chances at ccom

[mommy2three]

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hello all,
well here i am...applying to ccom only (due to dh's job leaving us with geographic restrictions on where i am able to apply...that and we just purchased our house last year)
anyway, i am desperately trying to figure out if i should seriously considering taking the mcat in two weeks or not. i have signed up for it, done the whole kaplan prep course thing but still feel drastically unprepared due to our new arrival (that would be her in my av 🙂 ). i am trying to figure out if i would be competitive as is with my application or if i need to raise the mcat to put forth a better app overall.
here is what i am coming in with:
double undergrad major in biology/psychology
cum undergrad gpa : 3.2 (due to 3 semesters of failing grades almost 10 yrs ago)
science undergrad gpa : 3.75
grad gpa: 2.88 (in a very intensive smp at franklin, i will be taking classes this fall at niu to raise this gpa but will only be in progress at time of application review/interview)
mcat (from april 2004): 26R (9p,9v,8b)
2+ yrs as a domestic violence advocate
2 yrs of bio research (two poster presentations, one of which was national)
2 yrs of psychology research (includingw ork on a paper that is in the process of being published)
i have begun shadowing one of the pedis in my childrens group who is a do and we get along very well so i have no doubt that she will write me a stellar lor. i also will have a stellar lor from my undergrad advisor and the two faculty members i have done research with.
is what i have good enough to be considered competitive? should i retake the mcat in hopes of raising my score (although i have to admit i do not entirely feel comfortable with the idea of taking it again and as i have already said feel drastically unprepared)?
i am looking for any insight to be able to put forth the best app i can to increase my chances of getting to interview and hopefully ( ...fingers crossed) get in.
tia for any info you have to share

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

should be ok.

 

[tucomnvms1]

That graduate GPA will probably hurt you alot.

 

[mocheese]

I dont think you will have a problem, i got in with similar stats (higher mcat) just make sure you apply early. i cant tell you how important that is. first time i applied, i applied at the absolute deadline and got 0 interviews. next cylce i had it in right at the beggining and had acceptances before thanksgiving. you have alot of great extracurriculars and your mcat is above the mean so, again, i think you will be in good shape. Also during this process, dont listen to people like tucomnvms1, who clearly is an idiot.

 

[dr.z]

I think you'll be fine.

 

[laboholic]

screw the MCAT and focus on your kid. apply now and if you dont get in take the MCAT again. I think you will be surprized though.

 

[Mixmaster]

Hi. You were in the Rosalind Franklin AP Program that "guarantees" you admission to CMS? If you were in that program I think you might have some problems, because essentially you did not get the degree and you 'failed' out (I know you did not fail - but they do not give anyone the degree that does not have the GPA of 2.96). Is this your Grad program?

 

[mommy2three]

Hi. You were in the Rosalind Franklin AP Program that "guarantees" you admission to CMS? If you were in that program I think you might have some problems, because essentially you did not get the degree and you 'failed' out (I know you did not fail - but they do not give anyone the degree that does not have the GPA of 2.96). Is this your Grad program?

yes that is the program i was in. and me and about 30 other people got screwed by the biochem or neuro final and just did not have 14 credits of a to spare.

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

yes that is the program i was in. and me and about 30 other people got screwed by the biochem or neuro final and just did not have 14 credits of a to spare.

Saying that you got screwed on a final isn't going to get you anywhere.

Adcoms will like if you own up to it: ie, I didnt study enough, my kid held a greater priority, etc.

 

[mommy2three]

Saying that you got screwed on a final isn't going to get you anywhere.

Adcoms will like if you own up to it: ie, I didnt study enough, my kid held a greater priority, etc.

actually it was one question that kept me out of the program.
i may not have been in the situation had i taken the second midterm...i had gotten ill with gallbladder issues and was admitted to the hospital for dehydration the day of the second midterm. this made my final worth more of my overall score.
but yes i did not study enough due to the fact that i was still not feeling 100% at final time (still having gallbladder issues)...so i plan to owe up to it.

the previous post comes from frustration for not only me but the others who were so close....the fact that the grades we got would have been good enough had we been a regular med student is just beyond frustrating. but that is not the point of these programs and i know that, i knew that going in and decided to take the risk anyway.

 

[Mixmaster]

So you would rather go to a 5 year M.D. program than a 4 year D.O. program? So you really don't want to be a D.O. do you? So you didn't get into an M.D. school and now you are falling back on D.O. I am not trying to be a jerk just preparing you for the questions you might face. This is a problem with D.O. schools in general not just your problem. This is why Osteopathy needs to change.

Goood Luck! I hope it works out for you.

 

[mommy2three]

So you would rather go to a 5 year M.D. program than a 4 year D.O. program? So you really don't want to be a D.O. do you? So you didn't get into an M.D. school and now you are falling back on D.O. I am not trying to be a jerk just preparing you for the questions you might face. This is a problem with D.O. schools in general not just your problem. This is why Osteopathy needs to change.

Goood Luck! I hope it works out for you.

actually i was seriously considering d.o. option when i got the last minute acceptance last yr and then everything went out the window.
the original specialty i had in mind does not have any d.o.'s in practice and the path to get there was by no means clear. since then i have talked extensively with numerous people who were in that profession as well as others and have since realized that the original specialty is not by any way shape or form for me.
if anything the past year made it abundantly clear to me that d.o. was the way to go....my personality is drastically different than the others i was with as was my personal approach to pbl's. for me d.o. is not a "fall back" option it is the option.

i appreciate the honesty though....you seem like a straight shooter and i respect that.

 

[Vox Animo]

Given your stats, you have good a chance. However, apply to more than one DO school. Many students only apply to CCOM because of the location in chicago, and i don't think taht shows that your are sold on the DO philosophy. But they will probably take into account your situaiton.

 

[Mixmaster]

actually i was seriously considering d.o. option when i got the last minute acceptance last yr and then everything went out the window.
the original specialty i had in mind does not have any d.o.'s in practice and the path to get there was by no means clear. since then i have talked extensively with numerous people who were in that profession as well as others and have since realized that the original specialty is not by any way shape or form for me.
if anything the past year made it abundantly clear to me that d.o. was the way to go....my personality is drastically different than the others i was with as was my personal approach to pbl's. for me d.o. is not a "fall back" option it is the option.

i appreciate the honesty though....you seem like a straight shooter and i respect that.

Good response. At least the adcom's will like it. Please remember not to get brainwashed by the Osteopaths - PLZ Don't begin to think that a D.O. is better trained and taught to be a better Dr. This is a joke. The only difference is the OMM class, THAT'S IT. In fact the D.O. will close some doors to you. It's reality. I dont like it either but that's just the way it is. Midwestern is a good place with good rotations.

Hopefully you will see on rotation one day at CCOM that CMS students are no better or worse, with similar personalities. We have alot of the same rotations with the same preceptors. Oh you know what.... there are some people that are at CCOM that were in the AP program. Not sure why they left... So I guess it doesnt hurt that much. 🙂

I think your stats are borderline. I know people that got rejected and had better stats (who matriculated MD the same yr), and I know people with worse stats that were accepted. Some good news for you is that CCOM is planning on increasing class size, hopefully that will help you. Shadow a D.O. especially those associated with the school, they can really help you out.