Medical School Applicant

[gamecocks12]

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[Goro]

I am a third year student at a 4 Year University and I plan on attending medical school in the Fall of 2019. Below I am going to list a few of my statistics to see what some of you think about my chances of being accepted into any medical schools.
GPA-2.7
Bio 1-A Lab-B
Bio 2-B Lab-A
Ecology-C
Genetics-A
Chemistry 1-C Lab-B
Chemistry 2-C Lab-A
Psychology-D Plan on retaking in the Spring of '18
Sociology B
Math 100-F took it my first semester of college. I was undecided at the time and did not know what I wanted to do Currently have not taken MS112 or MS113. Plan on taking both in the Spring of '18
Shadowing: Neurologist in my local area (25 hours)
Attended High School in a rural area.
My GPA has somewhat of an Upward trend. Made the Deans list 2 semesters ago. Had 1 C in the Spring of '17

As of right now your app is lethal. I don't see any evidence that you can handle med school.

 

[candbgirl]

Your GPA is too low for MD and very low for DO. You have to raise your GPA to above 3.2 at least. And then maybe do a SMP. Your science grades are horrible. They don’t indicate that you would be successful in med school. You really need to take a step back and reevaluate. You won’t be anywhere near ready to apply during the upcoming cycle. It seems that You haven’t taken the MCAT and your ECs are rather weak. So all of that combined with your GPA spells little to no chance of being competitive.

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

I will have completed 63 hours after this semester and we have to have a total of 120 to graduate. So if I make all A's and a few B's and can somehow get my gpa to a 3.4-3.5 and can score decent on the MCAT do you think there is still a chance I get accepted? I appreciate the feedback by the way. I'm just trying to figure out any possible way I can still be a good applicant Any recommendations would help out too. @candbgirl @Goro

While numbers are important, dont forget EC's play an equal role. Clinical experience, non-clinical volunteering, shadowing are all very important as well. So if you can get your GPA to at least a 3.2 and score at least a 500 on the MCAT, you should have a decent shot at the newer D.O. schools. Especially being from Alabama, ACOM will be your best bet I'd assume

 

[Dr. Meliodas]

Its not just gets all A's and B's is about being able to do that in science course in particular to show you can handle the type of course you will see in medical school. I am a bit confused by your statement that you will have 63 credits after 5 semesters and you will need to get 57 in the remaining 3 semesters. Does that mean you have been taking an average of 12 credits per semester and plan on taking 19 credits per semester for these last 3 semesters?

Are you a URM?

Your best best is probably DO if you are able to bring your GPA up to a 3.2 and score at least a 500 on the MCAT as stated above. You need to work on extra curricular if all you have is 25 hours of shadowing that will not be enough. You need to get involved in your community, you need to actually be exposed to medicine through clinical experience if not no one will take you serious in what ever reason you give for why you want to be a doctor. You can still 100% make it and be a doctor but you need to get serious and show you have what it takes. If you interested in MD you could potentially do a SMP if you get you GPA up to a 3.2 and a decent MCAT. The SMP though will make or break you. You either do well and most likely get into medical school or you do poorly and ruin any chance of getting into medical school. Do not do a SMP unless you are 100% sure you will be able to excel. Your other option is to do a post bacc (formal or DIY doesn't really matter which from my understanding). Doing a year or two of straight A's and then getting a high MCAT will definitely open a few doors.

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

Thanks for the feedback. I looked at some D.O. Schools, LECOM in Florida, ACOM and VCOM in Alabama. Do you know about how many hours of shadowing, clinical experience, and volunteer I would need to help boost my chances? Thanks so much for replying to my post!

- 50 hrs of shadowing I believe is good. Make sure you spend some time with a DO in primary care, so you can get a letter of rec and understand osteopathic medicine when it is asked in interviews.

- I would say you want around 150-200 hours of clincial experience. Make sure its a position where you interact with patients. Contact your local hospital or VA. (Goro might have a better estimation of numbers).

- Definitely get around 100 hours of volunteering with underserved populations. A local homeless shelter or something along those lines will be good.

Most importantly, make sure you ace your classes from here on out and bust your a** for the MCAT. If you need to take a gap year before applying to get your ECs in order, do so, its very common.

Also, make sure youre ok with a PBL curriculum if youre interested in LECOM-B

 

[Dr. Meliodas]

Yes, I have been taking a low amount of hours each semester. But I know I need to buckle down if I still want to have a shot. I plan on taking a couple classes in the summer to help me get back on track and take the MCAT in August. I started studying October 1st so I could have plenty of time to learn the material and get the best grade I can. I didn't take my first semester serious at all and my gpa was quite embarrassing (I know it still is). But I believe I will be able to get it up some. Do you know about how many hours of shadowing, clinical experience, and volunteering I would need to help boost my chances?

You can definitely recover from your situation - it all depends on you. I know people who have recovered from your situation and are in DO and MD schools. As far as how many hours for each of those categories, I think a good baseline is what the Georgetown School of Medicine post on their website (2017-18 Guide to Application) .

They state that a competitive applicant will have around 200 hours of substantive longitudinal clinical experience (shadowing a physician, medical missions trips, scribing etc.), 100 hours of research in any academic discipline (I think the best way to get this in my experience is doing clinical research with a physician you shadow. I am currently publishing a paper that I assisted with while shadowing a neurosurgeon), and 100 hours of direct service of the underserved ( There are many ways to do this: tutoring kids in underserved neighboorhoods, volunteering at a free health care clinic for the homeless - there are plenty of opportunities you just need to look).

When you volunteer or shadow, I would suggest taking note of any particular situation you felt was particularly impactful for you. That way when it comes times to essays and secondaries you have a good memory of what happened and can better speak about your experiences. Don't forget that the quality of these experience is what truly counts.

Hope this helps, and wish you the best!

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

Alright, I feel like I have a good understanding of what I need to do now thanks to your response! I greatly appreciate the feedback you gave me!

goodluck!

 

[Goro]

What do you think I would need to do in order to become a successful applicant? I'm willing to do whatever it takes and any advice helps. I forgot to state that I am an Alabama resident. @Goro

Read this:

• Goro's Advice for DO Applicants in Absence of Grade Replacement (2016-17 cycle)

 

[Walter Raleigh]

In theory, he could become a decent MD applicant, though it'd be very difficult, based on what he's shown so far. A couple of years of 3.8+, 500 hours of hospice volunteering, and a 517+ MCAT could put him in very good shape for the MD schools that reward reinvention.