How to Get Into Osteopathic Medical Schools

So you want to be a doctor huh? If you like a holistic approach to healthcare, emphasis on preventative medicine, and learning osteopathic manipulative medicine; then being an osteopathic physician is the career for you! Here are some tips to making it through the medical school admissions process.

Things You'll Need

• Excellent GPA and MCAT
• Plenty of Extracurricular activities
• Motivation/Hard-work
• Time
• A suit (for the interview)
• Great personal statement

Instructions

1. Not everyone knows that they want to be an osteopathic physician from the get-go. However, if you are still in high school and are opting for a career in medicine...choose a school with a strong science background and lots of research opportunities. Going to a college in proximity to many hospitals is also convenient for letting you volunteer and go to classes at the same time.

2. Whatever your major, start maintaining high grades from freshman year. Remember, classes are only going to get harder as time goes. I've heard several people who regret having a bad freshman year who are struggling to bring their GPAs up. It is VERY important to have a strong GPA (one over 3.4 is average...above 3.6 is excellent). Most medical schools won't even look at your application if they see you GPA is less than a 3.2.

3. Volunteer at a local hospital. Clinical experience is a MUST for medical school admissions. Try to choose a hospital that is going to provide you for unique opportunities rather than the generic delivering flowers/food to patients. This will make your volunteer experience more credible...AND it gives you something to talk about in your personal statement.

4. Get experience with osteopathic medicine. Medical school admissions want to know WHY you want to be an osteopathic physician rather than an allopathic physician. The easiest way is to shadow a DO in your area. Do this by calling/email the secretary and requesting to shadow the doctor. Other experiences can add to this. For example, I learned about many different alternative medicines while I was in India which stressed an holistic approach of medicine.

5. If you can, get involved in science by doing scientific research (including presenting at conferences/getting publications). This shows you really have a passion not just for the clinical, but the science behind medicine. Excelling in research shows you can work independently, exercise critical thinking, and have the passion to delve into the unknown.

6. Join the pre-med society at your university to get involved in community service. Joining other groups can also offer many opportunities. Be active in whatever you do. Community service is a must.

7. Become involved in other unique opportunities...and be prepared to relate this as positive advantage in practicing medicine. For example, I was a teaching assistant and a tutor for chemistry. I learned how to teach complex information in a simplistic manner to help my students understand the topics better. In the clinical field, a patient must be counseled in the same way. I mentioned how it is important to make sure that our patients understand the disease and the therapies that we are giving them. Through being my experiences as being a teacher, I feel that I can not better communicate to my patients.

8. Take your MCATS your third year of college. While many suggest you take them in spring (so that you can apply early), ONLY do so if you are READY. When school is in session, students overestimate how much time they have to study for the MCATS...until its backed low in their priority list. While it is definitely important to take the MCATS early...take them when you are prepared. Invest in Kaplan/ExamKracker books....and take a MCAT prep class if you can afford it. You don't HAVE to take a prep class; in fact many people do fine studying from test prep books. Just make sure you are well prepared. Take practice exams prior to the test (but not the day before the test...you'll exhaust yourself out). Remember, half the test score is base on stamina. Be prepared for a 6-7 hour long test day....with added anxiety on top of that. All MCAT scores are shown on your primary once you take them...unless you void the test scores. So make sure you don't blow your time (and money) taking a test when you are not ready.

9. Make sure your personal statement on AACOMAS is free of grammatical mistakes, and is within the word limit. Most importantly, make sure it is PERSONAL and not generic. We all know you want to be a doctor to help people....but WHY!!! Did you or a family member have a huge health crises. Do you love the fact that physicians can be seen as scientists on the cutting edge of technology? Make sure you show the medical schools who you are...and why you are so special! Have people look over your personal statement to make sure all of the qualifications are met.

10. Get your primary AACOMAS in as soon as possible!!!! It can take upwards of 6 weeks to get verified (and this is where most pre-med students are backed up). Try to get it done before the summer ends....because AACOMAS starts to get piled up in September. Interviews start in September, so it is EXTREMELY advantageous to start early. (You don't need your MCAT scores immediately to get verified.). Also make sure you send in you transcript early when you do apply for AACOMAs. Anticipate having to wait for AACOMAS to receive them.

11. Once you sent your AACOMAS (and the list of schools you want to apply to) in sit back and relax. Once you get those secondaries....get the finished ASAP (within two weeks preferably of receiving them).

12. Next is waiting for interviews. Once you get an interview...your chances of being accepted have significantly increased. Make sure have a suit ready for the interview. There's plenty of interview tips online...and some websites SDN (Student Doctor Network) is extremely helpful in telling you what kind of interview questions they might ask. Be ready for questions like "Why do you want to become an osteopathic physician", and "What can you offer this school."...

13. During your interview be cool, calm, and collect. Most of all, be yourself (while still being professional of course). This is your opportunity to show the committee you are more than just numbers on a paper. Show them you are unique!

14. Within a month of your interview you will hear notice on your verdict. If you are accepted....well congrats!!! If you are not, don't be let down by this. Medical school is EXTREMELY hard to get into, and more people are rejected then get in. There's always the chance of reapplying next year (keep in mind what you might want to improve on the year off). If you are wait-listed, you are playing a waiting game. Just make sure you keep them updated on your transcript (don't slack off on your grades now...), and send them a letter of intent showing them that you really would like to get into their program. In all three cases, make sure you have a Plan B if you don't get into medical school. You don't want to be stuck not knowing what to do for an entire year.