3.4 GPA WAMC for DO schools

[kmitro]

Hello everyone, this is my first time posting here and I realize that I am not the best candidate. However, I am planning on applying for the upcoming cycle and I would appreciate input on which schools to apply to if any (mostly DO I assume.)

Cumulative GPA: 3.4, Science GPA: 3.3
MCAT Scores: Last May - 500 (125/124/123/128)
Retaking April 1st

Part of the reason why my GPA is not great is because I went to a community college for 1 year and then transferred to a 4-year private university in Chicago. I am finishing my B.S. in Psychology in 3 years (with the help of AP credits) this May and I am planning on taking a gap year. I will be working as a medical scribe during the gap year and possibly resuming a tutoring position I've held before. During my time as an undergrad, I had a rigorous course load each semester and worked at least 10 hrs/week if not more. I am originally Albanian and immigrated to the US when I was 10. I am an Illinois resident.

I do not have any shadowing experience and I wasn't involved in extracurriculars much in undergrad - is there any way I can work on this during my gap year? The rest of my experiences are below:

Research:

• 8 hrs/week collecting data on online medical records for an obesity study at a Chicago hospital (February-Present)
• 8 hrs/week interviewing patients in person for a quality of care study at University of Chicago (August-Present)
• 2 hrs/week leading study sessions of ~8 students for a professor's psychology research (January-Present)

Volunteering (clinical) – +150 hours at 2 Chicago Hospitals, interacting with patients in pediatrics and observing health care staff

No extracurricular activities or physician shadowing.

Relevant jobs: Resident Assistant for a group of STEM freshmen for 1 year (2015-2016, 10 hrs/week), AVID Tutor for high school students, tutored small groups with homework in all subjects, (2013-2014, 10 hrs/week, thinking about returning during my gap year)

What are my chances of getting into MD or DO schools? What score do I need on my MCAT to have a good chance? Which schools should I apply to?

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[Faha]

You are not competitive for MD schools with your stats. You are competitive for some DO schools and consider any of these:
ACOM
BCOM
WCU-COM
LMU-DCOM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
MU-COM
CUSOM
LUCOM
VCOM (all 3 schools)
any new DO schools that open in 2017 (probably in Utah, Texas, Arkansas)

 

[kmitro]

You are not competitive for MD schools with your stats. You are competitive for some DO schools and consider any of these:
ACOM
BCOM
WCU-COM
LMU-DCOM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
MU-COM
CUSOM
LUCOM
VCOM (all 3 schools)
any new DO schools that open in 2017 (probably in Utah, Texas, Arkansas)

Are you basing your answer on my current MCAT score? How will a higher MCAT score affect which schools I should consider?

Edit: Thank you for your advice by the way, I appreciate it 🙂

 

[candbgirl]

Your GPAs are well below average for MD schools. I think the current average is 3.6+. So combined with you really low MCAT you aren't competitive for MD schools. Try to find a DO to shadow so you can get a LOR for your DO applications. A 500 on the MCAT is around a 25.


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[Faha]

With a higher MCAT you could be competitive for more DO schools. Your GPA is low for MD schools and you would need a MCAT of at least 510 to have a chance for low tier MD schools or your state school.

 

[Goro]

Concur.

I can't recommend LUCOM, though. SOMA, PacNW, TUNCOM, PCOM and KCOM could be added tot he list.

With a higher MCAT you could be competitive for more DO schools. Your GPA is low for MD schools and you would need a MCAT of at least 510 to have a chance for low tier MD schools or your state school.