what are my chances at DO schools?

[UBCvan]

hey guys,

I'm Canadian and want to apply to some DO schools and wanted to know what you guys think?

overal GPA: 3.85
science GPA: 3.88
MCAT: 18 (BS 8, PS 8, VR 2)
MAJOR: biochem and I have 2 semesters to go (i finish in summer)

EC's:
volunteer over 700 hr in pharmacy
volunteer over 100 in ER hospital
2 semester volunteered in research lab
have done a lot of Tutoring for students with disability
presidents for 2 clubs at my school
a lot more (i have a lot of ECs)

i know with the mcat of 18 i wont go anywhere but I'm retaking it. so I think i can pull off a 10 on BS and 10 on PS and a 4 (maybe 5) on verbal. that'll get me a 24-25 MCAT.

do you think i have a chance at DO schools with that mcat and especially verbal? (also consider I'm considered international)(there's no DO schools in Canada)

what about Caribbean MD? I don't even have to retake mcat and I can apply to start in September, whereas for DO I have to wait a year.

Thanks for inputs,

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[LateBl00meR]

A 2 on the verbal and you're aiming for a 4 or 5? What's going wrong there?

You need to get an 8 or a 9 in verbal and should be able to with practice. Everything else looks fine but I would seriously work hard to get a 27+ on that MCAT then your will be fine for DO schools. Get a copy of Kaplans MCAT prep or Examkrackers Verbal.

 

[J ROD]

Retake the MCAT!!

 

[Stratego]

International applicants can gain admission to US DO schools. I heard of applicants getting into DO schools with a 6 in verbal, but not lower than that. Maybe someone in the PreMed-Osteopathic Forum can be more helpful as to the lowest they've seen accepted. You've been so successful in school that you should have confidence that you can eventually deliver a competitive verbal score. Your ECs look great.

 

[rockaction]

A 4 or 5 is going to fly just about as well as a 2 would. Shoot for a 7 at least on verbal.

Like other posters have said, get you some EK. Work those things till your eyes bleed. Then you'll be in good shape

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Some DO schools I've heard are quite international-friendly, so you should have a shot at those. You definitely have to raise that verbal, though! Your MCAT score is absolutely the only thing holding you back, as I'm sure you know. Your ECs are great and your GPA is fantastic.

Do you know exactly why you're having such a problem with the verbal score? I'm assuming English isn't your first language, just because that's the only reason I can think of for your verbal to be so low. I'd honestly suggest trying to get a private MCAT tutor for a while, even though they can be blasphemously expensive. But even with a 4-5 verbal I think your chances are slim. If your first language isn't English, most schools will cut you some slack, but you should aim to get at least a 6 or 7.

 

[UBCvan]

Some DO schools I've heard are quite international-friendly, so you should have a shot at those. You definitely have to raise that verbal, though! Your MCAT score is absolutely the only thing holding you back, as I'm sure you know. Your ECs are great and your GPA is fantastic.

Do you know exactly why you're having such a problem with the verbal score? I'm assuming English isn't your first language, just because that's the only reason I can think of for your verbal to be so low. I'd honestly suggest trying to get a private MCAT tutor for a while, even though they can be blasphemously expensive. But even with a 4-5 verbal I think your chances are slim. If your first language isn't English, most schools will cut you some slack, but you should aim to get at least a 6 or 7.

yes English is my second language.

i studied over the last summer for 3 months. I had very good improvements on PS and BS...i used to get 10's on these two sections...but on the real exam, i ran out of time and couldn't finish the last two passages. I know these two sections aren't my problems though.

for the verbal I used EK 101, I did the first half of the book and the highest I got was a 7. I got 5 twice. and mostly a 4. I have no idea why I got a 2 on the real thing. As i went on with the EK, i noticed no real improvement trends, I got a 7 today and a 4 tomorrow.

I have problem with fully understanding the passages within the short time given.

 

[rockymhs]

yes English is my second language.

i studied over the last summer for 3 months. I had very good improvements on PS and BS...i used to get 10's on these two sections...but on the real exam, i ran out of time and couldn't finish the last two passages. I know these two sections aren't my problems though.

for the verbal I used EK 101, I did the first half of the book and the highest I got was a 7. I got 5 twice. and mostly a 4. I have no idea why I got a 2 on the real thing. As i went on with the EK, i noticed no real improvement trends, I got a 7 today and a 4 tomorrow.

I have problem with fully understanding the passages within the short time given.

As a person with English being my second language, I totally understand your hardship. Learning a laguage completely different from your original tongue is so difficult.

How long have you been speaking English? Perhaps, your short period of exposure may be the biggest problem.

The only suggestion I can offer is to study hard for MCAT and retake the test. I think that is the only way since no school will accept 2 as a valid score for even touching your application.

You still have about 8 months before a reasonable date for MCAT, so practice taking as many verbal passages as possible.

I suggest Princeton Review's passages since they reflect MCAT questions most accurately in terms of difficulty.

I was tricked into believing that Verbal section was going to be the easiest section when I picked up an overly easy set of test questions.

I ended up not studying the section, and when I started taking practice exams few weeks before the actual MCAT, I realized I was in deep trouble.

So, practice using those questionaries you can buy and take actual MCAT practice tests offered my AAMC as soon as possible. However, also note that they are a bit easier than the real thing.

And good luck!