How competitive am I really?

[MedicalMermaid]

Hi everyone!

I am a senior who is about to graduate and was originally planning on applying to PA school, but had a recent change in heart and decided to try for medical school instead. I have been honestly shifting back and forth from these two options and am trying to weigh the pros and cons for both. The main reason I am leaning towards med school is because I am interested in child neurology and I have heard that PAs do not get to do much in this field.

To be completely honest, I never intended to apply to med school because I thought I was not very competitive but I have been recieving encouragement lately to at least try. I also am scared of blindly deciding to do something just because people have been telling me I should, which is why I am here to ask if I really should be choosing this path. How competitive am I really?

Overall GPA: 3.65
Science GPA: 3.55
My GPA has an upward trend

300+ hours volunteering at a hospital in 2 different departments (I plan to continue volunteering unless I find a different opportunity)

I have yet to shadow, but I will be after graduation and will also be preparing to take the MCAT towards the end of the year. I am taking a year off to finish some pre-reqs I had skipped since I had not intended to apply originally. I am trying to get everything done so I can apply next year.

What are your thoughts?

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[BlueSlurpee]

GPA is good. Just shadow for a bit, maybe throw in some non medical volunteer experiences and do good on the MCAT and you will have a lot of doors open for you.

 

[MADD!!!]

Your GPA is competitive. If you score around 504+ you should be competitive for most schools. Best of luck!

 

[mathnerd88]

It depends on your MCAT. GPA is competitive. For the most established DO schools, get a score of at least 507-508. You will be guaranteed acceptance to a DO school then.

 

[jwilliams1993]

Your GPA is definitely competitive. Shoot for a 505 or so (498 is the lowest I've seen someone get and be accepted). If your numbers are good, they'll look at you. Start bulking up on shadowing hours. Use these docs for letters of recommendation. Make sure at least some of the people you shadow are osteopathic physicians so that you can get a feel for what they do. Start collecting your LORs and working on your personal statement early. The best piece of advice I can give to anyone is to apply early. Start filling out the AACOMAS app as soon as you can. Submit it quickly.

 

[MedicalMermaid]

Thank you for everyone's advice!

 

[MyGrainAura]

It depends on your MCAT. GPA is competitive. For the most established DO schools, get a score of at least 507-508. You will be guaranteed acceptance to a DO school then.

No stats, no matter how great, guarantee an acceptance.


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[mathnerd88]

No stats, no matter how great, guarantee an acceptance.


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You know what I mean. Don't need to be a stickler with my word choice. Unless you really screw up your interview, have red flags, or you applied late, your chances will be at least 90%, if you apply broadly with those stats. (3.65 GPA, 508 MCAT)

Note that I did not say to a particular school. I said an acceptance somewhere if you apply broadly.

 

[Goro]

GPA is competitive for MD and DO.

Hi everyone!

I am a senior who is about to graduate and was originally planning on applying to PA school, but had a recent change in heart and decided to try for medical school instead. I have been honestly shifting back and forth from these two options and am trying to weigh the pros and cons for both. The main reason I am leaning towards med school is because I am interested in child neurology and I have heard that PAs do not get to do much in this field.

To be completely honest, I never intended to apply to med school because I thought I was not very competitive but I have been recieving encouragement lately to at least try. I also am scared of blindly deciding to do something just because people have been telling me I should, which is why I am here to ask if I really should be choosing this path. How competitive am I really?

Overall GPA: 3.65
Science GPA: 3.55
My GPA has an upward trend

300+ hours volunteering at a hospital in 2 different departments (I plan to continue volunteering unless I find a different opportunity)

I have yet to shadow, but I will be after graduation and will also be preparing to take the MCAT towards the end of the year. I am taking a year off to finish some pre-reqs I had skipped since I had not intended to apply originally. I am trying to get everything done so I can apply next year.

What are your thoughts?

 

[IntheClouds4ever]

Try for a little non clinical volunteer experience and shoot for 505+ on the MCAT and apply to both DO and MD schools, especially if you have in-state options. Best of luck. You are on a great path

 

[DrMikeP]

Depends on the MCAT, you could be very competitive or not at all or between.

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[FreeRadicals]

Lets be real.... you could have a 4.0 Science GPA, but if you don't have a "good" MCAT score then your chances of getting in anywhere are slim to none.

 

[MedicalMermaid]

This is a bit of a tangent to my original topic, but how important are extra curricular activities in comparison to your GPA/MCAT scores? I ask because I fear I don't have much to list as ECs.

As i mentioned in my original post, I have experience in 2 departments at a hospital as clinical experience and I am still helping there. I am not sure if this would count as non-clinical experience, but I have been avidly helping at my church after I started college and I have had summer jobs in retail. Other than that, I don't have much and I am worried it may affect my chances. My summer is going to be taken up by a few classes and shadowing physicians, but I anticipate that I will have some time to do other things in the fall since I will only be taking one class. I am thinking of either working as a med tech or possibly in a research lab. Do you think this would help my application?

Thanks again!

 

[DrMikeP]

This is a bit of a tangent to my original topic, but how important are extra curricular activities in comparison to your GPA/MCAT scores? I ask because I fear I don't have much to list as ECs.

As i mentioned in my original post, I have experience in 2 departments at a hospital as clinical experience and I am still helping there. I am not sure if this would count as non-clinical experience, but I have been avidly helping at my church after I started college and I have had summer jobs in retail. Other than that, I don't have much and I am worried it may affect my chances. My summer is going to be taken up by a few classes and shadowing physicians, but I anticipate that I will have some time to do other things in the fall since I will only be taking one class. I am thinking of either working as a med tech or possibly in a research lab. Do you think this would help my application?

Thanks again!

Helping at your church could be great depending on what you did. Think about the goal of ECs it's not about quantity but about how did you grow and learn from such. How did they shape your desire for medicine.

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[DetectiveAlonzo]

DrMikeP spittin' the truth outchea.

 

[MedicalMermaid]

Helping at your church could be great depending on what you did. Think about the goal of ECs it's not about quantity but about how did you grow and learn from such. How did they shape your desire for medicine.

Okay, that is good to know
Thank you!

 

[yayayaok]

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