Really stressing about if I'm good enough to pursue this path as I look for post bacc's

[PeaceInLimbo]

Hey everyone, I'm a new member and this is my first post on here.

So a little background: I am currently in my senior year of undergrad as a chemistry major and looking to do a post bacc before I apply to medical schools. I'm currently sitting at a 3.18 cumulative gpa / 2.8 science gpa and should graduate with slightly above a 3.2 cumulative gpa / around 2.9 science gpa. Before all of this COVID stuff I was able to volunteer around 40 hours at my school hospital's ER room and have also volunteered 3+ months with a family friend who's son has Prader-Willi syndrome and respiratory failure (and he was completely paralyzed) as an aid ranging from helping clean him and changing his diaper to organizing his medical equipment and food for 12 hour shifts. I was beginning to reach out for shadowing opportunities but wasn't able to secure any due to quarantine. I also canceled my MCAT prep class and exam last summer because of COVID so I have not taken it yet, but have started studying with Kaplan books I have and plan on taking a Princeton winter bootcamp as I eat, breath, and bleed MCAT material, before taking it in January of next year. I didn't see this as an issue as I figured post baccs won't need MCAT scores but as I've been searching I see how unprepared I was and am getting scared I will not get my score in time to apply early enough. I will also have a year's worth of research in a research lab after this year (really sorry that way more than a little background).

With all of that, I finally became realistic that my chances at any med school acceptance were zero at the beginning of my senior year. So I decided to pursue some form of post bacc but am getting kind of overwhelmed with all of the information out there (plus my parents hounding me for taking my time). I was wondering if anyone had pointers in terms of what would be better between a regular post-bac, SMP, or a masters program (I really would like to limit this to one year if at all possible) and also of any recommendations for schools in the east cost with programs offering good:
- advising/recommendation letters
- volunteer opportunities
- success rate
- care for post bacc students

I'm not totally sure if one of these programs would even be enough for me to get into a MD school. Currently am looking at Drexel Pathway program, Georgetown SMP program, American university, and John Hopkins post bacc

Again, sorry for the massive post, I'm just really lost on what i need to be doing right now. Thank you for any help!

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[paradoxic_toxic]

I was in the same shoes as you not long ago. I entered senior year with similar stats, barely any EC hours and healthcare experience. Your chance of entering med school are slim but non-zero.

You have 2 options:

1) Start a DIY post bac and repair your GPA so that it's in range of DO schools (you're not that far off). A year and a half of full time science courses should get you past 3.0 sGPA, and it will open up more DO doors. Score above 500 on the MCAT.

Read this: Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

2) Start an SMP that has a linkage to a med school (with conditional clause). Do exceptionally well and and meet the remaining requirements to get yourself an interview or automatic acceptance to that med school. If time is an issue, then this is the fastest way into an MD med school. However, this is the riskiest option of the 2. If you bungle this, your career is essentially over and you'll have crippling debt.

If becoming a physician is your top priority (and you don't care about MD vs. DO) then I would suggest DO with your stats. If you're gunning for MD then option 2 is more realistic.

Regardless of which option you choose, I always suggest shadowing a physician first. Shadow a primary care, then a specialist to get a feel of the profession. There may be many negatives of the world of medicine that students tend to overlook.

You can also use my DO/SMP spreadsheet:



It contains a list of better SMPs. It also has average and minimum stats of DO schools and SMPs. Best of luck to you.

 

[PeaceInLimbo]

I was in the same shoes as you not long ago. I entered senior year with similar stats, barely any EC hours and healthcare experience. Your chance of entering med school are slim but non-zero.

You have 2 options:

1) Start a DIY post bac and repair your GPA so that it's in range of DO schools (you're not that far off). A year and a half of full time science courses should get you past 3.0 sGPA, and it will open up more DO doors. Score above 500 on the MCAT.

Read this: Goro's advice for pre-meds who need reinvention

2) Start an SMP that has a linkage to a med school (with conditional clause). Do exceptionally well and and meet the remaining requirements to get yourself an interview or automatic acceptance to that med school. If time is an issue, then this is the fastest way into an MD med school. However, this is the riskiest option of the 2. If you bungle this, your career is essentially over and you'll have crippling debt.

If becoming a physician is your top priority (and you don't care about MD vs. DO) then I would suggest DO with your stats. If you're gunning for MD then option 2 is more realistic.

Regardless of which option you choose, I always suggest shadowing a physician first. Shadow a primary care, then a specialist to get a feel of the profession. There may be many negatives of the world of medicine that students tend to overlook.

You can also use my DO/SMP spreadsheet:



It contains a list of better SMPs. It also has average and minimum stats of DO schools and SMPs. Best of luck to you.

I’m so sorry, I’m just seeing this reply I forgot to keep checking my post after a few days. But thank you so much, your advice really helped clear up my options and the path I’m taking now. I definitely am gunning for MD but when it comes down to it I’m not so hard headed to rule out DO. Again, thank you for taking the time to write that all out for me, I really appreciate it.