Number of Osteopathic Applicants

[CoomassieBlue57]

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I'm sure there are many of you (like myself) still waiting to hear back after submitting secondaries, so I thought I would occupy myself by bringing up the topic about the number of applicants this year. I've called every school I have't heard back from, and the overwhelming consensus is that there are far more applicants than most schools expected this year. I know some schools can possibly hit a 50% increase by the end of the application cycle (established schools that had 4-6k applicants last year). I was talking with my family about this, and they noticed several years ago that the 1990-1994 birth years had a large increase in grade school/high school numbers than previously observed. It then tapered off after the 1994 birth years and has steadily increased as expected.

My point: It is a difficult time to be applying to medical school with the sheer numbers. For those accepted, you should be proud of your accomplishment. And for those still waiting, remain hopeful, but don't get discouraged. This application cycle has been abnormally difficult with the change in the MCAT, the new AACOMAS system, the number of applicants, and the competeition between applicants

 

[Mad Jack]

I'm sure there are many of you (like myself) still waiting to hear back after submitting secondaries, so I thought I would occupy myself by bringing up the topic about the number of applicants this year. I've called every school I have't heard back from, and the overwhelming consensus is that there are far more applicants than most schools expected this year. I know some schools can possibly hit a 50% increase by the end of the application cycle (established schools that had 4-6k applicants last year). I was talking with my family about this, and they noticed several years ago that the 1990-1994 birth years had a large increase in grade school/high school numbers than previously observed. It then tapered off after the 1994 birth years and has steadily increased as expected.

My point: It is a difficult time to be applying to medical school with the sheer numbers. For those accepted, you should be proud of your accomplishment. And for those still waiting, remain hopeful, but don't get discouraged. This application cycle has been abnormally difficult with the change in the MCAT, the new AACOMAS system, the number of applicants, and the competeition between applicants

There's also more nontrads than ever applying. Back in the day, they were heavily discouraged. I had a coworker that was 30 back in the 80s and his advisor told him, "You're too old, don't even bother applying."

 

[Poro]

Definitely consider myself lucky.

What has changed a lot is the support system and information exchange between people. It has become more and more common for people to take time off. Merger prob also makes do more attractive.

 

[FBurnaby]

This is an interesting point, I would imagine the economic recession still have a lingering effect. But it's funny that when I tell family/friends about going to med school, many have the idea that's it's easier than ever because of the PCP shortage or new schools they hear opening up.

 

[Goro]

DO is becoming more and more acceptable to kids looking to get into MD schools. We're seeing tons more MD caliber applicants and acceptees.

My school received well >5K apps last year and we'll probably go >6K this year.

 

[jaymac25]

DO is becoming more and more acceptable to kids looking to get into MD schools. We're seeing tons more MD caliber applicants and acceptees.

My school received well >5K apps last year and we'll probably go >6K this year.

I also agree that the quality of applicants has moved closer to the MD counterparts.
Do you think your school was prepared for this increase in the amount of applicants? I feel some schools have handled it well while others have started falling behind.

 

[mathnerd88]

DO is becoming more and more acceptable to kids looking to get into MD schools. We're seeing tons more MD caliber applicants and acceptees.

My school received well >5K apps last year and we'll probably go >6K this year.

Won't that boost the stats for DO schools across the board significantly this year? Instead of 3.4/26-27 GPA average, it would be closer to 3.7/30 MCAT right?

 

[Goro]

I haven't heard our wily old Admissions dean complain yet!

I also agree that the quality of applicants has moved closer to the MD counterparts.
Do you think your school was prepared for this increase in the amount of applicants? I feel some schools have handled it well while others have started falling behind.

It will boost stats, but 3.7/30? That's pretty much the MD average right now! Just off the top of my head, I'd wager on 3.5/27-28 being the average pretty soon.

The top DO schools in terms of stats (the coastal Touros, CCOM, AZCOM, Western) are hovering right around LizzyM medians of ~65+, which overlaps some MD schools (off the top of my head: CNU, Drexel, Mercer, LSU, U KS, U AR and others...I don't feel like browsing throw MSAR right now to check but I'll bet some SDNer has these numbers handy).

Won't that boost the stats for DO schools across the board significantly this year? Instead of 3.4/26-27 GPA average, it would be closer to 3.7/30 MCAT right?

 

[Supernatural17]

I was wondering if the scramble to take the old MCAT had anything to do with the increase in applicants ?

 

[yeasureyoubetcha]

I was wondering if the scramble to take the old MCAT had anything to do with the increases in applicants ?

Could also have had something to do with the fact that students may have assumed there would be a little leeway with interpretation of the new MCAT scores for this admissions cycle.

 

[Supernatural17]

Could also have had something to do with the fact that students may have assumed there would be a little leeway with interpretation of the new MCAT scores for this admissions cycle.

That's a good point as well

 

[TUVIX]

Could also have had something to do with the fact that students may have assumed there would be a little leeway with interpretation of the new MCAT scores for this admissions cycle.

I was wondering if some schools are trying to accept half new and half old MCAT so they can compare the performance of the same class... It would make sense.

 

[arc5005]

I haven't heard our wily old Admissions dean complain yet!




It will boost stats, but 3.7/30? That's pretty much the MD average right now! Just off the top of my head, I'd wager on 3.5/27-28 being the average pretty soon.

The top DO schools in terms of stats (the coastal Touros, CCOM, AZCOM, Western) are hovering right around LizzyM medians of ~65+, which overlaps some MD schools (off the top of my head: CNU, Drexel, Mercer, LSU, U KS, U AR and others...I don't feel like browsing throw MSAR right now to check but I'll bet some SDNer has these numbers handy).

This makes me nervous.

 

[Goro]

We believe that this was indeed the case.

I was wondering if the scramble to take the old MCAT had anything to do with the increase in applicants ?

 

[Bones 2020]

We believe that this was indeed the case.

It was definitely the case for me

 

[Endorphins98]

It was definitely the case for me

Same here. I am so grateful to have been accepted!

 

[mathnerd88]

I dreaded the new MCAT. My score would've most likely decreased, and I scored relatively well on the old one.

However, there is more room for error on the new MCAT, so it may end up being the same. The endurance is longer, and there's more material, but you're allowed more questions wrong before your score takes a hit.

 

[Johnny Appleseed]

At my school everyone is being advised to apply to DO schools regardless of how high their stats are. At our pre-med meetings the few students who only applied MD are strongly regretting it.

 

[cryhavoc]

I scrambled to take the old MCAT. Wish I could have had more than one crack but oh well, we'll see what happens.
'

 

[SpartanWolverine]

DO is becoming more and more acceptable to kids looking to get into MD schools. We're seeing tons more MD caliber applicants and acceptees.

My school received well >5K apps last year and we'll probably go >6K this year.

That's also how it seems to me at my school. Our average applicant age is dropping while stats continue to rise -- and I assume it's at least partially due to DO being more of a "first-line" approach.

We broke 6k just last year and are on track to do so again this year.

 

[Goro]

The times they are a-changin!

That's also how it seems to me at my school. Our average applicant age is dropping while stats continue to rise -- and I assume it's at least partially due to DO being more of a "first-line" approach.

We broke 6k just last year and are on track to do so again this year.

 

[Seth Joo]

There are two big reasons for the increase in applications:
1) Premeds are realizing the DO degree is a perfect alternative to the MD.
2) The bad economy, many people are not finding jobs fresh out of undergrad, seven years after the GFC, the supposed "recovery" people are still struggling to find good jobs with undergraduate degrees so many people are opting to go to graduate school. Many of my classmates in DO school had jobs that did not even require undergraduate degrees, I was one of the few in my class who had a real white collar job before starting school.

 

[TUVIX]

There are two big reasons for the increase in applications:
1) Premeds are realizing the DO degree is a perfect alternative to the MD.
2) The bad economy, many people are not finding jobs fresh out of undergrad, seven years after the GFC, the supposed "recovery" people are still struggling to find good jobs with undergraduate degrees so many people are opting to go to graduate school.

#2 always seems strange to me since you don't really just decide to go to medical school. It's such a long process to get to the point of applying for most people. I guess this is probably still true though in a more drawn out way.

 

[Seth Joo]

#2 always seems strange to me since you don't really just decide to go to medical school. It's such a long process to get to the point of applying for most people. I guess this is probably still true though in a more drawn out way.

I actually looked at my university's career services website and their class career plans data, a lot more people decided to go to graduate school for the class of 2015 compared to my graduating class and far fewer people went straight to the workforce. There was a dramatic upward trend in people going to grad school and big downward trend in people going into full time jobs after graduation, its not surprising given how the job market has been post 2008 for people with only undergraduate degrees.

A good number of people in my school were working before attending medical school and many were employed in jobs that did not require a college degree, so yes one of the reasons why you see more people applying to DO schools and other graduate programs is the bleak job outlook for people with only undergraduate degrees.

If an economy like the one that existed in the late 1990s came back I think applications to most graduate schools including DO schools would drop substantially but those days are never going to return so admissions people at DO schools have no reason to worry.

I think the average accepted student to a DO school is going to be around a 3.5 with a 27-28 MCAT, and for other Health Professions it will be even higher, Dental schools for example are even harder to get into, there was a time that Dental schools used to admit failed medical students, the average accepted GPA at some of the better Dental schools is around a 3.7.