I'm getting ready to graduate this spring and decided to check my amcas/aacomas gpa. I have a 3.6 cumulative gpa at my institution, but when I checked my amcas/aacomas gpa I ended up with a 3.27. My BCPM was a 3.6. I have a strong upward trend and A's in pretty much every upper division science class. MCAT is a 505. EC's are decent. I was planning on applying to mostly DO schools, but now I feel like I need to go address my gpa. I'm open to doing an SMP if needed. Any advice on where to go from here would be appreciated, especially from @Goro.
Should I apply to a SMP or take a shot at DO? Really need feedback on where to go from here.
- Thread starter steelydan
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You're fine for any DO school!
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Ok, so a long time ago, I was in college and I had a low GPA and an old mcat of 24. My college pre-med advisor told me to apply DO bc there was no way I would improve my mcat and my GPA. I didn't listen to him, I retook the mcat a year and a half later and got a 509. I applied to medical school..... and didn't get in (to MD or DO, despite having one MD and one DO interview). So then last year, I did an SMP, and did very well. I retook the MCAT again, and got a 514. I have not yet been accepted to medical school but I have heard from 5/35 schools so far and 3 of them have been interviews (all of which I haven't heard back from yet just because they all just happen to take a longish time to render decisions). Many of my friends who did the SMP with me are in the same boat (and many are already accepted). Also, I am expecting (hoping) to get an interview at the school where I did my SMP but I haven't heard from them yet so I may soon have 4 interviews. I fully believe in SMPs and if you can buckle down and kick ass for a year you will greatly ameliorate your application as far as GPA and learn enough to kill the MCAT. (I did Tufts SMP by the way I highly highly suggest it, it was worth every penny and has opened so so so many doors for me I can't be any more grateful, even if they don't end up giving me an interview). Not to mention, when I applied before I had no idea what to write in my essays, talk about in my interviews, or what to even look for in a school but now I understand medicine and medical school so much better. I am much more confident as a student, and I know I will do so well in medical school. I have nothing against DO schools, but I feel like doing the SMP helped me grow as a student and a person so that I can be confident pursuing this career. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
