DO 1st post, need some advice for my future

[Qwerty122]

Hey guys I need some advice about my situation right now...
- My cGPA right now is hovering around 3, with my sGPA abit less than that. I messed up my freshman year, didn't know I really wanted to do pre-med, thus my low GPA, there has been a constant improvement though. Right now in my fall semester I have either A or A- in all my classes.
- I have over 100 hours of internship, which is what made me decide that this is what I want to do
- I'm a biology major, taking biochem and A&P right now.

I know I need a really strong MCAT to improve my chances. But my question is when I should take the MCAT. So I have 2 options: either take it the summer going to my senior year, or if I am taking postbacs or a masters program I will have to take it after that year. I'm going to list the pros and cons for each option.

MCAT this summer (going to senior year):
PROS: Don't need to take another year before going to a DO school. I still retain all the information from college
CONS: Riskier, if I do bad, some postbac and masters program will not accept students who already took the MCAT (!!).

MCAT after postbac/masters:
PROS: Safer route, better resume
CONS: Harder to study for MCAT (information not as fresh in my mind), costly, have to add another year to the medical program.

So to whoever has any advice, should I take the riskier or safer path, considering my current GPA and internship hours?

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[Qwerty122]

Oh I forgot to specify a few things about me:
- Californian state of of residence
- Asian American
- Bachelor's at Wheaton college
- Around 60 hours of research (more to come next year)
- Shadowed emergency room, internal medicine, orthopedic, neurology, surgery, general ward visits
- Non clinical volunteering: Taught 5th graders (30 hours), played in church worship band
- Extracurriculars: Mentor in one of the freshman-mentoring programs in college, soccer

Thanks guys!

 

[Goro]

You should take the MCAT when you're 100% ready for it.

 

[candbgirl]

What about clinical ECs? And what makes you think you can get in a DO school with a below 3.0 sGPA and around 3.0'cGPA? You have lots of work to do. I'd plan on at least one gap year, a DIY post bacc for grade repair, buff up those ECs and eventually study for the MCAT.


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[ParallelLines]

Doing a postbacc or special masters program will actually refresh concepts and help your MCAT

I will agree w/ the above poster that a 3.0 GPA is weak for DO esp considering the fact that you are an ORM.

 

[Qwerty122]

What if I am able to raise my GPAs to at least a 3.2 through my junior year? The 3.0 is only up to the sophomore year.

 

[Frogger27]

What if I am able to raise my GPAs to at least a 3.2 through my junior year? The 3.0 is only up to the sophomore year.

I would take 2 full years and get your GPA as high as you can. Gain clinical experience and then take 3 months to study for the MCAT. If you can get your GPA to ~3.3+ with an upward trend and good MCAT, you should be good for DO. Also look into grade replacement for classes you did poor in

 

[ParallelLines]

What if I am able to raise my GPAs to at least a 3.2 through my junior year? The 3.0 is only up to the sophomore year.

That would put you in a better position but you would still be under the average for most of the "top tier" DO schools (3.4-3.5)

Grade replacement like @Frogger27 said esp. in science classes that you did poorly in will help you a ton. A post-bacc or SMP looks awesome if you get top notch grades. A lot of premeds (such as myself back in the day) look at taking an extra year or two as the worst thing ever when the reality is that it significantly boosts your chances if you do well.

The last you thing you want is to rush into the MCAT and get an extremely mediocre or poor score, so take that when your practice tests are consistently near or at your target score.

 

[Qwerty122]

Alright, I might just do a SMP or a post bacc then. This is also what my teacher recommended. Thank you guys so much. Does it matter where I take my SMP? Are there some top notch schools I should look into?