DO What are my chances? DO - MCAT 24, Sci 3.6 GPA

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Jamie407

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Hi!

Looking for your honest opinions and recommendations if I should apply to certain schools. I did OK on the sciences section, but messed up on verbal. I am a native English speaker, it was just a bad day and a rough section!

I am 28 years old, non-traditional, so would prefer not to have to wait another year if i can help it...

Below are my results...

B:10 P:10 V:4
Sci GPA: 3.61
Cumulative 3:32 (I had a messy first couple of years when I started higher education 10 years ago! Last few years has been much better.)

I have a degree in Music, and will have a second degree in biology by the end of spring 2014.

Applied to:

LECOM - Fl
LECOM - PA
NOVA
WVSOM
Pikeville
LMU
VCOM - VA
VCOM - SC
Touro - NY
ATSU - AZ

Any recommendation of other schools I should have applied for, please don't hesitate to shout out!

Thanks so much for any feedback and opinions. I really appreciate it.
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You are not going to get any ii with that 4 on verbal. Native English speaker or not. However, you have no excuse scoring that low being a native speaker (forgive my bluntness). Dedicate the next four months to the mcat, score 28+, apply Day1 and you should get ii's from nearly every place you applied to.

Good luck!
 
He is correct. A 4 is way too low. And if you take a few practice verbal sections, you should have no problem bringing that score up. At the beginning of my practice exams I was scoring 3s and 4s on verbal. After the 5th practice exam I was scoring 8s and 9s on the verbal section. Just practice, bring it up, and you will have no problem getting into many schools, MDs as well. Good luck.
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
You are not going to get any ii with that 4 on verbal. Native English speaker or not. However, you have no excuse scoring that low being a native speaker (forgive my bluntness). Dedicate the next four months to the mcat, score 28+, apply Day1 and you should get ii's from nearly every place you applied to.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

THIS IS NOT TRUE!!! OP and anyone else with low VR, please disregard this.

I would add ACOM, LUCOM, KCOM, and MUCOM to your schools. The 4 may slightly limit your opportunities, but you should still get in somewhere.

Anecdote, but FWIW: Someone recently got ii from ACOM with 3 VR.
 
Ignoring User3. Please use the money you would to take a prep course or get a verbal tutor.
 
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Hi and thanks for the prompt replies.

I certainly don't want to unrealistic.

My current advisor told me I had a slim chance, but i should apply beacuse of my background in music and that by being a 'non-traditional' studnet i might stand out a little as someone with a little more 'life-experience'. Does anyone know if when reviewing my application they will even get passed the VR score and as far as my credentials/life-experiences or is it just going to be a numbers hurdle that has to be overcome?

Thanks again! and blunteness is no problem at all! :)
 
Well you've already applied so nothing to be done in regards to that. However, I would not waste money on any more schools and instead would prep for an MCAT retake and plan on reapplying. Sure you have a chance this cycle, but I'd plan on next cycle.

ETA: There's a whole forum for this if you want more opinions.
 
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It's possible to get in with it... But very unlikely. A 4V will get you screened out of most schools. If you have extra cash, keep applying I guess. But raise your Verbal and get into some better school. It's a shame to struggle with applications, when you can raise it pretty easily by just practicing.
 
I agree with all the posters above. With your current stats, you might be able to into somewhere, likely at one of the new schools like Liberty. However, I see that you have the potential to get an established school. You have a good GPA and a good science score on MCAT. If you're a native speaker, you should be able to get at least 7 or 8 on verbal with some practice. Don't sell yourself short.

Good luck!
 
Jamie407 said:
Hi!

Looking for your honest opinions and recommendations if I should apply to certain schools. I did OK on the sciences section, but messed up on verbal. I am a native English speaker, it was just a bad day and a rough section!

I am 28 years old, non-traditional, so would prefer not to have to wait another year if i can help it...

Below are my results...

B:10 P:10 V:4
Sci GPA: 3.61
Cumulative 3:32 (I had a messy first couple of years when I started higher education 10 years ago! Last few years has been much better.)

I have a degree in Music, and will have a second degree in biology by the end of spring 2014.

Applied to:

LECOM - Fl
LECOM - PA
NOVA
WVSOM
Pikeville
LMU
VCOM - VA
VCOM - SC
Touro - NY
ATSU - AZ

Any recommendation of other schools I should have applied for, please don't hesitate to shout out!

Thanks so much for any feedback and opinions. I really appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Did you get a secondary from VCOM? If you did, you definitely have chance there because they screen out heavily. They usually send secondary to applicants that they have intention to invite for interviews.
 
Carl Seitan said:
Let me tell you about these things called statistics and probabilities.
Click to expand...
Lol... I think user3 drops the ball on that one... I would not use that example unless I actually see that person MCAT score.
 
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That individual stats bring an interesting discussion... There is someone in SDN with a 24 (8PS/10VR/6BS) that got an ii... Do schools really believe that someone with that score breakdown is better equipped to handle medical school materials than OP with a 4 in VR but solid science scores?
 
user3 said:
THIS IS NOT TRUE!!! OP and anyone else with low VR, please disregard this.

I would add ACOM, LUCOM, KCOM, and MUCOM to your schools. The 4 may slightly limit your opportunities, but you should still get in somewhere.

Anecdote, but FWIW: Someone recently got ii from ACOM with 3 VR.
Click to expand...

One of my good friends got in last year with a total score of 18. Yes 18. Their situation is much different than anyone else's though. There are people who get in without mcat too. With your logic, one should apply to med schools without taking the mcat because although it "may slightly limit their opportunities, they should still get in somewhere".

Original poster, it's up to you to do what you want. You can listen to user3 and toss another couple hundred bucks and hours of filling secondaries in trash or snap out of it and realize that you have no chance of getting in this year (assuming the rest of your application is average and you didn't cure cancer).
 
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Ibn Alnafis MD said:
One of my good friends got in last year with a total score of 18. Yes 18. Their situation is much different than anyone else's though. There are people who get in without mcat too. With your logic, one should apply to med schools without taking the mcat because although it "may slightly limit their opportunities, they should still get in somewhere".

Original poster, it's up to you to do what you want. You can listen to user3 and toss another couple hundred bucks and hours of filling secondaries in trash or snap out of it and realize that you have no chance of getting in this year (assuming the rest of your application is average and you didn't cure cancer).
Click to expand...
18? What was that person score breakdown? For OP it is even tougher since English is his/her first language....
 
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With a 10 in both PS and BS, I feel like you have so much potential to get a great score. I would spend the rest of the year reading novels and other pieces of hard literature to try and get that score a little higher. If you start scoring better on the verbal, you might even do better on the sciences as a result of the better reading comprehension. You may get in somewhere this cycle, but if you improve your verbal by next cycle, you'll have so many more options and be in a much better position. Good luck!
 
BestDoctorEver said:
18? What was that person score breakdown? For OP it even tougher since English is his/her first language....
Click to expand...

Can't remember, but the VR was 4, I think.

My point was that you can't use such "outliners" to draw conclusions about the competitiveness of the process. I know someone with 3.3/29 (nothing below 8) who applied in August to 8 schools. He got one ii and got rejected from that school. He is now hoping to hear back from other schools.
 
BestDoctorEver said:
Did you get a secondary from VCOM? If you did, you definitely have chance there because they screen out heavily. They usually send secondary to applicants that they have intention to invite for interviews.
Click to expand...

I would like to know this as well
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
Can't remember, but the VR was 4, I think.

My point was that you can't use such "outliners" to draw conclusions about the competitiveness of the process. I know someone with 3.3/29 (nothing below 8) who applied in August to 8 schools. He got one ii and got rejected from that school. He is now hoping to hear back from other schools.
Click to expand...

3.3/29 and only 1 interview of 8 schools? There must be some giant red flag. There are plenty of people on here with less than that who are swimming in interviews. And I haven't seen anyone on here with comparable stats but such limited success...

Where did your friend with an 18 get in and what was their GPA?
 
user3 said:
3.3/29 and only 1 interview of 8 schools? There must be some giant red flag. There are plenty of people on here with less than that who are swimming in interviews. And I haven't seen anyone on here with comparable stats but such limited success...

Where did your friend with an 18 get in and what was their GPA?
Click to expand...

Yes, the 3.3/29 has no red flags what so ever (to my knowledge). Heck, he has tons of humanitarian involvements. Also he has good exposure to research.

In regards to my friend, I can't disclose more info. You have the liberty to believe what I'm saying or call it bs. However, there are people who get into med school with all type of stats. However, if you don't have a dad that can pull strings or played a role in some major research, I recommend that you don't apply unless your numbers are within the accepted standard deviation. 3.1+/25+ with no section below 6.
 
I have a 25 mcat with 11ps, 8bs and 6 vr. I've got 5 interviews and 2 acceptances. i do have a rock solid gpa though 3.7/3.5, good ecs, lord, etc so I'm sure that helped. either way i applied to about 15+ schools.

you might have a chance, but everything would absolutely need to be stellar. additionally, a 4vrr will prob get u screened out at a fair share of schools. id retake esp if you're applying next cycle.
 
csx said:
I would like to know this as well
Click to expand...
It seems like they sometimes don't send out secondary to applicants with even good stats... Did you get a secondary from them? I have a friend who did not and he has better stats than I.
 
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BestDoctorEver said:
That individual stats bring an interesting discussion... There is someone in SDN with a 24 (8PS/10VR/6BS) that got an ii... Do schools really believe that someone with that score breakdown is better equipped to handle medical school materials than OP with a 4 in VR but solid science scores?
Click to expand...

Thanks for bringing up this point... I really have no idea how much weight schools place on VR. Some people I talk to say its the most important part of the MCAT, others say emphasis will be placed on BS/PS. I think they are scrapping VR after 2014? So it seems to be on the way out? I know I took a trial at the end of my MCAT in a social sciences section and scored in the top 25% for that, so eventually people who have potential to score high in the sciences yet poorly on verbal will become competitive!
 
VisualEvolution said:
With a 10 in both PS and BS, I feel like you have so much potential to get a great score. I would spend the rest of the year reading novels and other pieces of hard literature to try and get that score a little higher. If you start scoring better on the verbal, you might even do better on the sciences as a result of the better reading comprehension. You may get in somewhere this cycle, but if you improve your verbal by next cycle, you'll have so many more options and be in a much better position. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback and kind words. I know i'm not old, but the reason why I would prefer to get in to somewhere this cycle is purely because of my age. I will be 30 by the time school starts if I wait until next cycle. No big deal, but just would be nicer to save a year! But if it's next year; it's next year! I'll do whatever it takes to reach my goals! :)
 
csx said:
I would like to know this as well
Click to expand...
BestDoctorEver said:
Did you get a secondary from VCOM? If you did, you definitely have chance there because they screen out heavily. They usually send secondary to applicants that they have intention to invite for interviews.
Click to expand...

I have not got a secondary from VCOM yet. Good to know that it might be serious if they send one! Thanks for the info!
 
BestDoctorEver said:
When did your application get verified?
Click to expand...

Application was verified by AACOMAS a couple of weeks ago i'd say. I got an email from VCOM last week saying they had received eveything and were reviewing the application...
 
Jamie407 said:
Application was verified by AACOMAS a couple of weeks ago i'd say. I got an email from VCOM last week saying they had received eveything and were reviewing the application...
Click to expand...
You are still in the game. GL...
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
Yes, the 3.3/29 has no red flags what so ever (to my knowledge). Heck, he has tons of humanitarian involvements. Also he has good exposure to research.

In regards to my friend, I can't disclose more info. You have the liberty to believe what I'm saying or call it bs. However, there are people who get into med school with all type of stats. However, if you don't have a dad that can pull strings or played a role in some major research, I recommend that you don't apply unless your numbers are within the accepted standard deviation. 3.1+/25+ with no section below 6.
Click to expand...

There is no reason not to believe this. I have a 3.8 gpa with a 27, and I have only had one ii and one acceptance for the DO cycle. I applied to about 9 DO and 5 MD, and I already have 2 MD interviews, and was verified through AACOMAS about two weeks earlier than AMCAS. There's just no method to this madness.
 
Jamie407 said:
Hi!

Looking for your honest opinions and recommendations if I should apply to certain schools. I did OK on the sciences section, but messed up on verbal. I am a native English speaker, it was just a bad day and a rough section!

I am 28 years old, non-traditional, so would prefer not to have to wait another year if i can help it...

Below are my results...

B:10 P:10 V:4
Sci GPA: 3.61
Cumulative 3:32 (I had a messy first couple of years when I started higher education 10 years ago! Last few years has been much better.)

I have a degree in Music, and will have a second degree in biology by the end of spring 2014.
Click to expand...

Although medical schools will look at your entire MCAT composite score, a score below 8 in any section drastically hurts your chances. You should take a year, prepare for the MCAT, maybe take a few classes to help bring up your cumulative GPA, and then apply next year.
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
Just so you know, I was rejected from this school pre-interview. My stats are 3.35/28.
Click to expand...
Wow! That process is really a crapshoot... How many weeks post secondary did you get that rejection? I guess I should expect a rejection as well since it's been a month since my application was complete and I have not heard a peep.... My MCAT is a lot lower than yours.
 
BestDoctorEver said:
Wow! That process is really a crapshoot... How many weeks post secondary did you get that rejection? I guess I should expect a rejection as well since it's been a month since my application was complete and I have not heard a peep.... My MCAT is a lot lower than yours.
Click to expand...

It took me a while to get a response back from them (over a month). At the end it was a rejection through snail mail.

Don't give up hope though. From observation, it seems that this school values gpa more than mcat. Besides, the whole thing is a crapshoot as you said.
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
It took me a while to get a response back from them (over a month). At the end it was a rejection through snail mail.

Don't give up hope though. From observation, it seems that this school values gpa more than mcat. Besides, the whole thing is a crapshoot as you said.
Click to expand...

Snail mail? Incredible!
 
BestDoctorEver said:
Snail mail? Incredible!
Click to expand...

Yup. I was dumbfounded. I thought I was a shoe-in for an interview at this school since I submitted my stuff early and worked very hard on writing those essays. Oh well. I guess they thought I wasn't good fit for them.
 
BestDoctorEver said:
It seems like they sometimes don't send out secondary to applicants with even good stats... Did you get a secondary from them? I have a friend who did not and he has better stats than I.
Click to expand...

I am applying next cycle. I really want to go to this school though!!!

Jamie407 said:
I have not got a secondary from VCOM yet. Good to know that it might be serious if they send one! Thanks for the info!
Click to expand...

have you tried calling them to see where you are at and or why they slashed you?

Ibn Alnafis MD said:
Yup. I was dumbfounded. I thought I was a shoe-in for an interview at this school since I submitted my stuff early and worked very hard on writing those essays. Oh well. I guess they thought I wasn't good fit for them.
Click to expand...

Is there any particular reason why you think you may not have been a good fit for them??


Does anyone know if VCOM has some instate bias? And does anyone here have experience served underserved populations??
 
csx said:
I am applying next cycle. I really want to go to this school though!!!



have you tried calling them to see where you are at and or why they slashed you?



Is there any particular reason why you think you may not have been a good fit for them??


Does anyone know if VCOM has some instate bias? And does anyone here have experience served underserved populations??
Click to expand...

I can't think of any reason for why they rejected me other than my below average GPA.
 
Ibn Alnafis MD said:
I can't think of any reason for why they rejected me other than my below average GPA.
Click to expand...

"VCOM is arguably one of the DO schools that are not number driven these days. I believe they really look at the totality of your application--not only GPAs and MCAT score."
--> how do you feel about this quote? Do you feel, objectively speaking, like you proved yourself to be an applicant that is more than just #'s???
 
csx said:
"VCOM is arguably one of the DO schools that are not number driven these days. I believe they really look at the totality of your application--not only GPAs and MCAT score."
--> how do you feel about this quote? Do you feel, objectively speaking, like you proved yourself to be an applicant that is more than just #'s???
Click to expand...

It seems that there's been a misunderstanding. I never applied to VCOM. I was referring to SOMA. I know nothing about VCOM so I can't make any comments in that regard.
 
user3 said:
3.3/29 and only 1 interview of 8 schools? There must be some giant red flag. There are plenty of people on here with less than that who are swimming in interviews. And I haven't seen anyone on here with comparable stats but such limited success...

Where did your friend with an 18 get in and what was their GPA?
Click to expand...

Did the person with a 3.3/29 apply to both md and do schools? Straight md? Straight do?

Only if they applied to straight DO schools is the fact that they only it 1 interview surprising. Otherwise id say that sounds normal
 
orangeman25 said:
Did the person with a 3.3/29 apply to both md and do schools? Straight md? Straight do?

Only if they applied to straight DO schools is the fact that they only it 1 interview surprising. Otherwise id say that sounds normal
Click to expand...

Straight DO. It is weird. I thought that they were going to get ii's from every place they applied to, but to my surprise they didn't. Keep in mind this information is 2 weeks old. That person may have received some more ii's.
 
BestDoctorEver said:
Wow! That process is really a crapshoot... How many weeks post secondary did you get that rejection? I guess I should expect a rejection as well since it's been a month since my application was complete and I have not heard a peep.... My MCAT is a lot lower than yours.
Click to expand...

SOMA really puts an emphasis on "fit".

If your secondary aligns with their mission statement then you're a good fit for them.

I was given an interview with higher GPA but slightly lower MCAT than ibn.
 
Jamie407 said:
Hi!

Looking for your honest opinions and recommendations if I should apply to certain schools. I did OK on the sciences section, but messed up on verbal. I am a native English speaker, it was just a bad day and a rough section!

I am 28 years old, non-traditional, so would prefer not to have to wait another year if i can help it...

Below are my results...

B:10 P:10 V:4
Sci GPA: 3.61
Cumulative 3:32 (I had a messy first couple of years when I started higher education 10 years ago! Last few years has been much better.)
egree in Music, and will have a second degree in biology by the end of spring 2014.

Applied to:

LECOM - Fl
LECOM - PA
NOVA
WVSOM
Pikeville
LMU
VCOM - VA
VCOM - SC
Touro - NY
ATSU - AZ

Any recommendation of other schools I should have applied for, please don't hesitate to shout out!

Thanks so much for any feedback and opinions. I really appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Apply to Alabama (ACOM) and William Carey. I know someone who got an interview at both of these schools with a 3 verbal. Good Luck!
 
medp63 said:
Apply to Alabama (ACOM) and William Carey. I know someone who got an interview at both of these schools with a 3 verbal. Good Luck!
Click to expand...

Carey is very regionally biased.
 
medp63 said:
Apply to Alabama (ACOM) and William Carey. I know someone who got an interview at both of these schools with a 3 verbal. Good Luck!
Click to expand...
Did that person get accepted? Is that person an URM?
 
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