MD & DO school suggestions/acceptance chances

[drc7]

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Been looking on this forum for quite some time and have seen several pseudo resumes by those looking for insight on MD/DO acceptance chances, hoping I could do the same

3.4 gpa, expecting about 505-510 on MCAT (avg on practice tests)
exercise science major
junior (graduate in 2019)
NC resident, attend private school in FL
D2 college athlete (15 hours+ /week)
interested in orthopedic surgery/pediatrics
shadowing:
50+ hours shadowing DO ortho surgeons both in OR in office
25+ hours cardiac rehab center
more shadowing w radiologist/anesthesiologist/cardiothoracic this summer (expecting 100 hours)
volunteer:
habitat for humanity
preschool volunteer worker
walk for the cure
LOR:
strong letters from exercise science professor and science prof.
Family members in Medicine:
ortho surgeon DO and pediatrician for parents, family doc for uncle

schools in mind:
ECU (in state)
FSU
USF
UCF
PCOM (parents alum)
Kansas (uncle alum)

looking for more suggestions

Fine w MD/DO. Not picky, both provide opportunity to become physician. any help regarding acceptance chances, schools, things to add to resume before applying this summer are greatly appreciated. I realize stats are avg, and i have good, not great EC. different major and college athlete will help stick out but thats all. Harsh truth and advice is what i need, thanks

 

[Cardboard101]

Add ~8 of any DOs you'd want to attend.

Orthopedic surgery will be very difficult as DO.

 

[drc7]

Add ~8 of any DOs you'd want to attend.

Orthopedic surgery will be very difficult as DO.

what kind of acceptance rate is there for a resume like mine in DO? any idea? and any other MD programs you see useful in applying to? i understand the higher chance of acceptance with DO's, just want some variety and multiple options.
And why? do ortho surgery residency programs not generally accept many DO?

thanks again for response

 

[Cardboard101]

I'd be surprised if you didn't get into at least one. This is contingent on your MCAT prediction however. Can you break your GPA down to cGPA and sGPA?
DOs have a hard time matching into the more competitive specialties, of which Orthopedic surgery is one of the most competitive. This isn't to say its impossible, but you will have a much harder time than if you were MD.
Pediatrics however is considered primary care and is one of the most DO friendly specialties.

 

[candbgirl]

I think one of his parents is an Ortho DO. So he knows it isn’t impossible.

 

[3toedsloth]

My suggestions really would change depending on your MCAT score. A 505, and I'd say go back to study again and retake the exam.

A 510+, I'd say add 20-30 MD programs. Your GPA is kinda low for MD, but if you applied very widely with a 510, you'd have a good shot. You'd be aiming for schools like the privates like Drexel, Rosalind Franklin, Creighton, Tulane, Cooper, SLU, GW, Georgetown, Geisinger, Loyola, Rush, NYMC, and the public schools where you're in state or have strong ties.

Don't go DO if you want orthopedic surgery. Things have changed since your parent was in school.

 

[drc7]

I think one of his parents is an Ortho DO. So he knows it isn’t impossible.

yes, dad is ortho DO, but he went to DO residency, not MD residency

 

[drc7]

I'd be surprised if you didn't get into at least one. This is contingent on your MCAT prediction however. Can you break your GPA down to cGPA and sGPA?
DOs have a hard time matching into the more competitive specialties, of which Orthopedic surgery is one of the most competitive. This isn't to say its impossible, but you will have a much harder time than if you were MD.
Pediatrics however is considered primary care and is one of the most DO friendly specialties.

cumulative is 3.4, science is 3.3 but is so far on upward trend, and should continue to go up throughout senior yr

 

[drc7]

My suggestions really would change depending on your MCAT score. A 505, and I'd say go back to study again and retake the exam.

A 510+, I'd say add 20-30 MD programs. Your GPA is kinda low for MD, but if you applied very widely with a 510, you'd have a good shot. You'd be aiming for schools like the privates like Drexel, Rosalind Franklin, Creighton, Tulane, Cooper, SLU, GW, Georgetown, Geisinger, Loyola, Rush, NYMC, and the public schools where you're in state or have strong ties.

Don't go DO if you want orthopedic surgery. Things have changed since your parent was in school.

thanks for the suggestions. Applications due in a few months so I'm beginning my list of schools. Sounds like MCAT score improvement is what i need to focus on to get into MD and be competitive for ortho. Thanks for the replies.

 

[Cardboard101]

Bump it to a 3.5, 510+ the MCAT and you should have a fair shot at MD.

 

[3toedsloth]

thanks for the suggestions. Applications due in a few months so I'm beginning my list of schools. Sounds like MCAT score improvement is what i need to focus on to get into MD and be competitive for ortho. Thanks for the replies.

So what do you expect your GPA to be when you apply? Your GPA as of your date of submission of your app (June 1) is what matters. A 3.4 sGPA is still pretty low for MD.

 

[candbgirl]

Have you thought about delaying your application until after you graduate. Doing this will allow you to use all of your grades to determine your AMCAS GPAs. If you apply in June 2018 you will only have three years of grades and frankly your GPA won’t be much different than it is right now. AMCAS calculates your GPA one time with the transcripts you submit with your primary.

 

[drc7]

So what do you expect your GPA to be when you apply? Your GPA as of your date of submission of your app (June 1) is what matters. A 3.4 sGPA is still pretty low for MD.

expecting a 3.5s and 3.6c gpa when i apply. i will not be applying until closer to august because I'm taking biochem this upcoming summer. i take mcat in may (before biochem) as a preliminary score to see where I'm at. then retake mcat in august after taking biochem for what i hope to be a much better score. Ill apply with that score and a 3.5/3.6 gpa in august

 

[drc7]

Have you thought about delaying your application until after you graduate. Doing this will allow you to use all of your grades to determine your AMCAS GPAs. If you apply in June 2018 you will only have three years of grades and frankly your GPA won’t be much different than it is right now. AMCAS calculates your GPA one time with the transcripts you submit with your primary.

the other alternative i have considered is applying for a masters in exercise physiology or related field, and completing that before going to med school. allows me to have post bacc gpa, research, etc etc

 

[3toedsloth]

@premed'19

That sounds like a thoroughly horrible plan. Please don’t do that.

Take the MCAT 1 time only if you can. Apply the first day you can, May 30 or June 1 (the first hour you can, if possible).

A late submission, multiple MCAT scores, taking the test before the pre-reqs, borderline GPA..... sounds really bad.

Just wait another year if you can’t get your score on time to apply.

 

[candbgirl]

the other alternative i have considered is applying for a masters in exercise physiology or related field, and completing that before going to med school. allows me to have post bacc gpa, research, etc etc

AMCAS calculates undergrad and graduate separately. Grad degrees (MA & MS) aren’t beneficial when trying to repair your undergrad GPAs for MD. Med schools expect grad GPAs to be inflated. So they won’t help you. You’d be better off just doing a DIY post bacc.
Remember you only want to apply one time with the best possible application. So do it right the first time. As @Goro always advises: med schools aren’t going anywhere. By delaying your application a year you should have a much better application. And imo your ECs are pretty weak so the extra year could help you nail that down too.

 

[drc7]

@premed'19

That sounds like a thoroughly horrible plan. Please don’t do that.

Take the MCAT 1 time only if you can. Apply the first day you can, May 30 or June 1 (the first hour you can, if possible).

A late submission, multiple MCAT scores, taking the test before the pre-reqs, borderline GPA..... sounds really bad.

Just wait another year if you can’t get your score on time to apply.

would my best option be to take mcat without biochem and hope for the best, and apply june 1 with that score and current resume? and if i don't do well then apply after senior year?
also, how much would it hurt to apply in mid june or july rather than june 1.

 

[seren1051]

would my best option be to take mcat without biochem and hope for the best, and apply june 1 with that score and current resume? and if i don't do well then apply after senior year?
also, how much would it hurt to apply in mid june or july rather than june 1.

Applying in June (I'm assuming you mean sending in Primary) - won't hurt.
Applying in July - depending on time, but apps tend to get backlogged at this stage and takes longer to get verified. Still won't hurt too much. You can always apply without MCAT score. You don't really need to take a biochem class to do well on biochem of MCAT, you can use study guides like Kaplan.

That being said... do you really, really, really hate gap year? Why not wait a year to get things beefed up and then apply after the senior year?

 

[3toedsloth]

would my best option be to take mcat without biochem and hope for the best, and apply june 1 with that score and current resume? and if i don't do well then apply after senior year?
also, how much would it hurt to apply in mid june or july rather than june 1.

Best option? A gap year.

Next best? March/April/May test date and submit your app early June. I submitted mine the second week of June and it took nearly 6 weeks to verify. Take biochem this spring rather than this summer.

The retake in August option is a really bad one. Your app isn’t considered complete if you have a pending MCAT. That means you won’t be complete until September, when your score is released. Interview season is well underway at that point, and if you’re a borderline applicant it would mean you’re unlikely to get interviewed.

You don’t need to decide today. study for the MCAT, planning for a spring test date. Mark a certain date on your calendar, let’s say March 30 for example. If by that date you don’t make X goal score on the AAMC FL, then agree with yourself you’ll postpone the exam and take a gap year so you can present your best self when you apply.

 

[drc7]

Best option? A gap year.

Next best? March/April/May test date and submit your app early June. I submitted mine the second week of June and it took nearly 6 weeks to verify. Take biochem this spring rather than this summer.

The retake in August option is a really bad one. Your app isn’t considered complete if you have a pending MCAT. That means you won’t be complete until September, when your score is released. Interview season is well underway at that point, and if you’re a borderline applicant it would mean you’re unlikely to get interviewed.

You don’t need to decide today. study for the MCAT, planning for a spring test date. Mark a certain date on your calendar, let’s say March 30 for example. If by that date you don’t make X goal score on the AAMC FL, then agree with yourself you’ll postpone the exam and take a gap year so you can present your best self when you apply.

I'm going to start with option two, study for mcat and if I'm not above 505, i won't apply and opt for gap year. if I'm 505+ from mcat in april/may, ill apply june 1 to several DO, and a few lower MD's and hope for the best. thanks for all the help, very much appreciated

 

[3toedsloth]

I think that’s a strong approach and seems a lot more reasonable to me!

Good luck with this whole process!!

PS The other big thing I wish someone had told me before applying: pre-write your secondaries. 🙂

 

[drc7]

I think that’s a strong approach and seems a lot more reasonable to me!

Good luck with this whole process!!

PS The other big thing I wish someone had told me before applying: pre-write your secondaries. 🙂

thanks for the tip. unfortunately, my college doesn't have the best pre-med advisor. most of what i know is from my parents, and a lot has changed since they attended PCOM. time to start studying and coming up w a list of schools!