30MCAT 3.89GPA what if I only get into DO?

[Parietal Lobe]

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If you want some statistics, ~94% of US MD students will match to an MD residency. ~74% of DO students who apply for MD residencies will also match one. Only ~52% of foreign medical graduates (foreign MDs) will match a US MD residency.

Source: The Princeton Review

Those stats don't give the whole story. Some of the 74% of DO students who apply for MD residencies are automatically withdrawn from the MD match because they match in the DO match which happens first. In the end, the number of DOs who match to some residency is equivalent to the number of MDs who match to some residency.

 

[Parietal Lobe]

For example, I would love to know what percentage of DO's that apply to Dermatology get in vs. what percentage of MD's that apply to Dermatology get in.

Like I said, a DO matched Mayo Derm. That's not a stat, just an example to say that it's possible to get into allo derm as a DO. Also, don't forget that DO's have their own residencies that MD's can't apply to. There are a handful of derm residencies open only to DO's.

 

[Parietal Lobe]

I didn't mean to insult DOs as a profession, I guess I suck at wording things, but if DOs are the same as MDs, whats the incentive to go DO if one were accepted to both MD and DO schools? Maybe some people prefer the holistic approach, I think thats cool. I'm just trying to says things as realistically as possible, I'm sorry if it sounds insulting, but can you blame me? correct me if i'm wrong, realistically, if most people had a choice, would they choose DO or MD? How do I ask that question without sounding insulting? Like I said, I didn't know that much about DOs, but if they do do the same things as MDs then it doesn't matter to me.

I probability shouldn't have added the last thing about cool surgeries, I know they do surgeries, but in articles i've read I see that they are usually GPs which are cool too, we need more GPs.

There is no such thing as a GP. That's an antiquated term.

As for why anyone would choose a DO school over MD, there are several here on SDN who did just that. Look up Gabby, Bacchus, and others whose names escape me at the moment and ask them. Since the two degrees are equivalent, I would guess, they felt they fit in better at the DO school or it was in a better location or the cost was less expensive. There are a number of reasons why one would choose a DO school, including that they want to learn osteopathic manipulation.

 

[thesauce]

Derm is difficult for both MDs and DOs, but just as an FYI, a DO from AZCOM just matched this year to Mayo Derm.

From what one of the posters above said, Mayo seems to be very DO friendly.

 

[thesauce]

fair enough, I'll go the DO route if need be. I havn't looked too much into DO schools at all to be honest so I don't really know much about them. I always look at the labels on the doctor's lab coats at my ER and I've never seen one that says DO before.

Don't just change your decision based on the opinions you read here. Do the research for yourself about what a DO is and how their training differs.

 

[HolySmokes]

If people aren't happy going DO for whatever reason, why do they bother applying to DO schools? I never understood this.

 

[BeastfromthEast]

my first dermatologist was a DO and i didnt even notice. he has a lot of patients and even ran for election in the House of Representatives (he lost though).

 

[Bacchus]

There is no such thing as a GP. That's an antiquated term.

As for why anyone would choose a DO school over MD, there are several here on SDN who did just that. Look up Gabby, Bacchus, and others whose names escape me at the moment and ask them. Since the two degrees are equivalent, I would guess, they felt they fit in better at the DO school or it was in a better location or the cost was less expensive. There are a number of reasons why one would choose a DO school, including that they want to learn osteopathic manipulation.

I just want to clarify. I had 3 DO acceptances by 10/15. I knew of those 3 I was picking PCOM. PCOM only had a $250 deposit so I did not withdraw my application. However, there was a second fee scheduled for 4/15 that was an additional $2000. I felt if I didn't get any love from an MD school by then I was not going to hear anything.

I'm not airing dirty laundry, but my top choice MD school really dropped the ball on my application. With an LOI and letter from a former student to the Dean of Admissions, I thought there might be some hope. Fast forward to the end of March. I had just sent in my PCOM fee ($2000) and get a call from the MD school to interview. I declined and told them I wasn't comfortable interviewing due to what happened with my application.

So, I "turned down" an MD school. But, it was for the interview only. The admissions office ruined it for me. Reading some SDN posts about the school also didn't leave me feeling great about the school and confirmed my PCOM decision.

 

[AMEHigh]

I'm just trying to says things as realistically as possible, I'm sorry if it sounds insulting, but can you blame me? correct me if i'm wrong, realistically, if most people had a choice, would they choose DO or MD? How do I ask that question without sounding insulting?

I chose a DO school over MD schools.