Anybody ever applied to D.O school without Bachelors

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Calidoc2b

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I currently finished with all my pre req classes and i read there are some D.O schools that accept students without Bachelor degrees. Does anybody know anybody that has done this?

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There are some schools, MD and DO, that say that you can matriculate without a bachelors degree, but very few people actually matriculate without one. The only cases I know of personally were people who were just a class or 2 shy of their BS.

Key: don't plan on getting into med school this way. figure on completing your degree.
 
DrMom said:
There are some schools, MD and DO, that say that you can matriculate without a bachelors degree, but very few people actually matriculate without one. The only cases I know of personally were people who were just a class or 2 shy of their BS.

Key: don't plan on getting into med school this way. figure on completing your degree.

Hey now - I got in with only an associates degree - of course I had graduated several years prior to re-starting school and had a successful career before applying..

but yes, it CAN be done - not to say it should be done. Most schools require only 90 credit hours, the MCAT pre-requisites, and the MCAT before they will allow you to matriculate. I received only one refusal letter based on the fact that I did not have a bachelor's degree (from UPENN - an Ivy League school who explicitly requires a bachelors) - I was offered interviews everywhere else I applied (MD and DO) and accepted to my top choice (TCOM).

I think the fact that I had A DEGREE, rather than only the required 90 hours and prerequisites and had been out working for several years is what made the difference. I WOULD NOT recommend applying after having only met the minimum required hours - I don't think it would be looked upon very favorably.

just my $0.00000002 <-- that's about all it's worth :)

jd
 
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BTW - when was your graduation that you are a "Newly Minted DO?"

I don't graduate until this saturday :scared: :D (confused - don't really know which to feel)

CONGRATULATIONS!!

jd
 
Calidoc2b said:
I currently finished with all my pre req classes and i read there are some D.O schools that accept students without Bachelor degrees. Does anybody know anybody that has done this?


Actually, one of my friends from undergrad got in without a bachelor's degree. She had just over the 90hrs and also had all her pre-reqs done. If you know yourself and know what you want, they will let you in. The school in Kansas City is a good school and are very inviting to all applicants (for the most part). That friend of mine is now in the top 25% of our class! If you feel like you're supposed to be here...GO FOR IT!! Most of what you learn that last year...if you've gotten the meat out of the way, may not be important to you once in med. school. In any rate, if you want more info or need any help at all, PM me!
Good luck and God bless!
 
DeLaughterDO said:
BTW - when was your graduation that you are a "Newly Minted DO?"

I don't graduate until this saturday :scared: :D (confused - don't really know which to feel)

CONGRATULATIONS!!

jd


Last Saturday. :) It is very nice to be done, but it feels really wrong when someone calls me Dr. Enjoy your time on Saturday!!!

And please note that in my earlier post I didn't say it couldn't be done...just that one shouldn't count on getting in this way.
 
Calidoc2b said:
I currently finished with all my pre req classes and i read there are some D.O schools that accept students without Bachelor degrees. Does anybody know anybody that has done this?

It happens all the time. You have nothing to lose. Go ahead and do it.
 
DrMom said:
There are some schools, MD and DO, that say that you can matriculate without a bachelors degree, but very few people actually matriculate without one. The only cases I know of personally were people who were just a class or 2 shy of their BS.

Key: don't plan on getting into med school this way. figure on completing your degree.

There is a current rising MS-IV at OSU-COM who only completed 3 years of college, and was a full 2 semesters shy of earning a degree.

My current primary care physician also only attended 3 years of college.

I believe that the OP has nothing to lose in applying earlier.

(A common excuse is money, but this is a "drop in the bucket" for a physician's salary.)
 
The fact that some people get in this way (which I acknowledged in my first response) still doesn't mean that someone should count on getting in this way. The OP can certainly try and may succeed, but if he doesn't get accepted without the BS, it doesn't mean that he won't easily get accepted later with one. The vast majority of those matriculating into medical school do have degrees, despite the fact that there are multiple schools that technically only require 90 credits.

Just like everything else in your med school app, you want to present yourself in a way that makes the school want to accept you over other qualified candidates. We do that with grades, ECs, LORs, personal statements, etc...and completing degrees. Just like some people get in with a few less-than-stellar grades or minimal ECs, some get in without a degree, but just like you can't count on getting into medical school without any ECs, you can't count on getting in without a degree. That doesn't mean that the OP can't or shouldn't try applying this way, just that they should realize that this is a long-shot rather than a sure thing.
 
I agree with the majority of posters... of course there are exceptions to every rule, but not having a degree may be an extra hurdle you have to overcome if you apply without one.

It can be done, it has been done, but it's a lot more rare than the other way around. And, not every school will take the application of someone without a bachelors degree (or who will not have one by the time of matriculation).

Again, it can happen. I have a friend who took his MCAT's the same year he matriculated. It was a matter of having an awesome application, a spot that opened up at the last minute, and other random bits of fortune... which just a verbose, anecdotal way of saying that every rule has exceptions.

You just won't know if those exceptions apply to you until you try!! If all your ducks are in a row, and you're ready to go, go for it and see what happens!

:luck: Best of luck! :luck:
 
i had a student tour guide once that said he went straight to college when he was 16 withought a high school diploma..i thought that was really cool :)
 
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