How are my odds at D.O. Programs?

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Hello everyone

I would like to present my case to you and would like to receive comments/feedback/advice from any and/or all of you.

I graduated with B.S in Spring 2009 with degree in Nutrition and Biological Sciences , entered master's program in 2009. I completed the MS program in late 2011. From the beginning of the master's program I joined a research lab where I eventually completed a master's thesis and had several publications. I continued doing research until about mid-2012. I then started working in hospital to gain clinical experience and simultaneously obtained EMT certification and joined local first aid squad. In between 2012 and now I have taken MCAT three times. First attempt was 24 second was 26 and last one was unfortunately 23. One particular section that I took most hit was verbal. Currently, I am still working at a hospital and volunteering as an EMT at a local first aid squad. I am still as ever motivated, if not more to attend medical school. I am still hopeful for osteopathic schools.

Please advice/comment. I would really appreciate any feedback.
 
Multiple retakes with the last one being the lowest probably won't get you accepted anywhere. Plan to take several months off work to study for the new MCAT. Looks like you have decent experience, it shouldn't hurt your chances to take a break to focus on the MCAT. Just take your time and give it all you've got. How's the rest of your stats? GPA?
 
What's your GPA? I think it's pretty much a given that you'll have to retake the MCAT. I don't know that any school would feel comfortable accepting you when your most-recent score was a 23. You'll have to review your options for studying for the MCAT again, and see how practical it is for you to do better. If you put months into studying for it the last time, then maybe medical school isn't really your best option. If you spent like two weeks studying for it, then perhaps you could do better by dedicating an entire 3-month block.

Edit: Since you asked specifically about DO schools, here is a link to average DO GPA/MCAT scores: http://osteopathicmedstudent.com/osteopathic-schools/mcat-and-gpa-statistics/atsu-soma/

Many of those have average MCAT scores of around 26, so you could be competitive. Take a look at which schools would consider you based upon your state residency, and see what their GPA/MCAT scores are. A school could potentially consider only your highest MCAT score, although that may be wishful thinking. Maybe it's worth a shot for you to fire off an application to a few DO schools this year and see how it goes?
 
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dp897 said:
Hello everyone

I would like to present my case to you and would like to receive comments/feedback/advice from any and/or all of you.

I graduated with B.S in Spring 2009 with degree in Nutrition and Biological Sciences , entered master's program in 2009. I completed the MS program in late 2011. From the beginning of the master's program I joined a research lab where I eventually completed a master's thesis and had several publications. I continued doing research until about mid-2012. I then started working in hospital to gain clinical experience and simultaneously obtained EMT certification and joined local first aid squad. In between 2012 and now I have taken MCAT three times. First attempt was 24 second was 26 and last one was unfortunately 23. One particular section that I took most hit was verbal. Currently, I am still working at a hospital and volunteering as an EMT at a local first aid squad. I am still as ever motivated, if not more to attend medical school. I am still hopeful for osteopathic schools.

Please advice/comment. I would really appreciate any feedback.
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Why do you keep scoring so low? An adcom is likely to look at your MCAT trend and think you are either incapable of doing better, or you were simply retaking without actually studying or preparing for the test. Neither of those instills confidence that you will be able to succeed in med school. Before you do anything else, you need to figure out what keeps going wrong.
 
sb247 said:
Always include gpa in a wamc thread
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I am willing to put time in and improve. My undergrd cGPA was 3.35 and GPA from Master's Program was 3.5. Other imformation i have provided above. How are chances for attending any medical school.
 
Getting a DO acceptance is not a gift if you're not ready to succeed in med school. Med school is much more difficult than undergrad+MCAT. You won't be suddenly fine by getting an acceptance, except in your head, temporarily.

24/26/23 is very worrisome. In med school you'll have constant multiple choice exams with long question stems. You have about a minute to pick up the subtleties in a paragraph of text and choose between very similar answers. Every week, or every other week, there will be an hours-long exam that looks a lot like the MCAT verbal section. You can get a look at question stems for content from the first 2 years of med school here: http://www.nbme.org/pdf/SubjectExams/SE_ContentOutlineandSampleItems.pdf

Regardless, if you go after the newer DO schools you'll get an acceptance. Again, not a gift.

You're going to do what you're going to do, but I wish you'd consider other careers. I say this out of concern for your future peace and happiness. Really.

Best of luck to you.
 
theseeker4 said:
Why do you keep scoring so low? An adcom is likely to look at your MCAT trend and think you are either incapable of doing better, or you were simply retaking without actually studying or preparing for the test. Neither of those instills confidence that you will be able to succeed in med school. Before you do anything else, you need to figure out what keeps going wrong.
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I know its not the optimal situation. In the most recent MCAT as i said before, it was the verbal section that i took the major hit. My previous VR was 8 and 7 prior to that. I focused on my weaknesses this time around, practiced and practice verbal. I asked my self the same question after the first and second time that what seems to be problem and i tried and strenghthen my weaknesses. The third time i practiced huge number of practice questions in all subjets. I agree with your reasoning and that is what the admission committe will ask but i do not have an definitive answer as to why i performed weak. All, I can say is VR and PS in third attempt was a total shocker for me considering that i walked out in the exam feeling that i did bit better than my last attempt
 
I don't think your situation is as hopeless as all that. Fact is, nothing you learn in med school is difficult conceptually. It's the volume of the material, not the complexity, that makes it challenging. A person who can hit the mid-twenties on their MCAT can probably make it through med school and USMLE/COMLEX if they are determined and willing to work their tail off. Are you, OP? And what is your goal career-wise? I don't see a future in derm or NS for you, but if you're a guy or gal who's willing to work hard, and you understand that you'll have to work harder than many of your classmates will just to get a pass, I don't see why you shouldn't try. You don't have to be a genius to get through med school if you're willing to work hard and your goals are realistic.
 
DrMidlife said:
Getting a DO acceptance is not a gift if you're not ready to succeed in med school. Med school is much more difficult than undergrad+MCAT. You won't be suddenly fine by getting an acceptance, except in your head, temporarily.

24/26/23 is very worrisome. In med school you'll have constant multiple choice exams with long question stems. You have about a minute to pick up the subtleties in a paragraph of text and choose between very similar answers. Every week, or every other week, there will be an hours-long exam that looks a lot like the MCAT verbal section. You can get a look at question stems for content from the first 2 years of med school here: http://www.nbme.org/pdf/SubjectExams/SE_ContentOutlineandSampleItems.pdf

Regardless, if you go after the newer DO schools you'll get an acceptance. Again, not a gift.

You're going to do what you're going to do, but I wish you'd consider other careers. I say this out of concern for your future peace and happiness. Really.

Best of luck to you.
Click to expand...

I really appreciate your feedback. The courses that i took during MS program were graduate level courses and i did not perceive to be easy but i was able to successfully complete them. I have seen and experienced the peril of medical school at some level during my MS studies. And i know very well acceptance will be an instantaeous happiness but the aftermath is different story altogether. Only reason i have persisted thus far is becuse i am ready and willing to undertake the ardous challenge of medical school. Nevertheless, i really appreciate your feedback
 
Undergrd cGPA
ptr28 said:
Multiple retakes with the last one being the lowest probably won't get you accepted anywhere. Plan to take several months off work to study for the new MCAT. Looks like you have decent experience, it shouldn't hurt your chances to take a break to focus on the MCAT. Just take your time and give it all you've got. How's the rest of your stats? GPA?
Click to expand...

undergrad cGPA was 3.34 and graduate M.S gGPA 3.5
 
QofQuimica said:
I don't think your situation is as hopeless as all that. Fact is, nothing you learn in med school is difficult conceptually. It's the volume of the material, not the complexity, that makes it challenging. A person who can hit the mid-twenties on their MCAT can probably make it through med school and USMLE/COMLEX if they are determined and willing to work their tail off. Are you, OP? And what is your goal career-wise? I don't see a future in derm or NS for you, but if you're a guy or gal who's willing to work hard, and you understand that you'll have to work harder than many of your classmates will just to get a pass, I don't see why you shouldn't try. You don't have to be a genius to get through med school if you're willing to work hard and your goals are realistic.
Click to expand...

My goal is to become a physician. I am absolutely determined to work through medical school if i am presented with such opportunity. My undergrad cumulative GPA was 3.34 and grad school (M.S.) GPA was 3.5. I have dealt with voluminous material during my MS studies which i did at a medical school. Given this additional information, do you think i have fighting chance of getting into D.O school. If DO school does not work out i am even open to caribben school. But with what i have now , i think that D.O still may a possibility even if its a slim one.
 
Best to apply to the newest schools. I can't recommend LUCOM.

dp897 said:
My goal is to become a physician. I am absolutely determined to work through medical school if i am presented with such opportunity. My undergrad cumulative GPA was 3.34 and grad school (M.S.) GPA was 3.5. I have dealt with voluminous material during my MS studies which i did at a medical school. Given this additional information, do you think i have fighting chance of getting into D.O school. If DO school does not work out i am even open to caribben school. But with what i have now , i think that D.O still may a possibility even if its a slim one.
Click to expand...
 
dp897 said:
My goal is to become a physician. I am absolutely determined to work through medical school if i am presented with such opportunity. My undergrad cumulative GPA was 3.34 and grad school (M.S.) GPA was 3.5. I have dealt with voluminous material during my MS studies which i did at a medical school. Given this additional information, do you think i have fighting chance of getting into D.O school. If DO school does not work out i am even open to caribben school. But with what i have now , i think that D.O still may a possibility even if its a slim one.
Click to expand...
You would not be a good candidate for a Carib school given that you are not a stellar standardized test-taker. My advice would be to strengthen your app as much as you can and apply broadly to DO schools.
 
dp897 said:
My goal is to become a physician. I am absolutely determined to work through medical school if i am presented with such opportunity. My undergrad cumulative GPA was 3.34 and grad school (M.S.) GPA was 3.5. I have dealt with voluminous material during my MS studies which i did at a medical school. Given this additional information, do you think i have fighting chance of getting into D.O school. If DO school does not work out i am even open to caribben school. But with what i have now , i think that D.O still may a possibility even if its a slim one.
Click to expand...
You should have stopped taking the mcat once you had that 26... You would have been almost a shoo-in for many DO schools... I guess you should take it one more time and hope that you score 28+...
 
ptr28 said:
Multiple retakes with the last one being the lowest probably won't get you accepted anywhere. Plan to take several months off work to study for the new MCAT. Looks like you have decent experience, it shouldn't hurt your chances to take a break to focus on the MCAT. Just take your time and give it all you've got. How's the rest of your stats? GPA?
Click to expand...
Do you think its ok to take the MCATs fourth time?
 
W19 said:
You should have stopped taking the mcat once you had that 26... You would have been almost a shoo-in for many DO schools... I guess you should take it one more time and hope that you score 28+...
Click to expand...
Even if i do decide to take the test again there are no more test dates left for the current MCAT.
 
Wouldn't taking the new MCAT be in your favor as there is no verbal?
 
Goro said:
Best to apply to the newest schools. I can't recommend LUCOM.
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Curious as to why you can't recommend LUCOM, although you speak of applying to newest schools. Isn't LUCOM a new school? Is there something substantial for this opinion or is it the religious element? Thanks in advance Goro. 🙂
 
Okay well to clarify here's what the aamc website says "While the current Verbal Reasoning section includes passages from the natural sciences and technology, the new Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills section does not. It draws on passages from the social sciences and humanities disciplines, including passages from ethics, philosophy, studies of diverse cultures, and population health. No specific knowledge from these disciplines is required to do well on this section."
 
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dp897 said:
Do you think its ok to take the MCATs fourth time?
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it'll be okay if there's a huge improvement in the score. 23 is just too low, taking it 3 times with the latest one being the lowest is a big red flag imo. TAKE YOUR TIME and make sure you're well-prepared for the new MCAT. don't rush into it, take time off from work if you have to. Don't take the exam until you're scoring high in the practice tests (not sure how the new MCAT is scored tho). You should also work on making sure the rest of your app is STELLAR, maybe that can make it easier for the adcoms to accept your odd MCAT situation.
 
MinnesotaMrs said:
Okay well to clarify here's what the aamc website says "While the current Verbal Reasoning section includes passages from the natural sciences and technology, the new Critical Analysis and Reasoning Skills section does not. It draws on passages from the social sciences and humanities disciplines, including passages from ethics, philosophy, studies of diverse cultures, and population health. No specific knowledge from these disciplines is required to do well on this section."
Click to expand...


Correct. Anyone that has had to take standardized tests for licensure, etc, knows that verbal reasoning is a big part of the testing process, b/c the real testing comes through in relation to application of knowledge. You can use any subject, really, and test VR, if you know how to word and work it into the stem, the distractors, and the key.

Nonetheless, you need at least some or more knowledge in order formulate the best reasoning and application.
 
ptr28 said:
it'll be okay if there's a huge improvement in the score. 23 is just too low, taking it 3 times with the latest one being the lowest is a big red flag imo. TAKE YOUR TIME and make sure you're well-prepared for the new MCAT. don't rush into it, take time off from work if you have to. Don't take the exam until you're scoring high in the practice tests (not sure how the new MCAT is scored tho). You should also work on making sure the rest of your app is STELLAR, maybe that can make it easier for the adcoms to accept your odd MCAT situation.
Click to expand...
With the current exam situation being tight (spots filled) i don't see my self taking the current MCATs and as far as the new MCATs is concerned it's 7.5 hrs long with slightly different material. Any other possible suggestions?
 
W19 said:
@dp897 May I ask you why you took the MCAT a 3rd time after having a competitive score for DO?
Click to expand...

I got greedy, felt i could have done better and i was in fact doing better in my practice exams but results reflected otherwise. Now i am in troubling and puzzling situation
 
dp897 said:
I got greedy, felt i could have done better and i was in fact doing better in my practice exams but results reflected otherwise. Now i am in troubling and puzzling situation
Click to expand...
I don't know if you applied this cycle, but I think you have a good chance of getting in if you apply to the following schools: WVUSOM, WCUCOM, LUCOM, ACOM, LMU-DCOM, PCOM-GA, VCOM (all three campuses), LECOM, CUSOM...

If you are applying next cycle, you can add LarkinCOM...
 
Thanks for your reply, I am not applying this cycle and will be applying for 2016. Also i have not applied at all in past does this reflect good/bad or not at all on my application?
 
dp897 said:
Thanks for your reply, I am not applying this cycle and will be applying for 2016. Also i have not applied at all in past does this reflect good/bad or not at all on my application?
Click to expand...
The only problem with your application might be you MCAT score(s); I am assuming your c/sGPA are 3.3+... I think you have a good shot if you apply to these schools mentioned in my previous post...
 
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Just briefly, I have a profound aversion to the politics of their parent organization, and everything I hear from current students suggests a school that doesn't know what they're doing.


jl lin said:
Curious as to why you can't recommend LUCOM, although you speak of applying to newest schools. Isn't LUCOM a new school? Is there something substantial for this opinion or is it the religious element? Thanks in advance Goro. 🙂
Click to expand...
 
Goro said:
Just briefly, I have a profound aversion to the politics of their parent organization, and everything I hear from current students suggests a school that doesn't know what they're doing.
Click to expand...


Thanks for your reply. Having to put aside the first part, b/c it appears to be politically or philosophically based (more subjective in nature), the second part is what is of interest to me as compared w/ other newer schools. It may be unfair to compare RUSOM for example, to LUCOM, b/c the former program was more about restructuring than starting from scratch. Nevertheless, I have heard some troubling things about RUSOM from students. Guess I'll look into the LUCOM site and see if I see anything to which you may be referring. This is not a school that I was initially seeking to apply, primarily b/c of distance. Hmm. We'll see. Thanks again.
 
I would advise against a fourth MCAT take, OP. Statistically, there is no difference between a 23 and a 26, and three scores in the mid twenties is sufficient to get a sense of where you shake out. A fourth score in the mid twenties will do nothing to help your cause and will merely waste time and money. Focus on the things you can still change; after three equivalent scores, your MCAT is what it is.
 
W19 said:
I don't know if you applied this cycle, but I think you have a good chance of getting in if you apply to the following schools: WVUSOM, WCUCOM, LUCOM, ACOM, LMU-DCOM, PCOM-GA, VCOM (all three campuses), LECOM, CUSOM...

If you are applying next cycle, you can add LarkinCOM...
Click to expand...
Whaaaa.. Definitely still firmly cemented in the "pre-accreditation status" slot.
 
Do i need to shadow a DO Physician? I work as a scribe and work with both DO and MD physicians.
 
jl lin said:
Thanks for your reply. Having to put aside the first part, b/c it appears to be politically or philosophically based (more subjective in nature), the second part is what is of interest to me as compared w/ other newer schools. It may be unfair to compare RUSOM for example, to LUCOM, b/c the former program was more about restructuring than starting from scratch. Nevertheless, I have heard some troubling things about RUSOM from students. Guess I'll look into the LUCOM site and see if I see anything to which you may be referring. This is not a school that I was initially seeking to apply, primarily b/c of distance. Hmm. We'll see. Thanks again.
Click to expand...

It's naive to try to think that a parent organizations influence on a school can be ignored because it's political or philosophical. That is a significant matter to how patients are treated, especially because it aims to put physicians in places where they will be making personal health decisions for their patients that are unfounded in science and entirely politically motivated to begin with.
 
So my question to you is, do you feel ready to tackle medical school? You are wondering if with your MCAT, you will be accepted? This is not the correct question. What you need to be asking yourself is, "are my credentials acceptable enough to get an interview and get me accepted?" The MCAT is just one facet of this whole process. There are some people who have been accepted with lower and certainly those who had higher MCAT scores. But what about the rest of their resume'?

Some people have overcome adversity. Others have been able to show the adcoms that the MCAT is not a true metric to what they are capable of. Now judging from your question, you are still not sure about your credentials. If this is the case, then no, you will not be accepted to any medical school because should you get an interview you would not be prepared to explain any issues. Then again, why would you try to settle for the least amount of work that is needed?

What you need to do is take a long hard look at the entire test day and see if there was something that you can say was an issue. For me, when I retook the MCAT it was my timing and test taking skills. Then look at your study habits for the MCAT. Did you maximize your time? Did you feel that you would be able to master the material when presented to you? Verbal reasoning is a test of critical thinking, were you able to take the information presented to you in the passage and apply it somewhere else?

these are the questions that you need to ask yourself. Then when you have prepared and maximized your credentials, then ask about your chances to medical school. Until then, you are not ready.
 
dp897 said:
Hello everyone

I would like to present my case to you and would like to receive comments/feedback/advice from any and/or all of you.

I graduated with B.S in Spring 2009 with degree in Nutrition and Biological Sciences , entered master's program in 2009. I completed the MS program in late 2011. From the beginning of the master's program I joined a research lab where I eventually completed a master's thesis and had several publications. I continued doing research until about mid-2012. I then started working in hospital to gain clinical experience and simultaneously obtained EMT certification and joined local first aid squad. In between 2012 and now I have taken MCAT three times. First attempt was 24 second was 26 and last one was unfortunately 23. One particular section that I took most hit was verbal. Currently, I am still working at a hospital and volunteering as an EMT at a local first aid squad. I am still as ever motivated, if not more to attend medical school. I am still hopeful for osteopathic schools.

Please advice/comment. I would really appreciate any feedback.
Click to expand...

OP,

PM Me.
 
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