How easy is it to get into DO schools?

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Osminog said:
Because they're non-elite public institutions with heavy in-state biases. Florida State is almost exclusively for Floridians, and Central Michigan is ~80% Michiganian. The academic standards they set for the applicants from their respective states are lower than their OOS standards. Because they are obligated to narrow the geographic pool for themselves, they take a hit when it comes to average GPA and MCAT.
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Michigander*
 
hungrydoc710 said:
Yeah but getting a 490 on the MCAT gets you into a school.
Pod is easyyy.
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Pharm school is easier rn. Apparently they’re doing anything to get people in because of how terrible the market is.

I’ve heard of people getting accepted with less than 3.0, no PCAT, and I think (can’t 100% confirm this part, but pretty sure), no interview.
 
Osminog said:
en.m.wikipedia.org

Michigander - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org en.m.wikipedia.org

According to the all-knowing Wikipedia, either term works. 😛
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I know your response was tongue-in-cheek, but these kinds of things do matter to people. Just call someone from Indiana an "Indianan" and see how quickly that Midwestern politeness sours.
 
Doktor_dud3 said:
When you say resource protection, you are talking about not interviewing higher stat applicants due to the chance they might not matriculate even if accepted, correct? This is the first time I've really heard about this, but it's good to know DO schools don't do it if that's the case.
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Correct.

MD schools in, say, the Drexel/Albany class know from historic norms that Harvard/Stanford class applicants rarely matriculate at the former.

My school has interviewed 4.0/520ish people, and even managed to matriculate a few of them over the years. Location is everything.
 
Gilakend said:
Pharm school is easier rn. Apparently they’re doing anything to get people in because of how terrible the market is.

I’ve heard of people getting accepted with less than 3.0, no PCAT, and I think (can’t 100% confirm this part, but pretty sure), no interview.
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Idk.. both "easy" then I guess.
Pharm is a saturated market; would rather make the push thru Pod.
Then again, I went the hard route, and decided on med school.
 
I think it's also important to note that Central Michigan does not factor GPA and MCAT metrics into account pre-interview. They are a very holistic school and that may explain the lower matriculant stats compared to DO schools. Central Michigan also has a strong preference for rural applicants.
This is why you could be a competitive applicant for some MD schools over DO based on your specific profile, regardless of your stats.
 
LOL just saying... I know a guy with over 200k in debt that went the Caribbean route and regrets it. He claims it was for his "ego" and he should've gone DO considering he got acceptances. I know this is unrelated but I really don't want this thread to turn into bash DO.

DO schools are competitive. People get rejected from them every year. STATS-wise they are easier than MD schools; their GPA and MCAT scores are a bit lower. DO's are more HOLISTIC in their reviewing.

Holistic does NOT mean stats are ignored. Holistic means they evaluate applicants BEYOND stats.
 
I feel like if someone has the drive and know they can attain a high score on the steps (hard to know, tbh), then the carib route would be preferable over DO. But in reality, noone really knows what they truly get until they take those exams.
 
rajp98 said:
I feel like if someone has the drive and know they can attain a high score on the steps (hard to know, tbh), then the carib route would be preferable over DO. But in reality, noone really knows what they truly get until they take those exams.
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No way dude. Even if they did, it’s about match rates. Carib MD is a huge NO
 
slight edit: for SGU or Ross only, since those are the top two ones from what I've heard. Not for just any carib school.
 
Doktor_dud3 said:
Why does everyone seem to treat DO as a death sentence? I literally have no idea why someone would contemplate a Caribbean MD school over a DO acceptance in hand.
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No idea either. This shouldn’t even be a question. Caribbean MD is huge red flag. It’s about match rates. Has it worked out? Yes. Is it often? NO. For every successful Caribbean MD there are THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of others that are 200k in debt, failed boards and are most likely pursuing other careers
 
rajp98 said:
I feel like if someone has the drive and know they can attain a high score on the steps (hard to know, tbh), then the carib route would be preferable over DO. But in reality, noone really knows what they truly get until they take those exams.
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rajp98 said:
slight edit: for SGU or Ross only, since those are the top two ones from what I've heard. Not for just any carib school.
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rajp98 said:
Some people really want that coveted MD.
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No. Just. No. The match rates are very different, even in the competitive specialties. I did an analysis of LMU's match list compared to SGU's and even for the most competitive specialties LMU won in terms of percent of students matching into them. This is significant because LMU is often considered a poor DO school.
 
rajp98 said:
I feel like if someone has the drive and know they can attain a high score on the steps (hard to know, tbh), then the carib route would be preferable over DO. But in reality, noone really knows what they truly get until they take those exams.
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That's the problem: everyone "knows" they can do well in medical school and on boards when they're a pre-med. It's a very different beast once the real work starts.
 
Sephirakra said:
That's the problem: everyone "knows" they can do well in medical school and on boards when they're a pre-med. It's a very different beast once the real work starts.
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Exactly. I have no clue what med-school will be like, as I am a pre-med. But I would feel a heck of a lot better going to a school that actually WANTS me to become a physician (DO) instead of one that just sees a profit opportunity (C-MD)
 
Doktor_dud3 said:
Exactly. I have no clue what med-school will be like, as I am a pre-med. But I would feel a heck of a lot better going to a school that actually WANTS me to become a physician (DO) instead of one that just sees a profit opportunity (C-MD)
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As a DO, you WILL become a doctor. Pretty much a guarantee for the most part. Maybe not a neurosurgeon at Hopkins but you can BE a physician! Maybe in Internal Medicine and will still make 200k
 
Doktor_dud3 said:
Fingers crossed for Nephro, lol
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If I go DO, my backup is just to pursue an IM residency (which is relatively easy compared to the others) and then a cardiology fellowship. I know a DO that's a cardiologist
 
Doktor_dud3 said:
When you say resource protection, you are talking about not interviewing higher stat applicants due to the chance they might not matriculate even if accepted, correct? This is the first time I've really heard about this, but it's good to know DO schools don't do it if that's the case.
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This is what he meant, yes.

My two cents on this (the thread as a whole) are the following:

On average, DO schools are easier to get into than their MD counterparts. With that being said, the gaps between DO schools are wider than the ocean and there are certainly DO schools that are competitive enough to give Many of the lower/lower-mid tier MD schools a run for their money. Of course, on the other hand, I feel there’s are a handful of DO schools I could apply to by accident and still be accepted to.

I also have seen some very ridiculous arguments on this thread.
- Number of apps and/or acceptance rate does not correlate to how competitive a school is to get into.
- The fact that FSU takes almost entirely in-state students does not absolve it of having low stats for an MD school. My school - TCOM - is almost 95% in-state and we have some of the highest stats for DO at about 3.7/508. This was higher than FSU the last time I looked at FSU’s stats.
- While I generally agree with the ranking system of professional program admissions difficulty that was put forth a few posts ago, it’s important to remember that there are huge gaps in all three - MD/DO/DDS - that we’re listed towards the top. MD is not >> DO/DDS on the principle it is MD. Harvard dental (which I am aware is DMD) is easily harder to get into than many MD schools just because of the type of applicants it attracts. Conversely, a lower-stat, mission-based MD school is likely easier to gain admission into than, say, TouroCA.

There’s too much generalization here.
 
chemdoctor said:
LOL just saying... I know a guy with over 200k in debt that went the Caribbean route and regrets it. He claims it was for his "ego" and he should've gone DO considering he got acceptances. I know this is unrelated but I really don't want this thread to turn into bash DO.

DO schools are competitive. People get rejected from them every year. STATS-wise they are easier than MD schools; their GPA and MCAT scores are a bit lower. DO's are more HOLISTIC in their reviewing.

Holistic does NOT mean stats are ignored. Holistic means they evaluate applicants BEYOND stats.
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Why does he regret it though?
Did he pass boards?

I would never choose carrib MD over DO, but in the end, as far as the people I know who did it, they're fine.
 
chemdoctor said:
As a DO, you WILL become a doctor. Pretty much a guarantee for the most part. Maybe not a neurosurgeon at Hopkins but you can BE a physician! Maybe in Internal Medicine and will still make 200k
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Hey, who knows, 4th yr class at my school just graduated a couple people with 1 ENT at Mayo and 1 Neurosurg at Mayo also.
 
chemdoctor said:
As a DO, you WILL become a doctor. Pretty much a guarantee for the most part. Maybe not a neurosurgeon at Hopkins but you can BE a physician! Maybe in Internal Medicine and will still make 200k
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200K isn't a lot though.
 
$200,000 is roughly the average debt new doctors graduate with. It's a lot of money, but not compared to what medical school students are graduating with.
 
hungrydoc710 said:
Why does he regret it though?
Did he pass boards?

I would never choose carrib MD over DO, but in the end, as far as the people I know who did it, they're fine.
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He didn’t pass boards. Therefore, he didn’t match. He’s looking into other careers. I’m sure you know people that succeeded but odds right? Odds are not good if you go Caribbean MD
 
mc29012 said:
Uhhhh 200k is in the top two percent of US earners according to WSJ
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I guess if you put it that way aha. For example, Jeff Bezos salary a year is more than a billion dollars, so that's what I was thinking about when I said that.
 
Maxamillion12 said:
I guess if you put it that way aha. For example, Jeff Bezos salary a year is more than a billion dollars, so that's what I was thinking about when I said that.
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We’re talking about being in debt. 200k is a lot to be in debt for med school when you didn’t pass boards and won’t become a physician
 
chemdoctor said:
He didn’t pass boards. Therefore, he didn’t match. He’s looking into other careers. I’m sure you know people that succeeded but odds right? Odds are not good if you go Caribbean MD
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Took it 3 times and didn't pass still?
 
Maxamillion12 said:
I guess if you put it that way aha. For example, Jeff Bezos salary a year is more than a billion dollars, so that's what I was thinking about when I said that.
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Actually, Jeff Bezos’ salary is under $100K/year. Most of his wealth comes from his stocks/investments.

Anyway, are you seriously saying that an annual salary of 200k (98th percentile income) “isn’t a lot” because Jeff Bezos makes more? If that’s your reasoning, then you’re either trolling or you’re in middle school.
 
Maxamillion12 said:
so that's what I was thinking about when I said that.
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Osminog said:
Anyway, are you seriously saying that an annual salary of 200k (98th percentile income) “isn’t a lot” because Jeff Bezos makes more? If that’s your reasoning, then you’re either trolling or you’re in middle school.
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Lol that was my thought. If Jeff Bezos is your standard then you are in for a huge disappointment no matter what you do
 
Easy to get into. Once your in, it’s hard. Classes are the literal same at 3 schools minus OMM class. It’s hard to appreciate it unless you go to a DO school with Pods,

I’d argue Pod might be “harder” than Pharmacy b/c of MCAT and the actual school.

hungrydoc710 said:
Yeah but getting a 490 on the MCAT gets you into a school.
Pod is easyyy.
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mc29012 said:
Uhhhh 200k is in the top two percent of US earners according to WSJ
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200k isn't the top 2%, its actually more like the top 6-7%.

BTW, medical students have actually no idea what people really make. Physicians routinely under-report their income. The median salary for hospitalist is like $280k/year. Some make less, some make more. Some a lot more. Lots of clinic docs can do really well (well north of me). If you are a little flexible on location, work on growing your practice, your FM or IM doctor can make really good money. More than your academic cardiologists who tries to avoid seeing patients because he doesn't think they need to be seen by him (without actually seeing them. . . . I'm annoyed right now can you tell?)

My wife and I have made 40k, 90k, 150k, 240k, and 300k a year. I don't feel rich. We try to be wise with our money. Some times I think it would be a lot better if I just made another 100k, but I have to remind myself that I need to be content and thankful for what we have. I can't buy a $100k car (though some of my friends do). I'll survive.

Please do NOT GO TO Caribbean .
 
NITRAS said:
200k isn't the top 2%, its actually more like the top 6-7%.

BTW, medical students have actually no idea what people really make. Physicians routinely under-report their income. The median salary for hospitalist is like $280k/year. Some make less, some make more. Some a lot more. Lots of clinic docs can do really well (well north of me). If you are a little flexible on location, work on growing your practice, your FM or IM doctor can make really good money. More than your academic cardiologists who tries to avoid seeing patients because he doesn't think they need to be seen by him (without actually seeing them. . . . I'm annoyed right now can you tell?)

My wife and I have made 40k, 90k, 150k, 240k, and 300k a year. I don't feel rich. We try to be wise with our money. Some times I think it would be a lot better if I just made another 100k, but I have to remind myself that I need to be content and thankful for what we have. I can't buy a $100k car (though some of my friends do). I'll survive.

Please do NOT GO TO Caribbean .
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Also, the more you make, Taxes take. What is the effective difference btw a FM doc making 150k working 40 hr weeks vs a IM in a hospital making 220k working 55?
 
Osminog said:
Actually, Jeff Bezos’ salary is under $100K/year. Most of his wealth comes from his stocks/investments.

Anyway, are you seriously saying that an annual salary of 200k (98th percentile income) “isn’t a lot” because Jeff Bezos makes more? If that’s your reasoning, then you’re either trolling or you’re in middle school.
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Yeah but doesn't that count as free wealth in his pocket
 
GypsyHummus said:
Easy to get into. Once your in, it’s hard. Classes are the literal same at 3 schools minus OMM class. It’s hard to appreciate it unless you go to a DO school with Pods,

I’d argue Pod might be “harder” than Pharmacy b/c of MCAT and the actual school.
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We were talking about ease of getting in.
It's def the route to go, but literally anyone who wants a med career could take MCAT get a 492+ and catch an acceptance.

Med school is beast, since the start of college.
 
Doktor_dud3 said:
Why does everyone seem to treat DO as a death sentence? I literally have no idea why someone would contemplate a Caribbean MD school over a DO acceptance in hand.
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Obsession with the MD letters. The pro-carib crowd don't realize that vast majority of people who survive the Carib threshing machine end up in, wait for it, Primary Care...gee, just like DOs.
 
I now have faculty who went Caribbean, and they are fantastic. Just throwing that out there.

Don’t put your feet in your mouths during rotation, friends!
 
Goro said:
Obsession with the MD letters. The pro-carib crowd don't realize that vast majority of people who survive the Carib threshing machine end up in, wait for it, Primary Care...gee, just like DOs.
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Yeah with about a tenth of the chance at matching.
 
The thing is, people choose Carib MD over DO so they can be an MD and get more competitive specialties. However, as a foreign MD you won’t even be able to get those competitive specialties anyway. So it’s purely an ego thing... they just want to be an “MD”
 
FutureDoctor5000 said:
The thing about DO and salaries lol, DO's can pretty easily get into stuff like EM(average salary ~350k), Anesthesia(average salary ~400k), OBGYN(average salary ~320k), Diagnostic Radiology(Average salary ~400k), plus every school has a couple people who go into stuff like ENT, Urology, Ortho, Derm, Optho , Interventional Radiology etc, these will be hard but they will also be hard to get as an MD but it can be done. Also Gen surg is fairly common where you can easily make more than 200k. Most people who go into FM/General IM as a DO/even MD aren't most prbly forced into it and do it because of the favorable lifestyle with decent pay(220k+).
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Think you're off on your gen surg salary calculation.
Agree with everything you said though.
 
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