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crazynoodle512

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I know this topic has been discussed on here previously but I would like to see what options I have given my specific situation. I applied to all of the Texas schools for the 2017-2018 application cycle in late July. I only received one interview and was pre-matched at UNTHSC-TCOM. I have a 3.81 GPA (3.75 BCPM) and made a 505 (28/29 old) on my MCAT (for which I foolishly studied for only one month). I have numerous medical and non medical extra-curricular activities. I believe submitting my app late and my MCAT score was the problem this cycle. Although I liked the atmosphere at TCOM, it is in a convenient location for me, and the tuition is affordable as I am a Texas resident, I am so disappointed that this application cycle was so unsuccessful. I'm afraid going DO will potentially limit my options for certain specialties (I am currently undecided) and I will have to give up my interest in academic medicine and research. I have been debating whether or not to decline my acceptance and reapply earlier after retaking my MCAT. Thoughts?

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I suggest that you give up your seat at TCom, and apply to MD after you improve your MCAT.

It is clear that you do not want to be a DO and I would rather see your seat go to somebody who really wants to be a doctor now.
 
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Finally suggest that you give up your seat at TCom, and apply to MD after you improve your MCAT.

It is clear that you do not want to be a DO and I would rather see your seat go to somebody who really wants to be a doctor now.

Thank you for your input @Goro . I'm concerned that declining the acceptance will hurt my chances at the Texas MD schools. Do you have any advice about this? I appreciate any constructive criticism, I know I will potentially be personally attacked on this thread.
 
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I wouldn't worry about your options as a D.O. Things are rapidly changing and TCOM is a great school (not to mention, as someone in the FTW area, the housing situation is amazing here). Your patients will never care, and the only people who will ever look down on you as a D.O. will have their own maladjustment issues to deal with :asshat: Given that 1 in 2 people don't get into any school, honestly you should jump at the chance to become a doctor before risking losing that chance and being a barista at starbucks for the next 30 years :D
 
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I know this topic has been discussed on here previously but I would like to see what options I have given my specific situation. I applied to all of the Texas schools for the 2017-2018 application cycle in late July. I only received one interview and was pre-matched at UNTHSC-TCOM. I have a 3.81 GPA (3.75 BCPM) and made a 505 (28/29 old) on my MCAT (for which I foolishly studied for only one month). I have numerous medical and non medical extra-curricular activities. I believe submitting my app late and my MCAT score was the problem this cycle. Although I liked the atmosphere at TCOM, it is in a convenient location for me, and the tuition is affordable as I am a Texas resident, I am so disappointed that this application cycle was so unsuccessful. I'm afraid going DO will potentially limit my options for certain specialties (I am currently undecided) and I will have to give up my interest in academic medicine and research. I have been debating whether or not to decline my acceptance and reapply earlier after retaking my MCAT. Thoughts?

If you know you are dead-set on a competitive specialty or just need to have a shot at a super prestigious residency
AND you think you can do better next cycle
AND willing to fix your application
AND you think you can be in the top of your MD class,
then yes, you should turn it down and reapply for MD.

However if you are fine with EM/Anesthesia/Gen Surg/IM/Family, OB/GYN, etc, etc (really everything except derm, optho, Rad onc, and Surg subspecialties) then you should take the DO seat and save yourself a year of reapplying and 250k+ of lost income. Also TCOM is pretty good for DO, from what I've heard.

tldr: Take DO unless you know you want a competitive specialty and think you have the ability to dominate at an MD school.
 
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My big concern that here TMDSAS will share acceptance info across their schools, so how will this affect a reapplication in Texas I dont know.

Thanks for the reply @gonnif ! I figured I would have to disclose that information. If I did significantly improve my application/MCAT score, would declining a previous acceptance still be a big red flag to adcoms? I'm graduating with a BS in microbiology but I'm greatly interested in biomedical engineering, I was thinking I would pursue a masters in my time off so it would not be unproductive.
 
I wouldn't worry about your options as a D.O. Things are rapidly changing and TCOM is a great school (not to mention, as someone in the FTW area, the housing situation is amazing here). Your patients will never care, and the only people who will ever look down on you as a D.O. will have their own maladjustment issues to deal with :asshat: Given that 1 in 2 people don't get into any school, honestly you should jump at the chance to become a doctor before risking losing that chance and being a barista at starbucks for the next 30 years :D

Thanks @esob! I did enjoy the school from what I've seen at the interview! The new TCU/UNTHSC partnership is giving me bad vibes though, although it will not affect the class of 2021.
 
If you know you are dead-set on a competitive specialty or just need to have a shot a super prestigious residency
AND you think you can do better next cycle
AND willing to fix your application
AND you think you can be in the top of your MD class,
then yes, you should turn it down and reapply for MD.

However if you are fine with EM/Anesthesia/Gen Surg/IM/Family, OB/GYN, etc, etc (really everything except derm, optho, Rad onc, and Surg subspecialties) then you should take the DO seat and save yourself a year of reapplying and 250k+ of lost income. Also TCOM is pretty good for DO, from what I've heard.

tldr: Take DO unless you know you want a competitive specialty and think you have the ability to dominate at an MD school.

Thanks for the response @Dermpire ! Do you think reapplying with a past acceptance would hurt my chances? Have you heard of anyone successfully reapplying after declining an acceptance?
 
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I know this topic has been discussed on here previously but I would like to see what options I have given my specific situation. I applied to all of the Texas schools for the 2017-2018 application cycle in late July. I only received one interview and was pre-matched at UNTHSC-TCOM. I have a 3.81 GPA (3.75 BCPM) and made a 505 (28/29 old) on my MCAT (for which I foolishly studied for only one month). I have numerous medical and non medical extra-curricular activities. I believe submitting my app late and my MCAT score was the problem this cycle. Although I liked the atmosphere at TCOM, it is in a convenient location for me, and the tuition is affordable as I am a Texas resident, I am so disappointed that this application cycle was so unsuccessful. I'm afraid going DO will potentially limit my options for certain specialties (I am currently undecided) and I will have to give up my interest in academic medicine and research. I have been debating whether or not to decline my acceptance and reapply earlier after retaking my MCAT. Thoughts?

unless you think you can bump your MCAT up significantly I would say it would be silly to turn down TCOM.. I believe their match last year was around 80% allopathic and people place in great spots from there. Also, I think the fact that TMDAS schools communicate will hurt you.
 
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Thanks for the response @Dermpire ! Do you think reapplying with a past acceptance would hurt my chances? Have you heard of anyone successfully reapplying after declining an acceptance?

Not a problem!

Normally I'd say no since no MD school would know you ever even applied to DO, however in Texas if they can see an acceptance at TCOM in TMDSAS for the past year that might hurt you. How much it will hurt is impossible to tell, I really can't speculate on that.

When do you have to make a final decision on TCOM? Theoretically you could take the MCAT again in the next few months and then drop if you get a significantly improved score. It would take a lot of work and dedication, but only you know yourself and what you're capable of.
 
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It telegraphs that your being a specialist is more important to you than being a doctor.

How do you think that will go over?

Thanks for the reply @gonnif ! I figured I would have to disclose that information. If I did significantly improve my application/MCAT score, would declining a previous acceptance still be a big red flag to adcoms? I'm graduating with a BS in microbiology but I'm greatly interested in biomedical engineering, I was thinking I would pursue a masters in my time off so it would not be unproductive.
 
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I think TCOM has a great name in Texas, so if you're planing on staying, you're fine. I don't think you would be at a disadvantage. Did you see their match list from the materials they gave during the interview. They had quite a few speacialties. They did have more primary care, but that doesn't mean that you're limited to it. If you do want to go through the application process again... I guess you're free to do so. But I think TCOM is a great choice.
 
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It telegraphs that your being a specialist is more important to you than being a doctor.

How do you think that will go over.

@Goro I am interested in OB/GYN and pathology, I know TCOM has a lot of graduates that go into these residencies. My concern is changing my mind and having my options limited by the "DO bias" that exists in ACGME residencies. I'm not sure how real this bias truly is but I don't want to have any limitations on my potential. I was told by my academic adviser that a 507/508 was the average matriculation score for Texas medical schools. Since my score was only a few points below that I made the terrible decision to apply this cycle. It is too late in the year now to apply this coming cycle so I am planning on taking this entire year off. I truly applied before I was ready due to misinformation about whether my MCAT score was good enough. It has nothing to do with being a specialist. I would appreciate if you did not make assumptions about me as an individual.
 
You might want to post your question in the Texas thread. There are very knowledgeable people there, and they will know about how turning this acceptance down could affect your future. Texas is a very different beast.
 
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Well then it telegraphs that you didn't do your due diligence and took the word of an advisor without checking this very important information yourself. You are admitting you applied before you were ready so this implies lack of sound judgement. You can't blame your advisor -your application is your responsibility.


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Well then it telegraphs that you didn't do your due diligence and took the word of an advisor without checking this very important information yourself. You are admitting you applied before you were ready so this implies lack of sound judgement. You can't blame your advisor -your application is your responsibility.


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You're absolutely right! The decision to apply this cycle was my choice, and admittedly a bad one. I do accept full responsibility for my actions, and am looking to SDN for advice on how to fix the mistake I made. This is a very stressful decision to me, I don't want to decline a perfectly good acceptance but at the same time I don't want my options for the future to be limited because of the school I attend. I was wondering how forgiving adcoms would be and if they would view me as human being that had a lapse of judgement. Thanks for the response!
 
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Like everything in life - success is yours to grab. Work hard, get into research, do ECs and make yourself competitive for any residency. Waiting and reapplying and trying to go MD does not guarantee a competitive residency. My sister just had cataract surgery-it was done by a DO who did a AGME residency. Success is totally up to you.


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My wife's OB is a non-trad TCOM graduate and 3 months ago I was in the operating room while she did a C-section to take my last child. I'm a skeptical person by nature and I promise you I can afford any doctor in the metroplex to do the surgery but I felt completely comfortable with a D.O. who spent the first half of her life as an architect taking care of my wife and son. OB is no problem for DO's. TCOM's new alliance with TCU can only serve to bolster the reputation of TCOM graduates because from what I understand they will be sharing a lot of the same resources and professors yet graduating MD's. That makes it even harder to argue DO is inferior when they are being trained by the same faculty that is churning out MD's from a school like TCU.
 
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You should have considered this before applying to and/or interviewing at TCOM.

So just make life simple because you really don't want to be a DO.


@Goro I am interested in OB/GYN and pathology, I know TCOM has a lot of graduates that go into these residencies. My concern is changing my mind and having my options limited by the "DO bias" that exists in ACGME residencies. I'm not sure how real this bias truly is but I don't want to have any limitations on my potential. I was told by my academic adviser that a 507/508 was the average matriculation score for Texas medical schools. Since my score was only a few points below that I made the terrible decision to apply this cycle. It is too late in the year now to apply this coming cycle so I am planning on taking this entire year off. I truly applied before I was ready due to misinformation about whether my MCAT score was good enough. It has nothing to do with being a specialist. I would appreciate if you did not make assumptions about me as an individual.
 
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You should have considered this before applying to and/or interviewing at TCOM.

So just make life simple because you really don't want to be a DO.
Your comments are not helpful but thanks anyway...
 
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Your comments are not helpful but thanks anyway...
Bottom line is is there is absolutely no guarantee you will do better on the MCAT (I would argue you need at least 5+ point improvement to make an impact). This makes this whole thing a bad idea considering we dont really know how Texas schools will view your decision to decline TCOM admission.

Chance to attend one of the best DO schools in the nation which is also one the cheapest schools in the nation.

...



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I know this topic has been discussed on here previously but I would like to see what options I have given my specific situation. I applied to all of the Texas schools for the 2017-2018 application cycle in late July. I only received one interview and was pre-matched at UNTHSC-TCOM. I have a 3.81 GPA (3.75 BCPM) and made a 505 (28/29 old) on my MCAT (for which I foolishly studied for only one month). I have numerous medical and non medical extra-curricular activities. I believe submitting my app late and my MCAT score was the problem this cycle. Although I liked the atmosphere at TCOM, it is in a convenient location for me, and the tuition is affordable as I am a Texas resident, I am so disappointed that this application cycle was so unsuccessful. I'm afraid going DO will potentially limit my options for certain specialties (I am currently undecided) and I will have to give up my interest in academic medicine and research. I have been debating whether or not to decline my acceptance and reapply earlier after retaking my MCAT. Thoughts?

You can go to a medical school next year in a great location that gives you a great shot of matching into the residency you want.

Or you can hope that your MCAT improves so that you might get into an MD program as a reapplicant because maybe you'll change your mind about specialties and perhaps score high enough on the USMLE to have a chance at a specialty that could have a DO bias.

This seems like an easy choice!

Also, for my own curiosity, how late did you apply?
 
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@Goro I am interested in OB/GYN and pathology, I know TCOM has a lot of graduates that go into these residencies. My concern is changing my mind and having my options limited by the "DO bias" that exists in ACGME residencies. I'm not sure how real this bias truly is but I don't want to have any limitations on my potential. I was told by my academic adviser that a 507/508 was the average matriculation score for Texas medical schools. Since my score was only a few points below that I made the terrible decision to apply this cycle. It is too late in the year now to apply this coming cycle so I am planning on taking this entire year off. I truly applied before I was ready due to misinformation about whether my MCAT score was good enough. It has nothing to do with being a specialist. I would appreciate if you did not make assumptions about me as an individual.
Well then it telegraphs that you didn't do your due diligence and took the word of an advisor without checking this very important information yourself. You are admitting you applied before you were ready so this implies lack of sound judgement. You can't blame your advisor -your application is your responsibility.


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If you're willing to take time off to redo your app, you're free to do so. If I was in your shoes, I think TCOM would be a great choice.

For your reapplication, I would also check your app also and not worry about the MCAT being the factor as to why you didn't get in. You were just below the average. If that is that is the case, I was also below it and I find I did well. Many of the med schools are mission based. Make sure you app speaks to them. Do you have parts in your app that would have lacked and made you not as an attractive candidate as another? How early did you apply? There are many factors that go into the Texas MD app process. Like I said, if you want to go through the whole process, you're free to do so. I really liked TCOM when I interviewed and I don't think it will impact you megatively getting into the residency you want.
 
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It kind of seems like you have a real aversion to being an osteopathic physician and if you believe it will bother you for the rest of your life then you should retake MCAT and reapply next year.

But truthfully there isn't anything wrong with being a DO. You can absolutely get an ob gyn residency from a DO school, especially one as good as the school you were admitted to.
 
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If I was in your situation I would ask myself, "Am I OK with the chance of not being a doctor at all?" There are people that apply after turning down an acceptance and get accepted again but I'd be willing to bet this is the exception and not the norm.

Add in the fact that being from Texas means there will be an OOS MD bias against you and your only option then will be a DO school that likely puts in an even tougher spot matching than TCOM.

I'd go TCOM without question.
 
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You can go to a medical school next year in a great location that gives you a great shot of matching into the residency you want.

Or you can hope that your MCAT improves so that you might get into an MD program as a reapplicant because maybe you'll change your mind about specialties and perhaps score high enough on the USMLE to have a chance at a specialty that could have a DO bias.

This seems like an easy choice!

Also, for my own curiosity, how late did you apply?
My app was trasmitted to all of the Texas schools on 8/10/2016. I know it was later than it should
Bottom line is is there is absolutely no guarantee you will do better on the MCAT (I would argue you need at least 5+ point improvement to make an impact). This makes this whole thing a bad idea considering we dont really know how Texas schools will view your decision to decline TCOM admission.

Chance to attend one of the best DO schools in the nation which is also one the cheapest schools in the nation.

...



Sent from my Nexus 6P using SDN mobile

I studied for the MCAT for one month while taking a 21 hour semester load, working part time, doing research, and holding a leadership position for an honor society. I'll admit it was a stupid thing to do but if I could score above a 500 then I'm sure I can do better if I dedicate my time to the MCAT and nothing else.
 
You can go to a medical school next year in a great location that gives you a great shot of matching into the residency you want.

Or you can hope that your MCAT improves so that you might get into an MD program as a reapplicant because maybe you'll change your mind about specialties and perhaps score high enough on the USMLE to have a chance at a specialty that could have a DO bias.

This seems like an easy choice!

Also, for my own curiosity, how late did you apply?

My app was transmitted to the Texas schools on 8/10. I was doing research at another university far from home at the time and totally overloaded my schedule that summer which resulted in less time for me to focus on my app as well as a lot of personal issues going on at that time :(
 
Sounds like you are not there yet with DO. Some of us have opposite problem. Will apply with equal ability to both, but I dislike MD due to arrogance and closed mindedness when it comes to alternative approaches.
 
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It kind of seems like you have a real aversion to being an osteopathic physician and if you believe it will bother you for the rest of your life then you should retake MCAT and reapply next year.

But truthfully there isn't anything wrong with being a DO. You can absolutely get an ob gyn residency from a DO school, especially one as good as the school you were admitted to.

No aversion here. I don't know what I said to indicate that. I'm sorry if this came across the wrong way it's upsetting to only hear back from one school when you applied to 11.
 
No aversion here. I don't know what I said to indicate that. I'm sorry if this came across the wrong way it's upsetting to only hear back from one school when you applied to 11.

Uhh besides the fact that the very basis of this thread was you doubting wether or not you should take a DO acceptance, you said you were afraid going DO would limit your chances. And applying to only 11 schools with 1 acceptance is actually a good yield. I feel like it's pretty obvious every other person who responded to this had the exact same reaction to what you were saying as I did, given the substance of their posts. No need to get snippy on SDN
 
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My app was transmitted to the Texas schools on 8/10. I was doing research at another university far from home at the time and totally overloaded my schedule that summer which resulted in less time for me to focus on my app as well as a lot of personal issues going on at that time :(

My app was in 2-3 weeks before yours. I don't know if that really made the difference. A friend applied two years ago probs mid-late August and got 2 MD interviews in TX with 28 MCAT I think. Again, make sure you review your whole app. Maybe something you wrote was a red flag?
 
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If you're willing to take time off to redo your app, you're free to do so. If I was in your shoes, I think TCOM would be a great choice.

For your reapplication, I would also check your app also and not worry about the MCAT being the factor as to why you didn't get in. You were just below the average. If that is that is the case, I was also below it and I find I did well. Many of the med schools are mission based. Make sure you app speaks to them. Do you have parts in your app that would have lacked and made you not as an attractive candidate as another? How early did you apply? There are many factors that go into the Texas MD app process. Like I said, if you want to go through the whole process, you're free to do so. I really liked TCOM when I interviewed and I don't think it will impact you megatively getting into the residency
My app was in 2-3 weeks before yours. I don't know if that really made the difference. A friend applied two years ago probs mid-late August and got 2 MD interviews in TX with 28 MCAT I think. Again, make sure you review your whole app. Maybe something you wrote was a red flag?

I'm not sure...my PS was about volunteering in a free clinic. I also wrote about getting my Spanish interpretation certificate and about my father having diabetes. I had multiple people read over everything. I'm planning on calling the schools to find out what went wrong.
 
I'm not sure...my PS was about volunteering in a free clinic. I also wrote about getting my Spanish interpretation certificate and about my father having diabetes. I had multiple people read over everything. I'm planning on calling the schools to find out what went wrong.
Yeah! Do that. I was a reapplicant, but mine was definitely my MCAT the first time. I had a 23, but bumped it up later. I applied to get a handle on apps. There are some schools that review your apps, and it was extremely helpful to me.
 
tldr: Take DO unless you know you want a competitive specialty and think you have the ability to dominate at an MD school.

lol, some of my mentors / LOR writers were DO ophthos, ENT and other surgical subspecialists.

Even if you get into an MD school next year, you threw away a year of your potential career as an attending in order to get a different set of letters that don't necessarily give you a better shot at a specialty. Since that is really a year off the end of your career when your earnings may be highest, your lifetime compensation might easily be between 500k-1M less than if you'd taken the opportunity in front of you.

You have a seat. Run with it! Don't look back! Learn a little OMT. It won't hurt you to learn some extra skills and to find out that they actually do work when applied appropriately.

Or don't. As Goro said, there is someone out there who wants that seat, who knows its value.
 
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I don't think the potential benefits of a 2nd cycle outweigh the risks or known cost of rejecting a DO acceptance at a cheap, local, good school.
 
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Sure retake the MCAT and reapply, but you need to know that the texas schools will see you turned down an acceptance to a state school, also your chances of schools outside of Texas are basically nil unless you get 520+ on your retake and somehow become a superstar. So your chances are basically just at the Texas schools, and they may not even look at you.

So basically it sounds like you would rather not be a doctor (a very real possibilty if you turn the acceptance down) than be a DO.
 
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lol, some of my mentors / LOR writers were DO ophthos, ENT and other surgical subspecialists.

Even if you get into an MD school next year, you threw away a year of your potential career as an attending in order to get a different set of letters that don't necessarily give you a better shot at a specialty. Since that is really a year off the end of your career when your earnings may be highest, your lifetime compensation might easily be between 500k-1M less than if you'd taken the opportunity in front of you.

You have a seat. Run with it! Don't look back! Learn a little OMT. It won't hurt you to learn some extra skills and to find out that they actually do work when applied appropriately.

Or don't. As Goro said, there is someone out there who wants that seat, who knows its value.

Keep in mind DOs in competitive specialties right now had protected spots for their training. That will no longer be the case. Yes any DO student could match any residency, BUT you would be at a disadvantage and would have to work harder than the hardest working MD students to land an ACGME residency. You can likely count on one hand the number of DO students who match ENT or Plastics each year. The Caribbean even managed to match 1-2 derm spots recently.

Not impossible, just highly unlikely. Why stack the decks against yourself?
 
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Keep in mind DOs in competitive specialties right now had protected spots for their training. That will no longer be the case. Yes any DO student could match any residency, BUT you would be at a disadvantage and would have to work harder than the hardest working MD students to land an ACGME residency. You can likely count on one hand the number of DO students who match ENT or Plastics each year. The Caribbean even managed to match 1-2 derm spots recently.

Not impossible, just highly unlikely. Why stack the decks against yourself?

I have nothing against the DO philosophy. I don't want to spend 4 years of my life and 100k to get the short end of the stick :(
 
I have nothing against the DO philosophy. I don't want to spend 4 years of my life and 100k to get the short end of the stick :(

This is a common fallacy. Guess what, if you aren't competitive for ortho as a DO then you wouldn't have been if you were an MD. You can't get any residency if you don't complete medical school, and you only have one acceptance.

The Caribbean even managed to match 1-2 derm spots recently.

And DOs matched 5 this last year... what's the point? But like I mention above it is a common lie that people like to tell themselves that if they only could go MD then they would match (insert hyper competitive residency here). Yes it is true that a DO will have to work very hard to get a spot, but OP really isn't in the position to make that decision. He is honestly taking a huge risk in reapplying, and not just the normal "reapply MD because I don't want DO" risk that we see on here frequently. Being from Texas there is a significant chance that he will be blackballed because he turned down a state school acceptance. It is basically saying I would rather not be a doctor than be a DO, especially dumb in a state where these competitive residency programs actually prefer Texas medical school applicants both MD and DO. TCOM frequently places grads in competitive programs and competitive fields every year (ACGME).
 
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You don't just magically go to an MD school and suddenly match to derm, plastics, or ortho. You act as though you can suddenly handle the kind of competition those specialties breed. Not trying to be mean but you are basically saying: well I am slightly above average to average pre-med but I want to match to a crazy competitive specialty against the absolute cream of the crop, smartest, cut-throat med students in America.

Take the DO.
 
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I think you should sit down and really think about what's most important to you. Is it the perceived "prestige" of the MD or is it to help patients as a doctor? I know that you're getting advice from people that you may feel is a little harsh, but honestly no one can answer the question of "exactly how much is it going to hurt me to reapply?" But, keep in mind what you may potentially be risking. Ask yourself, is worth it to potentially lose a chance to become a doctor by reapplying? I'm not saying this is definitely going to happen, but this is a very realistic possibility. Just keep that in mind.

I would say, take what people from SDN are saying, ask friends/mentors, or ask your pre-med advisor for advice and just think about what you want. Make a list of pros and cons if that is helpful. If at the end, you think that the two letter MD instead of DO following your name will make you happier as a person or even a better doctor or even allow you do things you can't as a DO, and you may potentially live the rest of your life in regret wondering if you could have gotten into a MD program in a second cycle, then reapply.

Hope this helps. I wish you the best of luck!
 
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Man, I would kill for that seat next cycle.
 
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OP, I am in a similar position and would like to give you my 2 cents.

My LizzyM is a little above yours at 69, and I also applied to all of the Texas schools this cycle only with interviews at TCOM and A&M. I received a pre-match offer at TCOM and am still currently waiting to hear back from A&M. I will admit that before applying, I thought with my stats being the average of many schools in Texas, my 1000+ clinical hours, research pubs, etc, I expected to have at LEAST 4 interviews. If you told me this time last year that I would only have an offer from TCOM, I would have been disappointed and thought, "I didn't work this hard just for TCOM". But here I am 2 weeks before the match and extremely grateful for my acceptance there. I loved every aspect of the school when I interviewed (although the TCU ordeal will be interesting) and I spoke with many students both at the interview and through PMs on SDN. Everyone only had good things to say about this school. I feel that the MD vs. DO "dilemma" is for the most part a pre-med issue. Yes, it might be more difficult to match into a competitive program, but as other posters have said, competitive programs are competitive even for MD students. TCOM is one of the best DO schools in the nation, and they match students into great programs all over the country. I honestly do not think you can go wrong with attending TCOM. I'd like to echo what all the other posters have been saying and recommend that you run with the acceptance. There's no guarantee that you will score significantly better on your 2nd MCAT, and there's no guarantee you will get an acceptance at an MD program next year. On top of that, you would have to report the declining of your acceptance at TCOM for the next cycle, and you wouldn't want to apply with the uncertainty that would bring. MD or DO, you are a physician, and that is what is most important.
 
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The idea of going through my whole past year again. o_O I would be thrilled to go to a great DO school.
 
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I have nothing against the DO philosophy. I don't want to spend 4 years of my life and 100k to get the short end of the stick :(
Wow. Really determined.

Why dont you retake the MCAT before classes start (before giving up your seat obviously)?

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I have nothing against the DO philosophy. I don't want to spend 4 years of my life and 100k to get the short end of the stick :(

Wow! @Goro was right. You don't want to be a DO at all. Just give up your seat and let someone who wants to be a doc have it. You can roll the dice again and hope for the best.


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Your gpa is great and your mcat is low, meaning
That if you retake the mcat you can probably get a better score. I would say dedicate your time on studying for the mcat and apply early and you should be fine


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