Unsure Reapplicant: Chances for DO school

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fluoropHore

fluoropHore

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Hi SDNers,
I wanted to consult with everyone on my current standing and if I'm on the right path:
I applied last cycle, no invites, no nothing. :/ After the soul-crushing experience, I decided to take time to improve my weak points.
Things from last cycle:

3.5gpa, 3.4sci (3 W's from 1 semester, plus a retake in Orgo, but my last 3 were on the upward trend)
I had enrolled in some upper sci classes in summer, but decided I wouldn't have time with work responsibilities. Should I still consider this for remaining time? Since I want to go DO, I could retake some, but i didn't get C's in any sciences, just religion/history. I did however, get B- in a lower div sci.

mcat 29Q. Clearly, this was also a weak point. I plan on re-taking.

ECs are ok,
, craptons of random volunteer work in college, 4+years in lab(s) with pubs, 2years as hospital volunteer (the usual stuff),


Is there anything I can do to improve between now and next summer? Thank you. :)
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Also, my LORs may have thrown me under a bus, I assume they were atleast luke-warm to "hot" they were from
1. PI from lab,
2. sci prof that i didn't know that well, and basically struggled with some of the material
3. DO shadowed 2 months, (maybe I didnt make good impression?),
4. humanities prof in whos class i did poorly in, but retook for a good grade-she was enthusiastic about my asking her for a letter.

(basically, i don;t think I got any graet letters from my undergrad sci classes-and going back to ask would be worse)

I was thinking about getting a masters,because I have been getting pressure form family to get "on with my life" and "finding a backup plan" but is very hard to study for GRE AND Mcat. sheesh!
 
Your ECs and GPAs are fine, except those W's, I don't know how admissions view them, hopefully those are not W's from core science classes.

Definitely need to do better on the MCAT, even if you are only interested in the DO route, DO schools are getting more selective in general. improve by a few more points of at least a 27, with a more or less balanced score in each section.

Don't just get a master for the sake of it, since it costs money too! Get a master that will help you apply for medical school, such as a SMP at some medical schools, I think that would be more beneficial to you.

Take your time to improve your weak points, then, when next cycle hits, just apply boardly and early.

Good luck
 
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I was in a similar situation to yours. I applied in 2007 and in 2008, no interview invites at all. I struggled with myself at that time, and I knew I had to do ANYTHING to improve. So in my gap years, I re-took biology at CC level, also took A&P classes, went to Vietnam twice to do medical mission work in the summers, job shadowed 4 doctors (2 MD, 2 DO), took the MCAT for the 3rd time (which sucked at a 24M), and re-applied in 2010-2011. I'm currently accepted pending an open seat at a school, which I am fully committed to go to, whether I start this year or next.

Bottom line: take the time to re-evaluate the areas you need to improve on. I think if I had applied earlier in the cycle (took the Jan. MCAT, big timing mistake), I would have at least gotten more invites. Overall, show improvement. If you feel your letters aren't so hot, go ahead and find someone (prof or doctor) who will write you a better one. GOOD LUCK! :luck:
 
Thanks for the replies. But in your opinions, what are my weak spots, besides the glaringly obvious mcat/gpa? And what should I do to improve it? I have a full year off and i'm wondering how to constructively make it worthwhile. I plan on shadowing, (do i need another PCP?), mcat prep, and keep up with my new EC. I stopped doing the hospital volunteer thing- was 2yrs enough exposure?

Thanks!
 
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I would not stop with the hospital volunteer work. If you didn't like the place, find another hospital or clinic. Admissions committees want to see continued involvement.

And you really need to improve your GPA. I suggest taking some upper level science classes, do really well, and try to get a LOR from one of the professors.
 
here is what i would do:

1. figure out your weak point for the mcat.
mine happened to be physics. i knew this and when i studied to retake it i focused a significant portion of my study time towards physics and still reviewed the other areas but focused my significant in depth time to physics.
figure out your own personal weak point (or points) then get whatever resources you can ghet yoru hands on to help you better your score in that area. do practice problems or draw reaction mechanisms until you swear your eyes are bleeding and you are dreaming about them. if you stink at vr, get the ek 101 passages in verbal reasoning and keep doing passages. practice practice and practice.
get someone to go in with you and split a few practice tests.

2. you know your gpa and your credit hours
calculate what difference it would make if the w's were retaken and replaced with b's or a's.
then calculate separately what the difference would be if you took two semesters of work (say 30 credithours) with straight a's. do this without replacing the w's.
see what difference these two things would make in your gpa.
in my case, i calculated if i took 30 credit hours and made straight a's it would only make a .01 difference in my cum gpa since i had so many credit hours. so in that case, it was best for me to pursue a masters degree since graduate gpa is calculated separately from undergrad gpa.
 
in addition also the following:



3. get back into volunteering asap.
as previously mentioned, adcoms look for additional involvement. they will wonder why you stopped. yes you have enough, but you need to get back into something asap.

4. find a do/do's and shadow them
most do schools look for you to have shadowed a do. the wider experience you get, it will enable you to talk more in depth about how you have seen do's in various practices and how they were alike yet different. it would be helpful if the do you were shadowing was a do alum of the school you are most interested in. to that end, you could try contacting the schools alum office and see if they keep a list of alum who are willing to have students shadow them.
 
thanks mommy2three: a few q's

1. i had thought about a graduate degree, but studying for GRE on top of MCAT seemed like suicide. I agree, physical sciences is def my weak point. I have my old textbooks from those classes, but i've read its not good to read old textbooks, to keep it simple and use the review books? i'm glad it worked for you.

2. i have since replaced my hospital volunteering with starting my own campus health club, its not very clinical (no docs) but we educate vulnerable populations on health issues. Would that be a comparable EC? Should I go back to my hospital position or go to a different clinic with different population for variety?

3. I def plan on going to get a DO letter. I have so far shadowed 2 docs both in the same field. Is it prudent to choose other fields/physicians to shadow to show I've "done my hw?"
 
Ah I should clarify #3. Only reason i shadowed 2 of the same docs was I really like the field and wanted to see different aspects. bad idea?
 
I was in a situation a little similar to yours. I actually took the MCAT 3 times and didnt do good (due to an accident and some other unfortunate circumstances), but nonetheless, I took a year off and became employed as an ER scribe. Not sure if you've ever heard of a scribe, because I know I haven't while in undergrad, but it's an AMAZING opportunity that gives you first hand exposure to medicine in an emergency setting. You accompany the ER physicians during each patient visit, document charts, and keep tracks of labs (XR's, CT scans, blood work, etc). I suggest you continue volunteering, but if you have a scribe program near you definitely apply!! (& this would surely help in the LOR department, considering you're pretty much attached the hip of the doctors lol). There are numerous programs nationwide, ScribeAmerica is the one I am familiar with.

Also, here's my advice on the MCAT. I used EK mostly, and Kaplan on the side when I felt EK was too brief. EK Audio osmosis is also a great tool. The following websites also helped me out a lot: mcat-review.org, wikipremed.com and khanacademy.org. The first follows the AAMC format of MCAT topics, and the other two have numerous videos. After studying intensely for about 4 months with all of these methods, I went from a 20 to scoring in the 30's on my practice tests (taking it next week actually).

Anyways, sorry for the super long post!! Hope this helps :)
 
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wow thats really good to hear! it gives me hope thanks alex0388!
 
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answers below questions :)

fluoropHore said:
thanks mommy2three: a few q's

1. i had thought about a graduate degree, but studying for GRE on top of MCAT seemed like suicide. I agree, physical sciences is def my weak point. I have my old textbooks from those classes, but i've read its not good to read old textbooks, to keep it simple and use the review books? i'm glad it worked for you.
if you are weak at physical sciences i highly recommend novas mcat physics book...saved my behind in that part of it. i also am partial to ebbbings general chemistry, but that is a textbook. you may want to go with berkley review gchem if you can get ahold of it. also eks question book for both physics and gchem are pretty solid. if you need a text to review a concept more in depth because it has been a while since you have seen it last then by all means use a text book. and the extra pratice problems surely do not hurt. physical sciences imho is all about recognizing the problem type then being able to solve it quickly. in that sense pratice makes perfect :)

2. i have since replaced my hospital volunteering with starting my own campus health club, its not very clinical (no docs) but we educate vulnerable populations on health issues. Would that be a comparable EC? Should I go back to my hospital position or go to a different clinic with different population for variety?
i had two very different volunteer experiences when i applied and it gave me more to talk aboiut becuase i was dealing with things from two angles. i think that diversity helps and if you ahve an opportunity to see a different patient population then i would grab it with both hands and hang on becuase it will give you a different perspective on what type of doctor you wnat to be as well as how doc operate in different situations.

3. I def plan on going to get a DO letter. I have so far shadowed 2 docs both in the same field. Is it prudent to choose other fields/physicians to shadow to show I've "done my hw?"
if you can, i would try to shadow one in a different field, esp if the ones you work with do not use omm. i think it is exceedingly helpful to see it in action before you apply and be abel to talk about what types of techniques you saw used for injuries etc. also it gives you a sense of how different professions are approached.
Click to expand...

answers to 2 and 3 are strictly my opinion and i think you will find taht they vary. but i was told that variety is good
 
fluoropHore said:
why is taking the mcat in january bad timing?
Click to expand...

not really because if you do poorly it gives you a chance to retake before app season is in full swing knowing where you need to shore up.
again, just mho though
 
fluoropHore said:
why is taking the mcat in january bad timing?
Click to expand...

It's bad timing if you use that MCAT to apply for schools late in the cycle. In my case, I applied 2010/2011 to get accepted in 2011, but took the Jan 2011 MCAT. SUPER LATE! This is bad because a lot of DO schools accept students on a rolling basis, so the later you are in getting everything submitted to the schools, the less of a chance you'll get to be interviewed/accepted. Don't get me wrong, people do still get in even if their materials are late (I'm proof of that), but if I had to do it again, I would just get everything in as soon as possible to maximize the number of schools that call you for interviews.

Then again, if you take a Jan. MCAT and start applying for the next cycle (ie, Jan 2011 MCAT, apply for 2011/2012 cycle), then you're okay since you'll have adequate time to re-take the MCAT if needed. Hope that clarifies it for you ! Good luck!
 
alex0388 said:
I took a year off and became employed as an ER scribe. Not sure if you've ever heard of a scribe, because I know I haven't while in undergrad, but it's an AMAZING opportunity that gives you first hand exposure to medicine in an emergency setting. You accompany the ER physicians during each patient visit, document charts, and keep tracks of labs (XR's, CT scans, blood work, etc). I suggest you continue volunteering, but if you have a scribe program near you definitely apply!! (& this would surely help in the LOR department, considering you're pretty much attached the hip of the doctors lol). There are numerous programs nationwide, ScribeAmerica is the one I am familiar with.
Click to expand...

To further add to this post, look into "http://iamscribe.com/scribe/" to learn more about it. Here are locations where you can work:

Ann Arbor, TX: St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, Livingston, Saline, Livonia, Brighton, Chelsea
Bellingham, TX: St. Joseph Medical Center
Dallas, TX: Texas Health Dallas, Plano, Kaufman, Allen, Parkland
Denton, TX: Texas Health Denton
East Dallas, TX: Presbyterian Rockwall, Hunt Regional Greenville
Ellensburgh, WA: Kittitas Valley Community Hospital
Fort Worth, TX: Cook Children's Medical Center
Fort Worth, TX: Texas Health Harris Downtown, Azle, Southwest, Cleburne, Burleson
Gross Pointe, MI: William Beaumont Hospital
HEB, TX: Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford
Henry Ford Brownstown, MI: Center for Health Services, Wyandotte
Hoffman Estates, IL: St. Alexius Medical Center
Houston, TX: Bayshore Medical Center, East Houston Regional
Kansas City, MO: Carondelet St. Joseph and St. Mary's
Louisville, KY: Norton Audubon Hospital
Miami, FL: Baptist Hospital of Miami
Milwaukee, WI: Aurora Health St. Luke's
Munster, IL: Community Hospital
Peoria, IL: St. Francis Medical Center
Richland, WA: Kadlec Medical Center, Lourdes Medical Center
San Antonio, TX: Boerne Medical Center
San Antonio, TX: Methodist Children's Hospital, Methodist Main
St. Joseph, MO: Heartland Regional Medical Center
St. Louis, MO: DePaul Health Center
St. Louis, MO: St. Mary's Health Center
Tacoma, WA: Franciscan Health System, Tacoma, Lakewood, Federal Way
Troy, MI: William Beaumont Hospital
Urology Associates of North Texas: Fort Worth, Arlington
West Palm Beach, FL: Wellington Regional Medical Center
 
PTWOB02 said:
To further add to this post, look into "http://iamscribe.com/scribe/" to learn more about it. Here are locations where you can work:

Ann Arbor, TX: St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, Livingston, Saline, Livonia, Brighton, Chelsea
Bellingham, TX: St. Joseph Medical Center
Dallas, TX: Texas Health Dallas, Plano, Kaufman, Allen, Parkland
Denton, TX: Texas Health Denton
East Dallas, TX: Presbyterian Rockwall, Hunt Regional Greenville
Ellensburgh, WA: Kittitas Valley Community Hospital
Fort Worth, TX: Cook Children's Medical Center
Fort Worth, TX: Texas Health Harris Downtown, Azle, Southwest, Cleburne, Burleson
Gross Pointe, MI: William Beaumont Hospital
HEB, TX: Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford
Henry Ford Brownstown, MI: Center for Health Services, Wyandotte
Hoffman Estates, IL: St. Alexius Medical Center
Houston, TX: Bayshore Medical Center, East Houston Regional
Kansas City, MO: Carondelet St. Joseph and St. Mary's
Louisville, KY: Norton Audubon Hospital
Miami, FL: Baptist Hospital of Miami
Milwaukee, WI: Aurora Health St. Luke's
Munster, IL: Community Hospital
Peoria, IL: St. Francis Medical Center
Richland, WA: Kadlec Medical Center, Lourdes Medical Center
San Antonio, TX: Boerne Medical Center
San Antonio, TX: Methodist Children's Hospital, Methodist Main
St. Joseph, MO: Heartland Regional Medical Center
St. Louis, MO: DePaul Health Center
St. Louis, MO: St. Mary's Health Center
Tacoma, WA: Franciscan Health System, Tacoma, Lakewood, Federal Way
Troy, MI: William Beaumont Hospital
Urology Associates of North Texas: Fort Worth, Arlington
West Palm Beach, FL: Wellington Regional Medical Center
Click to expand...

This is awesome thanks!!!
 
PTWOB02 said:
To further add to this post, look into "http://iamscribe.com/scribe/" to learn more about it. Here are locations where you can work:

Ann Arbor, TX: St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor, Livingston, Saline, Livonia, Brighton, Chelsea
Bellingham, TX: St. Joseph Medical Center
Dallas, TX: Texas Health Dallas, Plano, Kaufman, Allen, Parkland
Denton, TX: Texas Health Denton
East Dallas, TX: Presbyterian Rockwall, Hunt Regional Greenville
Ellensburgh, WA: Kittitas Valley Community Hospital
Fort Worth, TX: Cook Children's Medical Center
Fort Worth, TX: Texas Health Harris Downtown, Azle, Southwest, Cleburne, Burleson
Gross Pointe, MI: William Beaumont Hospital
HEB, TX: Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford
Henry Ford Brownstown, MI: Center for Health Services, Wyandotte
Hoffman Estates, IL: St. Alexius Medical Center
Houston, TX: Bayshore Medical Center, East Houston Regional
Kansas City, MO: Carondelet St. Joseph and St. Mary's
Louisville, KY: Norton Audubon Hospital
Miami, FL: Baptist Hospital of Miami
Milwaukee, WI: Aurora Health St. Luke's
Munster, IL: Community Hospital
Peoria, IL: St. Francis Medical Center
Richland, WA: Kadlec Medical Center, Lourdes Medical Center
San Antonio, TX: Boerne Medical Center
San Antonio, TX: Methodist Children's Hospital, Methodist Main
St. Joseph, MO: Heartland Regional Medical Center
St. Louis, MO: DePaul Health Center
St. Louis, MO: St. Mary's Health Center
Tacoma, WA: Franciscan Health System, Tacoma, Lakewood, Federal Way
Troy, MI: William Beaumont Hospital
Urology Associates of North Texas: Fort Worth, Arlington
West Palm Beach, FL: Wellington Regional Medical Center
Click to expand...

I just interviewed for this!! :D I'm really excited about it!

Also--For many grad programs, you do not have to take the GRE--they will accept the MCAT. I'm doing the U of Michigan MS in Physiology this year--never took the GRE, only had a 26 on the MKitty.
 
Hi all! I just wanted to update anyone that's interested, and have a few q's.

So far, the things I have improved on since last cycle is: additional volunteering at the hospital, new community service club (leader), and more shadowing. I retook the mcat in may, so I will see how that goes. I am committed to taking it one last time if need be. My last exam was in 2010- Does that mean that that score will be erased come 2013? I can only hope.

I didn't retake any classes due to financial constraints. I thought about taking them at a CC, but have read that taking them at CC is not a good idea. Can anyone corroborate on that opinion?

Finally, it takes 4-6 weeks to verify information. Does that mean I should have sent in my transcripts 4-6 weeks BEFORE the application cycle begins- June 1? Or does the time start ticking AT June 1. Or does the verification happen at the same time for everyone once we hit the submit button? And for the letters, if we are using our school's committee letters, when should we have them sent by?

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I appreciate it:))
 
and, would anyone suggest i try for any of the new schools near me like cooper or not even bother with amcas? this is truthfully a half-joke.
 
I'm also thinking, even if my score is decent, i will wait another year to apply due to not thinking far enough ahead and giving my school heads' up with respect to getting my letters of recs in order. the letters prob wont get there in time. if i submit after 6/12/12 that would put me at a disadvantage and i already applied "late" first time around- end of June- and nada. i just cant spend another 1k to be submitting late again.
 
ok i just got my score back (5/12) and did a 29Q, up from a 23Q from 2010.. Should I retake? I was about to apply this year but I can handle waiting another cycle :)
 
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I'd apply DO for sure... you've got a good chance...
 
SBB2016 said:
I'd apply DO for sure... you've got a good chance...
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]
Really? Yr not just sayin that? daw. i could just about hear my premed advisor wincing over the phone when i told her today... i am down to wait another year to get it 30+ if thats advisable? i was studying while working FT. advisor said just take it and leave it... >:p
 
Do whatever you want. If DO is somehow "not a doctor" to your premed advisor who clearly knows more than the rest of us, go for it. You can wait as many years as you want, but as Warren Miller says, "If you don't do it this year, you'll be another year older when you do"
 
OK, so I just wanted to update anyone who had similar stats as me (and i'm feeling self-indulgent) on my progress. (Yeah I know there's MDapps for this.)


I applied 2010 to no avail. 3.5, 3.3. 23Q
tryagain:
29Q,. More ECs. completely new PS.

Applied:
UNECOM- IIntvite (Accepted)
UMDNJ-SOM- invite, rej
ATSU-KCOM-MO - IInvite (withdrew)
WVSOM - IInvite (withdrew)
CAMBELL - IInvite, Accepted
Midwestern- Rejected Pre-Int
Nova (NSU)- IInvite (withdrew)
Des Moines- IInvite (withdrew)
NYCOM - invite, accepted
LECOM-PA - Rejected Pre-Int
LECOM-FL- Rejected Pre-Int
ACOM- IInvite, Accepted
LMU- IInvite (withdrew)
PCOM- invite, accepted
TouroNY- IInvite, Accepted
AT Still-AZ- IInvite (withdrew)
Marian -IInvite (withdrew)
OU-HCOM (Ohio)- rej

Drexel-
NJMS-
Commonwealth- Rejected
Cooper- Rejected
Jefferson-
Albany-

I w/d from a lot due to dwindling funds.

BAM. So, obv much better results this time. The Point: You can do it if I can :thumbup:
 
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Also, let me say, I have been very impressed with the new schools- they work hard to attract great students. They are looking for those with "entrepreneurial spirit."
 
Wow fantastic! Congrats on being accepted!
 
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