Apply this year or wait based on stats?

[anzum1]

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I need some help deciding if I should wait an year to apply or go ahead and do it.
My current cGPA 3.38 and sGPA is 3.52.
I will be applying in august sine that's when I get my mcat scores back for the July mcat.I have been getting between 506 and 508 on practice MCATs so hopefully the actual score will be around that as well.
I do have a quite a few retakes on my record and this GPA includes those.
The retaken classes are :
Ecology D retake grade B
Physics 2 : D retake grade B
Calc 1 : D retake grade C
Biochem :C+ retake grade B+
Other than that I have all As and Bs in my science classes but for some reason I struggled with the ones above.

I also have a lot of research experience (Got a research stipend and award last summer ,doing an honors thesis research project right now and will also probably be doing a research fellowship this summer).
I have shadowing experience ,and good letter of recommendations from professors and doctors.

Should I wait an year and take extra classes to apply or apply in August?

Thanks in advance!

 

[DrMikeP]

So do the math and see how much better you will be in a year. Will it be like wow we have to have this student or more like yeah your sgpa went up to 3.55. Moving your sgpa is going to get harder. Any C's, D's, or F's left to retake in required sciences?

Do well on your mcat and I don't see where you'll gain much in a year with what you've mentioned.

Look at getting your application in and submitting to a throw-away school to get verified and processed and then submit to the rest when the mcat score comes in. So by end of August your application will be in.

 

[anzum1]

No.I the overall difference would not be dramatically huge,a cGPA would raise 3.45 and sGPA approximately 3.57.
Also,no I don't have any other classes left to retake.

Do you think with a good MCAT and this GPA I would have a shot at D.O if I apply widely enough?
Thank you for your reply.

 

[0dee]

What is kinda concerning and might hurt you a bit is the trend you have in retakes, as you didn't get a single A in any of your retakes. If you have an upward trend, that will be in your favor. With that being said, if you do get 506-508 in your MCAT, I say go for it and apply.

 

[anzum1]

No,I agree with you and would value your opinion however hurtful it may sound.
Another thing I should mention is the bad grades were also spread out over multiple semesters and the most recent one (Biochem C+) being this past fall,and I just retook it this spring. The ecology and physics were Spring 2014,I retook those in Fall 2014.The calculus was in Spring 2015,and I retook it in summer 2015 so there isn't a set trend there.
However,I have heard that heavy research and shadowing paired with a good mcat can make schools overlook that?Would you agree with that or is that just one in a few cases?
Thank you again.

 

[0dee]

No,I agree with you and would value your opinion however hurtful it may sound.
Another thing I should mention is the bad grades were also spread out over multiple semesters and the most recent one (Biochem C+) being this past fall,and I just retook it this spring. The ecology and physics were Spring 2014,I retook those in Fall 2014.The calculus was in Spring 2015,and I retook it in summer 2015 so there isn't a set trend there.
However,I have heard that heavy research and shadowing paired with a good mcat can make schools overlook that?Would you agree with that or is that just one in a few cases?
Thank you again.

If you have DO shadowing coupled with a strong DO LoR that will help you. In regards to shadowing, research, and MCAT compensating for a lower GPA, that depends on the profile of the student, the schools they apply to, so YMMV.

 

[DrMikeP]

Get a high MCAT and assuming the rest is ok apply early as you can without rushing your mcat and broadly as possible. You have a shot and another year is unlikely to make a huge difference. If you don't make it in then do more, but cross that bridge post application. Best of luck

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