How do DO schools work?

[DeltaPlaya]

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If I retake classes that I have C's in and get A's in do they replace them? Also do they count both GPA's? the replacement grade GPA and the original?

 

[PressPforPi]

DO schools count the highest grade and only the GPA with the highest grades (kind of like colleges/universities do with your SAT and ACT scores)

 

[Mahliah]

So the omm ... How much time do you spend on it? A semester? A year?

 

[HH Holmes]

So the omm ... How much time do you spend on it? A semester? A year?

That depends on the school. Some schools are very OMT intensive while others barely teach it.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/archive/index.php/t-25565.html

 

[panasonic52]

So the omm ... How much time do you spend on it? A semester? A year?

I know TCOM teaches OMM every semester for the first 2 years. I'm not sure about the other schools...they all vary.

 

[DeltaPlaya]

so the average GPA for DO schools that are posted generally on forums and other websites are usually regarding the highest grade only right?

 

[panasonic52]

so the average GPA for DO schools that are posted generally on forums and other websites are usually regarding the highest grade only right?

Yeah I'm pretty sure they don't consider the original GPA in that data

 

[DeltaPlaya]

Yeah I'm pretty sure they don't consider the original GPA in that data

wow dang,then why are so many GPA's still around 3.1 and 3.2? wouldnt the replacements bring them up by a lot?

 

[Skippygonenuts]

wow dang,then why are so many GPA's still around 3.1 and 3.2? wouldnt the replacements bring them up by a lot?

What can I say, we're no MD students...

 

[Quantum Mecha]

If I retake classes that I have C's in and get A's in do they replace them? Also do they count both GPA's? the replacement grade GPA and the original?

I am wondering, what happens if these courses are from different schools? (hence different names, different course numbers, but same class..since not all schools will call the first semester of general biology, "General Biology I")

 

[fiznat]

wow dang,then why are so many GPA's still around 3.1 and 3.2? wouldnt the replacements bring them up by a lot?

A lot of folks are coming from different backgrounds, other careers, etc. DO schools attract a vary wide demographic, all interested in becoming physicians.

Do you think before you post things or do you just hit "submit" the second something pops into your head? You don't see how what you said is not only rude, but a useless rhetorical question?

 

[PressPforPi]

A lot of folks are coming from different backgrounds, other careers, etc. DO schools attract a vary wide demographic, all interested in becoming physicians.

Do you think before you post things or do you just hit "submit" the second something pops into your head? You don't see how what you said is not only rude, but a useless rhetorical question?

Have to agree Fiz.

 

[panasonic52]

wow dang,then why are so many GPA's still around 3.1 and 3.2? wouldnt the replacements bring them up by a lot?

I agree with fiznat that DO schools have a wide demographic. Also, some people might not have known about replacement grades. I would have liked it for one class if I had known, but it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
In my opinion, the GPA doesn't say much. Maybe a person had a rough year in undergrad, or it might have taken a little while to learn the best study habits...who knows. I'll just trust that the DO schools see something that proves that the person can handle med school + beyond.

 

[Bostonredsox]

That depends on the school. Some schools are very OMT intensive while others barely teach it.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/archive/index.php/t-25565.html

Can you point out to me the DO schools that 'barely teach OMT'? Last I checked, all three COMLEX steps are very OMT heavy and seeing all of the DO schools have approximately the same pass rate for the boards, I would have to discern they are all teaching a significant amount of OMM.

 

[DeltaPlaya]

A lot of folks are coming from different backgrounds, other careers, etc. DO schools attract a vary wide demographic, all interested in becoming physicians.

Do you think before you post things or do you just hit "submit" the second something pops into your head? You don't see how what you said is not only rude, but a useless rhetorical question?

I didn't mean it to be rude or rhetorical, I don't know why you took it that way. Why does everyone on this site get so offended easily? If I had ANY knowledge of DO schools, I probably would have worded this question differently. Even then, my question was regarding the GPA replacement. For the longest time I thought the non replaced GPA shows up in the statistics while DO school only look at the replaced and repaired GPA.

Sheesh don't take everything as an offense, I mean no harm.

 

[DeltaPlaya]

I agree with fiznat that DO schools have a wide demographic. Also, some people might not have known about replacement grades. I would have liked it for one class if I had known, but it wouldn't have made much of a difference.
In my opinion, the GPA doesn't say much. Maybe a person had a rough year in undergrad, or it might have taken a little while to learn the best study habits...who knows. I'll just trust that the DO schools see something that proves that the person can handle med school + beyond.

Thanks for that reply, I appreciate you not getting butt-hurt over my question, I know it was worded poorly, but at least you can handle it better.

Its nice to know that DO schools look at the holistic view at the grades, some people get motivated later than others, and many times LIFE happens.

Wish me goodluck, I am a sophomore Bio-Engineer with concentrations in Biomedical Engineering and ambitious as you can be.

 

[HH Holmes]

Can you point out to me the DO schools that 'barely teach OMT'? Last I checked, all three COMLEX steps are very OMT heavy and seeing all of the DO schools have approximately the same pass rate for the boards, I would have to discern they are all teaching a significant amount of OMM.

By barely, i did not mean they do not teach it -- it was in comparison to other schools. Bad wording, I apologize. I've toured and talked with a few DO schools, and seen the testimonials of other students on here and it's evident that schools like NYCOM and KCOM teach OMT a lot more than a school like PCOM. NYCOM, which I am a fifteen minute car ride away from, has an immaculate OMT lab (in my opinion, that is) and a large OMT faculty (including a family friend). When I talked with a PCOM rep (I applied/was accepted to their BS/DO), and inquired about OMT he mentioned it was a small part of the curriculum, but if students were interested they had many rotations available.

Sorry if anything was misconstrued.

</commence ****ting on know-nothing high schooler>

 

[ozzi22]

wow dang,then why are so many GPA's still around 3.1 and 3.2? wouldnt the replacements bring them up by a lot?

some people just dont want to retake classes. like me😎

 

[Longshanks]

wow dang,then why are so many GPA's still around 3.1 and 3.2? wouldnt the replacements bring them up by a lot?

Most of the people posting aren't posting their "re-calculated" GPAs. Two reasons for this: they don't want to spend the time doing it themselves or they haven't filled out AACOMAS yet. And another set may simply not have done any retakes due to the opportunity costs or access to the classes, these could be non-trad applicants. School mean GPAs are in the 3.5s and 3.6s these days, and this trend will continue.

IMHO, with the increasing competitiveness each year, and DO schools becoming more selective, I think it's foolish for someone to apply with a 3.1 or 3.2 without a good MCAT score or something else they are banking on, whether that be interesting EC experiences or a M.S./SMP program (which is one thing that helped me this cycle, as unlike AMCAS, AACOMAS adds your graduate work to your application GPA).

 

[PressPforPi]

To clarify, DO schools count the LAST grade taken for a course NOT the highest, the theory being that the most recent course work is a better indicator of you current abilities.

Again, I always assume that people score higher on the retake. As Cat has told me before, this doesn't always happen, but most of the time it's true.

 

[DeltaPlaya]

Most of the people posting aren't posting their "re-calculated" GPAs. Two reasons for this: they don't want to spend the time doing it themselves or they haven't filled out AACOMAS yet. And another set may simply not have done any retakes due to the opportunity costs or access to the classes, these could be non-trad applicants. School mean GPAs are in the 3.5s and 3.6s these days, and this trend will continue.

IMHO, with the increasing competitiveness each year, and DO schools becoming more selective, I think it's foolish for someone to apply with a 3.1 or 3.2 without a good MCAT score or something else they are banking on, whether that be interesting EC experiences or a M.S./SMP program (which is one thing that helped me this cycle, as unlike AMCAS, AACOMAS adds your graduate work to your application GPA).

Ahh I see, well by the time I graduate I will have around a 3.3-3.4 GPA if I can maintain a 3.5-4.0 each semester. Should I retake classes? I have an Art class that I have a D in, if I retake it my GPA should jump by about .3-.4 points. And if I retake the C in Gen Chem and make an A then my GPA should shoot about .5 to a whole point higher. and with both retaken i would be around a 3.5-3.55 GPA with Retaken Classes.

in the next 3-4 years, would I be considered competitive?

 

[Longshanks]

Ahh I see, well by the time I graduate I will have around a 3.3-3.4 GPA if I can maintain a 3.5-4.0 each semester. Should I retake classes? I have an Art class that I have a D in, if I retake it my GPA should jump by about .3-.4 points. And if I retake the C in Gen Chem and make an A then my GPA should shoot about .5 to a whole point higher. and with both retaken i would be around a 3.5-3.55 GPA with Retaken Classes.

in the next 3-4 years, would I be considered competitive?

I think you would be fine with a 3.3-3.4. If you're early on in your undergraduate career you can make great progress without retaking. Only resort to retaking if it gets to that point, where that is the only way you're going to help yourself. In my experience, I started off poorly in undergrad and gradually improved each semester, but my biggest improvement was during my graduate program. However, by that point, it didn't improve my AACOMAS GPA greatly simply because there wasn't enough graduate credits to do that. At the same time though, I improved eight points on my MCAT retake, so I was in the mid to high 30s and didn't have any problem whatsoever this application cycle.

The easiest thing to do to make up for a lowish GPA or a slow start academically is to kill the MCAT, since it's just two or three months of intense studying and one test. Improving your GPA takes time and commitment over the long haul of your undergraduate career. If you can do both those things you're golden, and that's what you should strive for.

Retake the classes if you time during the summers, or have extra space to fill in your schedule. Focus on doing 3.5+ for the rest of college, preferably in the 3.7s+.

Good luck!

 

[DeltaPlaya]

I think you would be fine with a 3.3-3.4. If you're early on in your undergraduate career you can make great progress without retaking. Only resort to retaking if it gets to that point, where that is the only way you're going to help yourself. In my experience, I started off poorly in undergrad and gradually improved each semester, but my biggest improvement was during my graduate program. However, by that point, it didn't improve my AACOMAS GPA greatly simply because there wasn't enough graduate credits to do that. At the same time though, I improved eight points on my MCAT retake, so I was in the mid to high 30s and didn't have any problem whatsoever this application cycle.

The easiest thing to do to make up for a lowish GPA or a slow start academically is to kill the MCAT, since it's just two or three months of intense studying and one test. Improving your GPA takes time and commitment over the long haul of your undergraduate career. If you can do both those things you're golden, and that's what you should strive for.

Retake the classes if you time during the summers, or have extra space to fill in your schedule. Focus on doing 3.5+ for the rest of college, preferably in the 3.7s+.

Good luck!

thank you so much for this insight, you have no idea what a stress reliever it is to know this information.

also for the MCAT, it's not that i struggled doing well in the Gen Chem and Gen Bio classes but I exactly wasn't really interested in doing well in them, so I received less than ok grades in them. i know this will impair me for the MCAT, what are suggestions for that? should i go through a gen chem book again and strengthen my weaknesses or just review concepts when the MCAT comes around? Same thing for Biology...I would like to maximize my score.

 

[panasonic52]

thank you so much for this insight, you have no idea what a stress reliever it is to know this information.

also for the MCAT, it's not that i struggled doing well in the Gen Chem and Gen Bio classes but I exactly wasn't really interested in doing well in them, so I received less than ok grades in them. i know this will impair me for the MCAT, what are suggestions for that? should i go through a gen chem book again and strengthen my weaknesses or just review concepts when the MCAT comes around? Same thing for Biology...I would like to maximize my score.

I think the princeton review books helped me more than any of my pre-med classes did. I learned nothing in my OChem class because the professor didn't teach well (he later got fired). The PR books seemed sufficient enough to understand the material, though. IMO, there is just way too much information to sift through in regular textbooks so just stick with MCAT prep books.