Just a few questions

[Hartman21]

Hello all. I'm interested in becoming an MD, DO, or PA, but I'm not sure if that's a realistic thing for me. I've talked to my adviser, but he was no help.

I go to a small college in Oklahoma(SWOSU), and have a cGPA of 3.48 and sGPA of 3.04(2 C's, 3 B's, 2 A's) with 74 credits. I took my freshman year at a CC branch of my school and had a 3.79 GPA. My sophomore year I moved to actual university and my first semester there I had a 2.93 from basically just partying too much(had a part time job too, but that wasn't the reason). My second semester I dropped all my classes for the same reason and decided to take the next semester off and evaluate what I really wanted to do. I got a full time job that semester at a juvenile detention center and held the job for that off semester and the following, which I got a 3.27(job really screwed me here, ended up working 50-60hrs a week and missed quite a bit of class). That summer I took a couple classes and got a 4.0. And the following fall I got a 3.36 and that's where I'm sitting now. I have also yet to do any volunteering or shadowing.

So basically, I'm asking if I have a chance of making it and what I need to do to increase those chances.

Thank you for your time.

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[Catalystik]

Hello all. I'm interested in becoming an MD, DO, or PA, but I'm not sure if that's a realistic thing for me. I've talked to my adviser, but he was no help.

I go to a small college in Oklahoma(SWOSU), and have a cGPA of 3.48 and sGPA of 3.04(2 C's, 3 B's, 2 A's) with 74 credits. I took my freshman year at a CC branch of my school and had a 3.79 GPA. My sophomore year I moved to actual university and my first semester there I had a 2.93 from basically just partying too much(had a part time job too, but that wasn't the reason). My second semester I dropped all my classes for the same reason and decided to take the next semester off and evaluate what I really wanted to do. I got a full time job that semester at a juvenile detention center and held the job for that off semester and the following, which I got a 3.27(job really screwed me here, ended up working 50-60hrs a week and missed quite a bit of class). That summer I took a couple classes and got a 4.0. And the following fall I got a 3.36 and that's where I'm sitting now. I have also yet to do any volunteering or shadowing.

So basically, I'm asking if I have a chance of making it and what I need to do to increase those chances.

Thank you for your time.

Stats-wise, you could most easily become competitive for DO med schools by retaking your lowest science grades to take advantage of the AACOMAS grade repacement policy (credits must be the same or greater on the second try) and/or by getting enough As in upper-level Bio and Biochem to raise your sGPA to, say, a 3.3 or better (average for matriculating DO students is 3.36). Your cGPA is right near the average now.

You need to stop the GPA seesawing up and down. Adcomms will want to see that you can produce consistent good grades if they're going to take a chance on you.

 

[HotandCold]

Hello all. I'm interested in becoming an MD, DO, or PA, but I'm not sure if that's a realistic thing for me. I've talked to my adviser, but he was no help.

I go to a small college in Oklahoma(SWOSU), and have a cGPA of 3.48 and sGPA of 3.04(2 C's, 3 B's, 2 A's) with 74 credits. I took my freshman year at a CC branch of my school and had a 3.79 GPA. My sophomore year I moved to actual university and my first semester there I had a 2.93 from basically just partying too much(had a part time job too, but that wasn't the reason). My second semester I dropped all my classes for the same reason and decided to take the next semester off and evaluate what I really wanted to do. I got a full time job that semester at a juvenile detention center and held the job for that off semester and the following, which I got a 3.27(job really screwed me here, ended up working 50-60hrs a week and missed quite a bit of class). That summer I took a couple classes and got a 4.0. And the following fall I got a 3.36 and that's where I'm sitting now. I have also yet to do any volunteering or shadowing.

So basically, I'm asking if I have a chance of making it and what I need to do to increase those chances.

Thank you for your time.

That's going to be a problem for any Medical school you apply to. Do that, pronto.

Your sGPA is a little too low. You need to take more classes, or if you want to be a DO, take classes over again. I agree with Catalystik, you don't want to many ups and downs on your transcript. Try to stabilize things.

You also need to evaluate your own personal desires. a PA is very different from an MD or a DO. You pratice medicine, but its significantly more conducive to a low-stress lifestyle. You'll make less money and not be able to independently practice medicine, but you (depending on what you want out of life) may be happier.

Best of luck. You can attain either DO or PA with a little elbow grease.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

That's going to be a problem for any Medical school you apply to. Do that, pronto.

Your sGPA is a little too low. You need to take more classes, or if you want to be a DO, take classes over again. I agree with Catalystik, you don't want to many ups and downs on your transcript. Try to stabilize things.

You also need to evaluate your own personal desires. a PA is very different from an MD or a DO. You pratice medicine, but its significantly more conducive to a low-stress lifestyle. You'll make less money and not be able to independently practice medicine, but you (depending on what you want out of life) may be happier.

Best of luck. You can attain either DO or PA with a little elbow grease.

DO is getting harder and harder to get into...
Just lettin' ya know Mr. Med student.

 

[Hartman21]

Yea I'm going to find a place to volunteer in the next couple weeks and currently have A's in my science courses this semester so that should increase it slightly.

Thanks for your input, it's been much appreciated.

 

[HotandCold]

DO is getting harder and harder to get into...
Just lettin' ya know Mr. Med student.

Oh yeah, I'm aware of that. And it'll eventually level out with MD statistics (for acceptances) but the fact remains that it allows one to take classes over: which is fantastic. For MD schools, it's more or less one shot, one career choice and one way. If you screw up your undergrad, retake the courses later in life and prove you're honest about your resolve for medicine, DO schools will let you in. MSU let me in. Only I'm a super traditional student so this doesn't really apply to my situation.

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Congrats! I wonder how favorable research is to DO schools?

 

[HotandCold]

Congrats! I wonder how favorable research is to DO schools?

It's important to more established DO schools. MSU has a few DO/PhD slots, and research is important to them. I think in general, it's not a "must have" as far as experience goes.

 

[ppfizenm]

Oh yeah, I'm aware of that. And it'll eventually level out with MD statistics (for acceptances) but the fact remains that it allows one to take classes over: which is fantastic. For MD schools, it's more or less one shot, one career choice and one way. If you screw up your undergrad, retake the courses later in life and prove you're honest about your resolve for medicine, DO schools will let you in. MSU let me in. Only I'm a super traditional student so this doesn't really apply to my situation.

If things keep going the way they are (larger and larger numbers of students applying every year not matched percentage wise by an increase in the number of available seats) MD stats will continue to rise as well. I can see DO stats eventually hitting the range of MD stats in the distant future but cannot see the two being equal anytime remotely soon.

 

[HotandCold]

If things keep going the way they are (larger and larger numbers of students applying every year not matched percentage wise by an increase in the number of available seats) MD stats will continue to rise as well. I can see DO stats eventually hitting the range of MD stats in the distant future but cannot see the two being equal anytime remotely soon.

What's soon? I'm talking 10-15 years. In the past 4 years or so, many DO schools' average MCAT scores have gone up 5 pts.