What are the least competitive MD Schools?

[plumber007]

Science GPA 3.55 ; MCAT 25

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[hoihaie]

use the MSAR and look for the schools with lowest 10th percentile MCAT score.

 

[rachel993]

have you considered retaking the MCAT?

 

[Goro]

For your numbers, alas, none of them.

Science GPA 3.55 ; MCAT 25

 

[claduva94]

No such thing as a noncompetitive MD school. Low Tier MD schools also get a lot of applicants because a lot more applicants have stats in their range. According to USNews, WashU has one of the highest acceptance rates. But that is because low stat applicants do not apply there as much, thereby reducing the pool.

 

[CrimsonKing]

Puerto Rico, if you can speak Spanish fluently

 

[gyngyn]

Science GPA 3.55 ; MCAT 25

If you are fluent in Spanish and have a strong commitment to service, three of the four Puerto Rican schools might consider you.

 

[gyngyn]

Puerto Rico, if you can speak Spanish fluently

Dang kids, sure can type fast!

 

[plumber007]

Lol! So many trolls. When I posted about how should I study for the VR because I got just a 5 on it, there were hardly 2 or 3 ppl who were genuinely interested in helping. You guys should maybe reconsider whether you want to be a doctor for helping others or just for the fat paychecks. *sigh*

 

[Monika12]

Retake the MCAT. 25 won't take you anywhere. And study for it this time

 

[claduva94]

Lol! So many trolls. When I posted about how should I study for the VR because I got just a 5 on it, there were hardly 2 or 3 ppl who were genuinely interested in helping. You guys should maybe reconsider whether you want to be a doctor for helping others or just for the fat paychecks. *sigh*

I do not see one bad piece of advice.

 

[plumber007]

Retake the MCAT. 25 won't take you anywhere. And study for it this time

I already took it twice. Verbal is killing me but English is not my first language. I have registered to take it for the third time on the 21st of this month

 

[plumber007]

I do not see one bad piece of advice.

Really? If anything then I'd apply to one of the Caribbean Schools. Ross or St. George. But that was my last option but I guess my only option as well

 

[Saxappeal1]

Unfortunately, OP, there is no such thing as a non competitive MD school :/ I'd say retake the MCAT if you can see yourself doing better.

 

[Monika12]

I already took it twice. Verbal is killing me but English is not my first language. I have registered to take it for the third time on the 21st of this month

Yeah I know, English is not my native language and I understand you.
Focus on it more during your revisions and practice a lot. Check the forum to see what books are the best in preparing you for the verbal.

Good luck

 

[claduva94]

DO school is a much better option than Caribbean. The reason they suggested Puerto Rico is because those are classified as US schools and therefore do not run into the same difficulties as schools such as Ross.

 

[plumber007]

DO school is a much better option than Caribbean. The reason they suggested Puerto Rico is because those are classified as US schools and therefore do not run into the same difficulties as schools such as Ross.

I thought Caribbean Schools are way better than the Puerto Rico Schools. Atleast that's what I've heard of. What would you prefer? Puerto Rico Schools or the Caribbean ones?

 

[hoihaie]

I thought Caribbean Schools are way better than the Puerto Rico Schools. Atleast that's what I've heard of. What would you prefer? Puerto Rico Schools or the Caribbean ones?

caribbean schools are not accredited by LCME, but Puerto Rico schools are legit medical schools on par with other US med schools.

HOw are you preparing for your retake, esp the verbal section?

 

[claduva94]

US MD~=Puerto Rico>DO>>>>Carribean. So Puerto Rico. But as they said, you have to be fluent in Spanish.

 

[plumber007]

caribbean schools are not accredited by LCME, but Puerto Rico schools are legit medical schools on par with other US med schools.

HOw are you preparing for your retake, esp the verbal section?

Oh ok! I didn't know that. And idk spanish, so that isn't gonna work.

As for how I am preparing for it is that I solve 5-6 passages everyday from the princeton verbal practice passages. I take examcrackers verbal practice exams once a week. I did the same before I took the MCATs in June and used to get 7-8 on average. The lowest I got was a 6. I generally get the main idea of the passage but the questions come off as tricky, esp. between two options and almost always the correct answer is the one I didnt choose from the two. Is there any trick to determine what could be the possible correct answer? I know that options that make harsh statements are generally wrong while the one with softeners are almost always correct ones. But are there any other things that I'm not aware of? Generally I highlight whatever I think is imp from the passage, but I sometimes feel that I highlight too much info. Maybe you can guide me

 

[Saxappeal1]

claduva94 I understand what you are trying to say, but MD is pretty much equal to DO now when it comes to residency opportunities.

 

[mimelim]

claduva94 I understand what you are trying to say, but MD is pretty much equal to DO now when it comes to residency opportunities.

Lol no.

 

[claduva94]

claduva94 I understand what you are trying to say, but MD is pretty much equal to DO now when it comes to residency opportunities.

I'm aware that the difference is not large. It is far from the difference between DO and Caribbean.

 

[Saxappeal1]

True. Maybe it is better to say that they are just different, one is not necessarily better than the other

 

[hoihaie]

As for how I am preparing for it is that I solve 5-6 passages everyday from the princeton verbal practice passages. I take examcrackers verbal practice exams once a week. I did the same before I took the MCATs in June and used to get 7-8 on average. The lowest I got was a 6. I generally get the main idea of the passage but the questions come off as tricky, esp. between two options and almost always the correct answer is the one I didnt choose from the two. Is there any trick to determine what could be the possible correct answer? I know that options that make harsh statements are generally wrong while the one with softeners are almost always correct ones. But are there any other things that I'm not aware of? Generally I highlight whatever I think is imp from the passage, but I sometimes feel that I highlight too much info. Maybe you can guide me

That should NOT be how you chose between 2 answers. That bias may cloud your judgement in choosing the correct answer. There is no "trick" to determine what could be hte possible correct answer.

For me, highlighting should only be done wfor the main point of the passage, not just "important" things.

Try this: for each paragraph you read, sum up the main point of that paragraph in 1 sentence. This will help you identify the main points of the paragraph and answer questions. You should also be doing outside readings daily, esp hard to read texts such as philosophy papers.

 

[Saxappeal1]

mimelim I thought the AOA merger helped that?

 

[mimelim]

mimelim I thought the AOA merger helped that?

Lowered the hassles of applying maybe. But actually landing even semi competitive spots? Nothing has changed.

 

[Saxappeal1]

Oh ok, thanks for enlightening me lol.

 

[plumber007]

That should NOT be how you chose between 2 answers. That bias may cloud your judgement in choosing the correct answer. There is no "trick" to determine what could be hte possible correct answer.

For me, highlighting should only be done for the main point of the passage, not just "important" things.

Try this: for each paragraph you read, sum up the main point of that paragraph in 1 sentence. This will help you identify the main points of the paragraph and answer questions. You should also be doing outside readings daily, esp hard to read texts such as philosophy papers.

hmm...I guess that is where I'm going wrong. I write down the main idea but generally the questions I do bad on are the ones that require you to make a judgements like "What would the author think of blah blah blah, What was the tone, Which of this would challenge author point of view, etc." if the question asks something specific to the passage details I almost always get those right. but I never understand what tone is it written in or what would best negate the author's point of view because I get stuck between 2 options always and then choose the wrong one.

As for the philosophical readings, do you suggest any books or website I should visit on daily basis? I tries the economist but I do pretty well when reading news. What I do bad is in passages based of philosophy, psychology, music and art.

 

[plumber007]

US MD~=Puerto Rico>DO>>>>Carribean. So Puerto Rico. But as they said, you have to be fluent in Spanish.

I guess I'll apply to some DO schools as well. Any you'd like to suggest based on my scores?

 

[claduva94]

I guess I'll apply to some DO schools as well. Any you'd like to suggest based on my scores?

My knowledge of DO schools is limited. I'd ask @Goro . But I do know the verbal may still be a problem. So focus on that for your retake.

 

[Saxappeal1]

What was the breakdown?

 

[TulaneUnderdog]

The best answer for this question as well as an answer you would like to hear is this:

Apply simply to public schools in your state since they usually have a huge in-state preference and avoid applying to virtually any private school except Meharry and Howard as well as aforementioned ones not in the contiguous States.

Even if you're white or racially overrepresented, apply to Howard/Meharry anyway because your odds of being accepted there as a white person is still equally as low as being accepted elsewhere.

 

[plumber007]

What was the breakdown?

10/10/5

 

[plumber007]

The best answer for this question as well as an answer you would like to hear is this:

Apply simply to public schools in your state since they usually have a huge in-state preference and avoid applying to virtually any private school except Meharry and Howard as well as aforementioned ones not in the contiguous States.

Even if you're white or racially overrepresented, apply to Howard/Meharry anyway because your odds of being accepted there as a white person is still equally as low as being accepted elsewhere.

I'd rather hear honest answers than living with false hope. Thanks for comforting though.

 

[plumber007]

My knowledge of DO schools is limited. I'd ask @Goro . But I do know the verbal may still be a problem. So focus on that for your retake.

True that. Thanks to everyone. If you have any other piece of advice please post it here. I am pretty sure there are many others like me out there.

 

[hoihaie]

hmm...I guess that is where I'm going wrong. I write down the main idea but generally the questions I do bad on are the ones that require you to make a judgements like "What would the author think of blah blah blah, What was the tone, Which of this would challenge author point of view, etc." if the question asks something specific to the passage details I almost always get those right. but I never understand what tone is it written in or what would best negate the author's point of view because I get stuck between 2 options always and then choose the wrong one.

As for the philosophical readings, do you suggest any books or website I should visit on daily basis? I tries the economist but I do pretty well when reading news. What I do bad is in passages based of philosophy, psychology, music and art.

For philosophical readings, i sugges you look up philosophical papers (i.e. academic papers). often times, these papers will have subsequent papers published by other philosophers that support/refute/argue against/summarize the original papers. FOr example, look up papers on abortions and fetal rights. There are tons of people arguing back and forth about this topics and often cites other peoples arguments. In reading all of these, you will be able to 1. understand the authors' point of view, what the tone of the paper is...etc, and 2. get used to the language used

ANother way to practice is reading excerpts from papers and then try to extrapolate the rest of the papers or the conclusion based on waht you've read. that'll let you practice figuring out the tone and stuff

 

[Goro]

Do NOT retake unless you've fixed your VR deficit. Simply retaking and hoping magic will occur the 3rd time is a recipe for another 25.

Your 25 would get you autorejected at my school, 2 of 3 Touros, CCOM, and a few others. Your best hope is with the newest schools, like the VCOMs, MUCOM, ACOM, ect. Skip LUCOM.


I already took it twice. Verbal is killing me but English is not my first language. I have registered to take it for the third time on the 21st of this month

 

[kthxbai]

10/10/5

You can help this.

English is my third language and I got an 11 on VR (although I was scoring 12-13 on practice... sigh)

Here's what I'd done:
1. Read the Economist like you read the bible.
2. Read classic literature. Lots of it. My favorites were Dostoevsky and Hugo.
3. Look at practice AP English reading passages and accompanying questions.
4. Obviously any prep books you can get your hands on.

VR isn't easy to handle, but it's completely doable. Don't be discouraged just because you weren't born speaking English.

P.S
Try to familiarize yourself with passages about history, art, anthropology, and music. These are favorite topics on the MCAT.

 

[adriano710]

Science GPA 3.55 ; MCAT 25

Go DO route and you will be fine, but even then you won't be getting into top DO programs

 

[QofQuimica]

For your numbers, alas, none of them.

Agree.

OP, your GPA is average to slightly below average and your MCAT is significantly below average for basically all allo schools. I wouldn't waste your time and money on applying to AMCAS without an improved MCAT. And for sure don't apply to the Caribbean. That gamble sometimes pays off for students in the opposite situation as you (low overall GPA with high postbac GPA and high MCAT score) if they can get excellent med school grades and rock Step 1. However, it will be much more difficult for someone like you who is neither a stellar student nor a great test-taker to score well on Step 1 and have a hope of being competitive against US grads for a US residency slot.

I agree with the others who are suggesting that you apply broadly to DO schools that may be more forgiving of your stats, especially if you are not able to raise your MCAT any further.

 

[Law2Doc]

1. Agree with those that say you need to fix the MCAT before considering med school. An unbalanced 25 isn't enough. Don't just run and take it again, you need to be scoring much better on every full length practice test before you even consider signing up for it again. Take a prep class. Work on your reading. Don't just run and take the test again in hopes you will get lucky.

2. The MCAT is the easiest multiple choice test you will take on this journey. You will face the steps, shelf exam, inservice exams, board exams, all if which will be hard for those with issues in English, and none of these are ones you can retake without repercussions. You need to fix any issues before you start spending real money on this journey.

3. The puerto Rican schools are LCME accredited and thus are US allo schools, not "Caribbean schools". However unless OP is strong in Spanish that would just be yet another language that would present hurdles for him.

4. As Q mentioned, the people who go to the Caribbean because they have issues with tests seldom "rock" the steps, so they tend to become unfortunate match statistics. Offshore schools, to the extent they work, tend to be best for the guy who goofed off in college, but once he gets a Second chance and applies himself can actually do well. The person ho worked hard in college and did poorly isn't going to be able to turn things up offshore, and so will end up in the 65% who will not end up with a Categorical residency.

 

[DermViser]

claduva94 I understand what you are trying to say, but MD is pretty much equal to DO now when it comes to residency opportunities.

WRONG.

 

[plumber007]

1. Agree with those that say you need to fix the MCAT before considering med school. An unbalanced 25 isn't enough. Don't just run and take it again, you need to be scoring much better on every full length practice test before you even consider signing up for it again. Take a prep class. Work on your reading. Don't just run and take the test again in hopes you will get lucky.

2. The MCAT is the easiest multiple choice test you will take on this journey. You will face the steps, shelf exam, inservice exams, board exams, all if which will be hard for those with issues in English, and none of these are ones you can retake without repercussions. You need to fix any issues before you start spending real money on this journey.

3. The puerto Rican schools are LCME accredited and thus are US allo schools, not "Caribbean schools". However unless OP is strong in Spanish that would just be yet another language that would present hurdles for him.

4. As Q mentioned, the people who go to the Caribbean because they have issues with tests seldom "rock" the steps, so they tend to become unfortunate match statistics. Offshore schools, to the extent they work, tend to be best for the guy who goofed off in college, but once he gets a Second chance and applies himself can actually do well. The person ho worked hard in college and did poorly isn't going to be able to turn things up offshore, and so will end up in the 65% who will not end up with a Categorical residency.

Lot of great responses but I think I have screwed up things more than anyone could've. I have registered for the August 21 MCAT and this will be my third MCAT for this year. If I cancel it then I wouldn't be able to take any this year and MCAT will change next year, so I might have to take it in January then because anyways evenif I postpone the MCAT to Sept, Oct or Nov, I still wouldn't be able to apply for this cycle.

Also I applied to more than 50 colleges through AMCAS last month hoping that I'll take it in August and would probably do better. But I still haven't been able to bring my Reading above 8. Although for PS and BS in the practice test I manage to get 12,13 but tbh during the actual MCAT I get exhausted after VR and some of the questions in BS I guess the answers based on my knowledge and not based of the paragraph.

VR is literary killing me. What do you guys suggest now? If I want to apply to DO schools then I have to start the application now and I guess if I posted this question before then you guys would've have been able to help better as well. I am like so confused right now. I think the latest I can cancel my MCAT or reschedule it would be August 14.

 

[Goro]

The DO cycle is longer, you can have your secondary in by Dec and still be interviewing for actual seats, not a spot on the wait list.

However, your 25 limits you. You would be autorejected at my school, the Touros (well, maybe not TUNCOM), and CCOM for starters. Your best be will be with the newer schools. Skip LUCOM.

If the VR section wears you out, be aware that the DO Step I exam (COMLEX) lasts EIGHT hrs! (two 4 hr sessions).

It's a sign of wisdom, not giving up, to always have a Plan B.

VR is literary killing me. What do you guys suggest now? If I want to apply to DO schools then I have to start the application now and I guess if I posted this question before then you guys would've have been able to help better as well. I am like so confused right now. I think the latest I can cancel my MCAT or reschedule it would be August 14.[/QUOTE]

 

[Law2Doc]

Lot of great responses but I think I have screwed up things more than anyone could've. I have registered for the August 21 MCAT and this will be my third MCAT for this year. If I cancel it then I wouldn't be able to take any this year and MCAT will change next year, so I might have to take it in January then because anyways evenif I postpone the MCAT to Sept, Oct or Nov, I still wouldn't be able to apply for this cycle.

Also I applied to more than 50 colleges through AMCAS last month hoping that I'll take it in August and would probably do better. But I still haven't been able to bring my Reading above 8. Although for PS and BS in the practice test I manage to get 12,13 but tbh during the actual MCAT I get exhausted after VR and some of the questions in BS I guess the answers based on my knowledge and not based of the paragraph.

VR is literary killing me. What do you guys suggest now? If I want to apply to DO schools then I have to start the application now and I guess if I posted this question before then you guys would've have been able to help better as well. I am like so confused right now. I think the latest I can cancel my MCAT or reschedule it would be August 14.

1. I wouldn't worry about the timing for next cycle -- until you bring up your score you are going to lose the cycle one way or another even if you rushed things.
2. I wouldn't worry about them changing the mcat -- you weren't doing great under the old format so what's the difference.

 

[ems2doc]

I already took it twice. Verbal is killing me but English is not my first language. I have registered to take it for the third time on the 21st of this month

If you can't speak english why do you want to practice in the US? Maybe it's for those "fat paychecks" you were talking about? What's your primary language? If it's Spanish I would go to the Caribbean.

 

[claduva94]

If you can't speak english why do you want to practice in the US? Maybe it's for those "fat paychecks" you were talking about? What's your primary language? If it's Spanish I would go to the Caribbean.

No, if you speak spanish Puerto Rico is a much better option. If you go Caribbean, it is difficult to even graduate, let alone get residency.

 

[ems2doc]

No, if you speak spanish Puerto Rico is a much better option. If you go Caribbean, it is difficult to even graduate, let alone get residency.

Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

 

[claduva94]

Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.

Yes but "Caribbean" schools do not refer to Puerto Rican schools. Puerto Rican schools are similar to US MD. Caribbean schools refer to St Georges, Ross, etc.