Huge dilemma and need advice

[ayecheckthisout]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi everyone. This is going to be a bit long, but I’d really appreciate thoughtful input from anyone willing to read.

I’m at a 3-way fork in the road and could really use genuine advice. I’m feeling overwhelmed, and while I don’t want sugar-coated responses, I’m also hoping to avoid the rudeness this sub can sometimes be known for. Please keep it real, but kind lol, my emotions are high and I'm sensitive haha

Background:
This past cycle, I applied to 45ish schools (40 give or take MD, 5 DO).
Stats: MCAT 511, GPA 3.5x
Result: 1 DO acceptance (a founding 5 school), and 1 MD waitlist still active for ~2 more weeks (CTE was June 2nd)

I originally planned to reapply and even submitted a new AMCAS primary, but I’m feeling emotionally and mentally burnt out. I decided a week ago that I am no longer going to do that because I have an acceptance. But even in the past week, I just cannot seem to shake off my reservations/hesitancy.

My Dilemma:
While I deeply respect DOs (I’ve worked with multiple and even have a great DO mentor who wrote me a rec), I’ve always envisioned myself in a more competitive specialty (ortho, plastics, derm, or ophthomology). I know it’s possible to match into those from a DO school, but I’m also aware of the added hurdles: dual board exams, extra research, stronger networking, etc. I’m not sure if I’m willing to take on those added barriers when the path is already so hard as an MD. I’m also not someone who would pursue MD at all costs, which is why I’m not even considering Caribbean schools. That’s simply not an option for me.

That said, I’m now reconsidering two alternative options before fully committing to my DO acceptance:

Option 1: Attend my DO school.

• Founding 5 DO program
• Already accepted
• School is in a city I’ve never been to, and I have no family or support network nearby
• Not thrilled, but it’s a guaranteed path to becoming a doctor

Option 2: Apply to UQ-Ochsner

• My advisor is strongly recommending this program and says I’d likely be accepted. He has sent multiple people through this program.
• Clinical years are in New Orleans, and they have a solid match list
• I could start January 2026
• No family in Australia
• I’m intrigued, but also hesitant about the international aspect

Option 3: Do a U.S. SMP with conditional MD acceptance (NYMC iBMS)

• This is the only SMP I’d consider because of the conditional acceptance
• My advisor did say SMPs are a scam, and I don't really know what to think of this
• The director of the program told me the 3.4 GPA requirement is very achievable for the conditional acceptance, and I already have the MCAT requirement (</= 510)
• My sibling and significant other live in NYC (close by), which is a huge personal bonus
• Would give me another shot at MD without reapplying from scratch
• But still not a guaranteed outcome

Other question: If I choose Option 2 or 3, is it advisable to ask my DO school for a one-year deferral? I’ve heard of people doing this, and I believe I’d have a strong case due to some recent personal and health-related challenges that could reasonably justify the request. I spoke to their admissions and they suggested a deferral given my situation. It would give me the security of a backup plan in case the other options don’t work out or I get cold feet.

I know it ultimately comes down to what risks I’m willing to take—but I feel paralyzed trying to weigh short-term sacrifice against long-term goals. I’ve been flip-flopping for weeks.

Thanks so much for reading and for any honest and respectful advice.

 

[ayecheckthisout]

Also please correct me if this is posted in the wrong place! Still getting used to SDN.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Tell me how much each option will cost you. Use COA estimates and remember to add about 3% to each number assuming we have reasonable inflation.

I'm interested why your prehealth advisor believes SMP's are a scam, but they like Ochsner (because UQO took in so many other students...).

 

[deleted1219473]

UQ-Ochsner offers an interesting pathway. Their previous cohort had an MCAT average of 510, which is higher than any DO school I’ve seen. This might indicate their students are already quite strong academically and their selective standards give me some hope.

Their previous 5 classes had a match rate of 96-99%. What isn’t published however is their attrition rate and how many of the students SOAP into a specialty.

I’d get an answer from their admissions on that, but the match looks quite good considering the hurdles of an IMG. Solid placements in gas, gen surg, and radiology. What’s bad news is I don’t see any matches in the specialties you’re interested in (ortho, derm, ophthalmology) so it’s not a perfect solution.

I’d personally go DO overall. If it’s bothering you that much, I’d still go the SMP with UQ being a last resort.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Thread 'UQ-Ochsner 2026'

Jul 17, 2024

Might be a bit early but looking at applying to UQ for the 2026 cycle, still waiting to take the MCAT in Sept

• thebeardedmedic
• Replies: 81
• Forum: Australasia and Oceania

• 

 

[polymerization]

It seems like you're torturing yourself over the possibility that you will, in some future, be hopelessly and irrevocably seduced by one specialty in particular to the exclusion of all others. This is a false dichotomy: medicine is a framework all specialties respect.

Of course your stated interests are all of the most competitive specialties—your brain has negativity bias, so it is certainly not going to imagine the possibility that you could fall in love with primary care and see yourself working in the community. It's going to imagine that you want to be a pro football-playing neurosurgeon orthopod in outer space. It does feel like it is mission-critical to seize the best possible opportunity if that desire someday materializes.

And... I mean, it might. Your concern is valid. Lots of people want to do the most competitive specialties, that's why they're competitive. But let's not miss the forest for the trees.

You have an acceptance to start medical school now. I really cannot imagine going through this process and risking an acceptance to get a degree you don't need, or uproot your entire life and struggle to settle into a new country if that wasn't already in your 5-year plan.

In my opinion, you got in. You don't have choices, so just move on... the options you point out are ultimately going to be both harder and more fraught than whatever bias there is between MDs and DOs. Celebrate your success and let yourself be happy! You have been running toward this point for so long, so allow yourself to finally arrive.

 

[Goro]

The dumbest mistake an applicant can make is to turn down their only A.

During the Roman empire, the emperor would ride around in a chariot during a parade in Triumph after some victory, and to keep him grounded in reality, a slave would whisper in his ear "remember you are mortal."

I post that because you have mediocre stats for an MD school, and the uber-competitive specialties you're lusting after are hard enough for MDs to get into. And those that do tend to be at the top of the pack at their schools.

So to paraphrase my wise colleague @Angus Avagadro, do you run with the top of the pack?

Since you don't want to be a DO, just dump the A and go for the SMP at an MD school.

 

[LunaOri]

Take the “A” you have and don’t look back! (Unless you are accepted off the waitlist in the next two weeks).

 

[ayecheckthisout]

Tell me how much each option will cost you. Use COA estimates and remember to add about 3% to each number assuming we have reasonable inflation.

I'm interested why your prehealth advisor believes SMP's are a scam, but they like Ochsner (because UQO took in so many other students...).

Agreed. I don’t know why they think it’s a scam. My best explanation (which is likely wrong) is that SMPs are a year of tuition with no real progress towards an MD or DO, while UQO is easier to get into, with no LORs or secondaries, just MCAT and transcripts apparently. I haven’t done that research so this is just quoting my advisor. Assuming that is true, this could be an explanation for why this is true.

Edit: forgot to answer your first questions. Realistically, all three options will cost about the same give or take 10-20k. In the grand scheme of things an extra 10-20k isn’t that much when you’re in hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt already. The reason why I say this is my DO acceptance is incredibly expensive. This likely gives away which school it is given I’ve said it’s a founding 5 and it’s very expensive. so although I’d put off med school for a year wirh the other options, the DO school is the most expensive option. So there’s a tradeoff, go wirh the more guaranteed, more expensive option? Or go with the less guaranteed option that’s technically cheaper.

 

[ayecheckthisout]

Take the “A” you have and don’t look back! (Unless you are accepted off the waitlist in the next two weeks).

The most ideal situation. Hoping I get off the waitlist!

 

[ayecheckthisout]

The dumbest mistake an applicant can make is to turn down their only A.

During the Roman empire, the emperor would ride around in a chariot during a parade in Triumph after some victory, and to keep him grounded in reality, a slave would whisper in his ear "remember you are mortal."

I post that because you have mediocre stats for an MD school, and the uber-competitive specialties you're lusting after are hard enough for MDs to get into. And those that do tend to be at the top of the pack at their schools.

So to paraphrase my wise colleague @Angus Avagadro, do you run with the top of the pack?

Since you don't want to be a DO, just dump the A and go for the SMP at an MD school.

I’m not decided on whether or not I want to be a DO. It’s tough because even by the hour I say I’m ok with it, and then the next I say I’m not. And I constantly spiral and flip back and forth. So it’s easier said that I do not want to be a DO when in reality that’s not the truth. But would deferring and doing an SMP not be advisable? I haven’t done my research on this as there isn’t much info (maybe that’s a sign) but it’s a genuine question. Please don’t hate me for asking that!

 

[ayecheckthisout]

It seems like you're torturing yourself over the possibility that you will, in some future, be hopelessly and irrevocably seduced by one specialty in particular to the exclusion of all others. This is a false dichotomy: medicine is a framework all specialties respect.

Of course your stated interests are all of the most competitive specialties—your brain has negativity bias, so it is certainly not going to imagine the possibility that you could fall in love with primary care and see yourself working in the community. It's going to imagine that you want to be a pro football-playing neurosurgeon orthopod in outer space. It does feel like it is mission-critical to seize the best possible opportunity if that desire someday materializes.

And... I mean, it might. Your concern is valid. Lots of people want to do the most competitive specialties, that's why they're competitive. But let's not miss the forest for the trees.

You have an acceptance to start medical school now. I really cannot imagine going through this process and risking an acceptance to get a degree you don't need, or uproot your entire life and struggle to settle into a new country if that wasn't already in your 5-year plan.

In my opinion, you got in. You don't have choices, so just move on... the options you point out are ultimately going to be both harder and more fraught than whatever bias there is between MDs and DOs. Celebrate your success and let yourself be happy! You have been running toward this point for so long, so allow yourself to finally arrive.

I wouldn’t say I have a negativity bias and that’s because my first exposure to healthcare was primary care. For a large chunk of my premed journey, that’s all I knew. And then I went into women’s health as an MA which is also very primary care related. But after exploring further I realized that I prefer these other specialties. I’d I had been exposed to the specialities in the opposite order then I think it would be true to say this bias is present.

I do agree that I am torturing myself, but it is very difficult for me mentally to be battling this. I just cannot seem to shake off this hesitancy for some reason and maybe by posting in these forums, both on SDN and Reddit, I’m looking for validation and someone to tell me that I have nothing to worry about. It might just be as simple as that.

Thank you for your input!

 

[wysdoc]

I’m not decided on whether or not I want to be a DO. It’s tough because even by the hour I say I’m ok with it, and then the next I say I’m not. And I constantly spiral and flip back and forth. So it’s easier said that I do not want to be a DO when in reality that’s not the truth. But would deferring and doing an SMP not be advisable? I haven’t done my research on this as there isn’t much info (maybe that’s a sign) but it’s a genuine question. Please don’t hate me for asking that!

You only have one real solid offer, to your DO school.
The other things are “maybe, might”
Your SMP “might” get you in to an MD school. Or, it might cost you a year, lead to an interview and another rejection.
The UQ option “might” get you an MD but you could have trouble getting a residency because the degree classifies you as a FMG

 

[deleted1219473]

Forreal. A solid acceptance is worth taking and the original 5 DO schools have great reps.

Meanwhile I’m wondering if my school will even exist by orientation

 

[Angus Avagadro]

My questions are not meant to be rude, just direct.

1. Why did you apply to a school you did not want to attend?
2. Your 511 MCAT and GPA is the avg score of MD applicants who were accepted.
3. Applicants to the specialties you are interested in are super stars, like Int Plastics, or are in the top 10% of class rank and board scores. How have you prepared to be top 10% in a pool of elite students when your stats are avg amongst a far less elite population in undergrad? A DO degree doesn't mean successfully matching is impossible, just harder. To match the areas you desire will take planning from day 1 whether you take your DO acceptance or get an MD acceptance next year. Finding a mentor early, getting involved with several research projects,( applicants to specialties have several publications), LOR's from influential authors, Dept Chairs, grads from that program, etc.. will be essential to matching. I'm not trying to dissuade you, just presenting the facts you will be encountering on your journey.
TLDR.
You have a DO acceptance at an original DO school. Your undergrad stats are avg for successful MD school applicants. You desire matching into specialties where applicants have multiple research papers along with top10% board scores, and GPAs. A SMP might sharpen your skills for med school, but might also deny your chance to be an MD. Its a gamble, and my colleagues and I have seen it go both ways for students. Its a risk. My best advice, and you get what you pay for, is run with your acceptance. You are going to be a doctor. Regardless of acceptance, your future lies with in yourself. Good luck and best wishes!

 

[ayecheckthisout]

You only have one real solid offer, to your DO school.
The other things are “maybe, might”
Your SMP “might” get you in to an MD school. Or, it might cost you a year, lead to an interview and another rejection.
The UQ option “might” get you an MD but you could have trouble getting a residency because the degree classifies you as a FMG

I don’t mean to be that guy but the SMP is a conditional acceptance, not a guaranteed interview. So there's a little more to it than that. That makes it less of a "maybe, might"

 

[wysdoc]

I don’t mean to be that guy but the SMP is a conditional acceptance, not a guaranteed interview. So there's a little more to it than that. That makes it less of a "maybe, might"

The condition is you have to meet that GPA, right? Getting a 3.4 in what are essentially med school level classes is no joke.

 

[ayecheckthisout]

My questions are not meant to be rude, just direct.

1. Why did you apply to a school you did not want to attend?
2. Your 511 MCAT and GPA is the avg score of MD applicants who were accepted.
3. Applicants to the specialties you are interested in are super stars, like Int Plastics, or are in the top 10% of class rank and board scores. How have you prepared to be top 10% in a pool of elite students when your stats are avg amongst a far less elite population in undergrad? A DO degree doesn't mean successfully matching is impossible, just harder. To match the areas you desire will take planning from day 1 whether you take your DO acceptance or get an MD acceptance next year. Finding a mentor early, getting involved with several research projects,( applicants to specialties have several publications), LOR's from influential authors, Dept Chairs, grads from that program, etc.. will be essential to matching. I'm not trying to dissuade you, just presenting the facts you will be encountering on your journey.
TLDR.
You have a DO acceptance at an original DO school. Your undergrad stats are avg for successful MD school applicants. You desire matching into specialties where applicants have multiple research papers along with top10% board scores, and GPAs. A SMP might sharpen your skills for med school, but might also deny your chance to be an MD. Its a gamble, and my colleagues and I have seen it go both ways for students. Its a risk. My best advice, and you get what you pay for, is run with your acceptance. You are going to be a doctor. Regardless of acceptance, your future lies with in yourself. Good luck and best wishes!

Thank you for the honest response. It is much appreciated. I will address your 3 points below. Please note that I am in no way trying to be hostile, if it comes off that way.

1. I worked with an advisor for this cycle, and was told DO was smart to apply with my stats. I did not want to, but I applied anyway because I did not want to come to a decision and then it be too late in the cycle to apply. So I sent in the applications and said I'd cross that bridge if/when I got there. And now I am at that bridge and am having trouble crossing. If I could go back, I wish I did not do that. But I did feel pressured.

2. Undergrad stats may be average, however I did go to a top undergrad university with test averages well into the 40s and 50s for many of my core classes. Averages were quite low. I'm not making an excuse for poor performance, just trying to say that a 3.5x at a top university is very different from a 3.5x at a lower-ranked school. I believe the student I am today is very different from who I was then, and my MCAT improvement shows that going from a 496 to a 511, having taken the 496 during my college years. My work ethic and drive is there. And I just need that extra bit of edge to get on top.

3. I believe I have the will and drive to achieve those dreams, with plenty of mentors and a great network in place already. I am great at networking and don’t believe that is an issue. I also believe that while MCAT performance is correlated with success in med school, at the end of the day, the material is so different (no physics, gen chem, ochem etc.) and it really go anyway. I built up great study habits and I feel confident I can do well. So I think going as far to say that my MCAT score shows I'm not plastics material, or ortho material is not a fair statement. I think I can be in the top 10%, and just because my stats as an applicant are average for MD, I don’t think that indicates what my academic qualities are.

 

[Goro]

Seems like you've already made up your mind. So dump the A and go for the SMP.

You'll be giving someone else their chance at their dream.

 

[Fluidity of Movement]

just trying to say that a 3.5x at a top university is very different from a 3.5x at a lower-ranked school

lmfao

You do realize the top schools have grade INFLATION, right? And the rest of us peasants also didn't get graced with curves. If you got half the questions wrong, you failed the class (and most of them did). I suppose organic chemistry is magically more difficult at a top ranked school though. Must be something to do with the electrons, probably

Oh wait, top schools post their exams online for the public. Right, yeah, they aren't any more difficult. I got a 95 on an MIT orgo final, and I took ochem at community college



Anyways on point, if you have guaranteed acceptance at the end of the SMP you should do that. You would need a research year at DO likely to be competitive anyway. Then again, you will probably also need a research year at MD too. Patience is key

 

[ayecheckthisout]

lmfao

You do realize the top schools have grade INFLATION, right? And the rest of us peasants also didn't get graced with curves. If you got half the questions wrong, you failed the class (and most of them did). I suppose organic chemistry is magically more difficult at a top ranked school though. Must be something to do with the electrons, probably

Oh wait, top schools post their exams online for the public. Right, yeah, they aren't any more difficult. I got a 95 on an MIT orgo final, and I took ochem at community college



Anyways on point, if you have guaranteed acceptance at the end of the SMP you should do that. You would need a research year at DO likely to be competitive anyway. Then again, you will probably also need a research year at MD too. Patience is key

actually my school is one of the few that have grade deflation. they don’t care about their averages. It’s very well known it’s not BS.

Your smart ass answer wasn’t helpful and didn’t really contribute to the conversation FYI. Also my school doesn’t post its exams online for the public either. So way to make false assumptions.

 

[polymerization]

I wouldn’t say I have a negativity bias and that’s because my first exposure to healthcare was primary care. For a large chunk of my premed journey, that’s all I knew. And then I went into women’s health as an MA which is also very primary care related. But after exploring further I realized that I prefer these other specialties. I’d I had been exposed to the specialities in the opposite order then I think it would be true to say this bias is present.

I do agree that I am torturing myself, but it is very difficult for me mentally to be battling this. I just cannot seem to shake off this hesitancy for some reason and maybe by posting in these forums, both on SDN and Reddit, I’m looking for validation and someone to tell me that I have nothing to worry about. It might just be as simple as that.

Thank you for your input!

Don't worry, I'm not saying you're doing any of this consciously. These are the tricks our brain plays on us when we're not looking. The essential quality of these mind tricks is that they convince us we are being perfectly objective. In many ways you have existentialized this decision to serve as a referendum on your potential, identity, and future self-respect. You will still be worthy of all of those things as a janitor, just saying.

Ultimately, I get it. This is what happens when we swear up and down that a meritocracy (or the American Dream™, more specifically) exists. People actually think their opportunities correlate to effort. That's how we end up with people who think if they just wear themselves down, if they just try harder, if they just put themselves into increasingly desperate circumstances, they will guarantee themselves the outcome they want. This thread is the start of a fantastic movie I cannot wait to watch someday. Tag me in five years, whatever happens—I'm at the edge of my seat.

Sometimes you've just got to run into the brick wall for yourself. The FAFO approach. Classic.

 

[ayecheckthisout]

Don't worry, I'm not saying you're doing any of this consciously. These are the tricks our brain plays on us when we're not looking. The essential quality of these mind tricks is that they convince us we are being perfectly objective. In many ways you have existentialized this decision to serve as a referendum on your potential, identity, and future self-respect. You will still be worthy of all of those things as a janitor, just saying.

Ultimately, I get it. This is what happens when we swear up and down that a meritocracy (or the American Dream™, more specifically) exists. People actually think their opportunities correlate to effort. That's how we end up with people who think if they just wear themselves down, if they just try harder, if they just put themselves into increasingly desperate circumstances, they will guarantee themselves the outcome they want. This thread is the start of a fantastic movie I cannot wait to watch someday. Tag me in five years, whatever happens—I'm at the edge of my seat.

Sometimes you've just got to run into the brick wall for yourself. The FAFO approach. Classic.

Completely agreed. And I will definitely tag you 5 years from now. Screenplay is already in the works hahah. Thanks for the thoughtful insight. I really appreciate it.

 

[eigen]

It’s worth comparing the more expensive DO programs to the opportunity cost of delaying your physician salary by a year, if cost is an issue.

I’ve had a number of students end up in your situation, which is why I now have specific discussions about this confluence of events with students who want to apply MD and DO.

If you decide to turn this down, use it as a learning experience to not apply somewhere you don’t actually want to go in the future.

FWIW, if you were my advisee I would strong advise taking the acceptance you have rather than gambling with the future.

 

[HopefulApplicant667]

First, UQ's match list does not seem strong to me. It's obviously weaker than PCOM or Rowan's DO match list. There are no competitive surgical subspecialty matches besides one vascular surgery match. No one from UQ matched any of the specialties you listed, but DO students do each year.

Secondly, when you say "more competitive specialty (ortho, plastics, derm, or ophthomology)", those specialties have little in common besides prestige and competitiveness, which may be informative for your own decision making process. You are allowed to value prestige, but you should be upfront with yourself about it.

Finally, based on the above dialogue, it seems like you are set on doing an SMP and want some affirmation because it is a really tough decision. If that's the case, I think that's a really normal response. However, validation will be hard to come by because you are taking a riskier approach. Ultimately if the prestige increase of being an MD is worth it to you (whether intrinsically or instrumentally), then it makes sense to take the SMP or do the Australian program because they are the most logical choices to get an MD. You may also want to consider Temple's ACMS program, though the application deadline for this incoming cohort has passed.