Competitive scores for DO?

[MHC]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I'm looking into DO schools as a possibility (I do like the philosophy of the schools as well), but am wondering what scores you need to be competitive to get into DO schools, particularly TUCOM, Michigan, and New England. I took the MCAT this April, got a 29 (V11 P9 B9) 🙂 , and have an M.A. with a 3.9 GPA in a non-science subject- but I haven't taken a science course in 9 years and have a pre-med GPA of 2.6 (but from Berkeley). Also did poorly on the essay portion of the MCAT 🙁

Should I apply to DO schools? Any advice/input would be appreciated.

 

[NDESTRUKT]

i honestly don't think they really factor in that much where you went to undegraduate school when they look at your GPA, even though Cal is an excellent school.

 

[PACtoDOC]

You would be competitive in MD or DO schools with those stats. Don't sweat the essay BS. I made an M which is about what ESL students generally score!! I am in my second year or med school now, and I tend to believe that I have above average composition skills. DO schools will love that you are a second career person, and they will probably look past your undergrad GPA. Your masters speaks for itself, however, you must explain all this in your personal statements so they don't overlook things just seeing that 2.6 GPA.

 

[PublicHealth]

While your overall GPA and MCAT are good, your science/pre-med GPA may not get you interviews at DO programs. Overall and science GPAs at DO programs tend to be in the 3.3-3.5 range, and MCATs in the 26-30 range. I strongly encourage you to look into post-bacc programs to boost your science GPA.

 

[JDENTHOPEFULL]

whats the diff between a do and md?

 

[PACtoDOC]

I respectfully disagree!! Your MCAT shows good preparation and a full recovery from a poor science GPA. Anyone can schmooze a professor or TA and boost their GPA, but not everyone can get a 29 on the MCAT. Many people have stats the other way around, and have 4.0 science GPA's with a 24 MCAT. I don't believe that a poor MCAT necessarily means that a student should not be admitted, but a 29 tells the story of someone who studied pretty hard and made an excellent recovery. And with a Masters to top it off, and life experience to boot, a post doc would be a complete waste of time. Some adcom will agree with me, so invariably apply all over the place. You are as good as in if you can write an excellent personal statement to explain away the obvious questions about your undergrad GPA.

 

[me454555]

I wouldnt worry so much about your gpa, your mcat scores should help you explain it away. The other thing that works for you is that you've been out of school for 9 years. The applicant reviewers will probobly see that your 2.6 gpa was a long time ago and your 3.9 masters gpa is more indictive of you study habbits and subsequent success.

IMHO, the most important thing on your application will be your clinical experience. Just about everyone I know whos in medical school has had some experience in the medical field weather its been working in a hospital, working in a drug lab, or being an EMT.

Hope this helps

 

[MHC]

Thanks for the input. I'll work on my essay and give it a shot. Do you know if DO schools have a time limitation on when your pre med work was done? I've heard that AMCAS requires you to have completed the PMed classes within the last 7 years.

 

[SpiritiualDuck]

UNE also has a one semester biochem requirement. And they have a writing section of a "M" for a cutoff. I'm applying there and it seems like a great place.