My Chance, please!! I am begging for your comments!

[piaoyuelingxing]

Basic information:
-Top 20 private university
-cummulative GPA 3.5, science gpa is around that too
-MCAT around 26-29. ( haven't got my score back) approximating 11-7-10
-Texas resident
-Asian
-Biology major
-AMCAS (plan to submit before July)

EC:

-leadership in a large service organization (re-elected for a 2nd term)
-certified EMT-Basic. (haven't worked as an EMT yet)
-shadowed 2 doctors + volunteered at their clinics ( 270 hours)
-3 semester of biological research, no publication


My questions:
1. if I apply for all texas schools, will that be safe enough? i think i will apply for a few more out of state lower tier schools, such as Touro, U of Vermont, Drexel, Tolede, etc.
2. Should I apply for DO schools as well?
3. I think I will apply for a few more top 20 reach schools just to try. Any suggestion which schools would look past my low gpa and MCAT?
4. Any other school you think will be interested in my stats? How many schools should I apply to be safe? around 25?
5. Any other suggestion will be really appreciated!

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[demayette]

Here is the stats 2008-2009 for MD schools. Dont have the DO stats... sorry


http://www.washington.edu/uaa/gateway/advising/downloads/gpamcat.pdf

 

[longhorn09]

Do you go to Rice?
Anyway, I wish you luck on your MCAT. As you know, a 7 in VR will really hold you back a lot.

 

[Rebs28]

It's really up in the air until you know your MCAT score for sure, and get an idea of how much you may be able to improve. I agree that the VR is an issue, for both MD and DO.

I'd definitely retake the MCAT if you get that low on VR or below a 30 overall. I know that this is a difficult section to improve, but if you can get your total score above 30 you may still have a shot at MD schools even with a low VR.

I think that your MD school selection ideas are good - all Texas schools plus lower tier out of state schools, public and private. Check out the school selection spreadsheet.

I would also apply DO as well, provided that you're okay with doing that. You'll want to shadow a DO asap, though, as an LOR from a DO you've shadowed is a requirement (I believe...). You should definitely check out the Osteopathic forums on SDN for advice.

Have you considered taking time off and doing a post-bac or SMP to bring up your gpa? It's not terribly low, but by raising it and also taking time to improve your MCAT and gain additional science and healthcare experience, you could really improve your chances. If you don't take a year off, by the time your August MCAT scores come in you'll be a little late in the game... Just a thought.

Good luck!

 

[nancy0223]

Special Circumstances :
-moved to the U.S from an Asian country 4.5 years ago. That explains my low verbal score. but i have a fluent English now. By just talking to me, people thought i came here when i was 5 years old.

Have u been naturalized or granted permanent residency? If that is the case, I'd recommend that u follow the other two posters' suggestions. If not, it'd be much more difficult for u to gain admission to an US MD school. Best of luck.

 

[veaselhaufen]

It doens't matter who your dean is, only what he wrote about you. I'm sorry, but your odds don't seem too promising unless you outperform your expectations on the mcat

 

[JJMrK]

Hopefully you get a 30+ on your MCAT. Even if you do, I would apply to some DO schools.