Should I apply?

[Nicole0215]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I m unsure if I should apply this year. I will be fourth year undergraduate studying in University of Toronto. I have enough ECs and are waiting to get some recommendation letters. However, my biggest problem is I do not have a good GPA for my first two years of undergraduate.

1st year : Cumulative GPA 2.25
2nd year: annual GPA 2.60 ; cGPA 2.43
3rd year: Sessional GPA 3.63 Annual GPA 3.48 Cumulative GPA 2.84

I know I screwed up my first two years. But, I have done well for the past semester. I am unsure if I should spend the money and time to apply now when I do not stand a chance in being considered as a candidate for the D.O. schools. I need some advices 🙁

 

[futuredoc4432]

I m unsure if I should apply this year. I will be fourth year undergraduate studying in University of Toronto. I have enough ECs and are waiting to get some recommendation letters. However, my biggest problem is I do not have a good GPA for my first two years of undergraduate.

1st year : Cumulative GPA 2.25
2nd year: annual GPA 2.60 ; cGPA 2.43
3rd year: Sessional GPA 3.63 Annual GPA 3.48 Cumulative GPA 2.84

I know I screwed up my first two years. But, I have done well for the past semester. I am unsure if I should spend the money and time to apply now when I do not stand a chance in being considered as a candidate for the D.O. schools. I need some advices 🙁

you take the mcat yet? i would advise against it you would probably get screened out at at a lot of schools and one year of good grades is not proof enough to adcoms that you are ready for med school courses. If you don't mind spending some cash you may be able to get in somewhere with a good excuse for your first 2 years but highly unlikely. apply early (now) if you are going to.

 

[emno]

I feel you just apply. Take your chance. You never know.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Spend a extra year getting your grades up. Also remember that DO schools have grade replacement policies. Also remember to go visit the Mcat prep subfourm and look for study methods to get a good Mcat.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I feel you just apply. Take your chance. You never know.

My Motto is: "Apply when your at your best and only once. "

That mean's apply when your strongest. Because in all honesty, DO schools averages are at 3.5/26. If your not even in the 25th percentile of scores you simply shouldn't apply.

 

[judasreznor]

My Motto is: "Apply when your at your best and only once. "

That mean's apply when your strongest. Because in all honesty, DO schools averages are at 3.5/26. If your not even in the 25th percentile of scores you simply shouldn't apply.

To quibble a bit, the sGPAs of accepted applicants to D.O. programs average about 3.37.

OP, depending on your MCAT, I would apply to schools that won't cut-off with your GPA. It will take some analysis of the admissions data from different schools, combined with your location, to determine where you should apply.

 

[ManUnderFire]

I m unsure if I should apply this year. I will be fourth year undergraduate studying in University of Toronto. I have enough ECs and are waiting to get some recommendation letters. However, my biggest problem is I do not have a good GPA for my first two years of undergraduate.

1st year : Cumulative GPA 2.25
2nd year: annual GPA 2.60 ; cGPA 2.43
3rd year: Sessional GPA 3.63 Annual GPA 3.48 Cumulative GPA 2.84

I know I screwed up my first two years. But, I have done well for the past semester. I am unsure if I should spend the money and time to apply now when I do not stand a chance in being considered as a candidate for the D.O. schools. I need some advices 🙁

I'm in a similar pickle, also Canadian. I haven't applied yet, but I'll tell you my story...

cGPA 3.00
sGPA 3.07
MCAT in Aug
EC's are standard: research ~ 264 hrs (no pubs), ~200 hrs clinical, ~150 hrs community, shadowing for ~20 hrs in July
LORs from a DO, PhD x 2, and maybe MD (we'll see in July😉)

From what I've read, people know of some canadians getting in with 3.2-3.3 cGPAs (very porous sources and info, so take this with a grain of NaCl). As a cGPA of 3.3 is within 1 stdev from the national average, I think this is a solid GPA to apply with given an equally solid overall application. Believing this, I am hesistant to apply myself since my application package is merely decent, and being a canadian (non-US citizen/permanent resident), I feel our applications have to pack some punch in order to get a second glance. Moreover, since my application won't be complete (verified, with secondaries and Letters of Rec) by October, I will thus be submitting 'late' in the cycle, further decreasing my chances.

My advice...apply ASAP if you think the rest of your application (Letters of recc, EC's, MCAT, Personal Statement that will include experiences that demonstrate commitment, determination, empathy, etc) is very good to outstanding such that it can 'carry' your application to make up for the GPA bit. If not, take a year to boost the GPA/MCAT and increase your volunteer hours/quality of experience.

This process is a package deal and a crapshoot...present YOUR best overall application but know that even applicants with 3.5 cGPA/28 MCAT get rejected. Stay determined, keep improving your stats/resume and you will become a doctor...a year or two wisely spent doing damage control is small in terms of how long you can practice (30+ years), that is, if you don't apply/are rejected this cycle.