If I had to choose between an MD off-shore and a DO in the states... I'd go DO with no hesitation. DOs get more opportunities for residency spots than IMGs. I should preface this by saying I'm not from a DO-populated state and wasn't too sure about the whole DO thing until I did a lot of research and shadowed one for a few months. I was a little worried about residencies because I want to go into surgery and I had heard DOs were largely primary care, etc. Well, rest assured, you can go into any field you want. You just really have to rock the school and do well on the boards (by the way, if your VR score on MCAT was good, the stats say you are likely to do well on the boards... BS and PS seem to correlate more with doing well in the classes for the first two years).
I can say that I interviewed at and was accepted to a lot of DO schools... they are VERY pleasant environments compared to the average allo school (especially for non-trads). The interviews and experiences I had at each school just made me feel even better about that option. I did have an MCAT problem initially, but I managed to finally kick its ass the 3rd time... it took a lot of self-reflection and diagnosing exactly what the problem was. So, I still believe if you really want to go for an MD, you CAN, but I'd recommend you try and improve the MCAT and apply to US schools. But, really, DOs are highly respected in many places even though they're the minority (but they are catching up!!!). Only the really old-school allopaths still harbor some unwarranted view of DOs, and they're moving into retirement anyway.
I should say, I ended up choosing an allo school but it was more because of geography (have a family to consider) AND the fact that it felt as friendly as the DO schools I fell in love with. The closest DO school where I was accepted is over 400 miles away from my home... and relocating costs plus job prospects for my husband were not great there. The best DO school where I would have enjoyed going entailed a $10,000 move PLUS a ridiculously high cost of living (so, thinking ahead, I'd be way more in debt afterwards) and rather expensive just for him to try and go on job interviews 3000 miles away! Anyway, you get the point.
What type of doc do you want to be? How old are you now and what types of things have you done in your life (judging from the applicant file standpoint here-- what are your assets and liabilities, etc)? What state are you in and what area of the US would you ideally like to be as a professional? Have you even shadowed a DO yet? Seriously, if you're into primary care pick a primary care DO to shadow... if you're interested in a specialty try and find a DO in that or a closely-related specialty. I shadowed a DO spine surgeon (ortho)... I don't think I want to do orthopaedics, but it was a really great experience and I got to compare that with the year I spent following an MD surgeon and the 8 months I spent with a MD internist. I could say trust me, DOs are well-educated and provide very good patient care, but I think you should find out for yourself if you have doubts.
If you don't want to air your dirty laundry on the forum, just PM me with info and any questions you have.
FD
), starting med school prerequisites right after business school may look unfocused to some adcoms (which is silly, since some offer MD/MBA programs).
