MD & DO URM (11/11/11) 3.30cGPA 3.29sGPA, Gap Year, Strong ECs, Next Cycle APP.

[MidwestRest2016]

Been lurking for a long time; here is my info;

STATS
33MCAT 3.30cGPA 3.29sGPA (4.0 my entire senior year)
Majored in biology with a minor in public health.

EC's
200 Hours volunteering as an RA in lvl 1 ED
400+ Hours research experience in medical sciences lab, 2nd author on small publication
55 Hours volunteering in hospice, in-home palliative care
90+ Hours volunteering in Hispanic/Latino youth clinic
110 Hours working in environmental and health safety lab (not very related to medicine, but to personal health with interesting tie-in to my ethnic community)
50 Hours as volunteer in university sponsored racial and ethnic minority first year experience support group

LOR
1 from physician at teen health clinic, 2 from professors of anatomy and physiology.

CONCERNS
More than anything else, I feel that my MCAT and gpa are too low for any MD program and barely competitive for DO. I am very interested in family care and emergency medicine (I have heard that mentioning this helps). I am hispanic (of South America) and I speak Spanish fluently as it is my first language. Interestingly: my parents are both physicians, and they are both associate professors at my state medical school. Will this only hurt or help me? I also have no shadowing experience (big issue?).

I have no idea what schools to apply to. I live in the Midwest and would like to stay here knowing that my stats might not give me much of a choice in school but I am still very open to applying broadly. During this gap year I am working at a private biolab part time doing mostly data entry and solution prep, but I also plan on becoming a scribe for the ED, or at the very least volunteering there.

What are your thoughts, retake MCAT? SMP? Post-bacc? Pray to God?

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[gyngyn]

South Americans are not not considered under-represented in medicine (with some exceptions, e.g. Utah).
Language skills are useful, though.
With an upward trend, a lucky state and a good strategy, you should get interviews.

 

[Faha]

Where is your state of residence ?

 

[SpartanWolverine]

You look like a strong DO applicant and may have some luck getting a handful of interviews at state/lower-tier MD programs.

 

[MidwestRest2016]

You look like a strong DO applicant and may have some luck getting a handful of interviews at state/lower-tier MD programs.

Awesome, thanks for the reply!

 

[MidwestRest2016]

South Americans are not not considered under-represented in medicine (with some exceptions, e.g. Utah).
Language skills are useful, though.
With an upward trend, a lucky state and a good strategy, you should get interviews.

Lucky state? And would applying early be the most important part of a good strategy?

 

[gyngyn]

Lucky state? And would applying early be the most important part of a good strategy?

ND (47.6% IS matriculation), SD (35.6%), IN (34.3%)...
A well researched list of a sufficient number of schools and early well-written secondaries are elements of good strategy.
Consider the 3 Puerto Rican schools that accept mainlanders too.

 

[MidwestRest2016]

ND (47.6% IS matriculation), SD (35.6%), IN (34.3%)...
A well researched list of a sufficient number of schools and early well-written secondaries are elements of good strategy.
Consider the 3 Puerto Rican schools that accept mainlanders too.

Thanks for the input! Also, are there more resources than just the MSAR that can help me make a list of schools?

 

[gyngyn]

Thanks for the input! Also, are there more resources than just the MSAR that can help me make a list of schools?

The MSAR is the only reliable data. It is gathered from centrally collected data (not school-reported).
US Snooze reports what is purported to be acceptance data that is given to them upon request by the individual schools.