Accepted to a Big 4 med school- what about my DO app?

[malamed]

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I was just accepted into a Big Four Caribbean medical school! I am really happy and excited, BUT I just finished my DO school application and was getting ready to submit today!
I was only going to apply to a couple DO programs due to cost and poor stats, but there may be a chance for me in the US! If classes start in August in the Caribbean.. what do I do if I get an interview for a DO school?
Has anyone had this issue before?
Should I just say oh well to DO school and not submit my app and fly off to the Carrib? Do I defer acceptance?

My stats are below..Judge away, but please someone offer some solid advice?
Age: 25
Bachelors in Psychology
GPA w/out retakes: 3.19
MCAT: 20
Medical Assistant in primary care office 3 years
Director of Professional dance team
Bunches of community service and shadowing
DO letter, weak science letters, MD letter, NP letter, good Dean of Psych letter
AMSA, AED etc.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

I was just accepted into a Big Four Caribbean medical school! I am really happy and excited, BUT I just finished my DO school application and was getting ready to submit today!
I was only going to apply to a couple DO programs due to cost and poor stats, but there may be a chance for me in the US! If classes start in August in the Caribbean.. what do I do if I get an interview for a DO school?
Has anyone had this issue before?
Should I just say oh well to DO school and not submit my app and fly off to the Carrib? Do I defer acceptance?

My stats are below..Judge away, but please someone offer some solid advice?
Age: 25
Bachelors in Psychology
GPA w/out retakes: 3.19
MCAT: 20
Medical Assistant in primary care office 3 years
Director of Professional dance team
Bunches of community service and shadowing
DO letter, weak science letters, MD letter, NP letter, good Dean of Psych letter
AMSA, AED etc.

You won't get into DO school with those numbers. You should take the time to retake your bad grades for DO grade replacement, retake your MCAT to get a better score, and retry for DO schools. Caribbean is not a great option and with your numbers, I would worry strongly about being able to make it through and get a residency spot.

 

[the argus]

I agree with above, you don't have a shot at any DO school.

Frankly, I'm also pretty surprised you were accepted into one of the big 4 caribbean schools with those numbers. I would assume the only one that would offer you a straight acceptance would be SABA, as Ross/AUC would probably put you in MERP and SGU in the CFP.

If you don't have a specific reason why your GPA and MCAT are low, and have addressed and fixed this reason, then going to the Caribbean might not be a good option for you right now. Retaking your low science prereqs and MCAT will give you the time to figure out how to study effectively, and allow you to be more competitive for DO programs. After doing this, going to the Caribbean might still be your only option, but you would have hopefully found a learning method that works better for you. The big 4 schools have significant attrition rates (~15-25%), and often these are the people who show up without knowing how to learn effectively.

 

[malamed]

Appreciate the responses, guys.
Reason for my low marks is due to working late nights throughout college while taking 18 hrs a semester to graduate on time while balancing those extracurriculars. I literally bartended til four in the morning and then got up at 8 for Ochem lab, then dance practice after classes, etc. So, yea it was difficult to maintain straight As. I also failed a course and retook it the following semster which really dropped my GPA.
MCAT- same thing, I work full time and just couldn't devote enough study hours.. Not to mention, I scored 6 points below my average on practice tests..Dont really know why.

I know with a free schedule, I will excel so much more in my academics than I've been able to.
@the argus..glad your so suprised..because yes, I was directly admitted to RUSM.

So..I shouldn't even try to apply D.O.? Seems a little pessmistic.

 

[W19]

@malamed Your chance at DO is very slim... You need a 3.3 c/sGPA and 25+ to have a shot at the worst DO schools.

 

[frappalino16]

Appreciate the responses, guys.
Reason for my low marks is due to working late nights throughout college while taking 18 hrs a semester to graduate on time while balancing those extracurriculars. I literally bartended til four in the morning and then got up at 8 for Ochem lab, then dance practice after classes, etc. So, yea it was difficult to maintain straight As. I also failed a course and retook it the following semster which really dropped my GPA.
MCAT- same thing, I work full time and just couldn't devote enough study hours.. Not to mention, I scored 6 points below my average on practice tests..Dont really know why.

I know with a free schedule, I will excel so much more in my academics than I've been able to.
@the argus..glad your so suprised..because yes, I was directly admitted to RUSM.

So..I shouldn't even try to apply D.O.? Seems a little pessmistic.

You shouldn't even try to apply DO until you fix your application. Even with your practice MCAT scores (assuming they were 26), you would still struggle to gain a DO acceptance with your GPA.

My advice is for you to retake the MCAT and some science courses to boost your numbers. You seem confident in your ability to excel with a free schedule so there is no real excuse for you not to pursue this route. As many others have said before on SDN, medical school is a marathon, not a race. Take your time, fix your numbers, and avoid the unnecessary complications associated with being an IMG