Appreciative of any help narrowing down a list of schools

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
N

NineIron

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Joined
Apr 28, 2015
Messages
98
Reaction score
43
Members do not see this ad.
Hi all,

I would really appreciate any feedback to help narrow down a list of schools I should apply to this cycle.
My background summary:

  • Completed around 170 credits as an undergrad.
  • Overall GPA: 3.83, sGPA: 3.45 (Maybe a tenth higher, I don't recall)
  • MCAT 25 (second time taking it, p7, v9, b9) (first time p6, v10, b6)
  • Undergraduate research assistant for two different PI's (~90 hours clinical research for the research with the medical school, ~25 lab based for the other)
  • Undergraduate Fellow for a community engagement institute (1 semester long fellowship)
  • ~600 hours as a volunteer EMT
  • ~ 250 hours volunteering as part of our fraternity (served as President the last year)
  • Semester long internship with the university medical school's medical group
  • Traveled to Central America for a week for health outreach and promotion
  • Spent last 10 months working at a highly recognized national cancer center (administrative but working right alongside the physicians)
  • I will have a letter from the fellowship professor, from a physician at the cancer center, a science professor, and an upper level professor from my major.
  • I'm from the Northeast
My main concern obviously is my MCAT but I am hoping it will be enough to earn me an interview/acceptance. I'm trying to secure a shadowing opportunity with a DO but am going to assume I won't get a letter for now.

Right now I'm looking at the schools that are commonly mentioned as more receptive towards lower MCAT scores but my list is as follows as I've been able to take from past threads. Financially of course it would be easier to narrow this down although I'm very willing to apply as broadly as might be necessary:

Touro (Middletown)
Rowan (in state)
NYIT
LECOM (Erie and bradenton)
VCOM (Virginia, South Carolina)
PCOM (Philadelphia and Georgia)
NSU
ACOM
KCU
Des Moines
UNECOM
TUNCOM
Western (OR)
AT Still
MUCOM
CUSOM
LMU
SOMA
RVU

I really appreciate any feedback and your time.
 
Last edited:
NineIron said:
Hi all,

I would really appreciate any feedback to help narrow down a list of schools I should apply to this cycle.
My background summary:

  • Completed around 170 credits as an undergrad.
  • Overall GPA: 3.83, sGPA: 3.45 (Maybe a tenth higher, I don't recall)
  • MCAT 25 (second time taking it, p7, v9, b9) (first time p6, v10, b6)
  • Undergraduate research assistant for two different PI's (~90 hours clinical research for the research with the medical school, ~25 lab based for the other)
  • Undergraduate Fellow for a community engagement institute (1 semester long fellowship)
  • ~600 hours as a volunteer EMT
  • ~ 250 hours volunteering as part of our fraternity (served as President the last year)
  • Semester long internship with the university medical school's medical group
  • Traveled to Central America for a week for health outreach and promotion
  • Spent last 10 months working at a highly recognized national cancer center (administrative but working right alongside the physicians)
  • I will have a letter from the fellowship professor, from a physician at the cancer center, a science professor, and an upper level professor from my major.
  • I'm from the Northeast
My main concern obviously is my MCAT but I am hoping it will be enough to earn me an interview/acceptance. I'm trying to secure a shadowing opportunity with a DO but am going to assume I won't get a letter for now.

Right now I'm looking at the schools that are commonly mentioned as more receptive towards lower MCAT scores but my list is as follows as I've been able to take from past threads. Financially of course it would be easier to narrow this down although I'm very willing to apply as broadly as might be necessary:

Touro (Middletown)
Rowan (in state)
NYIT
LECOM (Erie and bradenton)
VCOM (Virginia, South Carolina, and Auburn)
PCOM (Philadelphia and Georgia)
NSU
ACOM
KCU
Des Moines
WVsom
UNECOM
TUNCOM
Western-CA
Western-OR
AT Still
MUCOM
Wm Carey
CUSOM
LMU
SOMA
RVU
PacNW

I really appreciate any feedback and your time.
Click to expand...

Remove the schools in red in your quote!
 
AlteredScale said:
Seems to be fairly focuses on PCP, outpatient clerkships, serving the region...a fairly small proportion of applicants will actually want to do that.
Click to expand...

Good to know, I'm fairly interested in this but don't want to be tied down to only this option
 
DO2015CA said:
ahhh with lower end MCAT I would be looking to recommend VCOM-A if you wouldn't mind living in AL for the next few years
Click to expand...

I don't mind living anywhere as long as it means I can practice medicine at the end of it all haha
 
NineIron said:
I don't mind living anywhere as long as it means I can practice medicine at the end of it all haha
Click to expand...

For me personally I would only take out WVSOM (WAY WAY WAY too high out of state tuition), Western Pomona (Their average is floating around a 30 mainly because they're in CA), and PNWU (They are looking to educate physicians that'll stay in the PNW. Being from Northern CA I wasn't NW enough for them haha. They offered me a super late interview and that was before December. By the time the interview rolled around they were just interviewing for wait lists.
 
DO2015CA said:
For me personally I would only take out WVSOM (WAY WAY WAY too high out of state tuition), Western Pomona (Their average is floating around a 30 mainly because they're in CA), and PNWU (They are looking to educate physicians that'll stay in the PNW. Being from Northern CA I wasn't NW enough for them haha. They offered me a super late interview and that was before December. By the time the interview rolled around they were just interviewing for wait lists.
Click to expand...

Thanks DO201! So my list should look more like this? Any schools you'd recommend I add? I hope you had some success with the cycle in the end!

Touro (Middletown)
Rowan (in state)
NYIT
LECOM (Erie and bradenton)
VCOM (Virginia, South Carolina, and Auburn)
PCOM (Philadelphia and Georgia)
NSU
ACOM
KCU
Des Moines
UNECOM
TUNCOM
Western-OR
AT Still
MUCOM
Wm Carey
CUSOM
LMU
SOMA
RVU
 
NineIron said:
Thanks DO201! So my list should look more like this? Any schools you'd recommend I add? I hope you had some success with the cycle in the end!

Touro (Middletown)
Rowan (in state)
NYIT
LECOM (Erie and bradenton)
VCOM (Virginia, South Carolina, and Auburn)
PCOM (Philadelphia and Georgia)
NSU
ACOM
KCU
Des Moines
UNECOM
TUNCOM
Western-OR
AT Still
MUCOM
Wm Carey
CUSOM
LMU
SOMA
RVU
Click to expand...

Listen to @AlteredScale more than me haha! I just had my two cents about VCOM-A. Everything else lines up with him. I know William Carey is super regional bias too so maybe talk to their students to see if they have a good amount of "out of towners"
 
DO2015CA said:
Listen to @AlteredScale more than me haha! I just had my two cents about VCOM-A. Everything else lines up with him. I know William Carey is super regional bias too so maybe talk to their students to see if they have a good amount of "out of towners"
Click to expand...


Hahaha no you're advice is good too! OP should take it!
 
Awesome Sauceome said:
See I would contradict my good buddy Altered here, I think VCOM-A has some promise, not to mention they would be a little more of a strong safety because of the MCAT.
Click to expand...

I think though, all of the VCOM's are the same application no? So don't they all have the same admissions standards when it comes to MCAT and GPA?

Idk what I'm talking about hahaha.
 
AlteredScale said:
I think though, all of the VCOM's are the same application no? So don't they all have the same admissions standards when it comes to MCAT and GPA?

Idk what I'm talking about hahaha.
Click to expand...
Honestly I dont know, I only applied to the VA campus. For whatever reason I was under the impression that they do take different things into account though. Like for instance I have heard that the Auburn campus is not as regionally biased as the VA campus. But how or why? Not a freaking clue.
 
Awesome Sauceome said:
Honestly I dont know, I only applied to the VA campus. For whatever reason I was under the impression that they do take different things into account though. Like for instance I have heard that the Auburn campus is not as regionally biased as the VA campus. But how or why? Not a freaking clue.
Click to expand...

Hmm perhaps, well I (and you? I forget haha) got interviewed at the VCOM-A campus and my MCAT was a bit on the lower side as well. So it does make sense to suggest the newer campus!
 
I'm going to apply to all of their campuses, the ROI is worth it 👍
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

gastrocnemesis
Pls help me whittle down my DO school list!
Replies
5
Views
2K
Goro
Goro
S
School List Help Please! (ORM, 3.89 undergrad, 4.0 Masters, 501 (124,129,124,124)
Replies
2
Views
1K
Goro
Goro
W
  • Locked
Bombed, school list help?
Replies
17
Views
2K
waspmachine
W
P
Out of state friendly DO school lists ( TX res)
Replies
6
Views
1K
chilly_md
chilly_md
M
Help with school list please
Replies
12
Views
2K
medschoolfailure12
M
Top