July MCAT and app too late for DO?

[123456ers]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hello all,

Long time reader first time poster. I graduated from college last year with a 3.6 cumulative and curretnyl have a 3.35 sgpa. I wasn't a science major so each additional science class I take significantly improves my sgpa (I have a 4.0 in the last 20 credit hours in core pre reqs). I've been working as a PCA for 7 months now and volunteering at a health clinic. I had a lot of ECs in college, already have 2 science LORs, 2 non science, 2 DO LORs.

I really, really want to be a DO. No, not just because my stats aren't great. I dont have any physicians in my family and naturally gravitated to being a DO when I first found out the difference in high school. I will maybe apply to 2-3 MD schools, but 12-15 DO schools for sure.

Anyway, I'm currently slated to take a June MCAT but would rather take one final summer course (physics 2) before hand as it's been some time since Ive taken physics and obviously it is better if I have all the pre reqs done going into the exam.

Would it doom my app to DO schools if I take the July MCAT? Scores are suppsoed to get back August 22. The rest of my app could be totally done by then, also. I understand this is late for MD but truthfully I'm just gunning for DO and could care less.

Thanks for any input.

 

[I'mJustCurious]

From my understanding you should be fine. Some people even submit their application and noted that the MCAT will be updated once the score comes in.

 

[UmbcPremed]

I actually doing the same but kinda opposite! July MCAT (retake), majority MD schools but 2-3 DO schools. I would love to have it the other way around, but I got the fee waiver for MD schools and now DO schools, so in order to save on money I will mostly apply where it's "free". July is fine, as long as everything else is ready, so your app is completed once the scores come in August. That's a good time to apply actually I think. Good luck!

 

[123456ers]

I actually doing the same but kinda opposite! July MCAT (retake), majority MD schools but 2-3 DO schools. I would love to have it the other way around, but I got the fee waiver for MD schools and now DO schools, so in order to save on money I will mostly apply where it's "free". July is fine, as long as everything else is ready, so your app is completed once the scores come in August. That's a good time to apply actually I think. Good luck!

Thank you both for the insight.. good luck on the MCAT!

 

[You're My Boy Blue]

You'll be fine. Submit your primary as soon as possible to when the application opens. It will take a while to get verified and for secondaries to come. Then just make sure to write/submit all your secondaries in the month that it takes to get your mcat scores back. Don't worry about secondaries while you study for the mcat, do one thing at a time.

 

[dwgrubbs1s]

Nope. I took my MCAT August 25, 2016, got results back September 27, 2016, had several interviews in November/December and had success. I would advise sending out primaries once you get your MCAT score back. If you submit a primary and your MCAT score comes back bad, you will be a reapplicant next cycle if you do not have any luck. I stupidly sent all my primaries in before every receiving my MCAT score and had a bunch of secondaries stacked up. Luckily, I did decent on my MCAT so all I had to do was fill out the secondaires and go. With you taking the MCAT in July, you should have plenty of time though.

 

[dwgrubbs1s]

The advice I always got was do not send a secondary without an MCAT score on it. I heard it could put you behind in the stack at several schools. I got my first secondary in late August and didn't send my first one in until after September 27. This way the school got my secondary application with an MCAT score and did not file it back in the "waiting for MCAT score" section. I do not know if schools actually do this or if it even matters. But that was just what I was told so I waited until I had an MCAT score to send in with my secondary application. Sending in the primary application early won't hurt any (besides financially and if you bomb the MCAT).

 

[Goro]

Even Oct/Nov won't be late.

Hello all,

Long time reader first time poster. I graduated from college last year with a 3.6 cumulative and curretnyl have a 3.35 sgpa. I wasn't a science major so each additional science class I take significantly improves my sgpa (I have a 4.0 in the last 20 credit hours in core pre reqs). I've been working as a PCA for 7 months now and volunteering at a health clinic. I had a lot of ECs in college, already have 2 science LORs, 2 non science, 2 DO LORs.

I really, really want to be a DO. No, not just because my stats aren't great. I dont have any physicians in my family and naturally gravitated to being a DO when I first found out the difference in high school. I will maybe apply to 2-3 MD schools, but 12-15 DO schools for sure.

Anyway, I'm currently slated to take a June MCAT but would rather take one final summer course (physics 2) before hand as it's been some time since Ive taken physics and obviously it is better if I have all the pre reqs done going into the exam.

Would it doom my app to DO schools if I take the July MCAT? Scores are suppsoed to get back August 22. The rest of my app could be totally done by then, also. I understand this is late for MD but truthfully I'm just gunning for DO and could care less.

Thanks for any input.

 

[SUNAE2008]

I am the perfect example. I submitted my primary for DO on November 26th, verified early December. I got II from Touro NV on 1/20/17, interviewed 2/21/17, accepted 2/28/17.

But as Goro mentioned, it depends on your GPA, MCAT, interviewing skills, and how much you want to be a DO (IMO).

 

[Mr. D.O.five]

Aug MCAT. 7 II. However, I would highly recommend finishing app BEFORE taking MCAT, then when the score comes back, updating.