MD & DO Do I still stand a chance for MD and/or DO?

[amiracle1994]

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Hello,

First post here. I am currently a second-year undergrad med student at a four-year private university. The first semester of my sophomore year has been rather poor, though my freshman year was not much to write home about, either. My grades are as follows:

Semester 1:
1. Bio 200: B-
2. Gen Chem I: B
3. Native American Math: B
4. English 105: B
5. J-Term Bio Research course: A

Semester 2:
1. Bio 201: C+
2. Gen Chem II: A
3. English 106: A
4. Intro to Sociology: A (Taken during summer at local CC)

Semester 3:
1. Genetics: C
2. Orgo I: C
3. Intro to International Studies: B-
4. Calc I: W
5. (Taking J-Term course related to healthcare in a few weeks, expecting an A)

**cGPA/sGPA should be 3.06/3.22. Please correct me if I am wrong.**

I began volunteering at a local hospital about 2-3 months ago as a front desk greeter/escort for patients and have accumulated a little over 80 hours so far. No shadowing experience yet but I plan to shadow a physician in the spring.

Next semester, I will be taking Microbiology, Orgo II, Calc I (again) and an acting class. If I get my act together and manage to pull A-/A's in all of my classes from here on out, do I still have a shot at med school?

 

[MDOnlyWillDo]

Short answer, yes, but probably not right out of college. Long answer: your grades are way too middle of the road (and honestly the downward trend is troublesome) and your ECs are limited and introductory, which means you have a lot of work to do. Getting into medical school means standing out from the pack- it's not just grades and a checklist of shadowing and volunteering. My suggestion would be to ace all the rest of your classes, re-take your C classes, and kick the MCAT in the nads. Get more ECs beyond the front desk- show that you want to "move up" in the volunteerism, not just settle for the intro position, maybe a research gig, some personal enrichment, and you may have a good shot. If you're a sophomore, you would be applying next year as a junior, but I'd wait- one year of improved grades may not be enough even for DO to take a chance, so maybe apply your senior year with those 4.0s, ECs, and high MCAT, and take the gap year to work in research, overseas, etc.

 

[Catalystik]

Hello,

First post here. I am currently a second-year undergrad med student at a four-year private university. The first semester of my sophomore year has been rather poor, though my freshman year was not much to write home about, either. My grades are as follows:

Semester 1:
1. Bio 200: B-
2. Gen Chem I: B
3. Native American Math: B
4. English 105: B
5. J-Term Bio Research course: A

Semester 2:
1. Bio 201: C+
2. Gen Chem II: A
3. English 106: A
4. Intro to Sociology: A (Taken during summer at local CC)

Semester 3:
1. Genetics: C
2. Orgo I: C
3. Intro to International Studies: B-
4. Calc I: W
5. (Taking J-Term course related to healthcare in a few weeks, expecting an A)

**cGPA/sGPA should be 3.06/3.22. Please correct me if I am wrong.**

I began volunteering at a local hospital about 2-3 months ago as a front desk greeter/escort for patients and have accumulated a little over 80 hours so far. No shadowing experience yet but I plan to shadow a physician in the spring.

Next semester, I will be taking Microbiology, Orgo II, Calc I (again) and an acting class. If I get my act together and manage to pull A-/A's in all of my classes from here on out, do I still have a shot at med school?

There is nothing about your current transcript that is prohibitive to eventually attending med school. Turn things around and demonstrate consistent, excellent academics, and you'll have a shot, assuming competitive MCAT score, significantly beefed up ECs, supportive LORs, no legal issues/institutional actions, and good interview skills.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

You're doing fine so far. Try your best to get as many "A"s as possible and try as hard as you can to get away from any more "C"s. I know that's easier said than done, but you haven't sunk yourself yet. Good job getting started with volunteering and thinking about that early on.

Make sure you do all you can to crush the MCAT. I have had some success with a very low GPA (below where you are right now) and a high MCAT, so, assuming you can improve at all, you'll have your pick of DO schools and a decent chance to attend a MD school.

As others have said, strong LORs, continued volunteerism, more research, and an upward trend will all be a big factor in your eventual acceptance. I also strongly recommend waiting until your senior year to apply in order to take a gap year to further improve yourself as a candidate. I took 3 and think of it as one of the best decisions I could have possibly made. Best of luck with your future semesters.

 

[masaraksh]

I tend to be very pessimistic, but I have no idea how a ~3.1, no shadowing can have a shot at an MD program unless there is some sort of above and beyond amazing ECs + research.

Do your best from now on. MCAT, ECs, GPA, shadowing, research, etc.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

I tend to be very pessimistic, but I have no idea how a ~3.1, no shadowing can have a shot at an MD program unless there is some sort of above and beyond amazing ECs + research.

You have to realize this person is in their first semester of sophomore year. There is a lot of time left to do all of that and improve GPA. Plenty of people start their first year or two with subpar grades. Having a realistic idea of where you can get to and where you should get to is important.

The SDN stereotypes of needing publications, 1000 hours of shadowing/volunteering, years of research, and 3.8 GPAs is just very misleading. For a white MD applicant, I think that 3.4+, 30+, ~200 hrs volunteering, some shadowing, and some research are all you really need. Of course more will make you stand out.

For DO, less is needed academically. 3.3+ AACOMAS, 28+, more volunteering, DO shadowing, and some research is what I think of as average.

 

[masaraksh]

You have to realize this person is in their first semester of sophomore year. There is a lot of time left to do all of that and improve GPA. Plenty of people start their first year or two with subpar grades. Having a realistic idea of where you can get to and where you should get to is important.

The SDN stereotypes of needing publications, 1000 hours of shadowing/volunteering, years of research, and 3.8 GPAs is just very misleading. For a URM MD applicant, I think that 3.4+, 30+, ~200 hrs volunteering, some shadowing, and some research are all you really need to hope for ~1-5 IIs. Of course more will make you stand out.

For DO, less is needed academically. 3.3+ AACOMAS, 28+, more volunteering, DO shadowing, and some research is what I think of as average.

fyp

 

[SpartanWolverine]

fyp

Of course 3.6+ 32+ is ideal. That's not to say 3.4+ 30+ doesn't have a chance -- it's around 50% based on the AMCAS tables, and great/excellent ECs would boost that up a bit. There are plenty of new schools that would give you a fair shake. At the bottom of that range, with a 3.4 and 30, I would definitely want to apply DO as well, though... Heck, I would always suggest having a plan A, B, and C just in case. I even have a plan D.

 

[masaraksh]

Of course 3.6+ 32+ is ideal. That's not to say 3.4+ 30+ doesn't have a chance -- it's around 50% based on the AMCAS tables, and great/excellent ECs would boost that up a bit. There are plenty of new schools that would give you a fair shake. At the bottom of that range, with a 3.4 and 30, I would definitely want to apply DO as well, though... Heck, I would always suggest having a plan A, B, and C just in case. I even have a plan D.

Maybe its just that my cycle has been pretty miserable (even with 3.98/4.0/15-14-8-Q). I have like twenty plan B,C,Ds