DO acceptance, what next? wait for MD

[dinkadare]

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I was accepted into DO school. I interviewed at 5. Was accepted at 2, waitlisted at one, and waiting to hear back from the other.

I have one MD interview scheduled.

The two DO schools are asking for deposits.

Should I hold out and wait for MD interviews?

How should I value MD schools above DO schools?

Is there a good website to objectively evaluate schools reputation, curriculum, board scores, or residency match rates?

What objective criteria should I use to make a decision?

Thank you for your help.

 

[BMBPSU2008]

I was accepted into DO school. I interviewed at 5. Was accepted at 2, waitlisted at one, and waiting to hear back from the other.

I have one MD interview scheduled.

The two DO schools are asking for deposits.

Should I hold out and wait for MD interviews?

How should I value MD schools above DO schools?

Is there a good website to objectively evaluate schools reputation, curriculum, board scores, or residency match rates?

What objective criteria should I use to make a decision?

Thank you for your help.

Send the deposits, you have until May 15th to withdraw...

 

[uglyjohn]

DO school deposits are huge ($2,000 in 2 installments) !!! Why is that anyone knows?
If you consider DO schools are good medical schools and are willing to fall back to them in case you can't get into a MD school, then yes, pay the DO deposit. However, if you can't see yourself as a DO ever, then don't waste your money - just wait for an MD acceptance and move on.
When it comes to choosing medical schools, I don't just pay attention to MD or DO, but also cost, clinical opportunity, and location.
Hope that helps.

 

[BMBPSU2008]

DO school deposits are huge ($2,000 in 2 installments) !!! Why is that anyone knows?

My ignorance shines through... 😳

 

[146233]

There are far fewer osteopathic schools when compared to allopathic institutions and thus far fewer seats available nationwide. As such, the osteo schools likely want to discourage the holding of more than one acceptance (as PA students typically do).

 

[nogolfinsnow]

Since you applied to DO, it seems to me that you consider DO a viable option. Most people would say you'd be crazy to turn down a sure acceptance for a possible acceptance. Since the deposits are so big, maybe just pick the one you like more and send in your deposit.

 

[Karen12345]

DO school deposits are huge ($2,000 in 2 installments) !!! Why is that anyone knows?

Maybe it's to punish applicants for thinking of DO programs as back up.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

The stupidest thing I did the first time I applied was not applying to DO schools after a couple quick MD invites. I would have been perfectly happy at a DO school. I just didn't know anything about the education. After some research, it is the same ****.

 

[Karen12345]

I would have been perfectly happy at a DO school. I just didn't know anything about the education. After some research, it is the same ****.

Well, don't DO schools make it much harder for students to do clinical years? I have heard that some DO schools are very disorganized. MD programs supposedly have a better reputation in that regard.

 

[wanabdoc]

DO school deposits are huge ($2,000 in 2 installments) !!!

Sadly, DO schools couple huge deposits with early acceptance dates to "catch" students who might otherwise go to an allopathic shool

 

[Isoprop]

do you still get the full refund if you withdraw before may 15 for DO schools? or is this just an AAMC thing?

 

[spicedmanna]

Well, don't DO schools make it much harder for students to do clinical years? I have heard that some DO schools are very disorganized. MD programs supposedly have a better reputation in that regard.

I wouldn't say that it is harder, but different. Most osteopathic medical schools have a system of affiliates where you do your core rotations, sometimes in geographically different areas. However, at least at my school, you do all of your third year rotations in one place (you pick your top three sites and then your core site is picked by lottery from amongst those choices; most people get their first choice); they don't ship you around from place to place. Most allopathic medical schools have a university hospital where you do your rotations. Either way, the school takes care of it for you and you'll get the proper education.

 

[anthroguy]

in terms of clinicals, there are discrepancies, some DO schools do leave it up to the student to find rotations for hte most part, but if you look at the state funded DO schools (UMDNJ, MSUCOM, TCOM, OSUCOM) and schools such as PCOM and a couple more i'm forgetting, they have the hospital systems to accomodate you. I would stay away from the new schools and the Touros and branch campuses.

 

[uglyjohn]

do you still get the full refund if you withdraw before may 15 for DO schools? or is this just an AAMC thing?

Some schools give you a $100 refund, but most schools don't refund at all.

 

[Picklesali]

Some schools give you a $100 refund, but most schools don't refund at all.

yowza! 😱

 

[Concubine]

Hi, same boat. I got 4 DO interviews, got accepted to all four. I only put down my deposit at Ohio University, which is (luckily) only $100 (very low for a DO school). AZCOM was asking $1000 by today - no way. I've had 3 MD interviews, of which one of them resulted in "continued status" and I haven't heard from the other two. I would put down the deposit.

 

[HBKDinobot]

My DO deposit is only $250 until April 15th.

 

[Bacchus]

My DO deposit is only $250 until April 15th.

Congrats on the acceptance. Great school but you already know that.

 

[adamMD]

Pay the deposit at the best DO school you get. If you get into MD, I think you'll be too happy to care about the wasted deposit.

 

[scowdeva]

I would say decide on the school that you like the best and pay the deposit. If you are more concerned with the letters after your name than being a doctor, look at it this way: if you pay the deposit, you at least have until the first day of classes to withdraw from the DO school. Most people do not get accepted even after an interview, so the one MD interview you have scheduled is no guarantee. If you still would rather take an extra year at that point (I'm assuming late spring or summer here) to try again for an MD acceptance than start at the DO school, then eat the cost and withdraw. I know there are a lot of people out there that just want to be doctors (myself included, cant you tell), and would take your seat at that school in a second. You need to be happy and satisfied with your decision.

On a side note, are you interviewing at an MD school that accepts a lot of its interviewees, or one that only takes one out of six or seven? That makes a difference as well, at least in my mind.

 

[spicedmanna]

Quit playing around. My guess is that if you are asking this question, you do not believe your chances at allopathic medical school admission are that great. Yeah, the non-refundable deposits suck, but you really shouldn't let money, especially something that insubstantial as compared to how much you are going to be spending for your education, get in the way of becoming a physician. Why take the risk? Put in your deposit at the osteopathic medical school you like most and secure your seat there, if you can stand behind a choice to attend an osteopathic medical school. Otherwise--and I wouldn't make this choice--hope for some luck in allopathic medical schools and let go of your osteopathic medical school seats and give it to someone who actually wants it. However, that just seems silly to me. Pay the deposit at the osteopathic medical school you like most and secure your shot at becoming a physician. You DO NOT want to repeat this process. That's my 2 cents.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Well, don't DO schools make it much harder for students to do clinical years? I have heard that some DO schools are very disorganized. MD programs supposedly have a better reputation in that regard.

MD programs sometimes have better rotation options, but not always. I see the variety of options for clinical rotations at DO schools (at least mine) to be a positive. It cuts down on inbreeding, and you get to see the way things are done at many different sites. Of course, there are a lot of MD schools that offer this too. Its just a matter of how far you have to go for each rotation.

I have recently become acquainted with a 4th-year UTMB student who is rotating in Austin. She was telling me that she's been all over the country for her rotations, and UTMB is a very old and well-established MD school.

There are a few DO schools with rotation concerns, but for the most part, this should be a non-issue.

Potential positives of DO schools...
- The professors are not researchers. They are there to be teachers.
- OMT. Say what you want about it, but it does have its place in medicine. Sports medicine, post-operative recovery, and so-on. Should high-level physicians spend their time learning it? Hard to say. But it does have its uses.
- Osteopathic residency programs. Some of these are excellent. Programs in Ohio and Philadelphia have big time reputations. I think that TCOM has some strong programs too.

In the end, it really is going to be what you make of it. For the most part, "DO discrimination" is a construct of the pre-med imagination, and where it is real, it is getting less and less all the time. By the time I get done, I think I'll prove myself worthy of practicing medicine in any field that I want. Conversations with various MD's and DO's reaffirm my position.

 

[Isoprop]

Hi, same boat. I got 4 DO interviews, got accepted to all four. I only put down my deposit at Ohio University, which is (luckily) only $100 (very low for a DO school). AZCOM was asking $1000 by today - no way. I've had 3 MD interviews, of which one of them resulted in "continued status" and I haven't heard from the other two. I would put down the deposit.

sweet, ou is the only DO school i'm considering ATM.

 

[Gut Shot]

I was accepted into DO school. I interviewed at 5. Was accepted at 2, waitlisted at one, and waiting to hear back from the other.

I have one MD interview scheduled.

The two DO schools are asking for deposits.

Should I hold out and wait for MD interviews?

How should I value MD schools above DO schools?

Is there a good website to objectively evaluate schools reputation, curriculum, board scores, or residency match rates?

What objective criteria should I use to make a decision?

Thank you for your help.

Nobody else sees the troll? For real?

 

[Lokhtar]

Potential positives of DO schools...
- The professors are not researchers. They are there to be teachers.
- OMT. Say what you want about it, but it does have its place in medicine. Sports medicine, post-operative recovery, and so-on. Should high-level physicians spend their time learning it? Hard to say. But it does have its uses.
- Osteopathic residency programs. Some of these are excellent. Programs in Ohio and Philadelphia have big time reputations. I think that TCOM has some strong programs too.

That's funny - I see all three as potential negatives, especially the first one. I think if osteopathic physicians really want to be equals, they need to encourage and support research among their students and faculty.

 

[Drogba]

Nobody else sees the troll? For real?

Hm... I'm not sure. It does seem very strange that someone this deep into the cycle wouldn't already know/have considered these questions. If it is a troll, it's a new breed that thrives on posting non-inflammatory moderately unbelievable comments just to waste peoples' time. Definitely not a fun kind.

 

[spicedmanna]

I think if osteopathic physicians really want to be equals, they need to encourage and support research among their students and faculty.

That's well on it's way and readily changing. There is increasing support and drive for biomedical research amongst faculty and students at osteopathic medical schools. It's been trending that direction for a while now. I think if you examine the schools you will see evidence of an increased research focus.

 

[Lokhtar]

That's well on it's way and readily changing. There is increasing support and drive for biomedical research amongst faculty and students at osteopathic medical schools. It's been trending that direction for a while now. I think if you examine the schools you will see evidence of an increased research focus.

👍

That really is great to hear. I want to do a lot of research, and not just be a clinician. I was afraid that DO schools would not like that when it came to applications.

 

[scowdeva]

I think the argument on research can go both ways. The main thing that is sooo attractive to me about DO schools is that they arent crazy research centers. I WANT to be a clinician and not a researcher- I would go so far as to say that I probably will never be involved in ANY kind of research. This is the topic that my PS centered around, but I see the focus of doctors today as being a big problem with health care. Too many are just doing it so they have access to the good labs. I dont understand why people who want to do research dont just pursue a PhD and go into research. Researcher and doctor are not categories that HAVE to go together, and I know there are at least a few of us out there that feel this way! I only applied to schools, allo and osteo, that are known for producing great clinicians but not having research backgrounds for a reason...

 

[TexasTriathlete]

I want to be a clinician, and I have no interest in research. I like reading research, but I don't really have the patience to perform it.

I saw the fact that there isn't much research done by the profs at GA-PCOM, and that they are all dedicated teachers, to be a huge positive.

Not that I mind profs who do research. But at a lot of these places, you get profs who are only there to do research, and don't really care about teaching.

 

[Lokhtar]

I think the argument on research can go both ways. The main thing that is sooo attractive to me about DO schools is that they arent crazy research centers. I WANT to be a clinician and not a researcher- I would go so far as to say that I probably will never be involved in ANY kind of research. This is the topic that my PS centered around, but I see the focus of doctors today as being a big problem with health care. Too many are just doing it so they have access to the good labs. I dont understand why people who want to do research dont just pursue a PhD and go into research. Researcher and doctor are not categories that HAVE to go together, and I know there are at least a few of us out there that feel this way! I only applied to schools, allo and osteo, that are known for producing great clinicians but not having research backgrounds for a reason...

Because medical research is an integral part of healthcare! Not to mention, science. And many do get a PhD, in addition to their medical degree.

I'm pretty much in the opposite boat to you guys. I can't see myself as a full time clinician. I want to be in a lab at least some of the time - maybe most of the time - doing research.

And most of the learning in medical school is done solo anyway. Hell, most of the learning I did in undergrad was solo. Does it matter how good of a teacher they are? Most of the time, it will be you and your books. With good researchers, you get the same opportunities to do what you're already learning (e.g, study on your own), but also to help create knowledge.

 

[J1515]

I want to be a clinician, and I have no interest in research. I like reading research, but I don't really have the patience to perform it.

I saw the fact that there isn't much research done by the profs at GA-PCOM, and that they are all dedicated teachers, to be a huge positive.

Not that I mind profs who do research. But at a lot of these places, you get profs who are only there to do research, and don't really care about teaching.

I agree 100%. I have absolutely no interest in research, never did in undergrad, don't think I ever will. I'm sure there are some PhDs who are into heavy research and are also great teachers but I would rather be taught by professors/doctors who are there to teach or practice medicine.

 

[Jolie South]

Because medical research is an integral part of healthcare! Not to mention, science. And many do get a PhD, in addition to their medical degree.

I'm pretty much in the opposite boat to you guys. I can't see myself as a full time clinician. I want to be in a lab at least some of the time - maybe most of the time - doing research.

And most of the learning in medical school is done solo anyway. Hell, most of the learning I did in undergrad was solo. Does it matter how good of a teacher they are? Most of the time, it will be you and your books. With good researchers, you get the same opportunities to do what you're already learning (e.g, study on your own), but also to help create knowledge.

We obviously need both the clinicians and the researchers. Some of us have a propensity one way or the other. I happen to lean towards the clinician side.

of course we can all learn independently, but i find that when you have a good teacher things come alive and the material sticks that much longer. 🙂

 

[littlealex]

You only have a 50/50 shot of getting accepted after an MD interview. Send your deposits for 1 DO school. Worst case scenario is that you GET accepted to MD, then who cares you spent a few more thousand dollars? The key is to leave yourself with enough options.

If you do not pay the deposit, there's a 50% chance you'll have to reapply. Think it through.

 

[Maxprime]

I assume someone has already said, "Don't apply to schools you won't attend."

I do agree that if you really want to be an MD, cough up the cash and roll the dice.

 

[dinkadare]

How do you which schools accept most of their interviews and which schools take only 1 out of 7?

I would say decide on the school that you like the best and pay the deposit. If you are more concerned with the letters after your name than being a doctor, look at it this way: if you pay the deposit, you at least have until the first day of classes to withdraw from the DO school. Most people do not get accepted even after an interview, so the one MD interview you have scheduled is no guarantee. If you still would rather take an extra year at that point (I'm assuming late spring or summer here) to try again for an MD acceptance than start at the DO school, then eat the cost and withdraw. I know there are a lot of people out there that just want to be doctors (myself included, cant you tell), and would take your seat at that school in a second. You need to be happy and satisfied with your decision.

On a side note, are you interviewing at an MD school that accepts a lot of its interviewees, or one that only takes one out of six or seven? That makes a difference as well, at least in my mind.

 

[dinkadare]

How do you compare DO schools and their rotation sites with MD schools?

How would you rate LECOM in Erie vs. Meharry Medical College, for example?

That's funny - I see all three as potential negatives, especially the first one. I think if osteopathic physicians really want to be equals, they need to encourage and support research among their students and faculty.

 

[dinkadare]

What do you think of LECOM in Erie?

in terms of clinicals, there are discrepancies, some DO schools do leave it up to the student to find rotations for hte most part, but if you look at the state funded DO schools (UMDNJ, MSUCOM, TCOM, OSUCOM) and schools such as PCOM and a couple more i'm forgetting, they have the hospital systems to accomodate you. I would stay away from the new schools and the Touros and branch campuses.

 

[Instatewaiter]

Pay the deposit at the osteopathic medical school you like most and secure your shot at becoming a physician. You DO NOT want to repeat this process. That's my 2 cents.

Look at it this way, it's going to cost you a few grand to reapply not to mention the wasted year and the huge pain in the butt that reapplying is. Might as well secure your spot.

On a separate note, some osteopathic schools should be ashamed of themselves with the size of the deposits they require. Where is AOA stepping in to fight for its students?

MD programs sometimes have better rotation options, but not always. I see the variety of options for clinical rotations at DO schools (at least mine) to be a positive. It cuts down on inbreeding, and you get to see the way things are done at many different sites. Of course, there are a lot of MD schools that offer this too. Its just a matter of how far you have to go for each rotation.

Options are good provided those options are well established and used to teaching students. Now if a school can't get enough students to it's main site and shuffles its students to community hospitals, that is not a good thing. A good measure is to look at the number of beds a hospital has. 300 or fewer is kinda a small hospital. Small hospitals are not going to get the same kinds of cases as a large hospital and your clinicals are going to suffer.

I want to be a clinician, and I have no interest in research. I like reading research, but I don't really have the patience to perform it.

I saw the fact that there isn't much research done by the profs at GA-PCOM, and that they are all dedicated teachers, to be a huge positive.

Not that I mind profs who do research. But at a lot of these places, you get profs who are only there to do research, and don't really care about teaching.

Yeah I have had my share of PhDs who just spout off about their own research but then there are others that are superb teachers.

Research is an integral part of medicine, especially if you are trying to get a decent residency. Take a look at "Charting outcomes in the match" and see what percentage of matchees in competitive specialties have research experience.
Here, I'll do it for you: Rad onc 98%, Derm 96%, ENT 96%, Ortho 94% Plastics 94%, Rads- 88%. Hell psych even had 76%.

Not having research may come back and haunt you.

 

[sexyman]

Are they doing research while in medical school or before?

 

[Instatewaiter]

I don't think that the article makes that distinction. I suspect though that those in the most competitive specialties have done research during medical school and in their field. A good portion of my class has already done research and even more do it during 4th year when they know what specialty they are trying to enter.

 

[sexyman]

Then it is more common to be doing research during clinical years? I am just thinking it must be tough to fit in research during year 1 and 2 with all of the studying...

anyone have experience with this?

 

[spicedmanna]

👍

That really is great to hear. I want to do a lot of research, and not just be a clinician. I was afraid that DO schools would not like that when it came to applications.

I don't know about other osteopathic medical schools, but it seemed to me that my research experience was perceived as a positive at KCUMB. There is certainly biomedical research being conducted at KCUMB; in 2004, they opened the Dybedal Center for Research. I definitely emphasized a great deal of my research experience in my application, along with other non-research elements, of course. Not only is it something I'm proud of and something that I consider to have played a huge role in my past education, but I think my experience in biomedical research has served me well through the years. While I don't foresee myself being a researcher in the future, I think that a solid foundation in research is becoming more and more critical to being a good clinician.

 

[Blade28]

Then it is more common to be doing research during clinical years? I am just thinking it must be tough to fit in research during year 1 and 2 with all of the studying...

anyone have experience with this?

Looking back, it would have been easier to do research during your MS-I and MS-II years compared to the MS-III year (which is when I did it).

 

[scowdeva]

How do you which schools accept most of their interviews and which schools take only 1 out of 7?

The US News version of the med school guide (similar to the MSAR) gives the numbers for all of these categories: applied, interviewed, accepted, AND matriculated. I have a copy, but I am visiting the 'rents for Christmas and left it at my house 🙁 Of course I would get an interview invite today, so I cant look even for myself. Does anyone by chance have these numbers for Temple?!?! Specifically for out-of state??? We could be best friends if you do!

 

[Instatewaiter]

Then it is more common to be doing research during clinical years? I am just thinking it must be tough to fit in research during year 1 and 2 with all of the studying...

anyone have experience with this?

Well, while a lot of students do research between 1st and 2nd year during the summer, you are given a significant amt of free time during 4th year so often people take a month or two and do some research in their chosen field. I honestly dont have any idea how people 'know' what they want to do after 1st year with such little exposure to the different fields. Perhaps I'm just indecisive.

 

[inferno123]

I got accepted at Des Moines and have paid the deposit. I really liked DMU the facilities etc. were great but does anyone know how does DMU a DO school compare to Morehouse or Meharry, etc. Will I have a better chance of having competitive residencies as a MD from Morehouse or a DO from DMU?