Advice regarding my situation.

[RedX13]

Hi all,

I currently have about a 3.45-3.5 GPA cumulative and science for AACOMAS and approximate 3.1 GPA for AMCAS/TMDSAS. MCAT pending, planning on taking maybe in July or August. Nontraditional (> 25 yrs) and non-URM applicant. Economically disadvantaged and first one to go to college in my family.

For EC's I have:
- a year of Genetic research (no pubs),
- 2 years of volunteering at a clinic ,
- year of volunteering work (big brother type program).

- Have yet to Shadow a DO.

I'm a TX resident and would love to stay in-state for medical school, unfortunately our DO school does not have grade replacement, averages for TCOM range around 3.4-3.5 I believe. Ideally i would like to stay in TX, so i was looking into the UNT-SMP masters program at TCOM but not sure if it would even help out since they do not guarantee anything (approx. 30 get into TCOM and some into TX MD schools out 200 students in the program) but school advisor mentioned your chances of getting a interview are decent if you maintain a 3.5 GPA in the program. Other than the SMP, I was planning to apply OOS for DO schools.



I would love to apply this cycle but there are certain red flags that i am concerned about in my application:

- 2 academic probations that i received at my university, very early in college.


- Attended a University but withdrew during finals due to a family emergency. Withdrew because some professors would not allow me to reschedule my final, only option was to withdraw from the semester and get W's in all classes. I never went back to this University again, only attended for one semester. Got about 4-5 W's after that but no more.

- Worked various jobs throughout college to help the family, Dad lost his job and at the same time his parents, he had to fly overseas while i had to withdraw from school an entire year to work and help out my family.

- Got a P.I. - Class C Misdemeanor. I don't even drink nor was i drunk but i'm not going to try and defend myself , it is what it is, i never had any sort of criminal history before or after this event. This happened 5 years ago while I was not attending school for a year, have matured and learned from my mistakes.



All of this happened early in my college career. When i started undergrad i had no study ethic and was usually working a job on and off which caused my GPA to decline. After the year off I came back to school determined to finish with good grades. I graduated with a science degree and honors, currently doing a do-it-yourself post-bacc - taking science classes and re-takes. I have a 3.9 in my last 90 hours (No W's) and a 4.0 in the last 60 hours of my semester credits. Taking a few classes at a CC and mainly at a different University since my Alma mater school is quite expensive. No graduate degree.



Including the red flags, will i be a competitive applicant for this cycle, taking in consideration my MCAT date? Anything that i should work on besides shadowing a DO? Kinda hard to find one. I really want to be a physician for many reasons and don't see myself doing anything else. I feel Osteopathic schools will give me another chance at becoming a physician, whereas Allopathic schools may not even consider me, though I will be happy with an DO or MD degree. Do I have a shot at any established DO schools? I know a lot depends on my MCAT score as well.



*For people who are familiar with TX schools - Will the UNT SMP help someone with my stats and background to get into any in-state school? I remember looking at the MSAR for some schools in TX and couple have a GPA of 3.1-3.2. I know my undergrad and DIY post-bacc may not be enough to help me matriculate into these schools, will a SMP help? Thanks. Would love to save $$$ by staying in-state.



Sorry for the long post and thank you for taking the time to read all of this.



TL: DR - TX resident, 3.45 c/s GPA (AACOMAS), No MCAT (taking in july-august), Red Flags, see EC's above, and an upward trend last half of school (including bachelors and post bachelors). Chances for this cycle? Do i have a shot at some of the established schools?

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[hallowmann]

The only red flag that might be an issue is the misdemeanor. That said, people have gotten in with those sorts of problems before. As long as its not something that will limit your ability to get licensed in any state, it shouldn't matter that much (or so I've heard).

Old academic probation, withdrawals, etc. are all consistent with turning it around.

Unless you do very well on the MCAT, TCOM might be a tough sell, but I'd still apply there regardless since you're a TX resident. Unfortunately, I know very little about the SMP, that said, if I were you, I'd apply to both the SMP and OOS schools to at least see if you could get in outright. Maybe someone that knows more about it can chime in.

Without the MCAT, its hard to tell, but I imagine if you do average (27-ish for DO matriculants), and you apply early and broadly, you'll be fine.

At this point just focus on doing as well as you can on the MCAT. Also keep in mind that AACOMAS opens in June, and you want to submit as close to that as possible. That said, you also only want to take the MCAT once, so be sure you're ready.

 

[mct2762]

Hi all,

I currently have about a 3.45-3.5 GPA cumulative and science for AACOMAS and approximate 3.1 GPA for AMCAS/TMDSAS. MCAT pending, planning on taking maybe in July or August. Nontraditional (> 25 yrs) and non-URM applicant. Economically disadvantaged and first one to go to college in my family.

For EC's I have:
- a year of Genetic research (no pubs),
- 2 years of volunteering at a clinic ,
- year of volunteering work (big brother type program).

- Have yet to Shadow a DO.

I'm a TX resident and would love to stay in-state for medical school, unfortunately our DO school does not have grade replacement, averages for TCOM range around 3.4-3.5 I believe. Ideally i would like to stay in TX, so i was looking into the UNT-SMP masters program at TCOM but not sure if it would even help out since they do not guarantee anything (approx. 30 get into TCOM and some into TX MD schools out 200 students in the program) but school advisor mentioned your chances of getting a interview are decent if you maintain a 3.5 GPA in the program. Other than the SMP, I was planning to apply OOS for DO schools.



I would love to apply this cycle but there are certain red flags that i am concerned about in my application:

- 2 academic probations that i received at my university, very early in college.


- Attended a University but withdrew during finals due to a family emergency. Withdrew because some professors would not allow me to reschedule my final, only option was to withdraw from the semester and get W's in all classes. I never went back to this University again, only attended for one semester. Got about 4-5 W's after that but no more.

- Worked various jobs throughout college to help the family, Dad lost his job and at the same time his parents, he had to fly overseas while i had to withdraw from school an entire year to work and help out my family.

- Got a P.I. - Class C Misdemeanor. I don't even drink nor was i drunk but i'm not going to try and defend myself , it is what it is, i never had any sort of criminal history before or after this event. This happened 5 years ago while I was not attending school for a year, have matured and learned from my mistakes.



All of this happened early in my college career. When i started undergrad i had no study ethic and was usually working a job on and off which caused my GPA to decline. After the year off I came back to school determined to finish with good grades. I graduated with a science degree and honors, currently doing a do-it-yourself post-bacc - taking science classes and re-takes. I have a 3.9 in my last 90 hours (No W's) and a 4.0 in the last 60 hours of my semester credits. Taking a few classes at a CC and mainly at a different University since my Alma mater school is quite expensive. No graduate degree.



Including the red flags, will i be a competitive applicant for this cycle, taking in consideration my MCAT date? Anything that i should work on besides shadowing a DO? Kinda hard to find one. I really want to be a physician for many reasons and don't see myself doing anything else. I feel Osteopathic schools will give me another chance at becoming a physician, whereas Allopathic schools may not even consider me, though I will be happy with an DO or MD degree. Do I have a shot at any established DO schools? I know a lot depends on my MCAT score as well.



*For people who are familiar with TX schools - Will the UNT SMP help someone with my stats and background to get into any in-state school? I remember looking at the MSAR for some schools in TX and couple have a GPA of 3.1-3.2. I know my undergrad and DIY post-bacc may not be enough to help me matriculate into these schools, will a SMP help? Thanks. Would love to save $$$ by staying in-state.



Sorry for the long post and thank you for taking the time to read all of this.



TL: DR - TX resident, 3.45 c/s GPA (AACOMAS), No MCAT (taking in july-august), Red Flags, see EC's above, and an upward trend last half of school (including bachelors and post bachelors). Chances for this cycle? Do i have a shot at some of the established schools?

Hello! I'm from Fort Worth and applied to med school last cycle. Do the Med Sci program. I have several friends that have done it and they all said it was beneficial - several got in to tcom for the following year. The classes they take in Med Sci are the first year tcom classes, so should you get in to tcom, you will be well prepared. There is also a bridge program that guarantees you acceptance to tcom as long as you keep up a certain GPA in med sci...but I believe the program has to be applied to through tmdsds (you apply to tcom and they offer you the bridge program if they feel you are not ready for tcom). Based on your GPA, i think med sci would be great for you


as far as your chances at other schools...no one can tell you until you take the MCAT

 

[Goro]

Yes, you'll be fine.



TL: DR - TX resident, 3.45 c/s GPA (AACOMAS), No MCAT (taking in july-august), Red Flags, see EC's above, and an upward trend last half of school (including bachelors and post bachelors). Chances for this cycle? Do i have a shot at some of the established schools?[/QUOTE]

 

[RedX13]

The only red flag that might be an issue is the misdemeanor. That said, people have gotten in with those sorts of problems before. As long as its not something that will limit your ability to get licensed in any state, it shouldn't matter that much (or so I've heard).

Old academic probation, withdrawals, etc. are all consistent with turning it around.

Unless you do very well on the MCAT, TCOM might be a tough sell, but I'd still apply there regardless since you're a TX resident. Unfortunately, I know very little about the SMP, that said, if I were you, I'd apply to both the SMP and OOS schools to at least see if you could get in outright. Maybe someone that knows more about it can chime in.

Without the MCAT, its hard to tell, but I imagine if you do average (27-ish for DO matriculants), and you apply early and broadly, you'll be fine.

At this point just focus on doing as well as you can on the MCAT. Also keep in mind that AACOMAS opens in June, and you want to submit as close to that as possible. That said, you also only want to take the MCAT once, so be sure you're ready.

Thank you for the reply. I hope the P.I. won't hold me back too much. I agree, a lot depends on my MCAT however I won't be able to take it till july-august, should i apply this cycle or the next? I won't be able to apply early like many others.

Hello! I'm from Fort Worth and applied to med school last cycle. Do the Med Sci program. I have several friends that have done it and they all said it was beneficial - several got in to tcom for the following year. The classes they take in Med Sci are the first year tcom classes, so should you get in to tcom, you will be well prepared. There is also a bridge program that guarantees you acceptance to tcom as long as you keep up a certain GPA in med sci...but I believe the program has to be applied to through tmdsds (you apply to tcom and they offer you the bridge program if they feel you are not ready for tcom). Based on your GPA, i think med sci would be great for you


as far as your chances at other schools...no one can tell you until you take the MCAT

Hi! Thank you for the reply. I definitely do want to do the med sci program if it will help me with tx schools, i think the deadline just passed though, would have to apply sometime jan 2015.

I personally know a few people who did med sci but they all ended up applying OOS to DO schools, it was kind of discouraging. I feel that i would save time and money if i applied this cycle to OOS schools but would probably save more money overall if i got into a TX school, ahh the dilemma.

If you do not mind me asking, did you apply to any tx schools yourself?

 

[RedX13]

Yes, you'll be fine.

It's always nice to get some feedback from the ADCOMS. Thanks for contributing to SDN, it really helps. Since i will be taking my MCAT a little late this cycle will I have a good shot at some of the older established schools? Also, are my EC's good enough? I feel like I'm lacking in the "leadership" positions, I never got around to becoming a member of any groups at my school.

 

[hallowmann]

Thank you for the reply. I hope the P.I. won't hold me back too much. I agree, a lot depends on my MCAT however I won't be able to take it till july-august, should i apply this cycle or the next? I won't be able to apply early like many others.


...

If I were you, I'd submit your app to 1 school on AACOMAS first as soon as you can, then focus on the MCAT, then apply to the rest after you get your score. The problem with taking it in August is that you won't get it back until September.

That said, if you submit for verification early, the second your scores come in, you can add the schools you want to apply to on AACOMAS and the schools will have your app in September (not early, but not really late). If you wait to verify your app after you get your score, you'll be another month late (i.e. schools won't see your primary until October, which is pretty late).

Personally, I don't think the difference between July and September is worth waiting an extra year, because either way, you may want to apply to the SMP this year. Ultimately though, its your decision based on how much money you have and whether 1 more year will make a big difference.

 

[mct2762]

Thank you for the reply. I hope the P.I. won't hold me back too much. I agree, a lot depends on my MCAT however I won't be able to take it till july-august, should i apply this cycle or the next? I won't be able to apply early like many others.



Hi! Thank you for the reply. I definitely do want to do the med sci program if it will help me with tx schools, i think the deadline just passed though, would have to apply sometime jan 2015.

I personally know a few people who did med sci but they all ended up applying OOS to DO schools, it was kind of discouraging. I feel that i would save time and money if i applied this cycle to OOS schools but would probably save more money overall if i got into a TX school, ahh the dilemma.

If you do not mind me asking, did you apply to any tx schools yourself?

I don't know that I would waste time/money applying to texas schools this cycle with a 3.1. Are you a URM? with a 3.4 aacomas I would definitly apply to OOS DO schools as long as you get a 24+ (low tier only unless you get at least a 26). I may apply to texas schools if you got a 32+, but probably wouldnt bother otherwise, unless you are a URM.

I only applied to TCOM (interviewed and waitlisted). I had a 3.89 but had a really bad MCAT and didnt retake it. Will be going to OOS DO in July

 

[RedX13]

If I were you, I'd submit your app to 1 school on AACOMAS first as soon as you can, then focus on the MCAT, then apply to the rest after you get your score. The problem with taking it in August is that you won't get it back until September.

That said, if you submit for verification early, the second your scores come in, you can add the schools you want to apply to on AACOMAS and the schools will have your app in September (not early, but not really late). If you wait to verify your app after you get your score, you'll be another month late (i.e. schools won't see your primary until October, which is pretty late).

Personally, I don't think the difference between July and September is worth waiting an extra year, because either way, you may want to apply to the SMP this year. Ultimately though, its your decision based on how much money you have and whether 1 more year will make a big difference.

- Thanks again. I can submit my app to a school without an MCAT score? I did not know that was possible. I totally forgot about the verification window.

I don't know that I would waste time/money applying to texas schools this cycle with a 3.1. Are you a URM? with a 3.4 aacomas I would definitly apply to OOS DO schools as long as you get a 24+ (low tier only unless you get at least a 26). I may apply to texas schools if you got a 32+, but probably wouldnt bother otherwise, unless you are a URM.

I only applied to TCOM (interviewed and waitlisted). I had a 3.89 but had a really bad MCAT and didnt retake it. Will be going to OOS DO in July

- Nope, not a URM. I definitely won't get in with a 3.1 to TX MD schools, the only time i think i could do that is if i did the SMP. I meant i only have two options that i need to consider, wait and do the UNT SMP then apply to tx school after the program (no guarantees) or apply OOS DO this cycle. Thanks for your replies.

 

[hallowmann]

- Thanks again. I can submit my app to a school without an MCAT score? I did not know that was possible. I totally forgot about the verification window.
...

Yeah, but you'll have to put the MCAT score as pending (with a date I believe). Most schools will just wait for the score before sending you a secondary, but some might only base it off of your app without the MCAT whether or not to send you a secondary, but its worth a shot, because at least your apps to the other schools will be earlier.

 

[mct2762]

- Thanks again. I can submit my app to a school without an MCAT score? I did not know that was possible. I totally forgot about the verification window.



- Nope, not a URM. I definitely won't get in with a 3.1 to TX MD schools, the only time i think i could do that is if i did the SMP. I meant i only have two options that i need to consider, wait and do the UNT SMP then apply to tx school after the program (no guarantees) or apply OOS DO this cycle. Thanks for your replies.

you're welcome! Good luck! PM me if you need anything

 

[RedX13]

Yeah, but you'll have to put the MCAT score as pending (with a date I believe). Most schools will just wait for the score before sending you a secondary, but some might only base it off of your app without the MCAT whether or not to send you a secondary, but its worth a shot, because at least your apps to the other schools will be earlier.

you're welcome! Good luck! PM me if you need anything

Thanks guys!