Am I on track?

[jrd93]

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Hello again SDN!



It’s been awhile since I’ve posted but I’m back again to request advice about my application. Although it’s been about 1.5 years since I’ve created a thread, I’ve been able to boost my ECs while finishing up my premed classes. This is not a ‘What is my chance’ thread per se, but rather ‘Am I on the right track’?

The concerning part of my application is that I have received a C in Organic Chemistry I and a D in Organic Chemistry II. I later retook the courses for an A & B, respectively. While the coursework was challenging, my ability to adequately study the material was hampered by having to work too much. However, I have taken additional upper level science courses to demonstrate that I can handle the course load, some of which include neurobiology, biochemistry II, physiology, and an additional biology class receiving all A’s.

Given this information, do my numbers and experience render me a competitive applicant to a MD, specifically as a Texas resident, or a DO? My goal is primary care, but family medicine in particular.


Relevant information
22 y/o & African American, biracial male
B.A. in Political Science, Pre-Med Concentration
cGPA: 3.66
sGPA (M.D.): 3.46
sGPA (D.O.): 3.56

Academic Awards
University Academic Scholarship
Rising Star Scholarship
Political Science Honor Society
Alpha Epsilon Delta
Golden Key International Honor Society

Leadership
Academic Peer Support Organization, Treasurer
Cultural Society, Member

Work Experience

Intro to Stat. Supplemental Instructor, .5 year
Research Assistant (Non-Science related), 1 year
Statistics tutor, 1 year
Political Science Supplemental Instructor, 1 year
Grader, 1 year
Sports writer school newspaper, .5 year
Lifeguard, (summer before undergrad)

Volunteer
Junior Achievement, 1 year
Big Brother, 1 year


Medical Observations & Clinical Experience
Internist, 80 hours
Family practitioner (D.O.), 100 hours

Letters of Recommendation
School committee (No idea)
Biochem. professor (Good)
Political Science professor, (Excellent)
Supplemental Instructor Supervisor (Excellent)
D.O. Navy Physician (Good )

Army R.O.T.C. Awards
Awarded 3-year scholarship (Declined)
Color Guard and Ranger Challenge team
Merit Based Scholarship, GPA and PT score
Order of Merit Scholarship, GPA and PT score

 

[ruedjgtc]

I'll respond because no one has.

You are on the "right" track, if you could call it that — everyone has their own track, so it's hard to say. For reference, my stats were somewhere in your range (Exercise Physiology major, Physiology minor). But, you'll need a MCAT score that either reinforces or strengthens your application. So, this right track can quickly become a wrong turn off a cliff depending on how you handle the MCAT/applications.

With that said, I'm glad you're interested in Family Medicine. Though to be fair you should be ready to answer "Why not become a NP or PA instead?" It's a rhetorical question, and I'm really not interested in changing your mind or hearing why. But, right now it's a logical question you should expect to hear during your interview day if you make that your big sale on the application. So, it's a question you should get used to batting out of the park. With that said, no one really cares what you think you'll specialize in (because most people change their minds), but just be able to explain why a doctor over "X" (admissions love those types of questions, because it's a sly way to ask people, "Why medicine?")

Good luck!