Chances of acceptance at an all time low

[rossrossdude]

Hello I am currently looking at sending out my application to various medical schools this cycle
Cumulative gpa is 3.8
Science gpa is 4.0
Mcat is 499
Extracurriculars include
-3000 hours working in a dermatology clinic as a certified dermatology clinician
-created a non profit educational program that provides supplementanl science videos to students who can't afford tutors
-volunteered for 1 year at the humane society where I administered vaccines to stray animals
-was a forensic pathology assistant for 3 months where I worked alongside the DEA to perform toxicology reports, assist in autopsies, and also comforted families who recently lost their loved one due to unnatural causes.
-shadowed a hospitalist for 90 hours
-shadowed a family practitioner for 60 hours
-tutored microbiology, physics, organic chemistry, general chemistry, and immunology at the college level for 3 years.
-4 strong academic letters of recommendation, and 2 letters of recommendation from physicians
- played college football for two years where I also served as the teams academic advisor and tutor.
-was the president of my schools American red cross
- conducted senior research pertaining to the onset of post acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 especially in college aged students.
My question is should I submit my application or will all schools deny me due to my low Mcat. The low Mcat was due to the stress of losing my friend a week prior to the test. If so what schools would you recommend. Thank you.

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[tmjjj]

Similar stats. Just wrapped up this cycle with 5 interview invites out of 10 applications. You definitely have an edge on me with your experiences too - so I say if you can write some powerful essays to shoot your shot. My advice: do your RESEARCH. Some DO schools prefer high gpa and will take a low MCAT in leu of that (VCOM, newer schools). Some really want a high MCAT so I would avoid wasting money there (midwestern, California schools). If you can I would get a DO letter if you don’t already.

 

[theoceanman]

This questions should be moved to WAMC forum. Also format your post as stated in the link below so people can easily differentiate your EC's.

*~*~*~*IMPORTANT: How to Format Your WAMC Thread for Optimal Results and More!!*~*~*~*

Hello, and welcome to the What Are My Chances (WAMC) forum. The purpose of this forum is to Post threads about your chances of acceptance to MD and/or DO schools Have your school list critiqued and modified by other members of SDN Determine how to strengthen your current application General...

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[theoceanman]

But to give insight or suggestions for your current WAMC post:
1. Your GPA is probably your selling point in terms of stats, GPA can compensate low MCAT, but only to some extent. Are you an ORM or URM, and did you have any socioeconomic dispositions that made yourself less advantaged compared to the average applicant? Regardless of the tragic circumstances surrounding your MCAT experience (I'm sorry about your loss truly), the objective stance is that it's low, even for many DO schools, such as LECOM, that state a 500 MCAT makes you "somewhat competitive" (it's on their website from what I remember).

2. Your shadowing and clinical experiences are perfectly fine, no issues or any complaints there although perhaps general clinical volunteering in a hospital setting, rather than a dermatology clinic can provide a better mission-fit since you're targeting a specific population in that regard rather than just focusing on dermatology which is mostly paid for out of pocket by patients (hence no mission-fit in that regard).

3. Your educational program, teaching endeavors, and tutoring is fine, but doesn't contribute too much to your application as tutoring is a "mainstream applicant" activity, as in every single applicant probably has a year or two of tutoring/TA'ing/coaching under their belt. Your educational program, albeit in the teaching section, is closer to mission-fit since it shows that you provided education towards an underserved population, but is not particularly strong in that regard. I would aim to look into a population you want to serve in the future and do 100-150 community service hours in that area, such as rural or underserved community populations, to develop a stronger sense of mission-fit. You may be screened out at many schools, including DO schools, due to your relative lack of community service-oriented hours and community service experiences.

4. Your LOR's are fine, albeit physician letters do not contribute much unless they're character letters, but they aren't life-changing or application-boosting in terms of LOR's. Would you have the supervisor for Red Cross organization that you were apart perhaps be able to write an LOR for you? That may provide better insight overall and may better tailor your overall application.

5. Your research experience is fine since you're not going for an DO-PhD or MD-PhD I assume.


Overall, your best bet is DO schools only currently, especially relatively newer, more "holistic" DO schools such as LMU-DCOM, and applying to as many DO schools that are mission-fit for your application.

 

[chilly_md]

Moved to WAMC. Please fill out the corresponding information in the template that was provided by aquafied (including state of residence).