looking for some helpful opnions

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Bevo

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Just found out about this forum and I?ve read a lot of interesting stories thus far. Some have been great.

Well I?m going to put out my life story and see what people think.

I went to Brandeis for 4 years and didn't have a great time there academically. My overall gpa was just a 2.5 and science gpa was a 2.2.

Since graduating, I immediately went back to school closer to home in Texas have been working on completing the science prerequisites for medical school. My grades aren?t spectacular but are significantly better than what I did at Brandeis. I have a 2.93 right now mostly because I stuck with calculus 2 over the summer; otherwise my gpa is close to a 3.2.

I?ve volunteered at a hospital for a couple months, and then went to work with a doctor in the hospital for another couple of months. My original intention was to try for medical school once more but I have been reading a lot of posts about people enjoying osteopathic schools. It?s been sounding like something I would like to try for.

I am currently studying for the MCAT and hope to do very well on it.

My question is whether I should I put off applying this summer, assuming I get a score I am happy with on the MCAT and wait till the next summer and try to raise my gpa even more.

Plus, considering my grades what score would give me a solid chance of getting interviews and hopefully accepted later on.

Thanks in advance.

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The only downside to applying is the cost...the worst any school can say is no so go ahead and apply. It's difficult to pinpoint exact scores and GPA that would get you accepted. Obviously the higher, the better your chances are. Look at past posts on this forum and you will find stories regarding people being accepted with a GPA in your range.

One last thing,

Originally posted by lmbebo:
• My original intention was to try for medical school once more but I have been reading a lot of posts about people enjoying osteopathic schools. It?s been sounding like something I would like to try for.
•••

Both allopathic and osteopathic schools are considered medical schools.

For more about osteopathic medicine, be sure to visit the <a href="http://www.aacom.org" target="_blank">American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine</a>.

Good Luck.
 
If Calculus 2 is class that is pulling your gpa down, retake it. AACOMAS will only count the most recent grade. Also, AACOMAS does not calculate math classes as part of the science gpa.

Are you finished with your science pre-reqs? If so, would your gpa be significantly higher if you retook them any one class in particular?

Also, since schools have rolling admission policies it is usually more advantageous to take the MCAT in the spring. In addition, the average MCAT for accepted D.O. students is around 25.5 since your gpa is lower than average your MCAT needs to be higher than average.

Ask your self, what you know about osteopathic medicine beyond what you have read on the web. The web is a great place to start. But, there is a wealth of literature concerning the philosophy and science of osteopathy beyond the web. Being able to talk about is will help you write more effective essays and answer interview questions.

In addition, to reading, find some D.O.'s and talk to them, ask them questions, ask to shadow them. All schools at least suggest a letter of recommendation from a D.O.

Furthermore, consider getting your EMT license or even your CNA. Do not be embarrassed to take a clinical job that is "below" you. Seeing how things work form the bottom up can give you an interesting perspective. It is important to have real world clinical experiences that you can write about in your essays and talk about in your interview.

Finally, do not rush be in a rush to apply. It is much harder to reapply and be accepted by schools that have rejected you once before. They would want to see some major changes in your application and its hard to effect that in a year.

Good luck
 
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