DMU COM vs. UI Carver

[deleted980872]

Existential crisis time:

I have been accepted at my top DO and my top MD choice. I feel very blessed with these opportunities but the choice before me is a lot tougher than I thought it would be. Had you asked me my preference months ago I would've taken my acceptance at Carver hands-down. However, after both interview days and a second visit to each school, I feel that my fit at DMU is substantially better than my fit at Carver. Like, substantially better.

So to my situation I ask - to what extent should my feel of a "good fit" outweigh what could be potentially more/better opportunities? I seriously feel so much more at home at DMU and feel like I would thrive a lot more there than at Iowa, but would it be worth sacrificing this good feeling/fit to go to a school that could mean better research opportunities and a better chance at a competitive residency? I was actually talking with the doctor I scribe with who is an MD and said that the residency matches of the two schools are pretty indistinguishable, which to some extent they are, and that generally DMU produces remarkably successful physicians. He basically encouraged me to go with my gut. In any event, I'm looking for any and all input on this to help me in making my decision.

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[deleted987519]

Existential crisis time:

I have been accepted at my top DO and my top MD choice. I feel very blessed with these opportunities but the choice before me is a lot tougher than I thought it would be. Had you asked me my preference months ago I would've taken my acceptance at Carver hands-down. However, after both interview days and a second visit to each school, I feel that my fit at DMU is substantially better than my fit at Carver. Like, substantially better.

So to my situation I ask - to what extent should my feel of a "good fit" outweigh what could be potentially more/better opportunities? I seriously feel so much more at home at DMU and feel like I would thrive a lot more there than at Iowa, but would it be worth sacrificing this good feeling/fit to go to a school that could mean better research opportunities and a better chance at a competitive residency? I was actually talking with the doctor I scribe with who is an MD and said that the residency matches of the two schools are pretty indistinguishable, which to some extent they are, and that generally DMU produces remarkably successful physicians. He basically encouraged me to go with my gut. In any event, I'm looking for any and all input on this to help me in making my decision.

What are your goals?

 

[deleted980872]

What are your goals?

I'm honestly going into the whole thing with an open mind, but if I were to nail down what I think I'll go into, I'd say internal med, gen surg, or ortho. The potential of wanting to do ortho is a factor pulling me towards Iowa, but then again among the DO schools, DMU matches the most into ortho every year (at least I'm pretty sure they do).

 

[deleted987519]

I'm honestly going into the whole thing with an open mind, but if I were to nail down what I think I'll go into, I'd say internal med, gen surg, or ortho. The potential of wanting to do ortho is a factor pulling me towards Iowa, but then again among the DO schools, DMU matches the most into ortho every year (at least I'm pretty sure they do).

what do you like about DMU?

 

[deleted980872]

I'm from the Des Moines area so I would be close to home. The student body is very collaborative and I got really good vibes on campus both times I was there in terms of an "everyone looks out for everyone" environment which is the type of environment I thrived in during undergrad. Very good residency match, especially for an osteopathic school but really just in general. There seem to be plenty of research opportunities and while there isn't the University of Iowa hospital, there are multiple great hospitals and clinics in Des Moines. On top of all of this, I'm not gonna sit here and bash on Carver because I really did like the school, but I just got lots of cutthroat-y/overly competitive vibes when I was on campus and I really don't think I would do well in that environment. I should also mention that on the financial side, I got a scholarship from DMU that would make the cost of attending either school pretty much indistinguishable.

 

[deleted987519]

I'm from the Des Moines area so I would be close to home. The student body is very collaborative and I got really good vibes on campus both times I was there in terms of an "everyone looks out for everyone" environment which is the type of environment I thrived in during undergrad. Very good residency match, especially for an osteopathic school but really just in general. There seem to be plenty of research opportunities and while there isn't the University of Iowa hospital, there are multiple great hospitals and clinics in Des Moines. On top of all of this, I'm not gonna sit here and bash on Carver because I really did like the school, but I just got lots of cutthroat-y/overly competitive vibes when I was on campus and I really don't think I would do well in that environment. I should also mention that on the financial side, I got a scholarship from DMU that would make the cost of attending either school pretty much indistinguishable.

Mmm I didn’t sense competition at all when I visited Iowa...but I am from a major city in the Northeast, so everyone in the Midwest seemed extremely pleasant...

On paper, Iowa is the obvious choice, but it won’t be a ton of fun packing your bags going somewhere you think you’ll hate...

I would sleep on it and attend accepted student’s day...see if you can convince yourself Iowa isn’t so bad, if you can’t then you have your answer

 

[libertyyne]

It is incredibly difficult to ascertain fit from an interview. You should speak with some people in the DO forum regarding any percieved limitations of going to DMU vs Carver. I know I would choose Carver in a heartbeat because why close any doors at this stage of the game? Give yourself the best chance of matching in your desired field.

 

[ciestar]

If even a little part of you wants ortho.. go MD.

 

[Lawpy]

I'm honestly going into the whole thing with an open mind, but if I were to nail down what I think I'll go into, I'd say internal med, gen surg, or ortho. The potential of wanting to do ortho is a factor pulling me towards Iowa, but then again among the DO schools, DMU matches the most into ortho every year (at least I'm pretty sure they do).

Iowa hands down. You don't want to handicap yourself by going DO if you want to keep everything open.

 

[ChicagoBear]

While DMU is one of the better DO schools, Iowa offers a great experience and opens doors to almost any residency program you would want. Why close doors?

Iowa does not require a deposit to hold your acceptance! Iowa also offers an accepted students day in the spring - typically early April on a Saturday. I would go back to Carver on accepted students day and reevaluate. Looking at other comments on SDN and based upon my experience, Iowa is a very friendly, chill, non cut-throat place.

 

[Cornfed101]

Also, taking both COMLEX and USMLE is kinda lame. The only reason I would say to choose DMU would be if you genuinely want to learn OMM and have it be part of your future practice.

 

[m1redsox]

Dude.. Iowa Carver will turn heads at residencies because it is usually top 30-40, and DMU will not. At the end of the day, if you are sitting next to a statistically identical student in a residency interview, the adcom will most likely choose the MD student. It's sad, but it's true. Personally, I really liked a few DO schools as well, but I believe that I would always look back on a "DO over MD" decision with a lot of regret - wondering "what if..." and "would this have been better?" I think you should go where you will earn the best education and to the place that will open the most doors for you, and I think that is Iowa Carver for you. Keep us updated though!

 

[restlessdriven]

Carver 4th year here. Not sure where you're seeing competitive people, certainly not in the 3rd and 4th years. Everyone can get honors if they want to so what you're seeing is likely neuroticism as someone else said. Couple that with the fact that you were there during 1st semester...yeah, people are stressed at every med school this time of year. Anyway, I have friends at DMU and I'd say it's a huge advantage to be at Carver during rotation time. DMU folks have to run all over the place to get core rotations done and sometime have to arrange their own rotations. That being said, they're very competent and still loved their experience. As someone on the interview trail, I can definitely tell you that the Iowa name turns heads though. PM me if you have specific Carver questions!

 

[enchantments]

Carver, without question. I would certainly not say their matches are comparable either. E.g. look at the Internal Medicine matches at both schools; DMU has quite a few community programs, whereas Carver's IM matches are exclusively academic/university programs. That kind of difference will certainly matter when you consider things like competitiveness for fellowships and just having more choices in general when ranking (especially for competitive residencies).

 

[deleted858665]

Carver hands down. Especially if you're gunning for ortho. They have one of the best programs in the country with big names.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

and said that the residency matches of the two schools are pretty indistinguishable, which to some extent they are,

Wut? Absolutely not.

I'm honestly going into the whole thing with an open mind, but if I were to nail down what I think I'll go into, I'd say internal med, gen surg, or ortho. The potential of wanting to do ortho is a factor pulling me towards Iowa, but then again among the DO schools, DMU matches the most into ortho every year (at least I'm pretty sure they do).

Please.... do NOT under any circumstances choose DMU over Carver. Iowa will open many many doors while DMU will slam them shut. Especially if any cell in your body is thinking about ortho. Last year DMU had 7 ortho matches, but what you may not realize is that they had 15 people applying. So their match rate to ortho sucked. The DO ortho match rate is 50% or lower.

tldr. Go MD. Always. Source: DO student who will be applying to a competitive surgical specialty.