Such a thing as too high stats for DO?

[futureNCmed]

Pardon my naivete... this whole Osteopathic thing is a very new concept to me. This is NOT a MD vs. DO discussion... I promise!

My question is, is there such a thing as having too high of a GPA/MCAT for DO schools? I've noticed that the average stats of DO schools are lower then MD schools. I'm pretty much average for MD Schools (i guess) 3.9GPA 31Q (PS8 VR10 BO13), but it seems high for DO schools. I have absolutely no problem with DO schools having lower stats. But will I be screened out of DO schools because of my stats?

Thanks for the help.

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[Vita]

No.

 

[just one]

There is a difference between having high stats (higher than yours) and truly interested in DO comparedto having high stats and obviously using DO as backup. The first one will have no problem, the latter may get rejected or waitlisted (and I'm sure some acceptances)

 

[dudechiefboss]

Pardon my naivete... this whole Osteopathic thing is a very new concept to me. This is NOT a MD vs. DO discussion... I promise!

My question is, is there such a thing as having too high of a GPA/MCAT for DO schools? I've noticed that the average stats of DO schools are lower then MD schools. I'm pretty much average for MD Schools (i guess) 3.9GPA 31Q (PS8 VR10 BO13), but it seems high for DO schools. I have absolutely no problem with DO schools having lower stats. But will I be screened out of DO schools because of my stats?

Thanks for the help.

Well, I've read somewhere that you can be too high for certain MD schools, so I think you can probably get a rejection from a DO school for being too high (stats wise ).

 

[p30doc]

Pardon my naivete... this whole Osteopathic thing is a very new concept to me. This is NOT a MD vs. DO discussion... I promise!

My question is, is there such a thing as having too high of a GPA/MCAT for DO schools? I've noticed that the average stats of DO schools are lower then MD schools. I'm pretty much average for MD Schools (i guess) 3.9GPA 31Q (PS8 VR10 BO13), but it seems high for DO schools. I have absolutely no problem with DO schools having lower stats. But will I be screened out of DO schools because of my stats?

Thanks for the help.

no

 

[JaggerPlate]

Pardon my naivete... this whole Osteopathic thing is a very new concept to me. This is NOT a MD vs. DO discussion... I promise!

My question is, is there such a thing as having too high of a GPA/MCAT for DO schools? I've noticed that the average stats of DO schools are lower then MD schools. I'm pretty much average for MD Schools (i guess) 3.9GPA 31Q (PS8 VR10 BO13), but it seems high for DO schools. I have absolutely no problem with DO schools having lower stats. But will I be screened out of DO schools because of my stats?

Thanks for the help.

Nope. And no offense, but your stats aren't to the point where they are going to set off alarms (at MD or DO). I personally know lots with higher MCAT and very similar GPA attending DO schools.

 

[MSSM2013]

Before I got into my top 25 allo school I got into a couple of DO schools. I applied DO as well because I just really don't want to reapply.

I was pretty honest about my desire to become a physician and expressed sincere interest in attending the DO schools I got into (because I did like the locations, etc)

I guess the key point is finding something you like about the program and telling them something about yourself that they like.

Also I had a 3.9 and 38, if that helps.

 

[WDeagle]

Before I got into my top 25 allo school I got into a couple of DO schools. I applied DO as well because I just really don't want to reapply.

I was pretty honest about my desire to become a physician and expressed sincere interest in attending the DO schools I got into (because I did like the locations, etc)

I guess the key point is finding something you like about the program and telling them something about yourself that they like.

Also I had a 3.9 and 38, if that helps.

Haha. I dont know why this is funny but it is. OP I dont think you can have stats too high. Either way your stats are above average but not significantly above average. For the record i had a higher MCAT and nobody seemed impressed or excited about it during any of my interviews.

 

[rmsgolfer]

Undergraduate stats mean absolutely jack sh*+ in med school. You use those stats to get your foot in the door so the schools you have applied to can interview you and see if you are a GOOD FIT for their program. Any school in the nation will consider any applicant for whatever reason they choose.

 

[willen101383]

Wow. Did it ever occur to anyone that DO schools arent just backup schools for MD failures? WTF? SOME DO schools have lower stats than SOME MD schools because DO schools are a hell of a lot more interested in the applicant's experiences outside of their grades. My stats are right up there with yours my friend and I have a graduate degree.....and I never had anyone say "why dont you apply MD." That is because DO adcoms dont see themselves as backups....but rather different routes to the same endpoint.

 

[matrica]

Wow. Did it ever occur to anyone that DO schools arent just backup schools for MD failures? WTF? SOME DO schools have lower stats than SOME MD schools because DO schools are a hell of a lot more interested in the applicant's experiences outside of their grades. My stats are right up there with yours my friend and I have a graduate degree.....and I never had anyone say "why dont you apply MD." That is because DO adcoms dont see themselves as backups....but rather different routes to the same endpoint.

 

[futureNCmed]

Thanks for all the advice guys!

I really didn't mean for this to turn into another DO vs. MD battle and I didn't mean to sound like I was bragging about my stats (I mean, they obviously aren't that great since I'm having to reapply this year )

I didn't know anything about DO until very recently when a few of my MD mentors mentioned that it would be something I should look in to considering I'm interested in primary care and they know a lot of DO docs that are very reputable physicians.

Now that I've done some research and spoken with a few DO docs, I think DO might be a really awesome ALTERNATIVE (not backup) to Allo med school. I was just worried that DO schools try not to pick up too many students with higher stats (again, I know my stats aren't stellar... I mean obviously they aren't since I couldn't get in last year) and I know there is sometimes pressure for any med school (MD or DO or undergrad or grad for that matter) to keep the average within certain boundaries b/c that's what they advertise as their average.

I'm going to apply to some DO schools this year and my intentions for doing so are good... I'm really not looking at DO as a backup at this point. If anything I'm disappointed with myself for not looking into Osteopathic medicine sooner. If I had, I would have applied to DO schools months ago and it honestly would be a tough decision to decide between the two at this point. Good luck to all!

 

[willen101383]

Thanks for all the advice guys!

I really didn't mean for this to turn into another DO vs. MD battle and I didn't mean to sound like I was bragging about my stats (I mean, they obviously aren't that great since I'm having to reapply this year )

I didn't know anything about DO until very recently when a few of my MD mentors mentioned that it would be something I should look in to considering I'm interested in primary care and they know a lot of DO docs that are very reputable physicians.

Now that I've done some research and spoken with a few DO docs, I think DO might be a really awesome ALTERNATIVE (not backup) to Allo med school. I was just worried that DO schools try not to pick up too many students with higher stats (again, I know my stats aren't stellar... I mean obviously they aren't since I couldn't get in last year) and I know there is sometimes pressure for any med school (MD or DO or undergrad or grad for that matter) to keep the average within certain boundaries b/c that's what they advertise as their average.

I'm going to apply to some DO schools this year and my intentions for doing so are good... I'm really not looking at DO as a backup at this point. If anything I'm disappointed with myself for not looking into Osteopathic medicine sooner. If I had, I would have applied to DO schools months ago and it honestly would be a tough decision to decide between the two at this point. Good luck to all!

I apologize if your intentions are as you say they are. The AVERAGE at certain DO schools is on the lower side sure. Average obviously meaning some are higher and some are lower. At the "more established" DO schools the average is in the high 20s...so plenty of people are up in the 30s as well. So at any rate...dont be embarassed to apply DO. Nobody really cares....except certain people in the Pre Allo forum (a lot of which are D bags) and old (old) head doctors who harken to the days when DO didnt not equate to MD. I personally think my DO school is a hell of a lot better than a lot of the lower tier MD programs out there.

 

[willen101383]

Harrogate TN eh? I loved DCOM! I actually had a spot in the class of 2013...but ended up staying here in Philly as DCOM would have been a bit more difficult for my girlfriend (finance field...needs to work). Really great facilities down there.

 

[Tekar]

Wow. Did it ever occur to anyone that DO schools arent just backup schools for MD failures? WTF? SOME DO schools have lower stats than SOME MD schools because DO schools are a hell of a lot more interested in the applicant's experiences outside of their grades. My stats are right up there with yours my friend and I have a graduate degree.....and I never had anyone say "why dont you apply MD." That is because DO adcoms dont see themselves as backups....but rather different routes to the same endpoint.

Yes, Well said.

Additionally, check the average age of DO students compared to MD's. They're older and often come from other places. That means we weren't bio majors, we may have families, and we may not have been able to lock ourselves in a library to study for an exam that was recently discredited by a study that said GPA is actually the best predictor of medical student success at DO schools. But that also means we bring much more to the table to make for a much more diverse class from which we may all learn more from each other. JMHO..

 

[SolanoDoc]

Pardon my naivete... this whole Osteopathic thing is a very new concept to me. This is NOT a MD vs. DO discussion... I promise!

My question is, is there such a thing as having too high of a GPA/MCAT for DO schools? I've noticed that the average stats of DO schools are lower then MD schools. I'm pretty much average for MD Schools (i guess) 3.9GPA 31Q (PS8 VR10 BO13), but it seems high for DO schools. I have absolutely no problem with DO schools having lower stats. But will I be screened out of DO schools because of my stats?

Thanks for the help.

Actually average MCATs for DO schools are going up these days. There are some schools where a 30 is almost average. These days with applications increasing, there is no such thing as too high stats, in fact, one of they guys I met on an interview had a 36 MCAT and your GPA.

 

[JaggerPlate]

Actually average MCATs for DO schools are going up these days. There are some schools where a 30 is almost average. These days with applications increasing, there is no such thing as too high stats, in fact, one of they guys I met on an interview had a 36 MCAT and your GPA.

Yup. I've interviewed at several schools that were around 29 (Allo is still pretty much 30/31), and have not once interviewed at a school lower than 27.