2007-2008-What should I do thread? (where to accept, apply, and chances!) Part 2

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
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Well, things look good so far. However, we can't really talk much about chances and whatnot without an actual MCAT score. I can tell you what I think about the score you "need" to get: score as high as you can. That's the same answer I give everyone.
 
Lokhtar said:
For DO schools, 26-27+ should make you competitive anywhere. Above a 23-24 or so should definitely get you in SOMEWHERE. Get a letter from a DO.
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I already have a couple letters from DOs. Really a 26-27+ is competitive anywhere? I got a 25 on my only practice test so far. I'm taking the MCAT in April.

What can I get into that's affordable. I'm a NY resident.
 
Dr. Josh said:
I already have a couple letters from DOs. Really a 26-27+ is competitive anywhere? I got a 25 on my only practice test so far. I'm taking the MCAT in April.

What can I get into that's affordable. I'm a NY resident.
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are you referring to aamc practice tests or kaplan/pr practice tests? with the latter, you can expect about a 3+ increase on your actual mcat (assuming you don't get test anxiety on game day 🙂.)

nycom and tourocom both have good programs you might want to look into.
 
Eugepae said:
are you referring to aamc practice tests or kaplan/pr practice tests? with the latter, you can expect about a 3+ increase on your actual mcat (assuming you don't get test anxiety on game day 🙂.)

nycom and tourocom both have good programs you might want to look into.
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It was a Kaplan test and they still keep calling me to register for one of their classes.

I loved NYCOM but it is like the most expensive school. 🙁
 
2 or 3 I think.
 
I think it can vary a bit by school- I think I've seen it anywhere from two to four years. Check the admissions websites of schools you're interested in.
 
depends on the school...
 
I know my post got moved here but I can only look for responses by looking for my original post, clicking on it and allowing it to take me here...but I have no clue where this thread is found. I did look for it by it's name. Anyone want to make it a little easier for me? And moderators wonder why we don't post where we should...maybe if it was a little easier, we would.😕😡

edit: ok I only found it after I posted because the title doesn't seem to go with the intent of my post...so yea it's difficult to find. No wonder I never posted on this thread initially.
 
Stats:
overall gpa: 3.2
sci gpa: 3.3
MCAT: not taken yet

My delima is that i have not yet taken organic (1 or 2) nor physics(2). I graduate this summer with a BS in exercise physiology. Worked 1 year as rehab assistant in the hospital, and 1 year as patient care tech in the ER. My last semester of class is a 400 hour internship in cardiac rehab.

I know my gpa will come up because i am done with the hard part of my major but i calculated it out to be around 3.4 overall and 3.5 sci.

My question (after all the details above in mind) is should I take the MCAT this comming August after I graduate before taking physic 2 and organic 1 and 2? This way if I do well enough I will be able to start med school in 2009
OR
Should I wait and take all my classes i need and then take the MCAT in April 2009 which would not allow me to start (assuming I do well enough) until 2010.......

Any suggestions or advice is much appreciated
 
Obviously wait until you take all of the pre-reqs...

I think the very large majority of people do not realize how much studying goes into doing well on the MCAT. Start studying for the exam now, when you are finished with your pre-reqs- study for the MCAT again. Then take the exam and apply for the class of 2014.
 
This is probably my favorite type of post: the "I'm 2 years from applying and have not taken the MCAT yet, what are my chances?" post.

We simply don't know. If you keep going the way you are going, and you get a 40 on the MCAT, you will get a look from most schools. If you get a 28 on the MCAT, you will be the stereotypical DO applicant. If you get a 23 on the MCAT, you will need to apply broadly and hope a few places like you. If you fail a bunch of **** and end up with a 2.8 and get a 20 on the MCAT, you're in trouble.

So far, so good. Just take care of business and work hard from here on out, and you've got a great shot.
 
in fairness tex, I think he was just asking when he should take his mcats..... Definitly take the classes before your tested on them. If it were me, I would take a year off and work, take those two classes, and study my ass off for the mcat
 
Tanner82 said:
in fairness tex, I think he was just asking when he should take his mcats..... Definitly take the classes before your tested on them. If it were me, I would take a year off and work, take those two classes, and study my ass off for the mcat
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This is your best option. Like someone above mentioned, you probably don't realize just how much preparation is required to do well on the MCAT. I studied 8-5 M-F for over 2 months and still didn't do great; but that had a lot to do with how much I blew off some of the prereq's at the time that I took them. You should put your time in now studying and working to save money and take the MCAT later. Good luck with whatever you decide!!
 
Take the MCAT when you're ready for it. That is the beauty of a prep class. They give you a great idea of how ready you are. So take the prep class and see where you stand. IMO, do not even think about the MCAT until you have all the pre-requisites done. Everything you do in school will get you prepared for the MCAT. At the point when you are done with all those classes, you then start reviewing for the MCAT. Prep class, other materials, class notes, etc.

Good luck! You're in good shape so far.
 
TexasTriathlete said:
Take the MCAT when you're ready for it. That is the beauty of a prep class. They give you a great idea of how ready you are. So take the prep class and see where you stand. IMO, do not even think about the MCAT until you have all the pre-requisites done. Everything you do in school will get you prepared for the MCAT. At the point when you are done with all those classes, you then start reviewing for the MCAT. Prep class, other materials, class notes, etc.

Good luck! You're in good shape so far.
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The prep class is a great point. It is possible that you could benefit greatly by taking one of the prep courses (Kaplan...).
 
Thanks everyone for the advice. I wasn't trying to be a stereotypical "what do you think my chances are" post. I know I have a good chance of getting in, I just didn't know much about the mcat and but also I have started studying the TPR, which I believe will help me out even more when I finally do take it..

I just wasn't sure if DO schools looked at the first and second MCAT the same or if the first one weighed more.... But thanks everybody!!!
 
Don't plan on taking it twice
 
I am signed up to retake the MCAT on 1/25 and I'm applying for 2008, so schools are likely to either invite me for an interview or reject me before seeing my second MCAT score. I'm wondering where I'm sitting?

Current MCAT (May 2007) - 24R (8,8,8)
Cumulative GPA: 3.33 (3.5 nonscience, 3.24 Science)

Lots of extracurriculars and about 100 hours of volunteering at a hospital or clinic.

Let me know if I should retake on 1/25 or not. I've reviewed some over christmas break (30-40 hours total) but plan to study a BUNCH more this week and more the 2 weeks after but if you guys think its not worth it, i might cancel and not waste my time. Please factor in my credentials and the time of year.

-Seth

P.S. *This might matter also; I sent my secondaries in last week (kinda late). :scared:
 
so i have a 3.57 gpa and a 3.25 science gpa

by the end of this year i'm expecting it to be a 3.6 and a 3.35 respectively

11BS 10V 9PS

summer volunteering in a hospital
40 hours volunteering fall semester
Plant biology research one semester
Bible Study leader for 3 years
Choir Leader in church 6 years
Shadowing Plastic surgeon 30 hours (plus more shadowing coming up)
Lab tech in a clinic for a semester
Clinical rotations in high school
Elementary school outreach teaching chemistry once a week

Where do I stand a chance? I would really like to get into PCOM but i know they prefer in-state students
 
oh yeah i'm from TX
 
if you applied 2 months ago, you had a chance EVERYWHERE. maybe midwestern and DMU would have been iffy, but your MCAT is great. I had a 3.2 and a 28P and got all the interviews I wanted and 3 acceptances (4 interviews, waiting for the last one) so far.
 
oh i'm applying next cycle.. my top choices are ccom and pcom

but those seem to be the ones that are out of my range
 
what i'm really concerned about is my low science gpa
 
lsk87 said:
what i'm really concerned about is my low science gpa
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Dude you'll be fine... you could probably get into a couple allopathic schools with those scores... osteopathic is in the bag unless your impersonal or dull at the interviews...

I have 3.33 total, 3.25 science, and a 24R and I think i have at least a shot... you definitely do...
 
I had a hard time getting my LOR in and so I just finished submitting my secondary apps last month. I applied to 7 osteopathic schools and have received interview invites from 4 so far.

My question is..... do I have any cause for celebration (however small)? I'm sure it depends on the school, but about what percentage of those interviewed actually get accepted? Is this a good sign that I got some interviews? Or is this just another hoop to jump through??

I have a 3.3 science GPA. 32Q MCAT, and 3.58 overall GPA. I did not get a chance to shadow any doctors so that is my biggest fault I think. I do, however, have over a year of volunteer experience in the ICU so I hope they will take that into consideration.

Thanks!
Slim
 
Hey guys! Finished my secondaries 2 weeks ago. Should be hearing back soon! Just wondering what you think my chances of getting an interview (also on getting in, if you'd like) are at any or all of the following schools: CCOM, PCOM, AZCOM, OUCOM, ATSU-SOMA, Nova, LECOM Bradenton, LECOM Erie, RVU-COM, TCOM, KCUMB, and DMU.

Here's my stats, be honest!

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Major --- Health Science Studies
Minor --- Medical Humanities

MCAT (May 2007) - 24R (8,8,8)
GPA: 3.35
Sci. GPA: 3.22

--- Graduate of an Interdisciplinary Program, apart of the Honors College. ---

Employment
* Undergraduate Intramural Supervisor --- Work Study Program working as a referee and supervising all sports; specialize in Football, Basketball, and Soccer (08/2004 – Present; about 8 hours/week)

* University of _________: Office of Technology Commercialization Intern --- Worked in the Intellectual Property department helping university professors patent research and inventions (05/2007 - 08/2007; about 40 hours/week)

Healthcare Experience
* Community Free Clinic Volunteer --- Worked as a clinical assistant to triage patients, record vitals, etc. (01/2007 – Present; about 50 hrs)
* Hospital Volunteer --- Intermediate Care Unit, Intensive Care Unit, Medical/Surgical Unit, Pharmacy (Seasonally; about 50 hrs)
* Internship at _______ Medical Center -- Dr. David _________, MD - Radiology (12/2007 - 05/2008; 150 hrs)
* Shadowing at ____________ Pulmonary & Sleep Associates --- Dr. David Brickey, DO - Internal Medicine/ Critical Care (01/2008; about 20 hrs)

Extracirriculars
* Christian Health Care Society --- President (08/2005 – Present)
* (Fraternity) --- Member (08/2005 – Present); Intramural Chair (08/2006 – Present)
* Student Government --- Junior Senator (08/2006 - 05/2007); Senior Senator (08/2007 – Present);Operations and Procedures Vice Chairman (08/2007 – Present)
* Medical Ethics Discussion Society --- Member (08/2005 – Present); Discussion Leader (08/2007 – Present)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
obvious bad stuff out of the way: OTH military discharge at 19😡. Two withdrawals and an "F" freshman year, first semester in human biology.(retaken, got an A)

age:26(spent 4 years working menial jobs. Started school @ 22)

ugrad: Kent State University

major: psychology

gpa:3.807

GPA with "freshman forgiveness" policy:3.91

science gpa:3.7(A's in everything short human biology course, as stated above)

MCAT:33

other: Lots of volunteer work, particularly with local nursing homes. State certified EMT, 2 years.


thoughts? Thanks so much
 
MaximusD said:
Absolutely not. Try law school.



:laugh:
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you bastard! 😀 I didn't see the emoticion till I quoted you. I was scerred.


my biggest concerns are:

1)I worked bs jobs for 4 years pre colllege, sporadically at that.
2)OTH military discharge. AWOL. Ouch.(It's bs and explainable, but it an OTH nonetheless)
 
I don't know how big of a deal the OTHD is with adcoms, other than that, you're fine...
 
Med schools will not care if you worked BS jobs through college. I did, and nobody seemed to see it as a negative thing. Just trying to pay your way through college, ya know?
 
So, I submitted my AACOMAS on Jan 10...late I know, but as far as grammar goes and spelling, it is errorless. I made a 24N on the MCAT (10 VR, 7 PS, 7 BS) in August, and I have 3.873 GPA (was a 3.94 til I decided Biogeography sounded interesting and wound up with my only C in it, way to go me). I have been in SGA, Sorority - with offices and lots of community service, and have almost 300 hours of MD/DO shadowing. My GPA I would think is okay, but having submitted this late, what do any of you guys think about my chances? I am from a hick town, and I honestly had never heard of DO until a few months ago, otherwise I would have definitely applied sooner.

PS - I am a philosophy major, concentration in ethics. LOVE biomedical ethics!!! Does this make me an interesting candidate, or hardly a candidate at all?

PSS - I am having problems getting my MCAT onto my AACOMAS...can they put me in line to be reviewed before that score gets to them?

Thanks for any and all helpful comments!
 
kent christoph said:
you bastard! 😀 I didn't see the emoticion till I quoted you. I was scerred.


my biggest concerns are:

1)I worked bs jobs for 4 years pre colllege, sporadically at that.
2)OTH military discharge. AWOL. Ouch.(It's bs and explainable, but it an OTH nonetheless)
Click to expand...

What does OTH stand for?
 
missmarymac8 said:
So, I submitted my AACOMAS on Jan 10...late I know, but as far as grammar goes and spelling, it is errorless. I made a 24N on the MCAT (10 VR, 7 PS, 7 BS) in August, and I have 3.873 GPA (was a 3.94 til I decided Biogeography sounded interesting and wound up with my only C in it, way to go me). I have been in SGA, Sorority - with offices and lots of community service, and have almost 300 hours of MD/DO shadowing. My GPA I would think is okay, but having submitted this late, what do any of you guys think about my chances? I am from a hick town, and I honestly had never heard of DO until a few months ago, otherwise I would have definitely applied sooner.

PS - I am a philosophy major, concentration in ethics. LOVE biomedical ethics!!! Does this make me an interesting candidate, or hardly a candidate at all?

PSS - I am having problems getting my MCAT onto my AACOMAS...can they put me in line to be reviewed before that score gets to them?

Thanks for any and all helpful comments!
Click to expand...

Well it appears you already know you're at a disadvantage just by being a late applicant. What problems are you having exactly getting your MCAT score into AACOMAS? I had no problems getting my app finished and sent out to the schools before they had my MCAT score and I know LauraDO has also done this.
 
Since I have never been in the military I didn't really pay attention during the application. Is there any place on AACOMAS where you have to put your discharge status? If not, then I'm sure it won't matter bc they won't know unless they ask or you tell them. If so, I'm not really sure.
 
t-funk said:
Since I have never been in the military I didn't really pay attention during the application. Is there any place on AACOMAS where you have to put your discharge status? If not, then I'm sure it won't matter bc they won't know unless they ask or you tell them. If so, I'm not really sure.
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Yes, there is a section regarding military status under the app heading "additional information". There's also a standalone bullet inquiring as to "discharge status" as well.
 
EEL08 said:
Well it appears you already know you're at a disadvantage just by being a late applicant. What problems are you having exactly getting your MCAT score into AACOMAS? I had no problems getting my app finished and sent out to the schools before they had my MCAT score and I know LauraDO has also done this.
Click to expand...

Thanks for replying. Finally today my scores were received...AAMC had my SSN wrong, and I changed it Friday, it just got updated today. I was surprisingly told by one of my DO mentors that it was better to apply late rather the middle if you can't apply early. This is not the reason that I am applying late, but he told me not to be as concerned as I am. I am just wondering if I have a shot anywhere...do you think that applying late is my weakest point? Would it have been wiser to apply for the next cycle? I fear reapplying but believe it may be inevitable, which means I ought to take the MCAT again, which means I need to be studying now for it......oh me.
 
People apply this late and get in all the time. Obviously, it is better to apply early, but applying now isn't necessarily a death sentence. As for you, there's only one way to find out. The worst thing that can happen is that you have to wait another year, which is exactly what you're going to have to do if you don't apply anyway, so you might as well.

The biggest disadvantage will be that some schools may be getting close to full. You could end up with a bunch of wait list spots and nothing to show for it, and you will probably not be in a position to be as picky about where you end up as you would if you applied early.
 
missmarymac8 said:
Thanks for replying. Finally today my scores were received...AAMC had my SSN wrong, and I changed it Friday, it just got updated today. I was surprisingly told by one of my DO mentors that it was better to apply late rather the middle if you can't apply early. This is not the reason that I am applying late, but he told me not to be as concerned as I am. I am just wondering if I have a shot anywhere...do you think that applying late is my weakest point? Would it have been wiser to apply for the next cycle? I fear reapplying but believe it may be inevitable, which means I ought to take the MCAT again, which means I need to be studying now for it......oh me.
Click to expand...

You have a great GPA and EC's. Not taking into consideration applying late even with your lower MCAT score I would say you stand a good chance. Of course you have to adjust for fewer seats being available so it's hard to tell at this point. I got in with a lower MCAT and GPAs than you so it's definitely possible. By the way, in an interview if you are asked you might want to say you come from a small town rather than a hick town. 😉 :luck:
 
Thanks, EEL and Tex....y'all are making me feel better. And I would likely say a quaint, rural Tennessee town in an interview. 😀 I guess now it is merely a waiting game for about a month.

Last question for a bit....does either of you think it is necessary to retake the MCAT if I end up needing to reapply? That test is really the bain of my existence....I'm not sure how much better I can do and know that going down from a 24 is not an option.

SDN is my pre-med advisor right now. My actual advisor was in the National Guard, and he got called to duty, so you guys are my help!
 
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