3.21 cGPA/ 3.36 sGPA, pending MCAT. SMP or not?

[Archdukes]

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Hey everyone, thanks for all of the advice given on this forum. I posted a while back and got some very helpful information but Im looking for some advice now. I currently just finished a DIY post-back at my community college taking the pre-reqs and some retakes on classes that I done poorly in. I currently have 3.21 cGPA/ 3.36 sGPA and am planning on taking the MCAT this may. Also my GPA for the last 40 hours have been a 4.00. Do I have a shot at applying for a DO program with these stats or should I be applying for an SMP program. The schools I'm interested in are LMU-DCOM, KYCOM, and VCOM.

I'm also a non-traditional student that have no shadowing hours yet. These will come this summer. Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[adrian710]

How are your EC's? You NEED to have above average EC's to compensate for low-ish GPA but honestly I don't think you need an SMP / Post-Bacc.

I think you need to crush MCAT and work on EC's and get a DO LoR and you have a shot with an early/broad app

I will apply to AACOMAS with a sGPA to 3.2 and cGPA of 3.4 BUT am applying to LECOM's and PCOM's SMP/PB as a back up if I don't get a 504+ on MCAT

Feel free to PM me and good luck OP

 

[CLAF211]

Hey everyone, thanks for all of the advice given on this forum. I posted a while back and got some very helpful information but Im looking for some advice now. I currently just finished a DIY post-back at my community college taking the pre-reqs and some retakes on classes that I done poorly in. I currently have 3.21 cGPA/ 3.36 sGPA and am planning on taking the MCAT this may. Also my GPA for the last 40 hours have been a 4.00. Do I have a shot at applying for a DO program with these stats or should I be applying for an SMP program. The schools I'm interested in are LMU-DCOM, KYCOM, and VCOM.

I'm also a non-traditional student that have no shadowing hours yet. These will come this summer. Any advice is much appreciated!

I agree with the above poster - you definitely have a chance but need to pull a strong MCAT and get some serious clinical exposure. I received 3 acceptances this cycle (so far!) from new-ish DO schools with GPA stats very similar to yours and a 31 MCAT. I am a non-trad too, but I've been working in research for 6+ years with (many) thousands of hours of direct patient exposure and shadowing experience. These hours in clinic with patients and doctors came up again and again at every interview I had and gave me something really substantive to talk about and link to my reason for wanting to go to med school.

Definitely apply broadly, though - that's one thing that I think people really can shoot themselves in the foot by not doing.

 

[0dee]

VCOM has a cutoff for gpa, I suggest you look into their website. I don't remember exactly if it was 3.25 or 3.2

 

[Archdukes]

Thanks for the advice adrian710 and CLAF211! Perhaps to those that have attended an SMP, will an SMP better prepare me for the workload of medical school? Also, for family reasons, I need to stay mostly within the area of the three schools listed above. In this case would it be a safer bet to attend, lets say LMU's SMP, since they have a linkage to their medical school?

Again thanks for all of the free advice!

 

[adrian710]

I def think that a post-bacc or SMP will help you crush med school 1st year at the very least. I have read many situations where the students who matriculate with others in DO school, that have done a masters or post-bacc, are way above them to the point of it being unfair.

If you want to go to LMU-DCOM and they have a linkage program set up, then lucky you, I would do that. But you still must take MCAT and to be safe, I would still apply to AACOMAS in case you don't meet requirements to matriculate into LMU-DCOM assuming you get accepted into their post-bacc program.

 

[Goro]

No need for an SMP with that upward trend. Apply broadly. Try your state MD school as well, unless you live in CA.

Hey everyone, thanks for all of the advice given on this forum. I posted a while back and got some very helpful information but Im looking for some advice now. I currently just finished a DIY post-back at my community college taking the pre-reqs and some retakes on classes that I done poorly in. I currently have 3.21 cGPA/ 3.36 sGPA and am planning on taking the MCAT this may. Also my GPA for the last 40 hours have been a 4.00. Do I have a shot at applying for a DO program with these stats or should I be applying for an SMP program. The schools I'm interested in are LMU-DCOM, KYCOM, and VCOM.

I'm also a non-traditional student that have no shadowing hours yet. These will come this summer. Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[adrian710]

No need for an SMP with that upward trend. Apply broadly. Try your state MD school as well, unless you live in CA.

MD school with a 3.2-3.3 cGPA?

 

[Archdukes]

No need for an SMP with that upward trend. Apply broadly. Try your state MD school as well, unless you live in CA.

First of all thanks a lot for the encouragement Goro. But would that 3.2 cGPA not be lethal for MD considering that the last 46 hours I've taken have been retakes and pre-req classes at my community college? I've had a 4.00 GPA these last 46 hours but the highest level class I've taken in these hours is genetics, which I believe is considered a junior level class.
I just didn't realize the MD would consider an upward trend like DO would.

 

[Goro]

There are many MD schools that place more emphasis on the last two or even three years of schooling, rather than the whole package of GPA.

First of all thanks a lot for the encouragement Goro. But would that 3.2 cGPA not be lethal for MD considering that the last 46 hours I've taken have been retakes and pre-req classes at my community college? I've had a 4.00 GPA these last 46 hours but the highest level class I've taken in these hours is genetics, which I believe is considered a junior level class.
I just didn't realize the MD would consider an upward trend like DO would.

 

[charleliso]

I would do that. But you still must take MCAT and to be safe

 

[mathnerd88]

There are many MD schools that place more emphasis on the last two or even three years of schooling, rather than the whole package of GPA.

True, but some MD schools require classes to be taken by a 4-year accredited college/university. Some community colleges are not considered an accredited 4 year college/university.

I believe MD schools also frown upon classes taken at a CC.

http://www.usnews.com/education/blo...edical-schools-view-community-college-credits

 

[Goro]

And your point? There are a good number of MD schools that have stellar candidates who never screwed up and so can afford to avoid people who reinvent themselves? Yeah, they exist. But based upon SDNers's own success stories, UCSF, Case, Duke and Columbia aren't in that pool.

There are plenty of MD schools that are OK with CC classwork.

True, but some MD schools require classes to be taken by a 4-year accredited college/university. Some community colleges are not considered an accredited 4 year college/university.

I believe MD schools also frown upon classes taken at a CC.

http://www.usnews.com/education/blo...edical-schools-view-community-college-credits

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Notice @Goro didnt say to apply all MD schools with that GPA and upward trend he said, "your state schools unless you live in CA." A 3.2/3.3 paired with a solid MCAT, 512+, has a swingers chance at a state MD. I wouldn't apply to Harvard, but a state MD is not a bad chance to take with those numbers. In addition to a good DO list

 

[mathnerd88]

Notice @Goro didnt say to apply all MD schools with that GPA and upward trend he said, "your state schools unless you live in CA." A 3.2/3.3 paired with a solid MCAT, 512+, has a swingers chance at a state MD. I wouldn't apply to Harvard, but a state MD is not a bad chance to take with those numbers. In addition to a good DO list

MD schools (AMCAS) applications also don't do grade replacements. OP's GPA will be lower than 3.2/3.3 if he calculated that GPA with grade replacements.

OP, if you did not calculate that GPA with grade replacements, then you actually also have a really decent shot into top DO programs with a good MCAT score.

 

[Goro]

100% correct.

And this is what really will catch a screener's eye: " Also my GPA for the last 40 hours have been a 4.00."

So if OP has a cGPA (AMCAS) > 3.0, s/he might make it past autoscreens and have human eyeballs look at his/her app.

Notice @Goro didnt say to apply all MD schools with that GPA and upward trend he said, "your state schools unless you live in CA." A 3.2/3.3 paired with a solid MCAT, 512+, has a swingers chance at a state MD. I wouldn't apply to Harvard, but a state MD is not a bad chance to take with those numbers. In addition to a good DO list

 

[Archdukes]

@mathnerd88 those GPA's are with grade replacement. My AMCAS app would be 3.10 cGPA/ 3.09 sGPA. @Goro your advice is always welcome. My particular state schools would be East Tennessee State and University of Tennessee. I'm not sure of their attitudes towards reinvention but I've heard that ETSU is very particular about the type of candidates they accept. It will be worth a shot anyways, even though I'm really interested in osteopathy.

Thanks to everyone for all the input though!