Reapply for Med School while attending another school?

[RogueUnicorn]

Your extreme example was implying that many MD schools also use a lottery system. That is not the norm. Therefore, extreme example.

lol@your definition of "extreme." and your definition of "example," for that matter

eggzachary

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[startswithb]

lol@your definition of "extreme." and your definition of "example," for that matter

LOLZ you don't make any sense. Try just saying what you mean, next time. inb4 you call me dumb.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

LOLZ you don't make any sense. Try just saying what you mean, next time. inb4 you call me dumb.

what i mean is pretty clear, but whatever makes you feel better about yourself princess.

 

[FIREitUP]

I think OP got the point; it's a bad idea. No need to beat a dead horse.

 

[texahn]

the overkill killer

 

[IlDestriero]

I want you to name me all the MD schools that use a lottery system for rotation sites so I can put them at the bottom of my list.

All schools do this. Everyone can't do the same things at the same time. Someone has to do all the BS rotations that they have no interest in (peds wards, internal medicine, etc.). Often the locations of your rotations is done by lottery if they cover multiple locations. In the 4th year, when it's all electives, not everyone can get what they want. There's only so much space for students at any given month. If you can't get what you want within your system, you have to find another location to go for a rotation.
Sorry to burst your bubble.
BTW, I attended a highly ranked allopathic school and I'm on the faculty of another. You'll hit the lottery system again in residency for elective months if everyone wants to do the same electives. There's no way around it.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

All schools do this. Everyone can't do the same things at the same time. Someone has to do all the BS rotations that they have no interest in (peds wards, internal medicine, etc.) In the 4th year, when it's all electives, not everyone can get what they want. There's only so much space for students at any given month.
Sorry to burst your bubble.

whatever, extreme example lol

 

[startswithb]

All schools do this. Everyone can't do the same things at the same time. Someone has to do all the BS rotations that they have no interest in (peds wards, internal medicine, etc.) In the 4th year, when it's all electives, not everyone can get what they want. There's only so much space for students at any given month.
Sorry to burst your bubble.

Thank you for clarifying. It is much more helpful than "get your facts straight, yo." I guess what I meant is a lottery sytem for rotation SITES, like, only half the class gets to stay in Iowa and the rest have to rotate at hospitals in Michigan or Wisconsin. Alternatively, most MD schools have their own affiliated hospital where most if not all students rotate through. I hope I'm still not wrong, lol. I'll honestly keep researching it, though.

 

[IlDestriero]

Thank you for clarifying. It is much more helpful than "get your facts straight, yo." I guess what I meant is a lottery sytem for rotation SITES, like, only half the class gets to stay in Iowa and the rest have to rotate at hospitals in Michigan or Wisconsin. Alternatively, most MD schools have their own affiliated hospital where most if not all students rotate through. I hope I'm still not wrong, lol. I'll honestly keep researching it, though.

I edited my post with more info.
Often medical schools use multiple hospitals in an area for rotations. You can ask for one location or another, but it is often the luck of the draw. If you're in a big city, most or all of the sites are in the area, if you're in a small city or more rural area, training sites could be an hour away. Though they supply housing for those distant sites. I had to do a rural medicine month (IM of FP) that was 1.5 hours from the medical school. I was supplied with a HUGE house (6br, several acres of property) and free food, and 4 nice bottles of wine. Not bad. The hospital bought the property and used it to house students, relocating staff, etc. I went back "home" every weekend though.

 

[RogueUnicorn]

Thank you for clarifying. It is much more helpful than "get your facts straight, yo." I guess what I meant is a lottery sytem for rotation SITES, like, only half the class gets to stay in Iowa and the rest have to rotate at hospitals in Michigan or Wisconsin. Alternatively, most MD schools have their own affiliated hospital where most if not all students rotate through. I hope I'm still not wrong, lol. I'll honestly keep researching it, though.

why bother when you clearly just post without having made any effort beforehand?

 

[MightyMoose]

Thank you for clarifying. It is much more helpful than "get your facts straight, yo." I guess what I meant is a lottery sytem for rotation SITES, like, only half the class gets to stay in Iowa and the rest have to rotate at hospitals in Michigan or Wisconsin. Alternatively, most MD schools have their own affiliated hospital where most if not all students rotate through. I hope I'm still not wrong, lol. I'll honestly keep researching it, though.

You are. Some schools even have you rank your top locations on the secondary application. Too many students for not enough spots.

 

[0919mmk]

Dude, you're kidding yourself...

This has to be one of the worst ideas I've ever heard.

Most people haven't heard of DO's anywhere, this doesn't mean that they aren't in those locations, it's just due to the general public's ignorance to all things medicine. They don't know about DO's, because they call them Doctors...

I agree that this is not a good idea. Definitely a bad idea. Having said that, I just want to point out that, given the choice between an MD degree and a DO degree, the vast majority of people will choose MD. Yes, it's because there is a stigma. No, I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to avoid a stigma. The reason that the stigma exists isn't all that important, you know? It IS politically incorrect to say "I prefer MD to DO because MD's get more respect," but I think if we are all honest with ourselves, then yeah, we want respect for having conquered pre-med classes, conquered the MCAT, conquered med school, the boards, residency, etc etc.

In other words, I don't fault the OP for wanting MD over DO for "personal reasons" at all. I do however think that this plan is a bad one. Just my 2 cents.

 

[MightyMoose]

I agree that this is not a good idea. Definitely a bad idea. Having said that, I just want to point out that, given the choice between an MD degree and a DO degree, the vast majority of people will choose MD. Yes, it's because there is a stigma. No, I don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to avoid a stigma. The reason that the stigma exists isn't all that important, you know? It IS politically incorrect to say "I prefer MD to DO because MD's get more respect," but I think if we are all honest with ourselves, then yeah, we want respect for having conquered pre-med classes, conquered the MCAT, conquered med school, the boards, residency, etc etc.

In other words, I don't fault the OP for wanting MD over DO for "personal reasons" at all. I do however think that this plan is a bad one. Just my 2 cents.

I agree with what you're saying. The stigma exists, but I think it is the largest in the hearts of those who feel inadequate with a DO degree. I don't dispute that some look down their noses at DO's, but I believe that a confident DO is likely to gain just as many practice opportunities as most MD's. The OP is clearly one of the prior, and would benefit from some serious introspection into his/her real goals and how s/he would feel with a DO degree. I don't fault the OP for his feelings either, but I think without some serious thought about this issue, sans the cockamamie schemes, the OP could make himself/herself very unhappy for quite a long time.

 

[livedie]

Once again, I have nothing but respect for DO physicians! The school system is just what I have a problem with. Evidenced by the fact that many DOs themselves are rarely enthusiastic about OMM and compete for MD residencies shows that maybe there are downsides to the education model.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Slowpoke]

oh dear god.

 

[livedie]

Good luck to everyone

 

[startswithb]

Good luck to everyone

+1 Hopefully everyone ends up someplace where they're happy. I just spoke to a pre-med who said they would rather take a year off and reapply or do an SMP than go to the same default MD school that every single one of his classmates ends up going to. He wants a change.

We need to respect that we will often never understand what makes others happy or satisfied, and should stop trying to undermine their choices while trying to justify ours.

 

[LizzyM]

Why do you want to go to medical school? Do you want to be an MD or do you want to be a licensed physician who takes care of patients?

I can't understand why someone who shadowed a DO, got a LOR from a DO, spent money to apply to DO school, decides not to go there and would rather never be a physician at all (which is possible) than to attend DO school. To me, it just doesn't seem like one wants medical training for the right reasons.

 

[sugarbabee0]

I agree with what you're saying. The stigma exists, but I think it is the largest in the hearts of those who feel inadequate with a DO degree. I don't dispute that some look down their noses at DO's, but I believe that a confident DO is likely to gain just as many practice opportunities as most MD's. The OP is clearly one of the prior, and would benefit from some serious introspection into his/her real goals and how s/he would feel with a DO degree. I don't fault the OP for his feelings either, but I think without some serious thought about this issue, sans the cockamamie schemes, the OP could make himself/herself very unhappy for quite a long time.

Thank you for understanding... and thanks to the few others who actually said something that made sense (and not just said your stupid). First off, i didnt actually do it, it was a question... No need to burst your bubbles here on SDN. Nothing will happen to you guys, noone threatened anything or anyone... relax when you are responding to the thread. deep breathe.

Anyways, I think that any DO who says that there is no stigma is either in a DO friendly state (not too many) or is lieing to him/herself. There is a stigma especially in CA! And yes i want to be a physician (whether a DO or MD) but a few years down, i do not want to regret not trying harder to become a MD. And 99% of people would choose to be a MD over a DO if all else were equal! Agree?



And FOOD, I like the way you think

 

[startswithb]

Why do you want to go to medical school? Do you want to be an MD or do you want to be a licensed physician who takes care of patients?

I can't understand why someone who shadowed a DO, got a LOR from a DO, spent money to apply to DO school, decides not to go there and would rather never be a physician at all (which is possible) than to attend DO school. To me, it just doesn't seem like one wants medical training for the right reasons.

Umm, yeah, not the OP. To whom are you referring??? Talk about exaggeration.

 

[Astarael]

Edit: nevermind. What I had to say didn't make sense.

 

[LizzyM]

Umm, yeah, not the OP. To whom are you referring??? Talk about exaggeration.

I'm talking about anyone who turns down an offer of admission at a DO school to reapply to MD schools (or who plans to interview for admission to MD school while attending DO school ).

I do not believe it is an exaggeration to say that one may never gain admission to MD school (after all only 40% of those who attempt it succeed) and therefore lets go of the bird in hand....

 

[MedforMe]

If you really don't want DO, then don't even attend. Either go to the DO or reapply for MD. Trying to play safe here might actually be more dangerous.

Best of luck my CA competitor

 

[aSagacious]

If you really don't want DO, then don't even attend. Either go to the DO or reapply for MD. Trying to play safe here might actually be more dangerous.

Best of luck my CA competitor

Nice bump

 

[kautionwirez]

Hey I wanted to know if it is possible to apply through amcas to MD schools while accepting (and i guess attending) a DO school for the upcoming year. Basically, if i get accepted to the MD school, I will drop pout of the DO school i will be in at the time and wait to go to MD schools. I know this means that i might have to take part of the first year of medical school twice... but is something like this possible?

The reason i want to do this is bc i have been accepted to DO school for this upcoming year but would like to do MD for personal reasons. However, i do not want to risk losing my spot at the DO school and also reapplying and getting into a MD school is also risky with a 30MCAT/3.7gpa in CA... I understand that i might not get into a MD school but at the same time, i wont be wasting a year... i will just continue my DO degree...

Is there any way that either the DO or MD school will know what i am doing? Is this a really bad idea? Any thought?

Thanks

you're ruining other peoples opportunities to become a physician by holding onto your DO spot.

Way to go.

 

[SisterDisco08]

No "serious common sense isssues" but haha you are funny

Yes, family, location, tuition, not equivalent to MD's especially in CA, and the DO stigma pretty much covers most of my problems with becoming a DO.

And as someone else said, AMCAS does not ask if I have been in a DO school before... From what i remeber, it is MD only. And if it does say MD/DO, at the time of filing the application, I WILL NOT be a DO student since that will beign on Aug (vs June applications).


And the reason I think it will make a difference is bc of rolling admissions. I applied late so I got screwed at most schools.

I would never want to be treated by a doctor (MD or DO) who was this scheming.

It also doesn't sound like you'd be happy doing DO at all.....so if you really want to do MD, decline the acceptance and work on getting into MD. Don't scheme your way in, and take the spot of someone who actually wants to be a DO. DO is not a "lesser degree." It's a different approach.

Your post also gives me the feeling that you're chasing the prestige in medicine. You might want to re-evaluate how you got on this path in the first place.

 

[MedforMe]

I would never want to be treated by a doctor (MD or DO) who was this scheming.

It also doesn't sound like you'd be happy doing DO at all.....so if you really want to do MD, decline the acceptance and work on getting into MD. Don't scheme your way in, and take the spot of someone who actually wants to be a DO. DO is not a "lesser degree." It's a different approach.

Your post also gives me the feeling that you're chasing the prestige in medicine. You might want to re-evaluate how you got on this path in the first place.

Well, it's not a lie and she's probably desperate about getting an MD. I wouldn't say "scheming" but catching a loophole that works in her favor... You never know, I would choose a doctor based on if he/she can do the best job possible, not necessarily the motivations

 

[ryuuzaki]

Sigh. Didn't know this was necrobumped.

Gist of post: bad idea.

 

[medaman1]

Unfortunately, this is still true at some of the stuffier schools on both coasts, but unless this tool absolutely has to do derm/neurosurg/plastics at Stanford or else he/she will tear down every Justin Bieber poster in their room and throw a hissy fit, they will be fine.

Actually try almost all the top 50 schools. I love my DO school but are match list sucks, only about 10% of the class gets into university based programs. If your a DO and you want say... IM you have a reasonable shot at mid-tier programs(if your in the top 1/3 of your class with a great board score >24o). Want to go to residency in CA? Ivy league? Any major program? You are basically SOL even with good scores outside of community based programs. I can count the number of DO's in the major CA IM programs on my 10 digits.(1 a scripps, 2-3 @UCI, 1-2 @ucla, 0 @usc 0 and UCSF,UCD,UCSD,Stanford)

I am not comparing the degrees here, just being realistic. You should NOT go to a DO program if you want to go to a university based residency.

 

[Goro]

Yes, I know it's a necrobump, but there are some teaching moments here.

Firstly, anyone accepted at a DO school and who wants to apply to MD schools should go right ahead. I want my students to be people who want to come to my school.

Second, it pays to be proactive and do a little homework. Match lists can be found; google is your friend. Obviously, this is problematic for schools like MUCOM that haven't graduated a class yet.

http://www.pcom.edu/Student_Life/Student_Affairs_Main/match_2014.php
http://www.kcumb.edu/academics/college-of-osteopathic-medicine/eras-residency/match-statistics/http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-aoa/Education/students/match-program/Pages/match-results.aspx

Actually try almost all the top 50 schools. I love my DO school but are match list sucks, only about 10% of the class gets into university based programs. If your a DO and you want say... IM you have a reasonable shot at mid-tier programs(if your in the top 1/3 of your class with a great board score >24o). Want to go to residency in CA? Ivy league? Any major program? You are basically SOL even with good scores outside of community based programs. I can count the number of DO's in the major CA IM programs on my 10 digits.(1 a scripps, 2-3 @UCI, 1-2 @ucla, 0 @usc 0 and UCSF,UCD,UCSD,Stanford)

I am not comparing the degrees here, just being realistic. You should NOT go to a DO program if you want to go to a university based residency.

 

[pandahunter]

Yes, I know it's a necrobump, but there are some teaching moments here.

Firstly, anyone accepted at a DO school and who wants to apply to MD schools should go right ahead. I want my students to be people who want to come to my school.

Second, it pays to be proactive and do a little homework. Match lists can be found; google is your friend. Obviously, this is problematic for schools like MUCOM that haven't graduated a class yet.

http://www.pcom.edu/Student_Life/Student_Affairs_Main/match_2014.php
http://www.kcumb.edu/academics/college-of-osteopathic-medicine/eras-residency/match-statistics/http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-aoa/Education/students/match-program/Pages/match-results.aspx

hmm... do those match lists seem unimpressive to anyone else?

 

[optimistic3]

Interesting post! I looked through OP's other posts to see what happened and it looks like they got accepted into an MD program after all (the first time around) and was trying to get their deposit back from the DO school.

 

[235009]

Yes, I know it's a necrobump, but there are some teaching moments here.

Firstly, anyone accepted at a DO school and who wants to apply to MD schools should go right ahead. I want my students to be people who want to come to my school.

Second, it pays to be proactive and do a little homework. Match lists can be found; google is your friend. Obviously, this is problematic for schools like MUCOM that haven't graduated a class yet.

http://www.pcom.edu/Student_Life/Student_Affairs_Main/match_2014.php
http://www.kcumb.edu/academics/college-of-osteopathic-medicine/eras-residency/match-statistics/http://www.osteopathic.org/inside-aoa/Education/students/match-program/Pages/match-results.aspx

Are those match lists supposed to prove your point or disprove the previous poster's point? Because they do neither.

Looking at the PCOM list....at the philly campus only 3/60 IM matches are at university hospitals (2 at Penn State and 1 at Wright State), that's 5% ....if you throw in the med-peds matches the number goes up to 5/65 (LA state and Stony Brook) which is still < 10%. The Georgia campus needed a little more digging because they use the disingenuous tactic of not explicitly saying that the match is actually at a university affiliated community program (if you look at the resident rosters of U Pitt and U Chicago you'll see that there are no DOs, let alone PCOM graduates, at either program) so the total number of IM university program matches at that program is 3/17 (Georgetown, OK state, Wayne State) which is ~18%. Putting it all together you get 8/82 which is just under 10%! Mind you this is the match list of one of best, if not the best, DO school so if you actually "do a little homework" you see that @medaman1 was actually right! As you said the match lists are out there and google is your friend.

EDIT: for the sake of comparison at my alma mater which is a state school ranked outside the top 50 80% of the IM matches were at university programs with a few at "elite" programs (UCSF, columbia, cornell, etc).

 

[Goro]

The point was "google is your friend", not to compare the quality of matches. Was this not clear?

You are also assuming that all DO grads want to go into Peds Oncolgy and Derm; Maybe they did at your school, but my students self-select for Primary Care, and match nicely into both AOA and ACGME residencies. No, I'm not going to out myself and post our match lists. Don't believe me? Tough!

Are those match lists supposed to prove your point or disprove the previous poster's point? Because they do neither.

Looking at the PCOM list....at the philly campus only 3/60 IM matches are at university hospitals (2 at Penn State and 1 at Wright State), that's 5% ....if you throw in the med-peds matches the number goes up to 5/65 (LA state and Stony Brook) which is still < 10%. The Georgia campus needed a little more digging because they use the disingenuous tactic of not explicitly saying that the match is actually at a university affiliated community program (if you look at the resident rosters of U Pitt and U Chicago you'll see that there are no DOs, let alone PCOM graduates, at either program) so the total number of IM university program matches at that program is 3/17 (Georgetown, OK state, Wayne State) which is ~18%. Putting it all together you get 8/82 which is just under 10%! Mind you this is the match list of one of best, if not the best, DO school so if you actually "do a little homework" you see that @medaman1 was actually right! As you said the match lists are out there and google is your friend.

EDIT: for the sake of comparison at my alma mater which is a state school ranked outside the top 50 80% of the IM matches were at university programs with a few at "elite" programs (UCSF, columbia, cornell, etc).