Need Help!

[terpfan15]

Hey all, am a college junior.

cGPA: 3.26, sGPA: 3.21
MCAT: not taken yet.
State of Residence: MD
ORM
Attending state school (UMD-CP)

Clinical Experience: 200 hours scribing. 100-hour volunteer at health related events.
One year lab research experience (100 hours)

Shadowing: Shadowed orthopedics for 20 hours. FM doc for 30 hours. Peds for 20 hours. Plan on shadowing 3 different specialties over this winter break.

Non-Clinical Volunteering: Consistent volunteering every weekend to help under-represented kids in education and mentorship.


I have a couple of options. I can graduate UG early (would prolly end up with a 3.4/3.4 GPA). Or can stay the final year and end up with closer to a 3.6/3.6.

Need help on deciding what to do - what benefits of each would be and how to go about the application cycles. Please let me know your thoughts.

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[DJ Khaled's Pet Tiger]

Hey all, am a college junior.

cGPA: 3.26, sGPA: 3.21
MCAT: not taken yet.
State of Residence: MD
ORM
Attending state school (UMD-CP)

Clinical Experience: 200 hours scribing. 100-hour volunteer at health related events.
One year lab research experience (100 hours)

Shadowing: Shadowed orthopedics for 20 hours. FM doc for 30 hours. Peds for 20 hours. Plan on shadowing 3 different specialties over this winter break.

Non-Clinical Volunteering: Consistent volunteering every weekend to help under-represented kids in education and mentorship.


I have a couple of options. I can graduate UG early (would prolly end up with a 3.4/3.4 GPA). Or can stay the final year and end up with closer to a 3.6/3.6.

Need help on deciding what to do - what benefits of each would be and how to go about the application cycles. Please let me know your thoughts.

Go the full time and get the 3.6 if you’re applying during the gap year after senior year. If you’re planning to apply during senior year, your grades in the spring can pretty much only harm, not help.

Also, why do you only have 200 hours of scribing? That’s like... 4 months of experience working half time? You should probably keep going with scribing.

No more shadowing. Shadowing is not that important, and should just be completed to show you know what medicine is about. No one ever got into medical school because they shadowed the most.

Finally, crush the MCAT. That will open many doors.

 

[terpfan15]

Go the full time and get the 3.6 if you’re applying during the gap year after senior year. If you’re planning to apply during senior year, your grades in the spring can pretty much only harm, not help.

Also, why do you only have 200 hours of scribing? That’s like... 4 months of experience working half time? You should probably keep going with scribing.

No more shadowing. Shadowing is not that important, and should just be completed to show you know what medicine is about. No one ever got into medical school because they shadowed the most.

Finally, crush the MCAT. That will open many doors.

Miscalculated. Scribed for 7 months before having to quit due to an emergency in the family. Was closer to 500 hours.

Can you explain what you mean by your grades in the spring can pretty much only harm?

 

[DJ Khaled's Pet Tiger]

Miscalculated. Scribed for 7 months before having to quit due to an emergency in the family. Was closer to 500 hours.

Can you explain what you mean by your grades in the spring can pretty much only harm?

sounds fair regarding scribing.

the grades don't matter because schools have already made their decision before spring grades post. an F would rescind an acceptance, but a 4.0 doesn't affect anything.

 

[Goro]

Hey all, am a college junior.

cGPA: 3.26, sGPA: 3.21
MCAT: not taken yet.
State of Residence: MD
ORM
Attending state school (UMD-CP)

Clinical Experience: 200 hours scribing. 100-hour volunteer at health related events.
One year lab research experience (100 hours)

Shadowing: Shadowed orthopedics for 20 hours. FM doc for 30 hours. Peds for 20 hours. Plan on shadowing 3 different specialties over this winter break.

Non-Clinical Volunteering: Consistent volunteering every weekend to help under-represented kids in education and mentorship.


I have a couple of options. I can graduate UG early (would prolly end up with a 3.4/3.4 GPA). Or can stay the final year and end up with closer to a 3.6/3.6.


Need help on deciding what to do - what benefits of each would be and how to go about the application cycles. Please let me know your thoughts.

You need to finish with as high a GPA as possible. A 3.4 is 0.3 points off the median, and below the 10th %ile at a lot of MD schools. But, you'd be fine for any DO school.