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- Pre-Medical
DO School Chances
- Thread starter iridescence16
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Wordy response below, if you don't want to read it, long story short: Skip this cycle, continue studying for MCAT throughout this next semester, retake it in May 2015, make sure you ace all of your final classes to get GPA up to ~3.1, apply to low tier DO schools on JUNE 1st immediately when AACOMAS opens up (also include high tier DO schools if your MCAT retake is great, which is very possible!). Retake classes fall 2015 and winter 2016, hope for DO acceptance next cycle, plan for DO acceptance the following cycle after a bunch of grade replacements and a better MCAT (2016 application year, start med school in 2017)
If you're contemplating applying this cycle, absolutely not. Don't even think about it. As for next cycle, it's going to be rough, but if you don't care AT ALL where you have to go/move to, you can definitely apply to some rural DO schools and have a decent shot, but that's if and only IF you absolutely ace the rest of your classes. If you do, your GPA will be over a 3.0. I would also continue studying for the MCAT throughout the next 5 months and retake it in May. Sign up for a Kaplan course that meets twice a week, they have classes that start in January and run through until the end of April, which would be perfect for you to study for the new MCAT with enough time to study for classes as well. If you apply June 1st, the very first day AACOMAS opens up, and you apply to every "low-tier" DO school, you can absolutely still get in next cycle.
My suggestion: I was just accepted last month and will be attending school in August 2015. I'm not an expert on any of this, but I can offer what I would do in your situation, which I don't think is bad advice (others on SDN may definitely disagree). You're currently in no shape to prove to adcoms you deserve to be a medical student, but that doesn't mean you should give up on it. I would finish out strong with your final classes (I'm talking like, no less than an A- in any class), then start retaking classes you got below a C in throughout the next fall 2015 and winter 2016 classes (exclude gen eds). You may also do a masters program, I truthfully don't know which one will look better for you, I would probably stick with grade replacement because a GPA below 3.2 is pretty frowned upon. Apply next year with the advice I gave in the first paragraph next summer (with a new MCAT and hopefully a ~3.1 GPA) and hope for the best, but plan for acceptance the following cycle after grade replacement hopefully strengthens your application.
I know the response was wordy, I hope it helps in some way. Please do realize that the road for you to get into medical school will be difficult, but it's not impossible. Throughout all of this, make sure you're volunteering and shadowing DO PHYSICIANS ONLY, do whatever you possibly can to strengthen that DO application, and make sure you prove to adcoms that you 1.) only want DO and 2.) can handle medical school. Good luck with everything!
If you're contemplating applying this cycle, absolutely not. Don't even think about it. As for next cycle, it's going to be rough, but if you don't care AT ALL where you have to go/move to, you can definitely apply to some rural DO schools and have a decent shot, but that's if and only IF you absolutely ace the rest of your classes. If you do, your GPA will be over a 3.0. I would also continue studying for the MCAT throughout the next 5 months and retake it in May. Sign up for a Kaplan course that meets twice a week, they have classes that start in January and run through until the end of April, which would be perfect for you to study for the new MCAT with enough time to study for classes as well. If you apply June 1st, the very first day AACOMAS opens up, and you apply to every "low-tier" DO school, you can absolutely still get in next cycle.
My suggestion: I was just accepted last month and will be attending school in August 2015. I'm not an expert on any of this, but I can offer what I would do in your situation, which I don't think is bad advice (others on SDN may definitely disagree). You're currently in no shape to prove to adcoms you deserve to be a medical student, but that doesn't mean you should give up on it. I would finish out strong with your final classes (I'm talking like, no less than an A- in any class), then start retaking classes you got below a C in throughout the next fall 2015 and winter 2016 classes (exclude gen eds). You may also do a masters program, I truthfully don't know which one will look better for you, I would probably stick with grade replacement because a GPA below 3.2 is pretty frowned upon. Apply next year with the advice I gave in the first paragraph next summer (with a new MCAT and hopefully a ~3.1 GPA) and hope for the best, but plan for acceptance the following cycle after grade replacement hopefully strengthens your application.
I know the response was wordy, I hope it helps in some way. Please do realize that the road for you to get into medical school will be difficult, but it's not impossible. Throughout all of this, make sure you're volunteering and shadowing DO PHYSICIANS ONLY, do whatever you possibly can to strengthen that DO application, and make sure you prove to adcoms that you 1.) only want DO and 2.) can handle medical school. Good luck with everything!
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3.2/3.2/24 or 3.0/3.0/27 plus broad, early application should get you in somewhere.
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The ideal bare minimum would be GPAs of 3.25/3.25 with an MCAT of 25 (no sections under 8). You should evade pretty much all auto screens from DO schools (there will be exceptions, but this due to fit more than stats).
