changing from DO to MD

[smalldogman]

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How often do DO students transfer into MD schools? What does it take for successful transfers? How realistic are they?

I'm asking because I want to be a physician but do not want the stigma or the obscurity of a DO degree.

Also, I have been through undergrad, dental school, and general dentistry residency. I am Ivy League educated but my gpas were below a 3.0 wherever I went.

Based strictly on the above, how competitive am I for DO schools? Will my DDS degree help at all? Am I good enough for Touro-Com in Harlem, NY?

Please help me.

 

[BCLumas]

How often do DO students transfer into MD schools? What does it take for successful transfers? How realistic are they?

I'm asking because I want to be a physician but do not want the stigma or the obscurity of a DO degree.

Also, I have been through undergrad, dental school, and general dentistry residency. I am Ivy League educated but my gpas were below a 3.0 wherever I went.

Based strictly on the above, how competitive am I for DO schools? Will my DDS degree help at all? Am I good enough for Touro-Com in Harlem, NY?

Please help me.

If you do not want the perceived stigma of the DO degree, do not apply to DO. It is as simple as that.

 

[JaggerPlate]

You can't change from a DO to an MD and transferring is 99% impossible. If you don't want the DO behind your name, don't apply to DO schools at all. As far as a sub-3.0 gpa in all aspects of your career ... No, this does not make you competitive for any DO school whatsoever. Most have 2.75 cutoffs for science GPA. I also don't know how ADCOMS would view already being a DDS.

 

[RySerr21]

How often do DO students transfer into MD schools? What does it take for successful transfers? How realistic are they?

I'm asking because I want to be a physician but do not want the stigma or the obscurity of a DO degree.

Also, I have been through undergrad, dental school, and general dentistry residency. I am Ivy League educated but my gpas were below a 3.0 wherever I went.

Based strictly on the above, how competitive am I for DO schools? Will my DDS degree help at all? Am I good enough for Touro-Com in Harlem, NY?

Please help me.

dude....do yourself a favor and do not apply to D.O. schools.

First of all, I'm pretty sure transferring between med schools is fairly uncommon, let alone transferring between DO and MD. It's definitely not something you can count on like say transferring between undergrads. It would suck for you if you went to a DO school and then got "stuck" with the education b/c you weren't able to transfer. you would be miserable.

Second of all, people are going to take serious isuse with your statmeent I enlarged. That is not the type of attitude that will get you into a DO school, and no one will want to hear that, especially adcoms.. They want students who will be excited about becoming ostoepathic physicians, not ones that are using a stepping stone to transfer to an MD school.

Your best bet will be to improve your application and apply MD. If that means that you end up going to the Caribbean, it will probably be better for you anyway seeing that you still have the MD initials behind your name. good luck whatever path you choose.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Changing from DO to MD is easy. You just have to go to the social security office and fill out a form. It takes about six weeks to process, and there is a fee of $400 that you must pay.

How did you get below a 3.0 in Ivy League schools, which are notorious for grade inflation? Don't they hand out 3.0's at orientation, and let you work your way up from there?

 

[BCLumas]

Changing from DO to MD is easy. You just have to go to the social security office and fill out a form. It takes about six weeks to process, and there is a fee of $400 that you must pay.

How did you get below a 3.0 in Ivy League schools, which are notorious for grade inflation? Don't they hand out 3.0's at orientation, and let you work your way up from there?

😆

 

[spicedmanna]

How often do DO students transfer into MD schools? What does it take for successful transfers? How realistic are they?

Pretty unrealistic. I'm sure it does happen occasionally, but I definitely wouldn't count on it. Osteopathic medical schools are NOT backdoors to allopathic ones. Usually, from what I've heard, transfers are rare and happen primarily after your first two years have been completed, unless there is some kind of extenuating circumstance that would necessitate a transfer. You have to understand also that transfers are contingent on open spots at the school in which you intend to transfer and the drop-out rate in medical school is very low. Seriously, if you want an MD, it's best to apply to an allopathic medical school and stay clear of any DO schools.

I'm asking because I want to be a physician but do not want the stigma or the obscurity of a DO degree.

Then apply to allopathic medical schools and not to osteopathic ones. I won't comment on this further, since it can get hot and heavy. Simply do a search and you'll find a plethora of opinions on this subject.

Also, I have been through undergrad, dental school, and general dentistry residency. I am Ivy League educated but my gpas were below a 3.0 wherever I went.

Based strictly on the above, how competitive am I for DO schools? Will my DDS degree help at all? Am I good enough for Touro-Com in Harlem, NY?

Please help me.

I have no idea and no personal experience with this, so I can't comment knowledgeably about it. My experience with allopathic medical schools, at least from these forums, is that they tend to look primarily at and emphasize undergraduate grades and MCAT performance even if you do have advanced degrees and work, but I am not an adcom so I can't really say for sure. If your grades weren't good, it's unlikely that your school's reputation is going to help you, so your "Ivy League" work is likely going to be pre-empted by your poor performance. I don't have a clue how osteopathic medical schools view your predicament. If I were you, I'd contact some admissions counselors at some schools and have a conversation with them about this. Get it directly from the horse's mouth.

 

[RySerr21]

Changing from DO to MD is easy. You just have to go to the social security office and fill out a form. It takes about six weeks to process, and there is a fee of $400 that you must pay.

How did you get below a 3.0 in Ivy League schools, which are notorious for grade inflation? Don't they hand out 3.0's at orientation, and let you work your way up from there?

is the fee sent directly to your mailbox?

 

[JaggerPlate]

How did you get below a 3.0 in Ivy League schools, which are notorious for grade inflation? Don't they hand out 3.0's at orientation, and let you work your way up from there?

B+ = (50%)/passing.

 

[smalldogman]

.

Second of all, people are going to take serious isuse with your statmeent I enlarged. That is not the type of attitude that will get you into a DO school, and no one will want to hear that, especially adcoms.. They want students who will be excited about becoming ostoepathic physicians, not ones that are using a stepping stone to transfer to an MD school.

Your best bet will be to improve your application and apply MD. .

It's not about me. I don't care whether I would have an MD or DO per se. But it's about how others will view me. And don't be so quick to judge. I already have a DDS and know what it's like to be stigmatized in a medical setting.

And would you have gone for a DO school intentionally if you had a 3.8 gpa with an MCAT 39? Would I have gone to dental school intentionally if I had a 3.8 gpa with an MCAT 39?

Didn't think so for both. So let's tone down on this issue.

 

[BCLumas]

It's not about me. I don't care whether I would have an MD or DO per se. But it's about how others will view me. And don't be so quick to judge. I already have a DDS and know what it's like to be stigmatized in a medical setting.

And would you have gone for a DO school intentionally if you had a 3.8 gpa with an MCAT 39? Would I have gone to dental school intentionally if I had a 3.8 gpa with an MCAT 39?

Didn't think so for both. So let's tone down on this issue.

Yes, I would have.

 

[smalldogman]

How did you get below a 3.0 in Ivy League schools, which are notorious for grade inflation? Don't they hand out 3.0's at orientation, and let you work your way up from there?

only ONE of the schools I went to was Ivy League. I understand how everyone wants to have went to one but just because you didn't go to one doesn't mean they give out 4.0s to everyone.

 

[smalldogman]

. If I were you, I'd contact some admissions counselors at some schools and have a conversation with them about this. Get it directly from the horse's mouth.

They always give me the same generic response on how they look at everyone as a whole.

What would I need to get into a DO school? A post-bac?

 

[spicedmanna]

It's not about me. I don't care whether I would have an MD or DO per se. But it's about how others will view me. And don't be so quick to judge. I already have a DDS and know what it's like to be stigmatized in a medical setting.

It's not what you think; maybe 20-30 years ago, you would have been right on the money, but these days the gap is closing. Anyway, as I said, do a search. Let's not get into discussion about this.

And would you have gone for a DO school intentionally if you had a 3.8 gpa with an MCAT 39? Would I have gone to dental school intentionally if I had a 3.8 gpa with an MCAT 39?

Didn't think so for both. So let's tone down on this issue.

How pretentious. There are certainly people who would have chosen either one, given those numbers. Ever considered "interest," "fit," family considerations, COA, and location? 🙄

 

[spicedmanna]

only ONE of the schools I went to was Ivy League. I understand how everyone wants to have went to one but just because you didn't go to one doesn't mean they give out 4.0s to everyone.

I didn't want to go to one and still don't. Please, learn to look beyond your own ego; that would be helpful in your application process.

 

[Dedikated2liftn]

How often do DO students transfer into MD schools? What does it take for successful transfers? How realistic are they?

I'm asking because I want to be a physician but do not want the stigma or the obscurity of a DO degree.

Also, I have been through undergrad, dental school, and general dentistry residency. I am Ivy League educated but my gpas were below a 3.0 wherever I went.

Based strictly on the above, how competitive am I for DO schools? Will my DDS degree help at all? Am I good enough for Touro-Com in Harlem, NY?

Please help me.

I'm not sure if you're able to do this (b/c of double posting); however, if you can, I would post this in the pre-allopathic forum as well...might add another perspective.

 

[engineeredout]

It's not about me. I don't care whether I would have an MD or DO per se. But it's about how others will view me. And don't be so quick to judge. I already have a DDS and know what it's like to be stigmatized in a medical setting.

Oh, you only have a DDS? Whats that, a toothbrush salesman?

 

[Bacchus]

I am applying to MD and DO schools because my GPA is not stellar nor is my MCAT (let's hope my retake is). That being said, the ultimate selection factor for me is first fit and then location. I would much rather stay in Philadelphia than venture out into the wild blue at this time. That said, even if I had a 4.0 and 45 I would not apply to schools that require a plane ride. Just because overall stats are lower for DO schools, does not mean that all students have grades and scores on par with the averages. Very high-numbered students do attend DO schools.

As far as people's perception of you and your degree... F' them. If they don't want to accept you as a doctor, so what, their loss. You'll still be doing the same thing if you have either degree and will be paid the same as well. If outsiders want to pre-judge that's their problem, not yours.

However, I really feel that you shouldn't apply DO because I don't think you'll be happy at a DO school.

 

[fireflygirl]

I didn't want to go to one and still don't. Please, learn to look beyond your own ego; that would be helpful in your application process.

👍

 

[spicedmanna]

They always give me the same generic response on how they look at everyone as a whole.

What would I need to get into a DO school? A post-bac?

Talk to someone in charge, maybe the director of admissions, and ask what you need to get in, based on your current situation. I don't know what to tell you because I don't have any experience with advising a dentist on how to gain admission to an osteopathic medical school.

Also, check out the mentor forums and maybe post your question there. There are a number of verified adcoms, administrators, and academic physicians in that forum who can better address your question.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

Sounds like you went into dental school for the wrong reasons ...

Spare yourself the headache, and stay in dentistry -- it's not worth it. Apparently, dentists in private practice have it much better. Then again, if you couldn't hack it at any level of schooling, nonetheless Dental, then you won't hack it at an MD or DO program either.

What was the plan? Try and become a doc after you lost several patient clients when hacking out their maxillary premolars instead of their mandibular premolars?

Please, do us a favor and not join the ranks of medicine. We need competent doctors, not incompetent ones.

 

[Dedikated2liftn]

sounds Like You Went Into Dental School For The Wrong Reasons ...

Spare Yourself The Headache, And Stay In Dentistry -- It's Not Worth It. Apparently, Dentists In Private Practice Have It Much Better. Then Again, If You Couldn't Hack It At Any Level Of Schooling, Nonetheless Dental, Then You Won't Hack It At An Md Or Do Program Either.

What Was The Plan? Try And Become A Doc After You Lost Several Patient Clients When Hacking Out Their Maxillary Premolars Instead Of Their Mandibular Premolars?

Please, Do Us A Favor And Not Join The Ranks Of Medicine. We Need Competent Doctors, Not Incompetent Ones.

Wtf??

 

[TexasTriathlete]

If I had wanted to go to an Ivy League school, I would have applied to one out of high school. Or Rice, which is an Ivy-like school, albeit not in the Ivy League Athletic Conference.

 

[bluemonkey]

It's not about me. I don't care whether I would have an MD or DO per se. But it's about how others will view me. And don't be so quick to judge. I already have a DDS and know what it's like to be stigmatized in a medical setting.

And would you have gone for a DO school intentionally if you had a 3.8 gpa with an MCAT 39? Would I have gone to dental school intentionally if I had a 3.8 gpa with an MCAT 39?

Didn't think so for both. So let's tone down on this issue.

3.75 Cumulative, 3.8 science, 41 MCAT. So much for that theory.

 

[RySerr21]

It's not about me. I don't care whether I would have an MD or DO per se. But it's about how others will view me. And don't be so quick to judge. I already have a DDS and know what it's like to be stigmatized in a medical setting.

And would you have gone for a DO school intentionally if you had a 3.8 gpa with an MCAT 39? Would I have gone to dental school intentionally if I had a 3.8 gpa with an MCAT 39?

Didn't think so for both. So let's tone down on this issue.

i didnt mean to sound like i was attacking you nor did i mean to sound like i was judging you. my apologies if it came off that way.

you went to dental school to improve your medical school application? I can't say what I would do if i had a 3.8/39 because those are not my stats, but i do know that I would apply to every school I feel will fit me. If some of those schools were DO, then so be it.

I fully intended to apply to DO schools no matter what, even if I had scored a 35 on the MCAT I would have applied to the 7 DO schools that I chose, so maybe its a little different for me. I chose those schools b/c i feel they will give me a fine eudcation and i will enjoy my time there. The same goes for the MD schools i chose. My MCAT score and GPA did not dictate my applying to DOs....its not a back up option for me, where clearly it is for you.

the things i said in my first post still stand....do not apply to DO schools if you want to be an MD, for whatever reason.

 

[tkim]

How often do DO students transfer into MD schools? What does it take for successful transfers? How realistic are they?

I'm asking because I want to be a physician but do not want the stigma or the obscurity of a DO degree.

Also, I have been through undergrad, dental school, and general dentistry residency. I am Ivy League educated but my gpas were below a 3.0 wherever I went.

Based strictly on the above, how competitive am I for DO schools? Will my DDS degree help at all? Am I good enough for Touro-Com in Harlem, NY?

Please help me.

Look here:

http://services.aamc.org/tsp_reports/

It happens a handful of times each year at a dozen or so schools in years 2 and 3.

I've read through your threads and I have a feeling you are looking to go to medical school for the wrong reasons - your stated "dentistry is physically demanding and detail-oriented" and the unstated "I'm not getting the respect I want as a dentist" are telling.

Your DDS will be secondary to your GPA and MCAT. In fact, your DDS might hinder you at some places since they will ask "what will stop you from changing your mind about medicine four years down the road?"

I guarantee that telling adcoms that you don't like physically demanding work, paying attention to detail, and want to get more respect than a dentist will not get you far.

I also guarantee that your subpar grades will raise red flags at every place you apply. You admit that your undergrad grades and entrance scores were poor, and you repeated your subpar performance all through dental school.

You want some solid advice? Don't go to med school. It's not what you want.

You want some solid advice about getting into med school? Take a Kaplan course, rock the MCAT, and lie about the reasons why you want to switch.

If you're that status/respect conscious that you want to switch out of dentistry to pursue medicine, starting at a DO school is plain stupid.

The people who transfer from DO to MD schools usually have above average grades, are solid students, and have a compelling reason to transfer.

Based on your past performance, you are not that type of student. You'd likely end up in a DO school, fail to transfer out, and end up even more frustrated than you are now.

Reassess your career goals frankly, please.

 

[ShyRem]

Oh, boy.

 

[ShyRem]

Oh, boy.