Medical Have been accepted to both an MD and DO school - which should I choose??

[Raryn]

I have been accepted to NYITCOM (DO program in NY) and I have also been accepted to Howard University (MD program) and I'm not sure which one to pick! I am leaning towards NY because they have a global health center and research areas I am more interested in, also I love the DO philosophy and I would love to learn about OMM. The MD program is, well, an MD program, closer to home and much less expensive (44,000 dollars less!) Many people are advising me to do the MD program d/t the program and lower cost but I really like the DO one. Is there a significant difference between MD and DO other than residency? I don't care to specialize too much (including surgery) and right now I see myself doing primary care/pediatrics/internal med because I love the focus on preventative medicine and shorter residency period.

This is a complicated question. First of all, to address a few points - the "DO philosophy" might have been a differentiating thing once upon a time (in the 19th century) but these days everyone advocates for treating the whole person. In fact, if I had to pick a school that probably has the most emphasis on the full biopsychosocial model of care, Howard is probably close to the top of the list, given its history as a HBCU. They really do have an emphasis on serving the underserved, even if it more locally than a global health focus.

The other thing is that at this point, you truly don't know what you want to do. Yeah, you're thinking of primary care right now, but what if you fall in love with a different field? I changed my mind two or three times, and I literally had friends who ended up specializing in fields that they categorically excluded the first day of med school. It happens. Anti-DO bias for residency programs still exists, though it's certainly less than it used to be.

Next, cost is huge. $44k difference AND it favors the MD school? Not to mention your cost of living in Washington, DC will almost certainly be lower than NYC.

Plus closer to home is good for stress.

Really, the only benefit to the DO school is likely the OMM training - and I honestly don't think that outweighs the rest.

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[Goro]

This is a complicated question. First of all, to address a few points - the "DO philosophy" might have been a differentiating thing once upon a time (in the 19th century) but these days everyone advocates for treating the whole person. In fact, if I had to pick a school that probably has the most emphasis on the full biopsychosocial model of care, Howard is probably close to the top of the list, given its history as a HBCU. They really do have an emphasis on serving the underserved, even if it more locally than a global health focus.

The other thing is that at this point, you truly don't know what you want to do. Yeah, you're thinking of primary care right now, but what if you fall in love with a different field? I changed my mind two or three times, and I literally had friends who ended up specializing in fields that they categorically excluded the first day of med school. It happens. Anti-DO bias for residency programs still exists, though it's certainly less than it used to be.

Next, cost is huge. $44k difference AND it favors the MD school? Not to mention your cost of living in Washington, DC will almost certainly be lower than NYC.

Plus closer to home is good for stress.

Really, the only benefit to the DO school is likely the OMM training - and I honestly don't think that outweighs the rest.

My wise colleague has summarized the most important points in bolded.

My advice is to go Howard.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I can't really speak to research areas and global health questions that you are interested in, but it's not like Washington DC is a desert to global health or research. I would say do your homework and really consider the cost-benefit of your choices. Your goal is to figure out which of these options will help you prepare for boards, set you up for desirable residency or research opportunities, and surround you with appropriate student and alumni support. Cost can be a huge deterrent, but that's also where searching for scholarships that could be available once you are a student is worth the networking and research you do on each program.

 

[MusicDOc124]

One additional thing to consider is how the interviews felt and how your interactions with faculty and students went. This is just as important, if not more to some extent, than cost.

From everything already laid out, Howard is more favored. But if it's not a fit, that can play a major role in personal success within a program. Albeit, interviews are limited in who you get to really speak with, who you're interviewing with can also tell you something sometimes.