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Welcome to the forums.

Why don't you finish your two-year fellowship first? Why didn't you wait to that the MCAT so you don't waste a couple of eligibility years?

Yes you app may look too research focused, but you haven't mentioned your community service activities. (No WAMC profile.)

What's wrong with pursuing research as a career?
 
Mr.Smile12 said:
Welcome to the forums.

Why don't you finish your two-year fellowship first? Why didn't you wait to that the MCAT so you don't waste a couple of eligibility years?

Yes you app may look too research focused, but you haven't mentioned your community service activities. (No WAMC profile.)

What's wrong with pursuing research as a career?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the response. Just to clarify, I'm not applying this cycle. I took the MCAT when I felt ready after an upward GPA trend and wanted flexibility with timing.

I’ll complete the full two-year fellowship before applying, which should include strong mentorship, a publication, and more clinical exposure.

Would the 1000 hours of paid mentorship and tutoring count as a community service activity? I was employed directly by the college for this. And I'm looking to add more hours at the urgent care volunteering during the next 2 years.

I really enjoy research and see myself pursuing academic medicine, but I really don't see myself doing it at the same level I honestly don't find it enjoyable. I appreciate the feedback and welcome any advice from others with a similar background.
 
Calbear2 said:
Would the 1000 hours of paid mentorship and tutoring count as a community service activity? I was employed directly by the college for this.
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You were paid for your academic skills and competencies in helping other students. The line may be blurred if you were paid to mentor grade school children through a mentoring program run by your student engagement office or a club, but it's still teaching/tutoring (academic competency).

Non-clinical ommunity service covers a wide spectrum of activities where you give time to help your community (pick up trash from the highways, voter registration, plant conservation); non-clinical service orientation directly involves activities addressing others' societal needs (food distribution, shelter volunteer, job/tax preparation, legal support, transportation services, or housing rehabilitation). (Most clinical activities have a natural service orientation as would customer service retail jobs.)

I warn those who want to go into academia but don't like to do research... academia isn't a fun place, and the current political climate has made it much less welcoming.
 
In the coming year you should accumulate 200+ hours of non clinical volunteering such as food bank, homeless shelter, etc. since some schools screen at 150 hours. I suggest these schools when you apply next year:
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Albany
New York Medical College
Hackensack
Penn State
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
Geisinger
George Washington
Virginia Commonwealth
Eastern Virginia
Wake Forest
Methodist
NOVA MD
Belmont
Alice Walton
Roseman
TCU
Creighton
Ponce (St. Louis)
Rosalind Franklin
Medical College Wisconsin
Western Michigan
Wayne State
Oakland Beaumont
Arizona (Phoenix)
California University
Kaiser
UC Davis
UC Riverside (if you are from that region)
If you have not received 3 or more interviews by November 2026 then apply to DO schools also and I suggest these:
WESTERN
TUCOM-CA
TUNCOM
AZCOM
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
DMU-COM
CCOM
MU-COM
CUSOM
NYITCOM
PCOM
Touro-NY
 
Calbear2 said:
My concern is that my application might seem too research focused, especially given my GPA. On the other hand, the MCAT score and research opportunity could help balance things out.
Click to expand...
As someone who's initial application was called out for being too research focused, the additional research (clinical or bench work) will not ease an admissions committees mind, even if you want to do academic medicine. The focus is still on patient care so continue finding ways to volunteer in a clinical setting. As another user said, also make sure to gain non-clinical hours in underserved areas as the whole point as a physician is to help those in need. Outside of that, you have plenty of time to add these activities and build experiences from them, so you will do well when it comes time to apply.
 
Calbear2 said:
Cumulative GPA (AMCAS):


  • Freshman: 3.12 (60 credits)
  • Sophomore: 3.18 (109 credits)
  • Junior: 3.27 (142 credits)
  • Senior: 3.38 (192 credits)
  • Postbac: 3.40 (198 credits)
  • Undergraduate Cumulative GPA: 3.40 (198 credits)

Science GPA (AMCAS):


  • Freshman: 2.98 (43 credits)
  • Sophomore: 2.92 (74 credits)
  • Junior: 3.07 (102 credits)
  • Senior: 3.27 (152 credits)
  • Postbac: 3.29 (155 credits)
  • Undergraduate Cumulative Science GPA: 3.29 (198 credits)

Im also taking some DIY postbac classes at UCLAEx My gpa at the end should be a 3.5CGPA and 3.4SGPA
Click to expand...
I cant sugarcoat this, the lack of a strong rising GPA trend, and the weak performance in the postbac, makes you a good DO school candidate, but probably lethal for MD, except for your own state schools.

You still need to get in nonclinical volunteering, and figure out what is impeding you from doing better academically. You might want to consider a SMP.

Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching literacy or ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Meals on Wheels, mentoring immigrant/refugee adults, being a friendly visitor to shut-ins, adaptive sports program coach or Special Olympics.
 
Calbear2 said:
Cumulative GPA (AMCAS):


  • Freshman: 3.12 (60 credits)
  • Sophomore: 3.18 (109 credits)
  • Junior: 3.27 (142 credits)
  • Senior: 3.38 (192 credits)
  • Postbac: 3.40 (198 credits)
  • Undergraduate Cumulative GPA: 3.40 (198 credits)

Science GPA (AMCAS):


  • Freshman: 2.98 (43 credits)
  • Sophomore: 2.92 (74 credits)
  • Junior: 3.07 (102 credits)
  • Senior: 3.27 (152 credits)
  • Postbac: 3.29 (155 credits)
  • Undergraduate Cumulative Science GPA: 3.29 (198 credits)
My uc berkely gpa is a
Im also taking some DIY postbac classes at UCLAEx My gpa at the end should be a 3.5CGPA and 3.4SGPA
Click to expand...

Goro said:
I cant sugarcoat this, the lack of a strong rising GPA trend, and the weak performance in the postbac, makes you a good DO school candidate, but probably lethal for MD, except for your own state schools.

You still need to get in nonclinical volunteering, and figure out what is impeding you from doing better academically. You might want to consider a SMP.

Check out your local houses of worship for volunteer opportunities. The key thing is service to others less fortunate than you. And get off campus and out of your comfort zone!

Examples include: Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Humane Society, crisis hotlines, soup kitchen, food pantry, homeless or women’s shelter, after-school tutoring for students or coaching a sport in a poor school district, teaching literacy or ESL to adults at a community center, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Meals on Wheels, mentoring immigrant/refugee adults, being a friendly visitor to shut-ins, adaptive sports program coach or Special Olympics.
Click to expand...
I believe I formatted my GPA wrong earlier. I got the calculation from the mapped website. I just calculated myself right now individualizing the years and this is what it looks like.

Most of the post bac units I have now are from CC because while I was at university I was taking some CC classes so I separated the column.

I don’t know if it plays a difference, but my undergrad was UC Berkeley and even though my GPA is low it’s above the average for my major.

  • Freshman: 3.20 GPA
  • Sophomore: 3.22 GPA
  • Junior: 3.38 GPA over 24 units
  • Senior: 3.71 GPA over 28 units
  • Postbac: 3.90 GPA over 31 units
 
Calbear2 said:
I believe I formatted my GPA wrong earlier. I got the calculation from the mapped website. I just calculated myself right now individualizing the years and this is what it looks like.

Most of the post bac units I have now are from CC because while I was at university I was taking some CC classes so I separated the column.

I don’t know if it plays a difference, but my undergrad was UC Berkeley and even though my GPA is low it’s above the average for my major.

  • Freshman: 3.20 GPA
  • Sophomore: 3.22 GPA
  • Junior: 3.38 GPA over 24 units
  • Senior: 3.71 GPA over 28 units
  • Postbac: 3.90 GPA over 31 units
Click to expand...
Oh, that's a very different story now!!! Great job at reinvention.

Will post school list later
 
Goro said:
Oh, that's a very different story now!!! Great job at reinvention.

Will post school list later
Click to expand...
I have also just started to take UCLA Ex classes do you think that is a good next step?
 
Goro said:
Oh, that's a very different story now!!! Great job at reinvention.

Will post school list later
Click to expand...
I recently recalculated my GPA to align with AMCAS’s official classification, which assigns class standing based on cumulative credit hours rather than academic year or institution. Since I spent three years at a community college before transferring to a 4yr, many of those courses are counted under Junior and Senior standing, not just Freshman/Sophomore.
After adjusting for unit-based classification, my updated GPA breakdown looks like this (from Mappd):

Cumulative GPA (AMCAS Format)​

StandingGPAUnits
Freshman2.58(38)
Sophomore3.14(72)
Junior3.20(108)
Senior3.38(204)
UG Cumulative3.38(204)
While I don't have any official "postbac" work yet, I’m currently enrolled in a summer course at my 4yr, so I’m technically still an undergrad. I’ve just begun taking additional courses through UCLA Extension (UCEX), which will count as DIY postbac moving forward. My goal is to maintain a strong upward trend and reach a 3.5 cGPA / 3.4 sGPA before applying. I also said I previously held a research position, I ultimately decided to step away from that path and take on a role as a medical assistant instead. Over time, I realized that my passion no longer aligned with research; I found myself more energized by direct patient care and clinical interaction.
 
Do you don’t have any post bacc work yet, you have a 3.9 post bac GPA from 31 credits? That’s pretty confusing. Can you explain it ?
 
Calbear2 said:
I have also just started to take UCLA Ex classes do you think that is a good next step?
Click to expand...
I think that you have demonstrated reinvention and now it's time to work on the other parts of your app that need attention. I especially recommend service to others less fortunate than yourself.

EDIT:
  • Postbac: 3.90 GPA over 31 units
While I don't have any official "postbac" work yet, I’m currently enrolled in a summer course at my 4yr, so I’m technically still an undergrad.

Can you elaborate? If you've taken a fifth year of UG, that's reinvention.
 
Mr.Smile12 said:
I still want insight into your plan to get more non-clinical community service while taking these classes.
Click to expand...

candbgirl said:
Do you don’t have any post bacc work yet, you have a 3.9 post bac GPA from 31 credits? That’s pretty confusing. Can you explain it ?
Click to expand...

Goro said:
I think that you have demonstrated reinvention and now it's time to work on the other parts of your app that need attention. I especially recommend service to others less fortunate than yourself.

EDIT:
  • Postbac: 3.90 GPA over 31 units
While I don't have any official "postbac" work yet, I’m currently enrolled in a summer course at my 4yr, so I’m technically still an undergrad.

Can you elaborate? If you've taken a fifth year of UG, that's reinvention.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for all the feedback. I really appreciate the time and thoughtful advice.

Just to clarify the GPA confusion, the 3.9 I mentioned came from science courses I took at community college while I was still an undergrad at Berkeley, mostly during winter and summer sessions. I now understand those don’t count as official postbac work under AMCAS since I hadn’t graduated yet, so that was (I think?) a misstep on my part for calling it postbac.

After reviewing the AMCAS guidelines on how “Year in School” is determined, I realized I needed to reclassify my academic years based on cumulative semester hours, not just where or when the courses were taken. Per AMCAS:


“Each undergraduate status should consist of about 24 to 35 semester hours. If you have been enrolled part-time or have had interrupted attendance, you should use the following ranges to determine your appropriate status for each term:

  • Freshman (FR): 24–35 semester hours
  • Sophomore (SO): 36–65 semester hours
  • Junior (JR): 66–95 semester hours
  • Senior (SR): 96 or more semester hours
Junior and community college courses (e.g., associate degree coursework) should usually be listed as FR or SO if you took the courses before you attended a four-year institution.”
Click to expand...

Based on this, I recalculated my year-by-year GPA using unit-based standing, which is reflected correctly now in my academic breakdown.

Right now, I’m finishing up my final summer course at Berkeley, so I’m still technically considered an undergrad. I’ve also just started taking UCLA Extension courses, which will be my actual postbac coursework moving forward. My goal is to keep building on the upward GPA trend and reach around a 3.5 cumulative and 3.4 science GPA by the time I apply.

For non-clinical volunteering, I wanted to share that I spent the entire summer of 202X helping with disaster relief in a high-need area. I contributed around 450 hours supporting recovery efforts and providing non medical aid to affected communities.

Im also attaching my class standing gpa per year if it helps

Class Standing GPAs

AMCAS AACOMAS
High School 3.00 (3) 3.00 (3)
Freshman 2.54 (35) 2.54 (35)
Sophomore 3.76 (34) 3.76 (34)
Junior 3.33 (36) 3.33 (36)
Senior 3.59 (96) 3.59 (96)
Postbac - -
Undergrad Cum. 3.38 (204) 3.38 (204)

​

 
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Calbear2 said:
Thanks so much for all the feedback. I really appreciate the time and thoughtful advice.

Just to clarify the GPA confusion, the 3.9 I mentioned came from science courses I took at community college while I was still an undergrad at Berkeley, mostly during winter and summer sessions. I now understand those don’t count as official postbac work under AMCAS since I hadn’t graduated yet, so that was (I think?) a misstep on my part for calling it postbac.

After reviewing the AMCAS guidelines on how “Year in School” is determined, I realized I needed to reclassify my academic years based on cumulative semester hours, not just where or when the courses were taken. Per AMCAS:




Based on this, I recalculated my year-by-year GPA using unit-based standing, which is reflected correctly now in my academic breakdown.

Right now, I’m finishing up my final summer course at Berkeley, so I’m still technically considered an undergrad. I’ve also just started taking UCLA Extension courses, which will be my actual postbac coursework moving forward. My goal is to keep building on the upward GPA trend and reach around a 3.5 cumulative and 3.4 science GPA by the time I apply.

For non-clinical volunteering, I wanted to share that I spent the entire summer of 202X helping with disaster relief in a high-need area. I contributed around 450 hours supporting recovery efforts and providing non medical aid to affected communities.

Im also attaching my class standing gpa per year if it helps

Class Standing GPAs

AMCAS AACOMAS
High School 3.00 (3) 3.00 (3)
Freshman 2.54 (35) 2.54 (35)
Sophomore 3.76 (34) 3.76 (34)
Junior 3.33 (36) 3.33 (36)
Senior 3.59 (96) 3.59 (96)
Postbac - -
Undergrad Cum. 3.38 (204) 3.38 (204)

​

Click to expand...
You're fine for any DO school right now, including mine.

If you're gunning for the MD, do a SMP.
 
Goro said:
You're fine for any DO school right now, including mine.

If you're gunning for the MD, do a SMP.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, pursuing an SMP isn’t financially feasible for me at this time. That said, I’m wondering is MD really out of reach with a projected 3.5 cumulative GPA and 3.4 science GPA?

I’m planning to complete around 40 additional units at UCLA Extension and aim to maintain as close to a 4.0 as possible. Since I’m not applying until the next cycle, I figured this would be a good opportunity to demonstrate continued academic growth and show that I’m fully capable of handling the rigors of medical school. I feel as if I have a pretty good upward trend and keeping it up at a school like Berkeley could help? my first semester in college my gpa was a 1.8 btw.
 
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Go for your D.O.- you will get an acceptance- and get about the business of practicing medicine for goodness sake.
 
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