any chance of getting in medschool with these gpa and score?

[oiboy86]

Hi I recently submitted my application through amcas. my gpa is 3.56 and my mcat score is 23. I submitted my application before recieving my score and now that I got the score I dont know wot to do. Im really worried. should i withdraw my application or should i apply anyway and see what happens. Im not a kinda guy who takes risks but I dunno should i do it this time or not. Please if you have any advice let me know.
thank you.

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[Valko]

Personally, I'd wait and retake rather than have to possibly explain why i'm a re-applicant next year. Just my two cents.

Hi I recently submitted my application through amcas. my gpa is 3.56 and my mcat score is 23. I submitted my application before recieving my score and now that I got the score I dont know wot to do. Im really worried. should i withdraw my application or should i apply anyway and see what happens. Im not a kinda guy who takes risks but I dunno should i do it this time or not. Please if you have any advice let me know.
thank you.

 

[JJAbrams]

Hi I recently submitted my application through amcas. my gpa is 3.56 and my mcat score is 23. I submitted my application before recieving my score and now that I got the score I dont know wot to do. Im really worried. should i withdraw my application or should i apply anyway and see what happens. Im not a kinda guy who takes risks but I dunno should i do it this time or not. Please if you have any advice let me know.
thank you.

There are a few things to consider here. What state are you a resident of? Do you have a solid extracurricular/volunteering record? And are you open to going the DO route?

The 23 MCAT makes just about any allopathic school a long shot, unless you get some real nice in-state consideration. However, as a DO applicant that 3.56 GPA looks nice and the 23 MCAT will be only slightly below most DO schools averages. Longshot at allopathic schools, solid shot at DO's.

 

[oiboy86]

I have years of volunteering and research and shadowing doctors and going to underserved communities and helping. I am a residence of california. Im kinda new to this MD vs. DO. can you please clarify what DO mean and wot will be the difference in the long run.
thank you.

 

[Mobius1985]

Here is a cut and paste from the pre-osteo forum to answer your question:

MD vs DO
Physicians are hired as tradesman for the job of physician or surgeon, the degree qualifies you for the job but isn't the job itself. Having said that, there is no discrepancy in salary between and MD and a DO, however it is debatable whether DOs or MDs make more money when self employed. There are way too many variable involved, such as location, local opinions, and individual performance to assess this. Here is a sample of discussions and opinions about this question:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=211261
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=202236
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=188100
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=184459
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=174042

Are DO's considered "medical doctors"? Or are they just doctors?

Actually Doctor of Osteopathy is an outdated term, the original title was Diplomat of Osteopathy when A.T. Still, MD only taught his students OMM and Anatomy, which then evolved into Doctor of Osteopathy as more forms of treatment such as surgery were taught. Our official title is Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine now as we are trained in Pharmacology (yes Dr. Still eventually had to allow medicine be taught), Surgery, and all aspects of modern medicine. We are medical doctors. Things have changed since people expected to die when they called their doctor to bleed them dry or administer some poison, and as things change so does our profession. It's in that ability to adapt and be dynamic that makes our profession so great. If modern medicine went down a road to harm patients again I am sure we would diverge once again.

 

[bobsagat]

To add on to what mobius mentioned, osteopathy is generally considered a much more holistic discipline, meaning that the organ systems are viewed much less independently. "Holistic" can be a weighted term in the medical setting and I don't mean to imply anything negative with it. From the patients and actor "patients" (actors used for clinical training as patients) that I've spoken with, most of them seem to love osteopaths.

They tend to be more focused toward primary care, so if you have a preference for a certain specialty that might make a difference.

 

[oiboy86]

as far as my situation described above, what are my chances?

 

[bobsagat]

as far as my situation described above, what are my chances?

Your GPA is acceptable, but your MCAT is below average, which by definition is not competitive. Unless you're an poorly-represented minority applying to a program that's designed to get minorities into the healthcare workforce, I would strongly discourage your from applying to MD with these stats. Your MCAT needs to come up about 5 or 6 points for you to have much of a chance at most MD schools. Your stats are a good fit for an osteopathic program, though.

Sorry if that was too blunt! Good luck.

 

[Mobius1985]

FWIW, I completely agree with bobsagat's opinion. If I were you, I wouldn't waste my application dollars with allopathic medical schools.