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[DOHopeful40]

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Hey there! I'm currently in my first of two gap years and just wanted to see if there's anything else I could be doing to improve my chances of getting in when I apply next cycle (2017). I plan on applying mainly to DO schools and probably my in-state MD schools. To start, I just graduated college this past spring with an overall GPA of ~3.5 and a sGPA of ~3.3. I am currently retaking bio 1 at a CC and plan on retaking 2 more classes to improve my science GPA to a ~3.5. I unfortunately have an F in Calc on my transcript and one W, with 1 or 2 other retakes already.

I took my MCAT in June and scored a 508 (125,127,125,131). I am thinking of retaking in January due to how unbalanced it is. In addition, I am a full time scribe in an ER and currently volunteer 3-4 hours a week on a med/surg inpatient floor. I will have ~150 total hours of clinical volunteering and about 70 hours at a soup kitchen by the time I apply. I also finished a research project in the Spring and am getting my name on an abstract for that.

My biggest concern are my letters of rec. I am not going through my schools committee and am worried that this is going to negatively affect me. I have 2 letters right now. 1 from a professor of a class I TA'ed and 1 from an orgo professor from a summer class that was not at the school I graduated from. I plan on getting one from my PI who is an MD and 1 from a professor who I took 2 classes with and TA'ed for but he is currently not in good health. I will also probably be able to get letters from some of the doctors I currently work with. Should I get letters from the professors I am going to retake classes with or will that look bad? My undergrad classes were all pretty large so it was hard to get to know professors, but I regret not trying harder.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

 

[cjcarter]

Don't retake the MCAT. Not having a committee letter isn't a big deal. I don't have one and one of my letter writers is from a retake course and I'm doing just fine. I would recommend shadowing a DO and getting a DO LOR. Everything else looks good though. Good luck!


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[rossatron7]

Be aware of specific LOR requirements for different programs. Some require a committee letter if your institution offers the service. +1 on the DO letter, as some programs require it. Do some research into the programs you want to apply to and make sure you get the letters you need

 

[Peach Newport]

You should really try to get a committee letter. Every single MD school I applied to, and at least half of the DOs, told me that my lack of a committee letter was a red flag, and I was 3 years out of college. The DOs seemed more willing to keep considering my application, but it still hurt me. True, some schools care less than others. But if you have the chance, you should really get one.

 

[ERinspired]

Don't retake the MCAT. 508 is about equivalent to a 29/30 and all your subsections are 125+ so you won't run into any auto-screens. Not having a committee letter is not a big deal. Many large undergraduate institutions do not even have a committee that will write letters (mine included). You just need to make sure you have an appropriate amount of letters to make up for it. Ex: 2 science profs, 1 non-science, work supervisor, 2 DOs/MDs.


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[oogieboogie123r]

And to add to this - my school is well-known for doing committee letters, but they don't give them alumni. A lesser known fact, and I've never been asked about it so far during interviews.

 

[Alienman52]

Hey there! I'm currently in my first of two gap years and just wanted to see if there's anything else I could be doing to improve my chances of getting in when I apply next cycle (2017). I plan on applying mainly to DO schools and probably my in-state MD schools. To start, I just graduated college this past spring with an overall GPA of ~3.5 and a sGPA of ~3.3. I am currently retaking bio 1 at a CC and plan on retaking 2 more classes to improve my science GPA to a ~3.5. I unfortunately have an F in Calc on my transcript and one W, with 1 or 2 other retakes already.

I took my MCAT in June and scored a 508 (125,127,125,131). I am thinking of retaking in January due to how unbalanced it is. In addition, I am a full time scribe in an ER and currently volunteer 3-4 hours a week on a med/surg inpatient floor. I will have ~150 total hours of clinical volunteering and about 70 hours at a soup kitchen by the time I apply. I also finished a research project in the Spring and am getting my name on an abstract for that.

My biggest concern are my letters of rec. I am not going through my schools committee and am worried that this is going to negatively affect me. I have 2 letters right now. 1 from a professor of a class I TA'ed and 1 from an orgo professor from a summer class that was not at the school I graduated from. I plan on getting one from my PI who is an MD and 1 from a professor who I took 2 classes with and TA'ed for but he is currently not in good health. I will also probably be able to get letters from some of the doctors I currently work with. Should I get letters from the professors I am going to retake classes with or will that look bad? My undergrad classes were all pretty large so it was hard to get to know professors, but I regret not trying harder.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you!

MCAT retake is not needed. You won't fall short of any DO MCAT cutoffs for overall score nor subsection score.


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