advice on how to select schools?

[fozzy40]

I just finished my undergrad and im in the process of applying to MD and DO schools. If I had to pick between the two, I would want to go to the DO school. I am not quite sure on how to narrow down my list of schools. So far, I have checked out the US News and World Report's medical school rankings. I basically searched for schools based on MCAT scores. I have not taken them but will be taking them in August. I am pretty sure I can get 9's at least. Is this a realistic way of selecting schools? Any suggestions? Thanks.

fred

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[Popoy]

Apply to as many DO schools as you can....

But if you really need to narrow it down, then look into what type of programs that the school offers, reputation with OMM, environment, place.... see whether or not you'd really like to live in a big city or a small town...., meet the avg gpa and mcats or at least get pretty darn close....

There's other limitations that you might want to look into like, in-state vs out-of-state....

Best wishes....

 

[Hskermdic]

Get to know the schools. Visit them if possible even before you apply. Find out which school matches your personality and what you want your life to be like in medical school.

 

[electra]

I enjoyed all of the DO schools I visited; found the people to be open and friendly and the students were confident without being snobs.

Try to look at a bunch of schools in one area, and take a road trip before you apply.

Or, try and narrow down where you would like to live and apply to multiple schools in that area.

 

[muonwhiz]

All of the above suggestions are good. Also check out the bookstores and libraries for books that give descriptions of the allopathic and osteopathic schools and check out the websites of each school that you are interested in.

I wish you the best of luck with the mcat, but it is dangerous to make any assumptions about the outcome ("pretty sure can get AT LEAST 9's"). I've seen lots of those assumptions bite the dust. You can't really afford to let up any effort or studying based on any set of assumptions, good or bad. Just take the test and do your best. If you are taking the August test, get all of your primary applications, transcripts and letters in asap so that when your scores come in your file will be complete at each school. Otherwise, you will be interviewing late in the cycle when many places have already been filled. Good luck!

 

[apple638]

You also need to find out the stats of the school pass/fail rate for the boards

 

[Ray]

And maybe most important...compare the tuition at each school. By the time you pay off your student loans, you will have paid about double your tuition (after interest). Stay in-state if you can.

 

[Amra]

After conferring with my Pre-med advisor for my situation (I am ONLY interested in DO), she recommended that I apply only to osteopathic schools. Rationale being osteopathic schools like to be considered "First Choice" not "If I'm not accepted to allopathic..."

Hope we helped!

 

[ewagner]

Tuition and Board scores should be HUGE factors in your decision making. Also the reputation in the professional community should have bearing, considering that is how many people may judge you prior to working with you (example "I heard he went to Wash U." or "I heard he Kirksville" or "I heard he went to the Caribbean")...these are true judgment calls that I see weekly in the hospital.
You may want to spend some time researching WHERE they spend 3rd and 4th years...and WHERE graduates end up in residency. New York, UMDNJ, and MSU have some GREAT rotations at very large hospitals...a big consideration.
The least reliable predictor would be their OMT curriculum. UNLESS, you are planning a career in PM&R, OMT will seldom be used in your professional career. Furthermore, it is certainly not difficult to learn, and is only a minor part of COMLEX exams (10-15%).