501 mcat

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Etm5515

Etm5515

Full Member
7+ Year Member
I just received my mcat score today, I got a 501. Is it even worth applying this cycle with a cGPA of 3.3 and a sGPA also of 3.3 (super strong upward trend) URM, good ECs? I'm feeling mighty discouraged.


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So DO schools will look at you "holistically" -- MCAT /GPA is only a part of the package.

How are your clinical / non- clinical hours?
Any leadership roles?
 
oOKawaiiOo said:
So DO schools will look at you "holistically" -- MCAT /GPA is only a part of the package.

How are your clinical / non- clinical hours?
Any leadership roles?
Click to expand...

Clinical hours 1000+ as a CNA, ~400 hours non clinical

Multiple extracurricular leadership positions. First year <2.0 GPA, last two years deans list every semester.

2 years directed individual research, no pubs


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You can get in with those stats if your ECs, LORs, and PS are solid. I would STRONGLY suggest reaching out to local DOs to get some shadowing hours in. Apply as early as your situation allows.
 
Etm5515 said:
I just received my mcat score today, I got a 501. Is it even worth applying this cycle with a cGPA of 3.3 and a sGPA also of 3.3 (super strong upward trend) URM, good ECs? I'm feeling mighty discouraged.


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Click to expand...

Which state do you reside in? You may have to apply to the newer schools with those stats.
 
Your MCAT is not a problem for the majority of DO schools. Your GPA's could be a couple points higher, but your URM status will help you a fair amount.
 
apply broadly to all new schools and you have a fighting chance
 
Etm5515 said:
No DO letter, but will have 2 MD letters


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Get a DO letter! It's something within your control and some schools require DO shadowing. You can submit it with secondaries, so apply asap. There is no good reason to limit yourself any more than you already have.

Good luck

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DrMikeP said:
Get a DO letter! It's something within your control and some schools require DO shadowing. You can submit it with secondaries, so apply asap. There is no good reason to limit yourself any more than you already have.

Good luck

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Sorry to hijack OP

Do you know if it makes a huge difference to not get a letter if you have shadowed a DO? I'm in the midst of shadowing one and I'm not sure how long it'll take before I feel comfortable asking for one/he'll feel comfortable writing a good one. I understand they're not due till secondaries are due but I wouldn't want to delay secondaries to wait for a letter that may or may not come.

Also does it matter if the DO practices/supports OMM or not?


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Scrubs101 said:
Sorry to hijack OP

Do you know if it makes a huge difference to not get a letter if you have shadowed a DO? I'm in the midst of shadowing one and I'm not sure how long it'll take before I feel comfortable asking for one/he'll feel comfortable writing a good one. I understand they're not due till secondaries are due but I wouldn't want to delay secondaries to wait for a letter that may or may not come.

Also does it matter if the DO practices/supports OMM or not?


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Depends on the med school. Some more than others. Some it's not required until interview. Look at each school you are interested in and see what they require. The sooner after completing a secondary the better, as that is when ur app is reviewed.

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DrMikeP said:
Depends on the med school. Some more than others. Some it's not required until interview. Look at each school you are interested in and see what they require. The sooner after completing a secondary the better, as that is when ur app is reviewed.

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Click to expand...

Will do! Thank you!


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Scrubs101 said:
Sorry to hijack OP

Do you know if it makes a huge difference to not get a letter if you have shadowed a DO? I'm in the midst of shadowing one and I'm not sure how long it'll take before I feel comfortable asking for one/he'll feel comfortable writing a good one. I understand they're not due till secondaries are due but I wouldn't want to delay secondaries to wait for a letter that may or may not come.

Also does it matter if the DO practices/supports OMM or not?


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Click to expand...

How old is this DO that you're shadowing? I'm asking this because the younger DO (n=1 , me..) are wicked receptive to writing one right away. One of mine wrote me one after shadowing him for 4 hrs. The other one wrote mine after shadowing her for two 8 hrs shifts. I really think it comes down to how they feel about you. The one who wrote me one after 4 hrs of shadowing basically said that he understands the process and even though it such a short period of time, hes basically seeing it as an opportunity to show me if I can see myself doing what he's doing.
FWIW, I would ask now. That's just my two cents.
 
AsianPersuasion said:
How old is this DO that you're shadowing? I'm asking this because the younger DO (n=1 , me..) are wicked receptive to writing one right away. One of mine wrote me one after shadowing him for 4 hrs. The other one wrote mine after shadowing her for two 8 hrs shifts. I really think it comes down to how they feel about you. The one who wrote me one after 4 hrs of shadowing basically said that he understands the process and even though it such a short period of time, hes basically seeing it as an opportunity to show me if I can see myself doing what he's doing.
FWIW, I would ask now. That's just my two cents.
Click to expand...

Edited: becuz too much info written out, but basically I agree! I will ask soon and hope for the best!

Thank you for the advice, I really appreciate it 🙂


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Last edited:
I have around the same stats as you OP,
3.34 cGPA 3.29sGPA 501 (balanced) but 500 (125,123,124,128) bad mcat, but stellar EC's
I'm also caucasian, so that will probably hurt me. With your URM status I think you'll be okay.

@Goro you had mentioned on my thread that my chances were pretty darn low. Is it OP's URM status that is helping him so much?
 
African Americans are considered one of the most underrepresented in medicine, that puts you at an advantage. If you take a look at the AACOMAS Matriculant profile for 2015. Your GPA is around the mean for AA, and your 501 MCAT is almost 1 standard deviation above the mean ( 68th percentile ). So as long as you apply broadly, you should be OK.


 
tallengineer20 said:
African Americans are considered one of the most underrepresented in medicine, that puts you at an advantage. If you take a look at the AACOMAS Matriculant profile for 2015. Your GPA is around the mean for AA, and your 501 MCAT is almost 1 standard deviation above the mean ( 68th percentile ). So as long as you apply broadly, you should be OK.


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Thank you. I am working on compiling a school list and am willing to apply to up to 20 schools. So, hopefully I get some love.


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Where are you finding that info?

tallengineer20 said:
African Americans are considered one of the most underrepresented in medicine, that puts you at an advantage. If you take a look at the AACOMAS Matriculant profile for 2015. Your GPA is around the mean for AA, and your 501 MCAT is almost 1 standard deviation above the mean ( 68th percentile ). So as long as you apply broadly, you should be OK.
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hopefulstudent55 said:
What are your thoughts on LUCOM? Why do you say so?
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LUCOM is a med school at a very conservative Christian university, which from what I've heard impacts the med school accordingly. If that's for you then great, if not then you might or might not find Liberty a good fit. There was also some question raised over med student failure rates, but I don't know any details on that. A number of LU students have posted here that they were happy with the program, so as with any med school do your due diligence.
 
Definitely apply to CUSOM. They are a newer school so their requirements might not be as high, and you'll have an advantage being in-state, especially if you tell them you want to practice medicine in the state after graduation.
 
Alienman52 said:
I have around the same stats as you OP,
3.34 cGPA 3.29sGPA 501 (balanced) but 500 (125,123,124,128) bad mcat, but stellar EC's
I'm also caucasian, so that will probably hurt me. With your URM status I think you'll be okay.

@Goro you had mentioned on my thread that my chances were pretty darn low. Is it OP's URM status that is helping him so much?
Click to expand...

@Goro I'm curious here as well. Similar stats but different responses.
 
@Goro I heard that LUCOM does not actively encourage research for their students. Is this the case for most osteopathic schools? I always was under the impression that most schools encouraged research to some extent.
 
We like it but at my school we've never once dinged an applicant for lacking research. I don't even recall any people who didn't have research, except maybe those who spent some time in the Armed Forces.

I suspect that this is because so many pre-meds do research since they're vying for MD schools first.

Interestingly, many people (~30%) aiming for our own SMP lack research. Maybe academically weaker students self-select away from research, or can't manage it since they're devoting all their efforts to MCAT, grades and the standard volunteering ECs? This sounds like there's a medical education paper in there, somewhere.


Prilozack said:
@Goro I heard that LUCOM does not actively encourage research for their students. Is this the case for most osteopathic schools? I always was under the impression that most schools encouraged research to some extent.
Click to expand...
 
Etm5515 said:
I just received my mcat score today, I got a 501. Is it even worth applying this cycle with a cGPA of 3.3 and a sGPA also of 3.3 (super strong upward trend) URM, good ECs? I'm feeling mighty discouraged.


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Click to expand...

In addition to what others have said, I'd also recommend applying MD with your stats and URM status. Its worth a shot at in-state schools and HBCUs.
 
hallowmann said:
In addition to what others have said, I'd also recommend applying MD with your stats and URM status. Its worth a shot at in-state schools and HBCUs.
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I would, but due to grade replacement, My DO GPA is much higher than my MD GPA. My MD GPA is <3.0


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How far below 3.0? It'd still be worth throwing the hbcu medschools if it's a 2.9 or so
 
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