Fresh start

[Laito]

---

Members don't see this ad.

It took me a considerable time and effort to fix my undergraduate GPA to get an acceptance to a DO school. Now that I am in, do I have a clean slate? Does my undergraduate GPA/MCAT/experience have any influence in residency selection process? How else can you stand out from your peers, other than getting good grades in medical school and high board scores? Do I need to do volunteering/shadowing/extracurricular activities while in school? Thanks in advance!

 

[TravelingDoc2]

Congrats!! There a lot of people trying to be in your position (I am thinking of all the masters students at our school).

Clean slate- Yes your undergraduate stuff doesn't matter but being in a DO program will have influence on the residency selection process. From what I have been told in school good grades and high board scores are of utmost importance and research is highly recommended. Of course a lot depends on what field you would like to get into.

I know I just finished my first semester of OMS-I but the best advice I can give is don't try to compare yourself to your peers, it will save you so much stress. You should set your goals and try to reach them.

 

[costales]

Does my undergraduate GPA/MCAT/experience have any influence in residency selection process?

Nope. People who look at your undergrad record are jerks you don't want to work for.

How else can you stand out from your peers, other than getting good grades in medical school and high board scores?

Nobody knows your peers.

Do I need to do volunteering/shadowing/extracurricular activities while in school?

No, but do something. Anything.

 

[Jinxapotato]

It took me a considerable time and effort to fix my undergraduate GPA to get an acceptance to a DO school. Now that I am in, do I have a clean slate? Does my undergraduate GPA/MCAT/experience have any influence in residency selection process? How else can you stand out from your peers, other than getting good grades in medical school and high board scores? Do I need to do volunteering/shadowing/extracurricular activities while in school? Thanks in advance!

Congrats OP, you now have a fresh start regardless of how you did in your undergrad. As the previous poster said, being a DO does put some limitation on your capability to match a certain competitive fields (derm/ophtho as example), but if you are interested in...say...IM? FM? Then yeah by all means it's your new journey and you will do great.
As for standing out from your peers, your rotation eval/class rank/board score are the best indicators. Trust me, if you are getting all honors, top 5% of class, 270 boards, you don't need much else to "stand out" per se. So focus on your studies and do well from day 1 of medical school.
Extracurricular-wise, I personally devote my first year to the school/research entirely (ok maybe 8h of volunteering for 2 quarters?). I believe it is more important in starting off strong in the school, then once you are comfortable with the rhythm, gradually add more stuff.

 

[Laito]

Congrats!! There a lot of people trying to be in your position (I am thinking of all the masters students at our school).

Clean slate- Yes your undergraduate stuff doesn't matter but being in a DO program will have influence on the residency selection process. From what I have been told in school good grades and high board scores are of utmost importance and research is highly recommended. Of course a lot depends on what field you would like to get into.

I know I just finished my first semester of OMS-I but the best advice I can give is don't try to compare yourself to your peers, it will save you so much stress. You should set your goals and try to reach them.

Congrats OP, you now have a fresh start regardless of how you did in your undergrad. As the previous poster said, being a DO does put some limitation on your capability to match a certain competitive fields (derm/ophtho as example), but if you are interested in...say...IM? FM? Then yeah by all means it's your new journey and you will do great.
As for standing out from your peers, your rotation eval/class rank/board score are the best indicators. Trust me, if you are getting all honors, top 5% of class, 270 boards, you don't need much else to "stand out" per se. So focus on your studies and do well from day 1 of medical school.
Extracurricular-wise, I personally devote my first year to the school/research entirely (ok maybe 8h of volunteering for 2 quarters?). I believe it is more important in starting off strong in the school, then once you are comfortable with the rhythm, gradually add more stuff.

Nope. People who look at your undergrad record are jerks you don't want to work for.



Nobody knows your peers.



No, but do something. Anything.

Thank you very much for the inputs!! It's great to know that I don't have to look at my undergraduate grades anymore, which was from 10 years ago!