i'm in a pickle

[poly800rock]

so i just got my mcat scores.

11VR 10BS 7(ughh)PS writing sample P

total of 28P.

My post bac GPA is currently a 3.7 but my undergrad (cumm) grades hover at a 3.1-3.2 (not really sure as I haven't really calculated it out)

what more can i do to strengthen my apps for DO schools? I'm concerned about the 7 in PS, but don't think i have the energy to retake the mcat for a 3rd time. How heavily is post bacc GPA's weighed?

I'm currently volunteering at a hospital with ~100 hours under my belt with another 100 before I plan on focusing on other aspects of my app. Should I consider trying to find a master's degree or SMP similar to PCOM's certificate program, research job or should I do more clinical/nurse's aid/EMT stuff to pad my app? I want to lean more towards clinical stuff, but also realize that I don't have much academic work like research under my belt.

My plan of attack right now is apply broadly and as early as possible.

any advice is helpful.

thanks.

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[almo88]

28 is a kick ass score for DO! Congrats! With your high post-bacc GPA and MCAT, you should be fine.

 

[spicedmanna]

so i just got my mcat scores.

11VR 10BS 7(ughh)PS writing sample P

total of 28P.

My post bac GPA is currently a 3.7 but my undergrad (cumm) grades hover at a 3.1-3.2 (not really sure as I haven't really calculated it out)

what more can i do to strengthen my apps for DO schools? I'm concerned about the 7 in PS, but don't think i have the energy to retake the mcat for a 3rd time. How heavily is post bacc GPA's weighed?

I'm currently volunteering at a hospital with ~100 hours under my belt with another 100 before I plan on focusing on other aspects of my app. Should I consider trying to find a research job or should I do more clinical/nurse's aid/EMT stuff to pad my app?

My plan of attack right now is apply broadly and as early as possible.

any advice is helpful.

thanks.

When I applied I also had a 28P, which is above average for an osteopathic matriculant. My MCAT score breakdown was slightly different than yours, but I had the same PS section score: 09 VR, 07 PS, 12 BS. I applied to 10 osteopathic schools and received three interviews overall, of which I attended two; I was also complete rather late, too, in December/January. Nobody seemed concerned about my PS score, and it never came up during an interview, so I wouldn't sweat it too much. Honestly, I think if I applied earlier, I would have gotten even more interviews and possibly more than one acceptance as well. I think I interview well, however, and I have a very strong extracurricular background, so all of that might have also helped.

Your overall GPA is on the low side of average, but your recent post-bacc work sounds pretty good. Medical schools do look at trends. I don't think your current overall GPA will prevent you from getting any interviews; it's a little low, but not in the red-flag zone. If you are asked about your prior academic performance, be ready to address how you are academically suited for medical school despite your prior performance, in an evidenced-based manner, if possible (among other things, you can point to your recent post-bacc work).

Make sure you know the osteopathic medicine history and principles, and shadow a DO. Most, if not all, osteopathic medical schools require a letter from a physician. While not all schools require a letter from a DO (some do), and will accept a letter from an MD, they tend to prefer one from a DO.

Everything else looks okay. You can get some more clinical work, if you want; it'll certainly help. If you have it in your heart to do community service that involves the medically-underserved, I think that would be a bonus, since one of the missions of osteopathic medicine is to serve these populations. But don't do the activities just to pad your application; the adcoms can smell that a mile away.

Do as you say in your post: apply broadly, to all the schools that you think you'd attend, and EARLY.

Good luck.

 

[poly800rock]

When I applied I also had a 28P, which is above average for osteopathic for an osteopathic matriculant. My breakdown was slightly different than yours, but I had the same PS section score: 09 VR, 07 PS, 12 BS. I applied to 10 osteopathic schools and received three interviews overall, of which I attended two; I was also complete rather late, too, in December/January. Nobody seemed concerned about my PS score, and it never came up during an interview, so I wouldn't sweat it too much. Honestly, I think if I applied earlier, I would have gotten even more interviews and possibly more than one acceptance as well. I think I interview well, however, and I have a very strong extracurricular background, FWIW, so all that might be a factor.

Your overall GPA is on the low side of average, but your recent post-bacc work sounds pretty good. Medical schools do look at trends. I don't think your current overall GPA will prevent you from getting any interviews; it's a little low, but not in the red-flag zone. If you are asked about your prior academic performance, be ready to address how you are academically suited for medical school despite your prior performance, in an evidenced-based manner, if possible (among other things, you can point to your recent post-bacc work).

Make sure you know the osteopathic medicine history and principles, and shadow a DO. Most, if not all, osteopathic medical schools require a letter from a physician. While not all schools require a letter from a DO (some do), and will accept a letter from an MD, they tend to prefer one from a DO.

Everything else looks okay. You can get some more clinical work, if you want; it'll certainly help. If you have it in your heart to do community service that involves the medically-underserved, I think that would be a bonus, since one of the missions of osteopathic medicine is to serve these populations. But don't do the activities just to pad your application; the adcoms can smell that a mile away.

Do as you say in your post: apply broadly, to all the schools that you think you'd attend, and EARLY.

Good luck.

thanks for the advice! I think "pad" my application came off a bit wrong...I'm currently volunteering at an ER that is almost all DO's and shadow most of them on a daily basis for various procedure, so hopefully getting a letter from one of them shouldn't be a problem. I'm ready to go on my app, just waiting for the darn AACOMAS to open up. Thanks again for the long winded advice, being a post bacc and then going to these boards are sometimes frustrating, especially when you see kids cry over a 34S on the MCAT like many pre-meds do...

 

[spicedmanna]

thanks for the advice! I think "pad" my application came off a bit wrong...I'm currently volunteering at an ER that is almost all DO's and shadow most of them on a daily basis for various procedure, so hopefully getting a letter from one of them shouldn't be a problem. I'm ready to go on my app, just waiting for the darn AACOMAS to open up. Thanks again for the long winded advice, being a post bacc and then going to these boards are sometimes frustrating, especially when you see kids cry over a 34S on the MCAT like many pre-meds do...

No problem; glad to be of service. Good luck. Let me know if I can be of further service.

 

[Dr JPH]

28 is a kick ass score for DO!

 

[Animus]

28 is a kick ass score for DO! Congrats! With your high post-bacc GPA and MCAT, you should be fine.

Not so sure about kick ass.

Good enough, probably.

 

[Dr JPH]

Good enough, probably.

Well, thats all we strive for as DOs. We want to be good enough doctors.

 

[Animus]

Well, thats all we strive for as DOs. We want to be good enough doctors.

I didnt even know DOs strived for anything

 

[scpod]

Well, thats all we strive for as DOs. We want to be good enough doctors.

Maybe you, but I want to be a good enough doctor AND single-handedly negotiate world peace .

 

[StringerBell]

these boards are sometimes frustrating, especially when you see kids cry over a 34S on the MCAT like many pre-meds do...

A word of caution, however...
I got a 34R on the MCAT...and while I didn't cry over it, it wasn't enough to open a lot of doors for me. I received a 2.9 GPA in undergrad and a 3.9 GPA as a grad student. I would believe that's a pretty strong upward trend.

However, I didn't get a lot of love, relatively speaking, from the schools that I applied to. I did 5 D.O. secondaries, getting 3 interviews which have turned into 1 acceptance and 2 waitlists. I was also told by one school that I wouldn't be receiving an interview due to my low GPA in the science prereq's. (I was a better student with upper-division sciences, probably because I was more interested in the material then, say, plant biology.)

The above comes with the caveat, though, that I didn't finish my secondaries until December/January. While there are no magic numbers (Except, y'know, like 3.8 and 40), your numbers may be "good enough" as indicated by some of the above posters. I cannot stress to you how important it is to apply early.

 

[Bleurberry]

Well, thats all we strive for as DOs. We want to be good enough doctors.

LoL!!

 

[spicedmanna]

I cannot stress to you how important it is to apply early.

Likewise.

 

[madscientist50]

Poly-

I can say that I got a similar score 27R and have a 3.9 Grad GPA and a 2.98 UGrad GPA and I got one accept. So you have a shot, but like was already said apply early and broadly. Also when/if you get any interviews, sell yourself hard. Practice your interview skills if you can and be ready to wow the interviewers because it seems at some schools they have a lot of pull. Good Luck!

 

[EastCoaster78]

Poly-
Practice your interview skills if you can and be ready to wow the interviewers because it seems at some schools they have a lot of pull. Good Luck!

Totally agree. If you are invited to an interview you already passed the 1st hurdle. (GPA-MCAT) At pcom the interviewers recomendations to the committee pretty much stand.

 

[poly800rock]

Totally agree. If you are invited to an interview you already passed the 1st hurdle. (GPA-MCAT) At pcom the interviewers recomendations to the committee pretty much stand.

i feel i'm pretty good at interviews, been out in the workforce for a few years before returning, so hopefully my skills will be honed a bit better than the straight from college applicants. i just need to get my foot in that door.

 

[poly800rock]

A word of caution, however...
I got a 34R on the MCAT...and while I didn't cry over it, it wasn't enough to open a lot of doors for me. I received a 2.9 GPA in undergrad and a 3.9 GPA as a grad student. I would believe that's a pretty strong upward trend.

However, I didn't get a lot of love, relatively speaking, from the schools that I applied to. I did 5 D.O. secondaries, getting 3 interviews which have turned into 1 acceptance and 2 waitlists. I was also told by one school that I wouldn't be receiving an interview due to my low GPA in the science prereq's. (I was a better student with upper-division sciences, probably because I was more interested in the material then, say, plant biology.)

The above comes with the caveat, though, that I didn't finish my secondaries until December/January. While there are no magic numbers (Except, y'know, like 3.8 and 40), your numbers may be "good enough" as indicated by some of the above posters. I cannot stress to you how important it is to apply early.

thanks for the advice. My general GPA is what concerns me, my science GPA is the 3.7 as all were taken within the last year or so after being out of college for 2 years. I agree, no magic numbers, that's why i think the idea of early and broadly should hopefully be a good approach

i ****ing love your screen name though. Can't wait for the 5th season to come out....Body's death almost put me to tears.

 

[StringerBell]

Practice your interview skills if you can and be ready to wow the interviewers because it seems at some schools they have a lot of pull.

Totally agree. If you are invited to an interview you already passed the 1st hurdle. (GPA-MCAT)

While I agree with the above statements, it comes with a caveat...the interview is not always the final hurdle. When I first started getting interviews, I wondered if everyone came into the interview on the same footing, and that a great interview gets you in - or if the interview was simply another factor to consider. It seems like more the latter than the former; two schools at which I have interviewed have said that in the admissions process, after your interview, your interviewer speaks on (or against?) your behalf, but the interview is only weighed appropriately against your other aspects.

Hypothetically speaking: Two students
Student A (3.7, 30, unimpressive interview)
Student B (3.2, 24, impressive interview)

The two students do not come in on equal ground; rather, their interview is taken into consideration alongside their numbers, EC's, LOR's, etc. The degree to which the interview is weighed varies from school-to-school.

 

[StringerBell]

thanks for the advice. My general GPA is what concerns me, my science GPA is the 3.7 as all were taken within the last year or so after being out of college for 2 years. I agree, no magic numbers, that's why i think the idea of early and broadly should hopefully be a good approach

i ****ing love your screen name though. Can't wait for the 5th season to come out....Body's death almost put me to tears.

When you fill out your ACOMAS application and have your transcripts verified, you can check out the GPA calculation. It's a really useful breakdown, spreadsheet-style, that shows undergrad GPA, grad GPA, science GPA, non-science-GPA, batting average against left-handed pitchers in night games at away ballparks, etc. This grid will present a nice prima facie summary of your academic performance, both to you and to your reviewer.

On a side note (OT): Yeah, it was hard to see Bodie go. I read something in which the producers of the show said that Bodie was a symbol for the growth of the show, and it grew with him from being a young hopper to a mid-level dealer, and in his personal growth as well.