Discouraged to say the least

[enveng1978]

My advisor instructed me not to apply to Western University today, saying it is a very hard school to get into. My reaction was that I thought all of the DO schools were generally hard to get into, and there are so many underlying factors to gaining entrance that it is pretty hard to determine what makes a succesful candidate.

That pretty much has stalled my motivation. I am at the point now where I am reconsidering applying at all. My stats are as follows: 3.5 GPA env. engineering, ER volunteer experience, other volunteer experience, working for EH&S department in large company, military experience, 25 MCAT (10 VR, 9 PS, 6 BS, O).

Anyone have an honest opinion? Is it worth the money, or should I take the MCAT again and wait till next year?

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[tkim]

Originally posted by enveng1978
My advisor instructed me not to apply to Western University today, saying it is a very hard school to get into. My reaction was that I thought all of the DO schools were generally hard to get into, and there are so many underlying factors to gaining entrance that it is pretty hard to determine what makes a succesful candidate.

That pretty much has stalled my motivation. I am at the point now where I am reconsidering applying at all. My stats are as follows: 3.5 GPA env. engineering, ER volunteer experience, other volunteer experience, working for EH&S department in large company, military experience, 25 MCAT (10 VR, 9 PS, 6 BS, O).

Anyone have an honest opinion? Is it worth the money, or should I take the MCAT again and wait till next year?

I would take anything an advisor says with a grain of salt. Unless they went through the process themselves, or had some superintimate knowledge of the admissions process of one or many schools, they are simply parroting what current admissions trends are.

The funny thing is - according to the AACOMAS site, the stats for past matriculants to DO schools are a GPA of 3.5 and a MCAT of 25. Hmmmm, look familiar?

The determinant of whether or not you continue in the application process is whether you want to, can afford to, and are willing to endure rejection if it comes to that.

I've already gone through the cycle once, and I don't have an advisor. On balance, I think I'm better off, 'cause they can't tell me things I already know, or things that aren't necessarily true.

You wanna be a doctor, keep trying. If you get rejected this time round, learn from your rejections and plan ahead for the next time.

Good luck.

- Tae, VR11,PS8,BS6,WS-S

 

[NUgirl]

You should definately apply. Your GPA is good, and your MCAT is slightly about the national average for Osteopathic schools (24). The only thing about your MCAT score you might worry about and probably will raise questions is your BS score since it's a 6. But if your grades are high in your biology classes then that might overshadow the 6. I would for sure apply and see what happens cause this process is SO random and you never know!

 

[Toejam]

No question that you should apply. Your stats are acceptable (your GPA is higher than the average) and it looks as though you've done a reasonable amount of EC's.

I don't know where your advisor got the info that Western is really hard to get into. It's the only one I'm applying to and I've been looking at posts on this forum for almost a year and haven't seen anything like that yet.

Another thing to consider is that applications to med schools are still down, but it's going to go up since the economy is starting to peter out. It's generally accepted that one of the reasons that med school apps have gone down in the last 10 years or so was that the economy was doing well and there were a lot of jobs that would pay very well without the financial, emotional and physical drain that becoming a doctor requires. If you wait too long, your chances will drop steadily (in my opinion)

APPLY!!!!! Even if it means we'll be competing!

 

[Forensic Chick]

Eveng,

I felt the same way you did when I first started applying in June. I only applied to three schools, all on the west coast. After receiving my MCAT scores, and finding out that they were below what I was expecting/wanting... I wasn't sure if I wanted to pull my primary applications. But, I didn't. Here's my reasoning: You'll never know if you have a chance of getting in unless you apply and go through the process.

Good luck, apply to Western, and maybe we'll be classmates next year

-Michelle-

 

[appledumpling]

You know what...I'm certain there are plenty of people w/ your stats that get in every year! While that 6 in BS may raise some eyebrows, you have a decent GPA and that 10 in verbal is very catchy to the eye. I think COMP's averages are around a 3.4 and 8.7. If the rest of your application is decent (some ECs and health experiences), I would advise you to go ahead and apply. Good luck.

 

[JmE]

I would recommend that you apply. Try to interview well and I think you have a decent chance.

Good luck!


-JmE-

 

[apgar7]

As long as your letters of rec are decent and you write a good personal statement that shows an interest in osteopathic medicine, you have a very good chance at getting an interview. I'm at western u and there are more than a few people in my class that resemble your stats and background. I think one thing that would really boost your chances is if you were to shadow a DO who is an alumni of COMP and then get an excellent letter of rec from him or her. You'll have to do some research and ask around to find one.
Goodluck!

 

[pathdr2b]

Apply, get accepted, then go tell the advisor where to go!

 

[DOtobe]

Originally posted by pathdr2b
Apply, get accepted, then go tell the advisor where to go!

That's exactly how I feel about my premed advisor!

I agree with everyone else here, you will have an excellent shot at gaining acceptance to an osteopathic medical school. Your stats are definitely around the average for osteopathic schools. Give it a shot and then shove it in your advisor's face when you get accepted!

Good luck

 

[enveng1978]

Thanks everyone for your responses, and for helping me keep my head up. I'm gonna go ahead with my apps. Good Luck!