MD & DO 3.8, 30, NO ECS AT ALL? Should I go DO?

[walala]

not my stats, asking for another lurker.

GPA: 3.8
MCAT: 30
EC:
they've worked at the same job for 5 years so about 5000+ hrs I'd estimate.
0 clinical right now
0 non-clinical right now
0 shadowing right now
Say they get all of these to 30 hours each before they apply. Will this be enough? keep in mind. they have worked full time all throughout undergrad, and must do so to support their family and have VERY limited time to do any of this. They really want to apply next cycle.
Great letter of Recs -1 md, 1 employer, 3 professors

I feel like some DOs will take him by his numbers alone. True? But they REALLY want to do MD. Is MD even a possibility?

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[deleted307836]

How did they get a MD letter with no clinical experience?

Frankly, it's a big problem and will significantly hamper chances and options.

Clinical experience should be the top priority, though 30 hours in each of those categories is still very low. He or she needs to start now and do as much as possible between now and the next app cycle to have any chance at MD schools (IMO).

I don't know if one can get into DO schools with "numbers alone"; I feel like it would still be a big deterrent but I don't have much to back that up.

BTW, I assume the job isn't a clinical job - is it?

 

[Goro]

If you lack ECs, you'll get rejected even with a 4.0 GPA and 45 MCAT. My school has and I've seen similar fates for people like this posted in this forum, from both DO and MD schools.

You need to show us your altruism and humanism. You need to show us you know what a doctor's day is like, and that you really want to spend the next 40 years around sick and injured people and their families.

Take a gap year if needed. There are tons of super dedicated people in these forums who invest a lot of effort to choose a career in Medicine, which is a calling, not merely doing what is convenient.

not my stats, asking for another lurker.

GPA: 3.8
MCAT: 30
EC:
they've worked at the same job for 5 years so about 5000+ hrs I'd estimate.
0 clinical right now
0 non-clinical right now
0 shadowing right now
Say they get all of these to 30 hours each before they apply. Will this be enough? keep in mind. they have worked full time all throughout undergrad, and must do so to support their family and have VERY limited time to do any of this. They really want to apply next cycle.
Great letter of Recs -1 md, 1 employer, 3 professors

I feel like some DOs will take him by his numbers alone. True? But they REALLY want to do MD. Is MD even a possibility?

 

[Goro]

Do not make the mistake of thinking that DO schools would be more lenient in this matter than MD schools.

 

[TeddyBoomBoom]

not my stats, asking for another lurker.

GPA: 3.8
MCAT: 30
EC:
they've worked at the same job for 5 years so about 5000+ hrs I'd estimate.
0 clinical right now
0 non-clinical right now
0 shadowing right now
Say they get all of these to 30 hours each before they apply. Will this be enough? keep in mind. they have worked full time all throughout undergrad, and must do so to support their family and have VERY limited time to do any of this. They really want to apply next cycle.
Great letter of Recs -1 md, 1 employer, 3 professors

I feel like some DOs will take him by his numbers alone. True? But they REALLY want to do MD. Is MD even a possibility?

Dude... why in the world would a DO program not care about...ya know.... wanting to be a doctor...

D.O. schools aren't exactly hurting for applicants either.

In my D.O. interviews, my clinical experience and journey to medicine was discussed MUCH more than my 33 MCAT.

 

[mcloaf]

But they REALLY want to do MD.

This is not a believable statement when the applicant in question has zero demonstrated exposure to the medical field via ECs. No medical school, DO or MD, would be interested in an applicant with no ECs.

 

[hawkeye3211]

If anything, DO schools weigh ECs very heavily. They want to see that you have patient contact and specifically an interest in preventive medicine. ECs are what separate you from just statistics and numbers.

 

[Calm down]

ECs are a necessity. There's a huge portion on the AMCAS dedicated to ECs. Having only 1/15 ECs listed on the application (1 being their job) will look pretty pitiful IMO. MD not a possibility--oh, and neither is DO. I would take a gap year and rack up some ECs.

 

[Pasmal]

So... lurker was smart enough to prepare for the MCAT or to get a 30 on the fly but was not smart enough to look up admissions requirements? This is a silly thread, they shot themselves in the foot right from the start.

That said (steps off of soapbox), I don't think we have all of the facts. It's difficult to explain away having no extracurriculars, but working 5000 hrs makes me think the financial factor could have been significant. The financial aspect could work in lurker's favor. We also don't know URM status, other extenuating circumstances, what his/her parents do (if they're doctors, maybe he/she has tons of clinical exposure even if the ECs don't stack up).

Ultimately, I think that a VERY EARLY (like June/July = verified, all secondaries done) application to lots of MD/DO (20-30+) COULD lead to an interview or two. If he/she aced the interview, an acceptance would not surprise me.

Based on the timing of your post, however, that's not going to happen this year. In conclusion, lurker should spend the next 6 months doing ECs. Lots of them. All the time. ECs ECs ECs. Silly silly.

 

[Itsmine]

This is an interesting thread, I also have a similar question. What if the person only had cookie cutter EC's? Such as one year of clinical volunteering, a few months of nonclinical volunteering, and your average 50 hours of shadowing?

 

[deleted407021]

This is an interesting thread, I also have a similar question. What if the person only had cookie cutter EC's? Such as one year of clinical volunteering, a few months of nonclinical volunteering, and your average 50 hours of shadowing?

Those aren't so much cookie cutter as they are the sort of minimum "requirement". This person would benefit from involving themselves in a club on campus where they can learn some new skills and perhaps gain a leadership position. They may also look for a chance to tutor their peers or, even better, some rural or under served high school students. If they are interested in research, they should take the time to find a lab that will take them on. Learn to play an instrument. Write a blog. There are lots of things they could be doing. They don't want to settle for the bare minimum.

 

[user3]

I bet this person would be able to get in somewhere provided they had a DO LOR. I don't see why one of the newer DO schools, at least, wouldn't accept a 3.8/30 when they're otherwise forced to accept people with 23-24 MCATs to fill their classes. True, no EC's looks awful, but in a sea of 3.4/24 applicants I wouldn't be surprised if one of the newer schools took a bite.