Which DO schools will accept you if you have low MCAT but high GPA?

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I have almost identical stats as you and I'm going to be applying to about 18-20 schools. You will hear on sdn to stay away from the touros except the Nevada location in Henderson and to also stay away from Midwestern in AZ. Other than that anything else is pretty much fair game. Be cautious of the public schools if your not a resident of that particular state because the tuition for oos student is astronomical. I think MSUcom is something like 80k per year if your out of state. Way too much... Also liberty (lucom) is not well respected at SDN because it is new, has religious views incorporated into med curriculum etc.

Edit: some schools have sub section cut offs for the mcat, for example no section can below 7 or 8 depending on the school. Just a heads up. I wouldn't let that discourage you because I've heard of stories where people get in to these types of schools even with lower sub sections if the rest of their app is up to snuff.
Also apply early!
 
I applied to SOMA w/ a 26 and got accepted. A 26 isn't what I would necessarily consider a "low" score, but I would definitely avoid Midwestern.
 
Ash366 said:
GPA 3.7 MCAT: 26?

I am not sure which DO schools to apply to after having an MCAT score of 26 (8,6,12). Any recommendations? Thanks
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Problem isn't the 26. Its the 6. I suggest trying newer schools.

You have a list?
 
26 is a bad score, but you'll likely still get interviews out the wazoo. Apply to 15-20 schools.
 
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And what about the reverse, low GPA high MCAT
 
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PhillyBoy22 said:
Whats wrong with AZCOM?
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There's nothing wrong with AZCOM, it's just that they are probably the most straightforward and least mysterious of all DO schools in terms of what they're looking for. Despite one anecdotal exception someone posted about on SDN, there has been no indication that during this cycle AZCOM has even considered applications with less than a 29 MCAT. They told applicants in the fall that no one below a 29 would get an interview until after the New Year, and nobody with a sub-29 has posted on here about receiving one this year. SDN is a small sample size, of course. Maybe they've been interviewing people over the past couple months with mid-to-high 20's MCATs, but I've seen no evidence of it.
 
IslandStyle808 said:
Agree with above. You may even have a shot at one of the top schools. @AlteredScale had similar stats to yours and got in to KCU.
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Not entirely true, I saw @AlteredScale's ECs and I have to say they are impressive. I believe that those were what got him accepted at KCU. He would be a MD student if he got 30+. Like Goro said, stats get you to the door. ECs are what get you through it.
 
I think you will be fine with that MCAT, especially with that nice GPA. As stated above just apply broadly and you should receive many interviews.
 
Apply to 15-20 schools in May or June and you'll have an acceptance by October if you have a DO lor.


But I do sincerely recommend you be reasonable. Don't apply to only ccoms.

Your schools should include and frankly be dominated ( 70% of application) by places like ACOM, VCOM, PNWU, cusom, Lecom, Touro-nv, LMU, PCOM-ga, WVSOM.
And then include a few like: unecom, PCOM, nsu, DMU, kcumb ( 2 out of 3 rule works for you), and a few others medium and high picks.
 
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I would argue that you have a legitimate shot at all schools. Mayyyybe CCOM, Touro-NY, and any state school (that are not your home state) are out, but you should try at every other school that you are interested in. You have good grades and a decent enough MCAT, dont be afraid to put on a few of those top tier schools, you never know what can happen.

I think 5 high tier, 5 low tier (new schools), 10 mid tier. You will for sure receive a good amount of interviews.

What region of the country/state do you live in?
 
I applied everywhere except WCU, TCOM and OUHCOM. I got 5 interview invites but was accepted to my top choice in September.

As everyone has said above, apply early and broadly, put some thought into those secondaries, and you'll be fine.

Good luck op!
 
kenjixshadow said:
Not entirely true, I saw @AlteredScale's ECs and I have to say they are impressive. I believe that those were what got him accepted at KCU. He would be a MD student if he got 30+. Like Goro said, stats get you to the door. ECs are what get you through it.
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Of course, ECs also play a role in the process. I am starting to see that clinical ECs are highly valued by adcoms. However, stats also play a part in getting you through the door as well, even Goro has stated people get rejected by schools due to stats not measuring up (post-interview).
 
I am the kind of student who locked myself in a room and studied 12 hours a day for the MCAT and still ended up getting a 26 although all of my practice exams were above a 30. After this, I became hopeless and disappointed in myself.

Can someone please give me top medical schools that I have a chance in getting into because I never had a good adviser that was willing to help me.
 
So this is what I decided I should do. Apply to the schools I have a chance at getting into as well as apply to Saint Georges in the Caribbeans. If I get interviews by October, Ill stick to US schools, if I dont get any interview then start Caribbeans in January.

What do you guys think? Thank you.
 
AlteredScale said:
I applied everywhere except WCU, TCOM and OUHCOM. I got 5 interview invites but was accepted to my top choice in September.

As everyone has said above, apply early and broadly, put some thought into those secondaries, and you'll be fine.

Good luck op!
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Did you apply to Allopathic schools as well? I dont know what schools to apply to with 26 MCAT and 3.7 GPA.
 
Goro said:
Answer: yes

Skip CCOM, AZCOM, and the NY and CA Touros. I can't recommend LUCOM.
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This +skip Ohklahoma, Rowan, and Ohio. (Just in my opionion, unless you have money to blow).
 
Ash366 said:
Did you apply to Allopathic schools as well? I dont know what schools to apply to with 26 MCAT and 3.7 GPA.
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You might get a courtesy interview at your state school, but you'll be screened out afterwards with a 26 mcat, unless you're a minority, then you can go to any school you want with those stats.

Edit: @Goro, woops, yeah, correct.
 
xBODOMx said:
You might get a courtesy interview at your state school, but you'll be screened out afterwards with a 26 mcat, unless you're a minority, then you can go to any school you want with those stats.

Edit: @Goro, woops, yeah, correct.
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Not entirely true, I'm a URM and had a higher MCAT than that. DO schools don't really put as much emphasis on the URM as MD schools do.
 
Ash366 said:
Did you apply to Allopathic schools as well? I dont know what schools to apply to with 26 MCAT and 3.7 GPA.
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Nope. Unfortunately, a 26 cumulative and moreover a 6 in VR is DOA at all MD schools.

Take Goro's advise seriously, especially the school list he provides. It works.
 
Ash366 said:
I am the kind of student who locked myself in a room and studied 12 hours a day for the MCAT and still ended up getting a 26 although all of my practice exams were above a 30. After this, I became hopeless and disappointed in myself.
Click to expand...
I see this alot but I don't understand. I don't know if I was just lucky, but I ended up doing slightly better than my averages. I remember reading this constantly when I was preparing and was very nervous going in, but thankfully things worked out in my case...
 
serenade said:
Apply to 15-20 schools in May or June and you'll have an acceptance by October if you have a DO lor.


But I do sincerely recommend you be reasonable. Don't apply to only ccoms.

Your schools should include and frankly be dominated ( 70% of application) by places like ACOM, VCOM, PNWU, cusom, Lecom, Touro-nv, LMU, PCOM-ga, WVSOM.
And then include a few like: unecom, PCOM, nsu, DMU, kcumb ( 2 out of 3 rule works for you), and a few others medium and high picks.
Click to expand...
I think they have a pretty high chance of getting into Rowan (their state school) if they apply early and interview competently.

Despite the frequent hype of the older schools being "borderline MD-like" in terms of admissions, they still admit lots of people with mid-20's.
 
Ash366 said:
So this is what I decided I should do. Apply to the schools I have a chance at getting into as well as apply to Saint Georges in the Caribbeans. If I get interviews by October, Ill stick to US schools, if I dont get any interview then start Caribbeans in January.

What do you guys think? Thank you.
Click to expand...

Caribbean schools are considered to be the wrong move by virtually everyone on SDN. Do a search and find out why.

If you are interview-less by October, I'd consider an MCAT retake instead.
 
IslandStyle808 said:
Agree with above. You may even have a shot at one of the top schools. @AlteredScale had similar stats to yours and got in to KCU.
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On KCUMB website, they stated no section should be lower than 7. So in fact they still accept one with 6 in subsection? Or they just updated their website for the requirements?😕
 
cuwhenucme said:
On KCUMB website, they stated no section should be lower than 7. So in fact they still accept one with 6 in subsection? Or they just updated their website for the requirements?😕
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They have a 2 out of 3 rule. So if both your GPAs meet the requirement and the MCAT doesn't, then you won't be auto screened pre-secondary. Alteredscale had almost the exact same scenario as yourself (same VR score) and got in. So don't be too surprised if you have a shot there also. I also had the same VR score, but your stats were much better than mine, and did not get auto screened because I meet the 2 out of 3 rule (both my GPAs were above the minimum). They stopped interviewing by December and so I was put out the running because of that.
 
IslandStyle808 said:
They have a 2 out of 3 rule. So if both your GPAs meet the requirement and the MCAT doesn't, then you won't be auto screened pre-secondary. Alteredscale had almost the exact same scenario as yourself (same VR score) and got in. So don't be too surprised if you have a shot there also. I also had the same VR score, but your stats were much better than mine, and did not get auto screened because I meet the 2 out of 3 rule (both my GPAs were above the minimum). They stopped interviewing by December and so I was put out the running because of that.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I am not OP. I asked because I have a similar MCAT score. My GPA is lower than OP though.

This is what they say on the website:

  • 24 MCAT (no less than a 7 in any one subject)
  • 3.25 Science GPA
  • 3.25 Overall/Cumulative GPA
Do you mean if applicants meet 2 out of 3 (above rule), they won't get auto-screened?

Also, they stopped interviewing in December because the class is already full?
 
AlteredScale said:
Nope. Unfortunately, a 26 cumulative and moreover a 6 in VR is DOA at all MD schools.
Click to expand...

Yeah 6 is way low for MD, especially the way this cycle went.I had an 8VR with a cumulative score of 31, with that being really the only blemish on my application and didn't get any significant MD love (2 interview invites, neither worth attending due to time and tuition cost). On the DO side I got II at 14/16 schools that I applied to. Granted, my application was a little late on the MD side as I waited for my MCAT score to be released before I submitted AMCAS (secondaries in the end of August), but still, this was a brute cycle.
 
IslandStyle808 said:
They have a 2 out of 3 rule. So if both your GPAs meet the requirement and the MCAT doesn't, then you won't be auto screened pre-secondary. Alteredscale had almost the exact same scenario as yourself (same VR score) and got in. So don't be too surprised if you have a shot there also. I also had the same VR score, but your stats were much better than mine, and did not get auto screened because I meet the 2 out of 3 rule (both my GPAs were above the minimum). They stopped interviewing by December and so I was put out the running because of that.
Click to expand...

Also I wonder when school stated their requirements clearly on their website (like "no less than a 7 in any one subject"), it means they had made a firm rule. If we still apply with a subscore lower than 7, does that mean we are not paying an attention to what they are saying in the first place?

Yes, it is possible that they made an exception, like a miracle could happen sometimes. But the chance should be quite low, right?
 
cuwhenucme said:
Thanks. I am not OP. I asked because I have a similar MCAT score. My GPA is lower than OP though.

This is what they say on the website:

  • 24 MCAT (no less than a 7 in any one subject)
  • 3.25 Science GPA
  • 3.25 Overall/Cumulative GPA
Do you mean if applicants meet 2 out of 3 (above rule), they won't get auto-screened?

Also, they stopped interviewing in December because the class is already full?
Click to expand...

Correct on both questions.
 
cuwhenucme said:
Also I wonder when school stated their requirements clearly on their website (like "no less than a 7 in any one subject"), it means they had made a firm rule. If we still apply with a subscore lower than 7, does that mean we are not paying an attention to what they are saying in the first place?

Yes, it is possible that they made an exception, like a miracle could happen sometimes. But the chance should be quite low, right?
Click to expand...

Yes this is correct in quite a few scenarios. I think with the 2 out of 3 rule there are enough exceptions to make it worth the risk.
 
AlteredScale said:
I applied everywhere except WCU, TCOM and OUHCOM. I got 5 interview invites but was accepted to my top choice in September.

As everyone has said above, apply early and broadly, put some thought into those secondaries, and you'll be fine.

Good luck op!
Click to expand...
you only got 5 ii's? osteohack had a 3.4 and 26 and still received like 15ish invitations.
 
xBODOMx said:
You might get a courtesy interview at your state school, but you'll be screened out afterwards with a 26 mcat, unless you're a minority, then you can go to any school you want with those stats.

Edit: @Goro, woops, yeah, correct.
Click to expand...
what do you mean? I guess im considered a minority since im persian?
 
user3 said:
you only got 5 ii's? osteohack had a 3.4 and 26 and still received like 15ish invitations.
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Ah if only we could all be osteohacks. I suggest OP that you PM Osteohack and copy his whole app, verbatim😛

OP your stats are good. Apply widely and you will get some love, probably at some "higher tier" DO schools as well. I would avoid MD, most of them will not take you (unless you have some low stat instate school that has like a primary care mission).
 
q
AlteredScale said:
Nope. Unfortunately, a 26 cumulative and moreover a 6 in VR is DOA at all MD schools.

Take Goro's advise seriously, especially the school list he provides. It works.
Click to expand...
im sorry but what is DOA?
 
user3 said:
I think they have a pretty high chance of getting into Rowan (their state school) if they apply early and interview competently.

Despite the frequent hype of the older schools being "borderline MD-like" in terms of admissions, they still admit lots of people with mid-20's.
Click to expand...
Could you give me list of best DO schools that I will have a chance at getting into with a 26 and 3.7 GPA?
 
ortnakas said:
Caribbean schools are considered to be the wrong move by virtually everyone on SDN. Do a search and find out why.

If you are interview-less by October, I'd consider an MCAT retake instead.
Click to expand...
Why is Caribbean school so wrong? I know two people who went and are doctors now. I also know two other people that I met at the library who literally pleaded telling me to not go to Caribbean school because they wont prepare me well enough but I feel like they went to bad schools. I dont believe Saint Georges is a bad idea if I have no other option since Saint Georges is number one in Caribbean? Thank you.
 
AM508 said:
Yeah 6 is way low for MD, especially the way this cycle went.I had an 8VR with a cumulative score of 31, with that being really the only blemish on my application and didn't get any significant MD love (2 interview invites, neither worth attending due to time and tuition cost). On the DO side I got II at 14/16 schools that I applied to. Granted, my application was a little late on the MD side as I waited for my MCAT score to be released before I submitted AMCAS (secondaries in the end of August), but still, this was a brute cycle.
Click to expand...

What DO schools do you recommend with an MCAT score of 26?
 
Ash366 said:
Could you give me list of best DO schools that I will have a chance at getting into with a 26 and 3.7 GPA?
Click to expand...
all of them, to an extent. apply ANYWHERE you are interested in attending. I would only avoid the OOS public schools.
 
Ash366 said:
Why is Caribbean school so wrong? I know two people who went and are doctors now. I also know two other people that I met at the library who literally pleaded telling me to not go to Caribbean school because they wont prepare me well enough but I feel like they went to bad schools. I dont believe Saint Georges is a bad idea if I have no other option since Saint Georges is number one in Caribbean? Thank you.
Click to expand...

There are so many threads why Caribbean schools are bad choices. I suggest you use the search button and read for yourself.
 
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Ash366 said:
Why is Caribbean school so wrong? I know two people who went and are doctors now. I also know two other people that I met at the library who literally pleaded telling me to not go to Caribbean school because they wont prepare me well enough but I feel like they went to bad schools. I dont believe Saint Georges is a bad idea if I have no other option since Saint Georges is number one in Caribbean? Thank you.
Click to expand...
Cliff notes

-few graduate in 4 years
-a large portion drop out
-trouble matching into residencies
-high cost
-living in an underdevolped nation

Out of all of those that start carribean a huge portion don't become doctors.


Potential school list:

Touro (Middletown)
Rowan
NYIT
LECOM (Erie and bradenton)
VCOM (Virginia south corolina auburn)
PCOM (Philadelphia and Georgia)
NSU
ACOM
KCU
Des Moines
WVsom
Western
UNECOM
 
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