Questions

[Thelongway]

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1) I had gotten a D in a biochem course as an undergrad. However, for my masters degree I had to take an upper level biochem course. Both are titled biochem I , the masters level one is just a hell of a lot harder. Will I be able to replace the old biochem grade with the harder course?

2) Also, I got ~a 2.3 uGPA. After graduation i've raised it while taking my masters degree to about 3.1 (VIA course replacement). My masters GPA looks like its going to be 3.6 - 3.7. It is a masters of biology.

With a solid MCAT can I apply broadly to DO schools, and would i stand a chance at CCOM?

3) Lastly the only volunteer experience I have is being on my church board of directors and other church stuff. Would that suffice or should I volunteer at a hospital?

Thank you

 

[Ogmora]

1) I had gotten a D in a biochem course as an undergrad. However, for my masters degree I had to take an upper level biochem course. Both are titled biochem I , the masters level one is just a hell of a lot harder. Will I be able to replace the old biochem grade with the harder course?

2) Also, I got ~a 2.3 uGPA. After graduation i've raised it while taking my masters degree to about 3.1 (VIA course replacement). My masters GPA looks like its going to be 3.6 - 3.7. It is a masters of biology.

With a solid MCAT can I apply broadly to DO schools, and would i stand a chance at CCOM?

3) Lastly the only volunteer experience I have is being on my church board of directors and other church stuff. Would that suffice or should I volunteer at a hospital?

Thank you

You will need to apply early with a solid MCAT and more volunteer experiences, preferably clinical. Your Biochem class will likely replace the old one, if not, most schools will see your masters GPA and refer to that over your uGPA.

If you do well on the MCAT (29+), I think you'll have a good chance at CCOM. Just not this cycle.

 

[Jumpstartmy5HT]

1) I had gotten a D in a biochem course as an undergrad. However, for my masters degree I had to take an upper level biochem course. Both are titled biochem I , the masters level one is just a hell of a lot harder. Will I be able to replace the old biochem grade with the harder course?

2) Also, I got ~a 2.3 uGPA. After graduation i've raised it while taking my masters degree to about 3.1 (VIA course replacement). My masters GPA looks like its going to be 3.6 - 3.7. It is a masters of biology.

With a solid MCAT can I apply broadly to DO schools, and would i stand a chance at CCOM?

3) Lastly the only volunteer experience I have is being on my church board of directors and other church stuff. Would that suffice or should I volunteer at a hospital?

Thank you

1. Maybe, but if I were you, I would call AACOMAS and ask.

2. Some schools have cut offs for undergraduate GPA. I don't think many schools will ignore your undergraduate GPA and look at your graduate GPA only. Do more grade replacements? CCOM may give you a chance with a good MCAT, but it's probably wise to apply to a number of schools and apply broadly. Many aspects of this process are arbitrary and nebulous to applicants. Schools look for different things beyond the scores.

3. Do you have any clinical experience at all? The church volunteer is nice, but if you don't have any clinical experience, that may hinder your application, especially since most medical schools want a physician letter of some type.

 

[Elevencents]

Generally masters classes will not replace undergraduate scores in similar classes.

 

[Thelongway]

1. Maybe, but if I were you, I would call AACOMAS and ask.

2. Some schools have cut offs for undergraduate GPA. I don't think many schools will ignore your undergraduate GPA and look at your graduate GPA only. Do more grade replacements? CCOM may give you a chance with a good MCAT, but it's probably wise to apply to a number of schools and apply broadly. Many aspects of this process are arbitrary and nebulous to applicants. Schools look for different things beyond the scores.

3. Do you have any clinical experience at all? The church volunteer is nice, but if you don't have any clinical experience, that may hinder your application, especially since most medical schools want a physician letter of some type.

You will need to apply early with a solid MCAT and more volunteer experiences, preferably clinical. Your Biochem class will likely replace the old one, if not, most schools will see your masters GPA and refer to that over your uGPA.

If you do well on the MCAT (29+), I think you'll have a good chance at CCOM. Just not this cycle.

Thank you for the replies!

I have a 3.1 with grade replacement (if they biochem doesn't get replaced by the masters class), I don't know how feasible it is to replace any more grades at this point to be honest. How many schools does one usually apply to?

I have no clinical experience at all. I'll call some hospitals then to see if they need any volunteers. Is there a certain magic number of hospital volunteer hours I need? Otherwise my church volunteer hours are probably 100+ hours, i've never really thought about it.

 

[Jumpstartmy5HT]

Thank you for the replies!

I have a 3.1 with grade replacement (if they biochem doesn't get replaced by the masters class), I don't know how feasible it is to replace any more grades at this point to be honest. How many schools does one usually apply to?

I have no clinical experience at all. I'll call some hospitals then to see if they need any volunteers. Is there a certain magic number of hospital volunteer hours I need? Otherwise my church volunteer hours are probably 100+ hours, i've never really thought about it.

With a 3.1 GPA, some schools will screen you out. So when you apply to schools, just do your research carefully about the minimum qualifications before you submit your primary so you don't end up wasting money to be rejected either pre-secondary or post-secondary automatically.

The number of schools is different for each person based on multiple factors. How competitive are your stats? In your case, your stats are a bit below average, pending MCAT score. You also lack clinical experience, which is problematic. Also, how much money do you have to gamble with? Remember, the primary and secondary cost per school is on average 150 dollars. Every interview is another 500-800 dollars. These things add up super quickly. The third thing to consider is how competent of a writer you are. This factor is something that many people don't consider. I know this silly girl who has applied to medical school 3 times with below average stats. Every year, she applies to 30 allopathic programs with her parents' hard-earned money, and every year she has failed. I think this is her 4th year applying now. But anyways, she is a horrible effing writer. Churning about 25-30 secondaries is not an easy feat for a competent writer. Imagine how taxing it is for someone whose worse nightmare is writing composition.

 

[Thelongway]

With a 3.1 GPA, some schools will screen you out. So when you apply to schools, just do your research carefully about the minimum qualifications before you submit your primary so you don't end up wasting money to be rejected either pre-secondary or post-secondary automatically.

The number of schools is different for each person based on multiple factors. How competitive are your stats? In your case, your stats are a bit below average, pending MCAT score. You also lack clinical experience, which is problematic. Also, how much money do you have to gamble with? Remember, the primary and secondary cost per school is on average 150 dollars. Every interview is another 500-800 dollars. These things add up super quickly. The third thing to consider is how competent of a writer you are. This factor is something that many people don't consider. I know this silly girl who has applied to medical school 3 times with below average stats. Every year, she applies to 30 allopathic programs with her parents' hard-earned money, and every year she has failed. I think this is her 4th year applying now. But anyways, she is a horrible effing writer. Churning about 25-30 secondaries is not an easy feat for a competent writer. Imagine how taxing it is for someone whose worse nightmare is writing composition.

Thanks again for the advice! I should be okay writing, i did well on the GRE and thought my graduate school apps were okay. I actually teach and grade papers too for $$.

I do research and am required to submit a thesis for my masters program. I'll have a ton of research credits which are automatic A's as long as I don't royally screw up. Do those count toward the science GPA?

Also are there any other ECs that anyone would recommend besides getting/doing (besides hospital volunteer hours)? I teach bio courses to college students, as well as the church stuff I previously mentioned. Otherwise my ECs are kind of bare.

Thanks again!

 

[cabinbuilder]

They expect you to know what the life of a doctor is like. That you have shadowed a few to get a taste of both inpatient and outpatient care/setting. It doesn't have to be a huge amount of time but enough for you to understand what you are getting into.