Do I have a chance without any community service hours?

[lifeisgoot]

So, I'm applying to DOs and state MDs (a total of 36 schools) and read in a reddit post where people were saying that if you don't have community service then you're pretty much screwed.

My MCAT is 507 and GPA 3.45 (keep in mind that I'm shooting primarily for DOs); ~250 hours of hospital volunteering, 300 hours of research experience with 1 publication and 1 pending publication, 3000+ hours of paid clinical experience, and 300 hours of shadowing/interning.

I'm also an underserved minority (I'm an immigrant and English is my third language, but I am a US citizen; so that won't be a problem.)

The reddit thread I read made it seem like I don't have a shot at all and that I should try again next year after I get some community service. But the problem is that I already submitted my primaries and some of my secondaries and feel like I should just finish up the other 30 applications. What do you guys think? Do I have a chance with these stats to at least get into one DO? I'm REALLY hoping this is just a case of redditors being extreme perfectionists where every part of the application needs to be perfect.

Thanks in advance for any of your input.

(PS. I also feel like this whole community service thing is BS. I care about my community and already help out as much as I can. I feel like I don't need to be part of some established non-profit organization to prove that I care about people.)

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[theoceanman]

If you don’t mind any DO, yes I’m sure at least one DO school will take you as I have had many of my friends get into DO schools with no research and no community service, but they did have non-clinical volunteering to some extent (tutoring, random school organizations, etc.)

 

[Goro]

Very likely that you'll have a chance.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Mind that we have no clue about your application profile. DO schools look holistically at the profile, which means if you are an immigrant who recently came to the US and had to work for your education, there may be some flexibility. Again, this is not the hardcore competitive allopathic medicine pool where there are so many applicants for the limited seats that the comm service hours need to be on par with the pool to not get eliminated. Basically, in sports parlance, you have to avoid dropping behind the peloton, especially on hard climbs. Reach out to schools before applying to be sure your profile without significant community service still works, and that they have current students who they have accepted in a similar situation to you.

Service orientation is already implied in clinical experiences, but mission fit is a key factor for many DO schools. Yeah, we want to train students who have to be comfortable with all types of patients, but a school's geography also serves to bias your sample. How enthusiastic you are to appreciate that bias in your future professional journey is going to be important.

I also feel like this whole community service thing is BS. I care about my community and already help out as much as I can. I feel like I don't need to be part of some established non-profit organization to prove that I care about people.

99% of all people care about other people. What separates you in these community service experiences is how comfortable you are being uncomfortable, how humble you are learning about others' distress and how motivated you are to be a community advocate. You should care about your family, your friends, your communities where you have strong affinities. It's how you engage with those with disabilities, those who don't like immigrants, those who are trying to return from incarceration... and many times those NPO's a good job (as would some ecumenical/interfaith service organizations) doing this.