Early Admission

[DGatewood]

I will be an applicant next year and I wanted to know what other people thought about early admission, to either an allopathic or osteopathic school. I will probably have a 3.9 gpa, a years worth of hopital volunteer work, and around 30-31 MCAT. I called TCOM and asked about the statistics of early admission and she said something like 3 got in last year through early admissions and you have to be a very strong candidate... though she would not elaborate on what "strong" was. Do you think it would be wise to put all my faith into one school through the early admissions process? I am looking at both TCOM and UT-Southwestern very heavily as early one would be my top choice.. DO and MD doesnt matter.

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[SM-UCLA tech]

i'm just curious....how do you know that you will have a 30 or 31 on the MCAT?

 

[exmike]

Originally posted by DGatewood
I will be an applicant next year and I wanted to know what other people thought about early admission, to either an allopathic or osteopathic school. I will probably have a 3.9 gpa, a years worth of hopital volunteer work, and around 30-31 MCAT. I called TCOM and asked about the statistics of early admission and she said something like 3 got in last year through early admissions and you have to be a very strong candidate... though she would not elaborate on what "strong" was. Do you think it would be wise to put all my faith into one school through the early admissions process? I am looking at both TCOM and UT-Southwestern very heavily as early one would be my top choice.. DO and MD doesnt matter.

"probably a 3.9" "around a 30-31 mcat" ... hahaha so much speculation.

Anyways if those are REALLY your numbers you would competitive at many good allopathic schools. so whats the deal?

 

[DGatewood]

I know what I am capable of. I have around a 3.92 right now with only one year left of school. As far as MCAT, I have taken a few full length practice exams and have score around that or slightly higher. I wasn't inviting criticism with my post. I was only curious if it would be safe for me to apply early decision and have a great chance of getting in(90% or greater). And certainly a 30 is attainable if you are dedicated to studying and are naturally a strong student.

 

[ussdfiant]

Originally posted by DGatewood
I know what I am capable of. I have around a 3.92 right now with only one year left of school. As far as MCAT, I have taken a few full length practice exams and have score around that or slightly higher. I wasn't inviting criticism with my post. I was only curious if it would be safe for me to apply early decision and have a great chance of getting in(90% or greater). And certainly a 30 is attainable if you are dedicated to studying and are naturally a strong student.

You sure are brimming with confidence! As far as your comment about inviting criticism, as you post more on SDN you will find that criticism, much like my mother-in-law, will come whether invited or not.

 

[Megalofyia]

Since you are 90% sure that you'll get in why not send in your application for early acceptance and see what happens?

It sounds like you have a pretty safe bet there.

 

[exmike]

Originally posted by DGatewood
I know what I am capable of. I have around a 3.92 right now with only one year left of school. As far as MCAT, I have taken a few full length practice exams and have score around that or slightly higher. I wasn't inviting criticism with my post. I was only curious if it would be safe for me to apply early decision and have a great chance of getting in(90% or greater). And certainly a 30 is attainable if you are dedicated to studying and are naturally a strong student.

BUT WHY NOT ALLOPATHIC???

 

[SM-UCLA tech]

Originally posted by DGatewood
I know what I am capable of. I have around a 3.92 right now with only one year left of school. As far as MCAT, I have taken a few full length practice exams and have score around that or slightly higher. I wasn't inviting criticism with my post. I was only curious if it would be safe for me to apply early decision and have a great chance of getting in(90% or greater). And certainly a 30 is attainable if you are dedicated to studying and are naturally a strong student.

It's great to be confident. And I did not feel anyone was being overly critical. Just remember though that there is sometimes a fine line between confidence and flat out annoying cockiness!

It's just that you have no idea what you will score on the MCAT. Hey, maybe you'll get a 36. There is just no way to know until you take it. Many people I know got nothing like the scores they had on their full length practice exams, and those were taken only weeks before the actual exam.

I would suggest that next year when you REALLY KNOW what your stats are, then make that decision. I honestly feel that if you are strong enough to get in for early decision, then you are strong enough to get in for the regular application cycle. By not going the Early Acceptance route, you give yourself more options by being reviewed in a timely manner by all of the other schools.

Sooo.....keep a positive attitude, work your A$$ off and I hope you become a great, caring physician!

 

[Plinko]

I go to TCOM but I don't know that much about the early decision program. Can you tell me why you are interested in applying early decision? If you do achieve a 30 on the MCAT you would have the possibilty of attaining multiple acceptances, so I'm not sure why you want to limit yourself to just one school, since it will be late in the application process before you hear about whether or not you were accepted into TCOM or UTSW. At TCOM the entering class stats are typically around a 3.6 GPA and a 27 MCAT. Obviously, this fact would make you a "strong candidate." I'm assuming that you are a Texas resident becaue that will play a major role in whether or not you are accepted.

My guess is that you have strong ties to the Metroplex and you prefer to stay local. With that said, most people would choose UTSW over TCOM. There are a handful of people in my class however that did choose TCOM over UTSW. It's all about what you want for yourself in so far as your career goals are concerned: MD or DO, Family Practice or research, etc. I will also add that a 30 on the MCAT would probably not make you necessarily a "strong candidate" at UTSW, despite your high GPA; their average MCAT is something like 34.. You also have to consider that unless you attend Rice, UT-Austin, or Texas A&M (I'm listing these schools here because I assume you live and go to school in Texas) your GPA will be lowered in the eyes of the admissions committees of the schools you apply to.

Good luck on the MCAT and with whatever you decide to do during the admissions process.

 

[Giving My .02]

I might be wrong, but I don't think UT-Southwestern has an Early Decision Program. I do know that TCOM does, and if you are not a Texas Resident, yet want to go there, it is an option if you have a good MCAT and a decent GPA. I know of someone who was an out of stater that received an acceptance from TCOM with a 4.0 & a decent MCAT. However, I think you need to decide what type of medicine you want to pursue. Whether it is a DO program or an MD, remember that where you are happy is the school for you. I think highly of either of the above mentioned schools, and the rest of the schools in Texas. If you are a Texas resident, I would apply to all the schools in Texas, unless there are certain things that keep you in the metroplex location. If there are, either school would be a great option. If location is the issue, I would still apply to all the schools in Texas, and see where you interview at. You can rate TCOM and UT-Southwestern as the top choices, but you won't limit yourself to wait another application year if you are not accepted to either of the two. However, if you are planning to take the ED route, I would go with TCOM.

 

[kpax18]

Originally posted by exmike
BUT WHY NOT ALLOPATHIC???

Why not osteopathic?