DO Applicant 2.56 UGPA No Science GPA, Master GPA 4.0; What Are My Chances?

[beBrave]

---

Members do not see this ad.

So I am applying for mainly DO schools in 1 year (I intend to become a Psychiatrist unless a rotation in neurology changes my mind; I will apply to MD programs but my heart is in holistic medicine). I suffered from serious Bulimia in my Undergraduate years which impacted my GPA (I also transferred a colleges a few times). I am now enrolled in a second bachelors program where I will take all my science classes (Bio, Chem, Physics) I took none. I expect to do reasonably well in my science courses which will allow my science GPA to boost my undergrad GPA and overall CGPA. Some of the DO schools that have I spoken with advised me that my Graduate GPA is included in their CGPA calculations which will boost my overall GPA a lot.

Stats so far: Male, Single, Turning 30 this year, no kids.

UGPA: 2.56 SGPA: None (In progress) Masters GPA: 4.0 (finished almost half the program in Psychology before leaving to to Post Bach) MCAT: Haven't taken it. I intend to take it summer 2014 after completing my Post Bach work and then apply to Medical programs.


Education -

Completed Undergad Degree in Business Administration 2.56 cumulative; serious difficulties with bulimia and social anxiety as a result due to the shame and health issues. I have worked on these issue and mainly resolved them (Bulimia isn't something that just goes away). Solid A's and B's in almost all Business and Financial Accounting Classes (Majors core classes).

Master Applied Psychology - 4.0 GPA but only completed roughly half the program before leaving to complete Post Bach Pre-Med course work. Classes in Lifespan development; Social Psychology and Research just to name a few.

Enrolled in second Bachelor's currently however I intend to complete only the Science classes required to enter Med School. Class schedule is designed around this so I can receive financial aid.


Volunteer Experience -

Soup Kitchen - Worked in soup Kitchen during High School years helping to provide food and clothing to the homeless.

University Under privileged Children's Outreach - Took children from under privileged neighborhoods out; coordinated group activities. I will attempt to request a letter of reference.

Boy Scout Organization: Community Service throughout teen years.


Work Experience -

Internship at City Department for Senior Adults - Assisted providing Aid, Job opportunities and benefits to older adults. Provided computer training to older adults, showing them how to use software relevant to today's workplace. I'm a computer and software specialist (I took tons of classes in computer science).


Fortune 500 Insurance Company - Workers Compensation and Actuarial Specialist. Understands the complexity of risk, exposure and how these are calculated. Insanely stressful and I hate it passionately.


Public Speaking -

Featured speaking at Intern recognition program for Seniors agency. Awarded rare item as a gesture of how rare my qualities are. I intend to request a letter of recommendation.


Featured Speaker at Student Association (Invited by the VP of Student affairs). Spoke with students about career paths, and being successful in a changing economy. I intend to request a letter of recommendation.


Clinical Experience -

Currently none. I will be looking for nursing homes to volunteer at. Federal guidelines state that 5% of all staff must be volunteers that work at nursing homes for patients receiving medicaid.

DO school I spoke with request 100 hours of Physician shadowing while others require none. I will complete the 100 hours. I consulted a PA and researched this. Worst case I will ask my Doctor if I can shadow him and call all over. I will shadow both a DO and MD and attempt to shadow those in different specialties.

Finances and Credit -

5k roughly in available funds (working to improve this). Leaving position at insurance company to attend school full time ( I will look for work in the medical or research field). Hired a law firm to clean up my credit history; roughly 3k in debt but most are 7 - 12 years old or inaccurate.


Only major credit liability is my car which I am working on refinancing to get a better rate on. Roughly 13k in payments left for another 3 years.

Background -

I have wanted to be a Doctor since I was a little kid (yes I know its very clichish). My mother told me that because I wasn't good at dealing blood, had trouble in high school and thought that I couldn't handle seeing patients, it wouldn't be a good field for me. She also encouraged me not to pursue my Masters to look for work in clinical research as it was a bad field for me (because she believed that my brain couldn't handle the stress) despite my grades (I had my issues growing up but she has been non supportive).

I know becoming Doctor will make me happy; after trying Information Technology, Computer Programming, Telecommunications, Management, Auditing and Finance, none have made me happy and my passion for medicine has haunted me ever since I was 5. I feel like I am going insane everyday that passes that I have not pursued medicine. I have considered other medical specialties; talked with Physician Assistants and know more clear than anything that becoming a Doctor is what I want. The nagging feeling that my mother doesn't believe in me is rough but I do see a therapist and I'm working to distance my mother more and more (Parents are divorced).

Race

Multi-racial - Caribbean decent (U.S. Citizen)

Fall Back Plan -

I have reviewed various medical schools in the Caribbean and options for securing funding. Cleaning up my credit over the course of the next two years is priority as it will give me options for paying for an offshore education.

So what are my chances; how much information should I put into my personal statement. What else can I do to improve my application. All suggestions are helpful (except to give up as I never will).

 

[TriagePreMed]

Gen chem is a pre req to o.chem, so how will you do this all in a year? Also, don't underestimate science. It's very easy to sink yourself taking too many classes at a time.

 

[Sloo0]

A lot of your stuff on your resume is not relevant to Med School application.

Things you need to do.

1. Take all the science pre-reqs and get A's.
2. Take non-prereqs like Anatomy, Immunology, Pharmacology, (Med School courses), and get A's- this would prove to them that you would be able to take Med School content and do well despite your poor GPA in Econ classes or w/e
3. Shadow at least 2 Physicians in different specialties. 1 DO and 1 MD would be preferable, since it is REQUIRED to have a DO Letter of Rec to apply DO, so if you go that route, you need it.
4. Volunteer at a hospital. A lot of hospitals will let people volunteer, you do nothing more than basically do the things that Nurses are too lazy to do (like sanitize a gurney after someone is discharged), but the schools you are applying to dont know what you do, they just will see that you are interested in Medicine.
5. Take a decent amount of time off to study for the MCAT. The only way to compensate for a poor GPA is to have a strong science GPA and a strong MCAT score. Med Schools arnt dumb, they can see that if someone has a 2.0 GPA in like Business, but then a 3.8 in Science, that maybe the 2.0 in Business is not reflective of their intelligence.


Dont rush anything. I was one of those guys who wanted to get in to Med School as fast as possible and so I rushed everything. I made it, but looking back I realize that if I had just taken maybe 1-2 more years to get everything in order and do things methodically, I would have been much better off.


Remember, its a snowball effect. The Med School you go to in a sense determines the quality of your 3rd year Rotations. Which in turn determines your clinical education/skills, which in turn affects how you will do on any Audition Rotation in your 4th year, which in turn affects where you will Match for Residency, which in turn affects where you will eventually become a Doctor.


So I mean, you dont want to half ass the beginning of that and snowball into a pile of **** 😉


Open up a Word Document, and write out a plan.

1. Step 1, secure Shadowing
2. Step 2, get good grades
3. Step 3, take MCAT, if score >X, apply, if <X, retake or think about Post Bac


etc etc.

And yea, as the person above me has said, you cant take all the prereqs in 1 year.

They go in order, if you want to take Ochem you have to have taken Gen Chem, if youre on the quarter system, thats Chema, Chemb, Chemc, then you take Ochema, Ochemb, Ochemc, so literally before you can even take Ochem, you have to wait a year.

I also wouldnt recommend taking more than 3 science courses at the same time. In college I double majored in Psychology, just so I could take 2 science and 2 Psych classes each quarter, as opposed to just 3 science classes and nothing else.

 

[Weewee]

Like they ^ said don't rush. Build your resume, show your commitment (why did you leave your masters program?), and space it out. Trust me. Rushing it leads to unnecessary stress.

 

[beBrave]

Gen chem is a pre req to o.chem, so how will you do this all in a year? Also, don't underestimate science. It's very easy to sink yourself taking too many classes at a time.

I am in an accelerated program at a highly accredited program. We take 1 class per month. It is a brick and Mortar; not for profit; one of the largest schools in the U.S. and has the highest level of regional accreditation in comparison to the Ivy leagues. I called the Medical Schools; got chewed out by the Med program Director who made me make sure that the credits were transferable to their undergrad which they are (It took hours to verify this). The schools curriculum is designed for non-traditional students so I can work. I am not rushing in anyway. Just taking 1 class at a time or roughly 1 class per month.

Dont rush anything. I was one of those guys who wanted to get in to Med School as fast as possible and so I rushed everything. I made it, but looking back I realize that if I had just taken maybe 1-2 more years to get everything in order and do things methodically, I would have been much better off.

Remember, its a snowball effect. The Med School you go to in a sense determines the quality of your 3rd year Rotations. Which in turn determines your clinical education/skills, which in turn affects how you will do on any Audition Rotation in your 4th year, which in turn affects where you will Match for Residency, which in turn affects where you will eventually become a Doctor.

All the classes follow one another. I am on a quarterly system. At my school you must follow this curriculum cycle or you will lose your financial aid. I have reviewed my professors carefully. I will scratch the volunteer work at the nursing homes and instead focus on hospital work.


None of the schools require "Anatomy, Immunology, Pharmacology" though some ask for zoology; my funds are limited; I barely have enough to cover all the premed courses; I do however have my behavioral science classes covered (some DO schools ask for these so I called them). Various schools also asked for or stated they would accept computer science classes to meet the math requirements; I have this covered (being a former computer science major) as well in addition to having statistics and a college math class under my belt. I am still waiting to see if I will get credit for calc at my new school (otherwise I will take it at a CC). I will try to get into an MCAT prep course after completing my course work. All my pre-reqs go in order; I have Biology, then Psychics; then Gen Chem and then Organic Chem. All equivalent to 1 year of course work. Its a rigorous program. I have also recieved guidance from the program director and my academic adviser has be carefully choosing my professors as I have been reviewing them all.


Please tell me what information on my resume is relevant. Which places should I get letters of recommendations from and mention on my personal statement (I think a letter from the VP of student affairs and from the Department for Seniors would look really good). Any tips for the personal statement would be appreciated.

Like they ^ said don't rush. Build your resume, show your commitment (why did you leave your masters program?), and space it out. Trust me. Rushing it leads to unnecessary stress.

I left my masters program because I intended to become a Clinical Psychologist but the amount of time and the lack of formal education in physiology disturbed me. I am following the normal curriculum as mentioned above. The Director of the program advised he would see what he could do about applying some of my masters course work to cover other science requires in specific Upper division Bio classes. In regards to my masters, I realized that there were no shortcuts, cut my losses and enrolled in post Bach work for pre-med so I can become a Psychiatrist (or possibly neurologist if I don't like my psych rotation). I enjoy working with the brain and learning about it insanely; I love everything about the brain. It takes 5-7 years to get a degree in Clinical Psychology and the payoff just isn't worth it. More school; less education in physiology and large students loans regardless; plus these programs are still hellish to get into.

 

[SixStringPsych]

A lot of your stuff on your resume is not relevant to Med School application.

Things you need to do.

1. Take all the science pre-reqs and get A's.
2. Take non-prereqs like Anatomy, Immunology, Pharmacology, (Med School courses), and get A's- this would prove to them that you would be able to take Med School content and do well despite your poor GPA in Econ classes or w/e
3. Shadow at least 2 Physicians in different specialties. 1 DO and 1 MD would be preferable, since it is REQUIRED to have a DO Letter of Rec to apply DO, so if you go that route, you need it.
4. Volunteer at a hospital. A lot of hospitals will let people volunteer, you do nothing more than basically do the things that Nurses are too lazy to do (like sanitize a gurney after someone is discharged), but the schools you are applying to dont know what you do, they just will see that you are interested in Medicine.
5. Take a decent amount of time off to study for the MCAT. The only way to compensate for a poor GPA is to have a strong science GPA and a strong MCAT score. Med Schools arnt dumb, they can see that if someone has a 2.0 GPA in like Business, but then a 3.8 in Science, that maybe the 2.0 in Business is not reflective of their intelligence.


Dont rush anything. I was one of those guys who wanted to get in to Med School as fast as possible and so I rushed everything. I made it, but looking back I realize that if I had just taken maybe 1-2 more years to get everything in order and do things methodically, I would have been much better off.


Remember, its a snowball effect. The Med School you go to in a sense determines the quality of your 3rd year Rotations. Which in turn determines your clinical education/skills, which in turn affects how you will do on any Audition Rotation in your 4th year, which in turn affects where you will Match for Residency, which in turn affects where you will eventually become a Doctor.


So I mean, you dont want to half ass the beginning of that and snowball into a pile of **** 😉


Open up a Word Document, and write out a plan.

1. Step 1, secure Shadowing
2. Step 2, get good grades
3. Step 3, take MCAT, if score >X, apply, if <X, retake or think about Post Bac


etc etc.

And yea, as the person above me has said, you cant take all the prereqs in 1 year.

They go in order, if you want to take Ochem you have to have taken Gen Chem, if youre on the quarter system, thats Chema, Chemb, Chemc, then you take Ochema, Ochemb, Ochemc, so literally before you can even take Ochem, you have to wait a year.

I also wouldnt recommend taking more than 3 science courses at the same time. In college I double majored in Psychology, just so I could take 2 science and 2 Psych classes each quarter, as opposed to just 3 science classes and nothing else.

DO letter is NOT required for all DO schools. Many only require a physician LOR in general, MD or DO.