Late DO interest

[GUbballmed]

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Hi,
I am currently considering a switch in my future professions. I am currently about to begin my senior year of undergrad. I am an athletic training major, I've been intending on attending a DPT program after graduation, but recently i have became very interested in the DO route.
I guess my question is if i want to follow the DO route instead what i have to apply next cycle and take a year off? I haven't even started to study for the MCAT. as far as my grades are i have a 3.7c and my science gpa i believe is around a 3.4 with a couple more classes still to take.

I feel like I'm basically starting from square one so any help or advice would be very appreciated. thanks!

 

[pericardium]

You've probably got your prereqs taken care of, so it's just the MCAT at this point. You're really not far behind, all you've got is the MCAT left to study for. Your GPAs are good, so study hard, do well and you have an excellent shot. I would be sure to take the MCAT before next April if you're planning on applying next cycle.

You could even apply this cycle, if you take the MCAT in November, but that is kind of a long shot and you don't want to take the MCAT if you're not ready.

 

[hyperDO]

GPA is good. You definitely cannot apply this year as you have not taken the MCAT lol.

Do well with the rest of your classes. It gets tricky because you need to take the MCAT. I'd recommend 3 months of full time study. It would help if you could lighten your class load your last semester/quarter in order to take the MCAT by April-July latest. Cycle starts around June but around Aug/Oct is getting a bit late.

Also you definitely need some DO shadowing and preferably get a DO letter of rec for certain schools. I do not know what your ECs are, but many like to see some community service and clinical experience. Research experience is not a big thing for DO schools but would be a plus if you have it.

Here is a link for that mentor program if you need to shadow a DO:

http://cf.osteopathic.org/iLearn/home.cfm

Kudos to @Jsenpai just saw it on the other thread lol.

 

[GUbballmed]

Thanks for the help
I have taken Chem 1&2, Bio 1, Anatomy, Physiology (all needed for pt school) and was already planning on taking Physics 1&2 next year. it seems in addition to that i should take an organic chem and a biochem class as well next year, any other sciences i need to make sure i take? so far I've only looked at one DO schools specific pre reqs

 

[ConfusedChemist]

Thanks for the help
I have taken Chem 1&2, Bio 1, Anatomy, Physiology (all needed for pt school) and was already planning on taking Physics 1&2 next year. it seems in addition to that i should take an organic chem and a biochem class as well next year, any other sciences i need to make sure i take? so far I've only looked at one DO schools specific pre reqs

Most require english too
But with a good MCAT score and a boost to your sGPA just a little and you could easily go MD as well if you were interested

 

[GUbballmed]

As far as EC's go, i play varsity basketball for my school, as well as over 700 hours work in the AT clinic, 3 years special olympics, and various youth basketball programs, while working full time during the summer, i also spent 40 volunteering in a family clinic run by a nurse practitioner, i actually had a class taught by our DO in my schools town, i am going to contact him to see if i can shadow him as well.

 

[GUbballmed]

Most require english too
But with a good MCAT score and a boost to your sGPA just a little and you could easily go MD as well if you were interested

Thanks, I've taken english classes as well just as part of my major. the MCAT has me pretty nervous though, I will definitely get a start on studying for the MCAT

 

[mathnerd88]

Thanks, I've taken english classes as well just as part of my major. the MCAT has me pretty nervous though, I will definitely get a start on studying for the MCAT

The new MCAT has gotten significantly harder than the old one. I'm scared of it lol.

 

[GUbballmed]

also forgot to add i have been taking research as a class, i finished first semester and about to begin the second semester of research, my research is about the effects of different tx on hamstring strains, not sure if that would be the kind of research that schools look at or not

 

[Grace184]

Thanks for the help
I have taken Chem 1&2, Bio 1, Anatomy, Physiology (all needed for pt school) and was already planning on taking Physics 1&2 next year. it seems in addition to that i should take an organic chem and a biochem class as well next year, any other sciences i need to make sure i take? so far I've only looked at one DO schools specific pre reqs

Don't forget bio 2 (if you haven't taken it), as well as a psych or sociology class (some schools want these). You need ochem 1 & 2, as you said, but don't necessarily need biochem, although I think it's generally helpful to tie all the pre reqs together. I have a pharmD and have been a clinical pharmacist for 5 yrs, so switching it up isn't easy- like I said biochem can just help prepare you if it fits in your schedule, and it will help before the MCAT.

Edit- and yes, have at least 6 credits of English

 

[Grace184]

The new MCAT has gotten significantly harder than the old one. I'm scared of it lol.

I had to take a bio stats class and an epidemiology class as part of my curriculum and I think it helped prepare me better- at least for practice tests, on the analyzing data parts. I'm taking the MCAT in a month, so we'll see...