DOs in the year 2020

[SLC]

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...not that this is a problem, but when you start at your DO school you will see more than half of your classmates didn't break a 30 on the MCAT and that a GOOD chunk of them pulled 25-26s (50 percentile).

Seriously, DO schools are SIGNIFICANTLY easier to gain at least ONE acceptance at. The same cannot CANNOT be said about MD schools. It isn't even close, so everyone needs to stop acting like it is.

Agreed, this has been my observation as well.

But it begs the question: What's the point in even stressing over which flavor of medical school is tougher to get into?

I mean, if we're all going to be fully licensed physicians with equal scope of practice whether DO or MD, then why even worry about how much harder it is to get into one school vs. the next?

I got in, I wasn't an all-star Grades wise, but that won't make me or anyone else like me any less qualified when it's all said and done.

 

[aspiring20]

Agreed, this has been my observation as well.

But it begs the question: What's the point in even stressing over which flavor of medical school is tougher to get into?

I mean, if we're all going to be fully licensed physicians with equal scope of practice whether DO or MD, then why even worry about how much harder it is to get into one school vs. the next?

I got in, I wasn't an all-star Grades wise, but that won't make me or anyone else like me any less qualified when it's all said and done.

congrats!

and while i agree that DO = MD on paper, there's still the question of possible employment bias.

 

[user3]

You guys have to stop putting down User3. Most of the numbers are not made up. Premeds don't have THAT much time on their hands, or so we would hope.

Mehd School, not that this is a problem, but when you start at your DO school you will see more than half of your classmates didn't break a 30 on the MCAT and that a GOOD chunk of them pulled 25-26s (50 percentile).

Seriously, DO schools are SIGNIFICANTLY easier to gain at least ONE acceptance at. The same cannot CANNOT be said about MD schools. It isn't even close, so everyone needs to stop acting like it is.

If DO schools accepted solely based on numbers with no requirement for a secondary or interview, I wonder how much higher their stats would be.

 

[SLC]

If DO schools accepted solely based on numbers with no requirement for a secondary or interview, I wonder how much higher their stats would be.

And would it mean anything in terms of the end results?

 

[user3]

Agreed, this has been my observation as well.

But it begs the question: What's the point in even stressing over which flavor of medical school is tougher to get into?

I mean, if we're all going to be fully licensed physicians with equal scope of practice whether DO or MD, then why even worry about how much harder it is to get into one school vs. the next?

I got in, I wasn't an all-star Grades wise, but that won't make me or anyone else like me any less qualified when it's all said and done.

At least you had a decent mcat...lots of people with both poor GPA and poor mcat continue to be successful even this year. It's one thing for 3.1/32 or 3.8/24 to be able to get in. But when metrics that are weak across the board are still good enough to land multiple interviews and acceptances, it makes me feel like admission standards are just too low.

 

[Spindrift11B4]

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It's not utah's fault the MDs have nunchuck, bowfighting and computer hacking skills.

Utah loves skills

If only Utah had those! I believe you are referring to Prestonites in Idaho, on the border with Utah.

I'm late to the conversation and didn't read the whole thread, but concerning Utah and DOs, up here in the Cache Valley area they are very well regarded. I can see how such would not be the case in the Salt Lake area due to the ever elitist attitudes of the U of U (have you seen their app. requirements? Laughably more complex and stringent than most schools that are ranked far higher).

 

[hallowmann]

At least you had a decent mcat...lots of people with both poor GPA and poor mcat continue to be successful even this year. It's one thing for 3.1/32 or 3.8/24 to be able to get in. But when metrics that are weak across the board are still good enough to land multiple interviews and acceptances, it makes me feel like admission standards are just too low.

I'll believe admission standards are too low when <75% of DO students can pass the COMLEX. Whether we like to admit it or not, being a doctor is not rocket science. You can be a successful doctor with average or slightly above average intelligence plus a decent amount of work ethic.

 

[SLC]

I'll believe admission standards are too low when <75% of DO students can pass the COMLEX. Whether we like to admit it or not, being a doctor is not rocket science. You can be a successful doctor with average or slightly above average intelligence plus a decent amount of work ethic.

Well said, my thoughts exactly.

The main driver behind the need for high grades to get into medicine isn't necessarily that it takes those grades to perform the job; but rather that Physician is such a coveted job that the demand for training far exceeds the supply. Now before anyone jumps down my throat about the GPA point, I didn't say anyone could do it; just that you don't have to be a 3.8+ bookworm to be a doctor, far from it.

If doctors slaved away for $40K per year and nobody respected them, but the job description was the same, the average GPA required would be far lower.

 

[user3]

I'll believe admission standards are too low when <75% of DO students can pass the COMLEX. Whether we like to admit it or not, being a doctor is not rocket science. You can be a successful doctor with average or slightly above average intelligence plus a decent amount of work ethic.

Fair enough

 

[Dr. Zombie]

i got to agree with this, which is exactly why i am applying to MD and DO with a 3.6/3.3 and 35. i am also applying to new DO schools so my chances are even higher.

and if i can only do primary care, then so be it. a primary care salary is enough to get me what i want.

I respect your feelings, but let's see how you will feel with a 180k salary (not including taxes taken out and other medical expenses) with a 300k+ debt and still trying to live a comfortable/upper-comfortable lifestyle after residency (you DO wanna enjoy that money to some degree from all this hard work I am sure AND you wanna get rid of this debt ASAP I'm sure too).

If you still feel good, then more power to you. Still respectable.

 

[aspiring20]

I respect your feelings, but let's see how you will feel with a 180k salary (not including taxes taken out and other medical expenses) with a 300k+ debt and still trying to live a comfortable/upper-comfortable lifestyle after residency (you DO wanna enjoy that money to some degree from all this hard work I am sure AND you wanna get rid of this debt ASAP I'm sure too).

If you still feel good, then more power to you. Still respectable.

if i end up going to a DO school, i will take the HPSP scholarship with the military.

and there is a good possibility that i'll end up matching in something other than primary care.