How to improve?

[C@rol]

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Hi all!

I'm finishing up my undergrad (bio major) and wish to plan how to best approach applying for med school.

Unfortunately my last 2 semesters my GPA has gone down (from 3.8 to 3.4) due to a very close family member getting sick and a situation were I was getting stalked/harassed, causing me to involve the police and move apartments the week before final exams (but I'm ok now!).

Here are my stats:
GPA:
-3.4c and 3.2s
-I'm retaking a D+ I receive last semester at the moment, and will probably get a B+/A-

Volunteering:
-371 hours teaching English to my university's dining hall and janitorial staff
-100 hours at a local hospital

Work
-2,430 hours of work as a clinical research assistant:
-First at MGH, stopped due to them needing someone that could work more hours
-Currently working in study where I do recruitment/enrollment, study visits, blood draws, blood processing, and ensure compliance (deal with regulatory matters).
-Will be publishing 2 research paper in the next couple months.

Leadership
-I am the president of the volunteering organization at my uni that provides free English classes. We also organize free health education workshops in collaboration with a pharma club and provide our students with free class supplies.
-At work I help arrange/maintain collaborations with other teams/departments, train new staff, and help interview.

Shadowing
-47 hours of shadowing different MDs
-Will be shadowing a DO in a couple weeks

I got a 502 in a practice MCAT recently, but know I can do better once I graduate in June and properly study for it.

I will be getting my EMT certification in a couple weeks and can hopefully get some more experience through it. I'm also worried about not really knowing any of my professors well enough to ask for LORs (I had 2 candidates but one just retired and the other passed away). I just feel so down every time I think about my gpa and LOR situation...

Do I have a chance at getting into a DO school? How can I improve myself in financially-feasible ways (can't really do a Post bac)?

 

[Magus5454]

Your GPA isn't the best but its ok, focus on the MCAT, in my opinion. Your GPA is over 3.0 so you don't need a post bacc

 

[mk04447]

Agree with above, not much you can say about a stumble in undergrad, except you stumbled. MCAT will likely determine your future, study and do well on that then you should be ok.

 

[GTown]

Hi all!

I'm finishing up my undergrad (bio major) and wish to plan how to best approach applying for med school.

Unfortunately my last 2 semesters my GPA has gone down (from 3.8 to 3.4) due to a very close family member getting sick and a situation were I was getting stalked/harassed, causing me to involve the police and move apartments the week before final exams (but I'm ok now!).

Here are my stats:
GPA:
-3.4c and 3.2s
-I'm retaking a D+ I receive last semester at the moment, and will probably get a B+/A-

Volunteering:
-371 hours teaching English to my university's dining hall and janitorial staff
-100 hours at a local hospital

Work
-2,430 hours of work as a clinical research assistant:
-First at MGH, stopped due to them needing someone that could work more hours
-Currently working in study where I do recruitment/enrollment, study visits, blood draws, blood processing, and ensure compliance (deal with regulatory matters).
-Will be publishing 2 research paper in the next couple months.

Leadership
-I am the president of the volunteering organization at my uni that provides free English classes. We also organize free health education workshops in collaboration with a pharma club and provide our students with free class supplies.
-At work I help arrange/maintain collaborations with other teams/departments, train new staff, and help interview.

Shadowing
-47 hours of shadowing different MDs
-Will be shadowing a DO in a couple weeks

I got a 502 in a practice MCAT recently, but know I can do better once I graduate in June and properly study for it.

I will be getting my EMT certification in a couple weeks and can hopefully get some more experience through it. I'm also worried about not really knowing any of my professors well enough to ask for LORs (I had 2 candidates but one just retired and the other passed away). I just feel so down every time I think about my gpa and LOR situation...

Do I have a chance at getting into a DO school? How can I improve myself in financially-feasible ways (can't really do a Post bac)?

Focus on the MCAT. Your GPA is fine (a little low-ish for established DO schools but I think you can overcome that with a higher MCAT score). DO schools love growth and evolution. You don't need to get into specifics but whenever you do apply, you could certainly touch upon your undergrad struggles and how you overcame them. I had family issues as I was starting undergrad (and it showed on my transcript) but I did briefly mention it in my PS and then more in depth on secondaries and I was asked about it at almost every interview. Get a good MCAT score and I believe you'll be fine. Good luck!