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Nope. Most schools do not require one, only 90 hrs or so. I was actually encouraged by the Asst. Dean of Quillen College of Medicine (ETSU) a couple of years ago to apply a year early. And then this application cycle, my advisor pushed me again to go ahead and take the MCAT and apply. Though my MCAT was not competitive for allopathic schools, it was plenty for DO schools (with which I was happy). I did have a very good gpa, excellent LORs (inorg. chem assoc. prof, respected Org Chem Prof, and Bus. Comm Prof (lawyer), Plus an MD (Peds Mentor) and DO), and lots of EC and leadership (mostly kids and church related). Oh, another thing that really struck the interviewers was that I proved I could handle the rigors of 4 children and a full course load (I carried around 18 hrs a semester). At every interview, someone mentioned that.
So, though I hear it is rare, it is possible. I was invited for interviews at LECOM-B (declined), LECOM-E (went, accepted, withdrew), LMU-DCOM (went, accepted), PCOM-GA (went, waitlisted), WVSOM (went, accepted, withdrew), NSU (declined). After I was accepted to DCOM, I withdrew from my interviews at LECOM-B and NSU. I almost did at WVSOM, but at the last minute decided to go. The key is to read, read, read. Find out everything you can about the school before you fill out your secondaries!
I can send you my stats and personal statement if you PM me, if you are interested in this route.
I think that I know what your MCAT was from a previous post. You probably would have still had a shot at ETSU. I know they have a huge in-state preference. Not that it matters now anyway, and DCOM is a much better school.
I had the same response about being a mother at my interviews. MED SCHOOLS MOMS!!!
On a side note, don't you want your degree? Even if I could have gotten in without my degree, I wouldn't have wanted to. I wanted something to hang on my wall! Plus, people just assume that you are smart when you tell them that you have a degree in biology.