Chances of DO school-Odd situation

[hopefulpeds]

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Hey there everyone,

I needed some suggestions on what I should do to improve my chances at getting into a DO school. Currently I'm a junior at with a 3.0 gpa. I've worked two jobs, one full time and one part time ever since I started university to help out with financial issues. Also, I did an internship during freshman year. I've started working [paid position] at a hospital, and have also started as a research assistant in medical research. I've had huge financial setbacks and have had to single handedly work and take care of a family for several months. I've had to constantly work two jobs, be a full time student, take care of a family, and undergo foreclosure procedures and find a new home this year. I also have community service with the same organization since 2010. I have not taken the MCAT yet. I would appreciate any advice on what I can do to improve my chances. I've gotten close experience working with doctors in the ER, and I absolutely love it. I found an interest in DO schools while talking some of the DO's I work with and hearing about their experiences. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this post 🙂

 

[Mad Jack]

Get better grades in your senior year, do well on the MCAT, and have a solid PS and you stand a decent chance if you apply broadly. If your GPA is still floating around 3.0 after senior year, consider doing a linked SMP.

 

[Gordon Gekko]

Take the minimum credits per semester to qualify as a full-time student and to graduate to take some pressure off. If you need a retake or an extra "A" or 2 take a cheap 200-level community college biology or "other science" (according to AACOMAS) course. Apply early and to newer schools. Apply for the AACOMAS fee waiver. Kill the MCAT. Get good LORs from the DOs you work with. Heck, see if one can perform some OMM on you. It'll give you some great talking points on the interview/PS. Embrace the DO-ness.

 

[correctlywrong]

What other folks said. I am with you on having had to work/not having a lot of financial support. Much of what you think of as a disadvantage can be turned into a strength. The bump in maturity over people who have never had to deal with adversity helps you stand out.

Make getting the best possible score on the MCAT that you can a priority. Take practice tests, as many as you can afford. Take one, read the explanations, and learn what you don't know. Then study that with ferocity. Go back and retake the test a few weeks later. Then try a new one. That should let you see a steady progression in your scores. There are lots of free study resources, like wikipremed, etc. I didn't pay for much of my MCAT prep, and by following my own advice I took my score from a 32 to a 37 over 1 year, even though I hadn't taken physics II or organic.

 

[koan]

Good advice above. Just want to add that you might try to sort out the personal / financial issues prior to starting medical school. You will not have any time to work, so if you have a family that depends on you for support make sure it can be done with the allocated student loans. It can be done; I have classmates whose spouses don't work and many that have children. But if you're this overextended as an undergrad, it may be worth taking a few years to save some money before applying. Good luck.

 

[hopefulpeds]

Good advice above. Just want to add that you might try to sort out the personal / financial issues prior to starting medical school. You will not have any time to work, so if you have a family that depends on you for support make sure it can be done with the allocated student loans. It can be done; I have classmates whose spouses don't work and many that have children. But if you're this overextended as an undergrad, it may be worth taking a few years to save some money before applying. Good luck.

I'm helping how my family right now since I'm the oldest child and my younger siblings aren't old enough to work. By the time I would be in med school, if I get in, my siblings would be old enough to help out, that way I wouldn't have to work anymore.