3.43sGPA, 3.51cGPA, 35M

[rken3]

Hey everybody, I will be applying to DO schools in this upcoming cycle as I still want to be a physician(1 previous failed MD cycle, current MD cycle also likely failed). I'll try to be as detailed and honest as possible.

Stats:
California resident
Bio major
3.51GPA
3.43sGPA
35M MCAT (13VR, 11PS, 11BS)
no trend in GPA


-120 hours volunteering at an ER
-150 hours shadowing 2 separate MD's
-700 hours as an EMT
-700 hours as a research intern at a private medical company
-100 hours non medical volunteering
- Average LOR's
-no leadership positions

I plan to shadow a DO as soon as possible as I both want and need to learn more about the practice of osteopathic medicine. I have called several DO's already and am waiting for a response. I plan to apply as early as possible for this upcoming cycle. I've got two questions. How does the AACOMAS app differ from the AMCAS app? What schools do I realistically have a shot at?
Thanks in advance

Edit: Calculated my hours wrong for EMT and research because I counted my per week totals as per month totals

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[as1212559]

Riddle me why you don't have an MD acceptance? What schools did you apply to both years? The apps are pretty similar. You are a top candidate at every DO school in the country.

 

[AlgernonMed]

I'm also very curious as to which MD programs you applied to. From what I've seen, you should have been a good candidate for MD if you applied early and broadly. As previously stated, you would have a very good chance at most DO schools, so long as you get the DO shadowing done.

 

[rken3]

Hey as1212559,
My first application cycle was completely botched. I applied very late, had poor LOR's, and my extracurriculars did not include the EMT or the research experience. I applied to about 30 schools that time including mostly state schools and a lot of mid tier medical schools on the coasts. No interviews received.

The second time around I had better LOR's and improved my extracurricular activities. I applied the very first day the primary opened and turned in my secondaries within a week or two of receiving them. I applied all over the country. One interview received and subsequently placed in the under-consideration or wait list category. Here's the list of schools.

Albany
Creighton
Drexel
GW
Hofstra
Jefferson
Oregon Health and Science
Loma Linda
University of Toledo
Tufts
UCSD
UCI
UCR
USC
Colorado
Penn state
Rush
Stony Brook
Temple
Tulane
University of Arizona-Phoenix
University of Arizona-Tucson
A couple of tier 1's(urged by a family friend saying you never know you could get an interview).
These are all the schools for which I submitted a secondary.

I believe I didn't receive more than one interview due to a combination of poor grades, average LOR's, and no leadership activities. If you're thinking it might be something else, that's probably not the case. I do not have any disciplinary actions taken against me by my school, nor do I have a criminal record or even a traffic violation. I've never failed a course and have never earned lower than a B- in any course. I went to a top 25 university all four years as an undergrad. I think I've eliminated most of the issues that might have caused an adcom to flag my application other than the three I've mentioned as my guesses.
One thing I should mention is that I will have been out of school for 2 years when this upcoming application opens. I know that'll probably hurt me as well.

 

[as1212559]

Man, I don't know as much about MD schools as I do about DO schools but that looks like an okay list. And leadership smleadership, you're a good candidate from the looks of it. I'm surprised you haven't received more than one WL.

As for DO schools, you'll be competitive at all of them. Still confused as to why no MD love though..

 

[rken3]

I'll forever be confused(along with a bunch of other emotions) about this cycle, but there's no use torturing myself about it any more than I already have.
Anyway, would I be better served to shadow a DO in family medicine or one in which I have a stronger interest like ER. I tried to create a theme in my second cycle primary application and secondaries about me pursuing my passion in emergency medicine and would like to do the same in my AACOMAS application.

 

[as1212559]

Tough call. A lot of DO schools like to see an interest in primary care. I did a lot of shadowing in primary care even though ER is also what I'm most interested in. I would say shadow a PCP. Definitely try not to gear an aacomas app toward being an ER doc. Just focus on a broader sense of medicine. When interviews roll around there is nothing wrong with highlighting things you liked about the ER but for DO schools I would recommend also finding things you like about primary care to talk about.

 

[Temperature101]

Hey everybody, I will be applying to DO schools in this upcoming cycle as I still want to be a physician(1 previous failed MD cycle, current MD cycle also likely failed). I'll try to be as detailed and honest as possible.

Stats:
California resident
Bio major
3.51GPA
3.43sGPA
35M MCAT (13VR, 11PS, 11BS)
no trend in GPA


-120 hours volunteering at an ER
-150 hours shadowing 2 separate MD's
-700 hours as an EMT
-700 hours as a research intern at a private medical company
-100 hours non medical volunteering
- Average LOR's
-no leadership positions

I plan to shadow a DO as soon as possible as I both want and need to learn more about the practice of osteopathic medicine. I have called several DO's already and am waiting for a response. I plan to apply as early as possible for this upcoming cycle. I've got two questions. How does the AACOMAS app differ from the AMCAS app? What schools do I realistically have a shot at?
Thanks in advance

Edit: Calculated my hours wrong for EMT and research because I counted my per week totals as per month totals

Wow... It is crazy that you did not get any love from MD with these stats... The acceptance to med school is really a crapshoot.

 

[wish2bMD]

What have you been doing since you graduated college?
Have you attempted to gain any leadership experience since your first application cycle?
Tutoring counts as leadership experience and it's a very easy job to get.

Your stats really aren't bad for MD schools and I applaud your persistence through your frustrating experiences during your application cycles. I think this time you should still apply for MD schools along with a good amount of DO schools, which you have an excellent shot at with your stats. Just be prepared to answer questions during interviews about your previous application cycles and why you didn't apply to DO schools then. Also, contact some schools and ask what weaknesses they saw in your application if you didn't do so already.

 

[rken3]

I'll look to shadow a primary care physician, thanks.
Since I've been out of school these are the activities I've done.
Shadowed an MD for 50+ hours
EMT experience
research experience
volunteering at an AIDS organization currently
volunteering at a food pantry currently

I have not tried to take on a leadership activity as I don't really know how I could get one out of school. How would tutoring qualify as leadership? I've been trying to take on a leadership role at my food pantry, unfortunately, it is a small role.

 

[wish2bMD]

Your ECs look pretty solid in my opinion.
Tutoring counts as leadership because you would be a teacher/instructor. It's also the easiest leadership experience you can gain at the moment (and it's good money, which you'll need for your next application cycle). Tutor middle school kids, high school kids, or pre-med students. Try to do some private tutoring or do so through an organization nearby. You can also try to become a CPR or First-Aid instructor/teaching assistant if possible. Another thing you can do is try to gain a seat on your EMT committee, even if it is a minor role.
Leadership is leadership no matter how small the responsibility.

 

[rken3]

Thanks for the quick replies. I'll look to find tutoring opportunities because like you said I'm sure I could jump into a tutoring role quickly. The CPR role will take a lot longer because I would need to take classes to become an instructor and then apply for various positions. I'll definitely consider these. I actually used to have an offer to apply to teach an SAT class for Kaplan years ago, but I didn't take advantage of it for whatever reason. I'll try applying there.

 

[a1b2c3d4]

If I were you, I'd reapply to MD next cycle. Don't completely rule out your chances at MD because your stats are definitely impressive, especially your MCAT score.

 

[rken3]

Hey guys/gals I just realized something. I was looking at NovaSoutheastern and their admissions website said if you're matriculating August 2015 you must have an MCAT score from after August 2012. If accepted, I'll be matriculating August 2014 but my score is from April 2011. Is this the case for all DO schools? If so, I don't even know what I can do. Taking the test in the next 3 months will be horrid for me. I haven't even thought about those subjects since I finished school.

 

[user3]

Hey guys/gals I just realized something. I was looking at NovaSoutheastern and their admissions website said if you're matriculating August 2015 you must have an MCAT score from after August 2012. If accepted, I'll be matriculating August 2014 but my score is from April 2011. Is this the case for all DO schools? If so, I don't even know what I can do. Taking the test in the next 3 months will be horrid for me. I haven't even thought about those subjects since I finished school.

look at the AACOMAS CIB. UMDNJ/SOM for example allows MCAT's up to five years before matriculation.

If you are still hoping for a shot at MD you could look into SMP's with high linkage (EVMS, Tulane, Toledo, Temple).

 

[rken3]

Thanks user3, I almost had a minor meltdown yesterday searching for my MCAT test prep books until I saw your post. I called about 12 DO schools to make sure my scores would be applicable because their language was not clear on the AACOMAS CIB. I only had to eliminate about 4 schools from a list of 20. I'm halfway done with the Temple post bacc application, luckily I do not have to send in my scores and letters again because they have my MD app on file. They offer a guaranteed acceptance to the med school if you maintain a 3.5 and have a score of 30. Can't find information on Toledo post-bacc and I'll have to think about Tulane and EVMS.
Finding a DO to shadow is a slow process.

 

[as1212559]

It sounds like you are taking all the right steps. And finding a DO is definitely an issue if you are in a state that doesn't have a high density of them. DO schools understand that which is why most of them recommend a DO LOR rather than requiring one.

I agree with the above poster who said you should reapply MD along with a select few DO schools that interest you. It is truly an anomaly that you don't have an acceptance somewhere yet and I wish you all the best in the upcoming cycle.

 

[user3]

Thanks user3, I almost had a minor meltdown yesterday searching for my MCAT test prep books until I saw your post. I called about 12 DO schools to make sure my scores would be applicable because their language was not clear on the AACOMAS CIB. I only had to eliminate about 4 schools from a list of 20. I'm halfway done with the Temple post bacc application, luckily I do not have to send in my scores and letters again because they have my MD app on file. They offer a guaranteed acceptance to the med school if you maintain a 3.5 and have a score of 30. Can't find information on Toledo post-bacc and I'll have to think about Tulane and EVMS.
Finding a DO to shadow is a slow process.

You should be able to find more info about those SMPs in the postbac forum

 

[rken3]

Thanks for all your help guys/gals, I really do appreciate it. I've got a rough game plan as of now. I'll be applying to about 14 DO schools, 2-4 post baccs, and 5-7 medical schools(even though I feel I don't have a shot here).

 

[as1212559]

I think 14 is a lot of DO schools for someone in your shoes personally. I would narrow that down to maybe 8 and apply early (in June). You are going to get a good handful of DO interviews so focus on schools that interest you. No need to apply that broadly in my eyes.

If you wanted to apply broadly somewhere you could add more MD schools, I still think you stand a chance.

I would ignore post-bacs for now. You will at the very least get a DO acceptance if you apply this cycle.

Regardless it sounds like you have a good plan and I think you will finally be enjoying the success you deserve next year.

 

[calimdluv]

I had a similar GPA as you and low 30s mcat, more ECs. I applied to 6 DO schools and a whole bunch of MD schools this current cycle.

for DO schools, I agree, you don't need to apply to 14, that'll be a waste of money with your numbers. you should definitely hit all CA DO schools if you want to stay in CA (although I heard Touro-CA has issues with rotations, but that may be outdated). also definitely apply to PCOM, CCOM, Kansas City, AZCOM, and maybe some out of state Touro campuses. of the 6 I applied, I received 4 interviews, and withdrew my app from the other 2 schools.

There is a website through the DO website that has names, contact info, location and specialty for any practicing DO who would like to mentor. I forgot the name of the website unfortunately... Also, if you live in SoCal, I can give you the contact info for a neurosurgeon/dept chair at Arrowhead Regional. I only talked to him on the phone, but I think if you are willing, he will let you shadow him and maybe even write you a LOR!

For MD schools, I think your school list was not broad enough and half of them are considered top notch (loma linda, ohsu, UCs). I wouldn't count too much on UCs with your GPA (3.5 is NOT bad, but I'm sure you know how competitive UCs are). schools like GW, Tulane, Drexel, and Temple receive over 11,000 apps a year, chance of getting an interview is very slim, although possible!

If you really want this bad and money is not an issue, I would suggest in expanding your list. and if you don't mind newer med schools, I would recommend OUWB. it's been around for 3 yrs, super solid hospital affiliation, very good atmosphere. Hofstra is awesome too, but their hospital affiliation makes them as competitive as an established med school.

Good luck!

 

[rken3]

The reasoning behind so many DO schools is I just can't afford to go another cycle without an acceptance somewhere. I've put in a ton of time and effort into becoming a more well rounded person and a better candidate for medical school. I don't want to come up empty handed again. I'll expand my MD medical school list.

I am in the southern CA area and would love to shadow a neurosurgeon (as long as he is a DO) so please do share the contact information; however, I'm still going to find a primary care DO to shadow as well. It'll probably be a good thing to get two different perspectives on the field.
Thank you in advance.

 

[rken3]

Hey everybody,

Just a little update. I'm having a really hard time finding a DO to shadow. I've called 10 different offices in the LA county area and am getting no luck(all are too busy or require me to be a current medical student). I want to thank calimdluv for providing the information for the physician at arrowhead regional, unfortunately, he hasn't contacted me back yet. If any of you know any physicians who would be receptive to shadowing in the Southern California area please PM me.

 

[gyngyn]

If I were you, I'd reapply to MD next cycle. Don't completely rule out your chances at MD because your stats are definitely impressive, especially your MCAT score.

One of the challenges faced by re-applicants with very good scores is the observation that the reasons for failure in previous cycles are presumed to lie in the non-quantitative aspects of the application (maturity, communication skills, altruism...). In fact, I agree that OP (despite his excellent scores ) should focus on new targets this application cycle.