2007-2008 "what are my chances"/"what should I do"/"where to apply" Thread

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Unknown3234 said:
Well I thought I would post mine up, just to see how you guys think things will go.

First two years of college where not good ~3.00
Last two years at University went much better ~3.85 summa cum laude
Major ~ psychology
Minor ~ public health
Overall ~3.33
Science ~3.45
MCAT V~10 P~6 🙁 B~8 L (not very happy about the L, just bombed the writing 🙁)

EC's are not that great:
Wife and 2 children
Couple of days with homes for humanity
One day in the ER
Shadowed one DO for a day
Shadowed another DO for 50+ hours
Helped to raise money for our Pre-med/AMSA

So what you guys think, how are my ECs, think my MCAT will hold me back too much. My top schools are NSU and LECOM-B.
Click to expand...

Wow...our stats are very similar. I majored in Public Health...however my overall gpa is 3.45 and my science is 3.34. I got an interview at Lecom-B coming up, so I imagine you will too! Good luck.
 
MrMattOglesby said:
here are my stats:

MCAT Score: VR 8, PS 6, BS 8, R
BCPM GPA: 3.83
Overall GPA: 3.61

Undergrad Institution: Florida International University
Major: Psychology
Minor: Asian Studies

currently holding a 3.9+ GPA after graduation in my pre-med classes

and here is my Extracurricular profile:

-volunteer referee for youth soccer
-volunteer youth soccer coach
-competed in many triathlons throughout school in miami.
-founder and co-president of wrestling club at NVC
-Collegiate Athlete on NVC soccer team
-Philosophy Club at NVC
-Volunteer Soccer coach of Intramural Soccer team at FIU (coached to championship title of league)
-Volunteer Swim Instructor with YMCA
-Assistant Swim Instructor with visiting children camps to FIU during summer months
-Philosophy club at FIU
-Psychology Club at FIU
-Judo Team at FIU (FL state novice champion 2005)
-Soccer club at FIU
-Weight room attendant at FIU
-Government Documents Mail Sorter in FIU library
-PantherStop Clerk of Barnes and Noble at FIU
-Lifeguard for two years at FIU (lifeguard of the year award)
-Volunteer with triathlon races
-Participation in Huntington's Disease Triathlon (what inspired me to race)
-Professional Note Taker at NVC (human anatomy)
-Supplemental Instructor at NVC (human physiology)
-Biotech Lab Reactor volunteer research at Solano College (open to micro and molecular bio students)
-Senator of Health Occupations at NVC (2003)
-Clinical Student Internship at Queen of the Valley Hospital (pulmonology ICU)
-Trained Emergency Medical Technician with experience from ride-alongs
Click to expand...

Definitely have a shot. Are you signed up for a re-take? I'd do that ASAP if I were you. I would have applied to more schools if I were you, but that's OK.
 
hey guys a few questions over here...
Should i retake some of my pre-req cores i got C's in chem1/2 and C/C+ in phys1/2, bio 1 C but I've gotten 1C in my upper div classes but the rest are B/B+ with a few A's. the main reason my gpa sucks is after 1st semester i had a 1.9. After that its been around 3.1-3.3 with 1 summer session with a 2.78 (took physics that summer) Do you think adcom would look favorably if i retook the C's or do you think they would prefer someone in my scenario to do a hardcore masters/smp since it would be too many retakes...my guess is the smp.masters would look better since i would be retaking too many classes but i'm not really sure...thanks for the input!

3.0cum/2.94sci
24R(10p,4v,10b) retake coming Jan08.

ECs:
prostate cancer reserach (3yrs-present)
volunteer in the ortho dept @ local hospital (1 summer)
md/do shadowing along with LORs
amsa
health clinic coordinator for my local temple
 
How in the world did you get a 4 on the VR section of the MCAT?

Too many people neglect it and don't prepare properly. It is tedious, but it makes it sooooo easy.
 
i have no idea, since i was avg between 8-10 on the aamc...i guess i just freaked out during the real verbal section and didnt concentrate. heck the 4 was lower than my diagnostic score on the verbal sect! who knows..but now i must correct it come january.
 
If you can correct that, it will obviously make the process a whole lot easier for you. I'm not going to pretend I know for sure, but based on my limited knowledge, you may be on the outside looking in right now. Especially if you are a white male.
 
TexasTriathlete said:
If you're really hot, they may not make you take the MCAT.

I took the MCAT anyway, because I wanted to improve my application.

Nobody has ever asked me if my avatar is a self-pic (which it is, thank you very much)
Click to expand...

Haha...this comment made me laugh. Thanks. I needed that. :laugh:
 
Meatwad said:
Definitely have a shot. Are you signed up for a re-take? I'd do that ASAP if I were you. I would have applied to more schools if I were you, but that's OK.
Click to expand...

im actually planning on retaking the MCAT, lord knows i need to! But this time around...ill try not to cram it into a summer with the two organic chemistry courses, english and trigonometry! I kinda messed up thinking that I could actually find time to study for that as well as prep for the MCAT...big mistake.
This time around, I will have a traditional zoology class under my belt (so ill better be able to handle all of those weird animal questions as well as a biochemistry course). I also plan to take one of those crazy expensive MCAT Kaplan courses too. I hope that does the trick and lands me at least in the mid-20s!

but here are the schools which are currently on my application right now (mind you, this application has yet to be sent in) :

  1. Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University
  2. AT Still University - School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
  3. Western University of Health Sciences / College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific
  4. Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Mare Island
  5. Nova Southeastern University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  6. Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Bradenton
  7. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - Georgia Campus
  8. Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nevada
  9. New York College of Osteopathic Medicine of New York Institute of Technology
  10. Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York
  11. Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine
  12. Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Main Campus
  13. Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine
 
Hi,

I am a virginia resident. I know about vcom, but where else could I apply?? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
I would apply to the private schools.
 
are there any other do schools in va?
 
thanks! I'm new the whole process so just figuring this out. Could u guys direct me to some link or maybe a thread where i can find basic info on how the application process works.
 
MCAT: 27P, 24Q, 29S
GPA: 3.9 from a community college
Transcripts: a little different, because I went to Evergreen State College, a school that does narrative evaluations in lieu of grades. My transcript is 31 pages of letters of recommendations.
Research: did undergraduate research in cognitive neuroscience for six months.
Extra-curriculars: Managing editor of student newspaper, student newspaper member, member of the chemistry club, put on science events in the community with the chem club, member of the kung fu club.
Volunteer: ran the indigent medications program at a local health clinic for a summer and worked with nurses and doctors to process insurance referrals. Also shadowed doctors.
Job: have been working as an in home counselor with foster children, autistic children, disabled children. Work with families to learn new, positive behaviors so that they may stay together as a family.
 
So I made a 29 on the MCAT the first time in May and I thought I could pull up my physics score and I retook it in August. I just got my score back and I did worse and got a 25. How bad is this going to hurt my chances? Which schools take the best score? And do some schools take only the most recent score?
 
disco wizard said:
MCAT: 27P, 24Q, 29S
GPA: 3.9 from a community college
Transcripts: a little different, because I went to Evergreen State College, a school that does narrative evaluations in lieu of grades. My transcript is 31 pages of letters of recommendations.
Research: did undergraduate research in cognitive neuroscience for six months.
Extra-curriculars: Managing editor of student newspaper, student newspaper member, member of the chemistry club, put on science events in the community with the chem club, member of the kung fu club.
Volunteer: ran the indigent medications program at a local health clinic for a summer and worked with nurses and doctors to process insurance referrals. Also shadowed doctors.
Job: have been working as an in home counselor with foster children, autistic children, disabled children. Work with families to learn new, positive behaviors so that they may stay together as a family.
Click to expand...


they're going to have fun reading your transcript....🙄
 
In response to your post, I am not sure exactly which schools take the best MCAT score. In my opinion, your just fine... Yes it went down, but not significantly enough to raise too many eyebrows. Your lowest is still right around avg. for DO schools. Whats your GPA? Did you get your apps in early? Those last two things are more important than going down a couple of points. :luck:
 
disco wizard said:
MCAT: 27P, 24Q, 29S
GPA: 3.9 from a community college
Transcripts: a little different, because I went to Evergreen State College, a school that does narrative evaluations in lieu of grades. My transcript is 31 pages of letters of recommendations.
Research: did undergraduate research in cognitive neuroscience for six months.
Extra-curriculars: Managing editor of student newspaper, student newspaper member, member of the chemistry club, put on science events in the community with the chem club, member of the kung fu club.
Volunteer: ran the indigent medications program at a local health clinic for a summer and worked with nurses and doctors to process insurance referrals. Also shadowed doctors.
Job: have been working as an in home counselor with foster children, autistic children, disabled children. Work with families to learn new, positive behaviors so that they may stay together as a family.
Click to expand...


That's an interesting way of doing it...That sounds kind of neat. So did you have to take the time and get to know each of the professors you had during your undergrad b/c you knew they would have to write you a letter in the end? Sounds intense.
 
I just got my MCAT scores today. Since I finally have all my stats solid, I figured I'd ask this. I'm a NY state resident, and it would be great to get into NYCOM, but it seems to be extremely competitive. I have two related questions:

1) What are my chances of getting into any DO school?

2) What are my chances of getting into NYCOM?

My Extracurriculars:

Internship in the ER - 1.5 years
Volunteer at assisted living home - 1.5 years
Research Lab Tech - 1 year
Independent Research project - Fall 2007
Physics TA - 1 semester
Dean's list since Freshman year till now.
Macy's employee - 2 years.
Certified Nurse's aide class (4 wks) and internship (12 hours).

Thanks
 
Just curious, but is the definition of a dean's list different depending on what school you go to? At my institution, we need a 3.5 for the semester and overall gpa.
 
Jpc984 said:
Just curious, but is the definition of a dean's list different depending on what school you go to? At my institution, we need a 3.5 for the semester and overall gpa.
Click to expand...

I don't think they looked at the cumulative gpa in my school. I'm not completely sure though.
 
Jpc984 said:
Just curious, but is the definition of a dean's list different depending on what school you go to? At my institution, we need a 3.5 for the semester and overall gpa.
Click to expand...

Must be, it was 3.75 at my undergrad.
 
you should compare your stats to the thread about "what are my chances"...it has lots of good info 👍
 
blahwhatever said:
I just got my MCAT scores today. Since I finally have all my stats solid, I figured I'd ask this. I'm a NY state resident, and it would be great to get into NYCOM, but it seems to be extremely competitive. I have two related questions:

1) What are my chances of getting into any DO school?

2) What are my chances of getting into NYCOM?

My Extracurriculars:

Internship in the ER - 1.5 years
Volunteer at assisted living home - 1.5 years
Research Lab Tech - 1 year
Independent Research project - Fall 2007
Physics TA - 1 semester
Dean's list since Freshman year till now.
Macy's employee - 2 years.
Certified Nurse's aide class (4 wks) and internship (12 hours).

Thanks
Click to expand...

1) Very good in my humble opinion...do you have an MDAPPS page?

2) I'm not sure about each individual school, esp. NYCOM, but I would check out others who are receiving interviews/acceptances here:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=428465

Good luck to you this cycle!
 
Well the problem is my GPA is on the lower end at a 3.19 I just started getting secondaries so I am going to get them sent out within a week of getting them.
 
Apply broadly and I think youll get in somewhere.
 
Were you looking to go to a DO school before you retook?
 
Ok, so I did not have a good undergraduate gpa - 2.45 at a state college.
Went back to school this year at a local CC, retook about 75% of the science pre-reqs for DO school, 4.0 so far(knock on wood). Took a shot at the mcat, received 27O score (10 VR 8 PS 9 BS) today.
EC's not so hot,

300+ hours of pharmacy volunteering(tech work)

2 years of ophthalmology lab tech research

100+ hours of nursing home volunteering

3 months of veterinary hospital volunteering

I was wondering if I improved my EC's, got some decent LOR's and did some shadowing, would I be a competitive applicant for DO school? Sorry about the gpa, I'm still trying to figure out how to calculate it with multiple school transcripts. Was also wondering if I should retake early level pre-reqs like chem 101/102 if I have proved that I can do well in upper level ones like organic chem. Thanks for any advice/help 👍
 
No I wasn't exactly planning on applying to DO school when I signed up for the retake. Then after talking to my advisor and researching DO I changed my mind about a lot of things and now I'm only applying to DO schools. I still thought I could do better on the MCAT but obvisouly I thought wrong.
 
Hello everyone
Im new here so here it goes.
I am trying to go to medical school MD/DO but my chances are slim to none.
to keep things simple here are my stats
currently a grad non degree student with a B.S. in medical imaging tech(MRI/CT), but no work experience. Undergrad 3.34 science maybe a little higher ~ 3.4
took the mcat 3 times
April 2006: ps 9 vr 6 bs 9. (24 O)
Aug 2006 ps 10 vr 5 bs 9 (24 O) and just recently having gone through princeton review for the summer.
in Aug 20th with ps 10 vr 6 bs 9 (25 O)
very frustrating i must say at this point 😡
currently enlisted this semester with some volunteer hours at a teaching hospital and soon to be enlisted in shadowing and volunteer at a facility predominantly run by osteopathic physicians.
am thinking about going through a 1 yr post bacc program before applying in summer of 2008.

I wanted to know from anyone out there, is that of the possibility for me in my current situation to have a shot at gaining admission at a osteopathic medical school? what are some advice from current students whom have gone through this process
thanks a bunch!!
 
radjag2005 said:
Hello everyone
Im new here so here it goes.
I am trying to go to medical school MD/DO but my chances are slim to none.
to keep things simple here are my stats
currently a grad non degree student with a B.S. in medical imaging tech(MRI/CT), but no work experience. Undergrad 3.34 science maybe a little higher ~ 3.4
took the mcat 3 times
April 2006: ps 9 vr 6 bs 9. (24 O)
Aug 2006 ps 10 vr 5 bs 9 (24 O) and just recently having gone through princeton review for the summer.
in Aug 20th with ps 10 vr 6 bs 9 (25 O)
very frustrating i must say at this point 😡
currently enlisted this semester with some volunteer hours at a teaching hospital and soon to be enlisted in shadowing and volunteer at a facility predominantly run by osteopathic physicians.
am thinking about going through a 1 yr post bacc program before applying in summer of 2008.

I wanted to know from anyone out there, is that of the possibility for me in my current situation to have a shot at gaining admission at a osteopathic medical school? what are some advice from current students whom have gone through this process
thanks a bunch!!
Click to expand...

Welcome to the board! My opinion (and it doesn't seem to be shared by many) is that medical admissions is a crap shoot. I've heard of people with lesser stats than you gain admission and the reverse. So, if you have the time and money, apply far and wide and see what happens.

Otherwise, I think you would be the perfect candidate for a post-bac program to boost your scores--though you could put the nail in your coffin if your grades are lackluster.

As it is, I think you can only take the MCAT three times without applying for special permission (whatever that means!). So, you might be stuck with your MCAT scores, but with solid performance in a post-bac, you could at least improve your GPA and science record. That might be enough to make you competitive (even then, you should apply far and wide).

Good luck.
 
radjag2005 said:
Hello everyone
Im new here so here it goes.
I am trying to go to medical school MD/DO but my chances are slim to none.
to keep things simple here are my stats
currently a grad non degree student with a B.S. in medical imaging tech(MRI/CT), but no work experience. Undergrad 3.34 science maybe a little higher ~ 3.4
took the mcat 3 times
April 2006: ps 9 vr 6 bs 9. (24 O)
Aug 2006 ps 10 vr 5 bs 9 (24 O) and just recently having gone through princeton review for the summer.
in Aug 20th with ps 10 vr 6 bs 9 (25 O)
very frustrating i must say at this point 😡
currently enlisted this semester with some volunteer hours at a teaching hospital and soon to be enlisted in shadowing and volunteer at a facility predominantly run by osteopathic physicians.
am thinking about going through a 1 yr post bacc program before applying in summer of 2008.

I wanted to know from anyone out there, is that of the possibility for me in my current situation to have a shot at gaining admission at a osteopathic medical school? what are some advice from current students whom have gone through this process
thanks a bunch!!
Click to expand...

Short answer ... yes. However, it is getting late to apply this cycle, and there are a few things that confuse me about your situation. First, I don't understand your undergraduate degree situation. Are you saying that you went to a university and received an accredited BS or that you are more of an MRI tech?? Because if that is the case, you most likely aren't going to have the pre med requirements to apply. Also, taking the MCAT three times is going to raise a few eyebrows, but with a 3.4 and a 25 is it doable??? Yes.
 
Yes i went to a university that granted a B.S. towards a career as an imaging tech, afterwards i completed all the basic reqs up to org chem 2.
 
illini04alum said:
Ok, so I did not have a good undergraduate gpa - 2.45 at a state college.
Went back to school this year at a local CC, retook about 75% of the science pre-reqs for DO school, 4.0 so far(knock on wood). Took a shot at the mcat, received 27O score (10 VR 8 PS 9 BS) today.
EC's not so hot,

300+ hours of pharmacy volunteering(tech work)

2 years of ophthalmology lab tech research

100+ hours of nursing home volunteering

3 months of veterinary hospital volunteering

I was wondering if I improved my EC's, got some decent LOR's and did some shadowing, would I be a competitive applicant for DO school? Sorry about the gpa, I'm still trying to figure out how to calculate it with multiple school transcripts. Was also wondering if I should retake early level pre-reqs like chem 101/102 if I have proved that I can do well in upper level ones like organic chem. Thanks for any advice/help 👍
Click to expand...

Your EC's are fine and since you are taking your prereqs at a cc, I assume they will still count towards your undergraduate degree. Your fine.
 
Congratulations on taking the MCAT a third time (and not dropping your score). You must truly have determination to be a physician to endure that horrible experience three times. That said, I think you have a good shot at getting into school, but you must either apply right away (i.e., today) or wait until next year. As you can see from other threads in this forum, acceptances have already begun to trickle out of schools. Select your schools carefully, write an excellent personal statement, submit a pristine application, and have rock solid letters of recommendation. It can be done; it HAS been done by some of those who have come before you.

I agree in part with Jack Daniel; the process may not be a 100% "crap shoot" (implying total randomness), it certainly has its unpredictability and potential to surprise you. Sell yourself; not your numbers or your activities. The total package is what schools evaluate. Good luck!
 
Just for the record, when I'm happy and well fed I don't think admission is completely a random process (as craps suggests), but when I'm jaded and annoyed at the world it seems an aptly held opinion. 😀

Obviously the stronger applicants have an advantage, but the process seems so arbitrary at times.

Well-fed Jack
 
Hey Radjag. I think you've got as good a shot as anyone else. My undergrad G.P.A. was 3.1 and I got a 23 on the MCAT and I'm typing to you while sitting in med school. I did have significant clinical experience and a much improved grad gpa, which may have tipped things in my favor. I would definitely apply this cylce broadly if you are able and if you don't get in, you can always apply to a postbac or reapply. Your determination should most definitely look favorably to admissions committees.:luck:
 
Yeah IMO you have a shot. I've seen people with less stats than you get admitted (though many had good EC's to fill in the gap).

It might be a little late to apply this cycle, however if you feel up to it then by ALL means apply!

If you are going to apply, apply everywhere and anywhere you can, this will give you an upper hand in contrast with others that are considering applying around the same time as you.. Good Luck...!!
 
Buckeye4life said:
Hey Radjag. I think you've got as good a shot as anyone else. My undergrad G.P.A. was 3.1 and I got a 23 on the MCAT and I'm typing to you while sitting in med school. I did have significant clinical experience and a much improved grad gpa, which may have tipped things in my favor. I would definitely apply this cylce broadly if you are able and if you don't get in, you can always apply to a postbac or reapply. Your determination should most definitely look favorably to admissions committees.:luck:
Click to expand...


Thank you so much for posting this! That is exactly where my stats are.....I really needed the encouragment!🙂
 
i got in with lower stats than you have. get your apps in asap. good luck.
 
If you take the MCAT more than once they will take the best of each section from both tests. In other words, 9bio 6vr 10phys on the 1st test and 9bio 9vr 7phys on the 2nd test = an mcat score of 9bio 9vr and 10phys.
At least, that is what Kaplan and advisers from both allopathic and osteopathic schools told me.
 
I think im gonna go DO. I got a 24 Q, 7V 8B 9P. I have a 3.7. What are guys rec's? Good enough?
 
Definitely.

With a 3.7, obviously you have a great shot at a US MD school too. You could just retake the MCAT. What attracts you to DO?
 
Iono, I like their approach. And retaking is a major pain. Do you guys think I can just apply to DO schools with those stats? Just apply broad?
 
You better than not chance for DO schools if you apply broadly. Knowing someone with a connection to a specific program that can write a letter of recommendation would really help too... that applies for most DO schools and many MD schools.

If you aren't a white male, you have a fair to good chance as an MD applicant too if you apply broadly.
 
Thanks for the help, I met with the pre-med advisor at the community college today to set up an appointment. Did not get a good first impression, as she suggested that I should not have taken any of the pre-reqs over at the cc. Instead she suggested that I get a masters to improve my chances, and that post-bac courses would have been a better idea. Hopefully I'll have a lot more time to explain my situation next week, with my old transcripts and all..
 
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