BBA & Paramedic --> Medical School

[Fox800]

I started a similar thread in the allo section but I'd like to get opinions from you guys over here...since I have a feeling I have much better chances with a DO school due to grades and my somewhat non-trad background.

24 year-old guy. Will be applying this spring for 2012 admission, if I get in on the first try I'll be 26 when I enter. Graduated in May 2007 with a BBA in Management from Texas A&M University. Been working as a paramedic for about 3 years since graduation, now taking classes part-time as a post-bacc to apply to medical school. My BCPM GPA is much higher under the AACOMAS rules because I retook physics I from a withdraw fail to an A.

AACOMAS Overall: 3.28
AACOMAS BCPM: 3.52
AACOMAS Undergrad: 3.17
AACOMAS Post-Bac: 3.57

AMCAS Overall: 3.19
AMCAS BCPM: 3.27
AMCAS Undergrad GPA: 3.17
AMCAS Post-Bac: 3.25

TMDSAS Overall: 3.19
TMDSAS BCPM: 3.26 (Since TMDSAS counts geology in their BCPM calculations)
TMDSAS Undergrad: 3.17
TMDSAS Post-Bac: 3.25

MCAT: Currently taking a Princeton Review in-class course. Taking MCAT CBT on April 16.
Volunteering: While in college, from ages 18-20, I volunteered for two collegiate EMS agencies. I started as a 911 dispatcher, worked up to first responder, then EMT-Basic, then EMT-Intermediate. I volunteered pretty much every week while in college for one of the two agencies, sometimes as often as three or four 12-hour shifts a week so I have a TON of hours from those places. I have somewhere between 2000-2500 hours.
Clinical/Work Experience: Full-time paramedic for a 911 EMS agency for 3 years, prior to that I have been a EMT-Basic, and an EMT-Intermediate in various settings (volunteer campus EMS, volunteer EMS first responder, paid special events EMS, volunteer fire department). I work 48 hours per week.
Shadowing: Currently shadowing an ER physician and an orthopedic surgeon (DO). The ER physician is also one of my associate medical directors at work. The DO attended TCOM, one of the schools I am applying to. I plan on having each of them write me an LOR.
Research: None, unfortunately, since I majored in business and I don't have the funds to take a junior/senior-level research course. My pre-med advisor at UT told me not to worry about it since I'm not planning to apply for a PhD program.
LORs: Two from science faculty (org. chemistry and biochemistry professors), one from an ER MD/medical director, one from a DO osteopathic physician. I also want my good friend and former work supervisor for ~3 years (paramedic) to write me one.

This is my revised list. Would love some more input:

Texas schools (I'm a resident): Baylor, Texas A&M (alma mater), TCOM, Texas Tech Lubbock, Texas Tech El Paso, UTMB, UT Houston, UT San Antonio, UTSW

OOS MD schools: Drexel, EVMS, GWU, Temple, Thomas Jefferson, Tulane, Vermont, VA Commonwealth

OOS DO schools: LECOM-Bradenton, NOVA, PCOM, VCOM, UNECOM, RVUCOM

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[Catalystik]

AACOMAS cGPA and sGPA for entering DO students averages 3.48/3.35, so with an MCAT score of 28 (maybe lower) you should be fine getting an OOS DO acceptance.

You don't mention your AMCAS and TMDSAS GPA, so I won't give commentary on the other schools you list, and that isn't the focus of your post anyway. But you might be interested in this data so you can judge your odds based on various MCAT outcomes:

Aggregate AMCAS data on application outcomes: https://www.aamc.org/download/157450/data/table24-mcatgpagridall2008-10.pdf.pdf

Texas acceptance data: http://www.utsystem.edu/tmdsas/Final%20Statistics%20Report-EY09%20-%20Medical.pdf

 

[Fox800]

I guess I should have done that. The AACOMAS GPA takes into account a physics grade of withdraw-failing I retook for an A. I gave no thought to the idea that TMDSAS calculated grades differently from AMCAS.

I recalcuated everything and listed AACOMAS, AMCAS, and TMDSAS grades in the first post.

 

[Catalystik]

Have you considered applying to the TCOM-affiliated SMP-like program as a low GPA booster to have a better shot at instate MD or DO? The money you'd save in not paying tuition at an OOS DO school if you could get into a Texas med school would make the expense worthwhile.

 

[Fox800]

I've got the TCOM program in the back of my mind...however I haven't even taken the MCAT yet, and that's a requirement to even apply to that SMP. We'll see how the MCAT goes in April!

 

[canjosh]

12 year medic here...now a med student at Baylor.

I would personally not spend the money on applying to those OOS MD schools, unless you get 33+ on the MCAT. It seems like you're comfortable with the DO route, so it'd make more sense to divert that money to more DO apps if you want.

Good luck!