how can a DO make application competitive for allopathic program?

Started by Igor4sugry
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Igor4sugry

Junior Member
15+ Year Member
I am a 3rd year DO student and I have an interest in applying for allopathic anesthesia programs.

I got 248/99 step I and 634 COMLEX.

Are there any DO students that have matched allopathic? What did you do to make yourself a good applicant and competitive with MD students? I would appreciate your advice.
 
Igor4sugry said:
I am a 3rd year DO student and I have an interest in applying for allopathic anesthesia programs.

I got 248/99 step I and 634 COMLEX.

Are there any DO students that have matched allopathic? What did you do to make yourself a good applicant and competitive with MD students? I would appreciate your advice.
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Those are excellent scores and you will be fine. In my class alone we matched Mayo Clinic, U. Michigan, and J. Hopkins. Just apply early, apply to enough programs (15 - 20), and don't be a tool at your interviews.
 
Disclaimer: this question has been asked 17,382,874.03 times before I was number 17,382,465.01 who asked this question. Sorry for indulging myself and perpetuating this.

Are you serious or just trying to flaunt your numbers? Unless you have not put any effort into looking at stats for programs, your numbers are well above competitive whether DO or MD. The DO vs. MD thing is a pile of S!@#. I have so many D.O. friends and colleges at top programs, as long as you take the USMLE (occasionally even if you do not) you have just a good of a chance at matching as our “self assumed” superior MD colleges. Sure there are few DO unfriendly programs but many great programs just want quality residents who are both academically and socially competent. Use your head, what do you think will make you competitive. Research, good LOR, presentations, humanitarian medical expeditions and other nerdy endeavors: yes. Excellent beer bong skills, being able to milk a cow blindfolded and being able to hula-hoop while juggling chainsaws: NO. Many of us (my self included) have come here looking for someone to make us feel better and say hey those are good numbers you will do fine. Numbers are far from a whole package (as I am sure you know, hence your question) if your package has a few other interesting and well done ( not hanging out with world renowned XXX head of XXX anesthesia program for 1 week) projects with full follow through and results that’s it, that’s what they want to see. 1000 extras do not show them that you are capable unless all 1000 of them where major endeavors with significant impact on patients, practices etc... Find a project or two and give it all you have. Personally, I believe that any program selection committee can tell the difference between those that get involved with a lot and have no impact vs. those that chose wisely and have an impact.
 
do an away, show yourself to be a person with good numbers rather than just good numbers with no depth. we match about 1 DO every other year at Vandy, and my med school class send 4 DOs into anesthesis (Hopkins, Vandy, WashU, Oklahoma - so a pretty good record, i think)
 
Igor4sugry said:
I am a 3rd year DO student and I have an interest in applying for allopathic anesthesia programs.

I got 248/99 step I and 634 COMLEX.

Are there any DO students that have matched allopathic? What did you do to make yourself a good applicant and competitive with MD students? I would appreciate your advice.
Click to expand...

as smgilles said, your scores are great and you will likely get interviews at many programs (and probably some top ones, provided there are no huge problems in the rest of your application).

however, if you want to be a true rockstar applicant, choose a TOP program that you want to go to, do an away rotation there in August or Septempber of your 4th year, knock their SOCKS off, and get a letter of recommendation for your ERAS application from their program director or chair (which will open doors at other top programs as well). both smgilles and I did exactly this - he is at mayo and i am at hopkins, and we both came from the 2007 class of the same DO school.
 
you can search for my interview days but i had 3.8 GPA, 258 USMLE, 760 COMLEX and I got 15 offers from 30 apps. Did not get offers from any boston/ny/cali programs, arizona (?), emory or duke, but did get plenty of excellent offers (vandy, washU, hopkins, dartmouth, yale, UVA, wake) and feel like i didnt miss out on anything (i wasnt taking my wife and two kids to boston/sf or ny anyway) but dont be surprised if some people dont grant you an interview when you clearly have the numbers to merit one
 
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