advise

if you're not interested in osteopathic medicine why are you asking about your chances? Don't apply.

 

su3205,
i suggest that you do some more reading and researching..(not here...some people can be hostile) about the profession. you may want to find an osteopathic dr. and shadow him/her for a couple weeks. in the mean time send in your primary apps and by the time you get the secondary apps you should have had time to reseaerch and decide which path you want to take. your chances are very good (gpa wise)

[This message has been edited by adri (edited May 26, 1999).]

 

To determine if Osteopathic medicine is the one for you, you will need to research the basic tenets of Osteopathic philosophy, and BE SURE that they match your personal philosopy of patient care and treatment. For me, having an additional modality of diagnosis and treatment was a big selling point. If you are not comfortable touching people, don't go the Osteopathic route. If you believe that the body, when in its proper form has the ability to heal itself, again Osteopathy may be the right philosophy for you. If you see the correlation between structure and function within the human body, Osteopathic medicine may be for you. (this is starting to sound like those "you might be a redneck if jokes...sorry for that! )If you feel that a physician should consider the emotional and spiritual beliefs and the socio-economic needs of their patients, you might be an Osteopathic doc. If you understand the importance of nutrition on healing and wellness, and you have in mind preventive medicine in the care of your patients, you might be an Osteopathic doc. If you believe that manipulation is a way to restore the body's structure to its normal state, whic subsequently restores proper function, you might be an Osteopathic doc. I personally, believe all of the above, and that is why Osteopathic medicine is my personal choice.

 

A few people I know of are applied to both MD/DO schools. One reason is the cheap price of going to a state school(sometimes). I personally applied only to DO schools. I remember asking students at interviews how they would explain applying to both and I heard things like "I want to become a physician and if I 'have to' attend an allopathic institution then I will." It's a legitimate reason but is phony in many cases. There are many reasons to go either route. As mentioned above, research osteopathic medicine and see what you think.

 

My original advice sounds hostile, but you edited your message, and you originally said you weren't interested in it I believe.

Anyway, If you really believe in preventative medicine, a hands-on approach to diagnosis (and/or using OMT), and treating the patient as a whole, and not just individual symptoms, then osteopathic medicine may be right for you. Of course, many allopathic institutions have come along and now also promote this way of thinking. But, many do not still, AND many of them give lip service about it. Look into it. I didn't know what a DO was when I decided to become a physician, but now I am glad I looked into it. I chose DO over MD, but either way, you can't go wrong if you want to treat patients, and contribute to health care.

 

That's a sticky situation, SU, and one that frustrated me quite a bit when I began the application process. The best thing to do is to get the MCAT right the first time, but that doesn't always happen. Here's what happened to me:

I took the MCAT for the first time last April. Like most people, I didn't know how I did but figured I would be taking it again in August. So, I went ahead and sent in my applications and checked the box that stated that I would be taking the MCAT again in August. Of course, all of this happened BEFORE I received my scores.

When I finally did receive them, I was content and decided NOT to take the MCAT again. So I had to write the AACOMAS people and tell them to send out an update stating that I WOULD NOT be taking the August MCAT. Meanwhile, all of the medical schools had already put me in the "Hold for August Scores" category while giving interviews to other applicants. Not good. Some schools worked faster than others so fortunately I landed two interviews in September and October, and had two acceptances by mid October. Other schools took much longer to get straightened out. Most ended up calling me requesting a clarification.

So I would recommend that you go ahead and apply now WITHOUT knowing your scores but be ready to send AACOMAS a letter changing your August MCAT status. Either way, you could be delaying interviews a few weeks.

Good luck.

 

SU, will it delay the process? Sure. Tremendously? I doubt it. In my opinion (and that is all this is) based on my own experience, I think it is a lot better to mail them two weeks late than to go through the hassle (like I did) to make modifications.

Good luck.

 

su3205: I'm in a similar boat with a BioGPA of 3.38 and NonGPA of 3.31. MCAT score (8/97) was 8E 9B 12P (29). Did the research thing, volunteer thing etc. I was a bio major with a minor in compsci. I'm currently working as a game programmer (crazy huh?). Its a little depressing when you hear posts stating that the average GPA is 3.5+....but I say don't sweat it. From what I have seen and read in books (and this forum) I believe I have a decent chance to get into a good DO program (just hope my luck holds up).

good luck!

 

Su, from what I have read for the mean stats of recent students admitted to DO schools, you are alright. Some of the schools have admittance stats a bit higher than yours, but others are at that level or a bit lower. If I were you, I would just send it in and hope for the best. Of cours that's easy for me to say since I'm not applying untill next year Anyway, good luck to you.

 

SU, I'm happy to help anytime as long as you realize that this is only my opinion and I doubt it is worth much.

Given your GPA, what do I think about your chances? I feel pretty much the same as I do for the other premed who has similar numbers. It really depends on your MCAT and other factors of your application -- especially timing. Osteopathic medical schools are known for "looking past the numbers" (so it is said), and this can be good or bad for some people. It can be good for those that have a great deal beyond the numbers (i.e., community service, extracurricular leadership, etc.), but can hurt those with only average numbers and typical experiences (i.e., I doubt admissions committees are impressed by applicants who shadow doctors in ERs -- who hasn't done this?).

As far as applying to both MD and DO schools... I try to be very realistic when it comes to osteopathic medicine and also try to avoid the "if you aren't interested, then don't bother" cliche (although it is appropriate at times when an applicant is already trying to figure out a way to transfer into an MD school after his/her second year of DO school). I do encourage applicants to thoroughly examine the osteopathic profession and determine AT THE APPLICATION STAGE if they will be happy as a DO. If you will be happy practicing medicine as a DO or MD and view the degrees as truly equivalent, then apply both routes. Medical school is tough to get into, and admissions committees realize this. For that matter, if applying both ways improves your chances of pursuing your dreams, go for it -- I seriously doubt any school, MD or DO, will care.