3.56 Current GPA up from ~3.2 - Poor EC's - Other info detailed inside.

[opheracco]

I looked through some other posts but everyone is unique.
I'm very interested in psychiatry and have been interested in mental health for a decade or more. I'm a non-trad with more than 15 years in the working world (much of it in computers).

Shadowing: Hard to Say. Worked in computers at a clinic for 1.5 years with lots of time in the clinic area. Does that count?

Clinical Experience: 0 hours

Volunteer: Just started at the Red Cross. I'm doing 3 hrs/mnth checking blood donors in or handing out food post-donation. I started two months ago.

Research: None

MCAT: Not yet taken, but am planning on spending a few months studying.

GPA: 3.54 up from 3.2 (from 10 years ago). ~3.7 science. BS Biology, senior year.

Minnesota Resident

I've been having most of my trouble getting into a volunteering opportunity that fits my interest. Signing in blood donors doesn't seem like it will impress.

I will have almost everything done next semester. In essence, I will be done except for Physics II and a general or two. My school does offer a 'Senior Research in Biology', but it's only a semester long.

I should add that I took most my classes at an award winning Community College and that I got nearly all A's and a few B's. I got A's for my year of O-Chem. I am also a member of Phi Theta Kappa from there.

Middle age is 5 years away. I'm not sure how much more time I want to wait before getting in.

What do I need to do to get in? I will go wherever I need to get an MD or DO so I can follow my interests, I'm not expecting the best school.

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[reddoc]

To be blunt, you are not in good shape. Most schools will not look favorably on CC courses for the prereqs. Your GPA is not great and your EC, medical experiences, research acitvities are very weak. Your chances at an MD school would seem to be very remote to me. I would think to have a chance at an MD program you are going to have to take some upper level science courses at a good university, get started on the EC/ medical acitivities and do well on the MCAT.

 

[opheracco]

Thank you for your responses.

There's nothing I can do about the CC courses. I went there because of their summer program for Gen Chem where I finished the year over the summer. They just happened to have a great Chem department that outranks national standardized Chem test scores, so I stayed.

I'm more interested in DO because of its holistic approach. My sGPA is not poor, and I still have a few more courses to bring my overall GPA up. Besides that, I think most adcoms look at an upward trend in your coursework, I definitely have that.

If I do well on the MCAT, say 32 and up, won't that convince adcoms that my education was good enough?

Why don't DO schools require research?

So if I take an extra year and get a job in a clinic while volunteering, do you think will that be enough?
My biggest fear is that they'll look at only a year of volunteering and think that I tried to cram it in at the last minute.

 

[reddoc]

If you get at least a 30 on mcat, you will have a chance at MD schools but the weak EC activities will hurt. Your stats are good for DO schools but it would help to shadow a DO doctor and get a LOR from that doc. Dont give up, you have a shot.