* *2009-2010 "What Are My Chances/Where Should I Apply/What Should I Do" * *

[slamindesi]

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Ok, so after my transcript finally came in i can put my numbers up here..

cGPA:3.45
sGPA:3.5-3.6

MCAT: 25O

Extracurriculars:

Various DO Shadowing for 40+ hours (all of whom are writing recs for me)

South Asian Dance Troupe - a competitive cultural dance team. We competed at various competitions around the nation.

Global Medical Initiative - a group that hold fundraisers to raise money for medical shipments that we send to third world countries

Delta Tau Delta Fraternity

Adopt-A-School - an inner-city after school program where we help elementary students with homework, read books and play games with them, serve snacks to them, etc.

Research Intern at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals

Research Assistant at the Laboratory for Biomedical Sensing at my school - received an award for my senior project research and presentation

IM Volleyball for 3 years

University Circle Orchestra - our school's symphony orchestra that I played in for one semester. Have played the violin for 15 years now.

 

[hellacool]

alrighty here goes

I taken the MCAT 10ps 7v 8bs = 25p
aacomas GPA science 3.2
aacomas GPA nonscience 3.6
aacomas GPA total 3.45

lots of community service here a sample
over 300 hrs volunteering at medical center
over 150 hrs shadowing doctor in family practice
nearly 100 hrs volunteering as a youth mentor
other awards and activities but NO medical related research activities(will this hurt)

I applied last year to MD&DO schools but I was kinda of late and only got 1 interview which led to a rejection.

What are my chances?
I applied to 16 schools this time around(all of them DO). Should I even apply to MD schools in my state or save my money and prepare for 2nd applications?

 

[DarkCloudXD]

Obviously what you've shown us here is excellent. I assume your LORs are from one of the shadowing experiences, your research advisor, and a professor? Also, it would help if the physician letter was from a DO.
I don't see any volunteering... but even if you don't have any, it's not too later to start a little something. Lastly, they may want to know what you do in your spare time, when you're not studying or commuting.

I wouldn't worry about anything because your app looks good, but it never hurts to improve when you can.



I think you have a good shot. Yeah, your MCAT isn't ideal, but it surely isn't bad. GPA is average. Looks like you have a good amount of clinical experience. Again, I see no volunteering though. Did you shadow a DO? And do you have a DO LOR?
The miscellaneous stuff might be important... especially if it's something relatively unique to you.
Good luck!

I did not shadow a DO at least not yet... I do however have a couple of LOR from the MD's that I work with at the ED. Most of my volunteering is purely clinical with patient interaction. I was never the club activities type of person so I dont have any of those stuff.

 

[MmmFiber]

Hi Everyone,

In the Fall of '07 I started to take some classes at Ball State, but decided college was not what I wanted at that time. So, I pursued my passion for helping people by joining the Air Force. I had gotten my date for basic training and was one month before I was to leave when I decided to check my medical records to see if the Air Force had all of the pertinent information. I found that I had an inhaler prescribed to me when I was 14 and 13 is the cutoff date for not being disqualified. My recruiter and everyone I talked to told me that it would be fine and that the Air Force would never find out. I could not live with myself omitting something that I knew would disqualify me. So I submitted the information and could not get into the military. I was heartbroken.

I thought that I would be getting "W's" for my classes that I withdrew from, but I'm afraid now that they may be "F's." I am checking this week to see what they actually will be but considering that I probably missed the withdrawal date they will be "F's." These will be in 5 courses that I am going to retake: comp science, german, english comp, calculus, and intro to exercise science. I have not taken any college courses since then. I am enrolled for this fall semester. I will strive to get A's in those classes and I read that DO schools take the latest course grade, not the first, into account for your GPA.

My questions are: is it possible to explain those dropped courses away, especially if I do well in retaking them? And if I can do that effectively, will that hamper my chances of making it into a DO school? Also, I will be taking the courses at a different institution. If they are equivalent, will those be acceptible?

Thank you all for reading that long post. I look forward to your responses.🙂

 

[Krisss17]

Hi Everyone,

In the Fall of '07 I started to take some classes at Ball State, but decided college was not what I wanted at that time. So, I pursued my passion for helping people by joining the Air Force. I had gotten my date for basic training and was one month before I was to leave when I decided to check my medical records to see if the Air Force had all of the pertinent information. I found that I had an inhaler prescribed to me when I was 14 and 13 is the cutoff date for not being disqualified. My recruiter and everyone I talked to told me that it would be fine and that the Air Force would never find out. I could not live with myself omitting something that I knew would disqualify me. So I submitted the information and could not get into the military. I was heartbroken.

I thought that I would be getting "W's" for my classes that I withdrew from, but I'm afraid now that they may be "F's." I am checking this week to see what they actually will be but considering that I probably missed the withdrawal date they will be "F's." These will be in 5 courses that I am going to retake: comp science, german, english comp, calculus, and intro to exercise science. I have not taken any college courses since then. I am enrolled for this fall semester. I will strive to get A's in those classes and I read that DO schools take the latest course grade, not the first, into account for your GPA.

My questions are: is it possible to explain those dropped courses away, especially if I do well in retaking them? And if I can do that effectively, will that hamper my chances of making it into a DO school? Also, I will be taking the courses at a different institution. If they are equivalent, will those be acceptible?

Thank you all for reading that long post. I look forward to your responses.🙂

Well, when you withdrew from your classes, did you go through the correct procedures? Was there a form you needed to fill out? Did you check your transcript? You might be worrying for nothing and you might find those classes having the W's instead of F's.

Don't panic yet...go to the school and get a copy of your transcript, and then if it is to the contrary, check with the records department and let them know that you withdrew...there should be some sort of backup material.

Good luck

 

[NPEMTIV]

Well, when you withdrew from your classes, did you go through the correct procedures? Was there a form you needed to fill out? Did you check your transcript? You might be worrying for nothing and you might find those classes having the W's instead of F's.

Don't panic yet...go to the school and get a copy of your transcript, and then if it is to the contrary, check with the records department and let them know that you withdrew...there should be some sort of backup material.

Good luck

👍

 

[NPEMTIV]

alrighty here goes

I taken the MCAT 10ps 7v 8bs = 25p
aacomas GPA science 3.2
aacomas GPA nonscience 3.6
aacomas GPA total 3.45

lots of community service here a sample
over 300 hrs volunteering at medical center
over 150 hrs shadowing doctor in family practice
nearly 100 hrs volunteering as a youth mentor
other awards and activities but NO medical related research activities(will this hurt)

I applied last year to MD&DO schools but I was kinda of late and only got 1 interview which led to a rejection.

What are my chances?
I applied to 16 schools this time around(all of them DO). Should I even apply to MD schools in my state or save my money and prepare for 2nd applications?

I think you'll do well. Be prepared for interviews and present yourself well. Good luck.

 

[Dissected]

alrighty here goes

I taken the MCAT 10ps 7v 8bs = 25p
aacomas GPA science 3.2
aacomas GPA nonscience 3.6
aacomas GPA total 3.45

lots of community service here a sample
over 300 hrs volunteering at medical center
over 150 hrs shadowing doctor in family practice
nearly 100 hrs volunteering as a youth mentor
other awards and activities but NO medical related research activities(will this hurt)

I applied last year to MD&DO schools but I was kinda of late and only got 1 interview which led to a rejection.

What are my chances?
I applied to 16 schools this time around(all of them DO). Should I even apply to MD schools in my state or save my money and prepare for 2nd applications?

MD would be a longshot.. I might save the cash with that MCAT score. You will likely get into one or a few DO programs if you write your essays well and have good interviews. Good luck!

 

[g5chand]

I sent out my AACOMAS application out yesterday. I am applying with:

*3.77 GPA, 3.71 science, 24O MCAT
*~500 hours volunteering (including leadership activities, hospital, nursing homes, etc)
*Part-time job in PT clinic for three years
*Part-time job as a Facility Manager at a Recreation Center at Western Michigan University
*Numerous academic scholarships
*Great LORs

I applied to Midwestern-Chicago, MSU-COM, and NOVA Southeastern. I am a reapplicant to each of these schools; I was placed on the wait-list at MSU-COM due to late application and poorly recorded volunteer hours last year.

What are my chances? I am retaking the MCAT in July using Kaplan Online.

 

[premedmind]

I sent out my AACOMAS application out yesterday. I am applying with:

*3.77 GPA, 3.71 science, 24O MCAT
*~500 hours volunteering (including leadership activities, hospital, nursing homes, etc)
*Part-time job in PT clinic for three years
*Part-time job as a Facility Manager at a Recreation Center at Western Michigan University
*Numerous academic scholarships
*Great LORs

I applied to Midwestern-Chicago, MSU-COM, and NOVA Southeastern. I am a reapplicant to each of these schools; I was placed on the wait-list at MSU-COM due to late application and poorly recorded volunteer hours last year.

What are my chances? I am retaking the MCAT in July using Kaplan Online.

Could you elaborate on that? They put you on a waitlist because your recorded volunteer hours wasn't accurate? That sounds strange..

 

[premedmind]

God I am so nervous about this MCAT on June 18th....my AAMC scores average out to a 24...Kaplan scores are about a 26. Unlike everyone who is scoring 28+ and flipping out I have a reason to worry.

Am I really going to screw myself if I apply DO with perhaps a 25 MCAT and 3.74 GPA>?

 

[NPEMTIV]

God I am so nervous about this MCAT on June 18th....my AAMC scores average out to a 24...Kaplan scores are about a 26. Unlike everyone who is scoring 28+ and flipping out I have a reason to worry.

Am I really going to screw myself if I apply DO with perhaps a 25 MCAT and 3.74 GPA>?

Nope...you'll be fine. Relax! 👍

 

[premedmind]

Nope...you'll be fine. Relax! 👍

For some reason I can't help but feel inadequate compared to everyone here with their 30+ scores.....and I've been studying a LONG time....🙁. Something tells me the SDN population is not representative of the general population, though.

Thanks for the kind words though. I'll try to relax just a bit. 🙂

 

[g5chand]

Could you elaborate on that? They put you on a waitlist because your recorded volunteer hours wasn't accurate? That sounds strange..

I recorded hours that could be verified (~250). When I met with the committee they informed that I could write down any type of service that even if it couldn't be verified. So for my primary I went up about 500 now, which is about average for them.

 

[Spooner13]

Bump for myself. Anyone have any opinions? Edited in some more information.

Hey Grey Wind,

Sorry no one has gotten to your post yet. I think you stand a very good chance. Your mcat is on par with most school averages, and your sci gpa is excellent. I do think that your overall gpa is slightly low, so you might have to explain that in some interviews. But don't stress too much about it. Just be confident. Afterall, you have a lot to be confident about.

In my eyes, your ecs are really great. This is the part of the application that will make you stand out personally. Seriously, those are some really cool things that you've done. You should really play that up in your secondaries, interviews, and even your AACOMAS. And don't be afraid to "brag" about yourself. Just do it in a non-braging type of way. I didn't have the best mcat score (actually it was bad), but I felt that I had a lot of great ecs. So I played those up. In one of my interviews, the interviewer said that they were really impressed with how well rounded my application was.

Just make sure schools know how awesome your experiences are. I think one of the best ways you can do this is to take the time to fully explain all of your ecs in your AACOMAS. Also, explain what you gave and what you recieved/learned from each experience. I don't know too much about the specific schools you mentioned, but I do think that you will be accepted somewhere. Post any other questions and good luck!

 

[amakhosidlo]

I'm in the process of finalizing my list of DO schools to apply to, and I sorta get the feeling I should expand it a bit. I think I posted earlier in this thread w/ my stats, but I'm too lazy to link to it.

Anyway: cGPA 3.45 s.GPA: 3.25ish MCAT: 33T (balanced)
Hospital volunteer, tutoring, 1 yr research, medical mission, DO shadow, etc.

What I've got so far:

Western
PCOM
Nova

Little sparse, I know. There are a couple of reasons I haven't added many more schools yet.

1. Not to sound petty of fickle, but there are a few places I absolutely refuse to set foot in. NYC(Makes me feel really claustrophobic for some reason), Jersey (It's Jersey), and Oklahoma.

2. Part of the reason I'm wanting to modify my list is that I've been eying the % of grads for dif. schools that go primary care. Right now I'm pretty keen on P.C, but I have a feeling that might change in the future and I don't want to attend a school that'll corner me in. (Not literally of course, but when 70% of your class goes P.C, and FM is in your school's mission statement (LECOM), I feel like it'd be tough to go against the grain...

3. Haven't completed the 2nd O-chem lab, probably won't by the time my app gets reviewed. As I understand it, that puts me out of the running for UNECOM...

Schools I'm debating right now:

LECOM: Nicest rep I've met by far

PNWU: Gotta admit, not a fan of Yakima, but if it meant staying in the Northwest I'd tough it out. The biggest problem I have with it is that it's really small, new = no real solid rotations, and I'm not sure how many residencies they'll be able to create by the time I'm in the market...

AZCOM: As much as I hate to admit it, I know absolutely nothing about this school. It's in my range though, and is pretty well established. Thoughts?

Tuoro (CA): Same deal.

Thoughts? Any others I should add?

 

[ncguy2005]

Chances?

29M (10B, 10V, 9P)

Science 3.73
GPA 3.65

I know its lower than my mdapps profile, but it went up a little in the last year.

I'm submitting my primary in early July. I just want to do a little more DO shadowing to add to my primary app before I turn it in.

 

[Grey Wind]

Hey Grey Wind,

Sorry no one has gotten to your post yet. I think you stand a very good chance. Your mcat is on par with most school averages, and your sci gpa is excellent. I do think that your overall gpa is slightly low, so you might have to explain that in some interviews. But don't stress too much about it. Just be confident. Afterall, you have a lot to be confident about.

In my eyes, your ecs are really great. This is the part of the application that will make you stand out personally. Seriously, those are some really cool things that you've done. You should really play that up in your secondaries, interviews, and even your AACOMAS. And don't be afraid to "brag" about yourself. Just do it in a non-braging type of way. I didn't have the best mcat score (actually it was bad), but I felt that I had a lot of great ecs. So I played those up. In one of my interviews, the interviewer said that they were really impressed with how well rounded my application was.

Just make sure schools know how awesome your experiences are. I think one of the best ways you can do this is to take the time to fully explain all of your ecs in your AACOMAS. Also, explain what you gave and what you recieved/learned from each experience. I don't know too much about the specific schools you mentioned, but I do think that you will be accepted somewhere. Post any other questions and good luck!

Thanks for the awesome response dude! I will definitely take your advice. I have been playing up my EC's pretty heavily in my PS and on AACOMAS. I've gone through about 20 drafts of my PS so far, and I feel that I almost have 'the one'. Thanks again!

 

[Rtrn2sndr]

After reading the info here I wanted to present my scenario and get some honest opinions. I have a 3.56 sci gpa, a 3.57 overall gpa and a 22R MCAT. I also have a masters degree, tons of extracurriculars, 4-5 years of research experience, 200 hrs physician shadowing, 150 hrs volunteering in the ED, etc. I just got the MCAT scores back last week...it's much lower than my practice tests...needless to say I was a bit disappointed...not sure what happened...

I am scheduled to retake the MCAT July 31st. Would it be wise to apply now or should I wait until the scores of my retake come back? Personally, I really would like to apply now...but I'm not sure if it's the wisest thing to do...the 22 seems just a bit too low. Thoughts?

 

[123165]

Is anyone noticing it taking a while for transcripts to be added? I saw a little bit posted about this, but could anyone fill me in on how long it is taking between requesting, and seeing it added to AACOMAS. I am waiting on one last transcript, which I had to re-request because I am assuming it lost. It should have mailed out on the first of June.

 

[Rtrn2sndr]

It took about two and a half weeks from the time I sent out the transcript request to the time that it showed up on my online application. If it's been more than 3 weeks I would call the registrar's office of the school whose transcript you are waiting on, or, if they say that they sent it, call AACOMAS directly...maybe they have it but just haven't indicated it online yet.

 

[123165]

It took about two and a half weeks from the time I sent out the transcript request to the time that it showed up on my online application. If it's been more than 3 weeks I would call the registrar's office of the school whose transcript you are waiting on, or, if they say that they sent it, call AACOMAS directly...maybe they have it but just haven't indicated it online yet.

Haha, thanks for answering, I totally put this in the wrong thread. 😱

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Laiba]

Hello,

ok so I FINALLY calculated my AACOMAS gpa from this spreadsheet someone posted on this forum. ofcourse I only put the latest grade for the retakes. Anyways so, my science gpa turns out to be about 3.0. And cumulative is about 3.2. ofcourse according to AAMCAS it'll be way lower but considering only the retakes and not taking the avg of the two courses...this is my gpa.
I have about 200-250 hours of volunteering in the ER department.
I have done one semesters worth or research in a psychology lab (with rats). And currently I am doing research in another lab. I just started beginning of May and I will be doing it atleast till august. Other than that I do not have much EC. I have not yet shadowed any doctors...but will be doing that by end of this month/begnning of next. so overall I probably wont have more than 25-30 hours of shadowing.

I am south asian...and a michigan resident. Oh, and most importantly I have not yet taken the MCAT. I'm registered for July 30 but i'll probably apply before that (by the end of june). I cant say how I will do in my MCAT but considering my study habits and the practice tests...lets say I get a 26.

What are my chances?? I know its a big advantage being a MI resident...since MSUCOM is my first choice.

So, wat do you guyz think?

 

[TKT01]

O-chem was a separated course (a lecture and a lab) at a university that I graduated, while it's a combined course at everywhere else.
I got Cs in both O-chem 1 lecture and lab, and I got a B in O-chem 2 lecture and a C in O-chem 2 lab.

I'm planning to repeat O-chem 1 at a CC near my house, and take immunology and biochemistry at an another university.

Since 400 level courses are not offered at a CC, I should take those 2 classes at an univ anyway, but money is a concern, and I'd take as many classes as I can at a CC.

If I'm following some CC works with some difficult university works, will that demonstrate that I can handle rigorous upper division science on top of a lower div science at a CC so that I do not have to repeat o-chem at an univ ?

If so, should I repeat O-chem 2 to replace a lecture grade from a B to a A just because I got a C in a lab?
Should I just go back to where I graduated and repeat a lab?

Any advice'd be helpful.
Thank you!!

 

[slim78]

Hello,

ok so I FINALLY calculated my AACOMAS gpa from this spreadsheet someone posted on this forum. ofcourse I only put the latest grade for the retakes. Anyways so, my science gpa turns out to be about 3.0. And cumulative is about 3.2. ofcourse according to AAMCAS it'll be way lower but considering only the retakes and not taking the avg of the two courses...this is my gpa.
I have about 200-250 hours of volunteering in the ER department.
I have done one semesters worth or research in a psychology lab (with rats). And currently I am doing research in another lab. I just started beginning of May and I will be doing it atleast till august. Other than that I do not have much EC. I have not yet shadowed any doctors...but will be doing that by end of this month/begnning of next. so overall I probably wont have more than 25-30 hours of shadowing.

I am south asian...and a michigan resident. Oh, and most importantly I have not yet taken the MCAT. I'm registered for July 30 but i'll probably apply before that (by the end of june). I cant say how I will do in my MCAT but considering my study habits and the practice tests...lets say I get a 26.

What are my chances?? I know its a big advantage being a MI resident...since MSUCOM is my first choice.

So, wat do you guyz think?

With that GPA I think you'd need higher than a 26 MCAT. You'd have a chance with those stats, but I'd really try for a much higher MCAT.

 

[slamindesi]

Doing the same thing as everyone else: What are my chances? Thank you in advance for the replies 🙂

cGPA:3.45
sGPA:3.5-3.6

MCAT: 25O

Extracurriculars:

Various DO Shadowing for 40+ hours (all of whom are writing recs for me)

South Asian Dance Troupe - a competitive cultural dance team. We competed at various competitions around the nation.

Global Medical Initiative - a group that hold fundraisers to raise money for medical shipments that we send to third world countries

Delta Tau Delta Fraternity

Adopt-A-School - an inner-city after school program where we help elementary students with homework, read books and play games with them, serve snacks to them, etc.

Research Intern at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals

Research Assistant at the Laboratory for Biomedical Sensing at my school - received an award for my senior project research and presentation

IM Volleyball for 3 years

University Circle Orchestra - our school's symphony orchestra that I played in for one semester. Have played the violin for 15 years now.

 

[DbDan]

Alright so I am probably on the other end of the spectrum (or seem to be just scanning some of these posts. I graduated UCLA in march and have entered everything into AACOMAS and have a 2.76 science GPA//2.76 overall GPA. My first two years killed me and I had a 2.06 coming from electrical engineering so I have a fairly large upward swing all things considered. I am going to retake 2 gen chem classes that I recieved a C in over the summer at UCI in order to try to replace those with an A, which would raise my science GPA to a 2.88 considering grade replacement.

I take the MCAT on June 18th (getting close... FML) and have taken two AAMC tests and gotten a 33, 34 on them and have taken a load of Kaplan tests with the most recent being 35, 34, 34, 37. I am hoping to score around a 35 (better if i can ) next week, finish my personal statement and submit the apps ASAP.

Summary Stats:
2.76s GPA (2.88 if As in 2 summer school classes)
Hoping for a 35 on MCAT
9 Months of research experience (volunteer) in UCLA's VectorCORE/CancerCORE lab
Working in a hospital in a position of direct patient care
Hoping to shadow a DO in the next few weeks
Letter of Rec from an MD, 1 from Professor, 1 from head of research Lab, 1 from previous employment (may not use)

Do I even stand a chance? Right now I am applying to:

AZCOM
NYCOM
NSU-COM
Touro NY
Touro Ca
Western U
North Texas
WVCOM

What are my chances with any of those, I'd particularly like to go to AZCOM, Touro-CA, or Western if possible (Ca resident) but if I have a shot elsewhere I think I'd like to get interviews and check the school out before i rule it out. I have lived in Ca, Fl and NY so I have been around and enjoyed it all

EDIT: I will also be taking classes through UCI's "Access UCI" extension program and potentially retaking the rest of my C's (2 O Chem classes, 2 Physics Classes) over the course of the next year. I am going to try to take two courses per quarter (its expensive, $250ish/unit) so that I can continue to raise my GPA, although these grades will not be seen on this round of applications. The summer transcripts could contain my first summer session (1 chem class) grade if I were to wait until the end of July to apply instead of sending it right away. Otherwise it will read in progress/registered for the two science classes.

 

[Rtrn2sndr]

Doing the same thing as everyone else: What are my chances? Thank you in advance for the replies 🙂

cGPA:3.45
sGPA:3.5-3.6

MCAT: 25O

Extracurriculars:

Various DO Shadowing for 40+ hours (all of whom are writing recs for me)

South Asian Dance Troupe - a competitive cultural dance team. We competed at various competitions around the nation.

Global Medical Initiative - a group that hold fundraisers to raise money for medical shipments that we send to third world countries

Delta Tau Delta Fraternity

Adopt-A-School - an inner-city after school program where we help elementary students with homework, read books and play games with them, serve snacks to them, etc.

Research Intern at Wyeth Pharmaceuticals

Research Assistant at the Laboratory for Biomedical Sensing at my school - received an award for my senior project research and presentation

IM Volleyball for 3 years

University Circle Orchestra - our school's symphony orchestra that I played in for one semester. Have played the violin for 15 years now.

Very impressive list of extracurriculars...very diverse!

Both sets of GPAs look very solid for DO. The MCAT may be just a point or two under the averages for a few DO schools...but it's right on for MANY of them...and that's why they call them 'averages'...some are higher, some are lower. I think you stand a pretty could chance at many places...especially considering the breadth of your experiences. Good luck! BTW...I too play the violin...for 17 yrs now 🙂

I realize the MCAT advice may have seemed a bit pompous...just to let you know...I would have loved your score...mine was a 22 the first go-round. I'm retaking in July...good luck! 🙂

 

[Rtrn2sndr]

Alright so I am probably on the other end of the spectrum (or seem to be just scanning some of these posts. I graduated UCLA in march and have entered everything into AACOMAS and have a 2.76 science GPA//2.76 overall GPA. My first two years killed me and I had a 2.06 coming from electrical engineering so I have a fairly large upward swing all things considered. I am going to retake 2 gen chem classes that I recieved a C in over the summer at UCI in order to try to replace those with an A, which would raise my science GPA to a 2.88 considering grade replacement.

I take the MCAT on June 18th (getting close... FML) and have taken two AAMC tests and gotten a 33, 34 on them and have taken a load of Kaplan tests with the most recent being 35, 34, 34, 37. I am hoping to score around a 35 (better if i can ) next week, finish my personal statement and submit the apps ASAP.

Summary Stats:
2.76s GPA (2.88 if As in 2 summer school classes)
Hoping for a 35 on MCAT
9 Months of research experience (volunteer) in UCLA's VectorCORE/CancerCORE lab
Working in a hospital in a position of direct patient care
Hoping to shadow a DO in the next few weeks
Letter of Rec from an MD, 1 from Professor, 1 from head of research Lab, 1 from previous employment (may not use)

Do I even stand a chance? Right now I am applying to:

AZCOM
NYCOM
NSU-COM
Touro NY
Touro Ca
Western U
North Texas
WVCOM

What are my chances with any of those, I'd particularly like to go to AZCOM, Touro-CA, or Western if possible (Ca resident) but if I have a shot elsewhere I think I'd like to get interviews and check the school out before i rule it out. I have lived in Ca, Fl and NY so I have been around and enjoyed it all

EDIT: I will also be taking classes through UCI's "Access UCI" extension program and potentially retaking the rest of my C's (2 O Chem classes, 2 Physics Classes) over the course of the next year. I am going to try to take two courses per quarter (its expensive, $250ish/unit) so that I can continue to raise my GPA, although these grades will not be seen on this round of applications. The summer transcripts could contain my first summer session (1 chem class) grade if I were to wait until the end of July to apply instead of sending it right away. Otherwise it will read in progress/registered for the two science classes.

Trends are important...though it's going to be tough with the GPA. But, lets focus on the good parts of your background. It would be awesome to knock the MCAT out of the park...it would really prove that, though you may have struggled with the material in the past, you now have mastered information. But, for goodness sake, don't dwell on your shortcomings (i.e. GPA) in your personal statement or in the interview (for later on). The last thing they want is someone who is quick to point out their weaknesses rather than their strengths. Explain your lower GPA and move on to your strengths...they will notice your willingness to address it, but they will also notice it slick way you steered the conversation toward something that presents you in a better light. Use the interview to your advantage, be on the offense and control what YOU want to talk about by asking questions!

Secondly, I may be wrong, but it seems that are trying to smash an aweful lot of coursework, shadowing, etc into a small period of time. Maybe you have a reason to speed up the process (like myself who is approaching 8 years in school and nearing the end of my 20s)...so I totally get that! But, maybe it would benefit you to take a year and get your current classes (and classes you intend to retake) completed, spread your shadowing time out, volunteer, etc...then apply next cycle (I love how everyone says 'next cycle'...I guess it sounds 10 times better than saying 'wait a whole freaking year!'). But only you can make that call. It sounds like you're not the student you used to be, so shout it from the roof tops! I know I am!

So, if you get you're dream score on the MCAT (which I'd be very jealous if you did!) I'd say go for it...at least you would have a huge PLUS to weigh against a (sorry to say) moderate MINUS with the GPA. I'm sort of on the other end of the spectrum...my GPA is pretty decent but my MCAT sucks...22. I'm retaking, but finding it difficult to resume MCAT prep...the 5 months of it sort of burt me out! Anyway...enough about me...

Apply more broadly...8 schools isn't enough, even for the best applicants. Don't be disappointed if it doesn't happen this time around. If you really want this you'll make it happen...and if it takes another year to get your GPA up a little more experience then, well, if you want it badly enough, you'll do it. Best of luck with your MCAT and in applying!

 

[Kaltolukis]

I've just finishing up preparing my primary application (finally!) and will be ready to submit it in a couple of days. However, I took the MCAT on April 24 and got a 24 (8/8/8). Since I think this is a bit low, I've signed up to retake the test on July 30. Also, my GPA is 3.3 and my science GPA is 3.2. Here are my options:

1) Submit the application right now and indicate on the application that I will be sending my updated scores at the end of August. In this case, I'm worried that I will be delayed.

2) Submit the application right now, but don't indicate that I will be retaking the MCAT. Send new scores to the schools once I receive them. In this case, I'm worried about getting rejected due to my low original MCAT scores, and also if I am even allowed to submit new scores out of the blue without indicating that I will be doing so on the primary app.

3) Submit the application right now, and never tell the schools about the new scores. My concern here is that the schools may find out about the scores even if I don't tell them. (Do the scores automatically get release?)

Most importantly, will any of these options affect my chances of getting interview?

I realize this question has probably been answered many other times, but I wanted to get advice for my specific situation. Thanks for the help!

 

[DbDan]

All that

I have no intention of dwelling on my shortcomings, I have found that its hard to not address them at all but I have become fairly good at steering conversation away from my GPA over the last couple of years. I don't really think I have tried to shove any more class/shadowing, etc. into a shorter period of time than anyone else though. Even an ideal situation of applying before your last year in undergrad would generally be working/shadowing and potentially taking classes over summer. Luckily since the hospital I am employed at has many DOs I am lucky in the fact that I may (hopefully) just be able to shadow one of them for a couple of days. The classes are fairly spread out, I am taking classes all next year and only two per quarter so that I can work and pay for them, its more hoping that I slide into somewhere this cycle and avoid the extra year since I am now living at home with family 🙁

 

[Rtrn2sndr]

All that

I have no intention of dwelling on my shortcomings, I have found that its hard to not address them at all but I have become fairly good at steering conversation away from my GPA over the last couple of years. I don't really think I have tried to shove any more class/shadowing, etc. into a shorter period of time than anyone else though. Even an ideal situation of applying before your last year in undergrad would generally be working/shadowing and potentially taking classes over summer. Luckily since the hospital I am employed at has many DOs I am lucky in the fact that I may (hopefully) just be able to shadow one of them for a couple of days. The classes are fairly spread out, I am taking classes all next year and only two per quarter so that I can work and pay for them, its more hoping that I slide into somewhere this cycle and avoid the extra year since I am now living at home with family 🙁

Wow...you and I are more a like than I thought...I too still live with my family and it's driving me nuts! Hang in there...I totally get that you want get in somewhere this year...I feel the same way and my MCAT score is what is holding me up! Blow the MCAT out of the park and write a bangin' PS and you'll be in decent shape. Best of luck!

 

[drplease]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if you had any suggestions for me. I was planning to submit applications by the end of June. However, I am taking some courses and the quarter ends June 26th so the transcripts may be out beginning of July to mid July.. But I already have all my transcripts sent to the AACOMAS office so if I were to extend it, I might end up having to wait until August for my application to be verified. Should I wait and come into the cycle with better grades or should I just apply now and upgrade them? Does anyone know if they put your application on hold if you upgrade your transcripts?

Here are my current stats:
gpa:3.36
sGPA: 3.42
mcat: 12/10/12 = 34R

My new gpa will just affect non-science and cum and probably boost to 3.35 and 3.39 respectively. [looking at it now, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference.. but any feedback would be good because i really want to get into certain schools]

 

[swamprat]

I'd submit, its not worth waiting you have good stats i think you'll be fine. 👍

 

[NPEMTIV]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if you had any suggestions for me. I was planning to submit applications by the end of June. However, I am taking some courses and the quarter ends June 26th so the transcripts may be out beginning of July to mid July.. But I already have all my transcripts sent to the AACOMAS office so if I were to extend it, I might end up having to wait until August for my application to be verified. Should I wait and come into the cycle with better grades or should I just apply now and upgrade them? Does anyone know if they put your application on hold if you upgrade your transcripts?

Here are my current stats:
gpa:3.36
sGPA: 3.42
mcat: 12/10/12 = 34R

My new gpa will just affect non-science and cum and probably boost to 3.35 and 3.39 respectively. [looking at it now, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference.. but any feedback would be good because i really want to get into certain schools]

Apply now and upgrade later. Your scores are fine and I don't think you'll have a problem.

 

[NPEMTIV]

I'd submit, its not worth waiting you have good stats i think you'll be fine. 👍

👍

 

[NPEMTIV]

I've just finishing up preparing my primary application (finally!) and will be ready to submit it in a couple of days. However, I took the MCAT on April 24 and got a 24 (8/8/8). Since I think this is a bit low, I've signed up to retake the test on July 30. Also, my GPA is 3.3 and my science GPA is 3.2. Here are my options:

1) Submit the application right now and indicate on the application that I will be sending my updated scores at the end of August. In this case, I'm worried that I will be delayed.

2) Submit the application right now, but don't indicate that I will be retaking the MCAT. Send new scores to the schools once I receive them. In this case, I'm worried about getting rejected due to my low original MCAT scores, and also if I am even allowed to submit new scores out of the blue without indicating that I will be doing so on the primary app.

3) Submit the application right now, and never tell the schools about the new scores. My concern here is that the schools may find out about the scores even if I don't tell them. (Do the scores automatically get release?)

Most importantly, will any of these options affect my chances of getting interview?

I realize this question has probably been answered many other times, but I wanted to get advice for my specific situation. Thanks for the help!

I would say submit it now and let them know you've retaken the MCAT. There's a good chance they'll put you on hold until the new report comes in. The other option is to not mention the MCAT retake and see how things go, but if they ask I'd be honest with them.

 

[Mysterion]

Hi, I wanted to know how I'd fare at these schools, and if I should apply to more: AZCOM, CCOM, Touro NY, Western CA, PCOM (personal top choice), NSU-COM,UMDNJ, NYCOM, MSUCOM

My stats are:
*Biochemistry Major, Chemistry & Political Science Minor
*3.21 Overall GPA, 3.44 NonScience, 3.05 Science
*MCAT:32P=11PS,11VR,10BS (06, 2008);31Q=11PS,10VR,10BS (03, 2009)
*2 1/2 years undergraduate research (1 year somewhat psych clinical based, 1 year biochem lab based)
*50+ hours of shadowing a Pulmonologist (MD)
*Shadowing a DO this coming week (estimated 25hours)
*Organic Chemistry TA
*3 years of Collegiate Rugby
*Member of Biochem club, journal club, campus paper
*A's in 2 Graduate Science Courses as an undergrad
*Recs from Orgo Professor, 2 more graduate science professors, 1 Political Science Professor, 2 DO Recs
*Also in the year off I will hopefully be working as a labtech in a biological sciences based lab

Thanks

 

[Krupat]

Hi I just wanted advice on what you guys thinks of my application thus far.

Overall gpa: 3.2
Sci. gpa: 3.1

My father passed away May 8th and I wont be taking summer courses.
I am a sophomore at Rutgers University.
I was a part of premed/predent society freshman year.
I shadowed a DO oncologist winter of freshman year. (My dad had cancer who knew I would experience what those patient's families were experiencing, but the DO helped me when I needed a transfer and advice for my father.)
I became vice president a Pilot Me a child mentoring program. (Currently continuing VP status.)
I joined AMSA.
I did research in animal science with two professors. One I got an A, but the other I got a C and realized I made the wrong choice of doing research with that professor for 5 credits 🙁. Currently I am trying to finish research with her.
I volunteered for 50+ hours at Robert Johnson University Hospital.
I was treasurer of my campus apartment board for all of sophomore year.
I will be President and founder of CARE at Rutgers which is a organization that will work with a NGO with a $3 million endowment. We will fundraise for med equipment for medical clinics in the New Brunswick community.
I am currently starting to volunteer for Hospice.
I am also working at Medical Laboratory for the summer. I call patients, doctors, and insurance companies to obtain correct information needed for our billing purposes.
In the future I will shadow a general surgeon DO, and couple of doctors that took care of my father.
I also will volunteer at a community hospital.
I also hope to join more clubs.
I am hopefully going to join this medical brigades club that is starting at Rutgers between me and 15 other people. I hope to join its board and go on a medical relief trip to a third world country.
Finally I might go abroad for a winter or summer to help needy kids at schools and adoption centers.
I am open to doing as much as I can.

MCAT I wont be taking for a while since I am a sophomore and will have to take an extra year.

My major is Evolutionary Anthropology in which I hope to obtain a B.S.
My minor is Nutrition.

I currently have 5 grades below a B.
Calc 1: F (replaced with B+)
Chem 1: C
Chem 2: C+
Microecon.: C+
Research: C

I will retake these (except research) and do well.
Bio 1: B+
Bio 2: B
Chem Lab: B+
Orgo: B
Orgo 2: B
Orgo Lab: Will most likely get a B+
Physic 1&2: Still going to have to take. Should I take it at a CC or Rutgers over the summer? I have never taken physics and I want to take it in the summer.

Thank You.

 

[whoisthedrizzle]

Hi, I wanted to know how I'd fare at these schools, and if I should apply to more: AZCOM, CCOM, Touro NY, Western CA, PCOM (personal top choice), NSU-COM,UMDNJ, NYCOM, MSUCOM

My stats are:
*Biochemistry Major, Chemistry & Political Science Minor
*3.21 Overall GPA, 3.44 NonScience, 3.05 Science
*MCAT:32P=11PS,11VR,10BS (06, 2008);31Q=11PS,10VR,10BS (03, 2009)
*2 1/2 years undergraduate research (1 year somewhat psych clinical based, 1 year biochem lab based)
*50+ hours of shadowing a Pulmonologist (MD)
*Shadowing a DO this coming week (estimated 25hours)
*Organic Chemistry TA
*3 years of Collegiate Rugby
*Member of Biochem club, journal club, campus paper
*A's in 2 Graduate Science Courses as an undergrad
*Recs from Orgo Professor, 2 more graduate science professors, 1 Political Science Professor, 2 DO Recs
*Also in the year off I will hopefully be working as a labtech in a biological sciences based lab

Thanks

You'll get interviews at most of those schools. As long as you're not a social ******, you'll get into several of them. What position do you play in rugby?

 

[Mysterion]

You'll get interviews at most of those schools. As long as you're not a social ******, you'll get into several of them. What position do you play in rugby?

Haha, thanks for the words of encouragement. I started out my first season as a lock, and then moved to prop. Though now I've dropped about 25lbs (to hopefully get into the HPSP program) so I think if I continued to play at Med School I'd try playing flanker. I'm guessing you have experience in the sport, what position do you play?

 

[ilovebiology]

First of all, a B is not a bad grade and shouldn't be taken over because personally I think is a waste of time. I would be proud of yourself getting a B, its a very challenging class! Your C's lab isn't that big of deal, and if you have time to take it over then great. Sometimes it is frowned upon to take such important classes like OChem at a community college after you've already taken it at a big university because it may look like you're trying to take it at an "easier" place (which isn't the case at all). 🙂

Secondly, I actually received a B- in OChem 1 lecture and a C in OChem 2 lecture and A's in both the labs...yes, I am not crazy about those grades, but what I've learned from talking to advisors is that its not all about the grades. If you have a history of getting these lower grades, then you have something to worry about, but if this is just one class, then don't worry! Make it up in BioChem and doing well on the MCAT (what I plan on doing)...show med school that you can handle it. Because if you retake these classes and don't significantly increase your grades, they're going to look at it as "wow, how can she handle med school classes if she can grasp the material after taking it twice?", do you understand what I'm saying?

I hope this helps!

 

[Krisss17]

O-chem was a separated course (a lecture and a lab) at a university that I graduated, while it's a combined course at everywhere else.
I got Cs in both O-chem 1 lecture and lab, and I got a B in O-chem 2 lecture and a C in O-chem 2 lab.

I'm planning to repeat O-chem 1 at a CC near my house, and take immunology and biochemistry at an another university.

Since 400 level courses are not offered at a CC, I should take those 2 classes at an univ anyway, but money is a concern, and I'd take as many classes as I can at a CC.

If I'm following some CC works with some difficult university works, will that demonstrate that I can handle rigorous upper division science on top of a lower div science at a CC so that I do not have to repeat o-chem at an univ ?

If so, should I repeat O-chem 2 to replace a lecture grade from a B to a A just because I got a C in a lab?
Should I just go back to where I graduated and repeat a lab?

Any advice'd be helpful.
Thank you!!

As for repeating lab only for Organic chemistry 2, you'll probably have to check with the university. Some may not allow you to retake a grade that is a C or better, so be prepared for that.

What I would do is take care of that Organic Chem 1 and do your best to get an A. Then instead of concentrating onthe ochem 2 lab grade, I would make sure that both the biochemistry and immunology are also hit out of the park. If you can get yourself a good grade with biochemistry, it'll probably go a long way.

Good luck

 

[Rtrn2sndr]

After reading the info here I wanted to present my scenario and get some honest opinions. I have a 3.56 sci gpa, a 3.57 overall gpa and a 22R MCAT. I also have a masters degree, tons of extracurriculars, 4-5 years of research experience, 200 hrs physician shadowing, 150 hrs volunteering in the ED, etc. I just got the MCAT scores back last week...it's much lower than my practice tests...needless to say I was a bit disappointed...not sure what happened...

I am scheduled to retake the MCAT July 31st. Would it be wise to apply now or should I wait until the scores of my retake come back? Personally, I really would like to apply now...but I'm not sure if it's the wisest thing to do...the 22 seems just a bit too low. Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

 

[eklip53]

Just wanted to give this a try... My AACOMAS is submitted and I am nervous as anything.

My stats:
3.3 gpa (science slightly lower 3.2something)
27N MCAT
Shadowed DO MD and volunteered with therapists (total about 100 hours.)
Been doing research in marine biology with electron microscopy. Presented my work at a statewide conference.
Leadership roles in lots of organizations... SGA, PHO and so on.

I applied broadly to east coast DO schools in early June (first choice PCOM), currently I am "processing"

I would appreciate it if you could scan over this and tell me what you think!

 

[MilkmanAl]

You're pretty light on clinical experience, so I'd bone up on that immediately. Your scores are competitive.

 

[Stratego]

Have you volunteered in a clinical setting or had a job in healthcare? If not, it might be difficult to convince adcomms that you have tested a medical vocation sufficiently. Were I you, I'd get something going ASAP so you have helpful information to include in update letters throughout the cycle. Other than that glaring deficiency, your application looks fine.

 

[futurehealer117]

So....I'm currently getting my CNA and gonna start working that to get clinical hours! Yay! However, given the fact that I'm broke, don't exactly have a stellar GPA at this point and still have 3 maybe 4 years before I'm ready to apply to med school, here's my question.

I have the opportunity to go to a 16 month resp. therapy program near my house while still continuing to take classes at my university (although not as many, of course). Not gonna lie, money is a fairly significant factor in this and my attitude is best case scenario I do this and then gain lots of experience (more than a CNA gets atleast) and can finally move out of my parents basement 😳 then apply to med school in 5 or so years when I'm 25; worst case scenario I don't get in but still have a job doing what I love and can still support a family and possibly move on to a good nursing program or some such thing.

Does this seem like pretty solid reasoning? Do you think that having 3 or so years as an RT would help my chances at a DO program?

As always I appreciate any and all advice!

 

[pseudoMCAT45]

it says the score comes out on 9/1... ill have aacomas submitted around early july, would that consider too late???

 

[RRTinCO]

So....I'm currently getting my CNA and gonna start working that to get clinical hours! Yay! However, given the fact that I'm broke, don't exactly have a stellar GPA at this point and still have 3 maybe 4 years before I'm ready to apply to med school, here's my question.

I have the opportunity to go to a 16 month resp. therapy program near my house while still continuing to take classes at my university (although not as many, of course). Not gonna lie, money is a fairly significant factor in this and my attitude is best case scenario I do this and then gain lots of experience (more than a CNA gets atleast) and can finally move out of my parents basement 😳 then apply to med school in 5 or so years when I'm 25; worst case scenario I don't get in but still have a job doing what I love and can still support a family and possibly move on to a good nursing program or some such thing.

Does this seem like pretty solid reasoning? Do you think that having 3 or so years as an RT would help my chances at a DO program?

As always I appreciate any and all advice!

If you are content being an RT then 16 months isn't very long to invest. I'm pretty sure that any patient contact could help your chances in your application process. It is excellent patient care and healthcare team experience, you might meet some DOs along the way, and it is a good living (not as much as nursing). However it has limited possibilities, but you seem to understand that.

As an RT, working full time and taking additional classes is very doable.