is this cap?

[havil]

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a lot of osteopathic school say that an mcat of 500 or above is considered competitive,
off the top of my head, lecom, PCOM, and oklahoma state COM say that

do you guys think this is true? would they treat someone with a 501 the same as a 507 for example? is that both considered competitive?

If not, if someone with a 509 is so much more competitive than someone with a 500, then why even say that?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

a lot of osteopathic school say that an mcat of 500 or above is considered competitive,
off the top of my head, lecom, PCOM, and oklahoma state COM say that

do you guys think this is true? would they treat someone with a 501 the same as a 507 for example? is that both considered competitive?

If not, if someone with a 509 is so much more competitive than someone with a 500, then why even say that?

Unless there is proof otherwise, yes. If you don't trust their word, you don't have to apply.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

This is a cap.

 

[tuf13119]

I think they are misleading you. I think the lower MCAT range is usually due to special circumstances like legacy, URM, masters program, military, etc. If you were a regular student with no special circumstances like the ones I mentioned above, then I would expect that you might need a higher MCAT to be competitive. If you have a low MCAT score, I still believe that you are competitive for a lot of a newer schools. There's a reason why members usually recommend applying broadly. IMO, if you want to aim for any of the original 5 DO schools, then I would aim for a high MCAT or a low MCAT + special circumstance.

I speak from experience since I applied 3 times to DO schools. My MCAT score was a 502 and I only had 2 interviews during my first cycle. I changed nothing on my application for my 2nd and 3rd cycle aside from starting a masters program affiliated with a DO school. All of a sudden, I had >5 interviews.

I also mentor students in the masters program at my DO school and the majority that get into my school had MCAT's ranging from 498 - 501. Yes we had students get in with higher scores, but I truly believe that the lower MCAT that each school advertises is due to one of the special circumstances I listed above.