I'm new to DO - advice on school list

[LightShallBringVictory]

Hello all,

I recently found myself interested in becoming a DO after discovering that primary care physician serving the rural population would be career I want to have.
My stats are: 3.73 cGPA, 3.62 sGPA.
I have not taken the MCAT yet, but it looks like I will be scoring around 504~508 by the time I take it (I'm thinking of rescheduling it from May to June, so that's why the score range).

My extracurricular activities are average (total of ~100 hours of volunteer service, ~600 hours of research, ~40 hours of shadowing and an internship experience).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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[SlugMD]

It's very difficult to give accurate advice without an actual MCAT score. Also, I would apply to both MD and DO to keep your options open. Don't limit yourself this early in the game.

With your GPA,
510+ would make your competitive for MD and all DO schools
502+ should get you an acceptance at least one DO acceptance provided you apply strategically.

Good job on your high gpa. Keep up the hard work and you should get a great MCAT score.

Check out the osteopathic college information book (CIB) for all the DO schools: https://www.aacom.org/docs/default-source/cib/cib_web_full-publication.pdf?sfvrsn=38

Also, this link has the general admissions requirements for DO schools: General Admission Requirements

 

[LightShallBringVictory]

It's very difficult to give accurate advice without an actual MCAT score. Also, I would apply to both MD and DO to keep your options open. Don't limit yourself this early in the game.

With your GPA,
510+ would make your competitive for MD and all DO schools
502+ should get you an acceptance at least one DO acceptance provided you apply strategically.

Good job on your high gpa. Keep up the hard work and you should get a great MCAT score.

Check out the osteopathic college information book (CIB) for all the DO schools: https://www.aacom.org/docs/default-source/cib/cib_web_full-publication.pdf?sfvrsn=38

Also, this link has the general admissions requirements for DO schools: General Admission Requirements

Thank you for the great, detailed response; I will indeed check out the URLs. I'll keep working! I posted a question on the MCAT forum, but nobody has responded... should I reschedule my May MCAT to June 17th? I think I can barely get around 502 in May. Thanks in advance!

 

[Mysterious Stranger]

Most of the people on this forum are either premed or medical students. Neither of which know objectively what school criteria makes a school "better". The best advice I can give you is make a list of pros and cons of each school you are accepted at (you may not get in anywhere), talk with people you trust, and then go on your gut instinct.

Trust yourself. If you're a fit for a less reputable school, you'll probably do better there than a "better" school that doesn't match your personality or preferences.

 

[Espressso]

Have you shadowed a DO? I would find a DO to shadow and get a letter of rec from. Try to find a younger DO too, so their advice is more up-to-date. This link is beneficial to finding practicing DO's around you! Doctors That DO - Doctors That DO | Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine

 

[Johnny Appleseed]

Do you have a location preference? Location may help you narrow down your list.

 

[LightShallBringVictory]

Do you have a location preference? Location may help you narrow down your list.

I live on the west coast, so I think I am going to look into those in California, Oregon, Washington and Arizona. Thank you for your advice!

Have you shadowed a DO? I would find a DO to shadow and get a letter of rec from. Try to find a younger DO too, so their advice is more up-to-date. This link is beneficial to finding practicing DO's around you! Doctors That DO - Doctors That DO | Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine

Thank you for the link!! I think I will make some phone calls to politely ask if I could shadow them for a few times. I heard LORs from DO physicians are very helpful when it comes to admission, and of course I want to see what it is like to work as a DO physician in the field, too. Thanks again!

Most of the people on this forum are either premed or medical students. Neither of which know objectively what school criteria makes a school "better". The best advice I can give you is make a list of pros and cons of each school you are accepted at (you may not get in anywhere), talk with people you trust, and then go on your gut instinct.

Trust yourself. If you're a fit for a less reputable school, you'll probably do better there than a "better" school that doesn't match your personality or preferences.

Thank you for your kind words. I will start researching schools more once I am done taking the MCAT, even though I will only know roughly how I did on the test before the scores come out. I do not really care about reputation, but if it would match my personality/preference. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Mysterious Stranger]

Thank you for your kind words. I will start researching schools more once I am done taking the MCAT, even though I will only know roughly how I did on the test before the scores come out. I do not really care about reputation, but if it would match my personality/preference. Thanks for the advice!

You'll see what I'm talking about when you start interviewing. Some schools will knock your socks off, others (sometimes with really good reputations/rotations/board scores) will fall flat and leave you feeling uninspired. There's a lot of crap advice from know-it-all 22 year olds. Tread carefully.