Do i even have a chance?

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psurge24

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Here are the cold facts, 3.1 sgpa, 3.47 cgpa. Scoring 500s on practice exams, I'm a month out from sitting for the actual exam. I have over 200 hours of volunteering and about 40 hours of shadowing. Should i stop dreaming and take a different path? I m working hard to do well and i really want to become a doctor. I graduated last semester and i don't know what to do to add to my application to make it better.
 
Try doing a post-bacc program or masters program that can link you into DO school! Your stats aren't too bad, you just need to do some searching and apply very broadly.

Find a post-bacc or masters program that doesn't require an MCAT or accepts those with low MCATs in order to boost your scores. Many programs offer MCAT classes and if they don't, being in a post-bacc or masters will certainly refresh you on content and teach you test taking skills necessary to do well on the MCAT. Regarding your GPA, a post-bacc or masters will help in bringing that up as long as you do well.

Search really hard and find a program that would work well for you, your stats, and any other circumstances that you may have and do it ASAP. Send emails, make calls, etc.

Don't give up on your dreams, dude. There are so many different paths to get into the field of medicine and they're not all so linear, but it's FINE. you will get there if you work hard enough to get there. You got it
 
Another suggestion would to maybe find research internships so you can get some research experience under your belt, it might help. Just search.
 
If your GPA is too low to get into a post-bacc or masters, try taking a few more classes at a community college or something to boost your GPA and work as an ER scribe to gain experiences while you're taking those classes. Then go from there. Lot's of paths you can take
 
I would do an intense MCAT prep. Don’t test until you feel comfortable you can score a 510.
 
Your stats are low, but might not be lethal if you kill the MCAT. You have a whole month left to study. That's plenty of time.

What topics are you weak on? Do a bunch of practice questions, and when you miss a question, study the question and the rationale until you know it. Rinse and repeat every day until the test.

Might not hurt to pick up an extra science course or two during this break, too. Assuming you don't have some nutso amount of credit hours, even two extra As in sciences might move your sGPA quite a bit.
 
psurge24 said:
Here are the cold facts, 3.1 sgpa, 3.47 cgpa. Scoring 500s on practice exams, I'm a month out from sitting for the actual exam. I have over 200 hours of volunteering and about 40 hours of shadowing. Should i stop dreaming and take a different path? I m working hard to do well and i really want to become a doctor. I graduated last semester and i don't know what to do to add to my application to make it better.
Click to expand...
Come back when you have an MCAT score then we can advise. With a 3.1sGPA, your best bet will be with the newest DO schools.
 
Your stats are not bad at all, the sGPA is a bit low but can be compensated with a strong MCAT.

Apply broadly and as Goro mentioned, especially newer schools.
 
psurge24 said:
Here are the cold facts, 3.1 sgpa, 3.47 cgpa. Scoring 500s on practice exams, I'm a month out from sitting for the actual exam. I have over 200 hours of volunteering and about 40 hours of shadowing. Should i stop dreaming and take a different path? I m working hard to do well and i really want to become a doctor. I graduated last semester and i don't know what to do to add to my application to make it better.
Click to expand...

If you do well on the MCAT, you will get in. My GPA was 3.0 cumulative and 3.6 science, but I had a 36 MCAT and lots of clinical/research experience, and received several invites and was accepted 11/2 of last year. Try using Berkeley Review and really focus for the MCAT. With your stats, you really need a solid MCAT.
 
You are not ready for the MCAT. Improve your sGPA and then get your MCAT together and come back.
 
I disagree with the above posts mentioning that you need a masters program. Do a diy post-bac to raise your science GPA and take your time with Mcat prep.

Research is not necessary for DO schools. It's a nice addition to an app but not all that important.
 
Kill the MCAT and you can always do a post-bacc or masters if you want to enhance your application even more. But mainly kill the MCAT.
 
Definitely work on that MCAT. I had a ~3.4-3.5 ~510 MCAT and I have received exactly 1 acceptance so far. That's in addition to a decade of solid volunteering, a career in healthcare, and DO letters/DO shadowing/etc. I think DO schools are likely continuing to become more and more competitive, especially as the degree becomes more commonplace.
 
One CRITICAL question that nobody has asked yet is WHAT IS YOUR GPA TREND???

Someone with a 3.1 sGPA and 3.47cGPA but a 3.7+ gpa trend the past 2 years has more of a story to tell than someone with a 3.1/3.47 with inconsistent grade fluctuation.

SECONDLY: My rule of thumb is a BALANCED 505+ is good for DO schools. Aim as high as you can, but you certainly don't NEED a 510 to get into medical school.
 
psurge24 said:
Here are the cold facts, 3.1 sgpa, 3.47 cgpa. Scoring 500s on practice exams, I'm a month out from sitting for the actual exam. I have over 200 hours of volunteering and about 40 hours of shadowing. Should i stop dreaming and take a different path? I m working hard to do well and i really want to become a doctor. I graduated last semester and i don't know what to do to add to my application to make it better.
Click to expand...

Really focus on the MCAT! Remember, reveiwing every question and re-reading every passage on the MCAT is more important than taking practice MCATS. Understand why you got questions right and why you got questions wrong. Advice I can give on MCAT is take AS MANY practice tests as you can. You will see the same knowledge you need to know over many practice tests.

If you do well on the MCAT, you can get an acceptance if you apply broad and to all the newer schools. I have a 3.14 cGPA and a 3.19 sGPA with a 511 MCAT and have received 5 interviews so far and 1 acceptance. You have a great shot, just focus on the MCAT
 
I was doing great in the beginning of undergrad then started doing average :/ 4 Cs on my transcript. The only section bringing my score down on practice exams is CARS; I average about 73% on the science sections. Im looking into a masters program, will talk to an advisor soon. I was thinking about taking a science course this spring, will it look weird on my transcript that i did that after graduating?
 
Fix your GPA and/or do an SMP, then consider taking the MCAT.
 
My real MCAT was about 6 points better than my highest practice MCAT so you might be ok. You could start looking at some newer osteopathic programs, as they tend to accept students with lower scores. As others have said, a masters or post-bacc might not be a bad idea either but you could get in somewhere without one. Keep shadowing, volunteering, and doing other activities you enjoy that are productive.
 
I am probably not one to talk cause I have super low stats..but I think a DIYO post-bac is the best and smartest option for you and I am currently doing that. actually i wouldn't spend time or money on a masters if it were me, but its your choice. you can probably enroll as a post-bac student at a near by university, and get your gpa up in 1-2 semesters and apply. you would need to do very well however. If your major was something like Biology though then maybe you should consider the masters cause you probably took a lot of the pre-med courses and upper level science courses already. I wish I were in your position, just remember there is always someone else in a worse place than you 🙁 good luck.
 
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