The 2011-2012 Underdog Thread

[dfb047]

Just finished my application for AACOMAS and AMCAS.

According to AACOMAS
cGPA: 3.40
sGPA: 3.19
MCAT: 28S

Thank you and good luck to everyone applying this cycle.

-Justin

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[deleted336217]

How about this as the general applicant formula:

cGPA * 10 + sGPA *10 + MCAT = applicant score

3.43 * 10 + 3.33 * 10 + 25.66 = 93.3 average applicant

3.49 * 10 + 3.41 * 10 + 26.48 = 95.5 average matriculant

This is based on the observation that osteopathic schools seem be more holistic when evaluating applicants and a little less concerned with numbers, specifically MCAT scores, than their allopathic counterparts. This is shown by the larger percentile difference in MCAT scores (26.5 vs. 31.1) than GPA (3.49 vs. 3.67) It places equal weighting between science GPA, cumulative GPA and MCAT score.


The following modification will be made to account for students who have a graduate degree in the natural sciences or have done a postbacc with 24 or more credit hours completed (one year full time) to account for the weighting of recent coursework in returning students.

(cGPA + grad cGPA) * 5 + (sGPA + grad sGPA)*5 + MCAT = graduate student applicant score

(cGPA + postbacc cGPA) * 5 + (sGPA + postbacc sGPA)*5 + MCAT = post bacc student applicant score


To determine the criteria for an underdog we can utilize the 10th /90th percentile rule from the MSAR and apply it as +/- 1 std deviation, or the 16th / 84th percentile to keep the calculations simple. So the true underdog would have at least one of the three academic categories below the 16th percentile with the other two average or below as well. By using the cGPAas the statistical outlier, and probably the most common one for successful underdogs, we come up with the following score for an underdog:

(3.49 - .26) * 10 + 3.41 * 10 + 26.48 = 92.9 underdog threshold

(3.49 - .26) * 10 + (3.41 - .30) * 10 + (26.48 - 3.14) = 86.7 long shot


However, outliers cause issues. A 3.6 cGPA, 3.5 sGPA with an 22 on the MCAT will be a underdog, but according to a simple formula it will compute as a competitive score. To combat this we will add several modifiers to compensate for people with unbalanced stats.

-1 point MCAT overall 24
-2 points MCAT overall 23
-3 points MCAT overall 22
-1.5 points Every section on the MCAT that scores a 7
-3 points Every section on the MCAT that scores a 6
-1 point cGPA 3.00-3.19
-3 points cGPA 2.85 - 2.99
-5 points cGPA 2.75 - 2.84
-1 point sGPA 3.00-3.09
-3 points sGPA 2.85 - 2.99
-5 points sGPA 2.75 - 2.84


Additional factors:
MCAT overall scores < 22 will be screened out by nearly every school and will not be rated
MCAT sectional scores < 6 will be screened out by nearly every school and will not be rated
cGPA or sGPA < 2.75 will be screened out by nearly every school and will not be rated

Finally, there is a large difference in the admission statistics between osteopathic schools, DMU has an average matriculant score over 100 while Pikeville is around 91. So a 3.2/3.1 with a 24 MCAT may be a big problem at one school and just fine at another.

I like this one because it actually gives credit to people who have solid cGPA's, something that I personally think is important but is often overlooked.

 

[TwinsFan]

3.56/3.60/25 = 96.6

I'm worried that these calculations are going to give me false hope haha

Metsa,
I think the biggest thing to remember is the schools you are applying to. Ignoring regional preference and assuming you are compatible with the school's mission, if you are one or more standard deviations out for one of the three main categories at a school (sGPA, cGPA, MCAT) then you are an underdog at that school.

For this we will use the overall matriculant data for a standard deviation:
0.26 for cGPA
0.30 for sGPA
3.14 for MCAT

So if you are applying to Western for example, they have a 3.56 cGPA / 3.52 sGPA / 28 MCAT average (98.8) If your cGPA was < 3.30, sGPA < 3.22 or MCAT < 25 you are probably an underdog here. Additionally, if you are more than 3 points below the schools score, or a 95.8 in this case, you are probably an underdog there.

The reverse is also true, assuming you are compatible with the school's mission and have solid ECs if you are at or above a schools score with no stats 1 standard deviation below a schools average matriculant you are competitive there. If you are 3 pts or above a schools score with no stats 1 standard deviation below a schools average matriculant you are very competitive there. And if you are 6 pts or above, with the combined assumptions above, you will most likely get an interview since you are extremely competitive at that school.

I.E. 3.5 cGPA / 3.5 sGPA / 32 MCAT applying to AZCOM = extremely competitive

In cases where the applicant's score falls between underdog and competitive at a school the applicant is marginally competitive, such is your case if you choose to apply to Western.

underdog < school score - 3 (or -1 std dev in cGPA, sGPA or MCAT)
school score - 3 < marginally competitive (cGPA, sGPA or MCAT within 1 std dev of school) < school score
school score < competitive (cGPA, sGPA or MCAT within 1 std dev of school) < school score + 3
school score + 3 < very competitive (cGPA, sGPA or MCAT within 1 std dev of school) < school score + 6
extremely competitive (cGPA, sGPA or MCAT within 1 std dev of school) > school score + 6

 

[Metsa23]

Thanks for the clarification TwinsFan, much appreciated.

I am a NY resident and the schools that I am looking at are NYCOM and Touro-NY. Would you happen to have the stats for these schools like you did for Western?

Additional schools I am looking at -

NSUCOM
UMDNJ
PCOM

Anyone else with some insight?

Thanks in advance.

 

[TwinsFan]

NYCOM - 3.6 cGPA, 3.5sGPA (a couple year old stat), 27 MCAT
Touro-NY - 3.3 cGPA, 3.2 sGPA, 27 MCAT

 

[mulalrticth]

I am on vacation, but should be updating everything in a few days

I hope the Underdogs start getting interview invites soon!

I just received an invitation for an early interview at LECOM Erie, hopefully more to come for myself and everyone else!

 

[Temperature101]

I just received an invitation for an early interview at LECOM Erie, hopefully more to come for myself and everyone else!

30+ mcat will get you to places...Congrats...Go and Rock that interview.

 

[deleted336217]

30+ mcat will get you to places...Congrats...Go and Rock that interview.

and tell us about it afterward when is it?

 

[Temperature101]

3.56/3.60/25 = 96.6

I'm worried that these calculations are going to give me false hope haha

The formula has flaws. If your mcat was 22, would still be competitive since your score would be 93.6? I think not...This formula is definitely not good.

 

[TwinsFan]

If your MCAT was 22 (7,7,8) with a 3.56 cGPA and a 3.6 sGPAthe score would not be competitive, the 93.6 is forgetting the modifiers listed earlier:

3.56 * 10 + 3.6 * 10 + 22 - 3 (MCAT of 22) - 1.5 (7 on MCAT section) - 1.5 (7 on MCAT section) = 87.6 this is close to a longshot

The modifiers listed in my earlier post are used to help correct for the simple formula and detract for anomalies in the applicants stats. Without them no simple formula can be used because it will never account for unbalanced MCAT scores, gpa or otherwise. This is especially true for ostepathic schools since the means are closer to red flag scores (i.e. a 3.3 avg cGPA at Touro-NY is fairly close to a 2.95 and a 25 MCAT can easily be scored with one subsection being a 6, both are stats that can significantly hurt your chances)

 

[DJack]

Updated front page. We have our first interview invite!

Since I am a huge underdog, I thought I would give an update. My cycle is not off to the greatest start... Here is the update.

I applied to 18 DO schools. So far, I have heard from:

Received secondary:
NSU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
ATSU-SOMA
CCOM
AZCOM
LMU-DCOM
OUCOM

Rejected Pre-Secondary
DMU-COM- at least it was a nice email

On hold:
WVSOM- on hold for new MCAT scores
VCOM- on hold for fall grades

Yes, I am on hold at two schools already. Kind of bittersweet. VCOM is encouraging because they said they are waiting for fall grades, which makes me hope that they are overlooking my MCAT and want to see how I do in some of my tough classes coming up next semester (Biochem, Micro, Cadaver Prosection, Evolution). DMU was a bummer, but I figured they were out of reach anyway. At least they saved me the $$ on the secondary. Both LECOMs said they were "reviewing my application and will let me know my status in coming weeks." Hopefully that is not a flat rejection... I'm thinking it might be more holds. We'll see! Best of luck to all filling out secondaries!

 

[FSUchess99]

I like this thread, I think I'll call it home.

Im sitting at 3.0 cgpa and 3.85 sgpa using AACOMAS calculations. No MCAT yet.

Can anyone fill me in on how adcoms see research in terms of how busy you are? I work about 20-30 hrs a week, along with 12-13 credits (science and math) a semester, shadowing on weekends. very busy and doing well. I just want to make sure med schools dont see 12 credits and just toss out my app.

also, after about 8 months of being a student assistant, I found out last week I'm gonna be second author in a publication! I think I might look into DO/phd programs. any suggestions? Im very interested in oncology.

 

[semmanuel]

updated front page. We have our first interview invite!

Since i am a huge underdog, i thought i would give an update. My cycle is not off to the greatest start... Here is the update.

I applied to 18 do schools. So far, i have heard from:

Received secondary:
Nsu-com
atsu-kcom
atsu-soma
ccom
azcom
lmu-dcom
oucom

rejected pre-secondary
dmu-com- at least it was a nice email

on hold:
Wvsom- on hold for new mcat scores
vcom- on hold for fall grades

yes, i am on hold at two schools already. Kind of bittersweet. Vcom is encouraging because they said they are waiting for fall grades, which makes me hope that they are overlooking my mcat and want to see how i do in some of my tough classes coming up next semester (biochem, micro, cadaver prosection, evolution). Dmu was a bummer, but i figured they were out of reach anyway. At least they saved me the $$ on the secondary. Both lecoms said they were "reviewing my application and will let me know my status in coming weeks." hopefully that is not a flat rejection... I'm thinking it might be more holds. We'll see! Best of luck to all filling out secondaries!

dj jack, question for you...so did you get a vcom secondary, or were you directly put on hold? Like did you get a secondary app, turn that in, then get a hold for your fall grades? Was a majority of your pre-reqs done? Keep your head up, you will be fine

 

[TriagePreMed]

DJack, I clicked on your MDapplicants and noticed that your sGPA is at a 3.0. Is there a reason why you haven't retaken courses to increase that? Even if your MCAT is low, I think a higher sGPA can do you wonders.

 

[SFO-IST]

Good luck Underdogs! I've started med school and I can tell you it's full of Underdogs that made it!

 

[DJack]

dj jack, question for you...so did you get a vcom secondary, or were you directly put on hold? Like did you get a secondary app, turn that in, then get a hold for your fall grades? Was a majority of your pre-reqs done? Keep your head up, you will be fine

I didn't get the secondary, but all of my pre-reqs are essentially done. I am glad they didn't send me the secondary to be honest cause it saves me a little extra money. I emailed them and they were super nice. Thanks for the encouragement!

DJack, I clicked on your MDapplicants and noticed that your sGPA is at a 3.0. Is there a reason why you haven't retaken courses to increase that? Even if your MCAT is low, I think a higher sGPA can do you wonders.

Because of my school's curriculum, it makes it very difficult to retake classes. It is a very small liberal arts school, so I have to have a variety of classes, most of which aren't offered every semester. I'm also in the Honors program, which adds further challenge. However, next semester I am taking pretty tough science classes which will hopefully bring my sGPA up if I do well in them. If I were to get straight A's in them, which I know will take a lot of work, it would bring my sGPA up to a 3.2 and my cGPA up to a 3.45. My science grades haven't been horrible... I have one C (in a freshman bio class) and two C+'s (OChem I- .2% away from a B, OChem II- .4% away from a B), which sucks. Besides that, I have a couple A's and a couple B+'s. I might be able to retake one or two in the spring semester though. Thanks for the help!

 

[drgioiadds]

Good luck Underdogs! I've started med school and I can tell you it's full of Underdogs that made it!

I'm still holding out a little hope for one wait list; however, I have submitted 6 secondaries and am complete at 5 of these schools.

 

[semmanuel]

So DJACK, you submitted your application to VCOM and they didn't even send you a secondary, just directly put you on hold for fall grades. Thats very weird? I am sorry, keep faith and be humble man. Great things will happen. In the end, everything will work out for all of us if we remain confident.

 

[DJack]

So DJACK, you submitted your application to VCOM and they didn't even send you a secondary, just directly put you on hold for fall grades. Thats very weird? I am sorry, keep faith and be humble man. Great things will happen. In the end, everything will work out for all of us if we remain confident.

Yeah, it was a little strange. Its ok w/ me though because it saves me a little $$ and gives me a chance to bring up my grades. We'll see I guess!

 

[IamKing]

Has anyone else not get any secondaries so far this week? Last week was a hail storm for me, I was getting like 4 everyday. However, this week zero so far.

Also, has anyone gotten secondaries from the Touro's or Western?

Thanks!

 

[DrSoonerDO]

Updated front page. We have our first interview invite!

Since I am a huge underdog, I thought I would give an update. My cycle is not off to the greatest start... Here is the update.

I applied to 18 DO schools. So far, I have heard from:

Received secondary:
NSU-COM
ATSU-KCOM
ATSU-SOMA
CCOM
AZCOM
LMU-DCOM
OUCOM

Rejected Pre-Secondary
DMU-COM- at least it was a nice email

On hold:
WVSOM- on hold for new MCAT scores
VCOM- on hold for fall grades

Yes, I am on hold at two schools already. Kind of bittersweet. VCOM is encouraging because they said they are waiting for fall grades, which makes me hope that they are overlooking my MCAT and want to see how I do in some of my tough classes coming up next semester (Biochem, Micro, Cadaver Prosection, Evolution). DMU was a bummer, but I figured they were out of reach anyway. At least they saved me the $$ on the secondary. Both LECOMs said they were "reviewing my application and will let me know my status in coming weeks." Hopefully that is not a flat rejection... I'm thinking it might be more holds. We'll see! Best of luck to all filling out secondaries!

Have you considered applying to William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine? I was an EXTREME underdog, even applying to MBS programs at LECOM and the Bridge program at OSU, but I was accepted at WCU COM. This school is amazing, btw, everything is brand new equipment and the professors seem to be really wonderful. I know their website doesn't say a lot because they haven't updated it yet, but it really is great.

 

[YiSheng]

Have you considered applying to William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine? I was an EXTREME underdog, even applying to MBS programs at LECOM and the Bridge program at OSU, but I was accepted at WCU COM. This school is amazing, btw, everything is brand new equipment and the professors seem to be really wonderful. I know their website doesn't say a lot because they haven't updated it yet, but it really is great.

Do you know if there is any regional biases with WCU-COM?

 

[deleted336217]

Has anyone else not get any secondaries so far this week? Last week was a hail storm for me, I was getting like 4 everyday. However, this week zero so far.

Also, has anyone gotten secondaries from the Touro's or Western?

Thanks!

No new ones for me this week. I have not heard from any of the Touro schools or Western yet at all.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Do you know if there is any regional biases with WCU-COM?

Yes, the favor states like Mississippi and the ones which border it.

 

[DrSoonerDO]

Yes, the favor states like Mississippi and the ones which border it.

But they do look and accept students from states other than those touching Mississippi. I'm from Oklahoma, and was interviewed in early November and accepted three days later. Just get your stuff in early, that's your best shot. So yes, there's a regional basis, mainly because there is a big physician shortage in the souther states, so they'd prefer you to have an interest in staying around down there to practice.

 

[DrSoonerDO]

Yes, the favor states like Mississippi and the ones which border it.

Also, if it helps with any encouragement, I had a 2.99 cum GPA and a 2.70 sciGPA when I applied and a 27Q MCAT score. I had some financial struggles that made my GPA so low, but I also did a lot of volunteering and I also taught human physiology as an undergrad TA. WCU COM looks at more than just numbers.

 

[Temperature101]

Also, if it helps with any encouragement, I had a 2.99 cum GPA and a 2.70 sciGPA when I applied and a 27Q MCAT score. I had some financial struggles that made my GPA so low, but I also did a lot of volunteering and I also taught human physiology as an undergrad TA. WCU COM looks at more than just numbers.

What an accomplishment! You give me hope...Do you think WCU COM will accept students from FL?

 

[Firaz]

Im an underdog. Add me to the list. 3.3cgpa 3.18spa and 28 MCAT.

I received an interview invite from LECOM Erie on July 7 for July 29th

 

[SFO-IST]

I'm still holding out a little hope for one wait list; however, I have submitted 6 secondaries and am complete at 5 of these schools.

I'd send repeated LOI's, call in, etc. You really have nothing to loose at this point and all to gain. Don't worry about being annoying or hassling them. People like to give a spot to someone they know wants it really bad and will go the extra mile.

 

[DJack]

I thought about applying to WCUCOM, but others who currently attend there told me in a separate thread that the regional bias makes it very, very hard for anyone outside of the region to get in. I also have zero connections to the south.

Do you guys think it is really worth the $$ for an underdog from Ohio to apply to a southern school with strong regional preference?

 

[Dr Yiot]

I thought about applying to WCUCOM, but others who currently attend there told me in a separate thread that the regional bias makes it very, very hard for anyone outside of the region to get in. I also have zero connections to the south.

Do you guys think it is really worth the $$ for an underdog from Ohio to apply to a southern school with strong regional preference?

i applied there last year. from NJ. didnt even get a secondary. pissed about it. but you know what? you never know. i think your better off imo if your going to add schools to add ones that don't have a strong regional bias. just so you know your not really wasting your money IMO. and trust me, its a lot of money. i would add either the lecom's touros, pcoms etc. they dont have a regional bias at all. except maybe pcom who tends to take kids from the east more often. and has somewhat of a bias. (60percent PA rez) but do more research. maybe add dmu. dont bother with pikeville or wcu imo its just a waste of money. plus pcsom has such a small class size.

 

[Firaz]

When your invited for an interview, does your acceptance depend on the interview from there on? Do they interview someone with a 3.5 30 differently than someone with a 3.3 28 or both candidates are equal when they go for the interview? I got an early interview for LECOM E on july 29th and i was asking in regards to that. Also, this is my first time applying and first interview so i could definitely use all the advice i can get

 

[DJack]

i applied there last year. from NJ. didnt even get a secondary. pissed about it. but you know what? you never know. i think your better off imo if your going to add schools to add ones that don't have a strong regional bias. just so you know your not really wasting your money IMO. and trust me, its a lot of money. i would add either the lecom's touros, pcoms etc. they dont have a regional bias at all. except maybe pcom who tends to take kids from the east more often. and has somewhat of a bias. (60percent PA rez) but do more research. maybe add dmu. dont bother with pikeville or wcu imo its just a waste of money. plus pcsom has such a small class size.

I applied to 18 schools so I'm not looking to really add any unless I have to lol. I didn't really apply to any west coast schools or schools that I know would filter me out.

 

[DJack]

.

 

[tbone1234]

Quick question guys...

So I was wondering how much DO schools look at non-science GPA. My nonsci is MUCH lower than my science... and my nonsci has dropped significantly this past year while my sci has gone up a little (I'm a reapplicant). I'm not sure how this will look

My sciGPA is 3.7 and nonsci is now a 3.19.

Anyway, let me know. And goodluck to all the underdogs. I kinda feel I'm included in that bunch, but I know some of you are working (and worrying) your butts off even more than I am. Best of luck, stay strong, and let's do this thing!!

 

[DJack]

Quick question guys...

So I was wondering how much DO schools look at non-science GPA. My nonsci is MUCH lower than my science... and my nonsci has dropped significantly this past year while my sci has gone up a little (I'm a reapplicant). I'm not sure how this will look

My sciGPA is 3.7 and nonsci is now a 3.19.

Anyway, let me know. And goodluck to all the underdogs. I kinda feel I'm included in that bunch, but I know some of you are working (and worrying) your butts off even more than I am. Best of luck, stay strong, and let's do this thing!!

A strong science GPA is desirable for schools because it shows that you handle science information well. A strong sGPA coupled with good MCAT scores in PS and BS mean you understand the core sciences that are crucial to success in medical school. You might get a question or two about your nonsci (lack of effort in nonsci courses? did you find them overly challenging? etc), but I don't think it will be a big deal for you at all as long as you have a decent MCAT. Best of luck!

 

[drgioiadds]

I'd send repeated LOI's, call in, etc. You really have nothing to loose at this point and all to gain. Don't worry about being annoying or hassling them. People like to give a spot to someone they know wants it really bad and will go the extra mile.

Thanks! I'm trying!

 

[DOalltheWay]

Non-trad.

SGPA: 3.56
CGPA: 3.19
1st MCAT: 24L
2nd MCAT: July 29, 2011

EC: 1000+ hrs as a Certified Nurse Aide, trip to Nicaragua with Orphan Netowork, 80 hrs shadowing an endocrinologist, 8 hrs shadowing in Emergency Room, 40 hrs volunteering at Free Clinic as a Medical Screener

Upward trend with some bumps in the road

 

[DrWily]

26 yrs old (Non-Trad?)
MCAT: 33Q
cGPA: 3.14
sGPA: 2.97 (would be 3.05 but AACOMAS counts college courses I took in high school...............)
Upward trend for ugrad... horrible first 2 years, great last 2 years
Freshman: 2.47
Sophomore: 2.25
Junior: 3.68
Senior: 3.68


EC:
112 hours VA Emergency Dept (since 2007 off and on)
96 hours volunteer @ rural Native American clinic (4 months)
60 hours shadowing @ rural NA Clinic with Director of Medicine (M.D.) (4 months)
30 hours Hospice volunteer (2 months)
40 hours leadership volunteer Emergency Animal Rescue (march - present) <-- kinda weird to put on my App
Currently shadowing a D.O. for the D.O. LOR (will do about 40-50 hours)

By TwinsFans formula:
(3.14 *10) + (2.96*10) + 33 = 94 (-1 cGPA 3.0-3.19) (-3 sGPA 2.85-2.99) = 90

Underdog?

 

[timeofthedecade]

Brand new member here! I've been lurking for awhile, but it was finally time to make an account.

I've got a cGPA of 3.3, an sGPA of 3.1, and an MCAT of 27O. I'm retaking OChem (I got really sick for the final one term and got news that two of my friends had died days before the second), but my stats still aren't the best. I've got some good ECs, though!

ECs include: editor for a paper, thousands of hours of ESOL instruction, 650 hours with the Red Cross, 100 hours of shadowing (both in America and abroad), running my own translation company, etc. I'd say more, but it's a little too specific for my anonymity.

Best of luck to all of us underdogs. Hope we can beat the odds!

 

[DOalltheWay]

So going into this process I thought there would be a lot of people applying to every DO school since there are only about 30. Why is it then, that I am seeing time again that people do NOT do that?

Sorry if this has been posted to death elsewhere, but I'm new to forums in general.

Also, I'm retaking my MCATS in two weeks (as you can see from my earlier post I got a 24L..what really bugs me is the "L" lol). How beneficial would it be to memorize all the PHYS/CHEM formulas before going in? It's only been a couple of months, but I've already forgotten how the exam was. PTSD perhaps

 

[TriagePreMed]

So going into this process I thought there would be a lot of people applying to every DO school since there are only about 30. Why is it then, that I am seeing time again that people do NOT do that?

Sorry if this has been posted to death elsewhere, but I'm new to forums in general.

Also, I'm retaking my MCATS in two weeks (as you can see from my earlier post I got a 24L..what really bugs me is the "L" lol). How beneficial would it be to memorize all the PHYS/CHEM formulas before going in? It's only been a couple of months, but I've already forgotten how the exam was. PTSD perhaps

Why do people not apply to all 30? Why would they? People apply to schools they see they could get into and would like to be in. Personally, I would apply to about 8 of the Osteopathic schools.

 

[DrWily]

Money was a big issue for me, but I didn't want to cut my chances too much. I applied to 19 of the D.O. schools and tried really hard to cut it down to 10, but I just couldn't.

As far as the phys/chem formulas, I'd know the Physics ones well. I can't remember much more than that. April 17, 2010 was a blurry day for me, but I did awesome on the PS section (13!)

 

[SFO-IST]

So going into this process I thought there would be a lot of people applying to every DO school since there are only about 30. Why is it then, that I am seeing time again that people do NOT do that?

Sorry if this has been posted to death elsewhere, but I'm new to forums in general.

Also, I'm retaking my MCATS in two weeks (as you can see from my earlier post I got a 24L..what really bugs me is the "L" lol). How beneficial would it be to memorize all the PHYS/CHEM formulas before going in? It's only been a couple of months, but I've already forgotten how the exam was. PTSD perhaps

I did this and in retrospect, it was a waste of money. I applied to about 40 schools and ended up not sending in the secondaries to 30/40% of them just because I am too much of a perfectionist with the secondaries and ran out of time. If you do apply to so many schools, be sure to promise yourself that you'll be fine with sending out secondaries on a schedule, even if it's not your best draft.

 

[TwinsFan]

26 yrs old (Non-Trad?)
MCAT: 33Q
cGPA: 3.14
sGPA: 2.97 (would be 3.05 but AACOMAS counts college courses I took in high school...............)
Upward trend for ugrad... horrible first 2 years, great last 2 years
Freshman: 2.47
Sophomore: 2.25
Junior: 3.68
Senior: 3.68


EC:
112 hours VA Emergency Dept (since 2007 off and on)
96 hours volunteer @ rural Native American clinic (4 months)
60 hours shadowing @ rural NA Clinic with Director of Medicine (M.D.) (4 months)
30 hours Hospice volunteer (2 months)
40 hours leadership volunteer Emergency Animal Rescue (march - present) <-- kinda weird to put on my App
Currently shadowing a D.O. for the D.O. LOR (will do about 40-50 hours)

By TwinsFans formula:
(3.14 *10) + (2.96*10) + 33 = 94 (-1 cGPA 3.0-3.19) (-3 sGPA 2.85-2.99) = 90

Underdog?

Dr. Wily,
I think there should probably be some additional positive modifiers for numbers that are well above the mean, such as your 33 MCAT (~ 97th percentile) or a strong upward trend. I do not think you will be an underdog at some places because of these factors, but I was hoping to avoid making the equation too complicated. I should take another look to see what positive factors can be added to increase the accuracy of the equation.

However, the 2.96 sGPA is not helpful, if you could take one more class to go over a 3.0 that would really help at a number of schools. I think with your good ECs ( the animal one is good!) and recent great numbers you could definitely land some interviews with a solid personal statement and LORs.

 

[DOalltheWay]

I did this and in retrospect, it was a waste of money. I applied to about 40 schools and ended up not sending in the secondaries to 30/40% of them just because I am too much of a perfectionist with the secondaries and ran out of time. If you do apply to so many schools, be sure to promise yourself that you'll be fine with sending out secondaries on a schedule, even if it's not your best draft.

Good point about the scheduling, although, I'm not sure what to expect on the secondaries. If it is just a few simple questions (LECOM assured me their secondaries and those at many other schools are just that) and a financial concern, I'm okay because I've been working 60 hour weeks all summer in preparation for apps.

Which schools send the most grueling secondaries (if there is such a thing)?

 

[DrWily]

However, the 2.96 sGPA is not helpful, if you could take one more class to go over a 3.0 that would really help at a number of schools. I think with your good ECs ( the animal one is good!) and recent great numbers you could definitely land some interviews with a solid personal statement and LORs.

Yea I was really bummed about the 2.96 after I put all the numbers in. If they didn't count this one physics class that I took my sophomore year in high school (was just trying to get ahead for my AP Physics class) I would be over the 3.05. I'm retaking a number of courses that I got C's in (all during my 1st year in college) and I should have a much better cGPA and sGPA when all is done.. looking around ~3.3 for both. However these won't be completed until December so I'm not sure how much good they will do me for this cycle.

 

[DrDre2001]

Glad to see an new underdog thread for those applying this year.

Good luck guys.

 

[DrSoonerDO]

What an accomplishment! You give me hope...Do you think WCU COM will accept students from FL?

Definitely! I think there are a handful of students from Florida in both the OMS 2 and OMS 1 classes

 

[DrSoonerDO]

I thought about applying to WCUCOM, but others who currently attend there told me in a separate thread that the regional bias makes it very, very hard for anyone outside of the region to get in. I also have zero connections to the south.

Do you guys think it is really worth the $$ for an underdog from Ohio to apply to a southern school with strong regional preference?

Are you willing to stay in the southern region to practice medicine?