Minimum academic requirements for DO school?

[tooth decay]

For us novices, I am wondering what are the minimum academic stats- i.e. GPA and MCAT scores are to get into osteopathic schools? How does this compare to medical school entry requirements?

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[JaggerPlate]

For us novices, I am wondering what are the minimum academic stats- i.e. GPA and MCAT scores are to get into osteopathic schools? How does this compare to medical school entry requirements?

Don't ask about the minimums ... medicine isn't about doing as little as you can to scrape by, nor are DO schools institutions that want students with this mindset. If you are using DO as a backup, or applying to them because you screwed up, I don't think you'll be happy with the 'DO' behind your name. If you have serious questions about osteopathic schools, feel free to ask. However, don't ask silly, borderline insulting questions such as these. Also, just for reference ... a DO school is a medical school just as an MD school is a medical school. It isn't 'osteopathic school vs med school,' it is allopathic and osteopathic.

 

[DrMidlife]

For us novices, I am wondering what are the minimum academic stats- i.e. GPA and MCAT scores are to get into osteopathic schools? How does this compare to medical school entry requirements?

The entry requirements are very similar, if not identical. Minimums aren't terribly relevant. There are crazy numbers of applicants to both DO and MD, and applicants with low scores don't get accepted much. (...despite the "what are my chances" threads that pervade these forums.)

Few med schools, DO or MD, state minimums for GPA or MCAT. I've seen the occasional minimum GPA of 3.0 on admissions sites for both DO and MD. I've seen 24 as an MCAT minimum. There are 5-6 MD schools with substantially lower average scores than the average DO school. (I'm not talking about off-shore MD schools.)

All that said, DO GPA & MCAT averages indeed run lower than MD averages. In addition, the DO application process forgives repeated coursework, and doesn't include math in the science GPA.

 

[tooth decay]

Don't ask about the minimums ... medicine isn't about doing as little as you can to scrape by, nor are DO schools institutions that want students with this mindset. If you are using DO as a backup, or applying to them because you screwed up, I don't think you'll be happy with the 'DO' behind your name. If you have serious questions about osteopathic schools, feel free to ask. However, don't ask silly, borderline insulting questions such as these. Also, just for reference ... a DO school is a medical school just as an MD school is a medical school. It isn't 'osteopathic school vs med school,' it is allopathic and osteopathic.

You make a lot of ASSumptions about my questions! If you are advising someone interested in attending medical school (allopathic or osteopathic), is not one of the first questions outside their interest is whether or not they have the grades or test scores that are competitve?

 

[tooth decay]

The entry requirements are very similar, if not identical. Minimums aren't terribly relevant. There are crazy numbers of applicants to both DO and MD, and applicants with low scores don't get accepted much. (...despite the "what are my chances" threads that pervade these forums.)

Few med schools, DO or MD, state minimums for GPA or MCAT. I've seen the occasional minimum GPA of 3.0 on admissions sites for both DO and MD. I've seen 24 as an MCAT minimum. There are 5-6 MD schools with substantially lower average scores than the average DO school. (I'm not talking about off-shore MD schools.)

All that said, DO GPA & MCAT averages indeed run lower than MD averages. In addition, the DO application process forgives repeated coursework, and doesn't include math in the science GPA.

Thanks for the info.

 

[JaggerPlate]

You make a lot of ASSumptions about my questions! If you are advising someone interested in attending medical school (allopathic or osteopathic), is not one of the first questions outside their interest is whether or not they have the grades or test scores that are competitve?

Well your informed 'questions' that assumed osteopathic medical schools aren't medical schools, and what was the absolute minimum you can scrape by with lead me to a. not give a crap about making assumptions (clever with the ASSumptions thing ... in case anyone was wondering what he did was imply that I was an *** by capitalizing the first three letters in the word assumptions- which I made ) b. advise that you ask serious questions to get serious answers.

 

[Colbert]

For us novices, I am wondering what are the minimum academic stats- i.e. GPA and MCAT scores are to get into osteopathic schools? How does this compare to medical school entry requirements?

Osteopathic schools ARE medical schools. There are two flavors of medical schools - osteopathic medical schools that award D.O. degrees and allopathic medical schools that award M.D. degrees. And don't get upset if you come into the osteopathic forum and ask us to compare our minimums to those at "medical schools." We are a prideful bunch.

As far as minimums, there are osteopathic schools that won't look at you if you don't have at least a 24, or if one of the scores in any individual MCAT section isn't at least a 6 (even if you get a 26 total, for instance). There are also some that have minimum GPAs of 3.0 and others with 2.75.

These all vary school to school, so I'd suggest you look into each school's requirements if you're really interested.

 

[DragonWell]

It's easy to misspeak and possibly offend without meaning too, so perhaps giving the benefit of the doubt is a good way to go here.

It should be pretty clear that there are two types of medical schools in the US - osteopathic and allopathic. I think we can let that point rest.

OP, as far as requirements for admission to DO schools goes, I suggest you download the .pdf available here, track down the parallel info for MD schools and give both a quick read. This should give you a general idea of what you need to know, and as far as the numbers go, I don't think searching for anything more than a general idea would really prove useful.

Many things will factor into an acceptance/rejection besides numbers, so simply finding an example of a student getting accepted with a 22 on the MCAT while another is rejected with a 32 is not really going to tell you anything.

 

[JaggerPlate]

It's easy to misspeak and possibly offend without meaning too, so perhaps giving the benefit of the doubt is a good way to go here.

It should be pretty clear that there are two types of medical schools in the US - osteopathic and allopathic. I think we can let that point rest.

OP, as far as requirements for admission to DO schools goes, I suggest you download the .pdf available here, track down the parallel info for MD schools and give both a quick read. This should give you a general idea of what you need to know, and as far as the numbers go, I don't think searching for anything more than a general idea would really prove useful.

Many things will factor into an acceptance/rejection besides numbers, so simply finding an example of a student getting accepted with a 22 on the MCAT while another is rejected with a 32 is not really going to tell you anything.

Well put ... OP, listen to advice like this instead of me getting mad and fanning a flame war!!

 

[scpod]

Well..... considering that the OPs entire post history (except for maybe two posts) has been in pre-dental or dental, it is probably a legitimate question. Yet it's probably better suited for pre-osteo (where the question has already been asked 234,546,764,789 times). It does, however, make one wonder why the sudden interest in DO requirements.

 

[DrMidlife]

It does, however, make one wonder why the sudden interest in DO requirements.

I'm not wondering. DO stigma is decreasing, MD rejections are increasing.

 

[vickfan1]

minimum requirements wont be a useful statistic. average stats for accepted students are usually 3.5 GPA, 25 MCAT. if you are weak in one area (gpa or mcat), make sure u make it up in the other area.

generally speaking, i think the difference between DO schools and MD schools are 0.1-0.2 gpa and 3-4 MCAT. so statistically, it's easier but medical school is medical school... its gonna be hard either way.

 

[Punchap]

For us novices, I am wondering what are the minimum academic stats- i.e. GPA and MCAT scores are to get into osteopathic schools? How does this compare to medical school entry requirements?

Check out mdapplicants.com to see the range of stats/mcat scores that got people acceptances to all U.S. medical schools.

P.S. Do your absolute best so that you can have choices in the end.

 

[madscientist50]

Good lord people just send the poor kid to AACOM's website. There they show you the cost, app procedure, min reqs, and more about each and every DO school in the US. Good Luck Tooth Decay.

http://www.aacom.org/people/colleges/Pages/default.aspx

 

[Lamborghini1315]

For us novices, I am wondering what are the minimum academic stats- i.e. GPA and MCAT scores are to get into osteopathic schools? How does this compare to medical school entry requirements?

Common sense

 

[Iquitos]

My class (2011 DMU) average is around 27MCAT and 3.64GPA

 

[Iquitos]

I have been participating in interviews this year for the class of 2012 and I have yet to see anybody interview with less than a 28MCAT. One guy had a 36 and only applied to DO schools. It looks like the competition is increasing every year. My class (2011) had higher stats than the 2010 class and it looks like the 2012 class will have higher stats than ours.

 

[prionsRbad]

I have been participating in interviews this year for the class of 2012 and I have yet to see anybody interview with less than a 28MCAT. One guy had a 36 and only applied to DO schools. It looks like the competition is increasing every year. My class (2011) had higher stats than the 2010 class and it looks like the 2012 class will have higher stats than ours.

I interviewed at DMU and definitely did not have a 28. I wasn't accepted because of my MCAT, but they are interviewing people with much lower stats. Why? I've yet to come up with a good reason for them to interview people who they know they wouldn't accept. DMU is definitely more "number hungry" that other schools. I think they put numbers waaaay above EC's and commitment to osteopathic medicine, but every school is different.

 

[Jpc984]

I interviewed at DMU and definitely did not have a 28. I wasn't accepted because of my MCAT, but they are interviewing people with much lower stats. Why? I've yet to come up with a good reason for them to interview people who they know they wouldn't accept. DMU is definitely more "number hungry" that other schools. I think they put numbers waaaay above EC's and commitment to osteopathic medicine, but every school is different.

I had an interview offer from DMU with a 27.

 

[spicedmanna]

For us novices, I am wondering what are the minimum academic stats- i.e. GPA and MCAT scores are to get into osteopathic schools? How does this compare to medical school entry requirements?

The most accurate and precise answer to your question is that it varies per school. However, looking at minimum scores, etc., isn't going to help you that much. It is considerably better, in my opinion, to examine the average GPA/MCAT score of matriculants of the schools in which you are interested and see how you compare. Do a search in the pre-osteo forum and you'll likely find many similar threads on this topic.

This is an old collection of statistical links, but it may be a helpful start:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=5184261&postcount=192

 

[Amy B]

Moving to Pre-DO

 

[Boner]

DMU is definitely more "number hungry" that other schools. I think they put numbers waaaay above EC's and commitment to osteopathic medicine, but every school is different.

When you're one of the best osteopathic medical schools, you're going to get the best applicants. That being said, every applicant is going to have stellar EC's, etc... so the other factors weigh a bit heavier, such as MCAT and GPA, which are a much better indicator of academic performance than shadowing or volunterring, etc...

As a previous poster had mentioned, top osteopathic medical schools "numbers" are constantly on the rise. I anticipate an average MCAT of 28 and GPA around 3.65 for the next entering class at DMU. This rivals and surpasses some allopathic medical schools. With this trend, you're going to see the days of the 22 MCAT/3.0 GPA matriculant vanish in the next couple of years (with the exception of the new schools). I think in the next 5 years you're going to see schools like DMU, PCOM, CCOM, KCOM, MSU (not an inclusive list, but you see where I'm going) being on par, admissions wise, with your average allopathic med school.

 

[scpod]

...It is considerably better, in my opinion, to examine the average GPA/MCAT score of matriculants of the schools in which you are interested and see how you compare...

You're probably right, in that it's the best thing to look at, but even that isn't a guarantee. In every cycle there are plenty of people with stats way below average that are accepted and those who are above average who don't get accepted. There are always people who get accepted to some schools and not others-- and it's not necessarily the "lower tier" schools where people are most likely to be accepted. The number of osteopathic applicants has doubled in the last five years. So....there are many more people to choose from. Schools can look for people that fit them best rather than just trying to get the "best" students with the "highest" scores.

 

[Nasem]

Everyone here is talking about minimum numbers (GPAs and MCATs)... but theyr forgetting ONE HUGE aspect of the this medical application cycle.... and that is state of residency.

Your stats MIGHT be lower than average (maybe u'll have a 3.2 overall with a 25 mcats), but you have so many in-state schools that give HUGE preference to instaters.... this gives you an automatic increase in your chances..... Of course I am not saying state of residency is going to give you an automatic acceptance, but it usually helps when your stats are a little bit lower than the national average...

I know a few guys who were accepted at MSU (MD) & Wayne state (detroit MI, MD) who DID NOT have the national 3.6 GPA.... One of them had a 3.3 / 27 mcats, and other had 3.15 / 32 mcats.. (I also know few other guys with similar numbers)........ Of course a few people here and there are not a good indicator, but this just goes to show you that ITS NOT always GPA+MCATS alone, sometime state of residency (along with your numbers) gives you the upper hand

 

[TexasTriathlete]

DO schools do not have "academic requirements". Instead, they make you complete the "Osteopathic Obstacle Course" in Japan. Here is a pretty good youtube video of some pre-DO students competing for admission:

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVPgK3Rmrmw[/YOUTUBE]

Also, the way they do letters of recommendation is a little bit different. You have to get one from a DO, and three from people you've had sex with (and one of these cannot be from yourself).

 

[TheLegendofEdel]

DO schools do not have "academic requirements". Instead, they make you complete the "Osteopathic Obstacle Course" in Japan. Here is a pretty good youtube video of some pre-DO students competing for admission:

[youtube]uVPgK3Rmrmw[/youtube]

Also, the way they do letters of recommendation is a little bit different. You have to get one from a DO, and three from people you've had sex with (and one of these cannot be from yourself).

I'm not sure about that. I sent in a DO letter, two letters from prostitutes, and a handwritten letter on a post-it note from myself and I still got in. I think you got jipped.

 

[Jpc984]

I'm not sure about that. I sent in a DO letter, two letters from prostitutes, and a handwritten letter on a post-it note from myself and I still got in. I think you got jipped.

That must be the requirements for NSU. When I applied to PCOM-GA, I had to take the test Texas mentioned.

 

[DrMidlife]

Also, the way they do letters of recommendation is a little bit different. You have to get one from a DO, and three from people you've had sex with (and one of these cannot be from yourself).

Ideally they'd require a letter from a DO, that you're not related to, that you've had sex with.

 

[prionsRbad]

Ideally they'd require a letter from a DO, that you're not related to, that you've had sex with.

 

[TheLegendofEdel]

Ideally they'd require a letter from a DO, that you're not related to, that you've had sex with.

Ehh...I'm a little iffy on that one as well. Nowhere on the AACOMAS website does it say the DO can't be related to you. Some schools actually like the fact that you would go so far as to sleep with a relative to go to their school that you may get accepted without an interview.

 

[spicedmanna]

Schools can look for people that fit them best rather than just trying to get the "best" students with the "highest" scores.

Yes, this is probably the most true.

 

[JoeC]

Okay, now that the buffoonery and pomposity have subsided, I'll just continue my habit of replying to vaguely relevant threads in the interest of condensation.


One question for the DO hopefuls: were you originally interested in becoming a DO? If not, what swung your decision? I've seen a lot of discussion on PBL, but it also seems to be used at a few MD schools now, for example Mercer in my home state of Georgia.

Also, I note, in threads like this one, that there is a certain sensitivity to the implication that DOs are somehow unequal to MDs, which is completely understandable. But is it also wrong to initially turn your attention to DO schools because of their slightly-more-lax admissions standards? To be clear, I do not mean this in a derogatory manner, simply stating the facts based on the numbers.

That's been the case with me, but I find I really agree with some points of OM philosophy (don't always immediately reach for a prescription? ). So, I grow more enthusiastic by the day about the OM approach (though I may still be an OMM skeptic) when at first all I was looking for was the most likely place to let me put a D after my name.

 

[spicedmanna]

One question for the DO hopefuls: were you originally interested in becoming a DO? If not, what swung your decision? I've seen a lot of discussion on PBL, but it also seems to be used at a few MD schools now, for example Mercer in my home state of Georgia.

There are a number of past and current threads that address your question. I don't see the purpose of a new post/thread on the topic. The bottom line is that folks tend to go to the school that:

1) Accepted them.
2) Fits them the best (including more peripherally-related considerations, such as location and COA)

Also, PBL is by no means characteristic of osteopathic medical education... It can be found across traditions.

Also, I note, in threads like this one, that there is a certain sensitivity to the implication that DOs are somehow unequal to MDs, which is completely understandable. But is it also wrong to initially turn your attention to DO schools because of their slightly-more-lax admissions standards? To be clear, I do not mean this in a derogatory manner, simply stating the facts based on the numbers.

Numbers aren't everything. You can have great numbers and not get accepted or even invited to an interview.

That's been the case with me, but I find I really agree with some points of OM philosophy (don't always immediately reach for a prescription? ). So, I grow more enthusiastic by the day about the OM approach (though I may still be an OMM skeptic) when at first all I was looking for was the most likely place to let me put a D after my name.

That's a bit naive, I think, although understandable given the propaganda being spread around. I maintain that most of the philosophical differences between the two tradition are historical at this point. Although you'll find some degree of divergence in mission and in principle, by-in-large, the two traditions are more similar than different, with the exception of the inclusion of OMM training at the undergraduate level. Otherwise, the curriculum tends to be identical and the training is to treat patients to a common standard of care. In my opinion, a person's character and inclination are better determinants of how he or she will approach a patient than any training, or school attended. In any case, learning OMM does provide an additional modality by which to treat and diagnose a patient, if you choose to use it after medical school.

 

[JoeC]

There are a number of past and current threads that address your question. I don't see the purpose of a new post/thread on the topic. The bottom line is that folks tend to go to the school that:

1) Accepted them.
2) Fits them the best (including more peripherally-related considerations, such as location and COA)

Fair enough, good thing I kept it in here, then.

That's a bit naive, I think, although understandable given the propaganda being spread around. I maintain that most of the philosophical differences between the two tradition are historical at this point. Although you'll find some degree of divergence in mission and in principle, by-in-large, the two traditions are more similar than different, with the exception of the inclusion of OMM training at the undergraduate level. Otherwise, the curriculum tends to be identical and the training is to treat patients to a common standard of care. In my opinion, a person's character and inclination are better determinants of how he or she will approach a patient than any training, or school attended. In any case, learning OMM does provide an additional modality by which to treat and diagnose a patient, if you choose to use it after medical school.

Interesting. This puts a different spin on what seems to be the perpetual first interview question: "Why OM?"

Thanks for the response, sorry if I'm the Newb Iteration #97561.

 

[Bacchus]

That's a bit naive, I think, although understandable given the propaganda being spread around. I maintain that most of the philosophical differences between the two tradition are historical at this point. Although you'll find some degree of divergence in mission and in principle, by-in-large, the two traditions are more similar than different, with the exception of the inclusion of OMM training at the undergraduate level. Otherwise, the curriculum tends to be identical and the training is to treat patients to a common standard of care.

I concur, but I have never heard a school say this. Tell them what they want to hear is what all my communication professors say.

 

[spicedmanna]

I concur, but I have never heard a school say this. Tell them what they want to hear is what all my communication professors say.

Probably a good idea.

 

[MaximusD]

For us novices, I am wondering what are the minimum academic stats- i.e. GPA and MCAT scores are to get into osteopathic schools? How does this compare to medical school entry requirements?

You shouldn't want to attain the minimum, because it won't be good enough in med school. The curricula at accredited US med schools, DO or MD, are largely standardized for the basic sciences and going DO is by no means easier by any stretch of the imagination.

If you like osteopathic medicine (this ismedical school)... and you've shadowed and at least have an open mind for manipulative therapy (many DOs learn it and choose not to use it), then you may want to apply to osteopathic medical schools. The relative MINIMUM for getting into the first-choice school is higher than the MINIMUM for getting in if you apply broadly and increase your chances.

I'd say for ANY DO acceptance you should have no less than a 3.3/24 if you're balanced and low. However if you have one significantly higher than the other you may be able to offset if all other things in your application are strong such as extracurriculars... in this isntance, you might be able to get by with a 3.1/30+ or a 3.8/22. The older schools that get more applications such as PCOM, CCOM, NYCOM, DMU, or those with strong in-state biases such as UMDNJ-SOM or MSU-COM may require higher stats to be competitive. Hope that helps.

 

[reaton]

Well your informed 'questions' that assumed osteopathic medical schools aren't medical schools, and what was the absolute minimum you can scrape by with lead me to a. not give a crap about making assumptions (clever with the ASSumptions thing ... in case anyone was wondering what he did was imply that I was an *** by capitalizing the first three letters in the word assumptions- which I made ) b. advise that you ask serious questions to get serious answers.

There you go again ***uming he was calling you an ***!

 

[JaggerPlate]

There you go again ***uming he was calling you an ***!

I'm just an ASSumption maker I guess!! Also, Nasem brought up a greattt point about state residency, and some state schools giving mad preference. I hate it when I hear people with stats below a ton of DO applicants trying to rag on DO schools because they squeaked into their state school that gives 99% preference to their applicants.