Part 2 of 2 - Again, this is mostly about BS DO
My thoughts
These are my personal opinions. Also understand that if I say guaranteed or reserved, it is always based on the fact that you will meet their criteria in UG (GPA, MCAT if required, EC’s if required). As with any BSMD or BSDO, if you do not meet the criteria, your seat is forfeited.
BSMD
We were thrilled to even get an interview at Union/AMC. Rejection was painful.
CNSU (California Northstate University) – don’t apply, don’t waste your time. Other threads have covered why this was a questionable program about 4 years ago and is now a really bad idea.
FAU, Oklahoma, and I think, BU, prefer National Merit Finalists – we wouldn’t have bothered with Oklahoma had I realized this earlier.
The other ones we applied to were for various personal reasons. He could have applied more broadly to BSMD, but I didn’t believe that he would find success on that path.
BSDO
There was no interview for the NYIT/NYITCOM program and the Gannon/PCOM program.
Gannon/PCOM- I contacted an admission counselor regarding the Gannon/PCOM program. They do not reserve a seat for you. They guarantee an interview. I do not know how many people are offered the Gannon/PCOM program. PCOM only reserves 3 seats for Gannon students – they can accept more at their discretion. Again, only the interview is guaranteed.
NYIT/NYITCOM - I also do not know how many students received the NYIT/NYITCOM letter and how many will accept the position or how many will eventually be accepted into NYITCOM. Mythical has reposted things from this program on this thread. There is one student on this thread in another UG affiliated with NYITCOM. You can DM this student if you have questions regarding NYITCOM, but his/her perspective comes from being at Old Westbury/NYITCOM BSDO
You can apply to Gannon/PCOM, but I would also recommend Adelphi/PCOM. I would recommend trying to get a position where the seat is reserved for you as long as you fulfill the requirements.
The same applies to NYITCOM – try to find a feeder that reserves a seat. You can still apply to NYIT/NYITCOM.
IIT/CCOM – my advice is to get you application in earlier than the stated deadline BECAUSE they have scholarships and the portal only opens once you’ve been accepted. The IIT scholarship application is no joke – 10 questions. You think you’ve given them everything and they still want more. And that’s not the end – if you’re invited to interview, you will have a roundtable “discussion” or group sessions to compete for various scholarships in addition to the BSDO interview. Your seat is reserved, it is non-binding. 5 to 10 spots, 4+4, MCAT required. If anyone is interested in this program in the upcoming year, DM me.
This is my son’s top choice.
Michigan State/MSUCOM – if you want a big school feel, this might be the place for you. Apply to the Honors College. OMSP is not a reserved seat, but MCAT is not required if you meet all their criteria. 4+4 (or 3+4, if you apply through Lyman Briggs College) Administration states that about 90% of students make it through to the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Seems like a solid program – I just have concerns about the 90% because I don’t actually know how many seats are available through the program. What happens if more students accept the OMSP program than they anticipated, does the acceptance to the COM go down to 80%? Maybe someone else has more info on the program
Missouri Southern State/KCUCOM-Joplin – if you want a small town feel, strong sense of community, collaboration, this might be the place for you. The sincerity of this school is palpable – they want you to succeed. It’s a 3+4 program, no MCAT required (unless you want to try to get a 10K scholarship), and as a bonus, they have a cadaver lab for UG students. At the current time, there are plenty of seats available at this school. Two things to note, 1. the linkage is with KCUCOM-Joplin, which is the newer school that KCUCOM has opened; 2. There are other UG’s in Missouri that have a linkage with KCUCOM-Joplin, so you have a few options.
Nova Southeastern/KPCOM – who doesn’t love reading a philanthropic story about an Asian Indian American? But seriously, good school – I know someone who’s there now in her junior year doing the BSDO program. Plenty of reserved seats for the BSDO (and apparently, it’s not their most competitive program – Nova says the dentistry and PA combined programs are more competitive). Get your application in earlier than the deadline because they start interviewing and accepting students on a rolling basis (yes, even for the BSDO program). Application is a four part process 1. Main application (gets you considered for Presidential Scholarship) 2. Razors Edge (gets you considered for various “other” programs – look at the website to see what fits you) 3. BSDO 4. Honors College. This is another labor intensive application and then the interviews. Presidential, Razors Edge, and BSDO require interviews, the Honors College does not. They have a 3+4 and 4+4 – they decide if you qualify for 3+4 and you can decide which one you want. MCAT required, non-binding.
This program is his second choice.
Pitzer/Western Univ COM – 6 seats, 3+4 program, I’m not 100% sure if MCAT is required. I’ll admit I don’t know too much about this program, since he didn’t make it to the interview stage. I will share what I know based on a very small sample size. Social/environmental cause is key. Read their website and see if you are a fit. One young woman I know who got an interview had a social cause that she advocated for. The other young woman was involved in a national charity league – she interviewed and was accepted. Of course, both had a full resume beyond this. On the other hand, my son did not have a strong social cause. Having already done something vs going to do something makes a difference in this application (in my opinion).
Rutgers-Camden/Rowan DO – Again, I have very little information. It is a two-part interview process. You interview with Rutgers and then are forwarded to Rowan for interview. My son was not forwarded to Rowan. I’m not sure why. I thought there might be in-state preference, but I’m not sure of that (so, don’t quote me on that). If others have applied to this program and been forwarded to Rowan DO, they may have more insight.
LECOM – It is the easiest application you will submit. Keep in mind you are applying to the College of Medicine, so you still need to find an UG (AND apply to UG separately). And they have plenty of feeder schools. I believe they have at least one in each state. There are a lot of great things about this program. They have a 3+4 and 4+4 program at the UG level (just look at the feeder school list carefully, if you’re interested in 3+4), they’re cost effective as a medical school and they have additional cost savings if you’re interested in primary care, and they keep tabs on you throughout UG to make sure you’re meeting their criteria (I guess this last one could be good or bad). For this program, you have to be accepted to the UG and LECOM independently.
For this program, apply to UG’s that are affiliated with LECOM, but if those schools have other programs, you could try to apply to those. LECOM doesn’t require you to tell them that you’re joining their program until the beginning of your first year of college.
There is an interview – this year it was virtual. As far as I can tell, my son didn’t mess up the interview, so I’m not sure why he was rejected.
Additional info (that I forgot to add in the other thread that I posted this). If you are looking at 3+4 programs, you will be limited in your choice of major. Usually, it is biology or life sciences or something in the biological sciences. Make sure you are okay with that prior to applying.