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

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illini04alum said:
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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My pre-med advisor was a bit discouraging to me as well during our first couple of meetings. I explained to him my plan: grade improvement, EC's, plan for attending D.O. school (with tendency to look more at the whole picture than just stats)...eventually he saw that I was determined to do it. He ended up writing one of my LORs.

Also, I don't think it really matters if you took some of your pre-reqs at the cc...as long as you show you can handle the coursework at your present school too. I'm sure you'll be just fine. :luck:Good luck.:luck:
 
nope, thats not true in almost all cases.
 
sexyman said:
nope, thats not true in almost all cases.
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Agreed. Spoke with ADCOM at UMDNJ and they basically just look at all the scores, but focus on the highest score. Remember, there are other factors that go into reviewing an applicant other than gpa/MCAT. I think most schools will just see that 29 and be satisfied with it....it's not like the score was a fluke...no MCAT score is a fluke..you study hard, you are prepared the day you take it, yes you may get 'lucky' a few times and get a topic you are really familiar with, but in the end you earn the score you receive. Good Luck :luck::luck: and don't stress too much, not much you can do about it now (although I think you are fine).


-PlAnEjaNe
 
Institution: Elite small liberal arts college
Major: Neuropsychology
Science GPA: 3.28, Overall: 3.3
MCATS: 29Q: PS-10 BS-10 V-9

I have C's in Orgo, C's B's in intro Bio, B's in Gen Chem and A's in Physics and Calc as well as A's in upper level Bio's.
There is also a steep upward trend in my transcript.

I have LOR's from MD's ive researched with for two summers, MD's ive shadowed in the ER, as well as strong recs from physics and some other profs. I plan on shadowing a DO as well and getting a rec from my thesis advisor for my bio-oriented thesis.

Im thinking about applying to
Lecom-B (Florida)
PCOM (Pennsylvania)
NYCOM (New York)
UNECOM (Maine)
UMDNJ SOM (New Jersey)
TOUROCOM- (New York)
NovaSoutheastern (Florida)

I am just starting to apply. Ive just sent in my transcript etc. Do I have a chance at these schools? Should I apply to more schools throughout the country? My thesis advisor recommended to wait until the beginning of the next cycle and apply very early then.
 
dizzle1234 said:
Institution: Elite small liberal arts college
Major: Neuropsychology
Science GPA: 3.28, Overall: 3.3
MCATS: 29Q: PS-10 BS-10 V-9

I have C's in Orgo, C's B's in intro Bio, B's in Gen Chem and A's in Physics and Calc as well as A's in upper level Bio's.
There is also a steep upward trend in my transcript.

I have LOR's from MD's ive researched with for two summers, MD's ive shadowed in the ER, as well as strong recs from physics and some other profs. I plan on shadowing a DO as well and getting a rec from my thesis advisor for my bio-oriented thesis.

Im thinking about applying to
Lecom-B (Florida)
PCOM (Pennsylvania)
NYCOM (New York)
UNECOM (Maine)
UMDNJ SOM (New Jersey)
TOUROCOM- (New York)
NovaSoutheastern (Florida)

I am just starting to apply. Ive just sent in my transcript etc. Do I have a chance at these schools? Should I apply to more schools throughout the country? My thesis advisor recommended to wait until the beginning of the next cycle and apply very early then.
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I'd say there's still a shot for you this cycle. Your GPA is competitive for D.O. schools. Try to get that letter from a D.O. Keep in mind that math grades do not factor into the science GPA for AACOMAS/ D.O. schools. If you are determined to start school next year, then I would suggest applying more broadly (perhaps 10+ schools or so). Just my two cents. Good luck to you this cycle!
 
I took mcat last year in 2006 and scored 20.
My GPA is 3.83.
Is there any chance that i can get into any DO school in New York?
 
futuredoctor54 said:
I took mcat last year in 2006 and scored 20.
My GPA is 3.83.
Is there any chance that i can get into any DO school in New York?
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Well, there are only two schools in NY. Yes, you have a chance, but TOURO-NY's MCAT cut off is 23. Looks like NYCOM/NYIT is your top and only choice! I don't think they have a MCAT cut off, but you should call them to make sure.

What about other schools on the East coast? You really should be open to more than one school if you want a decent shot at getting in this year! 🙂

Good Luck :luck:
 
Nice GPA...were you just nervous during the MCAT? If you really want to stay in NY you might want to take it again and try to get at least the 23 that Touro needs. Getting above a 23 would mean that you could apply to twice as many schools 😉

Good luck!
 
Touro-NV says that generally you need at least a 23 but they can make exceptions so you can always double check with Touro-NY.
 
Touro advised me to retake my MCAT for further consideration, and I had a 23Q. I wonder why they did that if the cutoff is 23.
 
Frank l said:
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.
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That is not correct. I have not known any school to do that. I have worked with DO as well as MD school admissions departments and have never seen them pick the best out of the scores. Colleges will do that with the SAT, but medical schools dont break up the MCAT. I would like to know what school does that so I dont give out incorrect information.
 
mastamark said:
Touro advised me to retake my MCAT for further consideration, and I had a 23Q. I wonder why they did that if the cutoff is 23.
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All the TOURO's have left a bad taste in my mouth. They have told everyone different things. All three campuses denied me a secondary because they said that I did not make their MCAT cut off of 23. They also said that they will review all applications on a case by case basis if you want to try and challenge the cut off's, but warned me that my MCAT "was definitely NOT competitive enough". 😱

They have the highest MCAT cut off out of all the DO schools (and not even the highest stats) and quite frankly, I think they're stuck-up, number ******! :laugh:

Ok, I feel better now! :laugh:

:luck:Good Luck to everyone applying to TOURO and make sure you call them, since they obviously are not consistent!
 
Amy B said:
That is not correct. I have not known any school to do that. I have worked with DO as well as MD school admissions departments and have never seen them pick the best out of the scores. Colleges will do that with the SAT, but medical schools dont break up the MCAT. I would like to know what school does that so I dont give out incorrect information.
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I think the UC's do that, take the best score from each section, at least, that is what I heard from other people that applied to UC's. Someone please correct me if I am wrong??!!


PlAnEjaNe
 
prionsRbad said:
All the TOURO's have left a bad taste in my mouth. They have told everyone different things. All three campuses denied me a secondary because they said that I did not make their MCAT cut off of 23. They also said that they will review all applications on a case by case basis if you want to try and challenge the cut off's, but warned me that my MCAT "was definitely NOT competitive enough". 😱

They have the highest MCAT cut off out of all the DO schools (and not even the highest stats) and quite frankly, I think they're stuck-up, number ******! :laugh:

Ok, I feel better now! :laugh:

:luck:Good Luck to everyone applying to TOURO and make sure you call them, since they obviously are not consistent!
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:laugh: It does seem they're more focused on numbers than the other DO schools. I already received the secondary although they didn't have my MCAT score yet, 22O. I will let everyone know what happens when they do get my score, approx. next week. If they send me a pre-secondary rejection I will e-mail them back telling them they actually already sent me the secondary. I'm very interested to find out what will happen.
 
prionsRbad said:
Well, there are only two schools in NY. Yes, you have a chance, but TOURO-NY's MCAT cut off is 23. Looks like NYCOM/NYIT is your top and only choice! I don't think they have a MCAT cut off, but you should call them to make sure.

What about other schools on the East coast? You really should be open to more than one school if you want a decent shot at getting in this year! 🙂

Good Luck :luck:
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THANK YOU!
 
Do you think I have a chance?

Non-trad applicant with a BA in psychology and BS in Nutrition
Post-bacc GPA 3.91
Cum undergrad GPA 3.51

Postbacc science GPA 3.91
Cumulative science GPA 2.97 (!)

MCAT 8PS, 10VR, 8BS, PWS

4 years medical research experience
1 year full time volunteer program (Americorp-ish)
2 Years CNA experience

I'm concerned most about the low MCAT and low cumulative science but would love feedback...😕
 
LOW MCAT? what your MCAT is at the high end for most DO schools. Your low science undergrad gpa can be made up by the awesome postbacc science gpa.

Apply, Apply, Apply. Get all your LORs down, and turn in your AACOMAS. Once secondaries come in send them out in a week.
 
I just got my rejection today from TOURO NY with my 22 MCAT. I can respect their decision to have the 23 cutoff, even though it got me rejected.
 
sexyman said:
I just got my rejection today from TOURO NY with my 22 MCAT. I can respect their decision to have the 23 cutoff, even though it got me rejected.
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When they first received your app was your MCAT already included?
 
I think it's a bit underhanded of some schools to send people secondaries when they know they dont make the cutoff. I've heard of that happening a lot to people. I guess they've got to get your 50 dollars somehow.
 
Here's my background:
I'm currently a senior neuroscience major at a competitive liberal arts college in PA. My cumulative GPA is 3.36. My science GPA with only core bio, chem, physics, and math prerequisites is 2.83. My science GPA with all bio, chem, physics, and math courses is 2.92. My MCAT score was a 27 (with 11 in verbal, 8 in biological sciences, and 8 in physical sciences) and my writing score was an O. I plan to retake the MCAT in January in an effort to boost my science scores. I have extensive shadowing and volunteer experiences in hospital, clinical, and nonprofit settings.

Here are my questions:
How should I plan my future career in medicine? The earliest I could enter medical school would be Fall 2009, leaving me at least one unplanned year following my undergraduate graduation. Should I be investigating postbac or SMP options with my current GPA and MCAT scores? Should I consider applying to osteopathic medical schools during this coming application cycle? Do I even have a chance at getting into allopathic medical schools?

HELP - Any and all advice will be highly appreciated!
 
krazykyleman said:
Here's my background:
I'm currently a senior neuroscience major at a competitive liberal arts college in PA. My cumulative GPA is 3.36. My science GPA with only core bio, chem, physics, and math prerequisites is 2.83. My science GPA with all bio, chem, physics, and math courses is 2.92. My MCAT score was a 27 (with 11 in verbal, 8 in biological sciences, and 8 in physical sciences) and my writing score was an O. I plan to retake the MCAT in January in an effort to boost my science scores. I have extensive shadowing and volunteer experiences in hospital, clinical, and nonprofit settings.

Here are my questions:
How should I plan my future career in medicine? The earliest I could enter medical school would be Fall 2009, leaving me at least one unplanned year following my undergraduate graduation. Should I be investigating postbac or SMP options with my current GPA and MCAT scores? Should I consider applying to osteopathic medical schools during this coming application cycle? Do I even have a chance at getting into allopathic medical schools?

HELP - Any and all advice will be highly appreciated!
Click to expand...

The first thing you would need to do for AACOMAS is calculate your cumulative GPA with your math classes and your science GPA without them. Also AACOMAS does grade replacement as far as calculating your GPA so that might be something you could consider also.
 
Do I even have a remote shot at NYCOM. GPA BCPM 3.52 Overall 3.7 MCAT 21M ( I know its terrible). I'm a NY resident and have 7+ yrs as a Respiratory Therapist in ICU/NICU, LOR's from several MD's and a DO etc.. I have heard of people getting in with low MCAT, but am I doomed?
 
What is your BCP? Math does not count (in science gpa) for Osteopathic schools.
 
I'm just going by my AACOMAS science GPA, thats what I mean by BCPM.
 
Today i met with the pre-med advisor for the cc. I explained my situation, but she said flat out that I am not ready, and that I would not be competitive at this point. She also said that schools would question me coming back to a cc to take undergrad courses and I don't have an upward trend towards the end of my undergrad with my higher than pre-req classes(that was the main argument - that I have not proven I can handle med school classes). She said I must take a different route and to stop retaking my classes. She said flat out, "if you want to got to med/DO school, you need to prove you can do well with post-bacc classes, take a 1 year medical science masters, or a real 2-year masters at a 4-year college". I explained that I was going to apply broadly to DO schools mostly, but that did not help. I recalculated my gpas and my science came to 3.4 and my non-science came to 3.16. I am a bit frustrated b/c I did want to apply this cycle. I'm hoping that she might be wrong and I could be a competitive applicant for any DO schools. Does the non-upward trend and not so great grades after my retaken pre-reqs hurt me that much? Any thoughts would be great, thanks

As previously posted my mcat was a 27O 10VR 8PS 9BS

Sorry if its redundant but i really thought if i presented my case it would help but it sure didn't 🙁
 
illini04alum said:
Today i met with the pre-med advisor for the cc. I explained my situation, but she said flat out that I am not ready, and that I would not be competitive at this point. She also said that schools would question me coming back to a cc to take undergrad courses and I don't have an upward trend towards the end of my undergrad with my higher than pre-req classes(that was the main argument - that I have not proven I can handle med school classes). She said I must take a different route and to stop retaking my classes. She said flat out, "if you want to got to med/DO school, you need to prove you can do well with post-bacc classes, take a 1 year medical science masters, or a real 2-year masters at a 4-year college". I explained that I was going to apply broadly to DO schools mostly, but that did not help. I recalculated my gpas and my science came to 3.4 and my non-science came to 3.16. I am a bit frustrated b/c I did want to apply this cycle. I'm hoping that she might be wrong and I could be a competitive applicant for any DO schools. Does the non-upward trend and not so great grades after my retaken pre-reqs hurt me that much? Any thoughts would be great, thanks

As previously posted my mcat was a 27O 10VR 8PS 9BS

Sorry if its redundant but i really thought if i presented my case it would help but it sure didn't 🙁
Click to expand...


My inital reaction is to say don't listen to her and apply anyway. I'm not sure what role she plays in your decision but if you need to you can always ask for individual LOR if that's what this is about. Did you say what your work experience and ec's are? Sorry but I forgot to check. Have you started filling out the AACOMAS app yet?
 
illini04alum said:
Today i met with the pre-med advisor for the cc. I explained my situation, but she said flat out that I am not ready, and that I would not be competitive at this point. She also said that schools would question me coming back to a cc to take undergrad courses and I don't have an upward trend towards the end of my undergrad with my higher than pre-req classes(that was the main argument - that I have not proven I can handle med school classes). She said I must take a different route and to stop retaking my classes. She said flat out, "if you want to got to med/DO school, you need to prove you can do well with post-bacc classes, take a 1 year medical science masters, or a real 2-year masters at a 4-year college". I explained that I was going to apply broadly to DO schools mostly, but that did not help. I recalculated my gpas and my science came to 3.4 and my non-science came to 3.16. I am a bit frustrated b/c I did want to apply this cycle. I'm hoping that she might be wrong and I could be a competitive applicant for any DO schools. Does the non-upward trend and not so great grades after my retaken pre-reqs hurt me that much? Any thoughts would be great, thanks

As previously posted my mcat was a 27O 10VR 8PS 9BS

Sorry if its redundant but i really thought if i presented my case it would help but it sure didn't 🙁
Click to expand...

concerning taking courses at a cc, can't you just explain it that it's WAY cheaper than at a regular college? i took two classes at a cc to get my feet wet when i was working fulltime before i went back to a traditional college for my post bacc...
 
What are my chances of taking out loans to cover med school and related expenses, plus an extra 20-25k per year for personal debt? If possible can it be combined into one loan, or do I have to take out separate loans for my recurring financial debt?

I don't want to work during med school, and I wouldn't mind taking extra debt just to keep my current debt....current!

Anyone in this boat? Sometimes I wish I never made to the "real world" before med school!
 
ExPhys82 said:
What are my chances of taking out loans to cover med school and related expenses, plus an extra 20-25k per year for personal debt? If possible can it be combined into one loan, or do I have to take out separate loans for my recurring financial debt?

I don't want to work during med school, and I wouldn't mind taking extra debt just to keep my current debt....current!

Anyone in this boat? Sometimes I wish I never made to the "real world" before med school!
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You aren't going to really be able to do this under school loans of any type as the schools loans can only be used to cover the expenses for school and living while in school. This amount needed is not set by the student, but by the financial aid department of each particular school. You will be unable to receiving any loans beyond that amount except for personal loans which will not help you anyhow.
 
Every time I see a thread entitled "what are my chances?" I think of that scene in Alien where they are asking the computer about the alien, and then he types in "what are my chances?" And the computer says "does not compute" after a long pause, or something like that
 
Damn...I guess Ill have to win the lottery! Great Alien reference too...I think I unconsciously new it would draw attention!
 
well, here goes nothing...
mcat: 26Q (9,9,8ps) 28Q (9bio, 9ps, 10vr)
cumulativ gpa: 3.44 (more or less the same for science gpa)
major: biochemistry and biophysics

3 years research in... TADS (treatment for adolescents with depression), COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), orthopedic spine surgery all leading to 6 publications

pretty solid rec letters (i think?) and plenty of clinical experience/volunteering. no direct experience with DO's though.

i have an interview at western coming up towards the end of october and im absolutely horrified; and im from illinois... i saw on some other thread that 90% of inteviewees there are accepted?
 
Do *NOT* worry about financial Aid. Focus on getting into Med School first (assuming you're not accepted). The Director of Admissions at LMU's med school even stated that this should not discourage us from applying. Unless you have BAD credit, you WILL get student loans and other forms of student aid. Banks LOVE us. They don't get $200k of debt from everyone that signs an MPN you know 😉
 
I'm sure banks generally get paid by the doctor-to-be as well. It's not like they're loaning money to a bum (contrary to my own self-image).
 
illini04alum said:
Today i met with the pre-med advisor for the cc. I explained my situation, but she said flat out that I am not ready, and that I would not be competitive at this point. She also said that schools would question me coming back to a cc to take undergrad courses and I don't have an upward trend towards the end of my undergrad with my higher than pre-req classes(that was the main argument - that I have not proven I can handle med school classes). She said I must take a different route and to stop retaking my classes. She said flat out, "if you want to got to med/DO school, you need to prove you can do well with post-bacc classes, take a 1 year medical science masters, or a real 2-year masters at a 4-year college". I explained that I was going to apply broadly to DO schools mostly, but that did not help. I recalculated my gpas and my science came to 3.4 and my non-science came to 3.16. I am a bit frustrated b/c I did want to apply this cycle. I'm hoping that she might be wrong and I could be a competitive applicant for any DO schools. Does the non-upward trend and not so great grades after my retaken pre-reqs hurt me that much? Any thoughts would be great, thanks

As previously posted my mcat was a 27O 10VR 8PS 9BS

Sorry if its redundant but i really thought if i presented my case it would help but it sure didn't 🙁
Click to expand...

1. Definately Apply. Here's why: if you don't get in, you can apply next year, and the schools will see you've applied 2 years in a row to their school, its a sign to them that you really want to become a doctor.
2. Don't take too much stock in what Med school advisors say. Most of them have never been to med school, and know nothing of what it takes to do well in them. Those advisors that are doctors are SOOOOO far removed from the medical school application process, back when they were applying if you had half a brain and went to college, you were a shoe in. Incidentally, med school itself was easier, all you needed to know about immunology was that there were b cells and t cells.
3. You may not think you have the grades to compete, but you may. I didn't think i had the grades to compete for a spot in medical school (i think i had a 30 mcat, and like a 3.18 or so science GPA, i know people in med school that got 22 MCATs and were at the top of their class), i got accepted, joined the top 25% of my class, and scored over the 93 percentile on my board exams. I also took on a leadership position in my school as well.
4. I can almost garuntee that NONE of the classes, even the famed organic chemistry, can help you with med school. Med school itself is NOT THAT HARD. I think over the years people blow it out of proportion as to how hard it really is.
 
Your stats are good. Don't listen to your adviser. They typically have a MD mindset and don't know a lot about DOs.
 
I am in the early application phase of med apps, still waiting on another letter and barely starting my shadowing experience. i also am waiting for some transcripts from a couple of schools and fixing my social security number on the mcat site (idiots messed it up). if a school's deadline is january and I submit my completed app in december, is there a good chance that i won't get in for Fall 2008 and will be rolled to next cycle, or is there still a good chance of gettin in for the next cycle when you submit apps within a month of deadline?
 
While your odds go down with a late application due to spots already being filled. You still have a shot, if I could apply before the deadline it would be financially worth it in the long run. Consider that if you apply and get in you get out a year earlier and make more money. Alot of people on this board have suggested that you wait and get your ducks in a row and apply one time.
 
Keep in mind that where you go to school may impact your entire career and life. It is always best to apply early. You may still get in this cycle if you have a completed app in December, but your odds will have decreased for any particular school. In short, you will be less lkely to get into your school of choice.

Best of luck, and let me know if you have any PCOM-specific questions.
 
generally a good rule of thumb is..if its past app deadline its too late...now that mcat is offered more then twice a year..i think the timing strategy is not as important..but obviously sooner the better. best of luck
 
I was just wondering how long does it usually take to have your file reviewed and interview invites to be sent out for various schools. Schools have gotten my LORs, MCAT score, and everything else.
Definitely complete - CCOM (got an email)
Probably complete - LECOM - Erie, PCOM, DMU, WVSOM
Still missing MCAT score - KCOM and AZCOM (I don't know why, AACOMAS mailed it out Monday, maybe they haven't loaded it up on their system).

I'm just getting real antsy (ughh so many people have gotten interviews and acceptances already) how long of a wait did people usually go through before hearing from these particular schools?
 
They are taking so long with your file because they may be planning on rejecting you. Or inviting you for an interview. Either way, I think you need some meth.
 
My MCAT score was sent out on Monday also. CCOM already received it but not AZCOM. I'm thinking maybe they sent it out snail mail so it would take longer to get from DC to AZ than from DC to IL.
 
It took AZCOM and KCOM about 4 days to process my LORs (after they received them) and then my files were complete. CCOM took slightly longer to tell me I was complete. As for LECOM - Lake Erie, I got an interview invite from them about a month after I sent in my secondary and I didn't even have the LORs at the time, so don't worry, might take a few weeks for you...I also didn't know school issued invites before completion...is that normal at LECOM?

I'm still waiting to hear if I'm complete at LMU-DCOM...I'm thinking about calling them.
 
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