help, my chances?

[Kutner]

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So I have been doing alot of research and i cannot decide what path to take. My first and foremost goal is to get into a US MD school, DO school and carribian i am still deciding on. I will be starting my third year my freshman year i did very well, 3.6cgpa and 4.0 sgpa 1st sem and 2nd sem, cgpa and sgpa 4.0. My troubles began my freshman summer and my sophmore year i made very bad choices and as of now both my cgpa and sgpa dropped to about a 3.32. i know i can do good and atleast raise my cgpa and sgpa to 3.4 3.5 range. the classes i took so far for sciences are
ochem1-C+
ochem1 Lab- A
ochem2-C+
ochem2lab-A
microbio-C
Cellbio-C
genbio(2classes0- both A's
gchem1/lab- A
phys1/lab-A
i am currently taking genetics and biochem and getting A's
i am planning on retaking ochem 1 to get an A and my practice mcats are avging abt 28-30
i have yet to take the real mcat in the winter and i know having a mcat score is a big deal but i just want to plan for the best. SO my main question is even if i end up getting 4.0 my next two years or close to it do i have a chance at a US MD school or should i get buy some swim trunks and pack my bags for the islands?
any comments appreciated good or bad...THANKS!!

 

[Gryhu]

I'd say you would have a pretty good shot at DO schools. If you can get your GPA around 3.5 and a 28 MCAT, you'd have a solid chance. DO schools also replace your old grade with retakes, so if you get an A when you retake ochem, then you'll be golden.

Good luck.

 

[MedAdComMD]

I'd say you would have a pretty good shot at DO schools. If you can get your GPA around 3.5 and a 28 MCAT, you'd have a solid chance. DO schools also replace your old grade with retakes, so if you get an A when you retake ochem, then you'll be golden.

Good luck.

my rule of thumb for prospective students is that as long as your GPA is over a 3.0, you can be competitive with a stellar MCAT and EC.

Really, at my school, once you get to the interview stage, how well you interviewed is the most decisive factor.

 

[camaras2480]

I'd say you would have a pretty good shot at DO schools. If you can get your GPA around 3.5 and a 28 MCAT, you'd have a solid chance. DO schools also replace your old grade with retakes, so if you get an A when you retake ochem, then you'll be golden.

Good luck.

I think you are a great candidate for DO. However, if allopathic is what you are really aiming for, getting your GPA to like 3.5 is sort of imperative. Although it is true that maintaining a 3.0 gives you a valid shot, you certainly don't want to be in that position, especially with a drastic downward trend of 4.0 to 3.0. A lot hinges on your MCAT. Actually, getting interviews depends almost entirely on your MCAT at this point.

 

[Kutner]

Thanks for the help! i appreciate it very much i don't really mind going to DO school because i mean my main goal is to treat patients and be a doctor being an MD would just be the icing on the cake. I am concerned about going to the islands because its rather expensive and the pass/fail rates are very scary. what types of things should i do to increase my chances of getting into a school if my GPA stays the same and i get around the same mcat as my practices?

 

[camaras2480]

Thanks for the help! i appreciate it very much i don't really mind going to DO school because i mean my main goal is to treat patients and be a doctor being an MD would just be the icing on the cake. I am concerned about going to the islands because its rather expensive and the pass/fail rates are very scary. what types of things should i do to increase my chances of getting into a school if my GPA stays the same and i get around the same mcat as my practices?

A 3.5/30 will get you into DO school, just need to impress at the interview. It even gives you a fighting shot at 'low' tier MD schools in the US.

The island schools should really be your last, desperate option. I think it would be better to even forego a couple years of your life and do postbac or SMP or anything, rather than head to the islands. Well, feel free to go for vacation 🙂

 

[Stratego]

A GPA of 3.5 and an MCAT of 32 will give you a decent chance at the less-selective MD schools. A 3.4 and a MCAT of 26 gives you a decent chance at DO schools. It seems to me if you have two years of 4.0, you coud get to a 3.6 GPA, in which case an MCAT of 31 will be enough for some MD schools.

 

[Kutner]

thanks for all the positive feedback guys, you guys have truly given hope of being successfull also i was wondering would a LOR from a doctor of physical therapy help ive been going to shadow at DPT because in the office they base emphasis on orthopedics/sports medicine/rehabilitaion and it truly as been a great experience and i know i can get a kick a** letter

 

[camaras2480]

thanks for all the positive feedback guys, you guys have truly given hope of being successfull also i was wondering would a LOR from a doctor of physical therapy help ive been going to shadow at DPT because in the office they base emphasis on orthopedics/sports medicine/rehabilitaion and it truly as been a great experience and i know i can get a kick a** letter

A strong letter always helps. But remember, your core 2 science and 1 non-science are the most important letters. They will (generally) carry the most weight.

 

[Mobius1985]

i was wondering would a LOR from a doctor of physical therapy help ive been going to shadow at DPT because in the office they base emphasis on orthopedics/sports medicine/rehabilitaion

A letter from a physical therapist you've shadowed is great if you want to go to physical therapy school, but I don't see it having much application in the MD or DO application process. I do think it might be a great experience to discuss in a Secondary essay, or even in your Personal Statement if it had a huge impact on you.