Applying DO & MD and want DO more

[pguin]

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Alright so we all know DO programs are easier to get into than MD..and thus the people in the DO program tended to do not quite as well in college. So I'm just wondering if anyone else on here who applied to both MD and DO are starting to feel they'd rather go to a DO program if they had the choice of both? This sounds horrible but my personal reason is that i hated sitting next to annoying people with 4.0's in college and i think id hate it to in med school too! To all those people, hey i could have got a 4.0 too, but i really really like beer!

 

[Hardbody]

Alright so we all know DO programs are easier to get into than MD..and thus the people in the DO program tended to do not quite as well in college. So I'm just wondering if anyone else on here who applied to both MD and DO are starting to feel they'd rather go to a DO program if they had the choice of both? This sounds horrible but my personal reason is that i hated sitting next to annoying people with 4.0's in college and i think id hate it to in med school too! To all those people, hey i could have got a 4.0 too, but i really really like beer!

I feel that way, sort of. I am only applying to my state schools for location and tuition (all MD schools). I am applying to no other MD schools and I could care less about the initials. When I first started my pre-med journey after a horrible start to my college career, DO schools are what motivated me. Knowing that they will replace grades instead of averaging them gave me hope again (I had F's in EASY classes because I simply stopped attending class, but I have nailed all my "hard" classes). I probably wouldn't have come this far if it wasn't for my discovery of "the other medical degree". When I graduate from medical school I will be proud to be called XXXXX XXXXXX, D.O.!

 

[Hardbody]

Alright so we all know DO programs are easier to get into than MD..and thus the people in the DO program tended to do not quite as well in college. So I'm just wondering if anyone else on here who applied to both MD and DO are starting to feel they'd rather go to a DO program if they had the choice of both? This sounds horrible but my personal reason is that i hated sitting next to annoying people with 4.0's in college and i think id hate it to in med school too! To all those people, hey i could have got a 4.0 too, but i really really like beer!

Not to mention I think some aspects of OMT are cool (some need to go, such as cranial), and yes I do like the philosophy (not to say that I think there is a huge difference).

 

[Oculus Sinistra]

Alright so we all know DO programs are easier to get into than MD..and thus the people in the DO program tended to do not quite as well in college. So I'm just wondering if anyone else on here who applied to both MD and DO are starting to feel they'd rather go to a DO program if they had the choice of both? This sounds horrible but my personal reason is that i hated sitting next to annoying people with 4.0's in college and i think id hate it to in med school too! To all those people, hey i could have got a 4.0 too, but i really really like beer!

Yeah, I've met more DO students that seem like people I'd like to be around with for four years than I have MD students, but it varies. For me I MUST have a class of reasonable, sociable, team-oriented people.

On the upside, Loyola is an MD school and everyone raves about how well everyone gets along there.

 

[vt hokie]

i used to say that i didn't care what kind of doctor i was as long as i could practice medicine. now that i have learned more about osteopathy and shadowed a d.o., i really want to be an osteopath.

 

[MedSchoolFool]

I applied to 4 DO schools and 8 MD schools so far this year. It will really be a quandary for me if I end up with an acceptance to an MD and a DO college. I do feel more inclined to DO schools because:

1) I'm older (34)
2) I like the philosophy
3) Expect that I'll have several classmates near my age or over
4) The DO's I've met just seem nicer than the MD's
5) I like the fact that DO schools don't count grades that were repeated

However, there are some disadvantages to consider about DO schools, such as:

1) May be pigeonholed into doing primary care
2) Not enough DO residency slots for all DO graduates
3) Exhorbitant tuition (besides Texas & those with in-state tuition break)

Anyway, I guess the pros outwiegh the cons. And as far as exhorbitant tuition, I live in Delaware, a state without a medical school, so I'm going to pay exhorbitant tuition no matter where I go, MD or DO, unless I want to come back here and be a primary care physician when I'm done. In that case there is a special loan that would essentially save me about 20K a year in tuition. But, I digress.

I'm just not sure what I will do if I have to choose. I guess I'm hoping that fate will have it that I'm accepted to only 1 school. Whichever school it is, MD or DO, won't matter, just as long as I'm a doctor when it's done. But with my lousy luck I'll end up being accepted to them all, and then I'll never be able to decide. Poor me. 😉

 

[sevira]

I was going to apply to both based on the idea that I'd increase my chances with more applications, expecially since I'm from Ohio - 7 schools!

But when I started thinking about my secondary essays and started writing the answer to "Why do you want to be a DO?" I realized that I really do want to be a DO and definitely not an MD. So, why apply to both, waste the money just to prove i can get into MD?

This might be an easier decision for me since I'm from the midwest, where DOs are everywhere and of course there's the fact that my mother only goes to DOs and firmly believes in them. You could say I've been indoctorined from birth 🙂

i know it may be more challenging in the furture but I think I'm up to it.
n

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

I was going to apply to both based on the idea that I'd increase my chances with more applications, expecially since I'm from Ohio - 7 schools!

But when I started thinking about my secondary essays and started writing the answer to "Why do you want to be a DO?" I realized that I really do want to be a DO and definitely not an MD. So, why apply to both, waste the money just to prove i can get into MD?

This might be an easier decision for me since I'm from the midwest, where DOs are everywhere and of course there's the fact that my mother only goes to DOs and firmly believes in them. You could say I've been indoctorined from birth 🙂

i know it may be more challenging in the furture but I think I'm up to it.
n

Funny thing about the state of Ohio. In 2004, I didnt get a single in state MD interview but I did get plenty of out-of-state one's.

 

[xTinaBna]

Alright so we all know DO programs are easier to get into than MD..and thus the people in the DO program tended to do not quite as well in college. So I'm just wondering if anyone else on here who applied to both MD and DO are starting to feel they'd rather go to a DO program if they had the choice of both? This sounds horrible but my personal reason is that i hated sitting next to annoying people with 4.0's in college and i think id hate it to in med school too! To all those people, hey i could have got a 4.0 too, but i really really like beer!

There are lots of people in DO programs that have extraordinary gpas too...but for me personally, i view the MD and DO equally. i admit that i did not even hear of a DO till about 1 1/2 years ago. but once i started researching about it, i feel as though the DO best suits me as a person. and knowing that i've always wanted to do peds, either route would have satisfied my goal.

 

[Orthodoc40]

However, there are some disadvantages to consider about DO schools, such as:

1) May be pigeonholed into doing primary care
2) Not enough DO residency slots for all DO graduates
3) Exhorbitant tuition (besides Texas & those with in-state tuition break)

Anyway, I guess the pros outwiegh the cons.

Wait a minute! What is #2 about??

 

[stinkywinky]

Alright so we all know DO programs are easier to get into than MD..and thus the people in the DO program tended to do not quite as well in college. So I'm just wondering if anyone else on here who applied to both MD and DO are starting to feel they'd rather go to a DO program if they had the choice of both? This sounds horrible but my personal reason is that i hated sitting next to annoying people with 4.0's in college and i think id hate it to in med school too! To all those people, hey i could have got a 4.0 too, but i really really like beer!

I COMPLETELY agree. I am a nontraditional older applicant. I have become extremely impressed with the osteopathic community and feel that it fits my personality/goals much better than allopathic. I have worked with md's for the past 10 years--the last 5 years on a daily basis. I much prefer the d.o's I've met and feel that I would fit in better with that group. I recently decided to forgo turning in most of my secondaries to md schools (except my state school because of location and unique philosophy). Thanks for your post--the same thing has been on my mind for the past few days.

 

[MedSchoolFool]

Wait a minute! What is #2 about??

Check out the following thread. It mentions this issue, along with a few other negatives of DO residencies. I'm not aganist DO training at all, but it's good to know both sides of the story.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=144433&highlight=Residency+slots

 

[jillibean]

Wait a minute! What is #2 about??

A lot of DOs go on to do MD residencies, so its not really a big deal.

 

[Kuba]

i want UCONN (MD) the most, but after that its a toss up, probably UMDNJSOM is second... can you tell im influenced by finances ?

 

[exigente chica]

i used to say that i didn't care what kind of doctor i was as long as i could practice medicine. now that i have learned more about osteopathy and shadowed a d.o., i really want to be an osteopath.

I agree totally..I prefer to be a Do than an MD.

 

[Cass3818]

I completely agree, Im having an amazing time going out in college and still doing well....spending hours at the library can wait until med school, this is the best time of your life!

 

[Hardbody]

Wait a minute! What is #2 about??

It is no secret that 2/3 of all graduating D.O.'s go on to an allopathic residency.

 

[ClockworkDoc]

Only thing stopping me is the perceived lack of qualification by the public and the cost.

 

[87138]

Sorry to be off topic a bit here, but as far as applying to DO schools, do ALL of them require a LOR from a DO? I think I remember someone saying NYCOM didn't require it, and maybe a few others. Obviously they recommend it, but has anyone here applied without one? I have a LOR from an MD.

 

[dr.kicia]

Sorry to be off topic a bit here, but as far as applying to DO schools, do ALL of them require a LOR from a DO? I think I remember someone saying NYCOM didn't require it, and maybe a few others. Obviously they recommend it, but has anyone here applied without one? I have a LOR from an MD.

no not all of the require a DO LOR but a DO LOR is highly prefered.
schools which do not require DO LOR are:
AZCOM
CCOM
ATSU/KCOM
DMU(can be from DO, MD or a nurse or volunteer coordinator)
KCUMB(the prefear DO though)
OUCOM(DO lor highly recomended)
PCOM(DO lor advised but not required)
TUORO (prefer DO)
WESTERN(pref DO)
all the rest need DO lors

 

[n0chi]

i royally messed up one sem which killed my gpa. of course im repeating all those clases, to get the grades replaced. im not really sure if DO schools are better than MD or not, but i just think they suite my personal situation better. and as it has been said earlier, it could be a harder path down the line, but some path is better than no path towards my goal of being a primary care doc.

 

[redsoxfan]

at first, i really wasn't into the whole DO option b/c of my research background and perceiving DO schools as less research-oriented. however, after shadowing a DO (only twice) I realized that not only do I like the philosophy, but i have all my options open to me afterwards. the DO i shadowed turned down an MD school b/c he liked the DO school better. He decided to do an MD residency in internal medicine, but still practices manipulations in addition to regular clinic pts. i highly recommend shadowing a DO if u can. I just randomly called a bunch up and one got back to me a month later, and it was a great experience.

 

[Orthodoc40]

It is no secret that 2/3 of all graduating D.O.'s go on to an allopathic residency.

Well it was a secret to me until I read that!
I figured those that chose allo did it cause they wanted to, not cause they had to.