Where should I apply and chances of getting in anywhere?

[Johnnybegood90]

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Hey everyone I just need a little bit of help from people that may have a clearer idea on the process of getting into medical school. This is my second time going through the application process. I am in instate applicant in Missouri.

I attended the University of Oklahoma with a GPA of 3.72 and science GPA of 3.92.
I am in Masters school for biomedical sciences at the University of Missouri, 4.0 GPA and receiving significant laboratory experience which I didn't have before.
MCAT-29 (8V,10B,11P). Took it two other times. First time (9,9,9). Second time (10V,10B,9P).
70 hours medical volunteering.
100 hours shadowing.
100 hours non-medical volunteering.
I am published in 1 paper, and 2 abstracts.

Anyone have any idea on how to buff up my application before I submit in early or late may. I understand there is not much I can do at this point but any tips/insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[chemguy79]

Looking at MD and/or DO?

 

[Catalystik]

Hey everyone I just need a little bit of help from people that may have a clearer idea on the process of getting into medical school. This is my second time going through the application process. I am in instate applicant in Missouri.

I attended the University of Oklahoma with a GPA of 3.72 and science GPA of 3.92.
I am in Masters school for biomedical sciences at the University of Missouri, 4.0 GPA and receiving significant laboratory experience which I didn't have before.
MCAT-29 (8V,10B,11P). Took it two other times. First time (9,9,9). Second time (10V,10B,9P).
70 hours medical volunteering.
100 hours shadowing.
100 hours non-medical volunteering.
I am published in 1 paper, and 2 abstracts.

Anyone have any idea on how to buff up my application before I submit in early or late may. I understand there is not much I can do at this point but any tips/insight would be greatly appreciated.

Any leadership or teaching to mention? Does the shadowing include DO or primary care docs.

 

[prowd2beloud147]

I would ask myself what did I do wrong this cycle, because from the looks of it your stats should have gotten you acceptance somewhere.
Did you apply late?
Did you not apply to enough schools?
Did you apply to "safe" schools?
If you got an interview, did you not come across genuine?
Were your paragraphs and personal statement vague?


To me, this seems like an easy fix. Just figure out what to change and you should get in somewhere MD or DO.

Good luck

 

[Johnnybegood90]

Hey everyone, thanks for the quick responses. This site has some really great people on it. To answer all of your questions. I applied to MD only last time but now I am going to apply to a few DO schools on top of probably around 12-15 MD schools. My last application I limited myself to only 6 schools(don't know why my advisor didn't tell me that was a no-no, but also my fault for not doing enough research). I didn't and haven't shadowed any DO or primary care docs. If that is important I will make it a priority for sure within the next few weeks before I apply. I was never told to do this. I did apply late (submitted my primary in early september and it took close to 2 months to process). I didn't have a "safe" school, I applied to Mizzou, SLU, Creighton and then three out of state public schools(mistake). When I interviewed at Mizzou I don't think it went very well when I looked at it retrospectively. I am genuinely interested in medicine but some of my responses may have come off wrong because I tend to be very blunt and not beat around the bush. I've had extensive help on making my application look better including the personal statement. I don't have any super recent leadership roles in organizations. I volunteer for BBBS and I have my Eagle Scout. I don't have any classroom led teaching experiences but I am a personal tutor and have logged 70 hours doing that in 3 years. If you all need any more information, let me know. Thank you for all the help.

 

[Catalystik]

I didn't and haven't shadowed any DO or primary care docs. If that is important I will make it a priority for sure within the next few weeks before I apply. I was never told to do this.

What specialties have you shadowed? Do you have a shadowing LOR (which many DO schools want)?

 

[Johnnybegood90]

What specialties have you shadowed? Do you have a shadowing LOR (which many DO schools want)?

I have shadowed Cardiology, infectious Disease, ICU, ER, and oncology. I did research and shadowed the cardiologist and I will be receiving a LOR from him.

 

[Catalystik]

Some DO schools require or strongly recommend a DO LOR. Have you checked the requirements of those DO schools you'll target? And schools that aim to produce primary care docs would likely want you to have a view of medicine from the trenches in an office-based setting. You can kill two birds with one stone with the right doc.

 

[Johnnybegood90]

Some DO schools require or strongly recommend a DO LOR. Have you checked the requirements of those DO schools you'll target? And schools that aim to produce primary care docs would likely want you to have a view of medicine from the trenches in an office-based setting. You can kill two birds with one stone with the right doc.

When you say "a view from the trenches", what exactly do you mean? So I should should a primary care DO? I'm set up to shadow a primary care MD already but I don't know if at this point I would be able to shadow a DO in the time frame I'm working. I really would like to submit my application as soon as possible, or do you think that is unnecessary to do it May 1st, when it's released?

 

[Catalystik]

By "a view from the trenches" I mean getting acquainted with medicine as it's practiced before a patient is referred to a specialist for a problem. This includes longitudinal care, where the same patient is seen back over and over with time to monitor their health and manage simpler problems.

As far as a DO letter, some DO schools are fine with an MD letter. I just don't want you to get caught short not knowing if your local/favored DO schools might be one of them, or not. If you already have a primary care MD lined up, then it's fine to shadow a DO specialist, if you even need to for the sake of a letter.

 

[Johnnybegood90]

By "a view from the trenches" I mean getting acquainted with medicine as it's practiced before a patient is referred to a specialist for a problem. This includes longitudinal care, where the same patient is seen back over and over with time to monitor their health and manage simpler problems.

As far as a DO letter, some DO schools are fine with an MD letter. I just don't want you to get caught short not knowing if your local/favored DO schools might be one of them, or not. If you already have a primary care MD lined up, then it's fine to shadow a DO specialist, if you even need to for the sake of a letter.

Ok, thank you for all of your help Catalystik. I will set up to shadow the primary care doc and I will work on getting a shadowing opportunity lined up for a DO physician. Any other pointers on my application?

 

[Catalystik]

You might see if your career center provides mock interviews on tape. They often have good pointers on polishing yor interview style.

 

[Catalystik]

Some DO schools require or strongly recommend a DO LOR. Have you checked the requirements of those DO schools you'll target?

This thread is a good starting point for you. You might ask about specific schools of interest to you that aren't mentioned: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/do-schools-with-no-required-do-lor.1062772/

 

[bball4]

Any leadership or teaching to mention? Does the shadowing include DO or primary care docs.

Is OB/GYN considered primary care?

 

[gyngyn]

Is OB/GYN considered primary care?

It often is. If it is the office practice of a generalist, it is primary care to a significant degree.