2nd time applying, first time DO, what to do.

[woltej1]

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So I applied to enter med school this coming fall and got waitlisted at a MD school and didn't apply DO as MD would be my first choice as right now I'm probably going to stay in state. This cycle though I want to ensure I get accepted somewhere so that I can start the process in 2015.

My question is will DO schools find it weird or really be able to tell that I didn't apply my first time when trying to get into medical schools. I'm guessing AMCAS and AACOMAS aren't connecting, but I did retake the MCAT this past year so if they start asking about that how do I go about saying my first time I didn't apply because my in state MD is my first choice and now am applying just to ensure I get into a medical school. Even though I don't have a problem going DO if needed.

 

[radkat101]

So I applied to enter med school this coming fall and got waitlisted at a MD school and didn't apply DO as MD would be my first choice as right now I'm probably going to stay in state. This cycle though I want to ensure I get accepted somewhere so that I can start the process in 2015.

My question is will DO schools find it weird or really be able to tell that I didn't apply my first time when trying to get into medical schools. I'm guessing AMCAS and AACOMAS aren't connecting, but I did retake the MCAT this past year so if they start asking about that how do I go about saying my first time I didn't apply because my in state MD is my first choice and now am applying just to ensure I get into a medical school. Even though I don't have a problem going DO if needed.

I wouldn't worry about it at all considering how many DO applicants are accepted in your situation. If anyone questions you on the interview trail, you admit MD was your first choice originally. But you also mention that after a year of thinking about it, you realized your main goal was to become a doctor and the title no longer matters to you anymore.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Nobody is going to ask you if you applied to MD last cycle. Nobody will know. At worst your answer can be "yes, I applied to my in-state MD on the off-chance of getting in, but it was always my goal to retake the MCAT and applied to all programs I'm interested in this cycle."

 

[DoctorKrieger]

So I applied to enter med school this coming fall and got waitlisted at a MD school and didn't apply DO as MD would be my first choice as right now I'm probably going to stay in state. This cycle though I want to ensure I get accepted somewhere so that I can start the process in 2015.

My question is will DO schools find it weird or really be able to tell that I didn't apply my first time when trying to get into medical schools. I'm guessing AMCAS and AACOMAS aren't connecting, but I did retake the MCAT this past year so if they start asking about that how do I go about saying my first time I didn't apply because my in state MD is my first choice and now am applying just to ensure I get into a medical school. Even though I don't have a problem going DO if needed.

They won't know unless you tell them, and if that's the case, they won't find it weird. It's not unusual at all for applicants to apply both to maximize chances of acceptance. But be able to answer the question "Why DO?" or "Why this school?"

 

[hallowmann]

Most people won't ask you, and they definitely won't ask you based on you retaking the MCAT. I mean its not like they would really question you why you're trying to improve your app. There are tons of people who apply to medical school after retaking the MCAT (even if it was already competitive for DO.

Also, don't mention anything about MD at your state school being your first choice. Until you have an acceptance, your first choice is every school that interviews you.

Your goal is to be a physician, not be an MD or DO, so pitch it like that. On the off chance you are specifically asked why DO and not MD (I was asked this at one interview), then say, your priority is to become a physician, but you can also talk about some aspect of the DO philosophy that you identify with.

 

[HopefulReapp]

Like everyone else here has said, you need to have an answer to "Why DO?"

AMCAS and AACOMAS are not linked, so there aren't any assumptions to be made.

 

[Goro]

We all know that most DO applicants haven't gotten into MD schools the first time around. It's OK...it's one of the unspoken things about the app process. We don't hold it against anyone, and we don't ask "did you apply to MD schools last year?" Heck, we don't even ask where you're applying to this year!

So me appleid to enter med school this coming fall and got waitlisted at a MD school and didn't apply DO as MD would be my first choice as right now me are probably going to stay in state. This cycle though me want to ensure me get accepted somewhere so that me can start the process in 2015.

My question is will DO schools find it weird or really be able to tell that me didn't apply my first time when trying to get into medical schools. me are guessing AMCAS and AACOMAS aren't connecting, but me did retake the MCAT this past year so if they start asking about that how do me go about saying my first time me didn't apply because my in state MD is my first choice and now are applying just to ensure me get into a medical school. Even though me don't have a problem going DO if needed.

 

[yogacat]

I was in a similar situation (1st year MD only, 2nd year MD and DO) and was not specifically asked why DO over MD. I was, however, asked by a DO interviewer "why didn't you apply to my school last year?" when he found out I had only applied MD. Interviewed at three DO programs and it only came up once in that way.

 

[woltej1]

I was in a similar situation (1st year MD only, 2nd year MD and DO) and was not specifically asked why DO over MD. I was, however, asked by a DO interviewer "why didn't you apply to my school last year?" when he found out I had only applied MD. Interviewed at three DO programs and it only came up once in that way.

That's actually the scenario I had in mind when I made this thread is how do you approach that question when the truth is DO is a safety net for me.

 

[hallowmann]

That's actually the scenario I had in mind when I made this thread is how do you approach that question when the truth is DO is a safety net for me.

Stop looking at it as a safety net and you'll be able to answer that question: "Oh, I only applied to a few schools last year that were mainly in such and such area" or "Oh, I didn't really know much about your school then, but after doing more research I found that I really liked x, y, and z that you offer", etc., etc. etc.

Its not 2 different fields. They're both medicine, they're both medical schools, you just decided to cast a broader net, and found many schools that offer things you vare strongly about. Would a lower -tier MD school make a big fuss that you only applied to Harvard, JHU, and Penn last year? Plus, why even bring up that you applied last year (obviously if they ask don't lie, but otherwise, why would it come up). You are way overthinking this.