Should I even consider MD?

[CIDMD11]

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Hello everyone. I am a non-traditional applicant who would appreciate some advice. My goal is to become a doctor and I am willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal.

Honestly, I would love to go to the best school possible and one day have my choice of specialities. Realistically, I am not sure if I have the numbers for this.

My stats are below and I am wondering is if with my current numbers do I stand a shot at MD or DO? And if so what schools should I be applying to? I plan on applying to all of the Florida schools but I am aware that I will have to apply all over the place to get one acceptance.

State of residency: Florida
Bachelors Degree: Engineering 07
Bachelors GPA: 3.0
Masters: Medical Sciences 09
Masters GPA: 3.5
MCAT: 28 - wish it was higher but it is what it is
Current Profession: I work in the business side of the medical field
EC's: Lots of shadowing and volunteering

Thanks for your help.

 

[Straw Hat]

That mcat score is right at what fsu recommends irc. I believe they mostly look for applicants who want to work in underserved areas in primary care so you'd have to tailor your application toward their mission (they still match plenty of people in other specialties though). I think 28 is pretty solid for DO schools as well. Heck my buddy had like a 3.3 science gpa, 22 mcat with 3 retakes, applied to two DO schools and got into pcom and some other school. Your stats are much better than his imo. But that just goes to show it's not all about stats even though when you browse sdn you get the feeling that admission is hopeless unless you have a 3.7 32 or something. You may want to retake your 28 to open up more MD schools but I think the 3.5 masters is enough to show you can handle the courses. Just remember to keep yourself well rounded and active in passionate volunteering experiences.

I'm sure some more experienced members will weigh in with more sound advice so hang in there.

Is that Bachelors GPA your overall or science?

Also, where'd you do your masters if I may ask?

 

[Chip N Sawbones]

With a 3.0 GPA and 28 MCAT you are a very marginal candidate for DO schools. If you apply in your current state, you might get accepted somewhere but you might not. Sorry, but the GPA is just too low for MD, and trying to raise it to the point where you are competitive won't be worth the years of effort. I think your best bet will be to spend this spring semester retaking bad grades from undergrad. That will raise your AACOMAS GPA considerably and will give you a much better shot at DO. I know that's not what you're hoping for, but you'll be a doctor either way, and there are some nice DO schools right there in Florida. I interviewed at NOVA last year and in some ways it was better than the MD school I'm going to now.

 

[TriagePreMed]

That mcat score is right at what fsu recommends irc. I believe they mostly look for applicants who want to work in underserved areas in primary care so you'd have to tailor your application toward their mission (they still match plenty of people in other specialties though). I think 28 is pretty solid for DO schools as well. Heck my buddy had like a 3.3 science gpa, 22 mcat with 3 retakes, applied to two DO schools and got into pcom and some other school. Your stats are much better than his imo. But that just goes to show it's not all about stats even though when you browse sdn you get the feeling that admission is hopeless unless you have a 3.7 32 or something. You may want to retake your 28 to open up more MD schools but I think the 3.5 masters is enough to show you can handle the courses. Just remember to keep yourself well rounded and active in passionate volunteering experiences.

I'm sure some more experienced members will weigh in with more sound advice so hang in there.

Is that Bachelors GPA your overall or science?

Also, where'd you do your masters if I may ask?

Your friend is a very rare case. A 3.0/28 is marginal for DO admissions. Best chances would be at the newer programs that have lower MCAT averages.

 

[CIDMD11]

Thanks. Does my masters GPA (3.5) count for anything?

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Your friend is a very rare case. A 3.0/28 is marginal for DO admissions. Best chances would be at the newer programs that have lower MCAT averages.

He is either an imaginary or a liar friend. 3.0/28 will hardly get you an interview at the least competitive DO school (given that the rest of your application is staller), much less an acceptance to PCOM. Give me a break. I have ~3.4/28 and didn't even dare to apply to PCOM, knowing I won't stand a decent chance.

 

[Straw Hat]

Not an imaginary friend nor a liar. I watched him struggle for 2 years with chem classes and we spoke just about every day about his mcat score/retakes. He actually took it four times but decided not to submit after one of those attempts. I agree he is an outlier but I also think you guys should take everything with a grain of salt when you read information on here. People with lower stats do make the cut all the time if they make themselves competitive in other ways. It's a tough battle and I'd suggest bumping up the 3.0 gpa with some retakes but I wouldn't say OPs outlook is completely dismal. A 3.5 Medical Masters is usually the recommended average for a Masters to prove you can handle med school courses so that's good too.

I don't see why you're selling yourself short with a 3.4 28, heck he even said he messed up on some of his interview questions and didn't think they'd give him a shot. Now he's in his first semester and says med school is a piece of cake lol.

Maybe I'm just an optimist :\

 

[deleted480308]

I have a 3.0/31 with an interesting life story...6 ii out of 15 DO schools applied.....zero MD invites out of 6 applied.

Go ahead and apply to your state MD schools but you are really just wishing on stars at that point

 

[CIDMD11]

He is either an imaginary or a liar friend. 3.0/28 will hardly get you an interview at the least competitive DO school (given that the rest of your application is staller), much less an acceptance to PCOM. Give me a break. I have ~3.4/28 and didn't even dare to apply to PCOM, knowing I won't stand a decent chance.

Not trying to argue but I did apply to 4 DO schools a few years ago with a 25MCAT and received 2 interviews but no acceptances.

 

[Shjanzey]

Your friend is a very rare case. A 3.0/28 is marginal for DO admissions. Best chances would be at the newer programs that have lower MCAT averages.

Strange, I have 29/3.1 and I got accepted to allo

 

[TriagePreMed]

I don't want to sound like a jerk here, but a lot of you guys seem to forget your statistics. Yes, it is possible that you get into MD or DO school with 3.0/28, but those are the outliers. The cards are going to be stacked against you. If you still want to go ahead and apply with the cards nearly all against you, go ahead. The reasonable chances zone begins at 3.3/25 for DO and 3.5/30 for MD. Under that and the cards are progressively more and more against you.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Thanks. Does my masters GPA (3.5) count for anything?

For most programs the answer is no. Some programs, like Midwestern University, will count your uGPA + gGPA as one.

 

[CIDMD11]

For most programs the answer is no. Some programs, like Midwestern University, will count your uGPA + gGPA as one.

Im not saying you are wrong but I find it hard to believe that most schools won't consider my masters, especially since it consisted of almost all hard sciences and was through a medical school.

Can I ask are you a medical student or do you work for a admissions office?

 

[CIDMD11]

I don't want to sound like a jerk here, but a lot of you guys seem to forget your statistics. Yes, it is possible that you get into MD or DO school with 3.0/28, but those are the outliers. The cards are going to be stacked against you. If you still want to go ahead and apply with the cards nearly all against you, go ahead. The reasonable chances zone begins at 3.3/25 for DO and 3.5/30 for MD. Under that and the cards are progressively more and more against you.

I agree with the above regarding statistics but aren't I in the reasonable zone for DO? Undergrad GPA of 3.0, grad of 3.5 and a 28 MCAT.

 

[Law2Doc]

Im not saying you are wrong but I find it hard to believe that most schools won't consider my masters, especially since it consisted of almost all hard sciences and was through a medical school.

...?

If it's not a known SMP most programs are going to assume that, like most graduate programs, there's a certain amount of grade inflation. So in general most graduate degrees are viewed as nice ECs -- they won't impact the GPA, but could be the deciding factor between two equivalent applicants. I personally think it's the MCAT that you should address since fixing that would be a lot more realistic than bringing your GPA up. Or you can apply to the less competitive allo and osteo schools and just see what happens.

 

[CIDMD11]

If it's not a known SMP most programs are going to assume that, like most graduate programs, there's a certain amount of grade inflation. So in general most graduate degrees are viewed as nice ECs -- they won't impact the GPA, but could be the deciding factor between two equivalent applicants. I personally think it's the MCAT that you should address since fixing that would be a lot more realistic than bringing your GPA up. Or you can apply to the less competitive allo and osteo schools and just see what happens.

Thanks.

My plan right now is to apply to the same 4 DO schools that I applied to before, plus 5 or 6 more. Previously with the 25 I received 2 interviews so hopefully this time I can get an acceptance.

Also, I might apply to 2 or 3 MD's just for the heck of it.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Im not saying you are wrong but I find it hard to believe that most schools won't consider my masters, especially since it consisted of almost all hard sciences and was through a medical school.

Can I ask are you a medical student or do you work for a admissions office?

No and no, but that doesn't mean I haven't made phone calls, spoken to admissions people, current students, etc.

Unfortunately, masters have a stigma of being grade inflated where if you pass you get an automatic "A" and a "B" means you did marginal work. I know this is not the case with all programs perhaps including yours, but the stigma is still there.

 

[Goro]

The masters GPA might rescue your competitiveness at both MD and DO programs. I think it's worth trying one cycle to see how it goes. If no luck, re-take MCAT and aim for a min of >30.

Hello everyone. I am a non-traditional applicant who would appreciate some advice. My goal is to become a doctor and I am willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal.

Honestly, I would love to go to the best school possible and one day have my choice of specialities. Realistically, I am not sure if I have the numbers for this.

My stats are below and I am wondering is if with my current numbers do I stand a shot at MD or DO? And if so what schools should I be applying to? I plan on applying to all of the Florida schools but I am aware that I will have to apply all over the place to get one acceptance.

State of residency: Florida
Bachelors Degree: Engineering 07
Bachelors GPA: 3.0
Masters: Medical Sciences 09
Masters GPA: 3.5
MCAT: 28 - wish it was higher but it is what it is
Current Profession: I work in the business side of the medical field
EC's: Lots of shadowing and volunteering

Thanks for your help.

 

[CIDMD11]

Goro thanks a lot.