peace corps volunteer not getting interviews

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tokie

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need advice.

29 year old female.
UPENN post bacc - 3.0
UPENN undergrad - 3.0 long ago

Peace Corps 2 years - started a computer lab in rural JA

Clinical research coordinator - 3 yrs, 5 publications in orthopaedic surgery (2 which I am first author)

I really, really want to go MD, but so far only one interview at PCOM.

Do i have a chance this year for MD or shall I become a DO girl?
 
oh and my mcat sucks......
April 2002 8v, 9p, 8b, R
AUG 2002 7v, 7p, 9b, R
 
What's your MCAT score and state of residence? These two things are crucial for giving you some advice. Regardless, your GPA is holding you down, and unfortunately GPA acts as an interview cut-off at most schools. If you don't get into a MD program this year, you could always try to boost your numbers somehow (more post-bacc? Again at MCAT? Seems like a long shot though to me) and/or reapply next year. Remember that a DO is not a bad thing and your DO will be just as good as a MD if you're planning on a career in primary care.

Sorry I can't be more optimistic. I hope a school you're interested in opens up to you!

Edit: Oh, I just saw your second post. I would go with DO. Your GPA and MCAT are both probably going to select you out of a MD program. If the Pennsylvania public schools don't interview you, you're probably stuck.
 
one question:
are you URM?

if not and you want to go to med school sooner than later, you will probably have more luck with DO schools with your numbers. i'm sure your peace corps and other experience will make you a more desirable candidate than some, but if there's one thing i learned about this process it's that it really is a numbers game. there is a slight possibility that with your experiences a state school (in a non-competitive state) or a lower-tier private school (maybe) could overlook your numbers (even more of a possibility if you are urm, though still not all that possible).

for me, going to med school soon is more important to me than where i go to med school. i don't know about you, but i for one want to have kids before i'm 40 (i'm 27 right now). i've decided to continue with the process and go if i get in somewhere even though i am probably capable of pulling out a much better performance on the mcat and might then get interviews at uc's and more highly ranked schools. an MD is an MD. a DO is not an MD, but i think you can basically do the same things with it unless you want to go into academic medicine or want to do a really competitive residency -- i don't know much about DO residencies. maybe someone else could better advise.

you might also want to talk to a premed advisor if you have one, because he/she could probably better assess your total package than anyone here can. based on numbers alone, though, it will be difficult to get into an MD program. i went to top notch ugrad/grad and have excellent grades/EC's, but it has been my experience that schools have a hard time overlooking a poor performance on the mcat. that in combination with a not so hot gpa will severely hurt your chances. 🙁 but hey, keep on trying. all you need is one great interview!
 
🙂 thanks for the feedback......from what i hear, its quite difficult to get into competitive residencies with a DO.

i'm just hoping that by some miracle i will get one interview and one acceptance.

otherwise, looks like i'll be re-taking the mcat and taking more courses to up that gpa.

you are so right though that it is a numbers game!

i thank you guys again for the response. much appreciated!
 
🙂 thanks for the feedback......from what i hear, its quite difficult to get into competitive residencies with a DO.

i'm just hoping that by some miracle i will get one interview and one acceptance.

otherwise, looks like i'll be re-taking the mcat and taking more courses to up that gpa.

you are so right though that it is a numbers game!

i thank you guys again for the response. much appreciated!
 
first, PCOM is a great school if you have the option to go there. i also wanted to let you know that, if you go to a DO school, you don't necessarily close all your doors to an MD, if that's what you really want. if you do very well at a DO school, there are a few one or two year post-DO programs through which you can get an MD.
 
Even though it's great to be a Peace Corps volunteer from Penn, your GPA and MCAT are going to keep you out of med school.

I hate to say it, but I think you're skunked for allopathic schools.

Good luck,
doepug
 
you should try to get double digit scores for your mcat and then apply...you have the out of school experiences so just work on your numbers.
 
Your post-bacc GPA is the same as your u-grad (which was not stellar), that is a red flag along with your low MCAT. If you are determined to get into medical school you must make sure that you take some upper level bio/chem courses and get A's period. Work on improving your MCAT score and you should be fine if you do some post-bacc and kick some gluteus maximus. Regardless of what you think or what we think, I would contact the schools that rejected you and ask them what is it that you can to improve your chances of admittance. Good luck!
 
If you really want to do allo, you may want to consider doing gradutate level work so at least you can have an advanced degree along the way...MPH or something else you're interested in, do really well, and then reapply. But don't give up hope yet!! You may still get that MD interview🙂
 
one love......don't worry, my fingers are still tightly crossed!
can't ever give up on the MD.

the best to you too.😉
 
tokie

by the way i'm a upenn graduate myself. there are some peeps with a 3.0 gpa who got in i believe...but make sure you rock the mcat and take some more science courses that can boost your gpa...

i would like to do peace corp but too late...my mcat scores are good and if i decide to do it...i'd have to retake mcat..o well

stoner
 
johnstoner

i think you should reassess before you pass on Peace corps.
the experience was, in that cliche, life changing and unforgettable.

i also think you could probably score just as high considering you already did it once.

you only live life once and trust me it was so so worth it!
 
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