Hi everyone,
I’m new to this forum and would appreciate any guidance on what you think my chances are of getting into an MD or DO program, and what I should focus on in the next few months.
I’m new to this forum and would appreciate any guidance on what you think my chances are of getting into an MD or DO program, and what I should focus on in the next few months.
| Metric | Value | Notes |
| School/Degree | Florida International University (FIU), B.S. in Biological Sciences | Graduated Cum Laude (05/03/2025) |
| FIU Cum GPA | 3.640 (official transcript) | Achieved Dean's List for 4 semesters. |
| Calculated GPA (SDN Calculator) | transcript GPA is 3.64 --> cGPA: 3.46 / sGPA: 3.45 | Used --> AMCAS/AACOMAS GPA calculator |
| MCAT | Not yet taken | Scheduled for January. |
| Course Issue | Received a D in Organic Chemistry I (CHM 2210) in Spring 2023, but successfully repeated the course and received a B+ in Fall 2023. This D was forgiven by the school's GPA policy but will be included in the AMCAS/AACOMAS GPA calculations. |
| Type | Activity | Hours | Notes |
| Clinical Experience (Paid) - Scribing | Urgent Care (2 companies) | ~700 hours | 5 months with the first company, 2 months with the second. Saw minor procedures (e.g., suturing). |
| Clinical Experience (Volunteer) | Hospital Emergency Department (ED) Volunteer | ~100 hours | Roughly 4 months of experience. |
| Research | Undergraduate Research Assistant (RA) in a Neuro Lab (Unpaid) | ~800+ hours (1 year, 1 month) | Non-paid position. |
| Research (Publication) | Publication from a course-based project | N/A | Helped annotate a novel bacteriophage. |
| Shadowing (International) | Medical Mission Trip (DR) & Surgeries (Home Country) | ~60 hours | 50 hours shadowing surgical doctors in the Dominican Republic (DR), where I saw laparoscopic, appendectomy, spinal, and ortho/trauma surgeries. ~10 hours shadowing in my home country. |
| Shadowing (Domestic) | None yet | 0 hours | Focused on Scribing/Research, but this is a clear area for improvement. |
| Non-Clinical Volunteering | Cemetery | Just starting | Will be logging hours and continuing this. |
| Extracurricular/Hobbies | Growing trees, Fishkeeping | N/A |
Key Concerns & Questions
- Scribing/LOR Issue: I left the first scribing company (where I worked mainly with one doctor) without saying anything, approximately 3 years ago, after my parents made me quit due to me failing organic chemistry (the Orgo D). Is it too risky to reach out to that doctor for a Letter of Recommendation (LOR) now?
- GPA Discrepancy: My school's official GPA (3.64) is significantly higher than the AMCAS/AACOMAS estimated GPA (3.45/3.46) due to the forgiveness policy on my repeated Organic Chemistry I grade. How bad is the sub-3.5 sGPA/cGPA going to be for MD/DO schools?
Overall Concern
I'm very worried about my current standings. Please give me any advice on what I should focus on for the next few months. I plan to apply in the upcoming cycle. Hopefully this MCAT comes back good, so I can move onto focusing other things. I'm not picky, I just want to get accepted into any US based medical school (I want to avoid the Carribeans due to personal family members having a rough time there). Thank you for reading this and any advice you guys offer me.
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