Non-trad chances - sGPA 3.45 / cGPA 3.62 / MCAT 29N / TFA

[med2013dc]

Hey everyone,

I've been out of undergrad for 3 years now and feel out of touch with the pre-med community. I am hoping you could share some insight into my chances at MD schools considering my stats and my non-traditional route to medicine. I'm trying to determine the most strategic school list and am hitting a wall - not sure how many total schools or how many of each tier to apply to.

Stats:
Education
Undergrad - University of Washington, BS in Biochemistry and minor in Chemistry
(cGPA: 3.62 / sGPA: 3.45)
Grad - American University, MA in Teaching
(GPA: 4.0)

MCAT
29N


ECs and employment:
* 1.5 years research in neurological surgery lab (UW Med)
* 1.5 years research in HIV lab (Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center)
* 1.5 years volunteering at Children's hospital in Seattle
* 2 years teaching with Teach for America
* 2 years leadership (chair, coach, school policy) in teaching
* 2 years (by fall 2013) research in community-based pediatrics (Children's hospital in DC)
* 50-75 hours shadowing various physicians
* Health policy internship in DC


I'm not sure if this is enough to get a good snapshot of my candidacy. Some positive intangibles are having quite a bit of experience to offer, being very clear on the direction of the medical career path I want to take, and having a unique background/ life trajectory that has brought me to this point. However, I know numbers are the deal breaker in end, so how should I set my school list?

Thanks for all your help!

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[Jamie561]

I'd blanket the less selective MD schools and consider including some DO schools. You have a decent chance of getting in SOMEWHERE despite your scores, but be prepared to go DO or reapply next year.

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[AspiringDoctor0]

I'd blanket the less selective MD schools and consider including some DO schools. You have a decent chance of getting in SOMEWHERE despite your scores, but be prepared to go DO or reapply next year.

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Is the high preference for MD just an "ego" thing because it requires better GPA and MCAT scores to get accepted? I understand there's not really a difference between DO and MD (except more avenues for specializing with the latter), but could you perhaps elaborate on the advantages of MD over DO school that I'm unaware of? I know this isn't the place to ask this (also, my apologies to the OP for hijacking your thread), but your post just sparked my curiosity because I have a 3.56 cGPA/3.45 sGPA and it looks like DO is my only option at this point. Thanks

 

[Mountaineer12]

MD seems to be preferred for the prestige since a lot of people don't know what a DO is. DO's can't really practice overseas and may have more trouble specializing, but the main difference seems to be society's view of MDs vs. DOs, in my opinion.