MD & DO What are my Chances? + gap year

[thewonderer8]

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Hello all, I just want to get some realistic advice and I would appreciate any help immensely. I graduate undergraduate school this May and then will be taking a gap year (thus, I will apply this June). Here are my stats:

GPA: 3.88
SGPA: 3.95
MCAT: 502

My plan is to retake the MCAT this May in the hopes that I will be competitive for MD at that time (as I'm sure I'm not now) but I want to get some honest input as to whether I would be competitive for DO in case the retake doesn't work out.

Here are experiences I have:

- Have done clinical hospital volunteering with a good program since Summer 2015 with patient interaction (will have around 130 hours by the time I graduate and apply)
- Have done volunteering with a sports program for small kids for 2 years and continue to do so. Have a title position here too.
- Have founded and am president of an organization on my school campus but it is media related (not anything medicine)
- Was a teaching assistant/supplemental instructor for a year for chemistry
- Did one year of research but no publications
- Did one semester of physician shadowing (an Opthalmologist)

I'm still deciding on what I will be doing in my gap year but it will be either the NIH IRTA program or a meaningful job (either biochemistry or medicine like scribing). I hope in my gap year to continue volunteering for that time as well.

I can also start shadowing a DO physician now in the hopes that I can get a recc from them by the time May comes if you all think the rest of my application is competitive. Also, if all goes well and I get a high MCAT score, do you all think the DO letter would mean a lot for applying to MD schools?

Thank you so much. Any help is appreciated.

 

[candbgirl]

You need shadowing of a doc who deals with sick people. Your shadowing of an optometrist is okay but you aren't applying to optometry school. From what I've read you really don't need a letter from a doc for MD school. But you do need a letter from a DO for many DO schools. Good luck on the MCAT.

 

[7331poas]

Pretty sure optometrist go to medical school dont they?

 

[CHoge25]

Pretty sure optometrist go to medical school dont they?

no, ophthalmologists go to Medical school and optometrist go to optometry school

 

[thewonderer8]

You need shadowing of a doc who deals with sick people. Your shadowing of an optometrist is okay but you aren't applying to optometry school. From what I've read you really don't need a letter from a doc for MD school. But you do need a letter from a DO for many DO schools. Good luck on the MCAT.

no, ophthalmologists go to Medical school and optometrist go to optometry school

Actually, he is an Opthalamologist. I wrote Optometrist by mistake. I am not sure if I would be able to receive a recommendation from him though. My plan is still to shadow a DO throughout this semester so I can get a recc when the time comes in case I need it. The reason for my initial post was to assess how well I am as of now and if I would be competitive. Thank you both for your responses.