27M - 3.6 sGPA, 3.5 GPA, 501 MCAT

[salkeon]

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Hello,

I am currently completing the last semester of my undergrad towards my B.A Psychology. My science GPA is slightly higher then my overall GPA, and my MCAT is a 501. My biggest problem is that i dont have any extra-c's. I havent volunteered at any clinic / hospital etc, and I'm very intimidated by the people on here, most of whom have done 2,000+ hours of volunteer work. Im trying to get into a DO program and was wondering if I would possibly be competitive at all with my current standing? Im mainly looking at the DO program at NYIT, and wondering if i would be a good prospect there, or maybe at any other college close to NY/NJ/CT area etc.

Note: If someone can explain how its possible to have 1,000+ hours of shadowing etc experience. How does one go to school, and work, and still have the time to spend X hours a day / week at a clinic, amounting to such a hefty amount of hours? Sorry for sounding so naive, i really have no family member / friend who is a physician / aspiring doctor, so i can not really turn to anyone for advice.

Thanks

 

[Faha]

Where is your state of residence ? What are your cGPA and sGPA ? You only need 50 hours of physician shadowing and 200 hours of clinical volunteering or employment with patient contact. Do you have any hours ?

 

[salkeon]

New York. cGPA = 3.5. sGPA = 3.6. I dont have any hours at all, but i can definitely shadow my primary care (he's a personal friend of my dad). Those hours shouldn't be a problem at all, i can start as soon as the covid19 restrictions ease down here.

 

[Faha]

You will need 50 hours of shadowing and 200 hours of clinical volunteering before you apply .
I suggest these DO schools:
LECOM (all schools)
PCOM (all schools)
ACOM
ARCOM
NYIT-AR
UIWSOM
CUSOM
VCOM (all 4 schools)
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
MU-COM
WCU-COM
LMU-DCOM
You can apply as late as November for DO schools but you do need the shadowing and clinical volunteering hours. If you are unable to obtain them this year (due to COVID 19 pandemic) you will need to wait until next year to apply.

 

[salkeon]

Thank you so much, how do you think my prospects are for NYIT-NY?

 

[deleted966837]

While you are still in school, use whatever resources you have to find shadowing/clinic time. Like start right now. With the covid situation it will be difficult. Find whatever health/career/whatever center exists at your school to connect you with the right people. After you leave the school, it may be much harder. You will stop being a college student and just some random adult. Use your personal network as well, like you have mentioned with your dad's friend.

You will need a letter of recommendation from a physician or many, many DO schools will not even consider you. Forge a good relationship early during your shadowing/clinical time and ask for a recommendation.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

2000 hours is full-time work for a year (8 hours x 5 days x 50 weeks). It's possible with gap years.

 

[m1redsox]

Your stats are fine for DO, but no one will give you a second thought if you can’t fill out some clinical hours and some non-clinical volunteering hours on your primary app.

In general, you want at least:
50 shadowing hours
150 clinical hours (doesn’t really matter if it’s paid or not)
150 non-clinical volunteer hours

 

[salkeon]

Your stats are fine for DO, but no one will give you a second thought if you can’t fill out some clinical hours and some non-clinical volunteering hours on your primary app.

In general, you want at least:
50 shadowing hours
150 clinical hours (doesn’t really matter if it’s paid or not)
150 non-clinical volunteer hours

Sure, do i need to go for a publication also, or the shadowing / clinical/non-clinical should be enough?

 

[Faha]

Thank you so much, how do you think my prospects are for NYIT-NY?

Your MCAT is low for that school.

 

[m1redsox]

Sure, do i need to go for a publication also, or the shadowing / clinical/non-clinical should be enough?

No, pubs aren’t necessary. The only schools that really care about research are top 20 research institutions like Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, etc. Sometimes top 30s will like it too. Research is never a bad thing to have on your app. But if it comes down to choosing research or clinical hours, schools will 100% of the time say clinical hours.

In your case, since you are gunning for DO schools, they couldn’t care less about research. Like I said, it’s not a bad thing to have, but they would rather see 300 clinical hours with a DO than 300 research hours with a pub (if you’re trading one for the other). I would say to shoot for the shadowing/clinical hours/non-clinical volunteer hours and just try to maximize those.

 

[candbgirl]

When do you plan to apply?

 

[salkeon]

When do you plan to apply?

Plan to apply in the next year. Going to try to get my MCAT up, and then apply.

 

[m1redsox]

Plan to apply in the next year. Going to try to get my MCAT up, and then apply.

Wait, you’re studying for a retake? Or is 501 just your practice exam score?

Edit: because you should NOT retake unless you are scoring 10+ points higher than your last exam. Marginal improvement (3 or 4 points) does not look good to med schools. It’s more of a red flag that says, “I studied really hard this time, and I couldn’t manage to improve significantly”.

 

[candbgirl]

Plan to apply in the next year. Going to try to get my MCAT up, and then apply.

So for matriculation in 2022? If so you have many months to start doing ECs. It’s going to be tough with the Covid 19 restrictions but you really have to figure out how to get 50 hours of physician shadowing( your dad’s friend will be fine , especially because he is primary care. You also need 200 hours of clinical experience - this is direct patient contact. It can either be volunteer or a job. You should also need to show your altruism to the unserved/underserved in your community. You should plan to shoot for 200 hours of nonclinical volunteerIng to meet this requirement. It would be very foolish to apply without ECs. So since you seem to have the time over the next 14-15 months, make use of it.

 

[glee123]

Agreed, aim for around 50 hours shadowing and 200 hours of clinical. You definitely don't need 1000+ hours. Your GPA is fine for DO, and your MCAT won't disqualify you but try to bring it up to 505+ if you can. Good luck!