Am I considered as a MD applicant?

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han0325

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Dear SDN community,

I always dreamed about being a MD. I took my MCAT in January and I thought I bombed it and I literally started working on my resume and started studying for the new MCAT afterwards. It has been a depressing 1 months watching my fellow friends get accepted to MD school or having an awesome job lined up for them, while I sat there... with a useless major (but something I enjoyed and very unique).

I just got my score today with a 30, which I am not proud of but I am willing to accept if I can still reach my dream. My parents are pushing for me to DO but I don't want to. (please understand my arrogant attitude)
I am asian american and I go to the University of Michigan. I have a 3.6 science gpa. I have many volunteer hours and a lot of extracurricular activities. I tried research many times but I never was able to stick with it.
If I apply to many, as in over 20 schools, will I be accepted. Or should I retake the 2015 MCAT?

best,
han0325
 
Past wisdom was that 30 was an average score for applicants admitted to md programs. That was maybe 5-10 years ago. Since then acceptance rates have dropped dropped dropped. I honestly think with a 30 and your average stats otherwise, you might have a hard time.

DO is probably a better bet, but what are your reservations? There are realities to that degree and then there are pure rumors.
 
Personally, I think it you apply widely and broadly you stand a shot of getting into an MD school. (no guarantee, but a chance.)
But I wouldn't knock DO schools either, you'd be a very competitive candidate for DO schools.
 
If you re-take the MCAT with that perfectly fine score, I'll reach through your computer screen and smack you upside the head. This process is not random, where you can get a hit after so many shots. You need to apply broadly and do your best, and apply with the best possible app.
If I apply to many, as in over 20 schools, will I be accepted. Or should I retake the 2015 MCAT?


I suggest the following:
Rush
NYMC
Creighton
Albany
Rosy Franklin
Drexel
Temple
Loma Linda (but read their list of don'ts)
MCW
St. Louis U
Jefferson
Creighton
Tulane
Loyola
GWU
Georgetown
Tufts
U Miami
Wake Forest
EVMS
VCU
All new MD programs except Va Tech and Hofstra
Any DO program
Your state school(s).
 
Thanks so much, for everyone's response. @Goro, I will definitely look into all those schools you recommended.
To everyone else, my parents are probably going to force me to apply to some DO.
I haven't done any shadowing and what are clinical volunteer experience?
When doing shadowing, should I be reaching out to specific doctors?
 
MI is a good state for the home team.
A third of the applicants matriculated IS and your stats are consistent with success at more than one.
Primary care is a prime shadowing target. Especially in MI.
 
Jeeze, han, you're old enough to work, pay taxes, drive, vote, and fight and die for your country. You're old enough to grow a spine and tell your parents what you to do, not what they want to do. Don't enter a profession in which you''ll be miserable. Medicine is a calling.

To everyone else, my parents are probably going to force me to apply to some DO.

You're going to need to so shadowing to show Adcoms you know what a doctor's day is like. You need some non-clinical volunteering to display your humanism and altruism, and patient contact volunteer work to to show us that you know what you're getting into and that you really want to be around sick and injured people for the next 30-40 years.

I haven't done any shadowing and what are clinical volunteer experience?

I suggest a primary care person, and a specialist. if you're going to try applying to DO schools, then try for DO and an MD, and be able to contrast the two. Some DO schools will require a DO LOR.
When doing shadowing, should I be reaching out to specific doctors?
 
You said you have no clinical volunteering, other clinical experience, or physician shadowing.........your app is dead in the water. Why do you want to be a doctor? How will you show adcoms you truly want to be a doctor?
 
@gyngyn can you elaborate a little bit more? I don't understand what you mean by "matriculated IS"
 
Goro said:
If you re-take the MCAT with that perfectly fine score, I'll reach through your computer screen and smack you upside the head. This process is not random, where you can get a hit after so many shots. You need to apply broadly and do your best, and apply with the best possible app.
If I apply to many, as in over 20 schools, will I be accepted. Or should I retake the 2015 MCAT?


I suggest the following:
Rush
NYMC
Creighton
Albany
Rosy Franklin
Drexel
Temple
Loma Linda (but read their list of don'ts)
MCW
St. Louis U
Jefferson
Creighton
Tulane
Loyola
GWU
Georgetown
Tufts
U Miami
Wake Forest
EVMS
VCU
All new MD programs except Va Tech and Hofstra
Any DO program
Your state school(s).
Click to expand...

Hey Goro. Sorry, google searches aren't working for me. What are the list of don'ts for Loma Linda?
 
han0325 said:
Thanks so much, for everyone's response. @Goro, I will definitely look into all those schools you recommended.
To everyone else, my parents are probably going to force me to apply to some DO.
I haven't done any shadowing and what are clinical volunteer experience?
When doing shadowing, should I be reaching out to specific doctors?
Click to expand...
From one wolverine to another, feel free to PM me about ways to get "clinical" volunteering experience around Ann Arbor/campus. I might be able to point you in a helpful direction.

EDIT: Can't help you much with shadowing -- umich is a TERRIBLE place to get shadowing experience. But there are other ways to gain hospital experience and see what physician's do on a day-to-day basis. FYI, there seems to be some consensus on SDN that shadowing hours mean nothing more than that you understand what Physicians do. As long as you can demonstrate in some tangible, real way that you understand the lifestyle that you'd be committing yourself to, don't sweat about the actual hours of shadowing.
 
han0325 said:
Dear SDN community,

I always dreamed about being a MD. I took my MCAT in January and I thought I bombed it and I literally started working on my resume and started studying for the new MCAT afterwards. It has been a depressing 1 months watching my fellow friends get accepted to MD school or having an awesome job lined up for them, while I sat there... with a useless major (but something I enjoyed and very unique).

I just got my score today with a 30, which I am not proud of but I am willing to accept if I can still reach my dream. My parents are pushing for me to DO but I don't want to. (please understand my arrogant attitude)
I am asian american and I go to the University of Michigan. I have a 3.6 science gpa. I have many volunteer hours and a lot of extracurricular activities. I tried research many times but I never was able to stick with it.
If I apply to many, as in over 20 schools, will I be accepted. Or should I retake the 2015 MCAT?

best,
han0325
Click to expand...

A 30 is a reasonable score. Now I realize for an asian american a 30 is like a 25 for a white person but you're probably going to get in to a reasonable school with a 30. If you feel you could do appreciably better (like 5 points better) retake. otherwise a 32 vs a 30 isn't an appreciable difference.
 
A 30/3.6 is good enough academically to matriculate IS and maybe a lower tier OOS. However, you really need to beef up your app in other areas to be competitive. 3.6/30 with your EC's is pretty generic. I'm assuming this because you didn't mention anything that made you stand out.
 
Instatewaiter said:
A 30 is a reasonable score. Now I realize for an asian american a 30 is like a 25 for a white person but you're probably going to get in to a reasonable school with a 30. If you feel you could do appreciably better (like 5 points better) retake. otherwise a 32 vs a 30 isn't an appreciable difference.
Click to expand...
Unless a school screens OS applicants that don't have a 32 (ex. OHSU). : P
 
The Milkman said:
This must just apply to premeds, right? The med students made it seem like it was as easy as a simple email!
Click to expand...
Yep! Should have clarified: shadowing as a med student is super easy. As a result, shadowing as an undergraduate is nearly impossible.
 
han0325 said:
Dear SDN community,

I always dreamed about being a MD. I took my MCAT in January and I thought I bombed it and I literally started working on my resume and started studying for the new MCAT afterwards. It has been a depressing 1 months watching my fellow friends get accepted to MD school or having an awesome job lined up for them, while I sat there... with a useless major (but something I enjoyed and very unique).

I just got my score today with a 30, which I am not proud of but I am willing to accept if I can still reach my dream. My parents are pushing for me to DO but I don't want to. (please understand my arrogant attitude)
I am asian american and I go to the University of Michigan. I have a 3.6 science gpa. I have many volunteer hours and a lot of extracurricular activities. I tried research many times but I never was able to stick with it.
If I apply to many, as in over 20 schools, will I be accepted. Or should I retake the 2015 MCAT?

best,
han0325
Click to expand...
If your ECs are solid and you apply to 40+ schools, you'll stand a decent chance.
 
FWIW, I retook a 30 and had a slightly lower GPA (3.55) and I don't regret it. I don't think my cycle would have been the same with a 30.
 
Just like others have said you need a good amount of clinical experience and volunteering. Do you have any volunteering? And if so, how much?
- Also, Asain is considered ORM, or over-represented in medicine, so that actually makes it harder for you to get accepted. You are not created equal to caucasion applicants with a 3.6/30 MCAT. What were your practice MCAT scores? If you were scoring 35's and just dropped the ball I would highly advise a retake.
- Finally, DO is a good route to medicine so I am not sure why you are so against going in that direction. What are your specialty interests?
 
I would retake the mcat but it's the dreaded new mcat which I've never taken any psychological and social science courses.
I actually do have very decent extracurricular activities, that are not health related that I am very passionate about, and over 200 hours of hospital volunteer. I just don't have any decent research experience haha....
 
Goro said:
If you re-take the MCAT with that perfectly fine score, I'll reach through your computer screen and smack you upside the head. This process is not random, where you can get a hit after so many shots. You need to apply broadly and do your best, and apply with the best possible app.
If I apply to many, as in over 20 schools, will I be accepted. Or should I retake the 2015 MCAT?


I suggest the following:
Rush
NYMC
Creighton
Albany
Rosy Franklin
Drexel
Temple
Loma Linda (but read their list of don'ts)
MCW
St. Louis U
Jefferson
Creighton
Tulane
Loyola
GWU
Georgetown
Tufts
U Miami
Wake Forest
EVMS
VCU
All new MD programs except Va Tech and Hofstra
Any DO program
Your state school(s).
Click to expand...
Why all new programs except Tech and Hofstra? What's wrong with Tech and Hofstra?
 
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