Making application stronger for 2019

[bearded gent]

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I need some help planning for the remainder of this year and next year until DO applications become available. As a preface, I'm a non-traditional reapplicant and currently work full time in insurance. I understand this is not helping strenghten my application and I most likely will be resigning within the next month to take a part time position elsewhere while I study for the MCAT. The MCAT is definitely my number one priority as I'll be retaking again for the second time at the end of March 2019. I also plan on taking a couple of basic science classes spring 2019 to raise my GPA. I'm definitely lacking clinical experience and only have ~30 hours. I have ~100 non-clinical volunteering hours. No shadowing/DO letter of recommendation, but contacting physicians everyday during my free time. I have around 150 hours of research experience and was an undergraduate TA. Should I look into both paid and volunteer clinical experience? I should have well over 100 hours of clinical volunteer experience through hospice by the time I apply but I'm not sure if that'll be enough considering my GPA is low, just above 3.0. What things would you add to my application to give me a better chance?

 

[MakeLifeHappen13]

Volunteering, shadowing and/or paid jobs within medicine (scribe, hospice, CNA, EMT, MA, phlebotomy) will all help your application. The more hours the better. But in the end, the ultimate determinant will be a strong MCAT. If your GPA is just above 3.0, you will need a really good MCAT to balance that out.

You might want to consider taking an extra year to take post-bacc science courses and acing them, to raise your GPA. Other option is SMP programs with pipelines to their associated med school.