Which DO schools should I apply to?

[Blazers_33]

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Hey guys Im wondering which/how many D.O. schools I should apply to to ensure an acceptance and if I should do anything else? I am applying MD also but I know I am a bit of a long shot for MD and would be happy to just get in anywhere! I only want to apply one cycle so I want to make it count.

Residence: Utah, graduated High school in WA, parents still live in childhood home

cGPA 3.61 sGPA 3.48 upward trends in both had bad freshman year. will be graduating in a month

MCAT 511 128/129/126/128

Research 150 hrs clinical Psychology Lab as Research Assistant. no posters/pubs etc.

Clinical 1750 ish hrs. as Mental Health Care Technician-lots of cool experiences/patient interaction
31 hrs. shadowing only 5 hrs. D.O., will get more D.O. shadowing before I apply

Volunteer Tutor 100 hrs.
Program Director for Volunteer Tutoring Service at my uni ~~350 hrs. + leadership
Nursery Volunteer at Church- 150 hrs.
Soccer Coach for Underdeserved Youth League- like 55 hrs.
Taught English in Mexico- 40 hours
Cleaned/refurbished local elementary school in Mexico-40 hours
Physiology Lab Instructor/ T.A. for a semester

Work- Mail Carrier Freshman year
Custodial Sophomore
Security Sophomore Junior/Senior- first aid response training, responded to like 50 calls with EMT's, leadership role

LOR- have a strong MD letter but no DO, good science letters

MISC Spanish Fluent, lived in Mexico so lots of experience in under-deserved communities, intramural sports and stuff like that

School List so far: PNWU, both westerns, both RVU, AZCOM, both AT Still, Des Moines

Any schools I should add/take out? Thanks for your input!

 

[Magus5454]

Hey guys Im wondering which/how many D.O. schools I should apply to to ensure an acceptance and if I should do anything else? I am applying MD also but I know I am a bit of a long shot for MD and would be happy to just get in anywhere! I only want to apply one cycle so I want to make it count.

Residence: Utah, graduated High school in WA, parents still live in childhood home

cGPA 3.61 sGPA 3.48 upward trends in both had bad freshman year. will be graduating in a month

MCAT 511 128/129/126/128

Research 150 hrs clinical Psychology Lab as Research Assistant. no posters/pubs etc.

Clinical 1750 ish hrs. as Mental Health Care Technician-lots of cool experiences/patient interaction
31 hrs. shadowing only 5 hrs. D.O., will get more D.O. shadowing before I apply

Volunteer Tutor 100 hrs.
Program Director for Volunteer Tutoring Service at my uni ~~350 hrs. + leadership
Nursery Volunteer at Church- 150 hrs.
Soccer Coach for Underdeserved Youth League- like 55 hrs.
Taught English in Mexico- 40 hours
Cleaned/refurbished local elementary school in Mexico-40 hours
Physiology Lab Instructor/ T.A. for a semester

Work- Mail Carrier Freshman year
Custodial Sophomore
Security Sophomore Junior/Senior- first aid response training, responded to like 50 calls with EMT's, leadership role

LOR- have a strong MD letter but no DO, good science letters

MISC Spanish Fluent, lived in Mexico so lots of experience in under-deserved communities, intramural sports and stuff like that

School List so far: PNWU, both westerns, both RVU, AZCOM, both AT Still, Des Moines

Any schools I should add/take out? Thanks for your input!

I dont think MD is a far as a shot as you think, but definitely add KCU for DO, others are better at listing MD than me

 

[curbsideconsult]

I think you'll have a great chance at any DO school. You have a good shot at MD schools as well considering your upward trend and your ECs. Also:

Mail Carrier Freshman year

This is really interesting and adcoms and student interviewers like interesting.

Continue your soccer coaching and maybe volunteer as an ESL instructor for refugees or some other "needy" group. Usually new volunteer activities this late in the game (i.e. right before the app cycle starts) looks weird, but in your case it makes sense since you did ESL work in Mexico.

 

[Goro]

You're fine for any DO school. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. PacNW mostly takes people from CA and the PacNW.

Geographically for you: BCOM, RVU, OK-COM, DMU, KCOM, KCU, TUNCOM, AZCOM. That should be enough.

 

[Goro]

For MD schools, you should add more service hours, especially to those less fortunate than yourself. Get off campus and out of your comfort zone.

Consider:
Rochester (maybe)
Hofstra (maybe)
Albert Einstein (maybe)
UCF (maybe)
Pitt (maybe)
U Toledo
U VM
Miami
Tufts
George Washington
Rosy Franklin
NYMC
MCW
VCU
EVMS
Wake Forest
Jefferson
Temple
Drexel
Tulane
Uniformed Services University/Hebert (just be aware of the military service commitment)
Oakland-B
Nova MD
U CO

 

[Suge1]

You're fine for any DO school. I can't recommend Touro-NY, Nova, LUCOM, for different reasons. MSUCOM? Read up on Larry Nasser and you decide. PacNW mostly takes people from CA and the PacNW.

Geographically for you: BCOM, RVU, OK-COM, DMU, KCOM, KCU, TUNCOM, AZCOM. That should be enough.

I read some of your other posts and know your qualms about Touro-NY. Can you elaborate on why you can't recommend Nova? Thanks.

 

[Goro]

I read some of your other posts and know your qualms about Touro-NY. Can you elaborate on why you can't recommend Nova? Thanks.

Nova: four consecutive years of declining first-time COMLEX pass rates. They're now at ~85% and this is something you expect from a new school, not a veteran. Something is very wrong there.

 

[Suge1]

Nova: four consecutive years of declining first-time COMLEX pass rates. They're now at ~85% and this is something you expect from a new school, not a veteran. Something is very wrong there.

Thanks for your reply. Would you still choose Nova > Touro-NY at this point? I'm waiting to hear back from a couple of others (LECOM-Erie and NYITCOM) but each school has some pros and cons for me for personal reasons.

 

[Goro]

Thanks for your reply. Would you still choose Nova > Touro-NY at this point? I'm waiting to hear back from a couple of others (LECOM-Erie and NYITCOM) but each school has some pros and cons for me for personal reasons.

I would choose neither Nova or Touro-NY. Frankly I am worried than with the opening of so many new DO schools and MD schools, that we are heading to a residency crunch. The first victims of this would be grads with red flags like Boards failures. Thus, some 15% of Nova and Touro-NY grads could possibly facing never being a doctor.
My speculation only, but it's a concern for me.

 

[Yhorm the Giant]

Hey guys Im wondering which/how many D.O. schools I should apply to to ensure an acceptance and if I should do anything else? I am applying MD also but I know I am a bit of a long shot for MD and would be happy to just get in anywhere! I only want to apply one cycle so I want to make it count.

Residence: Utah, graduated High school in WA, parents still live in childhood home

cGPA 3.61 sGPA 3.48 upward trends in both had bad freshman year. will be graduating in a month

MCAT 511 128/129/126/128

Research 150 hrs clinical Psychology Lab as Research Assistant. no posters/pubs etc.

Clinical 1750 ish hrs. as Mental Health Care Technician-lots of cool experiences/patient interaction
31 hrs. shadowing only 5 hrs. D.O., will get more D.O. shadowing before I apply

Volunteer Tutor 100 hrs.
Program Director for Volunteer Tutoring Service at my uni ~~350 hrs. + leadership
Nursery Volunteer at Church- 150 hrs.
Soccer Coach for Underdeserved Youth League- like 55 hrs.
Taught English in Mexico- 40 hours
Cleaned/refurbished local elementary school in Mexico-40 hours
Physiology Lab Instructor/ T.A. for a semester

Work- Mail Carrier Freshman year
Custodial Sophomore
Security Sophomore Junior/Senior- first aid response training, responded to like 50 calls with EMT's, leadership role

LOR- have a strong MD letter but no DO, good science letters

MISC Spanish Fluent, lived in Mexico so lots of experience in under-deserved communities, intramural sports and stuff like that

School List so far: PNWU, both westerns, both RVU, AZCOM, both AT Still, Des Moines

Any schools I should add/take out? Thanks for your input!

School list looks good. I'd add Oklahoma State. My app was similar to yours but with a lower cGPA but higher sGPA, one point higher MCAT and less LDS mission volunteering (stateside). I got interview invites from every school you listed except Des Moines and the Arizona AT Still, so I bet you'll get love from petty much all of those.

 

[DNC127]

School list looks good. I'd add Oklahoma State. My app was similar to yours but with a lower cGPA but higher sGPA, one point higher MCAT and less LDS mission volunteering (stateside). I got interview invites from every school you listed except Des Moines and the Arizona AT Still, so I bet you'll get love from petty much all of those.

OSU student from Utah here. I agree with this. Apply to OSU. Our administration loves mormons and people from Utah. My class like half of our 10 OOS students are from utah. Just get a DO letter.