Do I have a chance of being accepted to a DO school?

[JHawk5]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I kind of have the same story as a lot of people posting on this forum and am just kind of curious what my chances are of being accepted to a DO school.

I really wished I would have waited a couple years before I started my undergrad college career, I really was not ready for college at all and this resulted in some C's in some of my premed science classes. I graduated from the University of Kansas with a BS degree and an undergrad GPA of 3.08 and a science GPA of 2.5. I received a C in chem. 1, physics 1 & 2, and in a couple bio classes. I did receive As and Bs in most of my upper level bio courses such as anatomy and physiology. My transcript is tough to look at today because I know I could have done so much better and my focus and dedication just wasn't what it is now.

Since then I have worked 2 years full time at a regional 300bed hospital as a phlebotomist and took classes last year at a local college. The classes that I have taken are Microbiology, Genetics, Orgo Chem 1 &2 and Labs, and Biochem and received A's in all of them. This bumped my GPA up to about a 3.18 and my science GPA up to a 3.0. I also took my mcat during this period and scored a 33p.

I also have some good ECs including...

A semester internship in the cardiology department at the hospital that I currently work at during this time I got to shadow lots of different doctors in different areas of the hospital performing a lot of different procedures and even observed an open heart surgery.

By the time that I apply I will have worked in a direct patient care position for about 2 and ½ years.

I have done some volunteer work during my undergrad with organizations such as habitat for humanity and Boys and Girls club.

Just curious what my chances of being accepted into a DO program would be…should I wait a year and take some more science classes to help out my GPA and work on some more EC's, maybe retake my mcat, or should I go ahead and apply. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[COMBAT MEDIC172]

Apply, you have a fair shot. Higher MCAT, lower GPA, good EC's. Worth a shot. I think you will do fine. Good luck!

 

[Mobius1985]

I think your MCAT is good enough to compensate for the low GPA at many DO schools, and with the recent upward trend in science classes, maybe they'll overlook the low science GPA. You have good clinical experience, shadowing, and community service. Personally, I'd call the admissions office of a few of your favored DO schools and ask what they think. If they say "no way", you can do a Special Masters Program for a year with linkage to a med school to prove you have what it takes, or alternatively (and more cheaply), repeat some of the classes where you got the lowest grades, as AACOMAS, the DO application service, only uses the most recent grade for a given class, if the credit hours ar the same or greater, when they calculate your application GPA.

See SDN's Postbaccalaureate Forum for infor on the SMP option: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=71

 

[JHawk5]

I think your MCAT is good enough to compensate for the low GPA at many DO schools, and with the recent upward trend in science classes, maybe they'll overlook the low science GPA. You have good clinical experience, shadowing, and community service. Personally, I'd call the admissions office of a few of your favored DO schools and ask what they think. If they say "no way", you can do a Special Masters Program for a year with linkage to a med school to prove you have what it takes, or alternatively (and more cheaply), repeat some of the classes where you got the lowest grades, as AACOMAS, the DO application service, only uses the most recent grade for a given class, if the credit hours ar the same or greater, when they calculate your application GPA.

See SDN's Postbaccalaureate Forum for infor on the SMP option: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/forumdisplay.php?f=71

Thanks this helps alot