Trying to figure out what steps to take! Any help would be fantastic!

[airix]

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Sorry for posting twice in the last hour, but I would love to get some advice right now. I graduated from UC Berkeley with a Chem Bio major in 2013 with 2.97 and a 2.7x scigpa. After I graduated and during my career at Berkeley I did not do any volunteering or clinical work because I was not at the time interested in medicine. It wasn't until recently, a few months ago, where I really felt in tune with the medical field as it overlapped with my passions and philosophies. Now I am taking classes at CSUEB to improve my GPA this Winter quarter and also will be taking 20 more units this Spring quarter. I am currently getting all A+ in the courses and if I continue this way I will improve to a 3.15 and a 3.0x scigpa. I recently took the mcat in Jan and received a 31 9/11/11. 9 (phys sci).

Now I have a few decisions to make, I am planning to apply to CSUEB and SFSU postbacc program and EVMS, Georgetown, UC, Tufts, BU, Tulane, and RFU SMP programs in this upcoming month.

I will have at least a 3.0 at the end of the winter semester and 31 mcat.
My extracurriculars include:
Founder and executive director of one club that is now the largest club at the UC Berkeley campus and cofounder of another international mission organization. The time I spent in these clubs rack up to >1000+ hours and I did not spend much time in other activities.
I researched for 2+ years in two different laboratories in exercise physiology and microbiology.
I also did a few minor volunteering community service events through clubs like Rotaract and Berkeley Project.
I also served as Finance director and the social committee chair of an asian american association for 1+ years.
I have also been involved in dance at the Berkeley campus for 4+ years as well as occasionally teaching and performing dance at local elementary and middle schools in the community.

As you can see my extracurriculars are not extremely fantastic and I just as of today interviewed to volunteer at two hospitals nearby.

I know I realized this path to medicine late and the upcoming cycle is coming up soon, but I believe I can rack up 100+ hours of volunteering by the AMCAS submission and also shadow 50+ hours with doctors (I have already planned to schedule.)

My letter of recommendations are not fantastic, I think they will be average and will be from my CSUEB classes and hopefully from a physician I shadow.
My personal statement will in my opinion be excellent.

My question is whether I should do a Postbacc or SMP (and will I even have a good chance of getting into an SMP). Also I plan to apply to both DO and MD this cycle (30-40 different schools) and I was wondering what my chances of getting into these schools are from mid-low tiers.

Thanks for all your help, sorry for the wall of text, but I have been stressing out about this for the last few days and I am trying to figure out what pathway I should take next.

I am also Asian, Male 22 resident in CA and not URM.

 

[kingjameslbj]

Im sorry, you just said you were Asian. Obviously we know your not a urm 😛

 

[YourMD]

1. Decide whether you are ok with going to a D.O school
2. If D.O is okay make that you main focus, with that do retakes this will increase your GPA much faster and for half the cost of an SMP.
3. Apply to D.O specific post bacc just in case you don't get in this cycle. Some that come to mind are PCOM, LECOM and VCOM(no federal fin aid offered)
4. If you absolutely must go to an M.D school, you have no choice but to complete an SMP. look for programs with linkage. ie Temple, Drexel, and EVMS.
5. Great MCAT. Goodluck. You can do it!

 

[kevinus]

I think you can apply to DO schools as of now, but going MD will be tough with your GPA. Being an Asian male will work against you too.

 

[airix]

Thank you for all your advice! Would you recommend that I do anything extra with my extracurriculars and volunteering? I do feel like I am cramming everything in, but its due to my late realization of the desire to be in the medical field as well as the application cycle coming up soon. I was wondering what the chances at the linkage schools like EVMS, Drexel, Temple are with my statistics.

 

[airix]

Anyone?

 

[frosted_flake]

Take your time to build a strong application! Get a bit of clinical work/volunteering in there.
I have not applied yet, but it seems like a long, difficult drawn out process.
If you are going to do it, do it right the first time and knock it out of the park!
Good luck to you 🙂
As for chances at schools, I have NO idea! haha

 

[airix]

Hmm okay thanks!

 

[OneTwoThreeFour]

Just something to keep in mind: while post-bacc courses are tacked on to your undergraduate GPA, I am fairly confident that SMP program GPA is not.

 

[airix]

What would the difference be, would it be advantageous to do post bacc then? Will my stats even with an SMP make it difficult for me to be accepted even through linkage problems?

 

[pietachok]

What would the difference be, would it be advantageous to do post bacc then? Will my stats even with an SMP make it difficult for me to be accepted even through linkage problems?

The terminology is used a little inconsistently, but in general "postbacc" programs are for people who haven't taken their pre-med prerequisite courses, who took them so long ago their grades can't speak to their competency, or (less commonly) who are re-taking them in order to do grade replacement for DO applications. To gain admission to most reputable postbacc programs, you'd have to make a compelling argument that you were committed to re-taking a substantial # of your pre-med prereqs. If you take less than X # of courses, you will not be eligible for linkage at any postbacc programs that still offer it, and you might not be eligible to receive a committee letter in support of your application. You may not be eligible for linkage if you're retaking classes, b/c your performance is a second attempt at the material and might not be felt to reflect your true aptitude since you've seen all of it before.

SMP's are programs that are for students who have taken all of their prereqs but still need to prove themselves. This sounds like you. Rather than have you retake your prerequisites, they will have you take medical school classes to prove that you can perform at that level in spite of undergrad performance. You have to be very certain that you will perform well in these programs, b/c everybody there is extremely motivated and the courses are often graded against the med students as well as other peers who all want to be at the top of the class. Bad performance in an SMP has a good chance of keeping you out of med school.

If you do a postbacc program and retake everything, it will probably boost your GPA into the competitive range for DO, but it might not be viewed as seriously at the MD programs (which don't do grade replacement) b/c you're seeing all the material for the second time. When you are over the 3.0 mark for uGPA and sciGPA, you will escape the automatic screen at most schools, including the DO programs. You could try to apply to DO programs at that time without any further work and might be successful. Once at the 3.0, I would go to an SMP program. Good performance there will demonstrate you can do well in med school the way more undergrad classes can't and will make you competitive for either DO or MD. I also think an SMP would benefit you more with regards to your LORs, which are really important.

When applying to SMP programs (or postbacc), I would seriously consider if you could use it to get residency in a different state. No matter what you do, you're unlikely to become competitive for a CA public school, so if you can live long enough in another state to become a resident there (you have to read the legal definition wherever you're looking . . . some don't count you if you moved with the apparent intent of attending school), that might be beneficial.

Linkage programs (which I think are becoming fewer and farther between), are usually contingent upon your performance in the postbacc/SMP +/- MCAT, and sometimes some EC requirements (I'm sure some also consider your undergrad performance, but that info is all available when you apply).

 

[airix]

The terminology is used a little inconsistently, but in general "postbacc" programs are for people who haven't taken their pre-med prerequisite courses, who took them so long ago their grades can't speak to their competency, or (less commonly) who are re-taking them in order to do grade replacement for DO applications. To gain admission to most reputable postbacc programs, you'd have to make a compelling argument that you were committed to re-taking a substantial # of your pre-med prereqs. If you take less than X # of courses, you will not be eligible for linkage at any postbacc programs that still offer it, and you might not be eligible to receive a committee letter in support of your application. You may not be eligible for linkage if you're retaking classes, b/c your performance is a second attempt at the material and might not be felt to reflect your true aptitude since you've seen all of it before.

SMP's are programs that are for students who have taken all of their prereqs but still need to prove themselves. This sounds like you. Rather than have you retake your prerequisites, they will have you take medical school classes to prove that you can perform at that level in spite of undergrad performance. You have to be very certain that you will perform well in these programs, b/c everybody there is extremely motivated and the courses are often graded against the med students as well as other peers who all want to be at the top of the class. Bad performance in an SMP has a good chance of keeping you out of med school.

If you do a postbacc program and retake everything, it will probably boost your GPA into the competitive range for DO, but it might not be viewed as seriously at the MD programs (which don't do grade replacement) b/c you're seeing all the material for the second time. When you are over the 3.0 mark for uGPA and sciGPA, you will escape the automatic screen at most schools, including the DO programs. You could try to apply to DO programs at that time without any further work and might be successful. Once at the 3.0, I would go to an SMP program. Good performance there will demonstrate you can do well in med school the way more undergrad classes can't and will make you competitive for either DO or MD. I also think an SMP would benefit you more with regards to your LORs, which are really important.

When applying to SMP programs (or postbacc), I would seriously consider if you could use it to get residency in a different state. No matter what you do, you're unlikely to become competitive for a CA public school, so if you can live long enough in another state to become a resident there (you have to read the legal definition wherever you're looking . . . some don't count you if you moved with the apparent intent of attending school), that might be beneficial.

Linkage programs (which I think are becoming fewer and farther between), are usually contingent upon your performance in the postbacc/SMP +/- MCAT, and sometimes some EC requirements (I'm sure some also consider your undergrad performance, but that info is all available when you apply).

This was extremely extremely helpful! Thank you for taking the time out to write up this response, it means a lot to me. I will look more into SMP programs then and apply within the month. Thanks for the advice!

 

[candbgirl]

Why are you in such a big hurry to apply? You only decided a few months ago to pursue med school. Most applicants have been on this journey for a very long time and their applications reflect that. You stated somewhere that you feel like you are cramming everything in and that is what the ADCOMs will think too. There will probably be no clear evidence of a deep passion for medicine or a clear understanding of what a career in medicine demands. I think you should slow down. Finish grade repair , get your ECs is order and apply in June 2015.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Im sorry, you just said you were Asian. Obviously we know your not a urm 😛

At a lot of places, some Asian populations (esp. Southeast Asian) are considered URM.

 

[DokterMom]

Why are you in such a big hurry to apply? You only decided a few months ago to pursue med school. Most applicants have been on this journey for a very long time and their applications reflect that. You stated somewhere that you feel like you are cramming everything in and that is what the ADCOMs will think too. There will probably be no clear evidence of a deep passion for medicine or a clear understanding of what a career in medicine demands. I think you should slow down. Finish grade repair , get your ECs is order and apply in June 2015.

First, make absolutely sure you really want to be a doctor. Do your shadowing first and spend some real time in medical settings. Nursing homes and hospice are two areas where you should be able to begin volunteering quickly and rack up more hours. Nice suburban hospitals are full of would-be doctors buffing their applications, so can afford to string you along for months in 'pending' status. Don't die 'on hold' --

Your ECs need to show that you're well-rounded, that you can lead, and that you care about people. Your activities should also show that you know what you're getting into (ie. shadowing). You don't HAVE to volunteer at a hospital if you can show you care about people in other ways - food drives, clothing drives, tutoring, hospice, crisis hotline, etc. Trying to cram all your volunteering into the next six months will be very transparent to AdComs, and will be devalued accordingly. Your clubs and leadership at Berkeley are rather impressive actually. Are you still involved with those in any way? Or with the same type of activity/interest, even peripherally? If you can show a path from inception to leadership to graduation to ongoing involvement -- that will look good, work in your favor, and NOT read like a 'cram for med school' activity.

Then read up on DO. As has been said, replacing just a few Cs with As will do a lot more GPA-repair faster and cheaper than a post-bac. Your MCAT is already good enough for DO. If starting sooner is important, DO will allow it to happen.