Help with school lists for a reinvention applicant....

[Calizboosted76]

Hey everyone, I have waited a couple years to be able to post a ”Help with school list“ post And I just received my MCAT scores!

So here is my back story.

cGPA: under 3.0
sGPA: I believe is a 2.99
(Successfully reinvented myself with 50+ upper level classes the last two years of my bachelors degree at a 3.8 GPA)
MCAT: 506 (127-123–129-127) Super unhappy with this but afraid if I retake I could score lower.

EC
- Volunteering: couple hundred hours
- scribing in ED: couple thousand hours
- Great LORs from professors and 2 from DO physicians and 10 from MD.
- Drag racing
- Trading card collecting

Other info
- Phenomenal story of overcoming many obstacles.
- Low SES
- First Gen college student
- Florida resident
- Worked over full time through out undergrad To take care of my parent and siblings.

Any help with a school list would be great. I know I am going to have to apply broadly and I am going to do so. I also will be applying to SMP‘s as a back up.
Thank you to everyone in advance.

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[Calizboosted76]

@Goro @Faha @gonnif

 

[Faha]

I suggest these DO schools with your stats:
ACOM
ARCOM
NYIT-AR
UIWSOM
WCU-COM
UP-KYCOM
WVSOM
MU-COM
ATSU-SOMA
LECOM (all schools)
PCOM Georgia and South Georgia
You could also try ICOM, CHSU-COM, BCOM and LMU-DCOM but they are less desirable for various reasons (which @Goro can comment on).

 

[Goro]

I suggest:

Rush (maybe)
Drexel (maybe)
NYMC (maybe)
Temple
Tulane
Wayne State
Netter
SLU
EVMS
Seton Hall
Rosy Franklin
Loma Linda (only if you are SDA or a very devout Christian)
Loyola
WVU
MCW
Oakland-B
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Your state school(s).

Any DO school. I can't recommend Nova, Wm Carey, BCOM, ICOM and LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me. CUHS is too new and appears to be too limited in rotations sites. UIW refuses to post their Boards scores, which is fishy.

 

[Calizboosted76]

I suggest:

Rush (maybe)
Drexel (maybe)
NYMC (maybe)
Temple
Tulane
Wayne State
Netter
SLU
EVMS
Seton Hall
Rosy Franklin
Loma Linda (only if you are SDA or a very devout Christian)
Loyola
WVU
MCW
Oakland-B
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Your state school(s).

Any DO school. I can't recommend Nova, Wm Carey, BCOM, ICOM and LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. LMU has an accreditation warning, which concerns me. CUHS is too new and appears to be too limited in rotations sites. UIW refuses to post their Boards scores, which is fishy.

What are the reasons for ICOM, BCOM, and LUCOM?

 

[Goro]

LUCOM: I have a profound distaste for the politics of their parent organization; they’re disingenuous about whether their strict lifestyle rules apply to medical students (they do); and their Faculty make blatant attempts to twist facts to match their theology. In the midst of the COVID19 pandemic, Liberty president Jerry Falwell Jr insisted that the campus stay open! This was in violation of state law. Jerry Jr is the gift that keeps on giving, because he’s an overt racist AND doesn’t believe in the danger that the SARS-CoV-2 poses: Black Liberty University alums rebuke Jerry Falwell after blackface tweet

From the wise gyngyn: Liberty is poorly regarded due to the history of intolerance of their founding fathers. This school's reputation for intolerance puts its grads at a disadvantage at many reputable residency programs.




BCOM: COMLEX pass rates are a disaster, even for a new school. In my own school's experience, people who fail the exam will almost always pass the second time around. Yet some 9% of BCOM's second class still couldn't pass on the second try. These are people who are now far less likely to ever become doctors. Their inaugural Class of 2020 has had a 25% attrition rate (160 down to ~120).

Also this: granted Accreditation with Heightened Monitoring. This indicates that fewer than three standards are non-compliant and ongoing monitoring will occur via progress reporting. For schools with this status, accreditation will be granted for four years. This is only one of three COMs that has this level of accreditation status right now.
Accreditation decisions for colleges of osteopathic medicine - American Osteopathic Association



ICOM: Not recommended due to the apparent dishonesty they had in setting up their school that poisoned the relations with hospitals in Idaho and/or the Idaho Medical Association. In addition, most of their rotation sites are very far away from the school. This raises the risk that the rotations are not adequately supervised and preceptors are not fully trained in teaching.

 

[Calizboosted76]

So from researching all last night and early this AM this is the list I have come up with:

My school list (DO)

• LECOM all schools
• ACOM
• ARCOM
• NYIT-AR
• WCUCOM
• UP-KYCOM
• WVSOM (maybe)
• MU-COM
• ATSU-SOMA
• PCOM-GA
• PCOM-SGA
• BCOM (Maybe)
• LMU-DCOM
• MSU-COM
• OU-HCOM
• PNW-COM
• Rowan
• Touro
• UIW
• WCU-com(maybe)
• COMP-Northwest

My school list MD

• FSU
• UF
• UCF
• FIU
• USF
• MIAMI
• FAU
• DREXEL (Philly PA)
• TULANE (New Orleans)
• TEMPLE (Philly PA)
• WAYNE STATE (Detroit Michigan)
• RUSH (Chicago illinois) MAYBE
• NYMC (New York)
• NETTER (CT)
• SLU (St Louis) MAYBE
• WVU (West Virginia)
• Loyola (Chicago)
• MCW (Wisconsin)
• Oakland-B (Michigan)
• Seton Hall (New Jersey)
• EVMS (Virginia)
• ROSY FRANKLIN (Chicago)

@Goro I had a previous "Reinvention" list that I had saved from our conversation that included these schools as well:

-BU
-Case
-Mayo
-Hofstra
-Duke
-Columbia
-UCSF
-Pitt
-Tufts
-Dartmouth
-Albany
-Western Michigan
-creighton
-Colorado
-SUNY upstate
-Jefferson
-GWU
-Gtown

How does my current list look, should I remove any schools or add any schools from ^ ?
I appreciate the help!

 

[Calizboosted76]

@paradoxic_toxic @LizzyM @gyngyn
Any input from?

 

[gyngyn]

How many times have you taken the MCAT?

 

[Goro]

Your weaker MCAT score rules out the bottom most schools of your list.
I suggest

• LECOM all schools
• ACOM
• UP-KYCOM
• WVSOM
• MU-COM
• ATSU-SOMA
• PCOM-GA
• PCOM-SGA
• OU-HCOM
• Touro
• Western
• COMP-Northwest

• FSU
• UF
• UCF
• FIU
• USF
• MIAMI
• FAU
• DREXEL (Philly PA)
• TULANE (New Orleans)
• TEMPLE (Philly PA)
• WAYNE STATE (Detroit Michigan)
• RUSH (Chicago illinois) MAYBE
• NYMC (New York)
• NETTER (CT)
• SLU (St Louis) MAYBE
• WVU (West Virginia)
• Loyola (Chicago)
• MCW (Wisconsin)
• Oakland-B (Michigan)
• Seton Hall (New Jersey)
• EVMS (Virginia)
• ROSY FRANKLIN (Chicago)

-GWU
-Gtown

 

[Calizboosted76]

How many times have you taken the MCAT?

Once

 

[paradoxic_toxic]

For DO schools:

ACOM
ARCOM
ATSU-KCOM
ATSU-SOMA
BCOM
DMU-COM
KYCOM
LECOM
LECOM-B (probably your best chance with ~50-60% IS bias)
LMU-DCOM
LUCOM (not recommended)
MU-COM
MWU-AZCOM
NSU-KPCOM (probably your best chance with 60% IS bias)
NYITCOM (AR campus)
PCOM
PCOM-GA
PCOM-SGA
PNWU-COM
RVUCOM
TouroCOM-NY (not recommended)
TUNCOM
UIWSOM
UNECOM
WCUCOM

I filtered out schools:
- with extreme IS bias (Rowan, OSU-COM, OU-HCOM, MSU-COM, MWU-CCOM, TUCOM, TCOM)
- sGPA cutoff (CUSOM, VCO, ICOM, KCUCOM)
- new schools (SHSUCOM, CHSUCOM).

 

[Calizboosted76]

For DO schools:

ACOM
ARCOM
ATSU-KCOM
ATSU-SOMA
BCOM
DMU-COM
KYCOM
LECOM
LECOM-B (probably your best chance with ~50-60% IS bias)
LMU-DCOM
LUCOM (not recommended)
MU-COM
MWU-AZCOM
NSU-KPCOM (probably your best chance with 60% IS bias)
NYITCOM (AR campus)
PCOM
PCOM-GA
PCOM-SGA
PNWU-COM
RVUCOM
TouroCOM-NY (not recommended)
TUNCOM
UIWSOM
UNECOM
WCUCOM

I filtered out schools:
- with extreme IS bias (Rowan, OSU-COM, OU-HCOM, MSU-COM, MWU-CCOM, TUCOM, TCOM)
- sGPA cutoff (CUSOM, VCO, ICOM, KCUCOM)
- new schools (SHSUCOM, CHSUCOM).

Okay so now that I have my MCAT score can I resubmit both of my applications with the schools I want to go to even though I have not been verified yet?

 

[paradoxic_toxic]

Okay so now that I have my MCAT score can I resubmit both of my applications with the schools I want to go to even though I have not been verified yet?

You should be able to add your MCAT and submit.

 

[Calizboosted76]

@Angus Avagadro

 

[Angus Avagadro]

I think your school list looks good. Your 3.8 showing upward trend is a positive. I think your MCAT is a little light for MD, but not lethal. CARS at 30%tile may be problematic for MD. I like your ECs. Applying to your school list will be expensive. If you can afford to drag race, (going fast is expensive), I suspect that won't be too big of an issue. I think your app will generate some interest from your school list. Your best chance is DO, IMO. Md may be a stretch. Work those personal statements hard, with some help. Also, clean up your interview skills and kill it. If you dont retake the MCAT, all you can do is improve on what you do in the near future. Good luck and best wishes! Btw, what did you drag race?

 

[Calizboosted76]

I think your school list looks good. Your 3.8 showing upward trend is a positive. I think your MCAT is a little light for MD, but not lethal. CARS at 30%tile may be problematic for MD. I like your ECs. Applying to your school list will be expensive. If you can afford to drag race, (going fast is expensive), I suspect that won't be too big of an issue. I think your app will generate some interest from your school list. Your best chance is DO, IMO. Md may be a stretch. Work those personal statements hard, with some help. Also, clean up your interview skills and kill it. If you dont retake the MCAT, all you can do is improve on what you do in the near future. Good luck and best wishes! Btw, what did you drag race?

I am actually a low SES (I know super backwards but lets just say I did not make the greatest decisions with the left over student loans from undergrad) lol. I have fee assistance so hopefully it wont be to expensive but I will figure out a way to manage.

I use to drag race a couple different vehicles from supercharged mustangs to twin turbo imports. My pride and joy was my Z32 twin turbo though. Going fast is definitely expensive and in retrospect I wish I would have invested in a more practical daily driver but you live and you learn. (I just wish it didn't take me three engines and two rebuilds to learn)

 

[Calizboosted76]

I think your school list looks good. Your 3.8 showing upward trend is a positive. I think your MCAT is a little light for MD, but not lethal. CARS at 30%tile may be problematic for MD. I like your ECs. Applying to your school list will be expensive. If you can afford to drag race, (going fast is expensive), I suspect that won't be too big of an issue. I think your app will generate some interest from your school list. Your best chance is DO, IMO. Md may be a stretch. Work those personal statements hard, with some help. Also, clean up your interview skills and kill it. If you dont retake the MCAT, all you can do is improve on what you do in the near future. Good luck and best wishes! Btw, what did you drag race?

Thank you for your additional input. I am excited and am 1000% okay with going DO. A good bit of my friends and mentors are DOs and also heads of very prominent EDs in my area.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

I am actually a low SES (I know super backwards but lets just say I did not make the greatest decisions with the left over student loans from undergrad) lol. I have fee assistance so hopefully it wont be to expensive but I will figure out a way to manage.

I use to drag race a couple different vehicles from supercharged mustangs to twin turbo imports. My pride and joy was my Z32 twin turbo though. Going fast is definitely expensive and in retrospect I wish I would have invested in a more practical daily driver but you live and you learn. (I just wish it didn't take me three engines and two rebuilds to learn)

I did a mustang project with a charger and custom racing engine. I wanted a race car i could drive to work. Beat a viper by a fender in the quarter spending half the money. Made it all worthwhile. I was an attending for15 yrs prior to the build. Kept breaking stuff, ripped off the clutch plate, ripped out the panhard bar, broke an axle, head gaskets, etc. Stopped racing and just used as a daily driver. Much less expensive. Hope things work out for you!

 

[Calizboosted76]

I did a mustang project with a charger and custom racing engine. I wanted a race car i could drive to work. Beat a viper by a fender in the quarter spending half the money. Made it all worthwhile. I was an attending for15 yrs prior to the build. Kept breaking stuff, ripped off the clutch plate, ripped out the panhard bar, broke an axle, head gaskets, etc. Stopped racing and just used as a daily driver. Much less expensive. Hope things work out for you!

Was it a supercharger or a procharger? I absolutely love the mustang platform but it was SO much money to get it to where my twin turbo z32 was. I also am a big fan of the 335i BMW. Those are just ridiculous if done correctly!

Thank you!

 

[Calizboosted76]

@gonnif Thoughts or concerns?

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Was it a supercharger or a procharger? I absolutely love the mustang platform but it was SO much money to get it to where my twin turbo z32 was. I also am a big fan of the 335i BMW. Those are just ridiculous if done correctly!

Thank you!

Went with. Vortec charger. Ran a 347 stroker. Made a mistake by having a 9.5 compression engine built. Had trouble putting anything more than modest boost levels on without detonation. On humid days i could reduce the timing a little with a dial from the cabin. Dynoed 500+ hp at rear wheel and 550 ft/lbs torque. This was 20 yrs ago when all new tech was coming out. Now have an 07 Z06 with the 7 L. Tweaked the chip, and is plenty fast enough for me.

 

[Calizboosted76]

Went with. Vortec charger. Ran a 347 stroker. Made a mistake by having a 9.5 compression engine built. Had trouble putting anything more than modest boost levels on without detonation. On humid days i could reduce the timing a little with a dial from the cabin. Dynoed 500+ hp at rear wheel and 550 ft/lbs torque. This was 20 yrs ago when all new tech was coming out. Now have an 07 Z06 with the 7 L. Tweaked the chip, and is plenty fast enough for me.

The new technology is crazy. My grandfather has the same car (07 Z06) I like it. I think it is a good choice for not wanting to go bonkers. I like the new supra, a bigger turbo and a tune and 700+ to the wheels is feasible.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

The new technology is crazy. My grandfather has the same car (07 Z06) I like it. I think it is a good choice for not wanting to go bonkers. I like the new supra, a bigger turbo and a tune and 700+ to the wheels is feasible.

Agreed. Always liked the supra, even the old ones. The Z06 is the only factory american car you can drive to the track, race it,(and do well), then drive it home. Just like the Porche's or BMW's.

 

[Calizboosted76]

Agreed. Always liked the supra, even the old ones. The Z06 is the only factory american car you can drive to the track, race it,(and do well), then drive it home. Just like the Porche's or BMW's.

Not to mention a lot cheaper to fix than the foreign builds haha. I love the older supras but since the popularization of the Fast and Furious movies they are way out of my price range (aside from a beat up naturally aspirated one, but who wants something without a turbo lol)

EDIT: I lied, I couldn't even afford an NA version. Having a 16 month old daughter who has you wrapped around her finger and applying to medical school has my wallet even more nonexistent than ever before.

 

[WrenchesToMD]

Really cool to see some more gear heads around

Future goal for myself is a Honda S2000 with a 2JZ, and I've told my wife several times that the only thing I want an absolute say on for our future home is either 1) the garage the house comes with or 2) the plot of land to build a garage

 

[Calizboosted76]

Really cool to see some more gear heads around

Future goal for myself is a Honda S2000 with a 2JZ, and I've told my wife several times that the only thing I want an absolute say on for our future home is either 1) the garage the house comes with or 2) the plot of land to build a garage

Same with my fiance! I told her that she also is not allowed to tell me what I can or cannot do to my vehicles (she tried telling me I couldn't put spray on a car) since she doesn't allow me to have a motorcycle.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Same with my fiance! I told her that she also is not allowed to tell me what I can or cannot do to my vehicles (she tried telling me I couldn't put spray on a car) since she doesn't allow me to have a motorcycle.

Keep the wish list modest until your finances are in order. Didnt own a sports car until my 40's and my wife is an MD. Its much easier to buy toys when there is no debt to pay every month.

 

[Calizboosted76]

Keep the wish list modest until your finances are in order. Didnt own a sports car until my 40's and my wife is an MD. Its much easier to buy toys when there is no debt to pay every month.

Oh 100% realize this now haha. I sold the car and got a truck so my daughter had a place to sit

 

[Goro]

I am actually a low SES (I know super backwards but lets just say I did not make the greatest decisions with the left over student loans from undergrad) lol. I have fee assistance so hopefully it wont be to expensive but I will figure out a way to manage.

I use to drag race a couple different vehicles from supercharged mustangs to twin turbo imports. My pride and joy was my Z32 twin turbo though. Going fast is definitely expensive and in retrospect I wish I would have invested in a more practical daily driver but you live and you learn. (I just wish it didn't take me three engines and two rebuilds to learn)

Racer!!! Autoaccept for me!

 

[Calizboosted76]

Racer!!! Autoaccept for me!

Just DM me your school and I will make sure I apply After i get that auto accept I’ll give you a firm handshake. Haha

 

[WrenchesToMD]

Just had a thought regarding your original post @Calizboosted76. Have you talked about your car hobby in your past app?

 

[Calizboosted76]

Just had a thought regarding your original post @Calizboosted76. Have you talked about your car hobby in your past app?

This is my first time applying.

 

[WrenchesToMD]

This is my first time applying.

Lol whoops, missed that part. I was going to say that, my past automotive experience came up a few times during my interviews. I feel it was a good conversation piece and definitely helped the flow of interviews. I think the socioeconomic things you mentioned in your "other info" not only (I imagine) makes for a good roadmap as to "why medicine" but can also help to explain academic factors such as MCAT scores/GPA.

I think you have a lot of ammo for a killer app and will be successful with the right strategy. Also, remmeber that this is SDN, where a 506 is the equivalent of a 490

 

[Calizboosted76]

Lol whoops, missed that part. I was going to say that, my past automotive experience came up a few times during my interviews. I feel it was a good conversation piece and definitely helped the flow of interviews. I think the socioeconomic things you mentioned in your "other info" not only (I imagine) makes for a good roadmap as to "why medicine" but can also help to explain academic factors such as MCAT scores/GPA.

I think you have a lot of ammo for a killer app and will be successful with the right strategy. Also, remmeber that this is SDN, where a 506 is the equivalent of a 490

Oh I take everything that is posted on SDN with a grain of salt unless it is from individuals that I know are very knowledgeable lol. I really appreciate your kind words! I am hoping that the application I have put together will land me at least one acceptance from the 49 schools I am applying to LOL.

 

[Calizboosted76]

I was just verified by AACOMAS and my GPA's are cGPA: 2.67 and sGPA: 2.97. My GPA trend as well is Freshman: 1.73 Sophmore: 2.39 Junior: 3.07 Senior: 3.74

With my excess credits they have lumped my two years (56 credit hours) into one big senior year. I know @Goro said to try and have one of my letter writers talk about it and I have done that. However while applying this cycle should I take a couple classes as a post bacc? Taking these classes will only raise my GPA's by 0.04 points and since I already have the 2 years of upper division courses that I have done well in I dont know how beneficial it would be to take a couple courses starting in the fall?

@Goro @Faha @gyngyn

 

[Goro]

I was just verified by AACOMAS and my GPA's are cGPA: 2.67 and sGPA: 2.97. My GPA trend as well is Freshman: 1.73 Sophmore: 2.39 Junior: 3.07 Senior: 3.74

With my excess credits they have lumped my two years (56 credit hours) into one big senior year. I know @Goro said to try and have one of my letter writers talk about it and I have done that. However while applying this cycle should I take a couple classes as a post bacc? Taking these classes will only raise my GPA's by 0.04 points and since I already have the 2 years of upper division courses that I have done well in I dont know how beneficial it would be to take a couple courses starting in the fall?

@Goro @Faha @gyngyn

I don't think it's worth it. Go big with an SMP instead if this cycle is a bust.

 

[Calizboosted76]

I don't think it's worth it. Go big with an SMP instead if this cycle is a bust.

Awesome, thank you for the quick response!

 

[Calizboosted76]

Rejected by 4 schools presecondary thus far

-ACOM
-PNWU
-ATSU
-WVSOM


Wrecked. I am still hopeful though!

 

[Faha]

Rejected by 4 schools presecondary thus far

-ACOM
-PNWU
-ATSU
-WVSOM


Wrecked. I am still hopeful though!

There is a new school accepting applications soon: Noorda-COM.

 

[Calizboosted76]

There is a new school accepting applications soon: Noorda-COM.

Just emailed them because their website says a 3.0 cGPA and sGPA are required.

 

[Calizboosted76]

Rejected by 4 schools presecondary thus far

-ACOM
-PNWU
-ATSU
-WVSOM


Wrecked. I am still hopeful though!

Just an update, I reached out to ACOM and turned that presecondary rejection to an ACCEPTANCE

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Just an update, I reached out to ACOM and turned that presecondary rejection to an ACCEPTANCE

Congrars! Well done.

 

[Calizboosted76]

Congrars! Well done.

Thank you so much!

 

[GoPenguinsGo]

So from researching all last night and early this AM this is the list I have come up with:

My school list (DO)

• LECOM all schools
• ACOM
• ARCOM
• NYIT-AR
• WCUCOM
• UP-KYCOM
• WVSOM (maybe)
• MU-COM
• ATSU-SOMA
• PCOM-GA
• PCOM-SGA
• BCOM (Maybe)
• LMU-DCOM
• MSU-COM
• OU-HCOM
• PNW-COM
• Rowan
• Touro
• UIW
• WCU-com(maybe)
• COMP-Northwest

My school list MD

• FSU
• UF
• UCF
• FIU
• USF
• MIAMI
• FAU
• DREXEL (Philly PA)
• TULANE (New Orleans)
• TEMPLE (Philly PA)
• WAYNE STATE (Detroit Michigan)
• RUSH (Chicago illinois) MAYBE
• NYMC (New York)
• NETTER (CT)
• SLU (St Louis) MAYBE
• WVU (West Virginia)
• Loyola (Chicago)
• MCW (Wisconsin)
• Oakland-B (Michigan)
• Seton Hall (New Jersey)
• EVMS (Virginia)
• ROSY FRANKLIN (Chicago)

@Goro I had a previous "Reinvention" list that I had saved from our conversation that included these schools as well:

-BU
-Case
-Mayo
-Hofstra
-Duke
-Columbia
-UCSF
-Pitt
-Tufts
-Dartmouth
-Albany
-Western Michigan
-creighton
-Colorado
-SUNY upstate
-Jefferson
-GWU
-Gtown

How does my current list look, should I remove any schools or add any schools from ^ ?
I appreciate the help!

Dont apply Ohio U unless you are from Ohio

 

[asdf171]

Just an update, I reached out to ACOM and turned that presecondary rejection to an ACCEPTANCE

how did you do so? just recieved a presecondary rejection that wrecked me bc im in state! need some advice

 

[Calizboosted76]

how did you do so? just recieved a presecondary rejection that wrecked me bc im in state! need some advice

Feel free to DM me.