WAMC 502 MCAT CA ORM 3.72 sGPA For 2025-2026 cycle and beyond. Help!!

[premedz]

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So I ruined my chances this year because I didn't really do any nonclinical volunteering outside of projected hours which I didnt list on my primary, and my low mcat which I was not expecting.

I'd like some advice for next year. Or if you have anything to say about this cycle, I basically applied to 80 schools (Already rejected from 12 haha!) like a not so intelligent person because I had no idea what I was doing. It's entirely my fault though, I should have done more research.


Stats
3.9 Undergraduate GPA as a Sociology Major at one of the UC colleges
MCAT 502, ORM
2 research posters, one as first author for a research project that I made, a website platform that I developed and collaborated with a group of researchers to write content for and pre med students; presented at an international conference

1100 hours shadowing/clinical scribing hours (this was a mixed thing where I shadowed and scribed for the doctor), listed as shadowing

Didnt list any nonclinical volunteering on my app, but started over the summer full time at a food distribution center.
Continued clinical volunteering over the summer.

1500 hours research lab (first poster that was presented)

I applied to about 10 DO schools in and out of California

Hobbies
created and flew rc planes out of foamboard and other materials
programming is a hobby of mine too


Ideally, i'd like to apply to places that have to do with my nephrology related research. My research is very niche-ey in that regard according to an advisor I spoke to yesterday.


I'm honestly kind of embarrassed to even post the school list because it makes no sense at all.

Questions:
Are there any schools you absolutely would recommend applying with my stats and interest in nephrology related research? My app isnt competitive from what i've been reading on SDN.

 

[Faha]

Which DO schools did you apply to?

 

[candbgirl]

Why did you apply if you knew you weren’t ready?
You completed 80 secondaries? That seems overwhelming! Do you have a pre health advisor at your college?
Did you apply to Carle in Illinois? I have no idea of their stats but they are engineering focused.

 

[premedz]

Which DO schools did you apply to?

Thank you for your response,

I applied to the DO schools in california (WesternU COMP, CHSU, touro california) AT Still Arizona, AZCOM, Touro Nevada, RVUCOM. I will accept any advice you have on adding DO schools; I heard that D'youville is opening up a new DO school and I emailed them about a timeline! I will definitely apply there if you think it's a good idea.

Why did you apply if you knew you weren’t ready?
You completed 80 secondaries? That seems overwhelming! Do you have a pre health advisor at your college?
Did you apply to Carle in Illinois? I have no idea of their stats but they are engineering focused.

I appreciate your response,


I did not have a pre health advisor at my college. My UC had none available to me when I looked into it, and I was a transfer student. I've been out of college for 2 years now taking my pre med requirements

Yes, I was misinformed by older doctors who went through the process 30 years ago. I took advice from them, and they all said that all I needed was research and shadowing / volunteering in a clinical setting + a high MCAT, and my application was great, etc.... Obviously it's not looking into it now. This is no excuse for my mistakes, I'm just trying to provide context!!


I was expecting a higher MCAT score, hence why I thought I was ready, but unfortunately scoring 125 on every section except CARS didn't do me any favors either this cycle. I took my MCAT the day after I submitted my application.
I did not apply to Carle. I would be happy to take advice if you feel it's still worth a shot to apply this year (and submit a secondary in september haha!)


Thank you guys for your time!!

 

[Faha]

I suggest adding these DO schools to your application:
KCU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
MU-COM
UIWSOM
WCU-COM
ACOM
WVSOM
UP-KYCOM
LECOM (all schools)
PCOM (all schools)
BCOM (both schools)

 

[Mr.Smile12]

How did you finish your 80 secondaries? With appropriate caution, you could also send applications to the newest DO schools who have to fill their classes, but you must be comfortable having less of a track record to guide you moving forward in your education.

The UC schools also have a Postbac Consortium; though you might not be able to join any of their programs, many are helpful to give general application advice so you don't throw money to 80 schools.

 

[premedz]

How did you finish your 80 secondaries? With appropriate caution, you could also send applications to the newest DO schools who have to fill their classes, but you must be comfortable having less of a track record to guide you moving forward in your education.

The UC schools also have a Postbac Consortium; though you might not be able to join any of their programs, many are helpful to give general application advice so you don't throw money to 80 schools.

I spent my entire summer sitting at home writing secondaries for a few months, and the schools that had similar essays I just reused them with some modifications.

What does it mean "With appropriate caution"?

Yeah! I'd be open to looking into their postbac consortium. I think I took most of the classes I needed though..

 

[deleted1224323]

Aside from being a STEM major, we had pretty similar stats.

I'd say shoot your shot with Carle-Illinois as there are people I know who got accepted in previous years with low 500 MCATs.

For DO, try OCOM in Florida. As long as you have a solid application and a physician LOR, you should receive an II as they're hungry for 500+ MCAT applicants to boost their overall average.

Manifesting positive vibes for the both of us 🙂

 

[premedz]

Aside from being a STEM major, we had pretty similar stats.

I'd say shoot your shot with Carle-Illinois as there are people I know who got accepted in previous years with low 500 MCATs.

For DO, try OCOM in Florida. As long as you have a solid application and a physician LOR, you should receive an II as they're hungry for 500+ MCAT applicants to boost their overall average.

Manifesting positive vibes for the both of us 🙂

thank you!! would you say its too late to submit a secondary to any more schools at this point in time / it would be a waste? im okay putting in the work, i feel like the more secondaries i write the better i get at them haha

 

[Faha]

thank you!! would you say its too late to submit a secondary to any more schools at this point in time / it would be a waste? im okay putting in the work, i feel like the more secondaries i write the better i get at them haha

The DO application season is later than MD. You can submit your secondaries until November and you would not be late.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

thank you!! would you say its too late to submit a secondary to any more schools at this point in time / it would be a waste? im okay putting in the work, i feel like the more secondaries i write the better i get at them haha

Have you run your profile through admit.org? How many more schools does it suggest for you? I think you just want to go ahead and throw more money around, so it doesn't matter what we think here.

 

[deleted1224323]

thank you!! would you say its too late to submit a secondary to any more schools at this point in time / it would be a waste? im okay putting in the work, i feel like the more secondaries i write the better i get at them haha

No it would't be a waste. If you really want to be a doctor, apply broadly to DO programs and selectively to MD.

For MD, your best bet are your IS schools and more engineering-focused schools like Carle-Illinois.

Ultimately, our scores are low enough that admit.org suggests a variety of schools in Puerto Rico and Carribean MD schools - their algorithm imo is broken and flawed. A 502 is not a bad MCAT score by any means, despite being on the low end of the 500s. If schools are as holistic as they claim, good writing + experiences should go a long way. This holds even more so for DO schools.

As an older non-trad myself, there's no guarantee a higher MCAT score would help with securing an II for MD schools. I'd say shoot your shot with newer DO programs (for example, BCOM + OCOM in FL) and selectively apply to more established DO programs. Best of luck! 🙂