D.O. take MCAT?

[sethman33]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I am signed up to retake on 1/25 and I'm applying for Fall 2008.

MCAT (May 2007) - 24R (8,8,8)
GPA: 3.33
Sci. GPA: 3.22

Lots of extracurriculars (student govt, ethics clubs, etc.) and about 100 hours of volunteering both hospital and free clinic.

I'm just asking about Osteopathic schools because I haven't heard back from the allopathic schools i applied to (Texas schools, Louisville, and Kentucky). Let me know if I should retake it on 1/25 or not. I reviewed some over christmas break (30-40 hours total) but plan to study a BUNCH more the next 2 weeks but if you guys think its not worth it, i might cancel and not waste my time. Please factor in my credentials and the time of year and the fact I haven't reviewed as much as I wanted to.

Avg. D.O. Accepted: 25.2 MCAT, 3.4 GPA

I just finished sending in my secondaries so schools will likely be inviting me for an interview or rejecting me by the end of the month. Will the schools even see my scores in time?

ANOTHER QUESTION: Can I take the MCAT and not send my scores to the schools UNTIL I SEE THEM FIRST? Or does every medical school receive a report whether I sent it or not?

Thanks so much for your opinions!

-Seth

 

[RPedigo]

I moved this to the pre-Osteopathic forum because I think the people there will be able to give you better feedback (and that's what your question pertains to, admissions to Osteopathic schools of medicine). Good luck! If you realistically think you can improve your score, I would say go for it. How are your full-length exams going now?

Scores get released to AMCAS the same time they are available to you. Whether or not the schools get an update instantly, I do not know.

 

[EEL08]

What is your status with all the osteo schools so far?

 

[superfan56]

does this happen every year? allopathic kids post their stats?

 

[Lokhtar]

You should be scoring at least 3-4 points higher than your current score before you decide to take it again.

 

[sethman33]

What is your status with all the osteo schools so far?

Secondaries were all sent in last week and the week before. Expecting to hear back this month. Here's a list of all the schools, if you want, you can tell me my chances at any or all of them: CCOM, PCOM, ATSU-SOMA, KCUMB, LECOM (Erie and Bradenton), Nova, TCOM, RVU-COM, OUCOM, and AZCOM.

-Seth

P.S. - Thanks again for all the feedback!

 

[RN2DO]

It seems very late in the cycle for fall 2008...I do not think you can see the MCAT score prior to releasing it to schools...Just a thought...

 

[gclax30]

I am signed up to retake on 1/25 and I'm applying for Fall 2008.

MCAT (May 2007) - 24R (8,8,8)
GPA: 3.33
Sci. GPA: 3.22

Lots of extracurriculars (student govt, ethics clubs, etc.) and about 100 hours of volunteering both hospital and free clinic.

I'm just asking about Osteopathic schools because I haven't heard back from the allopathic schools i applied to (Texas schools, Louisville, and Kentucky). Let me know if I should retake it on 1/25 or not. I reviewed some over christmas break (30-40 hours total) but plan to study a BUNCH more the next 2 weeks but if you guys think its not worth it, i might cancel and not waste my time. Please factor in my credentials and the time of year and the fact I haven't reviewed as much as I wanted to.

Avg. D.O. Accepted: 25.2 MCAT, 3.4 GPA

I just finished sending in my secondaries so schools will likely be inviting me for an interview or rejecting me by the end of the month. Will the schools even see my scores in time?

ANOTHER QUESTION: Can I take the MCAT and not send my scores to the schools UNTIL I SEE THEM FIRST? Or does every medical school receive a report whether I sent it or not?

Thanks so much for your opinions!

-Seth

How about you ask yourself this question FIRST: Do I want to be an osteopathic physician? If you are truly motivated to be a D.O. then by all means go ahead and apply, you can probably get a spot somewhere with your stats. If it is just your M.D. back-up however you might want to reconsider and retake the MCAT, you'll probably hate the D.O. training otherwise.

 

[sethman33]

How about you ask yourself this question FIRST: Do I want to be an osteopathic physician? If you are truly motivated to be a D.O. then by all means go ahead and apply, you can probably get a spot somewhere with your stats. If it is just your M.D. back-up however you might want to reconsider and retake the MCAT, you'll probably hate the D.O. training otherwise.

Thanks for your comments! In July, the D.O. thing was definitely a back up. As the fall rolled on and it began to become more and more a reality, I started researching it more and more and really have come to love the osteopathic philosophy and would love to be an osteopathic physician. I shadowed a D.O. last week for 20 hours and it was great! I only wonder if I had better grades, would I even have taken the time to find out about this path? I probably would choose some DO schools over some allopathic at this point which is probably a good sign, huh?

 

[RPedigo]

So you said that the scores are automatically sent to all med schools by AMCAS even w/o my permission? If that is the case, why does AACOMAS require and official MCAT score report to be sent to them so they can forward it to the D.O. schools?

The AAMC heads both the MCAT and the AMCAS. They are inextricably connected-- when MCAT scores are available, they are directly available by AMCAS as well. Since the AAMC doesn't directly associate with AACOMAS, a score report would be required for validation.

This is my current understanding; someone with more knowledge can either validate or correct me. Good luck

I did not apply to any schools of Osteopathic medicine, so I wouldn't know the details of their application cycle well.

 

[bluemonkey]

You need to check if schools will accept scores from January for the entering class of '08. You may be out of luck for this application cycle. Also, keep in mind that "miracles" rarely happen on the MCAT. If you are not getting the scores you need on your practice tests, hold off on taking the test and get some more prep!

 

[sookie]

I'm pretty sure you have to go to this website https://services.aamc.org/mcatthx/ and manually send mcat scores to aacomas before they will be sent to DO schools. Seems a little late to me, but you never know!

 

[littlealex]

How about you ask yourself this question FIRST: Do I want to be an osteopathic physician? If you are truly motivated to be a D.O. then by all means go ahead and apply, you can probably get a spot somewhere with your stats. If it is just your M.D. back-up however you might want to reconsider and retake the MCAT, you'll probably hate the D.O. training otherwise.

Oh let it rest. No matter what people say, as long as DO averages are significantly lower than MD averages, people will always use it as a backup.

 

[DocRawk]

I don't think a late January MCAT will help you with TCOM if you haven't already heard anything. Your scores wouldn't be released until well after the TMDSAS match, so, unless you're wait-listed, it probably won't change anything for you. Your GPA's are probably good for most DO schools, but TCOM's averages are equal to the other Texas schools other than UTSW and Baylor. I'd say take it if you feel prepared to do better. It may or may not help you much for this cycle, but, if you bring it up a few points, you'd probably be sitting pretty for next year.

 

[Cabbage]

Thanks for your comments! In July, the D.O. thing was definitely a back up. As the fall rolled on and it began to become more and more a reality, I started researching it more and more and really have come to love the osteopathic philosophy and would love to be an osteopathic physician. I shadowed a D.O. last week for 20 hours and it was great! I only wonder if I had better grades, would I even have taken the time to find out about this path? I probably would choose some DO schools over some allopathic at this point which is probably a good sign, huh?

Not to sound like a dbag, but I highly doubt that. You should become an osteopathic physician not as a backup....you'll regret it later on. If you had gotten an acceptance from UK and, say, NOVA where would you go? I'm sure you would pick UK. lol

 

[Lokhtar]

Not to sound like a dbag, but I highly doubt that. You should become an osteopathic physician not as a backup....you'll regret it later on. If you had gotten an acceptance from UK and, say, NOVA where would you go? I'm sure you would pick UK. lol

Um, many people pick it as a backup, and most people are fine with it. If I want to get into Harvard and I use Columbia as a backup, that doesn't mean I'll be unhappy with Columbia. Everyone has their first choice, but that doesn't mean that second choice is a bad one either. If that was the case, people would only apply to one medical school since anything other that would cause 'regret'.

 

[sethman33]

Hey, looks like I'll be taking it afterall. If I don't do as well, then I just won't release the scores to aacomas... sound right or do you think something is amiss? lol

Seth

---The e-mail series is below... Hoping for a 28 to seal the deal... ---

AACOMAS <[email protected]> wrote: Subject: RE: MCAT question
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:05:48 -0500
From: "AACOMAS" <[email protected]>
To: Seth

.Thank you for your email &#8211; your understanding is correct. As far as receipt of scores by the school, it would depend on when they are released to AACOMAS..


From: Seth
Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 10:44 PM
To: AACOMAS
Subject: MCAT question


I plan on retaking the MCAT on 1/25. I was wondering if it is possible for me to view my scores before I have them sent to individual osteopathic med schools? I would like to know my score before I show it to anyone else. Also, will the schools ever receive the scores if I do not order a score report sent to them or AACOMAS?
---
The AAMC heads both the MCAT and the AMCAS. They are inextricably connected-- when MCAT scores are available, they are directly available by AMCAS as well and AMCAS forwards them to applicable med schools. Since the AAMC doesn't directly associate with AACOMAS, a score report would be required for validation before any scores are sent to applicable colleges.

This is my current understanding; please let me know if I'm mistaken.


​

 

[toothsome]

I personally dislike when people mention that D.O is a Back-up for Allo rejects. Most Allo rejects have a complete misconception of what D.O really is. Read "The D.O.'s: Oeteopathic Medicine in America" by Norman Gevitz. In fact, I'll mail it to you if you want to read it. Perfect "textbook" for what D.O is. But whatever, if you fail try try again, right?😎

 

[sethman33]

I personally dislike when people mention that D.O is a Back-up for Allo rejects. Most Allo rejects have a complete misconception of what D.O really is. Read "The D.O.'s: Oeteopathic Medicine in America" by Norman Gevitz. In fact, I'll mail it to you if you want to read it. Perfect "textbook" for what D.O is. But whatever, if you fail try try again, right?😎

I hope no one thinks its me who is treating D.O. like a backup?! Like I said, it started out that way because I didn't research it. All I knew is that it was different and accepted lower GPA's. After researching philosophy and curriculum I loved it and would be happy to attend an osteopathic school I shadowed a D.O. a few weeks ago and it was great!

I just wish I wasn't dumb and that I would've researched it earlier and finished the AACOMAS in September instead of late November. I'd probably be accepted somewhere by now and I'd definitely have a couple interviews under my belt. Instead, I might not even get an interview. I guess you live and you learn.

P.S. - Studied 6 hours for the MCAT today and it blew....

 

[superfan56]

I'm just asking about Osteopathic schools because I haven't heard back from the allopathic schools i applied to (Texas schools, Louisville, and Kentucky).

I hope no one thinks its me who is treating D.O. like a backup?! Like I said, it started out that way because I didn't research it. All I knew is that it was different and accepted lower GPA's. After researching philosophy and curriculum I loved it and would be happy to attend an osteopathic school I shadowed a D.O. a few weeks ago and it was great!

I just wish I wasn't dumb and that I would've researched it earlier and finished the AACOMAS in September instead of late November. I'd probably be accepted somewhere by now and I'd definitely have a couple interviews under my belt. Instead, I might not even get an interview. I guess you live and you learn.

P.S. - Studied 6 hours for the MCAT today and it blew....

😎

 

[sethman33]

😎

---

Meaning, I've removed them from my radar and don't really care about them anymore... should have clarified...😳

 

[toothsome]

Guess my post came off a little rude. I wish you all the luck in the world man and I hope you do get into a D.O school. I'm just saying that this forum is filled with people who use D.O schools as a back up when I don't think it is. If people have a stigma about being an M.D over a D.O then go to an over seas school. If you need any advice please feel free to ask.🙂

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

Hey, looks like I'll be taking it afterall. If I don't do as well, then I just won't release the scores to aacomas... sound right or do you think something is amiss? lol

Seth

---The e-mail series is below... Hoping for a 28 to seal the deal... ---

AACOMAS <[email protected]> wrote: Subject: RE: MCAT question
Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2008 20:05:48 -0500
From: "AACOMAS" <[email protected]>
To: Seth

.Thank you for your email &#8211; your understanding is correct. As far as receipt of scores by the school, it would depend on when they are released to AACOMAS..


From: Seth
Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 10:44 PM
To: AACOMAS
Subject: MCAT question


I plan on retaking the MCAT on 1/25. I was wondering if it is possible for me to view my scores before I have them sent to individual osteopathic med schools? I would like to know my score before I show it to anyone else. Also, will the schools ever receive the scores if I do not order a score report sent to them or AACOMAS?
---
The AAMC heads both the MCAT and the AMCAS. They are inextricably connected-- when MCAT scores are available, they are directly available by AMCAS as well and AMCAS forwards them to applicable med schools. Since the AAMC doesn't directly associate with AACOMAS, a score report would be required for validation before any scores are sent to applicable colleges.

This is my current understanding; please let me know if I'm mistaken.


​

Somehow, I think you're misinterpreting their answer. My understanding is that once, you release your score to DO schools via Thx, all scores are released.

 

[EEL08]

Somehow, I think you're misinterpreting their answer. My understanding is that once, you release your score to DO schools via Thx, all scores are released.

They already have his current MCAT score though. So all he's worried about is the upcoming score which will only be sent out if released to AACOMAS.

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

They already have his current MCAT score though. So all he's worried about is the upcoming score which will only be sent out if released to AACOMAS.

I'm pretty sure once you open your MCAT through the proper pathway throught THx, they are all visibile no matter if you designate it to be released or not. In that case, why doesn't the majority of retakers do that?

 

[EEL08]

I'm pretty sure once you open your MCAT through the proper pathway throught THx, they are all visibile no matter if you designate it to be released or not. In that case, why doesn't the majority of retakers do that?

But I don't think the schools have ongoing access to the score report that you would see when you sign in to your account. I think that they just receive the copy of the score report with the first score. Then if the OP released the second score to AACOMAS the schools would receive the score report with both scores on it. I could be totally wrong about this but it's just how I believe it works.

 

[sethman33]

I took it on Friday 1/25... It went ok I guess... Glad its over but I don't feel particularly special about it unfortunately. Just looking for an improvement (but a 30 would be nice God, in case you're reading 🙂....)

I'll be sure to let you guys know how it really went in about 3-4 weeks...

-Seth

 

[spazzz]

I took it on Friday 1/25... It went ok I guess... Glad its over but I don't feel particularly special about it unfortunately. Just looking for an improvement (but a 30 would be nice God, in case you're reading 🙂....)

I'll be sure to let you guys know how it really went in about 3-4 weeks...

-Seth

good luck, at least it's over. did you get a pass from most schools so far because of your mcat? it seems fine.

 

[sethman33]

good luck, at least it's over. did you get a pass from most schools so far because of your mcat? it seems fine.

Hey, whats a "pass"??? I haven't heard back from any schools yet if thats what u mean. Although, I finished my secondaries about 3 weeks ago. I don't think my D.O. has sent in my rec letter though, that is probably holding up my app.

Anyone have any ideas about how I can tell him to get on that now without being a jerk and ruining my rec?

 

[spazzz]

depends on how well you know the doctor..... You said you applied MD schools first, just send the MD rec's in for the time being and update it with the DO letter at the end, most schools accept both. A great MD letter is better than a poor DO letter.

 

[HemaOncoDoc]

Hey, whats a "pass"??? I haven't heard back from any schools yet if thats what u mean. Although, I finished my secondaries about 3 weeks ago. I don't think my D.O. has sent in my rec letter though, that is probably holding up my app.

Anyone have any ideas about how I can tell him to get on that now without being a jerk and ruining my rec?

Send them a card reminding them.

 

[sethman33]

I can't believe this guy hasn't sent my rec yet... I requested it 1/11... wow...

Guess I'll get my other guy to write me one.... should be a good one b/c i'm in the middle of an internship with him... but he's an MD... so what do I do when that D.O. goes to Hawaii for a week without answering my phone calls, e-mails, or notes left in his office? Most of the schools won't even begin reviewing my app w/o that letter...NOVA and the LECOM's won't accept MD letters, period...

You know its one thing if I screw up my application, its another thing if someone else does it... thats just not cool... 😡

 

[spazzz]

considering you shadowed the guy for only recently, for a short amount of time, i don't know how much you expect from him...

 

[sethman33]

1st Interview offered... Called me today... 2/29...

😀

LECOM Bradenton... I'm so excited God is giving me a chance... Just wanted to share...
~~~
Feel free to offer tips or advice... You know my record so what should I highlight/avoid/etc...?
~~~

 

[3shtr]

You know its one thing if I screw up my application, its another thing if someone else does it... thats just not cool... 😡[/quote]


Maybe you should have started on the D.O. shadowing experience and letter a little bit earlier instead of blaming someone else??

 

[bluemonkey]

Not to rain on you parade, but it's pretty last minute to be asking for letters of rec. You are already way behind. Your best option is sending an email once a week or so to follow up with him. Any more and he is likely to get annoyed. I'm not sure if it's God or the the school that's giving you the chance...

 

[littlealex]

Um, many people pick it as a backup, and most people are fine with it. If I want to get into Harvard and I use Columbia as a backup, that doesn't mean I'll be unhappy with Columbia. Everyone has their first choice, but that doesn't mean that second choice is a bad one either. If that was the case, people would only apply to one medical school since anything other that would cause 'regret'.

👍

Most people do treat DO as a backup. I know only 1 girl who knew she wanted to be a DO and rejected MD offers to go DO.
Who cares if you use something as a backup, everyone becomes doctors in the end anyway, and they learn the same material. I don't see why someone would hate DO training just because they wanted to be an MD.

 

[sethman33]

You know its one thing if I screw up my application, its another thing if someone else does it... thats just not cool... 😡

Maybe you should have started on the D.O. shadowing experience and letter a little bit earlier instead of blaming someone else??[/quote]


You're probably right... I think if I end up getting in, I'm going to be an advocate of educating undergrads about D.O. programs... I mean, I seriously had no idea what they were in my state because they just aren't talked about very often... There's one school (TCOM) in Texas, the state with the most applicants in the country, and hardly any pre-meds at Baylor knew exactly what D.O. was and there definitely wasn't a push or anything of that nature... If someone had just said, "Hey you! Lookin at med school? Bummed about your 3.3 and 24 MCAT? Didn't want to look at osteopathic because you heard someone compare it to Caribbean schools one time a few years ago? Actually, they're quite competative and you probably would like the cirriculum, here's what it is..." No one ever said that to me and I researched it too late like you said.

Granted that I started late, I'm the type of person that likes someone to do what they say they'll do, and when on 1/11 someone says, "Sure I'll write your rec's" I expect that to happen within a few weeks... guess I'm a bad person... lol... He could've said "no", or, "I'll need you to stick around a little longer to write a good one"... I would have been happy to, despite my 150 hour internship, my multitude of extracirriculars, and 18 hours of class this semester, I would have made time. Its important.

And in response to D.O. as a backup, its not. Plain and simple. Its equal in my opinion, not better or worse... done. hopefully that clears it up...

Now - if you've got some advice or stats about LECOM-B or a story you'd like to share, I'm all ears... 🙂

 

[UKCatBird]

Sethman,

Your scores are fine. DO schools want people that really want to be doctors, even if their scores are sub-par. You obviously want to be a doctor...just be honest in your interviews about how you looked at MD school...didnt do so hot on the MCAT and started looking at DO schools...liked what you found....ect. Everybody has the same story, so the important part is to be honest and be yourself. Your gonna be fine...

 

[sethman33]

Sethman,

Your scores are fine. DO schools want people that really want to be doctors, even if their scores are sub-par. You obviously want to be a doctor...just be honest in your interviews about how you looked at MD school...didnt do so hot on the MCAT and started looking at DO schools...liked what you found....ect. Everybody has the same story, so the important part is to be honest and be yourself. Your gonna be fine...

Thanks, I appreciate the encouragement... 🙂

For "UK" are you in England or do you go to Kentucky? I applied there for medical school and they put me on their deferred list back in November... what does that mean? 😕

 

[sethman33]

depends on how well you know the doctor..... You said you applied MD schools first, just send the MD rec's in for the time being and update it with the DO letter at the end, most schools accept both. A great MD letter is better than a poor DO letter.

I should have taken your advice weeks ago... I had the doc I'm doing my internship (known him for a year, shadowed a bunch too) write me some rec's on Tuesday... Should I also send them to the schools that require the D.O.??? Or just the schools that will take either/both?

 

[UKCatBird]

Thanks, I appreciate the encouragement... 🙂

For "UK" are you in England or do you go to Kentucky? I applied there for medical school and they put me on their deferred list back in November... what does that mean? 😕

no Im just a big Kentucky Basketball fan....don't stress out so much....your gonna do fine in interviews

 

[jburwell]

1st Interview offered... Called me today... 2/29...

😀

LECOM Bradenton... I'm so excited God is giving me a chance... Just wanted to share...
~~~
Feel free to offer tips or advice... You know my record so what should I highlight/avoid/etc...?
~~~

congrats man. hopefully ill be in your shoes soon.

 

[sethman33]

Just to keep anyone updated who cares... I got my MCAT score back the day before my LECOM-Bradenton interview last week... Got a 26Q (V: 10, P: 7, B: 9)! I was shooting for a 28 but I was grateful for an improvement, for sure...

Also, I had my MD doc that I'm interning under send a rec letter and that crazy DO finally sent his in too! He sent me a copy and its actually pretty good, just really late!

Interview last week at Bradenton went well, if anyone has questions about specifics, let me know! I interview at Erie tomorrow and am hoping to get 2-3 more interviews if possible!

Hope everyone is having a pleasant day! 🙂

 

[muffinman853]

I looked up "Kentucky" in the search forums and your thread came up.

Congratulations on your MCAT score and your interview(s), I'm glad it went well. I'm in a very similar situation as you, I'm currently doing research into the D.O. programs and I honestly think it might suit me more than an M.D. program. Good luck!

 

[sethman33]

I ended up interviewing at LECOM-B, LECOM-Erie, and ATSU-SOMA. Out of those, I'm on the alternate list, rejected, and accepted (respectively)...

I was able to defer my SOMA acceptance to 2009 (after paying a hefty deposit). I decided to re-apply to the UT schools and TCOM and I probably won't re-apply to DO schools (mainly b/c I don't want to pay for or do another application). My primary application was submitted last week and processed yesterday. I expect to finish my secondaries by this weekend or early next week. I'd love to keep hearing from you guys, but if not - I wish everyone the best and sincerely thank you for your input!

 

[jp104]

I ended up interviewing at LECOM-B, LECOM-Erie, and ATSU-SOMA. Out of those, I'm on the alternate list, rejected, and accepted (respectively)...

I was able to defer my SOMA acceptance to 2009 (after paying a hefty deposit). I decided to re-apply to the UT schools and TCOM and I probably won't re-apply to DO schools (mainly b/c I don't want to pay for or do another application). My primary application was submitted last week and processed yesterday. I expect to finish my secondaries by this weekend or early next week. I'd love to keep hearing from you guys, but if not - I wish everyone the best and sincerely thank you for your input!

I'd be surprised if you were accepted at any of those schools. Once you have a medical school acceptance you have to report those on future applications. Why did you apply if you weren't going to go to SOMA? I'm sure there was someone on the waitlist who really wanted in....🙄

 

[jbone]

I ended up interviewing at LECOM-B, LECOM-Erie, and ATSU-SOMA. Out of those, I'm on the alternate list, rejected, and accepted (respectively)...

I was able to defer my SOMA acceptance to 2009 (after paying a hefty deposit). I decided to re-apply to the UT schools and TCOM and I probably won't re-apply to DO schools (mainly b/c I don't want to pay for or do another application). My primary application was submitted last week and processed yesterday. I expect to finish my secondaries by this weekend or early next week. I'd love to keep hearing from you guys, but if not - I wish everyone the best and sincerely thank you for your input!

LOL!
wtf?? I just wasted my time reading this whole story about how I just want to get in! Get in.....then this. LOL! Unique individual. Wow. 👎

Good luck with that.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

LOL!
wtf?? I just wasted my time reading this whole story about how I just want to get in! Get in.....then this. LOL! Unique individual. Wow. 👎

Good luck with that.

I don't understand your beef. He already has a D.O. acceptance, but rethought his going 200K into debt. He wants to try his shot at TX schools (slightly higher MCAT this time), which as a resident, will cut his debt in half. It's not brain surgery--it's addition.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

The dude swore up and down that DO wasn't a back-up, that he wanted to be a DO, that he'd even choose some DO schools over MD schools. He said he wanted to educate others about DO schools and how great they were. Then, he gets a DO acceptance, defers a year so he can apply MD, with the additive -- I won't be applying DO this time. Obviously, DO was a back up which contradicted all his protests.