Should I even try??

[fizzle7033]

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Sorry to post another "what are my chances" topic but my situation is a little different. My grades are crap I mean bad. I have an overall GPA of 2.1 because for the first 3 years I went to school I let my social life get in the way of school. I would either just stop going to class or drop out. Oh, did I mention the tons of Ws??? I have attempted like 124 hours and earned 74!!! Now, fast forward 6 years later and I actually have a plan. That and a few year of working in the real world have made me realize how stupid I was to goof off. I offer no explanation other than to say I was young and stupid. Also, I was the first to go to college in my family. I was pressured by said family to drop out of high school at 16 to help with finances (did I mention I have a GED?) so I think I just went crazy once I got away. The classes that I did actually make an attempt in (all of them bio) I excel in, I have either As or Bs across the board. With the exception of a Zoology class that was at 7:00 am that I forgot to drop. I know I probably don't stand a chance in hades of getting in. I don't have my Bachelors yet, so I do have lots of time to bring up the grades. What could I do to make myself at least stand a shot??? I had even thought about trying to get into a nursing program so I will have a medical background. I know I can bring the GPA up (I went part time last fall and got a 4.0) simply because I can do the work and in fact it come pretty naturally to me. I just don't know if I can bring it up enough!!!

 

[jkhamlin]

Sorry to post another "what are my chances" topic but my situation is a little different. My grades are crap I mean bad. I have an overall GPA of 2.1 because for the first 3 years I went to school I let my social life get in the way of school. I would either just stop going to class or drop out. Oh, did I mention the tons of Ws??? I have attempted like 124 hours and earned 74!!! Now, fast forward 6 years later and I actually have a plan. That and a few year of working in the real world have made me realize how stupid I was to goof off. I offer no explanation other than to say I was young and stupid. Also, I was the first to go to college in my family. I was pressured by said family to drop out of high school at 16 to help with finances (did I mention I have a GED?) so I think I just went crazy once I got away. The classes that I did actually make an attempt in (all of them bio) I excel in, I have either As or Bs across the board. With the exception of a Zoology class that was at 7:00 am that I forgot to drop. I know I probably don't stand a chance in hades of getting in. I don't have my Bachelors yet, so I do have lots of time to bring up the grades. What could I do to make myself at least stand a shot??? I had even thought about trying to get into a nursing program so I will have a medical background. I know I can bring the GPA up (I went part time last fall and got a 4.0) simply because I can do the work and in fact it come pretty naturally to me. I just don't know if I can bring it up enough!!!

Yes, you have a chance, but you have a lot of work to do.

First of all, there are several people around here who got in to med school with a GED, including myself. AdComms probably won't care about this, especially if you had family and financial pressures to drop out. That is a lot of stress for a 16 year old.

Second, it is good that you can admit that you had maturity issues that got in the way of academic achievement. You will be asked about it. Be sure that you can explain it maturely (eg: I was inexperienced, I had a learning curve and maturity issues that I have solved.) Tell them how you solved them, and be able to SHOW them how you solved them.

Third, here's what you need to do:

1. Forget the W's, they probably won't care.
2. Retake as many D's and F's as you possibly can.
3. Get a 27 or above on the MCAT.
4. Shadow, volunteer, get a job in a hospital or clinic, etc. Lots.
5. You might consider pursuing a master's degree in the sciences if your first round of applications fail.

If you do all these things you stand a good chance. It is now or never. It is time to be serious. You will find that adversity will be the norm until you achieve this, but once you get your first acceptance, it will all be worth it.

Others will elaborate on this and point out good things I know I am leaving out.

 

[mletter]

It sounds like you know what you have to do if you really want to make the committment to med school. You have to bring your gpa to at least a 3.0 all around. You have to get a decent score on the mcat. Get lots of clinical exposure to make sure that medicine is something that you love. Do some major reflection on why you took such a nose dive while first starting out in college, cause you will be asked about that a lot. Otherwise, anything is possible. 👍

 

[122206DO]

You're not hopeless, you're just gonna need a lot of determination and work to become a physician, and when and if you do become one, you will be thankful for what you've done to get there. I think being a "good" doctor is reserved for those who see getting there not as a chore or eternity or delayed gratification, but a previlege reserved for those who deserve the opportunity to lead others in health. If you see medicine as absolutely the only thing you want to do, you will get there somehow.

 

[DoctorMom78]

Yes, you have a chance, but you have a lot of work to do.

First of all, there are several people around here who got in to med school with a GED, including myself. AdComms probably won't care about this, especially if you had family and financial pressures to drop out. That is a lot of stress for a 16 year old.

Second, it is good that you can admit that you had maturity issues that got in the way of academic achievement. You will be asked about it. Be sure that you can explain it maturely (eg: I was inexperienced, I had a learning curve and maturity issues that I have solved.) Tell them how you solved them, and be able to SHOW them how you solved them.

Third, here's what you need to do:

1. Forget the W's, they probably won't care.
2. Retake as many D's and F's as you possibly can.
3. Get a 27 or above on the MCAT.
4. Shadow, volunteer, get a job in a hospital or clinic, etc. Lots.
5. You might consider pursuing a master's degree in the sciences if your first round of applications fail.

If you do all these things you stand a good chance. It is now or never. It is time to be serious. You will find that adversity will be the norm until you achieve this, but once you get your first acceptance, it will all be worth it.

Others will elaborate on this and point out good things I know I am leaving out.

Good advice. I also have a GED and actually only completed the ninth grade. (I had actually skipped eighth grade and barely passed ninth, so I think it is really more of a seventh grade education I had a lot of math to catch up on when I started college .) I have about 28 withdrawals on my transcripts and started college twice before sticking it out the third time. I just turned 29 and that is now all several years in the past. I have had three interviews and was accepted to two of the schools and am waiting to hear back from the third. The only comments I had on withdrawals was from a few more recent ones where I withdrew because I was sick. No one asked about the ones in the past. (But then, some of them were classes like aerobic dancercise.🙄 ) If you focus on your academics from here on out and retake any of your Ds and Fs, I think you will be fine. Make sure you also have strong ECs to balance out your application. Most of the osteopathic schools weight these almost as much as the academic portion. I think you will be fine! Good luck!

 

[jkhamlin]

Good advice. I also have a GED and actually only completed the ninth grade. (I had actually skipped eighth grade and barely passed ninth, so I think it is really more of a seventh grade education I had a lot of math to catch up on when I started college .) I have about 28 withdrawals on my transcripts and started college twice before sticking it out the third time. I just turned 29 and that is now all several years in the past. I have had three interviews and was accepted to two of the schools and am waiting to hear back from the third. The only comments I had on withdrawals was from a few more recent ones where I withdrew because I was sick. No one asked about the ones in the past. (But then, some of them were classes like aerobic dancercise.🙄 ) If you focus on your academics from here on out and retake any of your Ds and Fs, I think you will be fine. Make sure you also have strong ECs to balance out your application. Most of the osteopathic schools weight these almost as much as the academic portion. I think you will be fine! Good luck!

😱 Wow, you should get some sort of award! I had lot's of W's and two bad starts at college, too, but I waited all the way until after my junior year of high school to drop out after I took biology, chemistry, algebra II, and trig. You must have worked really hard and must have quite an aptitude to turn your situation around. And with four kids, too!

 

[fizzle7033]

Thanks everyone, it really does make me feel better!! I'm trying to find someone to shadow right now!!

 

[Bill_252001]

Sorry to post another "what are my chances" topic but my situation is a little different. My grades are crap I mean bad. I have an overall GPA of 2.1 because for the first 3 years I went to school I let my social life get in the way of school. I would either just stop going to class or drop out. Oh, did I mention the tons of Ws??? I have attempted like 124 hours and earned 74!!! Now, fast forward 6 years later and I actually have a plan. That and a few year of working in the real world have made me realize how stupid I was to goof off. I offer no explanation other than to say I was young and stupid. Also, I was the first to go to college in my family. I was pressured by said family to drop out of high school at 16 to help with finances (did I mention I have a GED?) so I think I just went crazy once I got away. The classes that I did actually make an attempt in (all of them bio) I excel in, I have either As or Bs across the board. With the exception of a Zoology class that was at 7:00 am that I forgot to drop. I know I probably don't stand a chance in hades of getting in. I don't have my Bachelors yet, so I do have lots of time to bring up the grades. What could I do to make myself at least stand a shot??? I had even thought about trying to get into a nursing program so I will have a medical background. I know I can bring the GPA up (I went part time last fall and got a 4.0) simply because I can do the work and in fact it come pretty naturally to me. I just don't know if I can bring it up enough!!!

They don't call the US the land of opportunities. It can be done one way or the other.

 

[jkhamlin]

Thanks everyone, it really does make me feel better!! I'm trying to find someone to shadow right now!!

In case you missed where I said this in another thread, I highly recommend that for shadowing you should find out if there is a residency program in your area. Contact the director and ask if you can shadow some of the faculty and residents. It is a good experience, and can help you meet lots of physicians who might be able to help you later.

 

[karakhanyan]

What a difference this is from the pre-allo forums! There are a LOT of mean people there😡 It is nice to read messages of support for a change...
To the OP: I also do think you stand a chance, but you should get a lot more clinical exposure if you'd like to be more competitive. Good luch and shoot for the stars!

 

[Doc2007]

You do have chance but you will have to work really hard. Try retaking some of the classes. Try to maintain your GPA greater than 3.5 for all of your forth coming semesters. Start studying for the MCAT and get above 27. 30 or above will be even better. If you work hard, everything will work out. Wish you all the best and happy new year.

 

[DoctorMom78]

😱 Wow, you should get some sort of award! I had lot's of W's and two bad starts at college, too, but I waited all the way until after my junior year of high school to drop out after I took biology, chemistry, algebra II, and trig. You must have worked really hard and must have quite an aptitude to turn your situation around. And with four kids, too!

LOL! Thanks! I had my first child when I was eighteen, but it took me a while after that to get everything together. I did work hard, but so has everyone else on here. As we all know, it is not easy to get into medical school. I didn't miss much from highschool anyway. The only thing that I am still a little bit deficient in is history, but I probably know as much as most people do. I had to take several remedial math classes in college to make up for not having gone to highschool, but it wasn't that bad. I didn't have any sciences from highschool either, so I had to take a remedial chem classes before starting the regular class. Bio was no problem. I was a bio major and most of that is easy for me. It is the math (and therefore gen chem and physics) that killed me. We all do what we have to do in life. I am very proud of myself and am more than happy to post this information for other people to read so that they may find some inspiration from it to help in their own struggles through life. I believe that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. 🙂

 

[DoctorMom78]

What a difference this is from the pre-allo forums! There are a LOT of mean people there😡 It is nice to read messages of support for a change...
To the OP: I also do think you stand a chance, but you should get a lot more clinical exposure if you'd like to be more competitive. Good luch and shoot for the stars!

👍 LOL! That is one of the things I love about everyone here. I am so glad I am going to be a DO with all of these people.😍

 

[MCATTT]

Good advice. I also have a GED and actually only completed the ninth grade. (I had actually skipped eighth grade and barely passed ninth, so I think it is really more of a seventh grade education I had a lot of math to catch up on when I started college .) I have about 28 withdrawals on my transcripts and started college twice before sticking it out the third time. I just turned 29 and that is now all several years in the past. I have had three interviews and was accepted to two of the schools and am waiting to hear back from the third. The only comments I had on withdrawals was from a few more recent ones where I withdrew because I was sick. No one asked about the ones in the past. (But then, some of them were classes like aerobic dancercise.🙄 ) If you focus on your academics from here on out and retake any of your Ds and Fs, I think you will be fine. Make sure you also have strong ECs to balance out your application. Most of the osteopathic schools weight these almost as much as the academic portion. I think you will be fine! Good luck!

wow.. it was such a tremendous comeback. Seems like nothing can stop you. 🙂
Truly, my admiration increases with every post you made. 👍


For the thread starter, I think you should try to get a great MCAT score over 27 and bring up the GPA to at least 3.0.

 

[dr.kicia]

LOL! Thanks! I had my first child when I was eighteen, but it took me a while after that to get everything together. I did work hard, but so has everyone else on here. As we all know, it is not easy to get into medical school. I didn't miss much from highschool anyway. The only thing that I am still a little bit deficient in is history, but I probably know as much as most people do. I had to take several remedial math classes in college to make up for not having gone to highschool, but it wasn't that bad. I didn't have any sciences from highschool either, so I had to take a remedial chem classes before starting the regular class. Bio was no problem. I was a bio major and most of that is easy for me. It is the math (and therefore gen chem and physics) that killed me. We all do what we have to do in life. I am very proud of myself and am more than happy to post this information for other people to read so that they may find some inspiration from it to help in their own struggles through life. I believe that you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it. 🙂

WOW doctormom you are my hero😍
This is trully an inspiring story. I admire you for not giving up and following your dream. You show that if one really wants something they can get it...all one needs to do is try and never give up.
I agree with jkhamlin that you should get some kind of award😀

 

[chaeymaey]

If u're committed to working hard, I would recommend a post-bacc, masters, or SMP type program at a DO med school. They tend to have better linkage than the MD programs.

 

[fizzle7033]

Wow Doctormom!! You are amazing!!!! 👍 You have given me so much hope now!!! Thanks!!!!

 

[Bill_252001]

👍 LOL! That is one of the things I love about everyone here. I am so glad I am going to be a DO with all of these people.😍

Hey doctormom
You are an Official Motivator, Hope giver and Healer of SDN....🙂

 

[DoctorMom78]

LOL! I am blushing and I think I am going to cry...(it's a woman thing.) Thanks to all of you for the kind words! There were so many, that I couldn't respond to your individual posts. 😍 😀

 

[Dr. Josh]

LOL! I am blushing and I think I am going to cry...(it's a woman thing.) Thanks to all of you for the kind words! There were so many, that I couldn't respond to your individual posts. 😍 😀

Wow!! I too am impressed. I always enjoyed your posts but now you're also my hero; you show anything is possible if you keep at it. Maybe, just maybe I can pull it out too??

 

[jkhamlin]

Wow!! I too am impressed. I always enjoyed your posts but now you're also my hero; you show anything is possible if you keep at it. Maybe, just maybe I can pull it out too??

Hey, no pulling it out around here.

 

[DoctorMom78]

Hey, no pulling it out around here.

LOL! I think he meant "pull it off", which I am sure he will be able to do. 😉

 

[group_theory]

Guess I'll be the mean one here.

A chance? YES. A good chance? NOPE.

Reason: Lots of Ws and a very low GPA.

The advices you have gotten so far are good -- good MCAT score, get clinical experience, shadow a DO, volunteer in the community (or do something that you are passionate about in your free time) ... but above all else ... you need to turn your attention to two important numbers ... your cumulative GPA and your science/math GPA.

Many schools have official cutoffs (which if you don't meet, they don't even look at your files) ... others have unofficial cutoffs. You can have the best comeback story ever, but if your file doesn't reach the desk of an admission officer because your GPA is too low, then your story doesn't get heard.

So right now, don't even worry about shadowing, volunteering, or even thinking of taking the MCAT. Just focus on your GPA. Retake all your classes that you got a D or F in (even if it was in English, Poetry, Anthropology, etc). The DO application (AACOMAS) will replace the bad grade with the new grade so you get the biggest BUMP in your overall GPA ... the MD application just averages it out. Your goal is to raise your overall GPA above 3.00, and your science GPA above 2.75 (of course, the higher the better). So when you retake them, aim for As. Don't settle for Bs or Cs. If you have time, retake the courses that you got a C- or C in (only after retaking courses that you got Ds/Fs).

If you "graduate" before raising your undergraduate GPA to 2.75, then do a postbac. Don't do a graduate degree ... you want to RAISE your undergraduate GPA and a graduate program will only create a new graduate GPA. While a good graduate GPA can be helpful, if your undergraduate GPA doesn't make the cutoff, then your file won't be reviewed.

Once your overall undergrad GPA/science GPA is around 3.0, then you can start thinking of volunteering, shadowing, studying for MCAT, etc. Consider taking a few upper level science courses or grad courses and do well in them ... show adcoms that you can handle higher level courses without any difficulty.


But right now all your efforts and attention should be focused on raising your GPA. Once that is stable, then you can focus on other aspects of your applications.

You have a good background ... and now the willpower to enter a wonderful profession ... raise your GPA, get a good MCAT score, and I'm sure DO schools will be jumping up and down to convince you to come to their schools.

The road will be long and difficult ... but in the end, it is all worth it.

Best of luck.

 

[dr.kicia]

Guess I'll be the mean one here.

A chance? YES. A good chance? NOPE.

Reason: Lots of Ws and a very low GPA.

The advices you have gotten so far are good -- good MCAT score, get clinical experience, shadow a DO, volunteer in the community (or do something that you are passionate about in your free time) ... but above all else ... you need to turn your attention to two important numbers ... your cumulative GPA and your science/math GPA.

Many schools have official cutoffs (which if you don't meet, they don't even look at your files) ... others have unofficial cutoffs. You can have the best comeback story ever, but if your file doesn't reach the desk of an admission officer because your GPA is too low, then your story doesn't get heard.

So right now, don't even worry about shadowing, volunteering, or even thinking of taking the MCAT. Just focus on your GPA. Retake all your classes that you got a D or F in (even if it was in English, Poetry, Anthropology, etc). The DO application (AACOMAS) will replace the bad grade with the new grade so you get the biggest BUMP in your overall GPA ... the MD application just averages it out. Your goal is to raise your overall GPA above 3.00, and your science GPA above 2.75 (of course, the higher the better). So when you retake them, aim for As. Don't settle for Bs or Cs. If you have time, retake the courses that you got a C- or C in (only after retaking courses that you got Ds/Fs).

If you "graduate" before raising your undergraduate GPA to 2.75, then do a postbac. Don't do a graduate degree ... you want to RAISE your undergraduate GPA and a graduate program will only create a new graduate GPA. While a good graduate GPA can be helpful, if your undergraduate GPA doesn't make the cutoff, then your file won't be reviewed.

Once your overall undergrad GPA/science GPA is around 3.0, then you can start thinking of volunteering, shadowing, studying for MCAT, etc. Consider taking a few upper level science courses or grad courses and do well in them ... show adcoms that you can handle higher level courses without any difficulty.


But right now all your efforts and attention should be focused on raising your GPA. Once that is stable, then you can focus on other aspects of your applications.

You have a good background ... and now the willpower to enter a wonderful profession ... raise your GPA, get a good MCAT score, and I'm sure DO schools will be jumping up and down to convince you to come to their schools.

The road will be long and difficult ... but in the end, it is all worth it.

Best of luck.

i disagree...
i think that the OP can shadow a DO, volunteer and get some EC's while fixing his GPA.
All pre-meds go to school and do those other things at the same time. There is no need to wait with shadowing/volunteering...we all know that good clinical exp. is very important part of ones application when it comes to DO schools.

 

[jkhamlin]

To correct some incorrect things you said:

Guess I'll be the mean one here.

A chance? YES. A good chance? NOPE.

Reason: Lots of Ws and a very low GPA.

A good chance? Yep. As long as he does the things that people, including yourself, are pointing out. And, as many people here have pointed out, W's have nothing to do with it. There are many of us who had many W's and still got in.

So right now, don't even worry about shadowing, volunteering, or even thinking of taking the MCAT. Just focus on your GPA.

Shadowing is an ongoing process that needs to be done, especially in this person's case. It is better to start working on it now than to wait until the last minute and find out how difficult it is to line up a shadowing opportunity. Besides, it really doesn't interfere with studies, and this guy seems to have it together now.

If you "graduate" before raising your undergraduate GPA to 2.75, then do a postbac. Don't do a graduate degree ... you want to RAISE your undergraduate GPA and a graduate program will only create a new graduate GPA. While a good graduate GPA can be helpful, if your undergraduate GPA doesn't make the cutoff, then your file won't be reviewed.

A graduate degree doesn't just create a new graduate GPA. It adds to overall GPA. They don't just look at undergrad GPA. They look at everything. Post bac is also a "separate" GPA, but it gets figured into the overall GPA, too. If this person cannot pull it off in undergrad, then there is good reason to go for a master's degree. It looks better than just doing some post bac stuff.

 

[group_theory]

At this point, it will be the GPA that will keep the OP out of med school, not the lack of clinical skills.

If the OP can manage to take a full load and do well and still have time to do extracurricular activities (i.e., clinical experience, research, shadowing a DO), then go for it. My main concern is the low GPA ... all the clinical shadowing/experience and DO letters in the world won't compensate for a low GPA.

Are there people who get in with under 3.0 GPA every year? YES. But of those who apply with less than a 3.0 GPA, only a handful get in. A 3.0 GPA is already less than one standard deviation from the mean GPA for DO applicants.

Also, the OP has time. With so many credit hours and a very low GPA, it will take some time to retake the courses and raise the GPA up to a minimum of 3.0 ... why not spend 1-2 semesters focusing on GPA ... then once the OP knows that things are on the right track, to expand into clinical experience/volunteering/shadowing

When to take the MCAT is a little but tricker ... it depends on how urgent the OP wants to apply to med school ... and if the OP can study for the MCAT while still maintaining good grades (a good MCAT score is a must in this situation)



Edit: To those new or don't know, OP = Original Poster (trying to keep the post gender neutral)

 

[group_theory]

To correct some incorrect things you said:


A good chance? Yep. As long as he does the things that people, including yourself, are pointing out. And, as many people here have pointed out, W's have nothing to do with it. There are many of us who had many W's and still got in.

You're right ... I should have posted it "A Good chance? Not at this point". And I agree, at least for DO schools, lots of Ws won't have a big impact. For MD schools, it will raise a few eyebrows (but we're in the pre-DO forum here so who cares what MD schools do)

Shadowing is an ongoing process that needs to be done, especially in this person's case. It is better to start working on it now than to wait until the last minute and find out how difficult it is to line up a shadowing opportunity. Besides, it really doesn't interfere with studies, and this guy seems to have it together now.

I guess it is a difference of opinions on what the OP should do. People have given their advice, and I have put my $0.02 in. There really isn't a right way or a wrong way - just it all depends on what the OP wants to do.

A graduate degree doesn't just create a new graduate GPA. It adds to overall GPA. They don't just look at undergrad GPA. They look at everything. Post bac is also a "separate" GPA, but it gets figured into the overall GPA, too. If this person cannot pull it off in undergrad, then there is good reason to go for a master's degree. It looks better than just doing some post bac stuff.

I know that undergraduate GPA, postbac GPA, and graduate GPA are kept seperate (heck, AACOMAS even breaks it down by school year). My main concern is that the lump category of "undergraduate GPA" that is used for screening out candidates will screen out the OP should he/she finish before reaching the cutoff. A good postbac GPA combined with the OP's "finalized" undergraduate GPA might be enough to get past the screening process and get his/her file to be reviewed by an admission officer (who, after seeing the remarkable comeback, will decide to offer an interview). Actually if the OP does make a remarkable comeback, perhaps a graduate program won't even be necessary - just perhaps.


One thing I would advise the OP to do is to seek the advice of a premed advisor/counselor at his/her school. Now there are horror stories on SDN about bad premed advisors, but that person will know the school best, also know what process involves, and could give more detailed and personalized advice to the OP ... and if the OP feels that the advice is bad or the premed advisor is biased, well, there's always SDN here to help out.

 

[AK1kinase]

Oh wow! 😱 Some of you here have incredible stories of adversity and triumph. Sounds like a trailer for a movie on the Lifetime network. I feel a bit ashamed now complaining about my minor quibbles. I humbly prostrate myself before your acheivements.

 

[dr.kicia]

You're right ... I should have posted it "A Good chance? Not at this point". And I agree, at least for DO schools, lots of Ws won't have a big impact. For MD schools, it will raise a few eyebrows (but we're in the pre-DO forum here so who cares what MD schools do)




I guess it is a difference of opinions on what the OP should do. People have given their advice, and I have put my $0.02 in. There really isn't a right way or a wrong way - just it all depends on what the OP wants to do.




I know that undergraduate GPA, postbac GPA, and graduate GPA are kept seperate (heck, AACOMAS even breaks it down by school year). My main concern is that the lump category of "undergraduate GPA" that is used for screening out candidates will screen out the OP should he/she finish before reaching the cutoff. A good postbac GPA combined with the OP's "finalized" undergraduate GPA might be enough to get past the screening process and get his/her file to be reviewed by an admission officer (who, after seeing the remarkable comeback, will decide to offer an interview). Actually if the OP does make a remarkable comeback, perhaps a graduate program won't even be necessary - just perhaps.


One thing I would advise the OP to do is to seek the advice of a premed advisor/counselor at his/her school. Now there are horror stories on SDN about bad premed advisors, but that person will know the school best, also know what process involves, and could give more detailed and personalized advice to the OP ... and if the OP feels that the advice is bad or the premed advisor is biased, well, there's always SDN here to help out.

one problem with pre med advisiors is that they have never applied to med school and have as much idea about the process as one can find on the internet.
as far as DO LORs and EC and volunteering goes...you can have a 4.0 gpa and 45 MCAT but if your foot has never crossed a hospital boundries you have no chance of getting in. Besides DO/MD LOR is required for like 22 out of 24 DO schools.
W grades mean nothing as well as GPA of 3.0
i can name at least 4 ppl right out of my head who got in this cycle with the above "problems."

 

[jkhamlin]

One thing I would advise the OP to do is to seek the advice of a premed advisor/counselor at his/her school. Now there are horror stories on SDN about bad premed advisors, but that person will know the school best, also know what process involves, and could give more detailed and personalized advice to the OP ... and if the OP feels that the advice is bad or the premed advisor is biased, well, there's always SDN here to help out.

I have seen good ones and bad ones. I recommend doing what I did: Ask as many premed advisors as you can find what their advice is. See if there are recurring themes. See what makes sense. Find out why they say what they say.

 

[MaximusD]

as far as DO LORs and EC and volunteering goes...you can have a 4.0 gpa and 45 MCAT but if your foot has never crossed a hospital boundries you have no chance of getting in.

I like you dr. kicia, so please don't take this as a hostility but...

🙄 A 45 MCAT, 4.0 GPA would be an auto-accept at at least a few schools... but that's not very relevant to the situation at hand anyway.

What you NEED for a decent chance at admittance to some DO school if applied widely...

GPA: 3.0-3.3+
MCAT: 24+

What you SHOULD HAVE to be considered competitive at DO Schools:

GPA: 3.3-3.6+
MCAT: 27+

These are ballpark estimates, but this is what I've foudn to be true.

Throw in some good EC's that distinguish you from the crowd that also pertain to medical experience...interesting DO shadowing PLUS a DO LOR and/or hospital volunteering PLUS a LOR from the Director of Volunteer Services... etc.

The EC's are important to average candidates. If you have a 40+ MCAT and a 3.7+ GPA, you won't have a problem getting into ANY DO program. I challenge anyone to find an example of an individual who didn't make some sort of bigoted remark during his/her interview that had these stats but didnt' get into an osteopathic medical school.

 

[MaximusD]

as far as DO LORs and EC and volunteering goes...you can have a 4.0 gpa and 45 MCAT but if your foot has never crossed a hospital boundries you have no chance of getting in.

I like you dr. kicia, so please don't take this as a hostility but...

🙄 A 45 MCAT, 4.0 GPA would be an auto-accept at at least a few schools... but that's not very relevant to the situation at hand anyway.

What you NEED for a decent chance at admittance to some DO school if applied widely...

GPA: 3.0-3.3+
MCAT: 24+

What you SHOULD HAVE to be considered competitive at DO Schools:

GPA: 3.3-3.6+
MCAT: 27+

These are ballpark estimates, but this is what I've foudn to be true.

Throw in some good EC's that distinguish you from the crowd that also pertain to medical experience...interesting DO shadowing PLUS a DO LOR and/or hospital volunteering PLUS a LOR from the Director of Volunteer Services... etc.

The EC's are important to most normal candidates. If you have a 40+ MCAT and a 3.7+ GPA, you won't have a problem getting into ANY DO program. I challenge anyone to find an example of an individual who didn't make some sort of bigoted remark during his/her interview that had these stats but didnt' get into an osteopathic medical school.

 

[dr.kicia]

I like you dr. kicia, so please don't take this as a hostility but...

🙄 A 45 MCAT, 4.0 GPA would be an auto-accept at at least a few schools... but that's not very relevant to the situation at hand anyway.

What you NEED for a decent chance at admittance to some DO school if applied widely...

GPA: 3.0-3.3+
MCAT: 24+

What you SHOULD HAVE to be considered competitive at DO Schools:

GPA: 3.3-3.6+
MCAT: 27+

These are ballpark estimates, but this is what I've foudn to be true.

Throw in some good EC's that distinguish you from the crowd that also pertain to medical experience...interesting DO shadowing PLUS a DO LOR and/or hospital volunteering PLUS a LOR from the Director of Volunteer Services... etc.

The EC's are important to most normal candidates. If you have a 40+ MCAT and a 3.7+ GPA, you won't have a problem getting into ANY DO program. I challenge anyone to find an example of an individual who didn't make some sort of bigoted remark during his/her interview that had these stats but didnt' get into an osteopathic medical school.

i guess i sounded a little like my b/f's mom trying to make a point with a total exaggeration😉

 

[Dr.Inviz]

this person should not apply for the 2007 cycle. im just leaving it at that. period.

 

[cubbbie]

I have seen good ones and bad ones. I recommend doing what I did: Ask as many premed advisors as you can find what their advice is. See if there are recurring themes. See what makes sense. Find out why they say what they say.

I've also gotten really bad advice from premed advisors. A lot of med schools have their own counselors who will talk to prospective students. That would probably be a better bet.

Also, to the OP -- are you considering applying MD? Or are you certain about DO? The only reason I ask is because if you are considering MD, I would say retaking the classes would be a waste of time unless they were the pre-reqs.

 

[caduceus27]

hi
i think you can try but i think not defintley this year. i remember the first time i put up my thread on SDN everybody was pretty much telling me that i can not do it. i used to have a GPA like a 2.7. i got C's in most of my freshman and sophomore science classes . but i knew i would not be able to bring up my GPA to what i want it to be so i transferred from the school i was in and started a new GPA. sure i cannot erase the past but the point is to show the person looking at the application that those previous grades was just a fluke. my GPA now is a 3.4 cumulative which i think is not good enough but im not done yet. my goal by the time i apply that my GPA would be 3.7. so my advice if you have time and money dont give up. try to prove those old grades are not who you really are. good luck. 🙂