Hello everyone,
I was wondering if I could get some general advice on my situation. I have a number of conundrums. Any constructive advice is most welcome. Thank you!
My Stats:
B.S. in Biology from University of Wisconsin Madison (2017)
Certificate (Minor) in Classical and Near Eastern Studies
UW Madison Overall GPA 3.50
Undergraduate Science GPA: 2.88 (This is overall low because I transferred from another institution after doing very poorly my freshman year).
Graduate Certificate in Medical Physiology from the University of Florida (Will be complete in May 2019).
MCAT: 503 (CARS 125, CHEM/PHY 125, BIO 126, PSYCH/SOC 127).
Have shadowed 2 DO physicians (working on shadowing #3), and have received a letter of recommendation from one.
Some volunteer experience.
I've applied to many DO schools in the Fall of 2018. There were some rejection letters, but I haven't heard back from the majority of them. This late in the cycle, I'm assuming I won't be accepted into the Class of 2019. Therefore, I've planned a contingency plan of how to enter the Class of 2020. I've applied and been accepted to LECOM Erie's MMS (formerly Post-Bach Certificate) program that has a conditional acceptance component where if you get an interview after passing all of the Fall semester courses and if you get at least a 497 MCAT (doesn't apply), a 3.2 GPA, and go through the interview process, you will be eligible to enter the DO Class of 2020. There is also the OSU COM's guaranteed acceptance program where you are interviewed and if you get at least a 3.0 GPA and appropriate MCAT score, you are allowed to enter the DO class the following year.
I know that the weakest aspect of my application is my Undergrad Science GPA, which is low because I was originally a Physics major at another institution and did very poorly, which brought this overall GPA down (this was 7 years ago, and I have proved myself with my Biology grades. I've had straight A's in the last two years of undergraduate. I'm also enrolled in a Graduate Certificate in Medical Physiology currently and it will be complete in May of this year (2019). I'm definitely planning on getting straight A's here as well.
I'm planning on going to medical school through the Air Force. I've was going to join as an officer regardless if I went to medical school or not, but I feel strongly passionate about medicine as well as serving my country. I've passed all of the screenings, background checks, medicals, letters of recommendation, etc. needed to join, the only thing I still need is an acceptance letter from a medical school. I understand all of the aspects and challenges of this path, I'm mentioning this because it's relevant for the logistics and timelines of school.
Because of my situation, I've decided to take a post-bach, MMS program in order to become a more competitive applicant. As long as I was doing this, I decided to choose a program in which there was some sort of conditionally guaranteed acceptance. I've had the chance to visit OSU COM and attend an info session there. I really loved the environment, facilities, and faculty there. Everyone was very open and kind, something I honestly didn't quite expect. At this info session, I learned that there was a conditionally guaranteed acceptance into the DO program; a Graduate Certificate that was only around 18 credits, but it spanned 3 different semesters. I have applied to this program and I am fairly confident that I will be accepted to this program as well. My goal is to get into a medical program as soon as possible and compared with the LECOM program, this would delay my admittance into the Air Force as well as delaying my training by an entire year. So overall, it boils down to OSU COM vs LECOM.
LECOM Pros for me:
-I will have the chance to get an acceptance letter earlier and consequently swear-in as an officer much sooner.
-LECOM has a campus in Bradenton, FL, which to me means great weather and no more gross Wisconsin climate with -20 F temps. This also means me and my wife could grow our tropical plants outside and actually do outdoor activities year-round (this is actually one of the biggest factors for me). Medical school is stressful, the ability to make the most of downtime time is critical.
-The semesters are more compact and organized. The program isn't new by any means.
-Great board scores.
-My wife would be able to find a job very easily in LECOM's locations.
LEOM Cons for me:
-I hear that the faculty is terrible and I've heard that students are frequently mistreated...(is this true or is this blown up out of proportion?) From my experience, the admissions staff at Erie are very pleasant and competent. I had the exact opposite experience from the admissions staff at Bradenton.
-I still don't quite understand PBL. However, I do learn my best with self-study, which I know is important and apparently prepares you better for the clinical setting.
-I heard that the interviews are more stressful and less positive than OSU COM.
OSU COM Pros for me:
-I really like the staff and the facility. The interviews are apparently very relaxed and easy-going.
-They have a simulation center and amazing OMM laboratory.
-Lectures are recorded and available online.
-It will be easy to get good grades when only taking 1-2 classes a semester for 3 semesters...Pro/Con
OSU COM Cons for me:
-This post-bach certificate averages like 5-6 credits per semester and I really want to focus only on school, this kind of prevents me from being fully immersed and focused.
-This would delay my training and swearing in by a considerable amount of time.
-I like parts of Tulsa, but some parts are not the best area to live in, especially near campus.
-Oklahoma, while warmer, isn't much of a paradise in the Winter, while Florida remains one year-round. (This is coming from someone who's sick of Wisconsin 8 month winters).
Suggestions on what to do? I know the obvious choice might be to pick a school where I would have the highest quality of education, but I'm not sure how much this will vary between the schools. Also, residency, tuition, and aspects of the clinical rotations are somewhat irrelevant when doing the program through the military. Also, since I really have a strong affinity towards going to school in Florida, another option that I am considering applying to the Nova DO program this May (2019) after my graduate certificate ends. I'm concerned though because I don't know how competitive I will be, even if I apply right away.
Sorry for rambling for a while, I thought it was best to include as many details as possible.
Thanks!
I was wondering if I could get some general advice on my situation. I have a number of conundrums. Any constructive advice is most welcome. Thank you!
My Stats:
B.S. in Biology from University of Wisconsin Madison (2017)
Certificate (Minor) in Classical and Near Eastern Studies
UW Madison Overall GPA 3.50
Undergraduate Science GPA: 2.88 (This is overall low because I transferred from another institution after doing very poorly my freshman year).
Graduate Certificate in Medical Physiology from the University of Florida (Will be complete in May 2019).
MCAT: 503 (CARS 125, CHEM/PHY 125, BIO 126, PSYCH/SOC 127).
Have shadowed 2 DO physicians (working on shadowing #3), and have received a letter of recommendation from one.
Some volunteer experience.
I've applied to many DO schools in the Fall of 2018. There were some rejection letters, but I haven't heard back from the majority of them. This late in the cycle, I'm assuming I won't be accepted into the Class of 2019. Therefore, I've planned a contingency plan of how to enter the Class of 2020. I've applied and been accepted to LECOM Erie's MMS (formerly Post-Bach Certificate) program that has a conditional acceptance component where if you get an interview after passing all of the Fall semester courses and if you get at least a 497 MCAT (doesn't apply), a 3.2 GPA, and go through the interview process, you will be eligible to enter the DO Class of 2020. There is also the OSU COM's guaranteed acceptance program where you are interviewed and if you get at least a 3.0 GPA and appropriate MCAT score, you are allowed to enter the DO class the following year.
I know that the weakest aspect of my application is my Undergrad Science GPA, which is low because I was originally a Physics major at another institution and did very poorly, which brought this overall GPA down (this was 7 years ago, and I have proved myself with my Biology grades. I've had straight A's in the last two years of undergraduate. I'm also enrolled in a Graduate Certificate in Medical Physiology currently and it will be complete in May of this year (2019). I'm definitely planning on getting straight A's here as well.
I'm planning on going to medical school through the Air Force. I've was going to join as an officer regardless if I went to medical school or not, but I feel strongly passionate about medicine as well as serving my country. I've passed all of the screenings, background checks, medicals, letters of recommendation, etc. needed to join, the only thing I still need is an acceptance letter from a medical school. I understand all of the aspects and challenges of this path, I'm mentioning this because it's relevant for the logistics and timelines of school.
Because of my situation, I've decided to take a post-bach, MMS program in order to become a more competitive applicant. As long as I was doing this, I decided to choose a program in which there was some sort of conditionally guaranteed acceptance. I've had the chance to visit OSU COM and attend an info session there. I really loved the environment, facilities, and faculty there. Everyone was very open and kind, something I honestly didn't quite expect. At this info session, I learned that there was a conditionally guaranteed acceptance into the DO program; a Graduate Certificate that was only around 18 credits, but it spanned 3 different semesters. I have applied to this program and I am fairly confident that I will be accepted to this program as well. My goal is to get into a medical program as soon as possible and compared with the LECOM program, this would delay my admittance into the Air Force as well as delaying my training by an entire year. So overall, it boils down to OSU COM vs LECOM.
LECOM Pros for me:
-I will have the chance to get an acceptance letter earlier and consequently swear-in as an officer much sooner.
-LECOM has a campus in Bradenton, FL, which to me means great weather and no more gross Wisconsin climate with -20 F temps. This also means me and my wife could grow our tropical plants outside and actually do outdoor activities year-round (this is actually one of the biggest factors for me). Medical school is stressful, the ability to make the most of downtime time is critical.
-The semesters are more compact and organized. The program isn't new by any means.
-Great board scores.
-My wife would be able to find a job very easily in LECOM's locations.
LEOM Cons for me:
-I hear that the faculty is terrible and I've heard that students are frequently mistreated...(is this true or is this blown up out of proportion?) From my experience, the admissions staff at Erie are very pleasant and competent. I had the exact opposite experience from the admissions staff at Bradenton.
-I still don't quite understand PBL. However, I do learn my best with self-study, which I know is important and apparently prepares you better for the clinical setting.
-I heard that the interviews are more stressful and less positive than OSU COM.
OSU COM Pros for me:
-I really like the staff and the facility. The interviews are apparently very relaxed and easy-going.
-They have a simulation center and amazing OMM laboratory.
-Lectures are recorded and available online.
-It will be easy to get good grades when only taking 1-2 classes a semester for 3 semesters...Pro/Con
OSU COM Cons for me:
-This post-bach certificate averages like 5-6 credits per semester and I really want to focus only on school, this kind of prevents me from being fully immersed and focused.
-This would delay my training and swearing in by a considerable amount of time.
-I like parts of Tulsa, but some parts are not the best area to live in, especially near campus.
-Oklahoma, while warmer, isn't much of a paradise in the Winter, while Florida remains one year-round. (This is coming from someone who's sick of Wisconsin 8 month winters).
Suggestions on what to do? I know the obvious choice might be to pick a school where I would have the highest quality of education, but I'm not sure how much this will vary between the schools. Also, residency, tuition, and aspects of the clinical rotations are somewhat irrelevant when doing the program through the military. Also, since I really have a strong affinity towards going to school in Florida, another option that I am considering applying to the Nova DO program this May (2019) after my graduate certificate ends. I'm concerned though because I don't know how competitive I will be, even if I apply right away.
Sorry for rambling for a while, I thought it was best to include as many details as possible.
Thanks!
