MD & DO cGPA 3.5 & sGPA 3.41 no MCAT

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sky1025

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Hi guys.

So basically I've posted a similar thread last year around September, and my GPA was quite low around 3.3 cGPA by the end of my sophomore year. I've really set my goal as a pre-med back then, and it motivated me to study really hard in my third year. Fortunately, I got all A's except my organic chem lab which I got a B. I am quite happy because the courses I took this year were all very intense and known to be the some of the hardest ones here (Physics, upper-div physiology classes, chem lab, etc). Currently in my last quarter I am taking easy classes and one major upper-div class, so I'm hoping to get all A's and raise my GPA. Because my hardest major science classes will be done by this year, I am expecting somewhat easier science classes to get good grades next year.

No MCAT yet, but I registered for September MCAT and got 29 in a diagnostic test. Hopefully my summer MCAT course will help me get a score above 30.

In terms of my EC:

-1 year of part-time job at a doctor's office as a billing assistant/receptionist. Also go into consultation rooms occasionally to see the doctor diagnosing patients (~20hr/wk). *I checked my paycheck history and worked about 1000 hours.
-25 hrs shadowing internal medicine.
-Joined a research group in biophysics lab. Planning on continuing until possible.
-2 years of part-time job as a cashier/server (~25hr/wk) at a restaurant around campus.
-1 quarter of research in psychology/education department. Still keeps in touch with the PI, but the research wasn't just my type.
-Private tutor for a few months
- NO volunteer yet. I know this is crucial, but my university hospital somehow rejected my application because they "were full" at that time. A major hospital is opening their pre-med volunteer program soon, so I will be applying there this year.

LOR: none at this moment, but I have the list of people whom I can ask

-Biology professor
-PI (also my physics professors for this quarter)
-PI of my psychology research
-Doctor/Office Manager I am working for right now.

Regardless of my trend this year, I know my GPA is still weak for MD, so are my mediocre EC's. Seeing my friends in the major getting 3.8+ GPA kind of scares me a lot. I know my efforts got paid off, but most of the people here have been doing that since their first year. Right now, I just wanted some encouraging or constructive advice. Honestly I know the answer lies on raising my GPA, but do you guys think my chances are rather slim at this point?

On a side note, I am also very open to DO schools and will be applying to some of them next year. The only reason I am primarily focusing on MD schools is because the community I am from doesn't really recognize DO and view them as something similar to chiropractors. It is rather upsetting for me as what I want to do at the end of the day is just to practice medicine.

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If you're open to DO programs then I think you have a great shot at an eventual acceptance, provided that you score well on the MCAT. If you do very well you still have time to bump your GPA up to a competitive range for MD schools as well. Right now, you should continue to focus on your GPA, and also finding volunteer opportunities. Even if they aren't in the hospital, even if they aren't clinical, you should try to find something. Find a way to help those less fortunate than you - Habitat for Humanity is a great place to start and they almost always have volunteer slots.

Having a low GPA in your sophomore year is not a death sentence for medical school applications. Keep up the hard work.
 
If you're open to DO programs then I think you have a great shot at an eventual acceptance, provided that you score well on the MCAT. If you do very well you still have time to bump your GPA up to a competitive range for MD schools as well. Right now, you should continue to focus on your GPA, and also finding volunteer opportunities. Even if they aren't in the hospital, even if they aren't clinical, you should try to find something. Find a way to help those less fortunate than you - Habitat for Humanity is a great place to start and they almost always have volunteer slots.

Having a low GPA in your sophomore year is not a death sentence for medical school applications. Keep up the hard work.

Thanks! I know no applicant is a "guaranteed" these days, but what statistics would you consider to be in a competitive range?
 
If you're wondering about specific statistics, I think you should take a look at the MSAR. It's a wonderful resource for prospective applicants and it is far more thorough than I could ever be. However, for a personal example, look at me. I applied with a 3.65 cGPA and a 3.5 sGPA and a 32 MCAT and I was accepted to an MD school. I did not apply very broadly or intelligently, so it's possible I may have had a few more acceptances too, if I applied to more schools at which I was competitive. That being said, there's no reason to just shoot for my numbers. The better your application is, the more options you'll have when deciding which school you'd like to attend.
 
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