Accepted to DO...should I reapply and shoot for MD?

[MedStudentWanna]

Apples and oranges. The group of students applying to most DO schools is not equivalent to the group of students applying to MD schools.

I'd be willing to bet any amount of money that an "average" applicant, (say... 28 and a 3.5) has a MUCH higher chance of getting into a DO school rather than an MD school. The guy with the 24 will not be applying to many MD schools given that he's several standard deviations below their mean, but hes at or above average at quite a few DO schools...

That's another *****ic thing to say. Most DO schools are averaging 27 MCATs now and 3.5 GPAs, really not that different than MDs. The difference is that your average 22-year-old with zero clinical experience and zero life experience will not be accepted at any DO school, regardless of his 3.8 and 33. DO schools pride themselves on looking at more aspects of the application than just the numbers, just like some MD schools do. By the way, just this past cycle a few posters on SDN got into MD schools with 25 MCATs and average GPAs so your point isn't even valid.

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[Bacchus]

That's a *****ic thing to say.

With the stats he's referring to, a 3.9 I think and 27 you should have a good shot at most, if not all DO schools.

 

[Bacchus]

That's another *****ic thing to say. Most DO schools are averaging 27 MCATs now and 3.5 GPAs, really not that different than MDs. The difference is that your average 22-year-old with zero clinical experience and zero life experience will not be accepted at any DO school, regardless of his 3.8 and 33. DO schools pride themselves on looking at more aspects of the application than just the numbers, just like some MD schools do. By the way, just this past cycle a few posters on SDN got into MD schools with 25 MCATs and average GPAs so your point isn't even valid.

Your point doesn't hold much water either. DO schools are not going to decline EVERYONE that doesn't have enough or any of the things you named. Also, the stats are still lower than MD. I would not say above a 24 or 25 for matriculants with a 3.3 or 3.4 GPA. That's just the way it is. There's no point in arguing over this anyway, is there?

 

[Decicco]

You can definitely improve your MCAT if you put the effort in. Your GPA proves this. If you want an MD, this is what you will need to do, otherwise go with the DO/C-MD. Its up to you. I was in a similar situation (3.9 26 MCAT) and improved (3.9 35) and couldnt be happier.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

With the stats he's referring to, a 3.9 I think and 27 you should have a good shot at most, if not all DO schools.

Um, that wasn't the point. No one said he couldn't get in. He ALREADY got in. People say that if he gives up his acceptance to DO school to re-apply to MD, he won't get in AGAIN to DO schools. That's a sure bet. And NoMoreAMCAS thinks that isn't true, that if he doesn't get into MD, he can just apply again to DO and get in no problem.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

Your point doesn't hold much water either. DO schools are not going to decline EVERYONE that doesn't have enough or any of the things you named.

DO schools put a much bigger emphasis on clinical experience. I'd love to see someone with zero clinical experience get into a DO school. I'd just love to see it.

Also, the stats are still lower than MD. I would not say above a 24 or 25 for matriculants with a 3.3 or 3.4 GPA.

Your stats are wrong. Many DO schools had an average of 27 and 3.5 for those matriculating last August.

 

[Compass]

Cutting through all the blather above was difficult. My opinion - you should have at it again. You think you can do well on the MCATs? Go do well on the MCATs. Your deciding factor is most likely that. If you can get a 32, you're all set, IMO.

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

As someone upthread mentioned, the acceptance rates for DO schools isn't that different from the acceptance rates for MD schools.



A lot of secondaries ask if you've been accepted to any U.S. medical school.

The acceptance rates for somebody with his stats at a DO school, are probably pretty dam high.

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

That's a *****ic thing to say.

It's all relative. In comparison to MD schools, DO schools are very easy to get into. His stats are VERY good for DO schools and an acceptance is a certainty.

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

That's another *****ic thing to say. Most DO schools are averaging 27 MCATs now and 3.5 GPAs, really not that different than MDs. The difference is that your average 22-year-old with zero clinical experience and zero life experience will not be accepted at any DO school, regardless of his 3.8 and 33. DO schools pride themselves on looking at more aspects of the application than just the numbers, just like some MD schools do. By the way, just this past cycle a few posters on SDN got into MD schools with 25 MCATs and average GPAs so your point isn't even valid.

That's a *****ic thing to say. He's already been accepted to one, proving he has the other crap necessary. "Some" DO schools have those stats, many do not. Making him a prime candidate at many DO schools. If he wanted to, he would apply to those schools and be accepted to one next year.

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

DO schools put a much bigger emphasis on clinical experience. I'd love to see someone with zero clinical experience get into a DO school. I'd just love to see it.



Your stats are wrong. Many DO schools had an average of 27 and 3.5 for those matriculating last August.

So if he wants to get into a DO school, there will plenty that do not have 27/3.5 averages. We all agree, good.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

You're missing the point. If he turns down his DO acceptance to apply MD, then he proves that he doesn't want to be a DO and it's only a back up for him. That's the kiss of death at DO schools. They don't look favorably on being anyone's back up and they don't care if you have a 4.0 and a 45. You'll get a big fat rejection if you turn them down once so you can try for MD and then apply to them again when it turns out you didn't make the cut for MD.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

So if he wants to get into a DO school, there will plenty that do not have 27/3.5 averages. We all agree, good.

No, we don't. Only those with a deficit in reading comprehension would agree with that.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

you are either extremely naive or you are a troll ....

everyone knows that MD/DO >>>>> Caribbean .....personally i would've rather not become a doctor than go to the caribbean.... the schools are very poor quality, only care about taking your tuition and put you at an enormous disadvantage when applying for residency

also OMM is quite useless and very few people actually practice it... knowing that in no way makes you "more qualified" to be a doctor

One thing I like about OMM, even though I suck at it, is that, at least at my school, it gives us a lot of extra instruction in radiology, musculoskeletal trauma, etc.. I actually feel pretty good about reading CT's, plain radiographs, and other imaging modalities, just based on the stuff we get in OMM, and the additional emphasis on anatomy. Lots of musculoskeletal trauma stuff, etc. too.

Now in the long run, that may not be all that useful, as it will eventually even out, but in my clinical rotations, it might not be a bad skill to have when you want to show your attendings that you've got your **** together. Especially considering that I am interested in EM.

 

[cbrons]

Go to nursing school and get a DNP. That way you can practice medicine and be called a doctor without doing .01% of the work that everyone else has to do!

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

You're missing the point. If he turns down his DO acceptance to apply MD, then he proves that he doesn't want to be a DO and it's only a back up for him. That's the kiss of death at DO schools. They don't look favorably on being anyone's back up and they don't care if you have a 4.0 and a 45. You'll get a big fat rejection if you turn them down once so you can try for MD and then apply to them again when it turns out you didn't make the cut for MD.

That's what i was asking earlier. Does every DO school (even those you didn't apply to) get information on where you've been accepted in the past?

For MD schools that you never applied to, I didn't think they'd have a clue.

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

No, we don't. Only those with a deficit in reading comprehension would agree with that.

Well i'm sure this reading deficit guy could skate into an acceptance at any DO school in the country. Not that it's much to brag about .

No offense DO people, i'm just busting this guys balls.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

That's what i was asking earlier. Does every DO school (even those you didn't apply to) get information on where you've been accepted in the past?

For MD schools that you never applied to, I didn't think they'd have a clue.

That question was already answered. Secondaries ask that question.

 

[MedStudentWanna]

Well i'm sure this reading deficit guy could skate into an acceptance at any DO school in country. Not that it's much to brag about .

No offense DO people, i'm just busting this guys balls.

And making a fool out of yourself in the process. But why should tonight be any different?

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

That question was already answered. Secondaries ask that question.

Secondaries at all schools?

 

[NoMoreAMCAS]

And making a fool out of yourself in the process. But why should tonight be any different?

Come on, going to a DO school doesn't make me a fool. That's cold man.

 

[Bacchus]

Secondaries at all schools?

PCOM and VCOM do not. I believe AACOMAS asks if you have matriculated anywhere.

 

[Raryn]

That's another *****ic thing to say. Most DO schools are averaging 27 MCATs now and 3.5 GPAs, really not that different than MDs. The difference is that your average 22-year-old with zero clinical experience and zero life experience will not be accepted at any DO school, regardless of his 3.8 and 33. DO schools pride themselves on looking at more aspects of the application than just the numbers, just like some MD schools do. By the way, just this past cycle a few posters on SDN got into MD schools with 25 MCATs and average GPAs so your point isn't even valid.

The average acceptance statistics for DO schools (all of them) is a 25.52 MCAT and a 3.45 GPA. Assuming a semi-normal distribution (considering there aren't any extreme outliers), half the schools are below this. (Data *directly* from the Osteopathic Medical College Information Book, their equivalent to the MSAR)

The HIGHEST average for *ANY* DO school is a 27.9/3.4 at TUCOM-CA. There are maybe one or two more near that, but not the majority. Of the 128 US MD schools, only ten have averages below 28, of which four are in PR and three are HBCUs (which focus on different things).

Where the hell are you getting your numbers?

 

[Bacchus]

The average acceptance statistics for DO schools (all of them) is a 25.52 MCAT and a 3.45 GPA. Assuming a semi-normal distribution (considering there aren't any extreme outliers), half the schools are below this. (Data *directly* from the Osteopathic Medical College Information Book, their equivalent to the MSAR)

The HIGHEST average for *ANY* DO school is a 27.9 at TUCOM-CA and a 3.4. There are maybe one or two more near that, but not the majority.

Where the hell are you getting your numbers?

AACOM actually has it at a 26.11 and 3.46.

http://www.aacom.org/resources/ome/2009-04/pages/2008class.aspx

 

[Raryn]

AACOM actually has it at a 26.11 and 3.46.

http://www.aacom.org/resources/ome/2009-04/pages/2008class.aspx

My mistake, they didn't update the book on their own website ( http://www.aacom.org/resources/bookstore/cib/Pages/default.aspx )

It still doesn't make that big of a difference though. The overall MCAT average went up .5 points, but that still means that half the DO schools have an average below 26, unless they're all extremely clustered.

Plus, the whole point of my comments earlier in the thread is saying the population of students applying to DO schools is not equivalent to the population applying to MD schools, which is true. Barring special circumstances, the same student would have a better overall chance at a DO school than at a MD school.

 

[ronaldo23]

Well i'm sure this reading deficit guy could skate into an acceptance at any DO school in the country. Not that it's much to brag about .

No offense DO people, i'm just busting this guys balls.

Nice, your stats are better than the averages for a DO school. Congrats. But no need to be pompous about it, eh?

 

[Handy388]

That's another *****ic thing to say. Most DO schools are averaging 27 MCATs now and 3.5 GPAs, really not that different than MDs. The difference is that your average 22-year-old with zero clinical experience and zero life experience will not be accepted at any DO school, regardless of his 3.8 and 33. DO schools pride themselves on looking at more aspects of the application than just the numbers, just like some MD schools do. By the way, just this past cycle a few posters on SDN got into MD schools with 25 MCATs and average GPAs so your point isn't even valid.

so there are no 22 year olds in DO schools that don't have clinical experiences at all? grandiose statement.

oh by the way, ALL MD schools look at applicants beyond numbers, they just happened to have more applicants with both high numbers and life experiences.

This whole "MD have no life experiences" thing GOTTA stop.