Merging the Pre-allopathic and Pre-osteopathic Forums?

hell yea - diversity

brooklynblunder said:

hell yea - diversity

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That's my argument.

No way. Keep them separate. It's busy here as it is, I will be driven crazy trying to keep up.

I vote to ban whoever made this suggestion.

GoSpursGo said:

Volunteer members have suggested that there is little reason to keep the Pre-Allo and Pre-Osteo forums separate anymore.

Historically they were separate because SDN was a merger of MD, DO and DDS websites back in 1999. Now they remain separate simply to make it easier to find osteopathic threads. However, we can address that using other means, such as thread tagging (see the classifieds forum for an example of how it works).

I'm interested in getting the thoughts of the members that use this forum. Should we merge PreAllo and PreOsteo and use thread tags to identify "MD" or "DO" or "Any/Both" threads?

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Makes no difference to me. By merging the threads, you're at least taking a step forward in eliminating the subtle message that MDs and DOs are inherently different from one another.

armybound said:

I vote to ban whoever made this suggestion.

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Probably a Pre-DO student.

I don't see why it's a bad idea. The majority of people who are in the pre-osteo forum hang out in the pre-allo forum anyway, so it will not become more crowded with people. However, I could see a problem navigating through the page if people are looking specifically for pre-allo or pre-osteo stuff (even if they're thread tagged).

I like the current organization.

its not even the difference in DO/MD

i think it allows students to understand that there is an alternative path there. for some students that means that they could spend one less admission cycle (which could be $5k + future earnings) if they applied to both programs. there's no reason for certain students (lets just say it, with stats that a MD school would not get aroused by) to be so cliquey with an allopathic group and lose out on money/time/practice

Merge them. I enjoy arguing about MD vs DO like arguing about apples vs apples.

I vote keep them separate

We should have a poll.

Nope

BlueElmo said:

No way. Keep them separate. It's busy here as it is, I will be driven crazy trying to keep up.

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i don't care that much, but QFT.

I'm not preallo anymore (yay!!!), but I vote to keep them separate. I'm not saying that D.O.'s and MD's are not equal, it's just that the process is different, and frankly, if I was still preallo, I would only want to see preallo. I know there are a lot of people applying to both DO and MD, but a lot of us only applied MD and were only interested in MD schools.

separate. i have no interest in DO and would just make the threads cycle that much quicker.. harder to catch up.

also, imagine the MD vs DO sh**storm that would descend upon this place. merge the two when they start giving out the same degrees.

I would vote to keep them separate too. I like it this way, and have no interest in it changing.

Separate but equal forums... I don't see what the problem is

bleargh said:

separate. I have no interest in do and would just make the threads cycle that much quicker.. Harder to catch up.

Also, imagine the md vs do sh**storm that would descend upon this place. Merge the two when they start giving out the same degrees.

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Wow, QFT!!!

Separate.

xanthomondo said:

Separate but equal forums

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Hasn't history shown that separate is never equal?

I personally don't have a preference, but if they are kept separate, it would be nice if some threads could be accessed via both pre allo and pre osteo for discussions pertaining to both. Now the only way to do that is to make separate threads in each, which isn't allowed anyways. So maybe when someone wants to make a thread they can click pre-allo and pre-osteo and the same thread can be accessed by both forums.

In terms of 'what are my chances' threads, let's be honest, there are different standards. allo stats tend to be higher. Some osteo schools require a DO letter, no allo school does (to my knowledge anyway). So the advice people give will depend on the type of degree.

I think it's a good idea to merge the two forums. Especially considering the path to DO and the path to MD are 99% the same, and most of the posts in osteo and allo could apply to either or. Go for it!

I like it the way it is because it's easier to navigate. People know where to go to find the info they're looking for, and it's not all pooled together. It's just like how you pulled all the school specific threads out of pre-allo for the sake of organization.

Like others have mentioned, I think it's much easier to navigate the forums the way they are right now. I vote that we do not merge them.

I prefer having them separate because pre-osteo is a much better environment for people with lower scores. There are so many pre-allos who make anyone with less than a 35 feel like a total failure. I like that the pre-osteo forum doesn't have much of this at all, and is kind of a "safe zone" for people on the lower end of the spectrum.

This should be a poll, shouldn't it? I vote we keep it separate, it's more organized this way.

I say give it a shot. Most people who first consider medicine for a career don't even know what osteopathy is. Might as well have the forums together so that people can more easily explore the nuances and at the same time understand that MD's and DO's are equal (not in the philosophy of course, but in professionalism).

Exalya said:

I prefer having them separate because pre-osteo is a much better environment for people with lower scores. There are so many pre-allos who make anyone with less than a 35 feel like a total failure. I like that the pre-osteo forum doesn't have much of this at all, and is kind of a "safe zone" for people on the lower end of the spectrum.

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I vote keeping them separate, but not for this reason. I don't think pre-osteo is a "safe zone" for people with lower stats, its just easier to learn about the application process and schools of osteopathic medicine in a separate forum. It's overall easier to navigate and will be to cluttered in one forum. Especially when pre-allo is already the most active forum...

I don't see the benefits of merging them together. I do see the benefits of having a separate forum where people can get specific answers for their own application process.

Kind of like how we have separate forums for each specialty, so people can ask very specific questions.

There's a lot of stuff that's general interest on these boards, but there's also a lot of type-specific traffic. I would say that the best option would be to have a General Pre-Med forum, along with Osteopathic-Specific and Allopathic-Specific forums for unique questions.

separate please.

following the logic that they are similar would mean we should merge just about everything in this site b/c it all relates to medicine. No thanks...it's hard enough to keep up as it is.

Until the day amcas and aacomas are merged I think these threads should stay separate. What is up with them having different applications anyway?

Hastur said:

There's a lot of stuff that's general interest on these boards, but there's also a lot of type-specific traffic. I would say that the best option would be to have a General Pre-Med forum, along with Osteopathic-Specific and Allopathic-Specific forums for unique questions.

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I think this is the best idea, but if not this, keep them separate.

buffywannabe said:

Until the day amcas and aacomas are merged I think these threads should stay separate. What is up with them having different applications anyway?

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Texas should have a separate one too?

I think they should be merged, but it's not that important. When people are premed, most of the issues are exactly the same. Even the application differences are minor, and can be handled in a few threads.

Perhaps it would be better to make a new forum for application and school specific discussions that would have allo and osteo specific questions and application stuff. As is, pre-allo basically is just pre-med, and pre-osteo is a bit of overlap and some osteo-specific threads. Having one pre-med forum makes more sense to me.

I also agree with Hastur.

shutdown SDN...

Elmnt said:

I say give it a shot. Most people who first consider medicine for a career don't even know what osteopathy is.

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It's not osteopathy anymore. It's osteopathic medicine.

Amadelphous said:

separate please.

following the logic that they are similar would mean we should merge just about everything in this site b/c it all relates to medicine. No thanks...it's hard enough to keep up as it is.

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Your analogy doesn't work because a lot of the people who apply MD also apply DO. When psychiatrists start moonlighting as IM, ER, Neuro docs, then we'll talk about merging those forums. Pre med is pre med and a lot of the topics apply to both allo and osteo schools (ex -- the pre-req questions, the general LOR questions, the work load questions, the financial questions, etc).

Keep it separate, the majority of posters on the Pre-Allo and Pre-Osteo forums are there when they are right about to apply or in the process of applying. The application processes between MD and DO schools are distinct enough that it would create a lot of confusion if we merged the threads.

I didn't see any reasoning listed as to what sparked the consideration to merge these forums. In fact, the OP already contains a reason why these should not be merged. As far as tags go: the classified section looks too "busy." There are already long thread names in this forum. Now imagine adding a tag to many threads. It would look messy.

We will also have double the number of threads like "Class of XXX" or "USDO1 vs USDO2," etc, etc. Most of the advice given here is not applicable to DO and vice versa. Students are already confused enough about BCPM. Now add to that the DO "BCPM," which is completely different.

All you have to do is just go down the list of threads in each forum ask "Would the advice here be different for an MD path than a DO path?" Most of the advice would be different, except for those inane threads like "Can wearing braces make me more dumber?"

I hope that the forums will be kept separate. Just a few months ago Preallo was already overflowing and an entirely separate school-specific subforum had to be created to keep things organized. Now this seems to be a move in the opposite direction.

If we combined the two I imagine we wouldn't be SO over flooded with posts. I mean I just looked at the pre-osteo forum and a lot of the posts are identical to the pre-allo forums (questions about research, volunteering, etc.)

I also agree with what someone else said earlier on, all the pre-osteos spend most of their time in the pre-allo forum anyways (otherwise we couldn't have all those MD vs. DO debates) so why keep them seperate?

If you do combine them though, the only thing I would keep seperate are the school specific boards. For example we'd have Pre-med, school specific (MD), and school specific (DO) forums.

Excelsius said:

Most of the advice would be different, except for those inane threads like "Can wearing braces make me more dumber?"

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LOLOL

I answered that thread most effectively.
Another favorite of mine is, "Can i wear glasses to interviews"


Back on topic. Merging the forums is a bad idea. The pre-allo forum is cluttered enough.

Excelsius said:

We will also have double the number of threads like "Class of XXX"

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Why should there be double the number of threads? Aren't all med students being accepted this cycle class of 2014? Why can't both MD and DO students post in one "class of 2014" thread?

or "USDO1 vs USDO2,"

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What is USDO1 vs. USDO2?

Most of the advice given here is not applicable to DO and vice versa. Students are already confused enough about BCPM. Now add to that the DO "BCPM," which is completely different.

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Way to overdramatize. The only difference is that for DO schools, math isn't counted and that you can retake classes. All other advice is virtually the same. Even stats aren't that different anymore. Average DO acceptance now is a 3.6 and a 27-28. For MD, it's 3.6 and a 30-31. It's not like it's worlds apart.

MedStudentWanna said:

Average DO acceptance now is a 3.6 and a 27-28. For MD, it's 3.6 and a 30-31. It's not like it's worlds apart.

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**not intending to have another MD v DO fight!!**


with that being said, just wanted to point out, the difference in percentile rank of a score of 27 vs 30 is rather significant

anyone notice how our forum's name changed to "Pre-Medical Allopathic" from "Pre-Allo"?

bleargh said:

**not intending to have another MD v DO fight!!**


with that being said, just wanted to point out, the difference in percentile rank of a score of 27 vs 30 is rather significant

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I don't think it's that significant of a difference in literal terms when you see the number of people who scored 30s on the AAMCs and a 27 or 28 on the real deal or vice versa. A 30 and a 27 could be as little as three questions apart on the whole thing (146 questions). A 28 could be only two questions. I still don't think it's enough to justify two separate forums.

What's the advice going to be to someone with a 27 on the MCAT if it's in one forum? For MD, you should retake, for DO, you're at their average. We all say that now so what's the difference? Besides, there are a lot of MD folks who got in with 27. There's even one MD student in the Class of 2013 (a regular on this form) who got in with a 25. So the advice changes to "it's rare to get into MD with a 27, but you might have a shot at DO." What's the problem?

BlueElmo said:

anyone notice how our forum's name changed to "Pre-Medical Allopathic" from "Pre-Allo"?

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yea. didn't want to say anything, but it's kind of pointless. this whole section is under the "premedical" forums. so now it's premedical premedical allopathic

MedStudentWanna said:

I don't think it's that significant of a difference in literal terms when you see the number of people who scored 30s on the AAMCs and a 27 or 28 on the real deal or vice versa. A 30 and a 27 could be as little as three questions apart on the whole thing (146 questions). A 28 could be only two questions. I still don't think it's enough to justify two separate forums.

What's the advice going to be to someone with a 27 on the MCAT if it's in one forum? For MD, you should retake, for DO, you're at their average. We all say that now so what's the difference? Besides, there are a lot of MD folks who got in with 27. There's even one MD student in the Class of 2013 (a regular on this form) who got in with a 25. So the advice changes to "it's rare to get into MD with a 27, but you might have a shot at DO." What's the problem?

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at these ranges it's not 1 question = 1 point. it's a lot more than that.

Uh separate. When I was a pre med applicant I couldn't have cared less about DO schools. It was either MD or do something else. I'm sure there are plenty of people who feel the same way.