Minimum and average GPA/MCAT for several D.O. schools?

[RoadNurse33]

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Why DO schools don't count math as a science subject?

Hah...reminds me of that "If Google Was a Guy" series...avocado pit huge why?!

 

[csx]

I think its great the MCAT #'s are low (relative to MD schools). Those people with the high #'s, while very intelligent, usually aren't great people persons from my exp and they wouldnt make good physicians. Researchers, yes.

 

[Gandyy]

Those numbers for those schools DO NOT resemble the kind of people that get in. There are so many people on SDN alone that get in with severely lower numbers than that list.

Most of the people I know that have gotten accepted to DO schools had a 3.4-3.5 gpa with a 25-26 mcat lol... not a 3.6 and a 28.

 

[user3]

Those numbers for those schools DO NOT resemble the kind of people that get in. There are so many people on SDN alone that get in with severely lower numbers than that list.

Most of the people I know that have gotten accepted to DO schools had a 3.4-3.5 gpa with a 25-26 mcat lol... not a 3.6 and a 28.

Those are averages and being Below average doesn't necessarily mean you aren't competitive. If someone applies early and broadly, 3.0/3.0/26 or better and no red flags will give a good chance of at least 1 acceptance.

 

[Gandyy]

Those are averages and being Below average doesn't necessarily mean you aren't competitive. If someone applies early and broadly, 3.0/3.0/26 or better and no red flags will give a good chance of at least 1 acceptance.

I realize, it just seems like I see a lot of people with well below average stats getting in both in my life and here on sdn

 

[KAM0711]

I've got a few Cs and I was still offered an interview at Touro NY

If I have a 3.4 overall, 3.2 sGPA, 30 MCAT, good volunteer hours, LOR from a DO who taught a few classes at Western U osteopath school, do I have a shot?

 

[KAM0711]

If I have a 3.4 overall, 3.2 sGPA, 30 MCAT, good volunteer hours, LOR from a DO who taught a few classes at Western U osteopath school, do I have a shot?

PS holy crap congrats!!

 

[guylewis]

If I have a 3.4 overall, 3.2 sGPA, 30 MCAT, good volunteer hours, LOR from a DO who taught a few classes at Western U osteopath school, do I have a shot?

I don't know how things have changed over the past two application cycles, but I would imagine you're in the running so just write up some good application essays and hope for the best. speaking from what I've experienced I think you'll be in pretty good shape

 

[mathnerd88]

If I have a 3.4 overall, 3.2 sGPA, 30 MCAT, good volunteer hours, LOR from a DO who taught a few classes at Western U osteopath school, do I have a shot?

You have a high chance of getting accepted, especially with that higher than average MCAT score.

 

[dan123]

I've read on a few DO websites they want a minimum of 500 mcat to apply, do you think this is pretty much standard at all DO schools? Don't know my score yet but if for some reason I get <500, should I even bother applying this cycle?

 

[mathnerd88]

I think its great the MCAT #'s are low (relative to MD schools). Those people with the high #'s, while very intelligent, usually aren't great people persons from my exp and they wouldnt make good physicians. Researchers, yes.

Ehh...there are plenty of people who are great people persons who do have high MCAT scores too...More than how many seats medical schools have.

 

[PhillyBoy22]

D.O. School Stats

Touro-NY: 3.40/30.8 (2013)
Touro-Ca: 3.47/3.40/30.1 (2013)
CCOM: 3.60/3.55/29.4 (2013)
AZCOM: 3.51/3.44/29
DMU: 3.63/3.57/28.3
RVU: 3.63/3.59/28.11
RowanSOM: 3.63/3.55/28 (2013)
UNTHSC-TCOM: 3.60/3.49/28
NYITCOM: 3.6/28 (2013)
MSU: 3.59/28
COMP: 3.58/3.56/28
LECOM-B: 3.53/3.45/28
UNECOM: 3.5+/28
Touro-NV: 3.5/3.4/28
NSU: 3.49/3.40/28 (2013)
PCOM: 3.46/3.37/28 (2012)
KCUMB: 3.63/3.6/27.6
OU-HCOM: 3.65/27.37
MU-COM: 3.62/3.56/27.33
CUSOM: 3.6/3.5/27
KCOM: 3.56/3.47/27 (2013)
LECOM-E/SH: 3.48/3.35/27 (2013)
SOMA: 3.45/3.34/27
PCOM-Ga: ?/27 (2011)
PNWU: 3.45/3.36/26.84
COMP-NW: 3.63/3.58/26.28
OSU-COM: 3.61/3.54/26 (2013)
WCU: 3.5/3.4/26 (2013)
ACOM: 3.4/26 (2013)
VCOM-CC: 3.61/3.55/25 (2011)
VCOM-VC: 3.59/3.52/25 (2011)
LMU: 3.43/3.35/25-26
WVSOM: 3.4/3.4/25 (2013)
KYCOM: 3.5/3.4/24 (2013)
LUCOM: 3.4/24

 

[Gandyy]

D.O. School Stats

Touro-NY: 3.40/30.8 (2013)
Touro-Ca: 3.47/3.40/30.1 (2013)
CCOM: 3.60/3.55/29.4 (2013)
AZCOM: 3.51/3.44/29
DMU: 3.63/3.57/28.3
RVU: 3.63/3.59/28.11
RowanSOM: 3.63/3.55/28 (2013)
UNTHSC-TCOM: 3.60/3.49/28
NYITCOM: 3.6/28 (2013)
MSU: 3.59/28
COMP: 3.58/3.56/28
LECOM-B: 3.53/3.45/28
UNECOM: 3.5+/28
Touro-NV: 3.5/3.4/28
NSU: 3.49/3.40/28 (2013)
PCOM: 3.46/3.37/28 (2012)
KCUMB: 3.63/3.6/27.6
OU-HCOM: 3.65/27.37
MU-COM: 3.62/3.56/27.33
CUSOM: 3.6/3.5/27
KCOM: 3.56/3.47/27 (2013)
LECOM-E/SH: 3.48/3.35/27 (2013)
SOMA: 3.45/3.34/27
PCOM-Ga: ?/27 (2011)
PNWU: 3.45/3.36/26.84
COMP-NW: 3.63/3.58/26.28
OSU-COM: 3.61/3.54/26 (2013)
WCU: 3.5/3.4/26 (2013)
ACOM: 3.4/26 (2013)
VCOM-CC: 3.61/3.55/25 (2011)
VCOM-VC: 3.59/3.52/25 (2011)
LMU: 3.43/3.35/25-26
WVSOM: 3.4/3.4/25 (2013)
KYCOM: 3.5/3.4/24 (2013)
LUCOM: 3.4/24

DO stats are on the rise as well it seems. You cant get in with a 3.0 and a 25 anymore besides exceptions.

 

[StudyLater]

PS holy crap congrats!!

FYI: You can have a few C's and still have a fine GPA (3.6+).

@Gandy741 Yes but it's slow. Might be interesting though if they're angling toward aligning their reqs with MD schools. It'd kind of defeat their sell point but might add the prestige and acceptance they seem to want so badly (even though they already have acceptance in the medical community, save pre-med nonsense).

 

[Gandyy]

FYI: You can have a few C's and still have a fine GPA (3.6+).

@Gandy741 Yes but it's slow. Might be interesting though if they're angling toward aligning their reqs with MD schools. It'd kind of defeat their sell point but might add the prestige and acceptance they seem to want so badly (even though they already have acceptance in the medical community, save pre-med nonsense).

Yea. What i'm thinking though is that what happens when DO schools MCATs and gpas become like MD schools. I cant imagine that MD schools will skyrocket as fast as DO schools are.

 

[mathnerd88]

Yea. What i'm thinking though is that what happens when DO schools MCATs and gpas become like MD schools. I cant imagine that MD schools will skyrocket as fast as DO schools are.

One, DO can easily start removing their grade replacement policy. As for MCAT, the scores are based on percentiles, so that's why these MCAT numbers are on the rise (even slowly.) When DO numbers rise, so does MD numbers.

There are always ways to curb this...Opening more schools, or increasing the stats.

 

[Abraxas65]

Yea. What i'm thinking though is that what happens when DO schools MCATs and gpas become like MD schools. I cant imagine that MD schools will skyrocket as fast as DO schools are.

Truthfully I believe that the osteopathic idea of students reinventing themselves will be one of the main ways that it sets itself apart from MD for the forseeable future (next 20 years). I expect that GPA scores might go up a little bit and that MCAT scores will go up into the upper 20s/low 30 while MD MCAT scores will go up into the 32-35 range or what ever the new score equivalent is going to be.

 

[StudyLater]

Yea. What i'm thinking though is that what happens when DO schools MCATs and gpas become like MD schools. I cant imagine that MD schools will skyrocket as fast as DO schools are.

Let's think about it from their perspective, though. Raising requirements is only an intelligent option IF they can keep enough students coming in. After a certain threshold (that is, once they cross into MD stat territory), the MD schools will start taking up all the high scorers/GPAs/impressive EC/LOR people. Now they have to push their reqs down just to fill the class. I'm assuming they've reached a sweet spot at just below MD stats (around where they are now), and are experimenting with trying to inch back up and see how that affects their matriculant pool from year to year.

Also, it seems more advantageous just financially speaking if you've got a larger pool of applicants. Lowering requirements can really enlarge that pool.

 

[Gandyy]

Truthfully I believe that the osteopathic idea of students reinventing themselves will be one of the main ways that it sets itself apart from MD for the forseeable future (next 20 years). I expect that GPA scores might go up a little bit and that MCAT scores will go up into the upper 20s/low 30 while MD MCAT scores will go up into the 32-35 range or what ever the new score equivalent is going to be.

I really doubt the average on the MCAT is going to be in the 34-35 range Ever. That is the 90th percentile. SDN makes people think these scores are common. They are not.

It is rare to see an applicant with a 34 score or higher.

The vast majority of MD matriculants score around the low 30 range and have 3.7+ gpas.

They work harddddddddd to get that MCAT score. Unless public schools in general just totally reroute and change their curriculum over the next decade or two, kids arent going to get magically that much smarter. Which wont happen because the United States of America Public Education system k-12 is a mockery of the word "education"

Hard work only gets you so far on the MCAT.

 

[Abraxas65]

I really doubt the average on the MCAT is going to be in the 34-35 range Ever. That is the 90th percentile. SDN makes people think these scores are common. They are not.

It is rare to see an applicant with a 34 score or higher.

The vast majority of MD matriculants score around the low 30 range and have 3.7+ gpas.

They work harddddddddd to get that MCAT score. Unless public schools in general just totally reroute and change their curriculum over the next decade or two, kids arent going to get magically that much smarter. Which wont happen because the United States of America Public Education system k-12 is a mockery of the word "education"

Hard work only gets you so far on the MCAT.

The average MCAT score for accepted MD students last year was just slightly over 31 if I remember correctly. The fact that the number of applicants keeps going up means there will be more people scoring 32+ and since the number of MD spots is pretty static I expect the numbers to go up. Now I dont expect an average of 35 but an average of 33 +/- 0.5 isn't unbelievable in 10 years time.

 

[StudyLater]

https://www.aamc.org/download/153708/data/

Check out chart 1.

I can't really extrapolate anything from this. We could keep going up, or maybe we undergo a dip like has happened before. There's nothing suggesting the number of med school applicants has to increase significantly, at least within the next 20 years. It may also be useful to compare US population corresponding to that spike in the mid-90s to the current population corresponding to the spike we're currently undergoing in med school applicants.

 

[Abraxas65]

https://www.aamc.org/download/153708/data/

Check out chart 1.

I can't really extrapolate anything from this. We could keep going up, or maybe we undergo a dip like has happened before. There's nothing suggesting the number of med school applicants has to increase significantly, at least within the next 20 years. It may also be useful to compare US population corresponding to that spike in the mid-90s to the current population corresponding to the spike we're currently undergoing in med school applicants.

Honestly I see a steady increase over time. Are there large fluctuations absolutely but over 10 years you see a pretty consistent increase. There are a few years where this doesn't hold true but lets be honest do you really expect there to be less applicants in 2025? Now there definitely could be less it is a distinct possibility but you have better odds going with the idea that there will be around the same number of applicants if not more going forward.

 

[Abraxas65]

Let me tell you something. I remember 6 and half years ago when I was a freshman in college, the average MCAT for MD school admissions was a 30.4. This was the number I heard from our Med school Dean at pre-med meetings etc, by health advisors so forth.

Now its a 31. It MIGHT be a 32 in the next decade, but I think you are misunderstanding how difficult a 33 is to get on the MCAT.

Of course, if the new MCAT is actually easier to get a higher percentile on (if that makes any sense), then what i've said may be totally invalid.

I have gotten a 33 I know just how hard it is to get. All I am saying is that I expect we will see a steady increase in applicant numbers (there will be fluctuations I know) but this increase will results in more people getting high MCAT scores. There will always be the student that gets in with a 28 to an MD school but I simply can't see the numbers staying the same given that I believe we will be seeing more applicants every year.

 

[Gandyy]

I have gotten a 33 I know just how hard it is to get. All I am saying is that I expect we will see a steady increase in applicant numbers (there will be fluctuations I know) but this increase will results in more people getting high MCAT scores. There will always be the student that gets in with a 28 to an MD school but I simply can't see the numbers staying the same given that I believe we will be seeing more applicants every year.

Good job on your MCAT then.

All I'm saying is that I think there is a cap to MCAT scores going up.

 

[Abraxas65]

Good job on your MCAT then.

All I'm saying is that I think there is a cap to MCAT scores going up.

I completely agree with you my belief on MCAT scores going up is completely dependent on my belief that we will be more applicants going forward. If we dont get more applicants or even if the number decreases sharply (as has happened in the past) MCAT scores will stabilize or even decrease.

 

[Bea5T]

Let me tell you something. I remember 6 and half years ago when I was a freshman in college, the average MCAT for MD school admissions was a 30.4. This was the number I heard from our Med school Dean at pre-med meetings etc, by health advisors so forth.

Now its a 31. It MIGHT be a 32 in the next decade, but I think you are misunderstanding how difficult a 33 is to get on the MCAT.

Of course, if the new MCAT is actually easier to get a higher percentile on (if that makes any sense), then what i've said may be totally invalid.

You underestimate how many matriculates get a 32-33. Grab the MSAR and you'll see the median MCAT score for most schools hover around 32-33. These scores aren't as unattainable as you make it seem, many of the schools on the lower end are state schools which restrict who they accept based on location or mission , regardless of their stats. Meanwhile private schools that are on the lower end get 12k+ applications which make it such a crapshoot to get accepted. And of course there's always affirmative action.

 

[Osteopathinthemaking]

D.O. School Stats

Touro-NY: 3.40/30.8 (2013)
Touro-Ca: 3.47/3.40/30.1 (2013)
CCOM: 3.60/3.55/29.4 (2013)
AZCOM: 3.51/3.44/29
DMU: 3.63/3.57/28.3
RVU: 3.63/3.59/28.11
RowanSOM: 3.63/3.55/28 (2013)
UNTHSC-TCOM: 3.60/3.49/28
NYITCOM: 3.6/28 (2013)
MSU: 3.59/28
COMP: 3.58/3.56/28
LECOM-B: 3.53/3.45/28
UNECOM: 3.5+/28
Touro-NV: 3.5/3.4/28
NSU: 3.49/3.40/28 (2013)
PCOM: 3.46/3.37/28 (2012)
KCUMB: 3.63/3.6/27.6
OU-HCOM: 3.65/27.37
MU-COM: 3.62/3.56/27.33
CUSOM: 3.6/3.5/27
KCOM: 3.56/3.47/27 (2013)
LECOM-E/SH: 3.48/3.35/27 (2013)
SOMA: 3.45/3.34/27
PCOM-Ga: ?/27 (2011)
PNWU: 3.45/3.36/26.84
COMP-NW: 3.63/3.58/26.28
OSU-COM: 3.61/3.54/26 (2013)
WCU: 3.5/3.4/26 (2013)
ACOM: 3.4/26 (2013)
VCOM-CC: 3.61/3.55/25 (2011)
VCOM-VC: 3.59/3.52/25 (2011)
LMU: 3.43/3.35/25-26
WVSOM: 3.4/3.4/25 (2013)
KYCOM: 3.5/3.4/24 (2013)
LUCOM: 3.4/24

I called LUCOM just recently and they said their mcat was an avg of 27...hard to believe but disheartening as well

 

[Gandyy]

I called LUCOM just recently and they said their mcat was an avg of 27...hard to believe but disheartening as well

What?! that doesnt seem correct.

 

[Osteopathinthemaking]

What?! that doesnt seem correct.

idk if i was just talking to someone who was having a rough day, but they essentially told me it would be a waste to apply with my 24 not knowing my GPA/EC/LOR

 

[Gandyy]

idk if i was just talking to someone who was having a rough day, but they essentially told me it would be a waste to apply with my 24 not knowing my GPA/EC/LOR

Oh my goodness. Idk, mcat is only 1 part of an application. hopefully your mcat is a 8/8/8. or somewhat balanced

 

[StudyLater]

I called LUCOM just recently and they said their mcat was an avg of 27...hard to believe but disheartening as well

idk if i was just talking to someone who was having a rough day, but they essentially told me it would be a waste to apply with my 24 not knowing my GPA/EC/LOR

You talked to an adcom? Or the person at the admissions information desk?

 

[Osteopathinthemaking]

You talked to an adcom? Or the person at the admissions information desk?

I am fairly certain it was adcom but I will try again this coming week to be sure

 

[StudyLater]

I am fairly certain it was adcom

I think you'd know if you were speaking to an adcom. You'd either have called one of the adcoms directly, or you would have called admissions and asked to be directed to an adcom. If you just started talking to the first person who answered the phone at admissions it's doubtful it was an actual adcom.

And why did you say they were having a bad day?

 

[asdf123g]

D.O. School Stats

Touro-NY: 3.40/30.8 (2013)
Touro-Ca: 3.47/3.40/30.1 (2013)
CCOM: 3.60/3.55/29.4 (2013)
AZCOM: 3.51/3.44/29
DMU: 3.63/3.57/28.3
RVU: 3.63/3.59/28.11
RowanSOM: 3.63/3.55/28 (2013)
UNTHSC-TCOM: 3.60/3.49/28
NYITCOM: 3.6/28 (2013)
MSU: 3.59/28
COMP: 3.58/3.56/28
LECOM-B: 3.53/3.45/28
UNECOM: 3.5+/28
Touro-NV: 3.5/3.4/28
NSU: 3.49/3.40/28 (2013)
PCOM: 3.46/3.37/28 (2012)
KCUMB: 3.63/3.6/27.6
OU-HCOM: 3.65/27.37
MU-COM: 3.62/3.56/27.33
CUSOM: 3.6/3.5/27
KCOM: 3.56/3.47/27 (2013)
LECOM-E/SH: 3.48/3.35/27 (2013)
SOMA: 3.45/3.34/27
PCOM-Ga: ?/27 (2011)
PNWU: 3.45/3.36/26.84
COMP-NW: 3.63/3.58/26.28
OSU-COM: 3.61/3.54/26 (2013)
WCU: 3.5/3.4/26 (2013)
ACOM: 3.4/26 (2013)
VCOM-CC: 3.61/3.55/25 (2011)
VCOM-VC: 3.59/3.52/25 (2011)
LMU: 3.43/3.35/25-26
WVSOM: 3.4/3.4/25 (2013)
KYCOM: 3.5/3.4/24 (2013)
LUCOM: 3.4/24

VCOM-VC's MCAT is slightly above 26. This is am 100% sure of. So I will amend this list.

D.O. School Stats

Touro-NY: 3.40/30.8 (2013)
Touro-Ca: 3.47/3.40/30.1 (2013)
CCOM: 3.60/3.55/29.4 (2013)
AZCOM: 3.51/3.44/29
DMU: 3.63/3.57/28.3
RVU: 3.63/3.59/28.11
RowanSOM: 3.63/3.55/28 (2013)
UNTHSC-TCOM: 3.60/3.49/28
NYITCOM: 3.6/28 (2013)
MSU: 3.59/28
COMP: 3.58/3.56/28
LECOM-B: 3.53/3.45/28
UNECOM: 3.5+/28
Touro-NV: 3.5/3.4/28
NSU: 3.49/3.40/28 (2013)
PCOM: 3.46/3.37/28 (2012)
KCUMB: 3.63/3.6/27.6
OU-HCOM: 3.65/27.37
MU-COM: 3.62/3.56/27.33
CUSOM: 3.6/3.5/27
KCOM: 3.56/3.47/27 (2013)
LECOM-E/SH: 3.48/3.35/27 (2013)
SOMA: 3.45/3.34/27
PCOM-Ga: ?/27 (2011)
PNWU: 3.45/3.36/26.84
COMP-NW: 3.63/3.58/26.28
OSU-COM: 3.61/3.54/26 (2013)
WCU: 3.5/3.4/26 (2013)
ACOM: 3.4/26 (2013)
VCOM-CC: 3.61/3.55/25 (2011)
VCOM-VC: 3.59/3.52/26.X (2014)
LMU: 3.43/3.35/25-26
WVSOM: 3.4/3.4/25 (2013)
KYCOM: 3.5/3.4/24 (2013)
LUCOM: 3.4/24

 

[Stagg737]

D.O. School Stats

Touro-NY: 3.40/30.8 (2013)
Touro-Ca: 3.47/3.40/30.1 (2013)
CCOM: 3.60/3.55/29.4 (2013)
AZCOM: 3.51/3.44/29
DMU: 3.63/3.57/28.3
RVU: 3.63/3.59/28.11
RowanSOM: 3.63/3.55/28 (2013)
UNTHSC-TCOM: 3.60/3.49/28
NYITCOM: 3.6/28 (2013)
MSU: 3.59/28
COMP: 3.58/3.56/28
LECOM-B: 3.53/3.45/28
UNECOM: 3.5+/28
Touro-NV: 3.5/3.4/28
NSU: 3.49/3.40/28 (2013)
PCOM: 3.46/3.37/28 (2012)
KCUMB: 3.63/3.6/27.6
OU-HCOM: 3.65/27.37
MU-COM: 3.62/3.56/27.33
CUSOM: 3.6/3.5/27
KCOM: 3.56/3.47/27 (2013)
LECOM-E/SH: 3.48/3.35/27 (2013)
SOMA: 3.45/3.34/27
PCOM-Ga: ?/27 (2011)
PNWU: 3.45/3.36/26.84
COMP-NW: 3.63/3.58/26.28
OSU-COM: 3.61/3.54/26 (2013)
WCU: 3.5/3.4/26 (2013)
ACOM: 3.4/26 (2013)
VCOM-CC: 3.61/3.55/25 (2011)
VCOM-VC: 3.59/3.52/25 (2011)
LMU: 3.43/3.35/25-26
WVSOM: 3.4/3.4/25 (2013)
KYCOM: 3.5/3.4/24 (2013)
LUCOM: 3.4/24

Some of those numbers are already very out of date. I can tell you the stats for KCU(mb)'s class coming in this fall has almost 3.7 for the GPA and over 29 average for the MCAT. I wouldn't be surprised to see similar improvements at some of the other high performing schools as well.

KCUMB's cutoffs are silly. They are willing to accept people that barely meet each cutoff while rejecting people that are stellar overall, but just barely miss one of the cutoffs.

example:
3.4/3.3/25- interview
3.6/3.2/34- rejected with no secondary

They're a 'hard' cutoff. I was sub-3.25 for my undergrad GPA and am an M1 now, so I'm guessing there are some (maybe rare) exceptions. Plus part of it has to do with when they applied. The incoming class was completely full by November as the school had received over 4,000 applications at that point (6,500+ altogether). So it's pretty obvious why someone that has a 3.6/3.7/36 MCAT and applies in February wouldn't get in. Besides, when you get that many applications you have to set up some kind of screening process. We just get enough people with those high stats applying early that missing out on one or two of the previously described applicants is nbd.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

COMP-NW: 3.63/3.58/26.28

This average is pretty far off. It's 3.55/3.5/28

http://prospective.westernu.edu/osteopathic-nw/competitive-16/

 

[user3]

Some of those numbers are already very out of date. I can tell you the stats for KCU(mb)'s class coming in this fall has almost 3.7 for the GPA and over 29 average for the MCAT. I wouldn't be surprised to see similar improvements at some of the other high performing schools as well.



They're a 'hard' cutoff. I was sub-3.25 for my undergrad GPA and am an M1 now, so I'm guessing there are some (maybe rare) exceptions. Plus part of it has to do with when they applied. The incoming class was completely full by November as the school had received over 4,000 applications at that point (6,500+ altogether). So it's pretty obvious why someone that has a 3.6/3.7/36 MCAT and applies in February wouldn't get in. Besides, when you get that many applications you have to set up some kind of screening process. We just get enough people with those high stats applying early that missing out on one or two of the previously described applicants is nbd.

If there need to be some strict screens for the applicant pool, why not tilt it more towards MCAT score? I'm not a fan of schools accepting so many people with <27's when they don't need to (6k apps?), but I guess I don't make the rules. I find screening at 27 more reasonable than 3.25/3.25, but thats just my opinion.

 

[Gandyy]

If think a 3.0/27 screen would be a better idea. I'm not a fan of schools accepting so many people with <27 MCAT's when they don't need to (6k apps?), but I guess I don't make the rules.

Whoa, a 27 MCAT is pretty high for someone with a 3.0. It should be more like 3.3 cgpa or higher and a 24 MCAT.

 

[user3]

Whoa, a 27 MCAT is pretty high for someone with a 3.0. It should be more like 3.3 cgpa or higher and a 24 MCAT.

so consider somebody with a 3.3/24 but reject with a 3.2/45?

rather than a strict (3.25) GPA-screen, I would prefer a strict MCAT screen if the applicant pool really does need trimming.

 

[Gandyy]

so consider somebody with a 3.3/24 but reject with a 3.2/45?

rather than a strict (3.25) GPA-screen, I would prefer a strict MCAT screen if the applicant pool really does need trimming.

I mean you could say the same about your cut off at a 3.0/27. Someone with a 2.99 would get cut off with a 45 too.

I dont think screening applicants at the average MCAT for DO matriculants is a good idea though.

 

[Stagg737]

If think a 3.0/27 screen would be a better idea. I'm not a fan of schools accepting so many people with <27 MCAT's when they don't need to (6k apps?), but I guess I don't make the rules.

I guess it depends what you're trying to screen for. Supposedly the MCAT score correlates with board scores, but GPA correlates with success in the classroom. If someone could only manage to average a B in undergrad, they may struggle just to pass in med school. I know with our new curriculum, there are people that had 3.8s in undergrad and are thrilled to get an 80% on a test. Judging by the fact that next year's M1s have a 29 MCAT average, I think our admissions office really wants people to have over a 26, even if the hard cutoff is a 24.

Another thing to think about is the type of people that get high GPAs vs. high MCATs. Getting a high GPA says you can consistently perform at a higher level for several years. Since med school/residency is a long haul, a school will want someone that can keep their performance at a high level. The MCAT is something you can bust your ass for a few months on and kill it. That might not translate well if someone can't work hard for 4 years.

And yes, the incoming class had around 6,500 applicants and from what adcoms have told us no one that interviewed after October was accepted (there were over 4,000 applicants at that point). Heck, our Bioscience program had over 900 applicants this year. When you've got that many people applying early, I'd rather take someone that had a 3.3/28 MCAT and wants to be here than someone with a 3.5/36MCAT that applies in Jan/Feb and looked at the school as a back-up.

Whoa, a 27 MCAT is pretty high for someone with a 3.0. It should be more like 3.3 cgpa or higher and a 24 MCAT.

KCU is a 3.25/24 cutoff, so basically what you mentioned.

 

[Gandyy]

I guess it depends what you're trying to screen for. Supposedly the MCAT score correlates with board scores, but GPA correlates with success in the classroom. If someone could only manage to average a B in undergrad, they may struggle just to pass in med school. I know with our new curriculum, there are people that had 3.8s in undergrad and are thrilled to get an 80% on a test. Judging by the fact that next year's M1s have a 29 MCAT average, I think our admissions office really wants people to have over a 26, even if the hard cutoff is a 24.

Another thing to think about is the type of people that get high GPAs vs. high MCATs. Getting a high GPA says you can consistently perform at a higher level for several years. Since med school/residency is a long haul, a school will want someone that can keep their performance at a high level. The MCAT is something you can bust your ass for a few months on and kill it. That might not translate well if someone can't work hard for 4 years.

And yes, the incoming class had around 6,500 applicants and from what adcoms have told us no one that interviewed after October was accepted (there were over 4,000 applicants at that point). Heck, our Bioscience program had over 900 applicants this year. When you've got that many people applying early, I'd rather take someone that had a 3.3/28 MCAT and wants to be here than someone with a 3.5/36MCAT that applies in Jan/Feb and looked at the school as a back-up.



KCU is a 3.25/24 cutoff, so basically what you mentioned.

lol wow i was almost right on target.

 

[user3]

I mean you could say the same about your cut off at a 3.0/27. Someone with a 2.99 would get cut off with a 45 too.

I dont think screening applicants at the average MCAT for DO matriculants is a good idea though.

KCUMB (as well as some other schools) have strong enough applicant pools to potentially allow this. There were rumors that AZCOM even had an unofficial cutoff of 29 this year.

I guess it depends what you're trying to screen for. Supposedly the MCAT score correlates with board scores, but GPA correlates with success in the classroom. If someone could only manage to average a B in undergrad, they may struggle just to pass in med school. I know with our new curriculum, there are people that had 3.8s in undergrad and are thrilled to get an 80% on a test. Judging by the fact that next year's M1s have a 29 MCAT average, I think our admissions office really wants people to have over a 26, even if the hard cutoff is a 24.

Another thing to think about is the type of people that get high GPAs vs. high MCATs. Getting a high GPA says you can consistently perform at a higher level for several years. Since med school/residency is a long haul, a school will want someone that can keep their performance at a high level. The MCAT is something you can bust your ass for a few months on and kill it. That might not translate well if someone can't work hard for 4 years.

And yes, the incoming class had around 6,500 applicants and from what adcoms have told us no one that interviewed after October was accepted (there were over 4,000 applicants at that point). Heck, our Bioscience program had over 900 applicants this year. When you've got that many people applying early, I'd rather take someone that had a 3.3/28 MCAT and wants to be here than someone with a 3.5/36MCAT that applies in Jan/Feb and looked at the school as a back-up.



KCU is a 3.25/24 cutoff, so basically what you mentioned.

Edited my original post.

When it comes down to it, I just think it hurts schools' image to accept so many people with <27 MCAT's. DO schools may not have the option of selecting people that are strong in each category, but I really feel that sacrificing GPA's somewhat, to have a higher MCAT average (i.e. Touro-Cali) is the lesser of two evils than vice versa-- and still allows schools to select from more than enough people who will perform well. I feel that lower MCAT's do more harm to the perception of a school's selectivity than lower GPA's. And ultimately, perception of selectivity does matter.

as for the bolded, I hope you aren't serious. It's easy for someone to say they would "die" to attend some school when their qualifications for such school are mediocre. The goal of any school should be select the BEST possible class-- whether it is the person's first choice or backup should be borderline irrelevant, as long as they would be at least be interested in attending the school.

 

[Osteopathinthemaking]

I think you'd know if you were speaking to an adcom. You'd either have called one of the adcoms directly, or you would have called admissions and asked to be directed to an adcom. If you just started talking to the first person who answered the phone at admissions it's doubtful it was an actual adcom.

And why did you say they were having a bad day?

I was saying they were having a rough day as in they were being harsh but I was just joking around and Ill call again and make sure I ask for adcom

 

[Stagg737]

When it comes down to it, I just think it hurts schools' image to accept so many people with <27 MCAT's. DO schools may not have the option of selecting people that are strong in each category, but I really feel that sacrificing GPA's somewhat, to have a higher MCAT average (i.e. Touro-Cali) is the lesser of two evils than vice versa-- and still allows schools to select from more than enough people who will perform well. I feel that lower MCAT's do more harm to the perception of a school's selectivity than lower GPA's. And ultimately, perception of selectivity does matter.

as for the bolded, I hope you aren't serious. It's easy for someone to say they would "die" to attend some school when their qualifications for such school are mediocre. The goal of any school should be select the BEST possible class-- whether it is the person's first choice or backup is borderline irrelevant, as long as they would be at least be interested in attending the school.

Although unfortunate, I agree that the perception matters in terms of the pre-med statistics. I tried to ignore that for the most part when I applied and instead looked at board scores, pass rates, and to a lesser extent residency placement in terms of where I wanted to attend. I didn't care about GPA and MCAT other than in determining if I had a shot at getting accepted. I'll also say that I was more intimidated by schools where my GPA was sub-par than my MCAT, but that may just be me as my undergrad GPA was pretty bad. I'd say it also depends on a school's mission. I'm sure places like TCOM and Ohio are more concerned about graduating classes where a large percent will stay in state, not necessarily taking people with high scores. Same principle that schools like UNM, UWash, or Meharry have. The stats don't particularly matter, the mission does.

Addressing the previously bolded (and yours), I wasn't talking about strong applicants that see a specific school as a back-up. I'd be lying if I didn't say that my school started out as a back-up. You can still apply in July, get accepted, and leave if you'd rather be somewhere else though. I'm talking about those applicants that apply MD, get rejected everywhere, and decide to apply to 'lowly DO schools' when they realize their only options are going DO or having to wait another year and tell people they were rejected. It might not be overly common, but I've met my fair share of people who fit into that category. While I think it's obvious that everyone wants to take the best candidates possible, there's obviously more to it than just the numbers. Personally, I don't particularly want to work with physicians who equate D.O. as being lesser than M.D. And that's doubly true if the letters behind their name are D.O.

 

[PhillyBoy22]

.

 

[radkat101]

Although unfortunate, I agree that the perception matters in terms of the pre-med statistics. I tried to ignore that for the most part when I applied and instead looked at board scores, pass rates, and to a lesser extent residency placement in terms of where I wanted to attend. I didn't care about GPA and MCAT other than in determining if I had a shot at getting accepted. I'll also say that I was more intimidated by schools where my GPA was sub-par than my MCAT, but that may just be me as my undergrad GPA was pretty bad. I'd say it also depends on a school's mission. I'm sure places like TCOM and Ohio are more concerned about graduating classes where a large percent will stay in state, not necessarily taking people with high scores. Same principle that schools like UNM, UWash, or Meharry have. The stats don't particularly matter, the mission does.

I really think most D.O. schools are still very serious about having high stats whether they admit it or not. Texas releases pretty extensive statistics for all the schools, and this year TCOM's averages for "offers extended" were a 3.77 and 30.2. The number of offers is about twice the size of the class. That GPA average is even higher than the "offers" avg. of some of the MD schools in Texas, and the MCAT is about the same. While I'm sure you are right about them wanting to keep people in state, they really seem to take stats more seriously than anything else.

 

[AlteredScale]

I guess it depends what you're trying to screen for. Supposedly the MCAT score correlates with board scores, but GPA correlates with success in the classroom. If someone could only manage to average a B in undergrad, they may struggle just to pass in med school. I know with our new curriculum, there are people that had 3.8s in undergrad and are thrilled to get an 80% on a test. Judging by the fact that next year's M1s have a 29 MCAT average, I think our admissions office really wants people to have over a 26, even if the hard cutoff is a 24.

Another thing to think about is the type of people that get high GPAs vs. high MCATs. Getting a high GPA says you can consistently perform at a higher level for several years. Since med school/residency is a long haul, a school will want someone that can keep their performance at a high level. The MCAT is something you can bust your ass for a few months on and kill it. That might not translate well if someone can't work hard for 4 years.

And yes, the incoming class had around 6,500 applicants and from what adcoms have told us no one that interviewed after October was accepted (there were over 4,000 applicants at that point). Heck, our Bioscience program had over 900 applicants this year. When you've got that many people applying early, I'd rather take someone that had a 3.3/28 MCAT and wants to be here than someone with a 3.5/36MCAT that applies in Jan/Feb and looked at the school as a back-up.



KCU is a 3.25/24 cutoff, so basically what you mentioned.

I've always wondered if KCU has such a stringent cutoff system for their GPA in order to keep their average matriculation stats at a certain level. It seemed for the last cycle that those with 30+ MCAT's were not even offered a secondary if they had a GPA below 3.25.

 

[Stagg737]

I really think most D.O. schools are still very serious about having high stats whether they admit it or not. Texas releases pretty extensive statistics for all the schools, and this year TCOM's averages for "offers extended" were a 3.77 and 30.2. The number of offers is about twice the size of the class. That GPA average is even higher than the "offers" avg. of some of the MD schools in Texas, and the MCAT is about the same. While I'm sure you are right about them wanting to keep people in state, they really seem to take stats more seriously than anything else.

I think so too, I'm just saying that some schools put their mission before their stats. There's a reason why schools like Meharry and North Dakota have ridiculously low averages, and I'm sure it's not because people with mid-20's MCATs are the only ones who apply.

I've always wondered if KCU has such a stringent cutoff system for their GPA in order to keep their average matriculation stats at a certain level. It seemed for the last cycle that those with 30+ MCAT's were not even offered a secondary if they had a GPA below 3.25.

I'm not sure about that. I know my undergrad GPA was around a 3.2, but I also had a 3.8 in a master's program which I'm sure played a major factor since it was brought up in my interview. With the number of applicants we had though I wouldn't be surprised to hear if there are very few or no exceptions.

 

[AlteredScale]

I think so too, I'm just saying that some schools put their mission before their stats. There's a reason why schools like Meharry and North Dakota have ridiculously low averages, and I'm sure it's not because people with mid-20's MCATs are the only ones who apply.



I'm not sure about that. I know my undergrad GPA was around a 3.2, but I also had a 3.8 in a master's program which I'm sure played a major factor since it was brought up in my interview. With the number of applicants we had though I wouldn't be surprised to hear if there are very few or no exceptions.

You think the spike in the MCAT average had anything to do with Dr. Dubin coming in?