Overqualified for DO?

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Not to sound harsh, but it isn't the overqualified thing. I interviewed and was accepted to multiple DO programs with 30 ++ MCAT, fine GPA, came from top ranked U-grad, etc, etc. It's probably something else with your app. My guess would be the essays.
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nutritiontomed said:
same old stuff...
-volunteer in the ER
-shadowed 2 DO physicians and 2 MD physicians
-nursing home
-tutoring
-etc...
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With a 3.9, a 27R and with the above ECs you mentioned, you easily would've gotten interviews if you had applied earlier (unless you had red flags as stated by others). It's also very likely that you'll get an interview offer soon enough. Just be patient.

Also, to reiterate what other folks have already said.... those really arn't that phenomenal of stats. But they certainly are higher than the avg for matriculants so if the worst case scenario happens and you dont get in this round, apply early (early as in May or June) next year, and you'll most likely get in. Good Luck!
 
How many rejections do you have? Sept 7th isn't late by any means, but as someone who had everything in by mid July (secondaries included), I didn't hear from my first place until late august or early September, and didn't hear from my #1 choice until October. So it seems as if its a 6-10 week window. If you weren't complete until mid september, you got to give it some more time.

Also, just as an aside, MCAT subscores can be key. Maybe this doesn't apply but a score of 6 or below in any section often gets you screened out.
 
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Come on, guys. Cut him/her some slack. The overqualified thing does come off cocky, but this person is paranoid. S/he has apologized for it like 20 times now.

Anyway, OP, you need to look into red flags. Did you accidentally hit "yes" on criminal convictions? Did you proof read the essays? I've heard of people who get rejected for grammar/spelling mistakes. How are your LOR? Just because LECOM-B didn't ask for them since the beginning and rejected you, it doesn't mean that other schools may have gotten bad LOR. Did you attend an accredited college? Did you do your degree online?

I suggest you contact a school counselor to go over your app.
 
TriagePreMed said:
Come on, guys. Cut him/her some slack. The overqualified thing does come off cocky, but this person is paranoid. S/he has apologized for it like 20 times now.

Anyway, OP, you need to look into red flags. Did you accidentally hit "yes" on criminal convictions? Did you proof read the essays? I've heard of people who get rejected for grammar/spelling mistakes. How are your LOR? Just because LECOM-B didn't ask for them since the beginning and rejected you, it doesn't mean that other schools may have gotten bad LOR. Did you attend an accredited college? Did you do your degree online?

I suggest you contact a school counselor to go over your app.
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I agree that people responding to the OP have been going over the top a little. OP, that being said, you are NOT overqualified. Most people I interviewed with for DO schools had masters degrees, JD's, international medical experiences, etc. While your GPA is high, DO schools could fill their classes many times over with high GPA+MCAT students if they wanted. They look for more.

However, on the positive side, you are lucky in that you don't have to worry about the GPA. That's the hardest thing to change. I would spend the remainder of this year studying for the MCAT (the low BioSci score is a red flag), involving yourself in an extracurricular activity (not to pad your resume, but just to explore medicine and public health more deeply), and get more sources of outside help when working on your essay. Actually, the best help in my experience was from my premed advisor. Not because she was a good writer or anything, but she took about 30 seconds to make her decision (she told me my first "final draft" was crap - I made over ten more). A med school admissions person will not spend 5 minutes on your essay, only 30 seconds. you have to get your main points across in that short of a time period. Good luck.
 
elftown said:
I had an English/literature professor read my personal statement. I feel like it really helped and recommend you do the same.

You may also want to have someone read over the descriptions of your activities on your primary application. I wouldn't bother the professor for this task; it would probably be best if the professor focused on your personal statement. Do you have any friends who are good at writing?
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I had my AP high school english teacher help me with mine.... And so far I've had two interviews and in both they have mentioned how much my personal statement has stood out... Him and I worked over it through email and the transformation from my original to my final was unbelievable... If you have a close relationship like this with someone in the english/lit profession, I def believe it is a huge asset.... So I agree with elftown on this one!
 
ProtossCarrier said:
BS of 7 is what killed him.
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I thought that at first, but you also have to account that he's had A's in all of his biology. I think DO schools could see it as "excusable" given all his other solid stats. It had to be more than one apparent red flag or a huge one that can't be forgiven.
 
nutritiontomed said:
I'm sorry if this may sound cocky, but I came to this conclusion from this year's application. I really wanna do DO not because I cant get into MD but 'cause I would learn more in DO. However, I didnt even get ONE interview with a 3.9ish and a 27R MCAT. Are they rejecting me 'cause they think I wont join if I get accepted? And if so what do I do?
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I'll pretend you're not a troll....

Given your numbers, you are right in line for a slightly above average DO student (and a long shot from MD numbers). Despite having someone else read your personal statement, I would say you did something wrong there or in your LORs.
 
Your underqualified if anything. Go to your premed counselor and take a deep look at your application. A high GPA doesn't make up for a bad everything else
 
Something about this smells funny. OP, do you have any kind of criminal record or have you been placed on academic suspension. Yes your stats are average for DO school (and no you are not overqualified), but most schools have a little to no tolerance for things like that.
Also where are you from? A lot of schools have a regional bias (For example Ok state and Western).
 
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I'll also give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're not a troll.
First, there is no such thing as overqualified for DO schools.

If you haven't received a single invite from the schools you've applied to, it's not because your GPA and MCATs are too low or too high. Something is outstandingly wrong with your application.

Automatic invite or acceptance killers at my school are:
bad LOR
criminal record (and no, I don't mean a single underage drinking infraction in your dorm, or even a single DUI)
something is missing that's required. For example, are you sure that you have a letter from an MD or DO??? I trust you've taken all of your pre-reqs??
Your degree is from a non-accredited undergrad institution.. Don't laugh, I've seen this happen with applicants!

I'm leery of blaming an arrogant essay on your situation; but it's worth having several objective people reading it over.
 
I want to comment on a few things.

First off, obviously at this point it has been made clear that your stats are solid for DO schools and sub-par for MD schools, and so you are certainly not overqualified for DO schools.

Secondly, I think people have been way to harsh on you. If everything you said is true (that with your stats you have been rejected pre-interview from 25 schools), then it's completely understandable that you are freaking out and scrambling to figure out what went wrong.

Obviously you were wrong about thinking you might have been overqualified, but that is simply a matter of you being misinformed, there is no need for everyone to freak out on you.


I have to agree that something about your story just doesn't seem right. First, if you completed all apps sometime in Sept. I don't see how it's possible that you have already heard (and been rejected) from all 25 schools. I applied around the same time and I have only heard from 4 of the 16 DO schools to which I applied. Many schools take many many months to even respond to you, and I just don't see how each any every school has gotten back to you and rejected you in a month and a half. So do you have any insight or explanation regarding how or why all these schools responded to you so quickly when it usually takes them much much longer?

That aside, if it is somehow true that 25 DO schools rejected you with those stats, there is something terribly wrong with your application. Is there something you aren't telling us? Until we know the whole story, there is no way to figure out what is going on. What's clear is that there is something major missing from this story.
 
This thread is for suckers (me included). The founder posted last night and hasn't responded since. We've all been duped into feeling bad/angry/sorry for this person. Chances are they will not post again, and will probably just sit back and enjoy everyone who emotes for them.
 
kuanileqa said:
This thread is for suckers (me included). The founder posted last night and hasn't responded since. We've all been duped into feeling bad/angry/sorry for this person. Chances are they will not post again, and will probably just sit back and enjoy everyone who emotes for them.
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I think he was just frustrated.

But hey, don't feel bad! If he is really just a troll, at least we tried whatever we could to help him. And that's probably why we were selected as future physicians, and he is not. :)

TO OP: 1. you applied a little bit late. and 2. not enough ECs? 3. make sure they've received your LORs.
 
Someone who has a 3.9 and 27 MCAT doesn't come off as being "stable" for some reason. It's just a really weird combo. It doesn't make much sense. It's like going to a McDonalds and ordering 3 Big Macs and a diet Coke. Doesn't make sense.
 
ILikeDrugs said:
Someone who has a 3.9 and 27 MCAT doesn't come off as being "stable" for some reason. It's just a really weird combo. It doesn't make much sense. It's like going to a McDonalds and ordering 3 Big Macs and a diet Coke. Doesn't make sense.
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I disagree. They are completely different. Some people just struggle with the format of the MCAT and so they may have amazing grades but cannot do well on the MCAT. I agree that this generally doesn't happen but I know many people that have mismatched grades and MCAT scores.
 
selfhealer said:
I disagree. They are completely different. Some people just struggle with the format of the MCAT and so they may have amazing grades but cannot do well on the MCAT. I agree that this generally doesn't happen but I know many people that have mismatched grades and MCAT scores.
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Yeah I don't agree. I had a 3.87 and a 28M. My problem was that I didn't take the MCAT too seriously but as you can see, it happens.
 
Goro said:
One more thing; a BS 7 wouldn't be an invite killer at my school. I've interviewed people with a 5. However, I automatically reject those.
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Then why waste their, and your, time? Its a waste of the applicant's money and time to come to an interview if you're just going to automatically reject them. If they make it to the interview, then their test scores shouldn't matter anymore - they made it past that cut if you were interested enough to invite them to interview. It seems very irresponsible and cruel to extend invitations to applicants which you have no desire of matriculating.
 
Don't let the haters get you down; your 3.9ish GPA and 27R MCAT are very competitive.

However, I don't think that you're "overqualified" for DO schools.

nutritiontomed said:
I'm sorry if this may sound cocky, but I came to this conclusion from this year's application. I really wanna do DO not because I cant get into MD but 'cause I would learn more in DO. However, I didnt even get ONE interview with a 3.9ish and a 27R MCAT. Are they rejecting me 'cause they think I wont join if I get accepted? And if so what do I do?
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You are definitely not overqualified so don't worry about that :thumbup:

Your GPA and MCAT are not the problem. You may want to have your entire application, from essay to letters, looked at by your undergrad's pre-med advisor/committee to see if they can spot some red flags.
 
aspiringOSTEO said:
Wrong, 5 in Bio here (21 total), Go ahead and get your laughs in because nobody else thought I had a shot either. But now I have 2 acceptances and all my friends without acceptances and 28-30 MCATS are scratching their head saying WTF? Its not all about the MCAT, have good stories, know what the hell your talking about, and why you truly want to be a doctor and things will fall into place and work out.

Oh, and I had a 3.85 GPA (guess that doesn't add up either)
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2 acceptances with a 21 and a 5 in bio. Were these caribbean schools? Are you URM? Either way, you played the admission lottery and won big. Most people with your stats end up wasting their money on apps if they were brave (or foolish) enough to apply.
 
aspiringOSTEO said:
Wrong, 5 in Bio here (21 total), Go ahead and get your laughs in because nobody else thought I had a shot either. But now I have 2 acceptances and all my friends without acceptances and 28-30 MCATS are scratching their head saying WTF? Its not all about the MCAT, have good stories, know what the hell your talking about, and why you truly want to be a doctor and things will fall into place and work out.

Oh, and I had a 3.85 GPA (guess that doesn't add up either)
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Your MCAT is disgraceful considering your GPA, but you are right in that the test only plays one part in DO medical school admissions.

I would've never settled for that score with a 3.8. There was a mod on here some time ago with your gpa who took the MCAT three times, and after hitting a 28-30, had a flood of acceptances from MD and DO schools. Having lots of choice and picking the best school for you out of a big pool of options is the way to go, in my opinion

I assume your situation had something to do with timing and wanting to get through the process as quickly as possible. If that's the case I applaud you for winning big.
 
Have rejections really been going out this early? I feel like they haven't rejected anyone at any schools yet except after interviews or if they don't meet minimum requirements (assuming op met minimums).
 
USCTrojan11 said:
Have rejections really been going out this early? I feel like they haven't rejected anyone at any schools yet except after interviews or if they don't meet minimum requirements (assuming op met minimums).
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Some schools have sent out rejections, but you are right to be suspicious. The OP stated that he sent out his apps in sept. and that ALL 25 SCHOOLS have already rejected him. I just don't see how it is possible that each and every one of his schools have reviewed his app already, much less rejected him.

Again....this whole past is sketchy.
 
Okay, so your stats are exactly what mine are (even the mcat breakdown is the same). I've already had 1 DO and 1 MD interview. I also have 3 DO interviews coming up. Oh, and I have another MD interview in a month..... soooooooooo...... something else is wrong. (I completed most of my DO secondaries late Sept. and my MD secondaries late Aug) Honestly listen to the people on here. Review your entire app, call admissions at the schools you were rejected by, and figure this out. There IS a red flag in your app - maybe it's your attitude like others have said; maybe not. Either way, if you want to get in next year, something in your app needs to change, so figure that out ASAP.
 
scratch that above statement about the same mcat breakdown - I read your post too fast and thought you got a 10BS, not a 7. Either way, this shouldn't be an automatic rejection, BUT it does seem like it's on the low side...
 
ILikeDrugs said:
Someone who has a 3.9 and 27 MCAT doesn't come off as being "stable" for some reason. It's just a really weird combo. It doesn't make much sense. It's like going to a McDonalds and ordering 3 Big Macs and a diet Coke. Doesn't make sense.
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panda approves of this post.
 
krnpanda said:
panda approves of this post.
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I kind of take offense to that. How did I get a 3.9 in college? Worked my butt off. How did I "only" get a 27 mcat? Worked my butt off - twice.
 
MIAmedica said:
I kind of take offense to that. How did I get a 3.9 in college? Worked my butt off. How did I "only" get a 27 mcat? Worked my butt off - twice.
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Speaking generally since I don't know your undegrad. This is just from pure experience. many people go to jokes for ugrad. I had a buddy who had a 3.96 who expected to rape the mcat (4.0 sgpa too). Wow was he rudely awaken when he realized sonoma state didn't prepare him for it. I've seen this happen multiple times with my other friends who went to lower institutions. At my interview today, they even explicitly stated that they recognize that my schools avg was 3.0 and my work to get the gpa that I have.

Again, I'm speaking from general experience and am not saying this is your case, this is just what happens sometimes to others. I had an interview for a top 25 MD last week and everyone in the room said their school. I could just feel the sense of belittlement the one girl who said Cal State Long Beach had considering everyone else was Ivy or top 25.
 
aspiringOSTEO said:
You know what the best part of this process is? Those snobby litte pricks opinions do not matter the least bit. It blows my mind everytime I hear about this undergrad prestige thing and people trying to equate your score on the MCAT to how good of a physician you will be. Other Pre-Meds really crack me up sometimes.
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There actually is undergrad prestige but I think it counts for very little, if anything. For example, I know that UMDNJ-SOM considers your undergrad school for whatever calculation they do to figure out if you get interview, acceptance, rejection...etc.

And as everyone else is saying, there must be a redflag somewhere in your app. Probably your essays. I don't think a 7 should get you screened out at 25 schools
 
USCTrojan11 said:
Speaking generally since I don't know your undegrad. This is just from pure experience. many people go to jokes for ugrad. I had a buddy who had a 3.96 who expected to rape the mcat (4.0 sgpa too). Wow was he rudely awaken when he realized sonoma state didn't prepare him for it. I've seen this happen multiple times with my other friends who went to lower institutions. At my interview today, they even explicitly stated that they recognize that my schools avg was 3.0 and my work to get the gpa that I have.

Again, I'm speaking from general experience and am not saying this is your case, this is just what happens sometimes to others. I had an interview for a top 25 MD last week and everyone in the room said their school. I could just feel the sense of belittlement the one girl who said Cal State Long Beach had considering everyone else was Ivy or top 25.
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Um... wow. Actually I've heard the complete opposite from an MD admissions director at a top med school where I had an interview. To him my 3.9 gpa at a "lower" state institution meant more than at these so-called Ivy League schools. He said he gets tired of seeing those same people all day. And yes, that is straight from the horses mouth.

aspiringOSTEO said:
You know what the best part of this process is? Those snobby litte pricks opinions do not matter the least bit. It blows my mind everytime I hear about this undergrad prestige thing and people trying to equate your score on the MCAT to how good of a physician you will be. Other Pre-Meds really crack me up sometimes.
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Aahhh... glad to see I wasn't the only one shocked by the above statement. I mean honestly, getting a LOR from my orgo I prof out of a class of 400 obviously meant something to admissions. I stood out.

tabascosauce said:
whats that a sillouette of in your avatar? pretty picture!
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my feet are crossed against the Key West sunset :)
 
Can we just let this thread die? It was stupid to begin with and it hasn't gotten any better.
 
aspiringOSTEO said:
You know what the best part of this process is? Those snobby litte pricks opinions do not matter the least bit. It blows my mind everytime I hear about this undergrad prestige thing and people trying to equate your score on the MCAT to how good of a physician you will be. Other Pre-Meds really crack me up sometimes.
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I don't know how good a physician you will be (no test shows that), but I hope you know what went wrong with your MCAT b/c you do NEED to pass the COMLEX if you want to be a DO.
 
It's possible to be "overqualified". If the schools thinks there is 0 chance you'll end up there they have no reason to accept you. But 27 on mcat and mediocre EC's certainly do not make you into a competitive MD applicant. With regards to DO, perhaps you did not apply to enough schools? If you do more volunteering (extend your commitment) and raise mcat you'll be competitive even at MD. If you don't bother with mcat and just get feedback on your applications you'll do fine with DO. If you did get rejected, then apply early next year, get accepted early and u can go on a long vacation, travel. 1year is nothing.
 
skatertudoroga said:
It's possible to be "overqualified". If the schools thinks there is 0 chance you'll end up there they have no reason to accept you. But 27 on mcat and mediocre EC's certainly do not make you into a competitive MD applicant. With regards to DO, perhaps you did not apply to enough schools? If you do more volunteering (extend your commitment) and raise mcat you'll be competitive even at MD. If you don't bother with mcat and just get feedback on your applications you'll do fine with DO. If you did get rejected, then apply early next year, get accepted early and u can go on a long vacation, travel. 1year is nothing.
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You must have missed the part where he stated he applied and was rejected by 25 DO schools (they all somehow rejected him with 6 weeks of receiving his app).

I officially decree that this thread is based on a lie. Nothing about it makes sense.
 
selfhealer said:
You must have missed the part where he stated he applied and was rejected by 25 DO schools (they all somehow rejected him with 6 weeks of receiving his app).

I officially decree that this thread is based on a lie. Nothing about it makes sense.
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very possible. i dont like to comment on such threads. but if someone does get rejected i still think it's a great idea to call adcoms to ask for some tips. i really wish i had done that.
 
Postal said:
There actually is undergrad prestige but I think it counts for very little, if anything. For example, I know that UMDNJ-SOM considers your undergrad school for whatever calculation they do to figure out if you get interview, acceptance, rejection...etc.

And as everyone else is saying, there must be a redflag somewhere in your app. Probably your essays. I don't think a 7 should get you screened out at 25 schools
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Let me correct that. I guess with DO schools prestige doesn't matter but I've seen it help, not hurt.

However, there is a reason why you don't see crappy schools represented at Harvard Med or any other top MD school. My close friend tried to take the easy way out and went to CSU, got 4.0 and 36. Rejected instantly from all top programs, received interviews at most middle and lower tier MD and offered lots of $$$$ at two do schools that he interviewed at. I guess if you don't care about your ego or degree, which is why I assume some are applying to DO, it all works out in the end though since he'll be going to med school for free now.
 
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