DO schools look at the "whole applicant"?

[tuffguy13]

---

Members don't see this ad.

"DO schools look more at the "whole applicant." This is the general idea that I've heard numerous times when reading about DO admissions.

It's pretty obvious the goal is to get the best MCAT score and GPA possible, but the extracurricular aspect of the application process is a bit harder to define.

What qualifies as good extracurriculars, especially when trying to make yourself look like a good overall applicant? Is it based on quantity of hours, is it based on quality of experience, uniqueness of experience, relevance to medicine, etc. 😕

 

[rddoms]

All of those factors can make a good experience. If you learn something, get a new perspective into medicine, or get a good letter of recommendation, your experience was a good one.

 

[teacherman84]

Is it based on quantity of hours, is it based on quality of experience, uniqueness of experience, relevance to medicine, etc. 😕

Yes...
All of those things make a good experience. I would say a few hours here and there bouncing around between experiences doesnt look impressive but a longstanding commitment to one or a few does stand out. At the same time it looks better if the experience is quality, how much do you learn answering phones in an ED all day.

Find a couple of things you can do, whether volunteering or shadowing, that are meaningful and stick with them. The volunteering doesnt even need to be medically related.

As for looking at the whole applicant, I think it goes beyond looking at LORs and ECs in addition to GPA and MCAT, I think put more emphasis on the whole person, life experiences, etc. Find ways to show, not tell, them that you are a well-rounded compassionate person with a genuine interest in medicine. I think this comes easily when it is true.
Good luck!

 

[futIDdoc]

any time you here that DO schools look at the whole applicant or that DO's look more at the whole pt, realize that these are just inane sales pitches.

 

[DocHomer]

any time you here that DO schools look at the whole applicant or that DO's look more at the whole pt, realize that these are just inane sales pitches.

I don't think this is true. They generally do seem to be take other things into account. They are not as number driven, but they are still significant. I don't think there are many people who had such great life experiences that they would overcome a poor GPA and MCAT.

 

[SolanoDoc]

"DO schools look more at the "whole applicant." This is the general idea that I've heard numerous times when reading about DO admissions.

It's pretty obvious the goal is to get the best MCAT score and GPA possible, but the extracurricular aspect of the application process is a bit harder to define.

What qualifies as good extracurriculars, especially when trying to make yourself look like a good overall applicant? Is it based on quantity of hours, is it based on quality of experience, uniqueness of experience, relevance to medicine, etc. 😕

DO schools tend to look at a lot more numeric factors than MD schools but they still take grades and MCATs very seriously, although MCATs and GPAs for DO schools are lower than that for MD schools, they have gone up substantially. It used to be that a long time ago you could get into a DO school with a 3.0 and a low 20 MCAT, that is no longer the case, and many strong applicants apply to DO schools these days. Still they look at whole picture a lot more than MD schools.

 

[bigyihoroi]

Yea. The admission indeed looks at the entire applicant. DO schools train docotrs to treat patients as a whole, not just symptoms. So the admission staff told us during the interview that they insist to keep this holistic approach even in the selection process -- looking at the whole applicant rather than screening applicants based on just numbers.

 

[SolanoDoc]

My experiences as a social worker made a very good impression on the schools I applied to and I received multiple acceptances.