere you want and have a legitimate shot. You're going to be fine.

 

[DCERDoc]

2 things:

The one related to your post: A DO should be a slam dunk for you. If anything, MD is well within your sights (especially with that MCAT score). But this is based off of me being a serious lurker on here for a while.

Unrelated: Can we get out of the whole "top 20" thing? I feel like it's every 3rd post, and since there's no consensus as to what that means, it isn't helpful without more specifics (for example: I went to a private university with a reputation for hard sciences). Or even tell us your school/state! That way we could talk about IS vs. OOS options.

LOL! I'm sorry, one of my advisors said it made a slight difference and I just wanted to add every piece of information.

 

[DCERDoc]

Ill be honest with you, as an AA applicant with that mcat and GPA, I think you can apply anywhere you want and have a legitimate shot. You're going to be fine.

Thanks for the encouragement!

 

[Aerus]

-21 y/o African American female.
-Attending public university that is ranked within the top 20 in the country.
-3.312 sGPA, 3.65 cGPA, 35 MCAT
-My major was Biology and my minor was African-American studies.
-I have been a CNA and an EMT-B for the past five years (received certification for both when I was in my junior year in high school).
-I only have one year of research experience ( *will this be a set-back for my application?)
-I have volunteered for the Red Cross (50 hrs)
-I only have 50 hrs of shadowing experience, but I hope to have 100 by the end of May (*wishful thinking lol*)
-I also volunteer as a peer health educator for the health center on campus.
-Member of the Honor Society.
-Applying for 2014 cycle.

**I’m currently working in the ER as an EMT, and over the summer I will be doing research with an accredited institution.

I would love to hear your opinion on my chances of getting into DO school. I would also love some suggestions of places I should apply based on my credentials.

Thanks!!

Yes, you are right. Your undergraduate institution makes a slight difference. It's not a huge impact, however.

You are selling yourself short! You have a great shot for MD schools! But if your heart lies in DO, you're basically good to go at all DO schools. Good luck with your app cycle!

 

[DCERDoc]

Yes, you are right. Your undergraduate institution makes a slight difference. It's not a huge impact, however.

You are selling yourself short! You have a great shot for MD schools! But if your heart lies in DO, you're basically good to go at all DO schools. Good luck with your app cycle!

I am not against applying to medical schools, i just didn't think that my stats were that competitive.Thanks for your input!

 

[Goro]

Chances are outstanding! Lack of research is not a hinderence to DO school admissions.

-21 y/o African American female.
-Attending public university that is ranked within the top 20 in the country.
-3.312 sGPA, 3.65 cGPA, 35 MCAT
-My major was Biology and my minor was African-American studies.
-I have been a CNA and an EMT-B for the past five years (received certification for both when I was in my junior year in high school).
-I only have one year of research experience ( *will this be a set-back for my application?)
-I have volunteered for the Red Cross (50 hrs)
-I only have 50 hrs of shadowing experience, but I hope to have 100 by the end of May (*wishful thinking lol*)
-I also volunteer as a peer health educator for the health center on campus.
-Member of the Honor Society.
-Applying for 2014 cycle.

**I’m currently working in the ER as an EMT, and over the summer I will be doing research with an accredited institution.

I would love to hear your opinion on my chances of getting into DO school. I would also love some suggestions of places I should apply based on my credentials.

Thanks!!

 

[as1212559]

Very competitive for any DO program.
Solid chance at many MD programs.

 

[Alejandro]

Your numbers are fine. I had numbers similar to yours and still managed to get a couple offers from schools. Your main hurdle to overcome, is applying on time, and getting all of your application, paperwork, etc all filled out.

Consider:
Letters of Recommendation
Personal Statement
Potentially look at secondary statements from schools you're highly interested in
Activities (with the 700 character descriptions)
Transcripts

GET ALL OF THAT FIGURED OUT WELL BEFORE YOU APPLY. This will increase your odds of getting in, AND I think it helps burnout through the admissions cycle, because it is very time/labor/emotionally consuming.

And I'd go for MD schools, unless you philosophically prefer DO schools-totally fine.

 

[MedPR]

Don't waste your money applying to DO schools. I have lower stats than you and have multiple MD acceptances.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Don't waste your money applying to DO schools. I have lower stats than you and have multiple MD acceptances.

If there isn't a special interest in the philosophy/techniques, I have to agree that this particular person would certainly be successful at getting an MD acceptance and should apply MD only.

 

[darklabel]

Don't waste your money applying to DO schools. I have lower stats than you and have multiple MD acceptances.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Even as an URM and good stats, you should always have a back up. I still think 4.0/38 should at least apply to their favorite DO school as an extreme case of back up.

OP, unless you love DO philosophy or you're in love with a certain school, I would focus on MD more. For DO, I would apply to one or two schools that you love (such as a top school or one in your area).