Confused?

[radhika]

Hey Everyone!!

I attended a competitive undrgrad school for my fresh/sophomore years of undergrad and got a 2.3. This was considered a good GPA at this school. I even won a research fellowship at this school.

Money got tight and i came back home to go to a state school but had to wait 1 year since this FL state school was only taking applicants from community colleges because of state budget cuts...

I spent my time volunteering/studying for MCATS. took um three times, the last time I got a PS 9, VR 9, BS 10. (28) This is only after completing two years of undergrad.

Im one year in at my new school with a GPA of 3.75. I want to start applying this semester/summer for 2011 Fall Osteopathic. I have awesome EC!

what should I do? do i have a chance? any word of advice would be MUCH appreciated!!! thank you everyone!!!!!!

-Radhika

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[gatewasani]

Hey Everyone!!

I attended a competitive undrgrad school for my fresh/sophomore years of undergrad and got a 2.3. This was considered a good GPA at this school. I even won a research fellowship at this school.

Money got tight and i came back home to go to a state school but had to wait 1 year since this FL state school was only taking applicants from community colleges because of state budget cuts...

I spent my time volunteering/studying for MCATS. took um three times, the last time I got a PS 9, VR 9, BS 10. (28) This is only after completing two years of undergrad.

Im one year in at my new school with a GPA of 3.75. I want to start applying this semester/summer for 2011 Fall Osteopathic. I have awesome EC!

what should I do? do i have a chance? any word of advice would be MUCH appreciated!!! thank you everyone!!!!!!

-Radhika

so what is your official AACOMAS gpa and sgpa?

also, I am not doubting what you're saying but I can't imagine a 2.3 being considered a good gpa, even at the hardest of schools

 

[radhika]

I have not retaken anything yet so its still a 2.2 overall so far is a 2.72. I Positive I could get that to a 3.2 after this summer if i retake a few key classes. I keep hearing different stories of the stats needed to get into DO schools.

I hope they see the change in gpa nd MCAT as an imporvement/ upwards trend.

Thanks so much for your help Gateaswani!!!!

 

[gatewasani]

I have not retaken anything yet so its still a 2.2 overall so far is a 2.72. I Positive I could get that to a 3.2 after this summer if i retake a few key classes. I keep hearing different stories of the stats needed to get into DO schools.

I hope they see the change in gpa nd MCAT as an imporvement/ upwards trend.

Thanks so much for your help Gateaswani!!!!

are you re-taking at a university or community college? I'm just asking because I am in a similar situation and am opting for CC because I can't afford anything else.

I'm not gonna lie to you, it looks like an uphill battle based on gpa but there are other factors. I guess the only advice I would have for you is to apply early (although there seems to be some disagreement on this forum as the best whether you should apply before or after your retakes, in your case I would wait until after your retakes because your GPA might get you rejected pre-secondary) and broadly. I would also suggest you apply to some SMP's, although many require a 3.0 gpa.

 

[jslo85]

Hey Everyone!!

I attended a competitive undrgrad school for my fresh/sophomore years of undergrad and got a 2.3. This was considered a good GPA at this school. (Are you serious?) I even won a research fellowship at this school.

Money got tight and i came back home to go to a state school but had to wait 1 year since this FL state school was only taking applicants from community colleges because of state budget cuts...

I spent my time volunteering/studying for MCATS. took um three times, the last time I got a PS 9, VR 9, BS 10. (28) This is only after completing two years of undergrad.

Im one year in at my new school with a GPA of 3.75. I want to start applying this semester/summer for 2011 Fall Osteopathic. I have awesome EC!

what should I do? do i have a chance? any word of advice would be MUCH appreciated!!! thank you everyone!!!!!!

-Radhika

I don't mean to sound overly negative but a 2.3 is a really bad GPA and even if it was considered "a good GPA at your old school" it is definitely mm.. shall we say, not viewed the same way by Adcoms. They will only look at the course title and not by your class rank.

I have not retaken anything yet so its still a 2.2 overall so far is a 2.72. I Positive I could get that to a 3.2 after this summer if i retake a few key classes. I keep hearing different stories of the stats needed to get into DO schools.

I hope they see the change in gpa nd MCAT as an imporvement/ upwards trend.

Thanks so much for your help Gateaswani!!!!

Wait, is it a 2.2 overall or a 2.72? I'm a bit confused. I'm also curious if this is at a CC or a 4 year university that you are planning on retaking these classes and how many units you currently have to boost 1.0 GPA or .5 GPA (depending on if it's 2.2 or 2.72) in just a summer.

DO schools generally have lower admissions standards than their allopathic counterparts. That said, if you're repeating classes to boost GPA, I would say a 31+ on the MCAT and a 3.2+ is where you want to be if you expect to recieve interviews if you don't choose to go gateswani's suggested route of an SMP. You should do research in which schools you are interested in attending and what stats you would need to be "competitive" and do a calculation on exactly which classes to retake and how many units/grades you would need before reaching your GPA goal.

 

[radhika]

2.72 is where i am overall because i have only taken 1 semester at the 4-yr college I am in now. my Mcat is a 28 and i thouht that would help with osteopathic schools since their MCAT averages are a bit lower.

If i retook classes this summer then I would have a 3.2 overall.

Thank you so very much!!!!

 

[jslo85]

Okay. Sorry if I'm slow (I am) but are you absolutely sure that since you got a 2.3 through 2 full years of schooling and because you had one year at this new school of a 3.75 that it becomes a 2.72 off of an AACOMAS coursework calculation without retakes?

Not to mention is this sGPA or just cGPA? Your 28 could be better but it's fine if you hit a 3.2-3.3 GPA, if you apply broadly enough you'll get 1-2 interviews at least if you apply early. Just be sure to have answers when the interviews come around becaues you will be grilled on why your initial academic performance began as troubled as it did.

 

[radhika]

I still need to retake classes this summer. When are applications due if i apply early? I wanted to make sure my GPA was updated before I applied this summer.

Thanks so much!!!!!

 

[HealingDoc]

Some schools have a cutoff GPA of 2.5, some are 3.0... others might be different. When I applied to Touro CA, I was told the cut off for being offered a secondary was a 2.5. Most secondaries are now automatic (Touro CA might still be contingent on GPA). If you retake those summer classes and do very well, you will have a better chance at getting in. Are you planning on delaying the submission of your primary to include those grades in your GPA? There is a tradeoff- its rolling admissions, so the earlier you apply, the better. Your MCAT is fine- remember the average MCAT for each class is AVERAGE, so there are people who score above and below.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

2.72 is where i am overall because i have only taken 1 semester at the 4-yr college I am in now. my Mcat is a 28 and i thouht that would help with osteopathic schools since their MCAT averages are a bit lower.

If i retook classes this summer then I would have a 3.2 overall.

Thank you so very much!!!!

It's unlikely that a 2.3 after two years suddenly becomes a 2.7 after one semester. I'd do the math again.

As for the MCAT, it took you THREE tries to get that 28, so no, it's not going to help really. You need to improve your GPA to at least a 3.3 to stand a chance. If I were you, I'd get it up to a 3.5 before applying.

Keep in mind that while the lowest tier of DO schools have MCAT averages hovering around 24, many DO schools now have MCAT averages at 27-29. That means your MCAT is right in there. But your GPA is WAYYYY below. Those same schools have GPA averages of 3.5-3.7.

 

[radhika]

It's unlikely that a 2.3 after two years suddenly becomes a 2.7 after one semester. I'd do the math again.

As for the MCAT, it took you THREE tries to get that 28, so no, it's not going to help really. You need to improve your GPA to at least a 3.3 to stand a chance. If I were you, I'd get it up to a 3.5 before applying.

Keep in mind that while the lowest tier of DO schools have MCAT averages hovering around 24, many DO schools now have MCAT averages at 27-29. That means your MCAT is right in there. But your GPA is WAYYYY below. Those same schools have GPA averages of 3.5-3.7.

hi!
i took a whole semester and got a 3.75 at my new state 4-yr school. a few of them were graduate-level too. i kno it took me three tries..it is a LOT. but i thought i had it the second time but i was sick the day-of and was urged to not cancel my score...SHOULD have!!

i did VERY poorl in a few classes, so i will be able to raise my GPA. Plus the state school i go to now does NOT even compare to the level of difficulty at my old school....now im afraid im slacking before med school...but i am trying to pack in lots of upper level sci classes!

Thanks so much for ur help MedStudent! i might end up taking an extra year to bump up my GPA. will still apply this summer....

 

[radhika]

Some schools have a cutoff GPA of 2.5, some are 3.0... others might be different. When I applied to Touro CA, I was told the cut off for being offered a secondary was a 2.5. Most secondaries are now automatic (Touro CA might still be contingent on GPA). If you retake those summer classes and do very well, you will have a better chance at getting in. Are you planning on delaying the submission of your primary to include those grades in your GPA? There is a tradeoff- its rolling admissions, so the earlier you apply, the better. Your MCAT is fine- remember the average MCAT for each class is AVERAGE, so there are people who score above and below.

Thanks so much HealingDoc!!!! i really need to get on those re-takes!!! esp since it will be easier at a state school!! thanks again for ur help!! i wasnt wawre of cut-offs...good to kno!!

 

[jslo85]

hi!
i took a whole semester and got a 3.75 at my new state 4-yr school. a few of them were graduate-level too. i kno it took me three tries..it is a LOT. but i thought i had it the second time but i was sick the day-of and was urged to not cancel my score...SHOULD have!!

i did VERY poorl in a few classes, so i will be able to raise my GPA. Plus the state school i go to now does NOT even compare to the level of difficulty at my old school....now im afraid im slacking before med school...but i am trying to pack in lots of upper level sci classes!

Thanks so much for ur help MedStudent! i might end up taking an extra year to bump up my GPA. will still apply this summer....

I don't think you really get what we're trying to say. We're heavily implying that you're doing the math wrong for your semester of 3.75 to raise your GPA of 2.3 over 2 years up to a 2.7. Second of all, it's impossible for you to take graduate level classes without being a grad student and if it was possible, these courses would be on your graduate GPA coursework and not your UG leaving you in a worse state than before. But thankfully it's not. I suggest one final time that you do a correct calculation..

 

[radhika]

I don't think you really get what we're trying to say. We're heavily implying that you're doing the math wrong for your semester of 3.75 to raise your GPA of 2.3 over 2 years up to a 2.7. Second of all, it's impossible for you to take graduate level classes without being a grad student and if it was possible, these courses would be on your graduate GPA coursework and not your UG leaving you in a worse state than before. But thankfully it's not. I suggest one final time that you do a correct calculation..

2 semesters of a 3.75

and the profs gave me special permission for the grad level courses...he knew a prof from my old school that i did a research fellowship with, and it will b on my undergrad transcript..

 

[MedStudentWanna]

I don't think you really get what we're trying to say. We're heavily implying that you're doing the math wrong for your semester of 3.75 to raise your GPA of 2.3 over 2 years up to a 2.7. Second of all, it's impossible for you to take graduate level classes without being a grad student and if it was possible, these courses would be on your graduate GPA coursework and not your UG leaving you in a worse state than before. But thankfully it's not. I suggest one final time that you do a correct calculation..

It is possible to take grad level courses and have them count as undergrad if you weren't enrolled in a graduate program.

 

[UpwardTrend]

Get your cGPA at 3.0 or above and show a significant upward trend. A 3.75 is a great start but I'm wondering about your sGPA. If you took your pre-reqs with that 2.3 gpa then you must take them over.

Keep in mind...
Taking the MCAT after just 2 years is an accomplishment but to an adcom it may sound irresponsible. Never retake the MCAT unless you have done something to significantly improve your score. That doesn't mean studying more of the same books the same way.

Everyone tries to limit themselves with a short timeline. This is such a huge endeavor you really shouldn't rush. You may want to take an additional year with science retakes and more clinical experience. An extra year is nothing compared to what you are taking on. Don't worry about getting a year older!

You will get there.

What are the EC's like?

 

[radhika]

Get your cGPA at 3.0 or above and show a significant upward trend. A 3.75 is a great start but I'm wondering about your sGPA. If you took your pre-reqs with that 2.3 gpa then you must take them over.

Keep in mind...
Taking the MCAT after just 2 years is an accomplishment but to an adcom it may sound irresponsible. Never retake the MCAT unless you have done something to significantly improve your score. That doesn't mean studying more of the same books the same way.

Everyone tries to limit themselves with a short timeline. This is such a huge endeavor you really shouldn't rush. You may want to take an additional year with science retakes and more clinical experience. An extra year is nothing compared to what you are taking on. Don't worry about getting a year older!

You will get there.

What are the EC's like?

Hey UpwardTrend!

thanks so much for your input!
i never thought that taking my mcats that early would look irresponsible, i should come up with a good explination for that. I guess i was just scared about finishing undergrad with a biochem major and then not be able to pull off the mcat. I was hearing about so many people who could not break a 20. I wanted to make sure i could get into a med school in the US before i finished my major.

i will def. b retaking some of my core sci classes this summer. The reason my initial GPA was so low is because i did really really bad in a few classes. I did not constantly make Cs, instead mostly B and A with 3 really low grades. I wanted to make them up this summer. Maybe applying next year would b better. I feel like im getting old though!!! im 22 and a junior

Thanks so very much for your help UpwardTrend!!! much appreciated!!!!!

 

[Mesican24]

Hey UpwardTrend!

thanks so much for your input!
i never thought that taking my mcats that early would look irresponsible, i should come up with a good explination for that. I guess i was just scared about finishing undergrad with a biochem major and then not be able to pull off the mcat. I was hearing about so many people who could not break a 20. I wanted to make sure i could get into a med school in the US before i finished my major.

i will def. b retaking some of my core sci classes this summer. The reason my initial GPA was so low is because i did really really bad in a few classes. I did not constantly make Cs, instead mostly B and A with 3 really low grades. I wanted to make them up this summer. Maybe applying next year would b better. I feel like im getting old though!!! im 22 and a junior

Thanks so very much for your help UpwardTrend!!! much appreciated!!!!!

Radhika, I did the same thing as you. I had a 2.3 after 3 yrs of school. I took all my bio, Gchem, Ochem, Biochem and did really well. I finished school with an overall GPA of 2.8 but my last 2 years of all science was a 3.4. I had a really strong upward trend. I took the MCAT twice and scored lower than you did. After college I worked as a Phlebotomist and now a Lab Tech. I applied broadly, I got 5 interviews, and I have been accepted.

It is an uphill battle with your GPA, but keep it up, Dont let people discourage you by telling you you cant get in with your numbers. Get good EC's, good Letters and i guarantee you will be fine. If i can do it, so can you. You dont "need" a 3.4 and a 28 like everyone says. Those are the Averages, there are people like me who are below average, but are still very competitive applicants.

Apply broadly, apply early ( i applied in september, so not so early) and get your EC's and Letters early. Write a well thought out PS and i think you can do it. If your goal is to become a Doctor, then you can do it.

 

[SLC]

I feel like im getting old though!!! im 22 and a junior

Old? that's funny!

I was 22 when I started, I'm 28 now and a Senior. I may be 30 by the time I even start.

SLC

 

[radhika]

Radhika, I did the same thing as you. I had a 2.3 after 3 yrs of school. I took all my bio, Gchem, Ochem, Biochem and did really well. I finished school with an overall GPA of 2.8 but my last 2 years of all science was a 3.4. I had a really strong upward trend. I took the MCAT twice and scored lower than you did. After college I worked as a Phlebotomist and now a Lab Tech. I applied broadly, I got 5 interviews, and I have been accepted.

It is an uphill battle with your GPA, but keep it up, Dont let people discourage you by telling you you cant get in with your numbers. Get good EC's, good Letters and i guarantee you will be fine. If i can do it, so can you. You dont "need" a 3.4 and a 28 like everyone says. Those are the Averages, there are people like me who are below average, but are still very competitive applicants.


Apply broadly, apply early ( i applied in september, so not so early) and get your EC's and Letters early. Write a well thought out PS and i think you can do it. If your goal is to become a Doctor, then you can do it.

Hey Mesican!
Im so happy for u!!! accepted to med school!! Thanks so much for sharing your story!! My gpa should be pulled up to above a 3 after this summer assuming i can fit in all of the classes (they haven't released the summer sched yet at my school)

So far i have awesome EC. I have a few leadership positions in clubs,i write a lot for newspapers, a research fellowship grant, 500 hours of volunteer teaching and over 190 hours at various hospitals. I have shadowed...but not nearly enough. I just found a doc last week so im working on scheduling

Im still hopeful that my 28 will help me as well as having an upwards trend. although i think most of the 'upwards trend' is due to the fact that i attend a 4-yr state school vs a private one. my profs are silly and really dont care about teaching...sometimes im scared that my studying endurance will be 0 by the time i get to med school. Im trying to find harder classes to take my senior year

thanks again Mesican for all of your help!!!! congrats again on the acceptance!!!

 

[radhika]

Old? that's funny!

I was 22 when I started, I'm 28 now and a Senior. I may be 30 by the time I even start.

SLC

lol SLC!! your right!!!

but i think i feel old b/c my parents compare me to my peers who did the 7 year!!! and i keep telling them that half of them dropped out of the 7 yr program bc of burnout ....parents can b so mean sometimes....lolol

my mom likes telling me that if im not young enough in med school....no one will marry me...lolol (she's half indian lolol)

 

[gatewasani]

lol SLC!! your right!!!

but i think i feel old b/c my parents compare me to my peers who did the 7 year!!! and i keep telling them that half of them dropped out of the 7 yr program bc of burnout ....parents can b so mean sometimes....lolol

my mom likes telling me that if im not young enough in med school....no one will marry me...lolol (she's half indian lolol)

I feel the same way, Old, even tho i'm younger than you...


just know that the average age for first years at medical schools can be as high as 27 at some schools!

 

[MN premed]

I don't think you really get what we're trying to say. We're heavily implying that you're doing the math wrong for your semester of 3.75 to raise your GPA of 2.3 over 2 years up to a 2.7. Second of all, it's impossible for you to take graduate level classes without being a grad student and if it was possible, these courses would be on your graduate GPA coursework and not your UG leaving you in a worse state than before. But thankfully it's not. I suggest one final time that you do a correct calculation..

That's not true, I figured it was normal, but maybe it's not. At my undergrad you can take graduate level classes, and they will show up on your undergraduate transcript and calculate into your undergraduate GPA. For some you need special permission, but others you don't. I'm sure that's not uncommon.

And radhika, I could be wrong, but it sounds like you are trying to make a lot of excuses, and kind of basing your odds on the assumption that DO schools have lower stats... I definitely would be careful with that, especially with you taking the MCAT so early. I also took the MCAT early, and graduated early, and not all schools looked at this positively. In fact, my MCAT was pretty average (maybe a little high for DO?) and my GPA was above average, and I still got waitlisted at DMU. Definitely don't go into any interview saying that a 2.3 was good at your school! I'm sure they've seen applicants from your school with actually decent gpa's before, and they know a 2.3 is not good. So definitely get that gpa up with retakes before applying, in my opinion. Also, I hope you're responding to some of these from a phone or ipod or something, that would explain the terrible typing... lol

 

[radhika]

That's not true, I figured it was normal, but maybe it's not. At my undergrad you can take graduate level classes, and they will show up on your undergraduate transcript and calculate into your undergraduate GPA. For some you need special permission, but others you don't. I'm sure that's not uncommon.

And radhika, I could be wrong, but it sounds like you are trying to make a lot of excuses, and kind of basing your odds on the assumption that DO schools have lower stats... I definitely would be careful with that, especially with you taking the MCAT so early. I also took the MCAT early, and graduated early, and not all schools looked at this positively. In fact, my MCAT was pretty average (maybe a little high for DO?) and my GPA was above average, and I still got waitlisted at DMU. Definitely don't go into any interview saying that a 2.3 was good at your school! I'm sure they've seen applicants from your school with actually decent gpa's before, and they know a 2.3 is not good. So definitely get that gpa up with retakes before applying, in my opinion. Also, I hope you're responding to some of these from a phone or ipod or something, that would explain the terrible typing... lol

Hi MN premed!
it does sound like a tom of excuses, although i don't plan on telling them that my 2.3 was good. DMU has an average MCAT of a 27.03 on their website. i was looking at schools that were averaging around a 25. I also have great LORs and EC and a few academic awards from my old school oddly enough....

i definitely agree with u about retaking classes. I NEED to get my gpa up. Thanks again for your help!! ill try n' work on my typing....lol

 

[MN premed]

Well good luck! I think once you retake those classes you should be good

Hi MN premed!
it does sound like a tom of excuses, although i don't plan on telling them that my 2.3 was good. DMU has an average MCAT of a 27.03 on their website. i was looking at schools that were averaging around a 25. I also have great LORs and EC and a few academic awards from my old school oddly enough....

i definitely agree with u about retaking classes. I NEED to get my gpa up. Thanks again for your help!! ill try n' work on my typing....lol

 

[JaggerPlate]

Your MCAT is fine. A 2.2/2.7 is going to get you screened out though, and you need to get this up. Retake anything you got a C- or lower in, and be very happy AACOMAS uses grade replacement.

 

[Everglide]

With all the retakes and transfer, are you still graduating at the end of the next school year (Spring/Summer 2011)?

 

[radhika]

Your MCAT is fine. A 2.2/2.7 is going to get you screened out though, and you need to get this up. Retake anything you got a C- or lower in, and be very happy AACOMAS uses grade replacement.

thats the plan...really need to get my gpa up!! i feel really guilty/old for taking extra time for undergrad!! why cant i be doneee!!

thanks so much for your help!!

 

[radhika]

With all the retakes and transfer, are you still graduating at the end of the next school year (Spring/Summer 2011)?

the more i think about it.....i probably will need the extra semester....therefore an extra year...i feel horrible for taking forever in undergrad!! sadness.....

 

[SLC]

the more i think about it.....i probably will need the extra semester....therefore an extra year...i feel horrible for taking forever in undergrad!! sadness.....

Wanna guess how long I've been an undergrad?

SLC

 

[UpwardTrend]

I have been a full time undergrad since 2000 with the exception of an 18 month soul searching period in the middle. I just received my 1st Bacc 4 months ago.

Tommy: "Did you hear I finally graduated?"
Richard: "Yeah, in just a shade under a decade, too. All right."
Tommy: "You know, a lot of people go to college for seven years."
Richard: "I know. They're called doctors."

Audio:
http://www.entertonement.com/clips/hybvsqcmss--doctor-Tommy-Boy-David-Spade-Chris-Farley

 

[radhika]

I have been a full time undergrad since 2000 with the exception of an 18 month soul searching period in the middle. I just received my 1st Bacc 4 months ago.

Tommy: "Did you hear I finally graduated?"
Richard: "Yeah, in just a shade under a decade, too. All right."
Tommy: "You know, a lot of people go to college for seven years."
Richard: "I know. They're called doctors."

Audio:
http://www.entertonement.com/clips/hybvsqcmss--doctor-Tommy-Boy-David-Spade-Chris-Farley

U made my day UpwardTrend!! So if I apply in the summer of 2011, so like next year....... will my MCAT still be valid? I got scores back Aug 5 2009.

 

[SLC]

I have been a full time undergrad since 2000 with the exception of an 18 month soul searching period in the middle. I just received my 1st Bacc 4 months ago.

I'm still an undergrad, been at it for 6 years. I have one more to go, but I took a long time to settle into a major that I was happy with. I tried out Anthropology, Nursing, and Biology before settling on Health Promotion and Education.

I technically have two classes left after this semester, one general education requirement, and one major requirement. But the requirement for my major is Paramedic Cert. Only available beginning in the spring semester. This fall I'll retake some of my pre-med courses that I got less than optimal grades in, hopefully bring my sGPA up significantly (though it will be tough with the sheer amount of science courses I've taken and their associated credit hours on my transcripts).

It's been a long but fun ride, I have to admit.

SLC

 

[radhika]

MCAT scores are valid for 3 years.

http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Documents/2011cib/2011cib-whole.pdf

thanks!! i should b good then!!

 

[radhika]

I'm still an undergrad, been at it for 6 years. I have one more to go, but I took a long time to settle into a major that I was happy with. I tried out Anthropology, Nursing, and Biology before settling on Health Promotion and Education.

I technically have two classes left after this semester, one general education requirement, and one major requirement. But the requirement for my major is Paramedic Cert. Only available beginning in the spring semester. This fall I'll retake some of my pre-med courses that I got less than optimal grades in, hopefully bring my sGPA up significantly (though it will be tough with the sheer amount of science courses I've taken and their associated credit hours on my transcripts).

It's been a long but fun ride, I have to admit.

SLC

i started as an econ major...hated it...went to psych....then premed...ive taken sooo many useless classes...maybe they'll come in handy later in some wierd way...lol

 

[Everglide]

the more i think about it.....i probably will need the extra semester....therefore an extra year...i feel horrible for taking forever in undergrad!! sadness.....

Just thought I would ask since if you are taking an extra year to graduate, you have an extra year to work on your application materials and grades. Kind of a double-edged sword.

 

[christina30]

Banking on the fact that DO schools accept people with lower stats is a huge mistake. Most of them, these days, are looking for an MCAT score of 27 and up, so you're just barely there. The fact that you took it THREE times might look bad on your application, depending on what all 3 scores were.

And GPA should be at LEAST 3.0. Osteopathic schools are trying to raise their stats these days, and they're also becoming wary of those who're using it as a backup for MD schools. Meaning, they don't want people who consider them second fiddle or as a place for reject MD wannabes. And they WILL address this in interviews and in asking essay questions on secondary applications.

And I can tell you that NYCOM (the school I will be attending in August) was looking for a minimum MCAT score of 27 for the 2010 admissions cycle. So I imagine this number will only go up each year - their minimum could be a 28 for the 2011 cycle, for all we know.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Banking on the fact that DO schools accept people with lower stats is a huge mistake. Most of them, these days, are looking for an MCAT score of 27 and up, so you're just barely there. The fact that you took it THREE times might look bad on your application, depending on what all 3 scores were.

And GPA should be at LEAST 3.0. Osteopathic schools are trying to raise their stats these days, and they're also becoming wary of those who're using it as a backup for MD schools. Meaning, they don't want people who consider them second fiddle or as a place for reject MD wannabes. And they WILL address this in interviews and in asking essay questions on secondary applications.

And I can tell you that NYCOM (the school I will be attending in August) was looking for a minimum MCAT score of 27 for the 2010 admissions cycle. So I imagine this number will only go up each year - their minimum could be a 28 for the 2011 cycle, for all we know.

I disagree with the bolded statement. I think that there's a limit to which a DO school stats can go up to. MCAT and GPA stats won't get close to those of MD schools simply because most DO school applicants (I would bit more than 60%, and I am one of them) who are going DO as a back up will turn their focus toward MD schools. I know that many of people on this forum will disagree with me because they are trying to convince themselves before convencing others that they are interested of the holistic philosophy and OMM, but after reviewing many of "mdapplicant" profiles I noticed that most DO applicants are also MD applicants.

 

[christina30]

I disagree with the bolded statement. I think that there's a limit to which a DO school stats can go up to. MCAT and GPA stats won't get close to those of MD schools simply because most DO school applicants (I would bit more than 60%, and I am one of them) who are going DO as a back up will turn their focus toward MD schools. I know that many of people on this forum will disagree with me because they are trying to convince themselves before convencing others that they are interested of the holistic philosophy and OMM, but after reviewing many of "mdapplicant" profiles I noticed that most DO applicants are also MD applicants.

People attend DO schools for a variety of different reasons, and one of the biggest problems is this assumption that most DO students only *wish* they could've gotten accepted into an MD school.

I applied to both DO and MD schools even though my top choice was a DO, because one of my biggest preferences was LOCATION. It would have been *****ic of me to apply to just the 3 DO schools within this preferential area in a cycle.

The fact of the matter is, there are more MD schools than DO, so of course applicants are going to widen the net and apply to as many schools as possible to increase their chances of matriculating SOMEWHERE instead of wasting a year because they only applied to such a small selection of schools.

That being said, one of my soon-to-be NYCOM classmates had an MCAT score of 39. It's not all about being MD-rejects.

 

[radhika]

Banking on the fact that DO schools accept people with lower stats is a huge mistake. Most of them, these days, are looking for an MCAT score of 27 and up, so you're just barely there. The fact that you took it THREE times might look bad on your application, depending on what all 3 scores were.

And GPA should be at LEAST 3.0. Osteopathic schools are trying to raise their stats these days, and they're also becoming wary of those who're using it as a backup for MD schools. Meaning, they don't want people who consider them second fiddle or as a place for reject MD wannabes. And they WILL address this in interviews and in asking essay questions on secondary applications.

And I can tell you that NYCOM (the school I will be attending in August) was looking for a minimum MCAT score of 27 for the 2010 admissions cycle. So I imagine this number will only go up each year - their minimum could be a 28 for the 2011 cycle, for all we know.

Congrats Christina!!

Thanks for your post!

I did take my mcats 3 times, the first was a 24, the second was a 22 b/c i was sick, and i took the third one exactly a month and a half later and got a 9,9,10.

My final goal is to become a doctor and after reading a lot of discussions on SDN, it sounds like a DO is better than a foreign medical degree. I do not have a preference of what type of medical school i would like to attend, just whatever takes me.

DO have consistently have have had lower stats than their MD counterparts. I do not feel however, that these gaps between the stats will close anytime soon. I am pretty sure that DO schools will remain easier to get into compared to md schools.

I still have a ton of work cut out for me though!! still need to retake a bunch of classes and get my GPA over the 3.0 range. My mcats are in the range of DO schools. I have awesome ec, lors, research, and even an acedemic award......and am currently working on shadowing.

Thank you for your post Christina! congrats for your acceptance into NYCOM!!!

 

[radhika]

I disagree with the bolded statement. I think that there's a limit to which a DO school stats can go up to. MCAT and GPA stats won't get close to those of MD schools simply because most DO school applicants (I would bit more than 60%, and I am one of them) who are going DO as a back up will turn their focus toward MD schools. I know that many of people on this forum will disagree with me because they are trying to convince themselves before convencing others that they are interested of the holistic philosophy and OMM, but after reviewing many of "mdapplicant" profiles I noticed that most DO applicants are also MD applicants.

agreed!!

 

[radhika]

sorry! i got a 2.65, not a 2.3 , which isn't so much better....

i got a D+ in bio1, which was the super weeding class at my school. the higest grade that semester was a C-

other classes were similar in difficulty, but i liked them better and really wanted to push harder. Now that i'm at an easier school, im wondering what i should retake.

Bio 1 fo sho!!! b/c i got a D+, btw, how silly was it to give out a D with a +?? lol

my other classes are bio 2 B-

Chem 1 A
Chem 2 B-

Orgo 1 C+
Orgo 2 C+ super mad b/c both semesters i did awesomeee on the first two tests, then horrible on the last!!!! i still did way better than most b/c the average was a d+ for orgo 2, not sure how the average was for orgo 1


phy1c
phy 2 c-, would like to retake!!

ALL of my non-sci are A's and a few Bs at my previous difficult old school


~~~~~~~~~~


The two semesters i have spent at my new easy school, i got a 3.75, all sci classes the first semester two of the four classes i took were graduate-laval classes

3.5 the second semester, again, all sci classes

life is getting way better!! should have went to state school all along!!!! for the record, my new school is a 4-yr state school, not community

Thank you for all of your helpppp!!!! much appreciatedddd!!!