Reapply, Masters or DO?

[tay409tay]

Hello,
I'm a FL resident, I graduated in 2018 with a GPA 3.69 and science 3.52. I applied pretty late to MDs and DOs, I got 2 interviews at LECOM Bradenton (accepted) and Touro Nevada (next week). I have also been accepted to a masters program. I'm not in love with the LECOM curriculum or the school in general. I believe my application is generally lacking in volunteering, science research and the fact that I applied pretty late. I would prefer MD over DO, but I am fine with going DO. Should I go to LECOM? I think I'm leaning towards reapplying next year and aiming for MD. Do you think I would benefit from getting a masters in that time (could also do research and volunteering) or find a job in research? Thanks for any advice!

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[Faha]

What was your MCAT score ? What are your EC's ? A Masters will not help you with a MD application. When did you complete your secondaries for MD schools ?

 

[tay409tay]

510.
2500 hrs working EMT
600 hrs psych research
700 hrs volunteer in ED and hospice
1200 hrs leadership roles on clubs/teams
250 hrs peace corps campus ambassador
800 hrs in human resources
800 hrs office work
Applications were sent in between Sep-Dec 2018.

 

[esob]

Unless you have a bunch of in-state schools that heavily favor residents, your application is not great for MD, and will be worse next cycle, as the MCAT averages continue to go up. I applied to all of the low-tier MD schools with a similar OOS stats as you (was different for in-state because of academic fresh start), and probably better EC's (veteran, research at a top med school, more paid healthcare hrs, etc) and got no OOS interviews, and I applied early. Getting into a private/OOS MD school with your stats is possible, but it's by no means a walk in the park. If you have an acceptance in hand, I suggest you take it, or plan on retaking the MCAT b/c the MCAT average goes up typically 1 or 2 points every cycle.

Conversely, if you would like to be a DO, I think you could do better than LECOM with your stats if you can get a solid DO LOR and make a compelling "why DO" statement.

 

[Goro]

Hello,
I'm a FL resident, I graduated in 2018 with a GPA 3.69 and science 3.52. I applied pretty late to MDs and DOs, I got 2 interviews at LECOM Bradenton (accepted) and Touro Nevada (next week). I have also been accepted to a masters program. I'm not in love with the LECOM curriculum or the school in general. I believe my application is generally lacking in volunteering, science research and the fact that I applied pretty late. I would prefer MD over DO, but I am fine with going DO. Should I go to LECOM? I think I'm leaning towards reapplying next year and aiming for MD. Do you think I would benefit from getting a masters in that time (could also do research and volunteering) or find a job in research? Thanks for any advice!

If you couldn't get any love from the Florida schools with the app you have(which is a very fine app), then you are in no position to turn down an acceptance.

Unless you would absolutely hate the idea of being at LECOM for the next four year

You better roll the dice and hope you can wow them at Touro Nevada.

 

[Isoval]

I think you are in a poor position to turn down an acceptance. It sounds like your numbers barred you out more than anything else, and there’s no guarantee that a) it’s fixable or b) that they’ll be viewed different on a different application cycle. Applying late didn’t help your case, but an early application won’t have a massive impact on your application like I feel is implied.

I agree with Goro that I think you have an otherwise great application. Which is exactly why I can’t recommend you turning down an acceptance. I would only ever recommend turning down an acceptance if there is a known reason you didn’t get into another school(s) and that reason can be a guaranteed fix such as lack of volunteer experience and you are willing to face the risk of never becoming a doctor or pushing your dreams back decades.

Cross your fingers at TouroNV and hope for the best.

 

[MedApplicant.com]

You got accepted to a US based Medical School! Congratulations! IMHO you need to flip your thinking a bit. Does LECOM get a bad rap? Yes, a bit. Will you be a doctor in 4 years? Yes! Will you incur more debt going for a Masters? Probably. Will you put off your dream of being a doctor by at least a year by not accepting this? Yes! I would think long and hard about not taking this acceptance. In the end ,my students usually take a DO seat compared to no seat. They take an MD over DO and they generally reapply before going to the Caribbean. DO SCHOOLS ARE NOT SECOND RATE AND SHOULD NEVER BE PUT IN THE SAME CLASS AS OVERSEES CHOICES! Now your particular DO school does have a bit of a bad rap, but nothing horrific. You are still gonna be a licensed physician in the end. I suggest you take it and get moving on being a doctor.