Accepted but retook the MCAT. Take offer or reapply?

[musiconcerto]

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[BigBlueBear]

I would definitely take the offer. A 30/3.65 isn't really that great. Don't get me wrong, they're solid, but the fact that you're from CA and you couldn't get in with a 28 makes it seem unlikely your chances would be greatly increased because you went up 2 points.

 

[deleted480308]

Take it...don't give up a seat

 

[Catalystik]

You want to go through all that stress again?

Answer depends on how terrific your ECs are. And what if no one takes you on round two?

 

[survivordo]

Bird in hand is worth two in the bush. If you're cool with being a DO then go for it. Any extra "work" you might have to do to get into more competitive specialties will probably amount to less than the stress of another interview season.

Survivor DO

 

[Alejandro]

Well, with your mcat/gpa combo, I'd say that you're between mid-tier/lower-tier MD schools at best. That being said...I think amongst those schools, I don't think you're going to work any less harder by attending there than had you gone to a DO school. You're still going to have to rock step 1, etc etc.

Unless you're at a top tier school, I'd say that realistically step1 is like the great equalizer. Heck, even if you're at a top tier school, step1 is incredibly emphasized to destroy.

My point: doesn't matter where you go, but "What you do in med school (prepping for step 1), lives for all eternity." (Reference to Gladiator, in case you didn't get that.)

 

[Goro]

A bird in the hand....

I applied this cycle but decided to retake the MCAT this year because I hadn't heard back from any schools. My previous score was a 28 and it was severely holding me back. Got a 31 on my second try, which I am cool with because I would have a better chance for the next cycle.

Well, I recently got accepted to a DO school. I like the DO philosophy and am personally know a few DOs, so I would be comfortable going there. I know there will be fewer doors open for me - I may have to work a little harder if I choose to specialize, get into a certain residency/fellowship program, etc. So with a 31 now, should I consider reapplying? I'm a CA resident, so I'm not really competitive enough for CA schools, but do I stand a chance in general? Or should I forget this and take the offer? GPA is around 3.65.

 

[dsoz]

How much did this interview cycle cost you? Do you want to spend all that again just for the CHANCE of getting into an MD school?

You are going to be a DOCTOR! take it and run with it. If you didn't want to attend that school, why did you apply there?

Don't be the person that looks back in life and says "I wonder what would have happened if I only applied a second year to MD schools." If you do that, you will be miserable your whole life. Be proud of your degree, and be proud of your profession.

dsoz

 

[eggs13]

I was in a similar situation last year. I was accepted to a DO school with a 28 as well but got a 35 in my retake. I only applied to one DO school last minute bc I was planning on taking a gap year anyway so the application process wasn't too daunting for me. I had a higher GPA and got a 35 on my retake. Ultimately decided to reapply to 20+ MD schools and got 2 great acceptances. However, if I had only got a 31 on my retake I def would have just gone to the DO school.

 

[LaughingMan]

Take the DO.

It's a crap shoot man, if you apply next year and don't get in--you're not gonna get love from DO schools--and you'd be in a bad position.

Ultimately, no one cares. During my time at Texas Childrens Hospital, one of the physicians was a DO and no one cared. In fact, the director of our program actually recommended trying t work with him as he was apparently a popular doc.

 

[alpinism]

We'll need more info. The answer depends on a lot of factors.

When did you apply last year and to how many MD schools?
What are your ECs?
What DO school did you get accepted to?

If you're happy with being a DO it would probably be the wiser choice unless you applied late last year to only CA schools.

 

[musiconcerto]

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[xffan624]

I applied this cycle but decided to retake the MCAT this year because I hadn't heard back from any schools. My previous score was a 28 and it was severely holding me back. Got a 31 on my second try, which I am cool with because I would have a better chance for the next cycle.

Well, I recently got accepted to a DO school. I like the DO philosophy and am personally know a few DOs, so I would be comfortable going there. I know there will be fewer doors open for me - I may have to work a little harder if I choose to specialize, get into a certain residency/fellowship program, etc. So with a 31 now, should I consider reapplying? I'm a CA resident, so I'm not really competitive enough for CA schools, but do I stand a chance in general? Or should I forget this and take the offer? GPA is around 3.65.

3 points is not that big a jump and you applied pretty broadly (but a bit late) and you don't seem opposed to DO so I see no reason to not go with the DO and start your path towards a medical career. Do you really want to have to wait another year and do all those applications again?