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I am in my last semester. I only need to take 9 units. I am wondering if I should just throw in another class to show I am challenging myself and still interested in school. I was thinking quantitative analysis or calc. 2. (I don't have any other mandatory pre-requisites and have taken cell bio, biochem, genetics, anatomy, physiology, and microbiology)
 
Unless you are truly interested in another class and do not think it will effect your grades I would not take one just to "appear interested in school still".

Jesus man, if you have worked hard and filled all the requirements to graduate and only have 9 credits left, enjoy your last semester/quarter and only take the 9 credits. No one is going to care 🙂
 
hey guys just wondering if anyone knew the mcat cutoffs for each subsection for some DO schools like ccom, or azcom, lecom, etc.
 
hey

3.2 gpa , 3.2 sgpa, 27 MCAT

excellent extra curriculars, shadowing, ems experience, 2000+ hrs of community service, decent LORs, unique life experiences

chances at

PCOM, LECOM-B/E, UMDNJ-SOM, Edward Via, CCOM

NJ resident

thanks
 
hey I'm new to the site and stressing over my low MCAT score (22Q). I sent in my primary app last Wednesday. All my transcripts are in and just waiting for verification. Should I expect it mid September?
cGPA 3.74
sGPA 3.6
nsGPA 3.91
I majored in microbiology (biomedical concentration) and Spanish and a chemistry minor at a U of Wisconsin school. I have job shadowed, volunteered and done research for a hospital in the area. I have studied abroad in Spain for a semester and still graduated in 4 years. I have done a lot of mission work, especially the last 3 yrs in the Dominican Republic over the summer. I am taking the MCAT again on September 10th and hope to bring up my score. I am applying to
KCOM
CCOM
DCOM
LMU DCOM
PCSOM
RVCOM
MSUCOM
What do you think of my chances? I know my MCAT is low (hopefully better after retaking it) but I'm hoping my foreign language skills and GPA will help that. Also is being out of state or region going to hurt me?
 
Hi I have been stressing a lot lately with my father's death, school, and my promise to be a doctor for my dad (I enjoy medicine a lot so it isn't like I wouldn't enjoy it as a career.).

My overall gpa is 3.2, and my science gpa is around 3.1.
I did poorly in calc 1 (F), but replaced it with a B+.
Chem 1: C
Chem 2: C+
Microecon: C+
Research: C (She is giving me a chance to improve my grade.)
I will retake all these bad grades to improve my gpa.

Bio 1: B+
Bio 2: B
Chem Lab: B+
Orgo 1: B
Orgo 2: B (would of had a B+, but my father's death dragged me down.)
I will take physics over next summer with a great teacher, and orgo lab in the spring.
Expos. English: B
Statistics: A


Extracurriculars:
Premed/Predent Society (Freshman Year)
Shadowed a DO Oncologist a good 40 hours. (He helped when my dad had been diagnosed with adeno of the lungs and brain.)
Pilot Me (child mentoring program for the underprivileged)- Vice President
Robert Johnson Hospital Volunteer (50 hours, and will do more this semester since I will dorm next door).
RHA (Residence Hall board)- Treasurer
Research Animal Reproduction (1 cred.- A)
Research Animal Science with effects of aspartame.(C with hope to improve grade)
AMSA member
Oxfam (community serv. club) member for 1 semester
Worked in a Medical Lab this past summer and will try to work there again next summer. (Billing and patient information)
Hospice Volunteer will start soon, and continue to do it as long as I can.
Global Medical Brigades (Do med. relief trips)- Medical Coordinator and a part of the founding group at RU.
CARE (Outreach to the local community and further by providing clinics with medical supplies and more to help these individual with the low cost or free med. attention they need.)- Hope to plan a day in which ppl. can get free medical/dental attention.-President and founder

All in all I hope to do more clubs, volunteer more, shadow more,research more, and/or get a job or internship.

I have not taken the MCAT and will take them later since I have to focus on my mom a lot more now. I am going to be a junior this year.

Major: Evoluntionary Anthropology
Minor: Nutrition

Thank for the advice, I appreciate it.
 
Marathon0503 said:
hey I'm new to the site and stressing over my low MCAT score (22Q). I sent in my primary app last Wednesday. All my transcripts are in and just waiting for verification. Should I expect it mid September?
cGPA 3.74
sGPA 3.6
nsGPA 3.91
I majored in microbiology (biomedical concentration) and Spanish and a chemistry minor at a U of Wisconsin school. I have job shadowed, volunteered and done research for a hospital in the area. I have studied abroad in Spain for a semester and still graduated in 4 years. I have done a lot of mission work, especially the last 3 yrs in the Dominican Republic over the summer. I am taking the MCAT again on September 10th and hope to bring up my score. I am applying to
KCOM
CCOM
DCOM
LMU DCOM
PCSOM
RVCOM
MSUCOM
What do you think of my chances? I know my MCAT is low (hopefully better after retaking it) but I'm hoping my foreign language skills and GPA will help that. Also is being out of state or region going to hurt me?
Click to expand...

It's tough to say when your app will be verified, but I'll go ahead and say expect 6 weeks and hope for sooner. I submitted mine in mid-June (somewhat early) and it took nearly 6 weeks for AACOMAS to verify mine.

The only school on your list that I applied to is RVU. For them, you need to look at your individual section scores. According to RVU, if your GPA is < 2.50 or you scored < 6 on any MCAT section they will not send you a secondary. Your GPA is great. So, for RVU it will come down to your MCAT. As for the other schools, I cannot say whether your MCAT will hinder you or not. But, it looks like you're taking it again anyways.

As for being an OOS applicant, most DO schools are private and do not give preference either way. I can't say for sure on any of the other schools on your list, but RVU does not give preference to CO applicants over OOS. My state's DO school (OSU-COM), on the other hand, gives preference to OK applicants since they receive state funding.

My advice is to check out the links on the following post, especially the link to the CIB. That book will tell you almost everything you want to know about any DO school. Hope you get the score you're shooting for on your second MCAT. Good luck.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=8256334#post8256334
 
I feel my numbers and experiences are pretty competitive MCAT 33 sgpa 3.3 and cGPA 3.5. I have good experiences and letters from MDs but no DOs. I made arrangements to shadow a DO and subsequently get a letter from him but he jaked me this morning. Do I really need a DO letter? I want to get into the best DO school possible so as to have the opportunity to specialize, if I so desire. What are the best DO schools and will having no DO letter kill me at the best schools? Thanks for your help.
 
mustang1 said:
I feel my numbers and experiences are pretty competitive MCAT 33 sgpa 3.3 and cGPA 3.5. I have good experiences and letters from MDs but no DOs. I made arrangements to shadow a DO and subsequently get a letter from him but he jaked me this morning. Do I really need a DO letter? I want to get into the best DO school possible so as to have the opportunity to specialize, if I so desire. What are the best DO schools and will having no DO letter kill me at the best schools? Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...

As a first time applicant who has been perusing these forums quite a bit lately, I'll say this: the question of the best DO school is a bit subjective in terms of what your personal criteria for "best" are. I have seen this question posted before in other threads and can say that you are likely to elicit a wide variety of responses. I'll just say that there are plenty of resources out there for you find out on your own what are the best schools for you based on whatever your criteria are (e.g. age of school, cost of tuition, location, class size, board pass rate, residency matches, etc.). See the link that I posted in my response to Marathon above. There you will also find information on which schools require a DO letter and which do not.

As far as specializing as a DO, I've heard this a number of times and believe it myself - do well in school, do well on boards, get strong recommendations and you should be fine (DO or MD). But, I can't say much more than that since I'm trying to get into medical school and not actually there yet. Perhaps someone a bit farther along in their education can chime in and give you a better answer. Hope that helped. All the best to you.
 
A quick search would absolutely reveal what WhatsNext has posted. There are some schools that "require" a DO letter; call them and make sure they will accept an MD letter in its stead. Most schools "recommend" a DO letter. When I applied I had neither and did quite well (but I did have 15 years experience in the medical field).
 
Grades:
Undergraduate (John Carroll Univ., BS Engineering Physics) 3.68
Graduate (Case Western Reserve, MS Engineering) 3.75
Post-bac (John Carroll Univ., Gen chem., O-chem, Gen. Biology + Labs) 4.00

MCAT score 28 K (PS 12, VR 7, BS 9)

Volunteer in ER (66 hours), Clinical Shadowing (> 100 hours), Lots of research experience and academic awards

I am quite disappointed in my MCAT writing score (K), but I feel I have demonstrated strong writing skills throughout my academic career (e.g. grades of B+ or higher in composition and rhetoric, wrote a master’s level thesis, etc.). I live in Ohio and would like to apply to 8 MD schools (Cincinatti, Wright State, Drexel, Neoucom, Temple, Toledo, Rosalind Franklin, and Loyola) and 8 DO schools. Before I do so, I wanted to see if anyone had advice regarding my situation.

Also, I will be submitting my app. to AACOMAS middle of this week.

Thanks,
Don Moore
 
I am still in my undergrad and majoring in history. I tend to be very good in the languages and liberal arts. However, I have a great passion for medicine/biology and really want to be a physician. I have already taken a year of bio with labs and got all A's. I also took a year of chemistry but received a C+ both semesters. I got A's in the chem. lab. I'm considering taking a year of organic chemistry but am worried if the C+ in chem. has already hurt my chances. If I were to get a C in physics or organic chem, would med. school probably be completely out of the question? I have also spent 3 months volunteering at a hospital, and I have worked for a couple months at a non-profit health clinic. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks in advance.
 
Unless you are applying to Canadian Med Schools, I don't think it is a problem.



Also, I don't think the way that we are supposed to write the writing sample gives a good indication of ones writing ability. So don't think your writing ability is truly in 10th percentile (or whatever a "K" is). It is way too dependent on whether or not you can come up with good examples for the strange topic statements they give. I specifically remember that I was confused about what the topic statement even meant on my first writing sample. So, somebody in my position could have been the best writer in the world, yet still gotten a bad writing score because he/she didn't know how to interpret the topic sentence.

Also, the whole way in which we are supposed to follow the "three tasks" is very limiting in terms of how we want to organize our thoughts and our essay. In all my papers done in undergrad, we were allowed to organize the paper and express our thoughts in whatever way we wanted to (nobody told us to: 1. write about an example supporting the statement 2. write about a counterexample 3. take a stance on the topic statement).

Regarding your other stats, you are easily an above average DO applicant and a decent MD applicant. I might worry about your VR score for MD schools though.
 
Oh, and also, did you take Gen Chem, Gen Bio, and O-chem after you had already graduated the university and officially got your degree? Because if you didn't, then those grades will all be included in your under-graduate GPA. So, there is no need to list undergrad and post-bacc seperately and those A's you get in the Gen Sciences will raise your undergrad GPA.
 
I did take those courses after I graduated. Also, I will be submitting my app. to AACOMAS this week, do you think I am still in good shape?
 
It's not the K that will hurt (most schools really don't seem to give much merit to the writing grades), but I don't think the K + 7 verbal is great. With your grades and lots of graduate experience (with exceptionally high marks) I think you'd be good for DO and some MD. However, it makes me wonder why you didn't retake the mcat after dedicating so much time and effort to post bacc education??
 
I would say that anything that is 'recommended' is more or less required unless you verify your own situation, like how ShyRem has lots of clinical experience or calling to see if those MD letters are okay. For most people applying though, you wouldn't want to leave anything out that they wanted to have, whether required or recommended.
 
clairerose said:
I am still in my undergrad and majoring in history. I tend to be very good in the languages and liberal arts. However, I have a great passion for medicine/biology and really want to be a physician. I have already taken a year of bio with labs and got all A's. I also took a year of chemistry but received a C+ both semesters. I got A's in the chem. lab. I'm considering taking a year of organic chemistry but am worried if the C+ in chem. has already hurt my chances. If I were to get a C in physics or organic chem, would med. school probably be completely out of the question? I have also spent 3 months volunteering at a hospital, and I have worked for a couple months at a non-profit health clinic. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

I'm curious about this too, I'm kind of in the same situation as you. Glad to see I'm not the only history major applying to medical school.
 
DO yeah no MD.

i got a Q on writing which i think is the score most applicants get. my examples were all complete BS, they don't care about the validity of your statement just that it all comes together nicely.
 
I wouldn't say so because I am in a similar situation, and I am going to just retake gen. chem which will enable me to replace the grade. I got a B+/B in bio 1+2 with labs, orgo 1+2 I got B/B, and chem i got C/C+ lab B+. I don't think I will do bad in Physics because Rutgers has one good science teacher who fortunately teach physics.
 
clairerose said:
I am still in my undergrad and majoring in history. I tend to be very good in the languages and liberal arts. However, I have a great passion for medicine/biology and really want to be a physician. I have already taken a year of bio with labs and got all A's. I also took a year of chemistry but received a C+ both semesters. I got A's in the chem. lab. I'm considering taking a year of organic chemistry but am worried if the C+ in chem. has already hurt my chances. If I were to get a C in physics or organic chem, would med. school probably be completely out of the question? I have also spent 3 months volunteering at a hospital, and I have worked for a couple months at a non-profit health clinic. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

You dont want to apply with C's but I would go ahead and take the other prereqs and do well. You can always go back and retake your chemistry but only if you are confident you'll make an A. AACOMAS is nice because they will completely replace your previous grade with a retake...very nice for your GPA.
Im not saying it is impossible but with a 2.0 in 6 of your 8 prereqs you are going to have a big uphill battle.
 
Hi, I'm new to this, so sorry if I'm posting on the wrong thread.

Basically I want to know if I have any chance of getting into DO school. My mcat is 25, and I have a 3.24 cum GPA, 3.02 sci. I don't have any big extracurriculars, just some leadership stuff and shadowing and of course hospital volunteering. Any input would be appreciated! Thanks
 
Hey guys, I took my MCAT august 14th. I realize that I am quite late in the application process but I was wondering if it was TOO late too apply considering the rolling admissions process? Should I just wait until next June?

Thank you everyone!
 
What do you guys think my honest chances are with these stats for applying next spring:

Harvard Class of 2010
History Major
33 cum MCAT (13 V, 8 PS, 12 BS)... I know the PS is a little low
3.38 Science GPA
3.8 Cum. GPA
25 hours shadowing a Family Practice DO
20 hours shadowing a Plastic Surgeon DO
140 hours volunteering at a primary care osteopathic center
90 hours volunteering at Johns Hopkins
Published history articles on infectious disease history, Microbiology Society, published in a lab research paper on Molecular Genetics, Red Cross instructor, Special Olympics volunteer, assisted in a Crisis Center, internship at the University of Maryland Medical Center

Schools I'm thinking of applying to in order of preference:
CCOM
MSUCOM
UMDNJ
PCOM
NSUCOM
NECOM
NYCOM

Plus only 2 allopathic schools= UM Baltimore, Case Western
 
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Do you think its a waste to apply to MSUCOM and UMDNJ SOM since theyre state schools and barely accept any out of state students?
 
Hi Everyone. This is my first time on this website. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice for applying. Currently, my GPA is a 3.96 and I have been continously been shadowing various physicians for over a year now. I have a little volunteer work, and plan on doing more this fall. I'm taking the KAPLAN MCAT course in Jan-April and will take the MCAT early summer. I'm hoping to get into Western U in Pomona since my family lives in Burbank, CA. I'm stuck in Findlay, OH for the moment. Is there more I need to be working on? 😕
 
stucka21 said:
Hi Everyone. This is my first time on this website. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice for applying. Currently, my GPA is a 3.96 and I have been continously been shadowing various physicians for over a year now. I have a little volunteer work, and plan on doing more this fall. I'm taking the KAPLAN MCAT course in Jan-April and will take the MCAT early summer. I'm hoping to get into Western U in Pomona since my family lives in Burbank, CA. I'm stuck in Findlay, OH for the moment. Is there more I need to be working on? 😕
Click to expand...

Sounds good so far. It's always good to be scoping out letters of recommendation. And if you have experience working in a health care setting, that is a huge plus.
 
Hi everyone,

I just joined this network and am really hoping you can give me some guidance.
I am very interested in applying to osteopathic schools but I am worried because a friend of mine told me that I might be too late. I want to apply for admission next fall (fall of 2010). I have not given my MCAT yet.

I just graduated in April '09 with a BS in biology with a 3.5 GPA. I blew this entire summer playing girls because I am a complete idiot.

Is it already too late now to apply for fall 2010? Or can I apply now, and give the MCAT in January or March of 2010?? Will osteopathic schools even consider my Jan/Mar scores??

I am really worried I am too late for fall 2010 admission and have no chance of getting into osteopathic schools, and might be forced to go the Caribbean MD route (which I definitely understand is not recommended), because they accept applications year round (at least SABA does I know), because I really don't want to waste a year and wait for fall 2011.

I thank you for your time and would greatly appreciate any and all advice.
Oh yeah, I live in Michigan, just saying in case my location has anything to do with my chances with OD schools, because apparently there are a lot of OD schools in Michigan...
 
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PimpinAintEasy said:
Hi everyone,

I just joined this network and am really hoping you can give me some guidance.
I am very interested in applying to osteopathic schools but I am worried because a friend of mine told me that I might be too late. I want to apply for admission next fall (fall of 2010). I have not given my MCAT yet.

I just graduated in April '09 with a BS in biology with a 3.45 GPA. I blew this entire summer playing girls because I am a complete idiot.

Is it already too late now to apply for fall 2010? Or can I apply now, and give the MCAT in January or March of 2010?? Will osteopathic schools even consider my Jan/Mar scores??

I am really worried I am too late for fall 2010 admission and have no chance of getting into osteopathic schools, and might be forced to go the Caribbean MD route (which I definitely understand is not recommended), because they accept applications year round (at least SABA does I know), because I really don't want to waste a year and wait for fall 2011.

I thank you for your time and would greatly appreciate any and all advice.
Oh yeah, I live in Michigan, just saying in case my location has anything to do with my chances with OD schools, because apparently there are a lot of OD schools in Michigan...
Click to expand...

I think you mean DO schools, unless you have a passion for optometry as well. 🙂

Regarding your MCAT, I have heard of people submitting their DO applications in December, although this is reportedly not recommended. That means you would have to hop on say an October administration. 2 schools have primary deadlines before January, but the rest are January 1 and beyond. If you wanted to, you could start on a personal statement and work on your AACOMAS app. Start studying now and take the MCAT. If you leave feeling good, go ahead and submit for processing. That way you will be verified and receive your scores around the same time, hopefully not delaying your application too much. Good luck.

Oh, and what are you stats?
 
Hey, thanks for your response Phospho!
LOLLL yeah I mean't DO
my stats are 3.4 BCP GPA and 3.5 cumulative. I did take a lot of hard classes (7 400-level biology courses and 2 400-level chemistry courses) if that matters. It probably doesn't.
So basically you are saying I have to give the MCAT this OCT?? I have like one month to study.

I
AM
SCREWED

guess I don't have much of a choice other than Caribbean schools 🙁
 
PimpinAintEasy said:
Hey, thanks for your response Phospho!
LOLLL yeah I mean't DO
my stats are 3.4 BCP GPA and 3.5 cumulative. I did take a lot of hard classes (7 400-level biology courses and 2 400-level chemistry courses) if that matters. It probably doesn't.
So basically you are saying I have to give the MCAT this OCT?? I have like one month to study.

I
AM
SCREWED

guess I don't have much of a choice other than Caribbean schools 🙁
Click to expand...

Apparently there are no October administrations. Sorry 🙁. Latest one is Sept 12. Why are you in such a hurry to apply? Take the time out to do well on the MCAT, take some classes to raise your BPCM gpa, and use the time to volunteer so that when you apply next June, everything will be in order.

This forum is very helpful. If I had known about this tool before application season, I would have done a few things differently. A year off isn't so bad. I would do that before going to the Carribbean.
 
What do you guys think my honest chances are with these stats for applying next spring:

Harvard Class of 2010
History Major
33 cum MCAT (13 V, 8 PS, 12 BS)... I know the PS is a little low
3.38 Science GPA
3.8 Cum. GPA
25 hours shadowing a Family Practice DO
20 hours shadowing a Plastic Surgeon DO
140 hours volunteering at a primary care osteopathic center
90 hours volunteering at Johns Hopkins
Published history articles on infectious disease history, Microbiology Society, published in a lab research paper on Molecular Genetics, Red Cross instructor, Special Olympics volunteer, assisted in a Crisis Center, internship at the University of Maryland Medical Center

Schools I'm thinking of applying to in order of preference:
CCOM
MSUCOM
UMDNJ
PCOM
NSUCOM
NECOM
NYCOM

Plus only 2 allopathic schools= UM Baltimore, Case Western

I wonder if I should even waste my time with MSUCOM and UMDNJ. I really like UMDNJ COM.
 
harvardman said:
What do you guys think my honest chances are with these stats for applying next spring:

Harvard Class of 2010
History Major
33 cum MCAT (13 V, 8 PS, 12 BS)... I know the PS is a little low
3.38 Science GPA
3.8 Cum. GPA
25 hours shadowing a Family Practice DO
20 hours shadowing a Plastic Surgeon DO
140 hours volunteering at a primary care osteopathic center
90 hours volunteering at Johns Hopkins
Published history articles on infectious disease history, Microbiology Society, published in a lab research paper on Molecular Genetics, Red Cross instructor, Special Olympics volunteer, assisted in a Crisis Center, internship at the University of Maryland Medical Center

Schools I'm thinking of applying to in order of preference:
CCOM
MSUCOM
UMDNJ
PCOM
NSUCOM
NECOM
NYCOM

Plus only 2 allopathic schools= UM Baltimore, Case Western

I wonder if I should even waste my time with MSUCOM and UMDNJ. I really like UMDNJ COM.
Click to expand...

I think you have a great chance. You will get in somewhere for sure. 🙂
 
Do you think I have a chance at UMDNJ or MSUCOM? Im curious bc of the low acceptance rate of OOS applicants?
 
You prolly wont wanna go to MSUCOM simply b/c of the astronomically high OOS tuition. Best of luck though.
 
I have a 3.66 science GPA, 3.4 undergrad GPA, and 27R MCAT. Do you think my chances are of getting into DO schools? I am interviewing at NOVA and AT Stills soon, and am waiting to hear back from other schools.
 
If you have an interview, let alone two, then your stats are fine. Make sure everything else in your application/interview is competitive or complementing.
 
The only thing that separates you from an acceptance is the interview. Just be genuine and let them know how grateful you are that they invited you to their school.

Please don't use the "wholistic approach" and "treating the patient, not the symptoms" phrases during the interview. I bet almost every interviewee says the same thing. Try something unique. I told my admissions committee that I don't care much for osteopathic medicine 😱, but instead admire the institution's goals and values (make sure you do your research if you're using this), and idolize DOs that are leaders in my community.

This approach got me accepted to both my top-choice schools 😎
 
Hello,

I recently completed my life science degree and I am trying to come up with a plan to get into medical school. My GPA is on the lower side (~3), and has not as positive of an upward trend as I would like. To fix this, I have some options.

I am applying to and interviewing for positions at a local university hospital, there is a wide variety of opportunities. My potential plans:

1) Work as a lab tech full time, make OK money (16-18/ hr). Take advantage of tuition perk and take 1 class at a time for free, and then apply to SMP (provided a good MCAT is achieved). This job deals with alot of pathology samples, and I can save up some $.

2) Work various temporary research assistant positions part time, while taking 2- 3 classes (for free), while show an upward trend/retake poopy grades. Make is meh (11-14 /hr). Then apply to SMP (provided a good MCAT is achieved). I can live off this $, but not save alot. However, this path could buff up my skillset, due to the variety of jobs.

or 3) anything different you recommend from the above

What path would be most effective to gain enterance to medical school?

Thanks! 🙂
 
This is my junior year and I'm applying next summer to DO schools, but at the end of the year I will have only completed pretty much just all of my pre-reqs which include:

-chem1 and 2
-bio 1 and 2
-physics 1 and 2
-Molecular Cell biology 1: Cellular biochemistry 1 and Molecular Biology
-Molecular Cell Biology 2: Cell structure and Function
- Organic chem 1 and 2
- Evolutionary Biology

My cum gpa at that point should be around 3.65 and my science gpa will be around a 3.45, I'm taking the MCAT next april; I have alot of volunteer hours of shadowing including one D.O doctor and have done 2 research's; Am i still competitive enough to get an interview if I havent taken that many upper level bio classes at the time of application???????

However next summer while I'm applying and during senior year I'm taking Genetics, Human Cell Physio, Embryology and one other upper level science course, They'll probably see this on my transcript that I'm going to plan on taking it but they won't get a chance to see my grades

I'm not sure if this is a problem???? but pretty much my advisor told me I have no chance and that there's always senior year to re-apply because I'll be more competitive then, so now I'm really worried
 
For your advisor to tell you that you wont be competitive I think is crap. Most pre-med advisors I have come across don't know a damn thing about what it even takes to get into med school these days, especially DO schools.

It would be my opinion that you would be competitive at just about any school if you maintain that GPA up until the time you apply and also do decently on your MCATs. Some schools, like Kirksville, have special requirements for applying without a degree in hand already I believe, but for the most part I think you would be fine. The upper level science courses are only recommendations for just about every school I have seen at this point. And, seeing that you've already Cell Molecular and Biochemistry, both of which are considered as upper level by most schools (I think), you should be fine. Iv known several non-science majors who haven't taken any upper level science courses (only the pre-reqs) and still got in to MD and DO schools.

If in doubt, check the different DO schools web pages that your interested in, and get a phone number for their admissions people. If those people tell you that you wont be competitive, then I would wait the extra year.
 
I'll go with option 2. A lot of getting in to med school is just jumping through hoops. Jump through the hoops, own the MCAT (your #1 priority!!!!), get rid of any Ds or Fs on your transcript, especially if they're science classes.

You'll be hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt before you know it, so don't worry too much about saving a lot of money.
 
Another option I'm considering is PCA work since it is flexible (nights/ weekends). I Could take classes during the day and see patients at night...
 
You consider applying to any post-bac programs like the one at LECOM? Guarenteed interview for getting a 3.0 or higher, and unlike a SMP, post bac grades actually count towards your undergrad GPA so you (hopefully) will be able to pull it up.
 
cuvm37 said:
This is my junior year and I'm applying next summer to DO schools, but at the end of the year I will have only completed pretty much just all of my pre-reqs which include:

-chem1 and 2
-bio 1 and 2
-physics 1 and 2
-Molecular Cell biology 1: Cellular biochemistry 1 and Molecular Biology
-Molecular Cell Biology 2: Cell structure and Function
- Organic chem 1 and 2
- Evolutionary Biology

My cum gpa at that point should be around 3.65 and my science gpa will be around a 3.45, I'm taking the MCAT next april; I have alot of volunteer hours of shadowing including one D.O doctor and have done 2 research's; Am i still competitive enough to get an interview if I havent taken that many upper level bio classes at the time of application???????

However next summer while I'm applying and during senior year I'm taking Genetics, Human Cell Physio, Embryology and one other upper level science course, They'll probably see this on my transcript that I'm going to plan on taking it but they won't get a chance to see my grades

I'm not sure if this is a problem???? but pretty much my advisor told me I have no chance and that there's always senior year to re-apply because I'll be more competitive then, so now I'm really worried
Click to expand...


I agree with shiny. I have no idea why your advisor would tell you that you are not competitive. Assuming you do well on your MCAT, I think you have a great shot.
 
cuvm37 said:
This is my junior year and I'm applying next summer to DO schools, but at the end of the year I will have only completed pretty much just all of my pre-reqs which include:

I'm not sure if this is a problem???? but pretty much my advisor told me I have no chance and that there's always senior year to re-apply because I'll be more competitive then, so now I'm really worried
Click to expand...

I think it's important that we emphasize to you that your advisor was being a little harsh, because you definitely will have a chance.

As long as you've taken the pre-reqs, you have a chance. Upper-division classes I guess are helpful, but they're not as big a deal as other things. Just make sure you spend the next year being involved in extracurriculars. Also, if you can get yourself some clinical experience, that goes a long ways.

And study for the MCAT! Don't slack on that!
Good luck-
 
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