Advice on Master's/SMP

[AspiringDO94]

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Hey guys,
New pre-med student on the forums, always loved reading the advice and opinions on this website so I figured I would get my own advice from you guys this time.
I have applied to DO/MD schools this cycle but have not received any good news from my applications so I have applied to a few medical school Master programs. I have applied to KCU-COB, Touro's MS in Harlem and Middletown, Nova's MS and Drexel's DPMS. I am a CANADIAN applicant.

I have heard back from only KCU-COB and I was wait-listed for their COB program. What are my odds looking for the other schools? Any advice for my next cycle?

Stats:
sGPA: 3.2 and cGPA: 3.26 (cumulative non-science undergrad is a 3.49)
-GPA shows a very large increase throughout the last two years, second year was the GPA killer.
MCAT: 494 on the new scale. I am planning to write it again this summer (first time I wrote it I was still working two jobs and rushed writing my test as soon as I finished my prep-course finished - only gave myself two months to study for the MCAT and regret it a lot. Also did not do that many practice tests, instead focused on knowing the concepts and topics so when the test actually came I was fairly overwhelmed).
I have over 100 hours shadowing with an MD (no DO's available for shadowing in Canada), been working at a pharmacy for 3 years, plenty of school volunteering and my LORs are very good and reputable individuals.

I have been waiting to hear back from Touro for about 4 weeks now (planning to call them for a status update in the next few days) and Nova for about 4 weeks as well. Any advice?

What are my odds at getting off of KCU-COB's waitlist?

Thanks for all of your help and appreciate any advice on what I can do to improve my luck for next cycle.

 

[Cardboard101]

Gain US citizenship or pursue new career.
Your GPA and MCAT are both below average for all DO schools (a 494 being ~20 MCAT). Being a Canadian applicant makes it even more difficult. It also seems like you applied Late December/Early January?

If you want to improve your chances get the MCAT to 508+ and finish and send out your apps June/July/August.

 

[austintr]

One thing you may want to investigate is some of the northeastern DO schools (NY schools, etc). I have heard anecdotal claims that they seem to be more friendly to Canadian applicants. I definitely don't know much at all about applying as a Canadian resident, but Cardboard is onto something with getting a good score on the MCAT and applying early. The upward trend is probably going to help a fair amount in offsetting your marginal GPA (at least that's what I'm banking on for myself).

 

[mathnerd88]

MCAT and GPA too low as an international applicant. You'll need at least 3.5+ and 507+ to gain acceptance to a DO school in US.

Two months to study for the MCAT and only getting a 494 is not a good sign. Many people take only two months to study and score 505+. Many even score 499+ without any studying whatsoever, as long as they do relatively well on the prereqs. MCAT tests your ability to critically think, and not just rote memorization.

 

[AspiringDO94]

@Cardboard101 I applied fairly late to the cycle - late September. I received several secondaries, even received one extremely late (end of January). I am planning to apply in June or July this cycle. I am trying to get into a post-bacc/Master's program to improve my GPA but I am still waiting on Nova and Touro. Waitlisted for KCU's biosciences program for now. If I do not get into one of these programs what do you suggest I do to help improve my GPA?

@austintr Thanks for the tips on the northeastern schools, I am planning on applying to all of them as well as some southern/western schools as well. Any specific schools you recommend?

@mathnerd88 Thanks for the stats tips. On top of studying for the MCAT I was working about 30 hours a week between my two jobs, ontop of the prep courses so even though it was two months, I regret not solely dedicating them to the MCAT only. I intend to quickly review the material for the MCAT in about 1-2 weeks time and then spend the rest of the time doing passages and practicing tests. I am hoping for a much better score this time around.

 

[Cardboard101]

Retake the classes you earned C/D/F's in to raise GPA. Especially target the pre-req science/upper div science courses. I really don't think a SMP is needed with a 3.2/3.3 gpa. Right now your GPA isn't dragging you down so much as your MCAT. Also try finding a DO to shadow, even if its just for a few days.

 

[AspiringDO94]

Retake the classes you earned C/D/F's in to raise GPA. Especially target the pre-req science/upper div science courses. I really don't think a SMP is needed with a 3.2/3.3 gpa. Right now your GPA isn't dragging you down so much as your MCAT. Also try finding a DO to shadow, even if its just for a few days.

My lowest marks were a 2 Cs in very difficult classes, should I retake these classes even if I can't guarantee getting an A in them the second time (even if my new mark ends up being higher)? My upper year science courses have all been As in my current year (fourth year) and last year I had a mix of As and B+s.

Why do you say an SMP is not for a 3.3 GPA? Is that not low enough to require improvement? I have been accepted to a 1 year Master's in Biochemistry program in Canada , in your opinion would it be a better idea do this Master's and get a high GPA in it or to retake classes?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

My lowest marks were a 2 Cs in very difficult classes, should I retake these classes even if I can't guarantee getting an A in them the second time (even if my new mark ends up being higher)? My upper year science courses have all been As in my current year (fourth year) and last year I had a mix of As and B+s.

Why do you say an SMP is not for a 3.3 GPA? Is that not low enough to require improvement? I have been accepted to a 1 year Master's in Biochemistry program in Canada , in your opinion would it be a better idea do this Master's and get a high GPA in it or to retake classes?

Medical school admissions care very little about masters degrees unless they are SMP. Retaking classes is far more beneficial, only go to the SMP if you are boning for the MD and know you can get a 515+ on the MCAT. Honestly your GPA is far less of a concern to ADCOMS than your MCAT. No school will touch you with that score, especially as an international.

 

[jojo58]

My advice is to forget the SMP unless it offers a hard guarantee of admission (like the program at Touro NV). Your gpa is low but not too low. The real issue is your mcat.

Spend 3K on a mcat review course and get your score higher. It's a lot better than the tens of thousands you'd pay for a SMP. Also work on your ECs and reason for medicine since your best shot is at mission schools that accept ppl with lower stats.

 

[AspiringDO94]

Medical school admissions care very little about masters degrees unless they are SMP. Retaking classes is far more beneficial, only go to the SMP if you are boning for the MD and know you can get a 515+ on the MCAT. Honestly your GPA is far less of a concern to ADCOMS than your MCAT. No school will touch you with that score, especially as an international.

I've been accepted to a course based Biochemistry master's at an Ontario school, if it comes down to retaking classes or doing this master's program, would retaking classes be the better choice? What if I were to be called off of the KCU-COB waitlist for a spot? Would that be more beneficial or retaking classes in your opinion?

My GPA for my final undergraduate semester is hopefully going to be a 4.0, with 6 courses currently, so I am hoping that will bump up my GPA quite a bit (4 science courses being taken this semester and 2 easy electives).

My advice is to forget the SMP unless it offers a hard guarantee of admission (like the program at Touro NV). Your gpa is low but not too low. The real issue is your mcat.

Spend 3K on a mcat review course and get your score higher. It's a lot better than the tens of thousands you'd pay for a SMP. Also work on your ECs and reason for medicine since your best shot is at mission schools that accept ppl with lower stats.

When I took the MCAT last year I signed up for the TPR course. I found it to be very beneficial for giving me a schedule to follow and practice questions but I got too caught up in keeping up with the readings and daily homework passages rather than actually constantly doing practice questions and exams. Everytime the course had a practice test for us scheduled I would be working so I had to do the practice tests at a later date so a lot of my studying kept getting cutdown or pushed back to a point where I had to skip it.

This time for the MCAT I am giving myself about 2 months after school is done (scheduled for July 8 but can reschedule if I don't feel comfortable). I am using the Kaplan and TPR prep books, purchasing all the AAMC section questions and 2 sample tests, and using TPR practice tests as well again. I believe if I can focus more on doing practice questions than studying the material I can do a lot better than last time.

Hypothetically speaking if I can get a 505-510, does that put me in a good shape?

My ECs also include: shadowing an MD for over 100+ hours (I can get another MD to shadow as well if you guys think that will benefit me more), working at a pharmacy (helps with patient interactions, knowing drugs and uses, etc.), a mentorship group and non-profit organization at the university I am at, I am doing an undergraduate research thesis right now (over 500+ in my lab at this point), volunteered at science fairs previously and the hospital a few years back. Anything else I should focus on for my ECs to help give me the upper hand?

 

[AspiringDO94]

My advice is to forget the SMP unless it offers a hard guarantee of admission (like the program at Touro NV). Your gpa is low but not too low. The real issue is your mcat.

Spend 3K on a mcat review course and get your score higher. It's a lot better than the tens of thousands you'd pay for a SMP. Also work on your ECs and reason for medicine since your best shot is at mission schools that accept ppl with lower stats.

Also another question in regards to your response, what exactly are mission schools and what are some of them?

 

[jojo58]

Yes 505+ with your ECs would be great. Mission schools are schools with a very specific mission. They tend to focus on your entire application instead of just mcat and gpa.

Ex: Lucom is a mission school and their mission is to make Christian doctors. Most mission schools focus on making family doctors for a specific part of the USA (Wcucom, vcom, acom, pcom-ga are all about the South)

 

[AspiringDO94]

Yes 505+ with your ECs would be great. Mission schools are schools with a very specific mission. They tend to focus on your entire application instead of just mcat and gpa.

Ex: Lucom is a mission school and their mission is to make Christian doctors. Most mission schools focus on making family doctors for a specific part of the USA (Wcucom, vcom, acom, pcom-ga are all about the South)

Awesome, I'm glad to hear that I actually have a good chance once I improve my MCAT score then! And even though I'm from Canada, I don't intend to work back in Canada if I attend a US medical school, and I know some school definitely prefer that their graduates stay in the area. Is there a way to let schools know that I am willing to work in the US after graduating? Does this make a difference at all? Also does it make a difference to schools if I am not Christian (ex. Lucom)

Are my ECs considered good for a med school applicant? I was debating doing an outreach trip through one of the groups I volunteer with but was told this is not something that medical schools really care for. Are there any other volunteering or ECs that I can do to make me stand out more?

Also in regards to retaking classes. Can I apply to graduate this year from my program and still retake classes and have them count towards my GPA still? Or should I postpone my graduation until the next year after retaking classes? As well, should I retake classes that I did poorly in or take new courses (science and electives)? If I got a B or B+ in a course, is it worth retaking it in hopes of an A? If I got a C in a class but cannot guarantee getting an A in the class the second time, is it worth taking it again or should I take a new class instead of it?

Thanks for all of your help everyone, it means a lot to me.

 

[Cardboard101]

Awesome, I'm glad to hear that I actually have a good chance once I improve my MCAT score then! And even though I'm from Canada, I don't intend to work back in Canada if I attend a US medical school, and I know some school definitely prefer that their graduates stay in the area. Is there a way to let schools know that I am willing to work in the US after graduating? Does this make a difference at all? Also does it make a difference to schools if I am not Christian (ex. Lucom)

Are my ECs considered good for a med school applicant? I was debating doing an outreach trip through one of the groups I volunteer with but was told this is not something that medical schools really care for. Are there any other volunteering or ECs that I can do to make me stand out more?

Also in regards to retaking classes. Can I apply to graduate this year from my program and still retake classes and have them count towards my GPA still? Or should I postpone my graduation until the next year after retaking classes? As well, should I retake classes that I did poorly in or take new courses (science and electives)? If I got a B or B+ in a course, is it worth retaking it in hopes of an A? If I got a C in a class but cannot guarantee getting an A in the class the second time, is it worth taking it again or should I take a new class instead of it?

Thanks for all of your help everyone, it means a lot to me.

Do not retake anything above a C. You can graduate and still do retakes and have them count in your GPA.

 

[AspiringDO94]

Do not retake anything above a C. You can graduate and still do retakes and have them count in your GPA.

So in that case none of my marks would be low enough to retake, would you suggest taking a new classes (upper year sciences and a few electives maybe) to help improve my GPA then?

Since I would be applying to the med schools in July most likely, wouldn't the schools I apply to only see these marks until later? As in they wouldn't see my Fall grades until end of December, and Winter grades at the end of the April semester? Would I have not heard back from most schools by this time or would they be interested in waiting to see how my marks go before I hear anything?
(Sorry if the wording of this was awkward, just a little hard to explain it in a brief paragraph)