Average cumulative GPA, but super low science GPA. Should I avoid applying to MD schools at all costs?

[lillybb]

Note: I have not taken the MCAT yet! But if anyone can put down a score that I should at least try to aim for... that would be great.

My cumulative GPA is 3.56, and my science GPA is a 3.25 for AMCAS and 3.33 for AACOMAS.

Do you think having killer ECs for a gap year or two (1 year dedication with hospital volunteering, nonclinical volunteering, and patient exposure... plus a good amount of shadowing hours) and a decent MCAT would be enough to get admitted?

I have struggled to get a leadership position and meaningful research (the only research I have is from a chem 1 class project).

Thanks guys!

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[doctorosteo]

Note: I have not taken the MCAT yet! But if anyone can put down a score that I should at least try to aim for... that would be great.

My cumulative GPA is 3.56, and my science GPA is a 3.25 for AMCAS and 3.33 for AACOMAS.

Do you think having killer ECs (1 year dedication with hospital volunteering, nonclinical volunteering, and patient exposure... plus a good amount of shadowing hours) and a decent MCAT would be enough to get admitted?

I have struggled to get a leadership position and meaningful research (the only research I have is from a chem 1 class project).

Thanks guys!

 

[doctorosteo]

Science GPA could be red flag which partially could made up by really high mcat. Just 1 year of EC could be a problem If you are traditional candidate because it just looks like your cramming in last minute and checking boxes. Schools like commited consistent Meaningful EC over all 4 years of your undergrad. Leadership not necessary , it’s just a plus. Just from doubts I am hearing from you, I would not apply until you feel comfortable because reapplication sounds like a real pain. I repeated this many times : applying to med school has to be deliberate nonrushed planned process with minimal doubt because the big R can be really demoralizing

 

[doctorosteo]

If you apply . Concentrate on DO schools and all your in state MD schools. If you are URM can broaden to more MD schools if you can give them a unique background story

 

[lillybb]

Science GPA could be red flag which partially could made up by really high mcat. Just 1 year of EC could be a problem If you are traditional candidate because it just looks like your cramming in last minute and checking boxes. Schools like commited consistent Meaningful EC over all 4 years of your undergrad. Leadership not necessary , it’s just a plus. Just from doubts I am hearing from you, I would not apply until you feel comfortable because reapplication sounds like a real pain. I repeated this many times : applying to med school has to be deliberate nonrushed planned process with minimal doubt because the big R can be really demoralizing

I'm not a traditional candidate. I'm currently in my last year of college now, and I was thinking about taking 2 gap years. For my years in college I didn't really focus on strong extracurriculars because I was confused on what I really wanted to do and I felt discouraged. Do you think mentioning this to admin would be enough? And what about if I completed over 150+ hours in a span of 2 years?

 

[doctorosteo]

MCAT score score DO 510
MCAT MD 515+
if URM can be lower

 

[lillybb]

MCAT score score DO 510
MCAT MD 515+
if URM can be lower

I have indian ancestry so I'm considered Asian

 

[doctorosteo]

I think admins will want to know your journey to medicine and not everyone is a straight shot . They look at the miles traveled in your journey. I would agree a gap year would be good to study for mcat and bulk up EC although 150 hrs is low if 2 gap years. Don’t do EC just to do them . Find one that fits with you and you are passionate about so you can write about it in your App. Talk to you premed adviser or even call a school before you apply to see if they have hard stops on science GPA. If they feel it’s a issue do post bac to boost gpa. Hope this helps. I am going through this anxiety producing app process now and it’s not for the faint hearted

 

[Shotapp]

MCAT score score DO 510
MCAT MD 515+
if URM can be lower

Disagree that op needs a 510 to have a chance for DO.

+500 for new/newer DO schools. 505 and up for more established.

@Faha

 

[doctorosteo]

Disagree that op needs a 510 to have a chance for DO.

+500 for new/newer DO schools. 505 and up for more established.

@Faha

I stand corrected on DO but holding firm on MD needed MCAT

 

[Faha]

The GPA-MCAT grid shows you have a 50% chance for a MD acceptance with a MCAT in the 508 to 510 range. 500 is adequate for the newer DO schools and 505+ is competitive for most DO schools

 

[vanillawafer]

You are pretty competitive for DO schools. MD schools can be a stretch depending on what your MCAT would be. If you score around 507-510 you could probably get in somewhere for MD. Depending on the DO school you could fall 500-507 to be competitive. Lower end scores are ideal for new schools, but it's always safer to get into more established schools, which means scoring higher.

Make sure not all of your extracurriculars are not jumbled up into one year - especially if you havent done anything else the last 3-4 years of college. That can be a little off putting if you have no resume for your time in college and still had a mediocre GPA.

edit: I meant to say NOT jumbled up in one year.

 

[Goro]

Note: I have not taken the MCAT yet! But if anyone can put down a score that I should at least try to aim for... that would be great.

My cumulative GPA is 3.56, and my science GPA is a 3.25 for AMCAS and 3.33 for AACOMAS.

Do you think having killer ECs (1 year dedication with hospital volunteering, nonclinical volunteering, and patient exposure... plus a good amount of shadowing hours) and a decent MCAT would be enough to get admitted?

I have struggled to get a leadership position and meaningful research (the only research I have is from a chem 1 class project).

Thanks guys!

You're fine for DO with those GPAs, but lethal for MD, unless you have a massive rising GPA trend.

Killer ECs for MD would be military service, Peace Corps, Americorps, or TFA

 

[lillybb]

You are pretty competitive for DO schools. MD schools can be a stretch depending on what your MCAT would be. If you score around 507-510 you could probably get in somewhere for MD. Depending on the DO school you could fall 500-507 to be competitive. Lower end scores are ideal for new schools, but it's always safer to get into more established schools, which means scoring higher.

Make sure not all of your extracurriculars are jumbled up into one year - especially if you havent done anything else the last 3-4 years of college. That can be a little off putting if you have no resume for your time in college and still had a mediocre GPA.

I really didn't do much in college.
I worked a retail job for 4 months, and was a member for a premed club for a year.
The issue with that being I didn't have a car to easily transport and was really overwhelmed and not motivated with the courses + rocky relationship with my bf + grandpa's death. I know saying all of that is not an excuse but I wasn't as dedicated to doing ECs during undergrad. I'm currently a senior and was planning on starting now and taking 2 years to dedicate myself to ECs + MCAT. I may not do post-bacc because it's too expensive.

Do you think I still got a shot for DO even though I don't really have EC experience during undergrad?

 

[vanillawafer]

I really didn't do much in college.
I worked a retail job for 4 months, and was a member for a premed club for a year.
The issue with that being I didn't have a car to easily transport and was really overwhelmed and not motivated with the courses + rocky relationship with my bf + grandpa's death. I know saying all of that is not an excuse but I wasn't as dedicated to doing ECs during undergrad. I'm currently a senior and was planning on starting now and taking 2 years to dedicate myself to ECs + MCAT. I may not do post-bacc because it's too expensive.

Do you think I still got a shot for DO even though I don't really have EC experience during undergrad?

I wouldn't say a post-bacc is necessary if you are trying to go to DO school with your gpa. I wouldn't really recommend it for MD either - you still have a pretty good GPA. As long as you have no failing grades (or you already retook them) then you should be fine. 1-2 years is a great time to work on your application. I would try and find opportunities ASAP so you can get your feet wet and get some resume experience! You also have a whole year where you can still work on your GPA! Shoot for A's, you can do it!!! Don't be like me and get a bunch of bad grades! It will bite you later down the line.

Since you're already a senior, I think one gap year is fine - I would apply next year if you get some good experiences down. Try to shoot for being an officer in clubs, or try to get involved in some research. There are also virtual volunteer opportunities that you may be interested in. I was a Crisis Counselor volunteer for Crisis Text Line which is completely remote, but it is a little more of a mental strain if you can't handle it. See if you can find anything online for the time being, volunteer-wise!

Sorry for your grandpa and the relationship stuff. I think if you had a hard time during undergrad that is definitely explainable and nobody will negate your experiences! Keep your head up high.

You should be fine for DO once you have some volunteer opportunities, shadowing, and some other extracurriculars and get around 505 on your MCAT. Your senior year should give you a year of experience plus your gap year (you can include future extracurriculars/jobs/volunteer hours on your application). I would apply next cycle if you can start getting experience asap!

 

[lillybb]

I wouldn't say a post-bacc is necessary if you are trying to go to DO school with your gpa. I wouldn't really recommend it for MD either - you still have a pretty good GPA. As long as you have no failing grades (or you already retook them) then you should be fine. 1-2 years is a great time to work on your application. I would try and find opportunities ASAP so you can get your feet wet and get some resume experience! You also have a whole year where you can still work on your GPA! Shoot for A's, you can do it!!! Don't be like me and get a bunch of bad grades! It will bite you later down the line.

Since you're already a senior, I think one gap year is fine - I would apply next year if you get some good experiences down. Try to shoot for being an officer in clubs, or try to get involved in some research. There are also virtual volunteer opportunities that you may be interested in. I was a Crisis Counselor volunteer for Crisis Text Line which is completely remote, but it is a little more of a mental strain if you can't handle it. See if you can find anything online for the time being, volunteer-wise!

Sorry for your grandpa and the relationship stuff. I think if you had a hard time during undergrad that is definitely explainable and nobody will negate your experiences! Keep your head up high.

You should be fine for DO once you have some volunteer opportunities, shadowing, and some other extracurriculars and get around 505 on your MCAT. Your senior year should give you a year of experience plus your gap year (you can include future extracurriculars/jobs/volunteer hours on your application). I would apply next cycle if you can start getting experience asap!

Yeah, I'm not going to apply next cycle because I lack a majority of the ECs and I know for a fact you shouldn't rush these things, and appear to just fill in the checkboxes. In my post I was saying hypothetically if I were to get all of that in the span of senior year + 1-2 gaps years if that would be enough for DO/MD.

Thanks for the advice!

Edit: and the GPAs that I listed there are the highest that I can get unfortunately. All of this is hypothetical with the best I can get

 

[Damson]

answer to question is yes. high mcat high mcat

 

[lillybb]

answer to question is yes. high mcat high mcat

How high would you say?

 

[Damson]

~511