MD & DO What are my chances?

[Daphne7]

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Hello, I am a first time applicant here and I was wondering if I could get a selection of which target schools to apply to? I was thinking mostly DO schools, although I would not be opposed to MD recommendations, if any. I am planning to apply this upcoming cycle. Here is my breakdown:

Instate NY
ORM
sGPA: 3.47
cGPA: 3.5
The biggest red flag in terms of my GPA would be sophomore year second semester, when I got a C in Orgo II and multidimensional calc, and B- in biochemistry. I got overconfident, and not only signed up for too much, but also some other unforeseen circumstances made it even harder to manage that semester, which really dropped my GPA down. I also have a B- in physiology, which is probably not good. Otherwise, I have a relatively upward trend and most of my science classes i have a B+ to A range.

MCAT 506(126/129/125/126)

BS in Microbiology/Immunology
Top 30 school

TA/workshop leader for 4-5 classes(Biology, genetics)
4-year division 3 varsity athlete - captain

Volunteering hours:
~200 in hospital
Spent a summer as a scribe in the ER
~50 in a clinic in underserved area

Research:
1000+ hours [sadly no publication yet 🙁], mostly in a virology lab.

Will have strong LORs regarding my academics, leadership, and teaching ability from various fields

Shadowing:
~70 hours total, will probably be getting one from a DO.

I would very much appreciate any and all input on schools, as this is my first time.

Thank you!

 

[Stagg737]

Hello, I am a first time applicant here and I was wondering if I could get a selection of which target schools to apply to? I was thinking mostly DO schools, although I would not be opposed to MD recommendations, if any. I am planning to apply this upcoming cycle. Here is my breakdown:

Instate NY
ORM
sGPA: 3.47
cGPA: 3.5
MCAT 506(126/129/125/126)

BS in Microbiology/Immunology
Top 30 school

TA/workshop leader for 4-5 classes(Biology, genetics)
4-year division 3 varsity athlete - captain

Volunteering hours:
~200 in hospital
Spent a summer as a scribe in the ER
~50 in a clinic in underserved area

Research:
1000+ hours [sadly no publication yet 🙁], mostly in a virology lab.

Will have strong LORs regarding my academics, leadership, and teaching ability from various fields

Shadowing:
~70 hours total, will probably be getting one from a DO.

I would very much appreciate any and all input on schools, as this is my first time.

Thank you!

Worst part of your app seems to be your GPA. It's low, but it's not a killer by any means for DO (or some MDs). Any upward trend from freshman year? MCAT is good for DO, but low for MD. Apply broadly to DO schools (I'd say 15 minimum) and you'd likely have a decent shot of getting at least a few interviews. You can also shoot for some MD schools, but I think your odds there would be lower (could be wrong depending on the school though).

Some critiques: Your volunteer hours aren't bad, but also aren't outstanding. Wouldn't hurt to add a few more, they don't need to be clinical as it seems like you've given yourself decent exposure in that aspect. The other thing some people may ask is why you don't have a publication or posters with that many hours of research. Having that many hours is really solid, but they may wonder if you're exaggerating, just hanging out in the lab, or if you're just not really motivated to add to academia. I'm not saying any of that is true, but it may be asked. Are there any publications in the works or ways you can put a poster together and present if before you apply? Doing so would certainly help and may mitigate some of those questions.

 

[Daphne7]

Worst part of your app seems to be your GPA. It's low, but it's not a killer by any means for DO (or some MDs). Any upward trend from freshman year? MCAT is good for DO, but low for MD. Apply broadly to DO schools (I'd say 15 minimum) and you'd likely have a decent shot of getting at least a few interviews. You can also shoot for some MD schools, but I think your odds there would be lower (could be wrong depending on the school though).

Some critiques: Your volunteer hours aren't bad, but also aren't outstanding. Wouldn't hurt to add a few more, they don't need to be clinical as it seems like you've given yourself decent exposure in that aspect. The other thing some people may ask is why you don't have a publication or posters with that many hours of research. Having that many hours is really solid, but they may wonder if you're exaggerating, just hanging out in the lab, or if you're just not really motivated to add to academia. I'm not saying any of that is true, but it may be asked. Are there any publications in the works or ways you can put a poster together and present if before you apply? Doing so would certainly help and may mitigate some of those questions.

I was planning on doing a poster/senior defense this coming spring, but since it is still in the works, I had not mentioned it. I also have a slight upward trend from freshman year, other than a sophomore semester that really bombed my GPA. With the way my lab is, the publications come out somewhat slow. Some of it could certainly be my fault in not trying enough in lab, but there doesn't seem to be too much I can do at the current. My current project will most likely be in a future publication but it will be 1-2 years from now, after I have submitted my application.

 

[Stagg737]

I was planning on doing a poster/senior defense this coming spring, but since it is still in the works, I had not mentioned it. I also have a slight upward trend from freshman year, other than a sophomore semester that really bombed my GPA. With the way my lab is, the publications come out somewhat slow. Some of it could certainly be my fault in not trying enough in lab, but there doesn't seem to be too much I can do at the current. My current project will most likely be in a future publication but it will be 1-2 years from now, after I have submitted my application.

Do the poster/presentation if you can, as it shows some actual interest in being involved in academia and not just sitting around in some lab. You can mention the publication stuff at interviews, people understand that not all research pans out but you want to be able to show you were actually putting the work in and you know what's going on. Overall you're not a stellar applicant, but you're by no means bad either. Do what you can to keep improving your app and apply smart. I'll leave what schools you should actually apply to for those with better knowledge about the specific schools, as my knowledge is outdated at this point.

 

[Daphne7]

Do the poster/presentation if you can, as it shows some actual interest in being involved in academia and not just sitting around in some lab. You can mention the publication stuff at interviews, people understand that not all research pans out but you want to be able to show you were actually putting the work in and you know what's going on. Overall you're not a stellar applicant, but you're by no means bad either. Do what you can to keep improving your app and apply smart. I'll leave what schools you should actually apply to for those with better knowledge about the specific schools, as my knowledge is outdated at this point.

Okay, thank you for your input!

If anyone has input on schools though, that'd be awesome! 🙂

 

[Faha]

You are competitive for all DO schools so apply to at least 10 and you should receive several interviews. For MD schools I suggest these:
Albany
New York Medical College
All 4 SUNY's
Vermont
Quinnipiac
Drexel
Temple
Jefferson
George Washington
Oakland Beaumont
Western Michigan
Rosalind Franklin
Creighton
NOVA MD
any new schools that may open for 2019 (Seton Hall, Roseman, Kaiser)

 

[Daphne7]

Thank you Faha! As for the red flags in my application, should I purposefully try to explain that when I am applying or is it more acceptable to wait and see if they mention it later on?

 

[Faha]

Thank you Faha! As for the red flags in my application, should I purposefully try to explain that when I am applying or is it more acceptable to wait and see if they mention it later on?

If it comes up in an interview you can explain then.