Want to follow my dream,decided to do DO whats my chances?

[phenom832]

I had a rough couple years in undergrad but during my junior year decided I wanted to do the PT route. I never thought I would have a chance at med school despite always wanting to be a doctor so I decided to do PT. I recently talked to someone who started a DO program and it has sparked my interest as I have never heard of it. After my first two years of undergrad my grades rose to where eventually I had the best gpa of my career my senior year. While it only amounts to about a 3.1 as a cgpa I have noticed that seems DO replaces grades and I have retaken some classes I didnt do well in my first two years and have gotten A's for the most part. I am in a Masters now and currently have a 4.0. I have not taken the MCAT or shadowed anyone yet ,but I am taking a visit to a local DO program to check it out. So whats my chances or what should i do in this next year before I apply next year. Also what should I ask as far as questions when I visit this DO school?

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[lnguyen1412]

Next year will give you plenty of time to prep for the best application as possible.

What to do when shadowing a DO:
- Take note
- Watch closely if he does any OMT techniques
- Prepare questions like: Why you choose DO? What is the most common cases you've seen?.... Something like that.

If your MCAT is above 500 and your grad GPA is the same as it is now, you have great chance.

Good luck

 

[GBCrzzyy]

I agree with Inguyen1412, definitely get DO shadowing under your belt. DO schools are really picky in the sense that they want to see that you want to be an osteopathic doctor specifically so you can show your interest by shadowing. I recommend 50+ hours of shadowing but it doesn't have to be the same specialty. In fact, it would benefit you more to see how DOs do in different specialties and be able to speak about your various experiences. On KCUMB's website, they recommend 80+ hours of shadowing just to give you an idea. But you should definitely have at least 50 to show good interest.

You should also look into major volunteering - clinical and non-clinical. I don't know what you're ECs were like in undergrad so if they're weak you will definitely want to show leadership, altruism, teamwork, etc through various experiences. If you have experience in PT, you may be set on clinical experiences (besides shadowing) so you might want to focus on non-clinical. Assuming you don't bomb the MCAT and do volunteering and shadowing, you should definitely be a competitive applicant.

Also is you 3.1 just your cGPA? is your sGPA different?

 

[phenom832]

3.1 was my cGPA for undergrad as it stands now doesn't take into account the retakes as I took some of those at a community college

 

[phenom832]

also what would be some non clinical volunteering things? I work 40 hours a week and am doing my masters right now so would be hard to find time to do that. Also my job involves outpatient rehab so I guess I am getting some hours in that setting.

 

[lnguyen1412]

also what would be some non clinical volunteering things? I work 40 hours a week and am doing my masters right now so would be hard to find time to do that. Also my job involves outpatient rehab so I guess I am getting some hours in that setting.

I only have 120 hours of volunteer and that's it. But I have thousands of hours in employment though (tutor)

 

[GBCrzzyy]

also what would be some non clinical volunteering things? I work 40 hours a week and am doing my masters right now so would be hard to find time to do that. Also my job involves outpatient rehab so I guess I am getting some hours in that setting.

You can consider simple things like volunteering at the humane society walking dogs or helping dogs and cats get adopted. You can volunteer at a soup kitchen, etc. Volunteering doesn't have to be a huge demand. It can be just doing a couple hours one day a week for a few months. I was a volunteer at a wildlife sanctuary for about a year and it was awesome! I only went once a week and accumulated decent hours.