Hi there,
if your gpa is really that "atrocious" then I would make sure that in your final years of college there is a trend in improvement.
if it is then below a 3.3 I would consider taking graduate classes (perhaps a Masters program) to show that you can do well in graduate classes
if it is not below a 3.3 I would go ahead and apply since DO school look beyond numbers.
as far as EC's go, it does not really matter what you do as long as there is a genuine interest in medicine as well as a commitment on your behalf.
shadowing a DO is very easy as you can locate one in a phone book and if you tell him/her that you are planning to embark on the osteopathic journey yourself, I am positive that they would be most helpful.
Nova is a very good school. I was accepted and will be attending there this fall.
going there as an undergrad would help, but if you end up needing to take graduate classes, you could also take Masters classes at Nova.
A friend of mine went that route, passed his classes and will now also start medical school.
hope this helps somewhat and best of luck to you.
