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Jewbacastein said:
I just had a devastating cycle and I have only one WL spot that might come to fruition, though I think it is unlikely. The rank list has not been released yet so there is still hope (DO). My question is if I can get my applications submitted this week for smps will I be too late or unlikely to be successful IDK if I can handle another gap year or the rejection. I did a DIY transcript repair cause I failed out of school twice before 12 and 8 years ago. So I have 3.8 my last 70 credits of upper-division science. I have a 516 MCAT and a 3.28 SGPA and 2.99 non-science and a 3.14 OA GPA. I am planning on applying for PNWU's in Yakima and RVU in Denver, those are really the only two cities that work for my wife and child. Anyone willing to give me an opinion because I have no experience with SMPs in general. I thought my MCAT post-bac and DO and MD shadowing with limited clinical and like 400 hours of volunteering would be enough to garner success with DO, but it looks like I am a bad judge of these things. I don't want to give up on becoming a doctor but I am really feeling down so if anyone thinks this is a likely to succeed plan for this upcoming class I need encouragement. @Goro idk if this is your specialty, but you have given me so much good advice so far that I would love some more. Should I apply for SMPs at MD schools as well and if so am I too late for those programs?
Can I use my PS from Med school apps and letters of Rec or do I need my writers to retool them for SMP?
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Based upon my SMP, you have plenty of time. I always recommend applying for SMPs given at medical schools. Go for the cheapest one, and one that is one year in length.

Do NOT use your PS for med school because you're NOT applying to med school. LORs also need to be retooled, like it or not.
 
Not too late at all. This is the time when most apps really get done when general rejections are sent out after interview season. Also I think most schools know that you are applying after a difficult app season so check to see if you can use the letters sent from AACOMAS. They have all your info so except for the primary app for the program you should be complete. Good luck!
 
Jewbacastein said:
how do they need to be retooled? In the current crisis, I doubt I could convince my physician LOR writers to spend the time necessary to adjust mine. If I crush it and maintain another high MCAT and I interview well what else can stop me. I have limited paid clinical work but I have 300 hours of it and almost 400 volunteer hours.
I am so close to just moving to my wife's home in Sweden and doing something else. I don't want to give up but I am so close.
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Just have them change "medical school" to "graduate school".

BUT, you do NOT need a doctor's letter, at least for my program.

The PS has to be redone because the prompts are different
 
GPA of 3.14 and 516 MCAT with no DO acceptance, did you apply to newer schools?
 
I did well in an SMP with a sub 3.0 GPA and a 508 MCAT. I’m surprised you didn’t get more love
 
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Jewbacastein said:
I have some red flags, but largely over a decade ago. I did apply to some newer schools but most of my apps were complete in Nov. which seems to be the problem. I only applied to 11 DO schools. My state DO school basically laughed me out of their office that I thought I would be able to be accepted, alone interviewed and implied I could not handle the academics. which was especially annoying because they did not even read my references from my teachers saying I was the top of their classes with graduate students. Would it be better to just retake the MCAT and apply to DO schools or try the SMP route, I think I could score 520+ on the MCAT but if a 516 didn't get any bites I don't see how scoring higher will help. My state school said even if I got a 528 they would not be interested in me :/.
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516 is a high score to beat and if for some reason you score below 516, it will make your life much harder than it currently is. Do not retake. How severe were your red flags?
 
Jewbacastein said:
13 years ago when I was 19 I had a DUI charge, it was dismissed and I Was not convicted, but the applications are vague enough that I felt disclosure was the correct option. I was young and didn't understand the kind of effect Xanax would have after a friend gave me a near-lethal dose my first and only experience with recreation pharmaceuticals. I had no idea that I would get that impaired nor did I understand it while it was happening. Of course on my explanation of the events, I simply owned it. Regardless of how it happened the decisions I made are mine to live with and I thank god every day that no one was hurt by my actions.
This was my only criminal encounter and I took full ownership of it. This is serious no doubt, but I and many I had talked to expressed that such a young mistake with no repetition was forgivable, but I am beginning to believe that I was foolish to assume I could overcome it. The school I interviewed at viewed it in this manner and was not concerned with it, but after talking to the admissions director at my state school they felt I would be unmatchable. Mind you this is not a conviction and my record was wiped and if I choose to pursue having the charges wiped there will be no record of it. It was a selfish horrific mistake that is not indicative of me or my character, but we must own our actions and accept the consequences.

My MCAT expires this year so retake is the only option. The first test I only studied for 45 days and was the primary caregiver to a newborn at the time, so I am fairly confident that improving my score will not be that difficult. tests like the MCAT are kinda my thing I have a near-perfect SAT, and I have also worked as an MCAT test-prep tutor in the meantime. It sucks that I screwed my life up so hard when I was young because I think I would be very successful in medical school. I have always wanted to be a physician and wanted to do something that helped those struggling in my community, but it looks like I torpedoed my chances. I am trying to come to terms with this and move on, but giving up on my dream is so difficult. I am even considering the Caribbean because my wife is a Swedish national and I should have a decent chance of practicing in Europe but the debt load seems prohibitive. I am really doubtful my WL will turn into an A, but I will find out my rank in May and they have avg. movement of 30-35 people a year so I'm not sunk yet.
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Man, I am so sorry for your predicament. If what your state school said is true, SMP won't help you at all since they are concerned about your inability to match, not your ability to get through medical school.
 
Jewbacastein said:
I don't think it's true I think it was just an admissions counselor with an axe to grind, she behaved very unprofessionally to me. First, she began criticizing me based on an application that was not mine, when I informed her she was mistaken she got flustered and started to ramble that since my personal statement has missed a comma that she believed I Was unprofessional. Then admitting to me that she had not read any of my references before dismissing my application or our meeting I think says more about her than anything.

She said that they had a student who was top of the class who had a dui who had trouble matching. I doubt the student's offense that she was referring to was 17 years in the past as mine would be for the match and I doubt that his charges were dismissed like mine. I could be wrong, but most physicians I have talked to, some who run residencies, we're confused by what she said. As well as the school that I am WL at not thinking it is a problem. IDK maybe I am wrong and not getting into school is a blessing in this way, but I think my case has a great deal of uniqueness compared to her example. I don't know for a fact though. While I have ambitions to match into EM I would be super happy for family medicine and have no problem working rurally so I would not be that picky in the match, but this is all speculation I appreciate your sympathy it truly has been an awful experience and has truly taken me from happy and hopeful to sad and deflated. This change in my core has recently made me want to just move on for my family's benefit because I am becoming bitter.
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Retake the MCAT and enroll in SMP, which would maximize your chances. I am sure you know this already but do not even consider Caribbean.
 
Jewbacastein said:
I just had a devastating cycle and I have only one WL spot that might come to fruition, though I think it is unlikely. The rank list has not been released yet so there is still hope (DO). My question is if I can get my applications submitted this week for smps will I be too late or unlikely to be successful IDK if I can handle another gap year or the rejection. I did a DIY transcript repair cause I failed out of school twice before 12 and 8 years ago. So I have 3.8 my last 70 credits of upper-division science. I have a 516 MCAT and a 3.28 SGPA and 2.99 non-science and a 3.14 OA GPA. I am planning on applying for PNWU's in Yakima and RVU in Denver, those are really the only two cities that work for my wife and child. Anyone willing to give me an opinion because I have no experience with SMPs in general. I thought my MCAT post-bac and DO and MD shadowing with limited clinical and like 400 hours of volunteering would be enough to garner success with DO, but it looks like I am a bad judge of these things. I don't want to give up on becoming a doctor but I am really feeling down so if anyone thinks this is a likely to succeed plan for this upcoming class I need encouragement. @Goro idk if this is your specialty, but you have given me so much good advice so far that I would love some more. Should I apply for SMPs at MD schools as well and if so am I too late for those programs?
Can I use my PS from Med school apps and letters of Rec or do I need my writers to retool them for SMP?
Click to expand...
Unless your MCAT is going to expire before you apply do not retake your MCAT. Without looking it up I estimate you scored at 90%+ on the MCAT, you won't benefit from trying again. Apply to SMP's that have a direct linkage, I prefer ones where they have guaranteed acceptances pending meeting a specific metric. There are a few MD and DO schools that have these programs. As for LOR's and PS, it really depends on the SMP. Some you literally just have to cut the PS and add a blurb as to why you want to do the SMP, and others are worded where you have to rewrite the whole thing. Some SMP's accept your medical school LOR's, others want one specifically for the SMP.

I will say though, some DO schools are pretty expensive and might not be worth staying in the area if they are going to cost twice what another school would have cost, assuming financials are the reason you focus in those two cities.
 
Please look it up at my school's SMP program. I applied to both TUCOM and Heritage SMP and got accepted at both but I chose TUNCOM. I'm a OMII and I'm glad I chose TUNCOM over Heritage. In my year of SMP 60% students went to to PA rote and 40% went to DO. That was my best decision to choose TUNCOM for SMP. Its pretty much linkage program as along as you have ~3.5 gpa from SMP and over 500 MCAT. Ask me anything about my school. I would say shoot an email to my school.
Have you not applied to TUNCOM DO?
Do not take MCAT unless you have too.

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Jewbacastein said:
I applied to TUNCOM DO, but I think I was too late as I moved into committee right before corona and then never heard back. I will contact them tomorrow, but unless they are inviting fort a MAy interviews IDK
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I just received II from TUNCOM a few days back so they are still sending them out.
 
Jewbacastein said:
Don't get my hopes up.... if I still have not received a formal rejection from DO schools is there still a chance for more II? Obviously TUNCOM is, but are they running abnormally late? This is my first DO cycle so getting used to the altered timeline. I thought Nov. was a fine time to submit, but I am kicking myself for not applying to DO in the summer and just realizing that I had no chance for MD. My stupidity has cost me my chance at both 🙁.
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Take a look at this thread.

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