Chances for MD/DO, please?

[spartiatis]

OK, so I go to a top state school, and am currently finishing up my first semester of Junior year as a biochemistry major. If all goes well, I should have a 3.4 beginning next semester, and a ~3.5 when I finish Junior year and begin applying to medical school. I didn't always have a good GPA; my freshman year I ended with a 2.7, then raised it to a 3.2 by the end of my sophomore year. I have worked very hard since then to repair my GPA, and there is a steep upward trend in my grades. When I take the MCAT I plan on getting somewhere around a 35, definitely 30+. As far as my EC's go (so far):

-1 year working as an EMT at university and local ambulance service near home
-1 year doing research in a biochemistry lab
-~150 hours volunteering for a local hospital
-Part of an innovative science program at my university which revolves around solving real-world problems (disease, current third-world issues, etc.)
-Great LOC's from my advisor, some professors that worked with me in the program I mentioned above, and a DO who I shadowed
-Hold a leadership position in a fraternity (Can I get some feedback on this?)
-Hoping to get a research paper published
-Dean's list 1 semester (Spring semester sophomore year) and hopefully more to come

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[Catalystik]

OK, so I go to a top state school, and am currently finishing up my first semester of Junior year as a biochemistry major. If all goes well, I should have a 3.4 beginning next semester, and a ~3.5 when I finish Junior year and begin applying to medical school. I didn't always have a good GPA; my freshman year I ended with a 2.7, then raised it to a 3.2 by the end of my sophomore year. I have worked very hard since then to repair my GPA, and there is a steep upward trend in my grades. When I take the MCAT I plan on getting somewhere around a 35, definitely 30+. As far as my EC's go (so far):

-1 year working as an EMT at university and local ambulance service near home
-1 year doing research in a biochemistry lab
-~150 hours volunteering for a local hospital
-Part of an innovative science program at my university which revolves around solving real-world problems (disease, current third-world issues, etc.)
-Great LOC's from my advisor, some professors that worked with me in the program I mentioned above, and a DO who I shadowed
-Hold a leadership position in a fraternity (Can I get some feedback on this?)
-Hoping to get a research paper published
-Dean's list 1 semester (Spring semester sophomore year) and hopefully more to come

Depending on the strength of your MCAT score, an acceptance at MD and/or DO schools seems quite achievable with a cGPA of 3.5. It would help if your BCPM GPA were higher than that, but your steep upward grade trend might be enough to overcome that if it's not possible.

EC-wise, if you can work it into your schedule, you might consider adding some nonmedical community service to broaden your appeal to a greater range of schools.

What is your leadership role at the frat? Some are helpful and some would not be.

 

[Goro]

Just to play devil's advocate, I see many posters here state I'm planning on getting X on the MCAT (where X is always >30). yet the avg score nationwide for MCAT is what, 25-27?

So, just please, don't be so cocky.

Your plans and stats are fine. Good luck!

OK, so I go to a top state school, and am currently finishing up my first semester of Junior year as a biochemistry major. If all goes well, I should have a 3.4 beginning next semester, and a ~3.5 when I finish Junior year and begin applying to medical school. I didn't always have a good GPA; my freshman year I ended with a 2.7, then raised it to a 3.2 by the end of my sophomore year. I have worked very hard since then to repair my GPA, and there is a steep upward trend in my grades. When I take the MCAT I plan on getting somewhere around a 35, definitely 30+. As far as my EC's go (so far):

-1 year working as an EMT at university and local ambulance service near home
-1 year doing research in a biochemistry lab
-~150 hours volunteering for a local hospital
-Part of an innovative science program at my university which revolves around solving real-world problems (disease, current third-world issues, etc.)
-Great LOC's from my advisor, some professors that worked with me in the program I mentioned above, and a DO who I shadowed
-Hold a leadership position in a fraternity (Can I get some feedback on this?)
-Hoping to get a research paper published
-Dean's list 1 semester (Spring semester sophomore year) and hopefully more to come

 

[spartiatis]

Depending on the strength of your MCAT score, an acceptance at MD and/or DO schools seems quite achievable with a cGPA of 3.5. It would help if your BCPM GPA were higher than that, but your steep upward grade trend might be enough to overcome that if it's not possible.

EC-wise, if you can work it into your schedule, you might consider adding some nonmedical community service to broaden your appeal to a greater range of schools.

What is your leadership role at the frat? Some are helpful and some would not be.

Thanks for the input, and my position in the fraternity is Community Service Chair, in which I plan and attend all of the philanthropic events sponsored by our fraternity (Food Banks, Big Brothers and Big Sisters programs, Cancer Marathons, Bone Marrow Drives, etc.). A past position I held dealt with organizing fun events that encouraged brotherhood, such as white water rafting and paintball tournaments. I'm pretty sure the community service position would be helpful, but what do you think about using the latter position in applications?

P.S. On a side note, based on what I've posted above and my projected MCAT (hypothetically speaking of course for everyone wondering) what do you think my chances are of getting into these specific schools (as a Massachusetts resident and first gen. college grad), as they appeal to me the most:

Nova Southeastern
UMass
BU
VCOM
Tufts
Drexel

...any other schools that you think I should add according to my stats?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Catalystik]

1) my position in the fraternity is Community Service Chair, in which I plan and attend all of the philanthropic events sponsored by our fraternity (Food Banks, Big Brothers and Big Sisters programs, Cancer Marathons, Bone Marrow Drives, etc.). A past position I held dealt with organizing fun events that encouraged brotherhood, such as white water rafting and paintball tournaments. I'm pretty sure the community service position would be helpful, but what do you think about using the latter position in applications?

2) P.S. On a side note, based on what I've posted above and my projected MCAT (hypothetically speaking of course for everyone wondering) what do you think my chances are of getting into these specific schools (as a Massachusetts resident and first gen. college grad), as they appeal to me the most:

Nova Southeastern
UMass
BU
VCOM
Tufts
Drexel

...any other schools that you think I should add according to my stats?

Thanks in advance!

1) I think that both positions will benefit your application.

2) Download this google.doc spreadsheet data, so you can fill in your own hypothetical stats, and it will tell you for which US med schools you’re competitive. Next look at the out-of-state matriculation data before you do further research on each school for “fit,” removing any from your list that mainly serve in-state students: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmKVGWwobG5GdEx2MjlBTDE0bXFXNGFZczZqYTZKb2c&hl=en_US#gid=0

 

[spartiatis]

1) I think that both positions will benefit your application.

2) Download this google.doc spreadsheet data, so you can fill in your own hypothetical stats, and it will tell you for which US med schools you’re competitive. Next look at the out-of-state matriculation data before you do further research on each school for “fit,” removing any from your list that mainly serve in-state students: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AmKVGWwobG5GdEx2MjlBTDE0bXFXNGFZczZqYTZKb2c&hl=en_US#gid=0

Wow, very helpful, thanks for this excel sheet! Do you know how accurate the sheet's chances are/what year(s) the data is averaged from?

 

[Catalystik]

This sheet represents a collaborative effort of SDN members and was compiled for this application season (2011-2012) last spring from each school's website information at that time. The data is cited after each entry.

If you find any issues that need to be corrected or would like to contribute, SDN member paul411 can be PMed for permission and access.