Do I have to mention osteopathic medicine in my personal statement?

[3.1415927]

I was originally going to apply to both MD and DO schools, and my personal statement only talked about why I want to be a doctor, not an osteopathic doctor. Should I edit my personal statement to include things about osteopathic medicine, or is it fine to talk about why you want to be a doctor in general? Thank you!

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[stormking]

i thought it's an "interchangeable" term in PS

 

[3.1415927]

i thought it's an "interchangeable" term in PS

I know they do very similar things, I'm just not sure if they want you to specifically mention osteopathic medicine in their PS

 

[deleted859689]

You do not have to. There are plenty more places to address osteopathic medicine in secondaries and on interview day. Your personal statement should be why you want to be a doctor - if you have a strong preference towards being a DO, you can certainly add that to your personal statement if you want to.

 

[culturekweenXx]

You should try to address "why DO?" somewhere in your application materials if not the PS. Schools want to think you're a good fit for their programs and showing an interest in the ~~distinct philosophy~~ of osteopathic medicine is a part of that.

 

[calivianya]

I didn’t, and I did just fine.

Both of my physician LORs were from DOs, though. Wasn’t intentional; they were just the two physicians I got along with the best.

 

[RobotApplicantBender]

As long as your PS aligns with what will fit DO schools, you're good to submit the same one. If not, I'd probably modify it.

 

[futurexray]

You don't have to but why wouldn't you if you can fit it in your statement. Let them know you understand the difference and why you would be a great fit.

 

[RobotApplicantBender]

You don't have to but why wouldn't you if you can fit it in your statement. Let them know you understand the difference and why you would be a great fit.

Every school has a secondary that asks this exact question and of course it won't hurt to put it in your personal statement, but I'd rather save that for a focused secondary to prevent the risk of being repetitive.