Chances for DO Acceptance?

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SuperTrooper

SuperTrooper

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This guy I know is really interested in becoming a doctor. On his second try his mcat scores are now verbal reasoning 6, physical sciences 6, biological sciences 5, and he got an "M" on writing . He goes to a state school, and has a 3.2 GPA in a geology major.

He told me that admission standards at DO schools are way lower than at MD schools, and he thinks he has a shot. He said he knows people with similar scores currently in osteopathic schools. Is this correct? Or should I tell him to retake the MCAT? He's a really nice guy and I want to help him out.

thx. 🙂 🙂
 
SuperTrooper said:
This guy I know is really interested in becoming a doctor. On his second try his mcat scores are now verbal reasoning 6, physical sciences 6, biological sciences 5, and he got an "M" on writing . He goes to a state school, and has a 3.2 GPA in a geology major.

He told me that admission standards at DO schools are way lower than at MD schools, and he thinks he has a shot. He said he knows people with similar scores currently in osteopathic schools. Is this correct? Or should I tell him to retake the MCAT? He's a really nice guy and I want to help him out.

thx. 🙂 🙂
Click to expand...

If he got in to med school with those stats he would be an extreme exception to the rule. so i don't think he has a chance and he should take the MCAT again.
 
Take my word..if he goes to med school with those grades...i will drop out of medical school....all i know is that the mcat score he has will help him motivate for the next test he is ought to take 😉 By the way, stop degrading the overall value of an Osteopathic school..perhaps their avg. scores to get in are low in comparison to allopathic doesn't mean a low score will cut it! Infact DO's willl be doing the same stuff as M.D's and dont consider Osteopathy as a second option, it's only a different option to be in the medical field.
 
SuperTrooper said:
This guy I know is really interested in becoming a doctor. On his second try his mcat scores are now verbal reasoning 6, physical sciences 6, biological sciences 5, and he got an "M" on writing . He goes to a state school, and has a 3.2 GPA in a geology major.

He told me that admission standards at DO schools are way lower than at MD schools, and he thinks he has a shot. He said he knows people with similar scores currently in osteopathic schools. Is this correct? Or should I tell him to retake the MCAT? He's a really nice guy and I want to help him out.

thx. 🙂 🙂
Click to expand...
He should retake the mcat after studying a couple of months with a kaplan prep course or something.
 
SuperTrooper said:
This guy I know is really interested in becoming a doctor. On his second try his mcat scores are now verbal reasoning 6, physical sciences 6, biological sciences 5, and he got an "M" on writing . He goes to a state school, and has a 3.2 GPA in a geology major.

He told me that admission standards at DO schools are way lower than at MD schools, and he thinks he has a shot. He said he knows people with similar scores currently in osteopathic schools. Is this correct? Or should I tell him to retake the MCAT? He's a really nice guy and I want to help him out.

thx. 🙂 🙂
Click to expand...

They may be lower, but not THAT much lower. Not only is his MCAT several deviations below the mean for ALL schools (DO/MD) his GPA is not that impressive either. Given those two combos alone, I doubt he'd even be granted interviews. He needs to retake the MCAT.
 
SuperTrooper said:
This guy I know is really interested in becoming a doctor. On his second try his mcat scores are now verbal reasoning 6, physical sciences 6, biological sciences 5, and he got an "M" on writing . He goes to a state school, and has a 3.2 GPA in a geology major.

He told me that admission standards at DO schools are way lower than at MD schools, and he thinks he has a shot. He said he knows people with similar scores currently in osteopathic schools. Is this correct? Or should I tell him to retake the MCAT? He's a really nice guy and I want to help him out.

thx. 🙂 🙂
Click to expand...

MCAT is too low. He needs to retake.
 
SuperTrooper said:
He told me that admission standards at DO schools are way lower than at MD schools, and he thinks he has a shot. He said he knows people with similar scores currently in osteopathic schools. Is this correct?
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If I didn't see how long you have been on SDN and how many posts you have, I would have asked, "Are you for real?" because it really sounds like someone who is "trolling" for a fight. Those numbers are way tooooooo low to even think about. You pretty much need at a minimum 8's in everything-- and if your GPA is only a 3.2, then you probably need something better than that.
 
I doubt he would have a decent shot at any med school unless he fits some weird demographic. Say a pink polka-dotted 2 foot tall giraffe with a fifth leg sticking out of your neck or something like that. If he fit that demographic he has a darn decent shot.
 
Tell him to take Statistic class to calculate his chance. In the worst case, he can be a professional gambler or save some money by not going into a casino.
 
SuperTrooper said:
This guy I know is really interested in becoming a doctor. On his second try his mcat scores are now verbal reasoning 6, physical sciences 6, biological sciences 5, and he got an "M" on writing . He goes to a state school, and has a 3.2 GPA in a geology major.

He told me that admission standards at DO schools are way lower than at MD schools, and he thinks he has a shot. He said he knows people with similar scores currently in osteopathic schools. Is this correct? Or should I tell him to retake the MCAT? He's a really nice guy and I want to help him out.

thx. 🙂 🙂
Click to expand...

TROLLLLLLLLLLL! In the dungeon! Thought you oughta know.
 
This person has no chance. Allopathic schools and Osteopthic Schools differ largely on the MCAT. Yes, the numbers are lower but like Raven said not that much lower. Sorry, he has to got to bring that GPA up to at least a 3.3 and a MCAT of a 25 to really have a chance.
 
It'sElectric said:
It had already been determined in a previous thread that this profile was a fake. Considering that anyone and everyone can make a profile on MDapplicants pretty much invites anyone to lie one way or the other. I would base zero research on mdapplicant profiles.
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How do they know its fake? If he had shown a true interest and had circumstances, he might have gotten in. MIGHT. I'm just more interested to know how you know its fake.
 
mj1878 said:
TROLLLLLLLLLLL! In the dungeon! Thought you oughta know.
Click to expand...
What do I know about medical school admissions? I'm a dental student. The guy told me he knew people accepted with similar scores so I thought maybe it was true. Obviously I was skeptical, even I know those are crap scores, so that's why i came here. Notice I said "Is this correct?" in my post.

Anyhow, thanks for the advice guys. 🙂 I'll try and break it to him lightly that things aren't exactly the way he thinks.
 
SuperTrooper said:
What do I know about medical school admissions? I'm a dental student. The guy told me he knew people accepted with similar scores so I thought maybe it was true. Obviously I was skeptical, even I know those are crap scores, so that's why i came here. Notice I said "Is this correct?" in my post.

Anyhow, thanks for the advice guys. 🙂 I'll try and break it to him lightly that things aren't exactly the way he thinks.
Click to expand...

Hi there,

I suspect he must of had something that really made him stand out. Did he do some type of really interesting social work, or the Peace Corp? Was he a missionary or something?

I get the feeling he must be one of those "social justice" guys that some schools are always after, cause I know several folks how scored well over 26 and they still couldn't get in to some of the O schools.

C&C
 
CatsandCradles said:
I get the feeling he must be one of those "social justice" guys that some schools are always after, cause I know several folks how scored well over 26 and they still couldn't get in to some of the O schools.

C&C
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I scored a 29P, 3.57 BCPM GPA, waitlisted at TCOM (3.1 overall undergrad, no osteopathic LOR)
 
scpod said:
Because DMU has a requirement of a 3.0 GPA overall and science. They won't even look at that application.
Click to expand...

Ahhhh...very good observation. I was accepted to the school and I didn't even realize that! 🙄
 
If the OP is for real, I would say that his friend has barely a chance in hell of gaining admission to any medical school in the United States.
 
Now I'm a little nervous because I have similar stats. I retook 34 credits as a post bac, which pushed my Cumm GPA from a 2.57 to a 3.07. My science GPA from all those retakes pushed to a 3.21.

21N MCAT, but retaking in August.

I'm hoping to get into a DO school, but from these posts it makes me nervous. I guess I'll let you guys know in a few months.
 
timmah2k said:
Now I'm a little nervous because I have similar stats. I retook 34 credits as a post bac, which pushed my Cumm GPA from a 2.57 to a 3.07. My science GPA from all those retakes pushed to a 3.21.

21N MCAT, but retaking in August.

I'm hoping to get into a DO school, but from these posts it makes me nervous. I guess I'll let you guys know in a few months.
Click to expand...

The OP's friend has a 17! You have a 21! That being said,
you are still going to have trouble. I hate to be an a$$ and say that, but I rather be honest than BS you. With your low GPA, you really need something to counteract it--hence, the MCAT. You are quite a few points below all school's averages in both areas.

The positive....You raised your GPA significantly and you definitely have an upward trend. For sure, that will play in your favor. I would be willing to bet that if you raised your MCAT to a 25 you would get in to quite a few places. :luck:
 
scpod said:
Because DMU has a requirement of a 3.0 GPA overall and science. They won't even look at that application.
Click to expand...
I know schools who have made exceptions in the past. Especially if they know the right people 😎 Kinda sad. But still, those with low gpa shouldn't give up hope. But you need the MCAT to back you up.
 
You will always hear about 1-2 exceptions at most schools, MD,DO, whatever. I know of MD schools that had someone get in with an 18 or something like that. This person probably had a 4.0, a PhD and/or NP license, knew people, and/or was sick or going through a major family emergency at the time of the MCAT. The point is, they must have been extremely impressed with everything else. If your friend doesn't pull it up to a 24O-P he needs to think about carribean schools, or other areas of healthcare. He can do it if he wants it bad enough otherwise, how do the schools expect him to pass the boards. As for the person with the 21, you need to bring that up--a school is definately going to want to see a second score, but I think you are closer to consideration. I've seen people get in with 21-23, but you need to impress with other stuff like volunteering, research,etc. Good luck!!!!!!
 
agreed....17 is just way too low...i never trust MD applicants anymore..ppl on their BS a lot about their scores / GPA's and so on. as far as you, with the 21! - i have a few friends who got interviews with similar stats, got waitlisted, retook the MCAT, and ended up being okay..as long as you apply, but let the schools know ure retaking the MCAT, they might give u an interview... but be prepared to explain ur scores..i have a friend who got waitlisted at CCOM with a 3.2 / 21, retook the mcat and got a 25 , and got in the week before classes started...that being said, there are plenty of stories like this one...the only thing you should really worry about is getting your gpa / MCAT to the best it can be by the time you want to apply, and just hope for the best...there are ppl who get rejected with 3.6's and 30's because of god knows what reason, and ppl who get in with 2.8 / 24's...so in the end, its a crapshoot...just gloss up ur apps as much as u can, and wow the interviewers if u get a shot... 😀
 
scpod said:
Because DMU has a requirement of a 3.0 GPA overall and science. They won't even look at that application.
Click to expand...


Good point, having done many interviews here at DMU, the lowest composite MCAT I ever saw or heard of even invited for an interview was a 22 and that was with a 3.9 GPA.

Most of the faculty and clinicians I have interviewed with are very hesitant about accepting a student with anything less than a 26 regardless of GPA and anything else.


To the OP;
I posted about this on other threads, a girl I knew from a state school in MN got in to Bradenton last minute (called and told she was in 3 days prior to orientation) with a GPA of 2.8 and MCAT of 15. Read into that what you want, but she has struggled tremendously and is already on the 5 year track and taking a full summer load to try to catch up for other failed classes. Sounds to me like LECOM with their branches are just trying to trade diplomas for dollars.

With that in mind, my advice would be apply to one of the new DO schools popping up all over, since at least until they prove themselves, they will likely have to dip deep into the applicant pool to fill seats as Bradenton has done.


This is obviously a whole separate discussion, but I think the AOA must do something to curb the new DO Diploma mills sprouting like weeds all over. The fact that LECOM while itself still on probation with the AOA is allowed to start a branch campus is mystifying.
 
FutureNavyDOc said:
Good point, having done many interviews here at DMU, the lowest composite MCAT I ever saw or heard of even invited for an interview was a 22 and that was with a 3.9 GPA.

Most of the faculty and clinicians I have interviewed with are very hesitant about accepting a student with anything less than a 26 regardless of GPA and anything else.

To the OP;
I posted about this on other threads, a girl I knew from a state school in MN got in to Bradenton last minute (called and told she was in 3 days prior to orientation) with a GPA of 2.8 and MCAT of 15. Read into that what you want, but she has struggled tremendously and is already on the 5 year track and taking a full summer load to try to catch up for other failed classes. Sounds to me like LECOM with their branches are just trying to trade diplomas for dollars.

With that in mind, my advice would be apply to one of the new DO schools popping up all over, since at least until they prove themselves, they will likely have to dip deep into the applicant pool to fill seats as Bradenton has done.


This is obviously a whole separate discussion, but I think the AOA must do something to curb the new DO Diploma mills sprouting like weeds all over. The fact that LECOM while itself still on probation with the AOA is allowed to start a branch campus is mystifying.
Click to expand...


If this is the case, why is DMU's average MCAT a 25. Obviously, you have to have a good amount of people below the 25 to meet that average, no?
 
USArmyDoc said:
If this is the case, why is DMU's average MCAT a 25. Obviously, you have to have a good amount of people belew the 25 to meet that average, no?
Click to expand...

Could you show us your source stating that the average MCAT is 25?

Thanks.
 
OSUdoc08 said:
Could you show us your source stating that the average MCAT is 25?

Thanks.
Click to expand...



it is on the school's website

What is the academic profile of COM current medical students?

Students have an average science GPA and cumulative GPA of 3.5, an MCAT composite of 25, and a writing sample average of (letter) P.
Click to expand...
 
OSUdoc08 said:
Could you show us your source stating that the average MCAT is 25?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

There ya go.... Thanks guys 🙂
 
USArmyDoc said:
There ya go.... Thanks guys 🙂
Click to expand...

That statistic has proven that DO schools accept people based on things other than MCAT & GPA.
 
OSUdoc08 said:
That statistic has proven that DO schools accept people based on things other than MCAT & GPA.
Click to expand...


I absolutely agree OSUDoc....I was simply asking for FutureNavyDoc to clarify his statement thats all.
 
USArmyDoc said:
I absolutely agree OSUDoc....I was simply asking for FutureNavyDoc to clarify his statement thats all.
Click to expand...

I never said that people with MCATs below 26 get in, I simply said that most of the interviewer's (clinicians and faculty) are hesitant to accept an MCAT below 26.

By this I meant that the applicant will likely be asked to explain their MCAT score particularily if it does not correlate with a high GPA or something of that nature.

Also, to get in with an MCAT of 25 or lower usually the individual needs to have some sort of significant community, extra-curricular, or work involvement outside of college to show they can manage their time since many people believe that good time management skills are as important as a good MCAT score.

Finally, it's 25.7, not 25. This may seem like splitting hairs, but it is a significant difference when you spread an average of 0.7 over 220 people.

As stated, there are a significant number of people under this average however there are also a significant number above this average as well (obviously).
 
FutureNavyDOc said:
I never said that people with MCATs below 26 get in, I simply said that most of the interviewer's (clinicians and faculty) are hesitant to accept an MCAT below 26.

By this I meant that the applicant will likely be asked to explain their MCAT score particularily if it does not correlate with a high GPA or something of that nature.

Also, to get in with an MCAT of 25 or lower usually the individual needs to have some sort of significant community, extra-curricular, or work involvement outside of college to show they can manage their time since many people believe that good time management skills are as important as a good MCAT score.

Finally, it's 25.7, not 25. This may seem like splitting hairs, but it is a significant difference when you spread an average of 0.7 over 220 people.

As stated, there are a significant number of people under this average however there are also a significant number above this average as well (obviously).
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks for the explanation....Appreciate it 🙂
 
I did not do too hot on the april MCAT, scored low. I have a 3.5 plus gpa, 3.64 science, great ec's, LOR's. I did well on PS section, alright on BS, but BOMBED verbal (I think I had a bubbling error 🙁 ). I am already finished with my primary application, but I know that I need to retake the august mcat and focus on verbal and boost my BS. Should I still submit my application and indicate I am retaking the august mcat? I want to go to DO school, my father is a DO and I have just grown up in that mentality. So can I submit without them totally denying me? will they wait to see my august score? what should I do? Thanks soo much, I am so bummed out right now, I need some insight.
 
looloo3 said:
I did not do too hot on the april MCAT, scored low. I have a 3.5 plus gpa, 3.64 science, great ec's, LOR's. I did well on PS section, alright on BS, but BOMBED verbal (I think I had a bubbling error 🙁 ). I am already finished with my primary application, but I know that I need to retake the august mcat and focus on verbal and boost my BS. Should I still submit my application and indicate I am retaking the august mcat? I want to go to DO school, my father is a DO and I have just grown up in that mentality. So can I submit without them totally denying me? will they wait to see my august score? what should I do? Thanks soo much, I am so bummed out right now, I need some insight.
Click to expand...
Some schools have prescreening and they may reject you. Most likely, they will wait on your August scores though. In that case, you should indicate that you are retaking the August MCAT.
 
looloo3 said:
I did not do too hot on the april MCAT, scored low. I have a 3.5 plus gpa, 3.64 science, great ec's, LOR's. I did well on PS section, alright on BS, but BOMBED verbal (I think I had a bubbling error 🙁 ). I am already finished with my primary application, but I know that I need to retake the august mcat and focus on verbal and boost my BS. Should I still submit my application and indicate I am retaking the august mcat? I want to go to DO school, my father is a DO and I have just grown up in that mentality. So can I submit without them totally denying me? will they wait to see my august score? what should I do? Thanks soo much, I am so bummed out right now, I need some insight.
Click to expand...

Inidicate you are retaking the MCAT. They will not screen you out. Also, your father being a DO will help ALOT. I found it much easier for me. Good luck and I hope to see you on the other side. 🙂
 
FutureNavyDOc said:
Good point, having done many interviews here at DMU, the lowest composite MCAT I ever saw or heard of even invited for an interview was a 22 and that was with a 3.9 GPA.

Most of the faculty and clinicians I have interviewed with are very hesitant about accepting a student with anything less than a 26 regardless of GPA and anything else.


To the OP;
I posted about this on other threads, a girl I knew from a state school in MN got in to Bradenton last minute (called and told she was in 3 days prior to orientation) with a GPA of 2.8 and MCAT of 15. Read into that what you want, but she has struggled tremendously and is already on the 5 year track and taking a full summer load to try to catch up for other failed classes. Sounds to me like LECOM with their branches are just trying to trade diplomas for dollars.

With that in mind, my advice would be apply to one of the new DO schools popping up all over, since at least until they prove themselves, they will likely have to dip deep into the applicant pool to fill seats as Bradenton has done.


This is obviously a whole separate discussion, but I think the AOA must do something to curb the new DO Diploma mills sprouting like weeds all over. The fact that LECOM while itself still on probation with the AOA is allowed to start a branch campus is mystifying.
Click to expand...


It was 3.92 actually 🙂 . I wonder if I should be happy about being the lowest MCAT at DMU hahahaha.
 
Hey people. I ran into that guy I started this post about. I told him that his MCAT scores are too low, even for DO schools. When he doubted my opinion I showed him this thread (he's never seen SDN before). His response was this: (**CAUTION, WILL PROBABLY PISS YOU GUYS OFF!!) He pretty much said that all you DO people are in denial, and that you don't want to admit how much easier DO school is to get into than MD school. He says a lot of you DO people think you're failures or something for not getting into an MD school. He's still gonna apply with his 17 MCAT. 😱 😱
 
SuperTrooper said:
...He pretty much said that all you DO people are in denial, and that you don't want to admit how much easier DO school is to get into than MD school. He says a lot of you DO people think you're failures or something for not getting into an MD school. He's still gonna apply with his 17 MCAT. 😱 😱
Click to expand...
HAHAHA! So, I guess that's why he's applying DO then! :laugh:
 
SuperTrooper said:
Hey people. I ran into that guy I started this post about. I told him that his MCAT scores are too low, even for DO schools. When he doubted my opinion I showed him this thread (he's never seen SDN before). His response was this: (**CAUTION, WILL PROBABLY PISS YOU GUYS OFF!!) He pretty much said that all you DO people are in denial, and that you don't want to admit how much easier DO school is to get into than MD school. He says a lot of you DO people think you're failures or something for not getting into an MD school. He's still gonna apply with his 17 MCAT. 😱 😱
Click to expand...

Good luck to him with 17 MCAT and 3.2 GPA. He really needs it. Perhaps, he should believe in God. One year is long enough for God to make a miracle.

I agree with him (my opinion only) that DO is easier to get into in term of numbers (notice: numbers). However, the education of some DO schools is still great. There are some people dropping their MD acceptance to go to DO schools. That must tell something. Not all people fail. I suggest him to be aware when writing or saying something like "all you DO people are in denial". The rule of thumb when he takes the standardized him test is ignoring the answers with extreme words such as all, every, never, always, etc. Because those answers are false. For example, in the following multiple choice question, he may use this techique:

A/ All dental students are stupid.
B/ Some dental students are stupid.
C/ Dental students have never been smart students.

The right answer is B because it's true in any profession. Answer A is wrong because of the word "all", and C is wrong because of "never".

Since you're his friend, he should learn that technique quickly because he knows that you're smart. I think he has troubles with critical thinking. Try to help him out if you really care for him.

Thanks for sharing with us about him.
 
SuperTrooper said:
Hey people. I ran into that guy I started this post about. I told him that his MCAT scores are too low, even for DO schools. When he doubted my opinion I showed him this thread (he's never seen SDN before). His response was this: (**CAUTION, WILL PROBABLY PISS YOU GUYS OFF!!) He pretty much said that all you DO people are in denial, and that you don't want to admit how much easier DO school is to get into than MD school. He says a lot of you DO people think you're failures or something for not getting into an MD school. He's still gonna apply with his 17 MCAT. 😱 😱
Click to expand...

You're clearly trying to start sh1t and simply bored with your own life, so you're flaming. I would advise everyone to simply ignore this guy. Please, people, do not reply to this message.
 
It'sElectric said:
You're clearly trying to start sh1t and simply bored with your own life, so you're flaming. I would advise everyone to simply ignore this guy. Please, people, do not reply to this message.
Click to expand...
No. This is a true story. I bumped into that guy again, and I told him that he should create an SDN account and talk with you guys. I think maybe that'll set him strait. Anyhow, he just bought a brick of weed with his friend; so he'll probably be high for the next week and a half, and won't get around to posting here very soon. But he probably will eventually; I recently showed him the thread again and he's pissed about the way some of you guys have been responding to me.
 
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