Do I apply this cycle or not?

[sellpa]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello, I am pretty confused on whether or not I should apply to DO school this cycle.

I have a 3.4 cgpa/sgpa, averaging around 501 on my practice MCATs which I am taking in June. The problem is my extracurriculars are very weak. The only things I have done so far is tutoring other students for one semester in college and being a medical scribe for about 400 medical scribe hours since September.

Should I take a gap year to work on ECs and boosting my gpa or do I try to apply this cycle and see how I do?

 

[kanda1o]

I have similar numbers as you, and I had taken a gap year this past year to work more on ECs. This is anecdotal, but I have heard of many of my friends who have been rejected simply for lack of ECs. Are you young? Are you in a hurry? I would take the year off and get those ECs up. Especially if you don't have any experience shadowing or other, various clinical exposure.

 

[OverlyRomantic]

Call me crazy, but I think 400 hours as a scribe will help you a lot. Before you submit the app, try volunteering at a food bank or shelter (Try to get as many hours as you can. Shoot for 50). If you are able to get above a 501 on the mcat, I think you have a shot at some mid tier and all lower tier DO schools. Just my two cents.

 

[kanda1o]

Call me crazy, but I think 400 hours as a scribe will help you a lot. Before you submit the app, try volunteering at a food bank or shelter (Try to get as many hours as you can. Shoot for 50). If you are able to get above a 501 on the mcat, I think you have a shot at some mid tier and all lower tier DO schools. Just my two cents.

I've been scribing for the past 4 months now and the experience is truly invaluable. Granted, I'm located in an Allergy and Immunology specialist office at a huge university hospital, so the cases I see are routinely interesting. But still, all scribe work is an amazing experience. However, the pay isn't the greatest, but if you work part-time, you can get another part-time job that pays much better.

 

[0dee]

The lack of ECs will hinder your chances. Your stats are hovering below the average for the mid tier schools. Look at it this way, a student with similar stats than you but that student has better ECs than you (DO shadowing, clinical volunteering, non clinical volunteering) will certainly get an advantage over you. A gap year is better than being a reapplicant.

 

[DrMikeP]

Hello, I am pretty confused on whether or not I should apply to DO school this cycle.

I have a 3.4 cgpa/sgpa, averaging around 501 on my practice MCATs which I am taking in June. The problem is my extracurriculars are very weak. The only things I have done so far is tutoring other students for one semester in college and being a medical scribe for about 400 medical scribe hours since September.

Should I take a gap year to work on ECs and boosting my gpa or do I try to apply this cycle and see how I do?

Depends on how you do on the MCAT. You might do better than a 501 and you might do worse. Only you can guess at the likelihood of that. How hard are you studying. A delay just for EC's is a waste right now!!!

The question is how much better of an applicant will you be next year? Have you taken biochem? If you wait a year any classes you could retake? What would you do in a year to boost yourself across the board?

Given limited info, I'd suggest studying as heavily as possible and get above a 505 MCAT and the rest will be fine if you apply early and broadly. Get worse than a 500 and you will likely fail to get any love and be a reapplicant next year, which isn't desirable but not the worse thing either if you spend the year making your application stronger.

 

[sellpa]

Depends on how you do on the MCAT. You might do better than a 501 and you might do worse. Only you can guess at the likelihood of that. How hard are you studying. A delay just for EC's is a waste right now!!!

The question is how much better of an applicant will you be next year? Have you taken biochem? If you wait a year any classes you could retake? What would you do in a year to boost yourself across the board?

Given limited info, I'd suggest studying as heavily as possible and get above a 505 MCAT and the rest will be fine if you apply early and broadly. Get worse than a 500 and you will likely fail to get any love and be a reapplicant next year, which isn't desirable but not the worse thing either if you spend the year making your application stronger.

If I waited a year I'd be able to boost my gpa to a 3.5 with retakes, I would add nonclinical and clinical volunteering, I'd continue working as a scribe(add like 800 more hours on top of the 400), and I would have a shot to retake the MCAT if needed.

 

[DrMikeP]

If I waited a year I'd be able to boost my gpa to a 3.5 with retakes, I would add nonclinical and clinical volunteering, I'd continue working as a scribe(add like 800 more hours on top of the 400), and I would have a shot to retake the MCAT if needed.

If you did all of those things you would be a very strong candidate!!

Are you aiming for a highly competitive top DO program or would you be good with just getting in? If gunning for top DO schools I'd say wait, if not then right now you are a good candidate if you do even ok (501+) on the MCAT.

You could get everything in and verified and then pull the trigger if you do well on the MCAT. Getting your application out in July is still early and Aug/Sept is on time. Then if you don't get in continue with your plan.

 

[sellpa]

If you did all of those things you would be a very strong candidate!!

Are you aiming for a highly competitive top DO program or would you be good with just getting in? If gunning for top DO schools I'd say wait, if not then right now you are a good candidate if you do even ok (501+) on the MCAT.

You could get everything in and verified and then pull the trigger if you do well on the MCAT. Getting your application out in July is still early and Aug/Sept is on time. Then if you don't get in continue with your plan.

I'm honestly just hoping to get in anywhere but at a recent interview with the pre-health comittee at my school I was basically told my below avg GPA and lack of EC's would keep me out of pretty much every school.

 

[DrMikeP]

I'm honestly just hoping to get in anywhere but at a recent interview with the pre-health comittee at my school I was basically told my below avg GPA and lack of EC's would keep me out of pretty much every school.

Your GPA is actually OK for most DO schools, ECs are weak. The MCAT will be the deciding factor.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[Goro]

I think you'll be OK if you apply this cycle but continue with volunteering. You've done enough scribing.

Show some altruism.

Hello, I am pretty confused on whether or not I should apply to DO school this cycle.

I have a 3.4 cgpa/sgpa, averaging around 501 on my practice MCATs which I am taking in June. The problem is my extracurriculars are very weak. The only things I have done so far is tutoring other students for one semester in college and being a medical scribe for about 400 medical scribe hours since September.

Should I take a gap year to work on ECs and boosting my gpa or do I try to apply this cycle and see how I do?

 

[sellpa]

I think you'll be OK if you apply this cycle but continue with volunteering. You've done enough scribing.

Show some altruism.

So do you think my odds of getting in if I make a 500-503 MCAT are high then Goro? Would it be a mistake to take another year?

 

[sharpstickie]

I think you'll be OK if you apply this cycle but continue with volunteering. You've done enough scribing.

Show some altruism.

Then again... Is volunteering for the sake of getting into med school actually altruism?

 

[Goro]

I believe that one should apply with the best possible app, even if it means skipping an app cycle.

So do you think my odds of getting in if I make a 500-503 MCAT are high then Goro? Would it be a mistake to take another year?

 

[Goro]

Look, it's a service profession. How else can you show us you're ready for this I'd you fon't show off your altruism.

People who go through this process treating it like there are boxes to be checked usually can be spotted at interviews, and if not, are at risk of hating what they get into.

Then again... Is volunteering for the sake of getting into med school actually altruism?

 

[sellpa]

I believe that one should apply with the best possible app, even if it means skipping an app cycle.

Thank you for your advice Goro, I think I will take the gap year and try to make some major improvements on my app.

 

[Goro]

I think your timeline is sound.

@Goro

I am about to begin my post-bac this summer and I will not begin volunteering/shadowing while I am retaking my classes until next summer. (because my main priority is to learn how to get A's). I will be working as a patient transporter during this whole process and I won't be applying til spring 2018. I am going to drop my hours at work during spring 2018 to focus on the MCAT after my final post-bac semester (Fall 2017). My question is what amount of time is sufficient to have in your EC's (ex hours, months, and years) because if I want to apply in 2018 I might have the bear minimum EC's.

Sorry OP for hijacking your thread.

@Goro

I am about to begin my post-bac this summer and I will not begin volunteering/shadowing while I am retaking my classes until next summer. (because my main priority is to learn how to get A's). I will be working as a patient transporter during this whole process and I won't be applying til spring 2018. I am going to drop my hours at work during spring 2018 to focus on the MCAT after my final post-bac semester (Fall 2017). My question is what amount of time is sufficient to have in your EC's (ex hours, months, and years) because if I want to apply in 2018 I might have the bear minimum EC's.

Sorry OP for hijacking your thread.

 

[Shotapp]

Thank you Goro for your informed input.