MD & DO Where Do I Stand Right Now?

[revenge101]

--

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[revenge101]

Bump?

 

[Goro]

So far, so good!

 

[Doug Underhill]

Your next milestone is the MCAT. You could get into Harvard with that 3.7 if you get a great MCAT score and have strong ECs. Dropping the ball on the MCAT could result in you not getting accepted anywhere. Study for a minimum of 3 months and get some test prep materials. I'm not sure which ones to recommend for the new exam, but we have a MCAT forum.

 

[Catalystik]

Hello everyone,

I am a sophomore majoring in chemistry, and I am planning to apply for med school (MD and DO) next summer. I am panicking right now, believing that my stats are not good enough for MD schools, so I would like some feedback based on my stats and any recommendation for improving them/building a list of schools:

Stats:
-cGPA: 3.7

-sGPA: 3.7 (I have 1 B- for Orgo I and a B+ for Orgo Lab I during the summer after my freshman year, but have been working to boost my sGPA. My GPA also shows an upward trend, and I have not lightened my courseload in any way. Also, I took biochemistry as a sophomore and received an A.)

-Research: Working on a clinical research study since October 2013. Expecting to publish as second author and perhaps to go to a conference. Also, I started a germination research project at a biology research lab at my university, but I decided to do research in pediatrics.

-Shadowing: I have shadowed an interventional radiologist for 2 months for ~40 hours and a general pediatrician for 5 hours. I'm also planning to shadow physicians in other fields as well.

-Volunteering:

• Senior home volunteer (~100 hours)
• UNICEF (~20 hours)
• Autism Speaks (~30 hours)
• fundraisers for an honor society (not sure if this counts) (~20 hours)

-Teaching:

• Tutoring for General Chemistry and Calculus (~3 hours/week for 1 year now)
• Peer teacher for an Intro Bio lab course
• I'm also planning to ask to become a biochem TA.

-Leadership/Other Extracurriculars:

• Pancakes for Parkinson's: Parkinson's Awareness Committee Organizer
• AMSA Monthly Service Committee Organizer

-Honors/Awards:

• Dean's List
• science scholar at my university (only about 20 students selected per class year)

I am planning to take the MCAT either this fall or the spring of next year. I haven't done any research on any particular med schools, but which schools should I definitely look into? Also, how much would it help to be the resident of a particular state?

Thank you so much for your time & I would appreciate any suggestions you guys have!

I suggest you mainly emphasize primary care docs for the remainder of your shadowing. Watching procedures, though fascinating, doesn't give you much idea about the life of a doc.

I'm not clear on your interactive experience with sick and injured folks. Could you elaborate or share your plans?

What is your role in fundraising for the honor society?

State residency can be a help or a hindrance. What is your home state?

Without an MCAT score, a school list is premature.