Should I apply to DO school?

[HussainGQ]

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1.Hey.......I am thinking about applying to DO school, but the thing is that my GPA is not very good, it is only in the 3.0 range only, butif I score like a 27 or 28 on the MCAT, would I have a realistic shot of getting in?? I do have research experience in both academic settings(at LSU Health Science Center) and in industry(at a biotech research firm).

2.Also, my interests in medicine are in Sports/Rehab medicine, and Endocrinology; so which are the best DO schools to apply to if these are the areas of medicine that I am interested in.

3. I have noticed on the AACOM website that most of the schools have an application deadline in February and March range, so wouldI be safe if I did not apply until late Nov. or Dec. One reason is that I have not shadowed a D.O yet, but am planning to start doing so, as soon as I take the MCAT

 

[stoic]

Do you have an interest in osteopathic medicine?

 

[HussainGQ]

yes I do

 

[OH58D]

you should have a good shot..... even w/ the lower GPA. On the whole, DO schools "tend" to focus more on what the person has accomplished (especially those w/ a non-traditional background) then on scores or GPA alone. Get that 27/28, strong letters of rec, know why you want to be a DO, and you should be good to go... Good luck...

Scouts Out!

 

[Dr Dean]

RARRRRRRRRRRRRR What the hell happened to you in college?
You have a shot with good MCATS. RARRRRRRRRR you have a shot with good MCATS period.

 

[(nicedream)]

you should have a good shot..... even w/ the lower GPA. On the whole, DO schools "tend" to focus more on what the person has accomplished (especially those w/ a non-traditional background) then on scores or GPA alone. Get that 27/28, strong letters of rec, know why you want to be a DO, and you should be good to go... Good luck...

Scouts Out!

Ditto this - as far as shadowing, start doing it as soon as possible so you can put it on your app and get the app out earlier. It's still July - if you can start shadowing this month, you can put on your primary that you shadowed 07/04-present, and send the primary in August. Then when secondaries come simply update those dates showing even more shadowing, or whatever. It's not a big deal. Good luck.

 

[sophiejane]

2.Also, my interests in medicine are in Sports/Rehab medicine, and Endocrinology; so which are the best DO schools to apply to if these are the areas of medicine that I am interested in.

I don't think it really matters where your undergrad medical education happens (as long as we are talking about just DO schools)--it won't really affect your chances of doing Endo or sports med if you are at PCOM versus CCOM for example. Just apply yourself, do well on the boards, and don't be a jerk 😉 and you should be able to get the residency of your choice for either of those specialties. Not sure about sports specialty, but I know for Endo that you start off with Internal med--these are not terribly difficult residencies to get--but you have to do well once you get there so you'll be competitive for an endo fellowship. There are no DO endo fellowships that I know of (anyone know of any??) so you gotta go allo for res., which isn't generally a problem for IM.

Good luck

 

[MC^2]

Guess it depends on your MCAT.

 

[raptor5]

Not sure about sports specialty

I will add what I know, which is very little!
IM then a fellowship adding a CAQ in sports med
FP then a fellowship adding a CAQ in sports med
EM then a fellowship adding a CAQ in sports med. Few fellowships for EM trained b/c most want a primary care doc and some do not consider EM primary care
Ortho then a fellowship in sports med
Not too sure but I think PM&R has a path to sports med

 

[San_Juan_Sun]

you should have a good shot..... even w/ the lower GPA. On the whole, DO schools "tend" to focus more on what the person has accomplished (especially those w/ a non-traditional background) then on scores or GPA alone.

I hear this all the time, and it all makes me wonder: how many people with high MCAT scores actually get rejected from DO schools?

I don't really know, but if I had to guess, I'd say not very many.

 

[1viking]

SJS,
I think those statements are crap too. All schools care about numbers as well as the "whole" person. Why do you think you have to interview, provide LORs, ECs and all that? They want to see that you have a pulse.

 

[DOapplicant]

on the matter of admission:
1-get >26
2-a letter of rec from a D.O.
and you've got a good shot (just know a lot about oseto for the interview).

as for sp.:
i think most schools if not all post their match for each year online. compare.

 

[SM-UCLA tech]

you cannot just dismiss gpa.......

many schools have minimum gpa requirements......

but if you can meet that mysterious 3.0 minimum, then you are much better off.

 

[InductionAgent]

You almost can't miss if you apply to WVSOM (West Virginia). Our administration has recently expanded our enrollment, and it relies heavily on (exorbitant) out-of-state tuition to pay the bills. In fact, almost half our enrollment is out-of-state. So if you're willing to pay, you can get in. (Just be sure not to present that attitude when you interview.)

Having said that, I had a 35 on the MCAT.

WVSOM, Class of 2005

 

[Ypo.]

I hear this all the time, and it all makes me wonder: how many people with high MCAT scores actually get rejected from DO schools?

I don't really know, but if I had to guess, I'd say not very many.

Well, I know for a fact that MSUCOM accepts people based on MCAT, GPA, Volunteer, and 2 Letters of Rec. They rank it on a point system-certain number of points for volunteering, etc...The admissions officer told me that they have rejected people with super high GPA and MCAT scores who were lacking in volunteering experiences. So, there's one school at least.

I think it must happen at DO schools, because it happens at Allo schools all the time. Read the profiles on MDapplicants and you'll see what I'm talking about. School's have profiles-and they generally want students to fit those profiles.

 

[Vince]

You have a great shot. Your GPA is okay and just do better than avg. on MCAT. Shadow more than one DO in my opinion, preferably in the specialty you are interested in. Although I got a good education at my DO school, as I'm applying to residencies, I am seeing a lot of resistance and anti-DO sentiment. Very frustrating.

If you are pretty sure you want to do Endocrine or Sports Med, being a DO isn't a problem, and I think being a DO is great for Sports Medicine. If you think you might change your mind and choose a more competitive specialty(Ortho, Rads, Derm, Anesthesiology, etc), then strongly consider applying to MD schools. Otherwise if you go to DO school, bust your butt and really do well in your classes and Boards. B/c that's what will be used to screen for residencies. I have chosen a specialty that I never thought of prior to going to DO school, so you also have to realize that your goals might change.

I am glad I went to DO school, and I like OMM, but I strongly doubt I'll ever use it with the specialty I've chosen. Had I gone to MD school, I would have an easier time with trying to get a residency.

I agree with everything the above posters have mentioned as well.

 

[Howard Roark]

good luck

 

[DOctorJay]

a 27 or 28 on the MCAT will make you a star at most DO schools. good luck



.

I don't know about a star but you will be competitive with a 27/28. There are at least 2 people in my class with 33/34.

-J

 

[Idiopathic]

a 27 or 28 on the MCAT will make you a star at most DO schools. good luck



.

Huh...our average for our class was 27. I guess at least 1/2 of us are 'stars'. 🙄

Dont speak of which you do not know. And lose that trailing period.

 

[brianjc]

Huh...our average for our class was 27. I guess at least 1/2 of us are 'stars'. 🙄

Dont speak of which you do not know. And lose that trailing period.

The national MCAT's for matriculated D.O's is 24 with GPA of 3.4. M.D's MCAT is 28 with a GPA of 3.5. This of course changes every year but the numbers tend to stay very close from year to year.

In my humble opinion if you score a 27 or 28 and have at least a 3.2 GPA you shouldn't have a problem getting into multiple D.O. schools. But that hardly makes you an all star. The overall average for everyone who takes the MCAT (at least the year I took it) was a 24. So a 27 or 28 is around 70th percentile. Not exactly a stellar score but still very respectable.