Interviews coming up, what should I say?

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Falconclaw

Falconclaw

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Sorry if this has been asked before. I applied to DO schools really late, like over winter break. My goal was MD, and I got three interviews at MD schools. I've been waitlisted from one school, rejected from another, and should hear from the third in a couple of weeks. I have interviews coming up at Touro Com and NYCom. I don't mean to offend anyone here who is really passionate about osteopathy, but DO was my second choice. I feel like the fact that I am interviewing so late in the cycle sort of makes that transparent. I do have experience however shadowing a DO doctor and I do admire the "whole person" approach of osteopathy. What should I say to get this across, and are my chances realistic this late in the cycle?
 
Chances at this point is extremely low, not to mention the fact that you applied to MD.
You will be asked following questions (at least I was in all 3 of my interviews):
1. If you applied to MD schools as well (In my case, I only applied to DO).
2. Why DO?

There is no one here who can tell you what to say. Everyone has his or her own reasons and if you have to "make something up," you do you.
But, since it's already coming near end of March, your chances and slim to non, unless your stats are incredibly good (even in that case...)

I feel like you have a better chance at getting off that waitlist but...
Sorry to get your hopes down but I'm just being realistic.
 
Falconclaw said:
Sorry if this has been asked before. I applied to DO schools really late, like over winter break. My goal was MD, and I got three interviews at MD schools. I've been waitlisted from one school, rejected from another, and should hear from the third in a couple of weeks. I have interviews coming up at Touro Com and NYCom. I don't mean to offend anyone here who is really passionate about osteopathy, but DO was my second choice. I feel like the fact that I am interviewing so late in the cycle sort of makes that transparent. I do have experience however shadowing a DO doctor and I do admire the "whole person" approach of osteopathy. What should I say to get this across, and are my chances realistic this late in the cycle?
Click to expand...

I would avoid using the words "holistic" or "patient-centered" or "osteopathy" during the interview. Hopefully you were able to observe the DO perform OMT?

It's very hard to say because it's hard to determine how full the classes are for Touro and NyCOM.

If you don't get in then it may be a blessing in disguise as DO was your second choice and you may have been unhappy "settling" for DO.

Good luck!
 
DetectiveAlonzo said:
The schools aren't stupid. They know what's going on and will most likely be like "why didn'y you apply earlier?" You're most likely gonna get waitlisted.

You can still apply to Carib tho and get that MD!
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I don't get why you are saying something like. No need to be sarcastic. In reality at the pre-med level DO is second choice. Just the nature of the statistics involved with applying.

To OP, there are very little spots remaining in each class but if you do well you will get accepted. Osteopathic schools want smart students probably more than they want people who love the degree title. Just convey why you want to be a doctor and you should be fine.
 
Falconclaw said:
Sorry if this has been asked before. I applied to DO schools really late, like over winter break. My goal was MD, and I got three interviews at MD schools. I've been waitlisted from one school, rejected from another, and should hear from the third in a couple of weeks. I have interviews coming up at Touro Com and NYCom. I don't mean to offend anyone here who is really passionate about osteopathy, but DO was my second choice. I feel like the fact that I am interviewing so late in the cycle sort of makes that transparent. I do have experience however shadowing a DO doctor and I do admire the "whole person" approach of osteopathy. What should I say to get this across, and are my chances realistic this late in the cycle?
Click to expand...

Nycom's cycle is late you may have a chance.

I hate to gibe a response for why DO for you but yours is awful. Whole person isn't a good way to approach this. An example of something better to say is how you saw how a DO has the patients best interests in mind. How a DO will use all modalities to treat a patient and isn't formulaic in approach. Medicine is an art and by taking a different perspective to patient care a DO can best treat patients. By looking beyond textbooks and numbers and by listening and carring for a patient a DO can find easily missed issues. Give examples tell your experiences with osteopathy and if you seen OMM talk about it. Know the tenants and read the dos if you have time. Hope I gave you some ideas.
 
I've interviewed with 5 osteopathic schools and honestly the emphasis placed on osteopathic principles vary. The truth as I see it, the rural underserved settings included in most medical school mission statements are in need of surgeons just as much as PC docs. I say this because most schools are looking for people who simply wish to become doctors period, not specifically doctors who will cherish the osteopathic mindset and carry OMM in their practice.

The best advice has already been said though, just be yourself. If pressed about why you applied DO so late, just say you wanted all options to be open and stick to your desire to practice medicine. Because that's the end goal after all.

Also, if there was no chance of you getting accepted than there wouldn't be interviews lol there's no more to be said about it. You can still land a good spot on the waitlist and get pulled off in little time. Obviously not a guarantee in any case, but without an acceptance in hand there's absolutely no reason to deny interviews.
 
I think assuming that you are only interviewing for a waitlist spot is foolish. Unless the school states that you are interviewing for a waitlist spot, I would assume that this is not the case. SDN seems to perpetuate this idea that all late interviews are for waitlist spots based on anectdotal accounts from a few students and ADCOMs.

I would also come up with a compelling story as to why you want to be a DO other than not getting into an MD. This does not need to be invented as you have already stated that you have some interest in the "whole person" philosphy. Elaborate about this and do not talk about your MD rejection. Nobody wants to be a second choice and I see no reason why you should not be able to come up with compelling reasons for why you applied DO.
 
I applied in February last year (only DO schools) and got accepted pending an open seat (so essentially this cycle.) It's possible, but I would definitely make sure you research osteopathic medicine. They will easily be able to tell if you are not genuine in your interests regarding OMT and what not.
 
I was in a similar situation and I think you should be honest. Try to find something about OMT or the specific school that fits with what you are trying to do. For me, I want to work with underserved populations and OMT made sense as a diagnostic and treatment tool in resource deprived areas.
 
Which Touro are you interviewing at? I don't remember Touro-M emphasizing the why DO, but rather why medicine. If you have a solid answer to why medicine, read up on osteopathic principles and be able to incorporate that into your why medicine question. A big one was hands on patient care from day 1 (OMM) or something along those lines that show you understand what you're getting into, but more importantly have a solid answer to why medicine with some hint of osteopathic medicine sprinkled in.

Both of those schools will have had a lot of interviewees applying MD too and some of the people at your interview may even be in the same boat as you, so make sure to have a good answer to "Why Touro/NYCOM"
 
keels99 said:
I applied in February last year (only DO schools) and got accepted pending an open seat (so essentially this cycle.) It's possible, but I would definitely make sure you research osteopathic medicine. They will easily be able to tell if you are not genuine in your interests regarding OMT and what not.
Click to expand...

aka when I interviewed at my first school (Western in Pomona) I didn't have clear answers on why DO- haha got rejected 2 weeks later. I had other interviews and got accepted but just adding that not having good answers on why DO or what is a DO is a fatal error.
 
There will be alot of movement at Touro-COM, and they have the middletown campus too. Just do a solid interview and you should be fine.
 
ToonLink said:
I don't get why you are saying something like. No need to be sarcastic. In reality at the pre-med level DO is second choice. Just the nature of the statistics involved with applying.

To OP, there are very little spots remaining in each class but if you do well you will get accepted. Osteopathic schools want smart students probably more than they want people who love the degree title. Just convey why you want to be a doctor and you should be fine.
Click to expand...

Not trying to argue but this guy/gal explicitly states that he WANTED the MD title. I get it.. he wants to be a doctor at the end of the day like all of us, but has he/she done ANY reading or research about what osteopathic medicine really is? or the principles behind it? No. He/she comes on here and asks what should he say? Well... tell them what you told us. Tell them you wanted the MD but didn't get in anywhere and hopefully they'll give you a seat. I'm jus sayin that if he/she goes into medical school and comes out with the DO degree... it's most likely gonna bother him/her on a psychological level. Hence, why I bring up the carib. You can get the MD title, live on the beach, and drink water outta coconuts brah.

But in the end, whatever happens happens. Good luck on whatever you choose to say or route to go. God bless ya my child.
 
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DetectiveAlonzo said:
Not trying to argue but this guy/gal explicitly states that he WANTED the MD title. I get it.. he wants to be a doctor at the end of the day like all of us, but has he/she done ANY reading or research about what osteopathic medicine really is? or the principles behind it? No. He/she comes on here and asks what should he say? Well... tell them what you told us. Tell them you wanted the MD but didn't get in anywhere and hopefully they'll give you a seat. I'm jus sayin that if he/she goes into medical school and comes out with the DO degree... it's most likely gonna bother him/her on a psychological level. Hence, why I bring up the carib. You can get the MD title, live on the beach, and drink water outta coconuts brah.

But in the end, whatever happens happens. Good luck on whatever you choose to say or route to go. God bless ya my child.
Click to expand...
Haha I don't mind the sarcasm, I have a thicker skin than that. I don't really just want the MD title; I just want to be a doctor, and I got a 32 on my MCAT so I thought that MD school was more approrpiate for me than DO school.

Anyway, I really appreciate the answers on here, I have my first interview next Wednesday so I'll make sure to do a lot of research between now and then. It's Touro in Middletown.

And yeah if the chances are that bad, I'm just wondering why they would even take the time and resources to interview me in the first place then, you know? But admissions procedures don't make a whole lot of sense to me to begin with so maybe I'm wrong. At this point the best thing to do I suppose is to research the school and osteopathic medicine as much as I can and then do my best on the interview.
 
Falconclaw said:
Haha I don't mind the sarcasm, I have a thicker skin than that. I don't really just want the MD title; I just want to be a doctor, and I got a 32 on my MCAT so I thought that MD school was more approrpiate for me than DO school.

Anyway, I really appreciate the answers on here, I have my first interview next Wednesday so I'll make sure to do a lot of research between now and then. It's Touro in Middletown.

And yeah if the chances are that bad, I'm just wondering why they would even take the time and resources to interview me in the first place then, you know? But admissions procedures don't make a whole lot of sense to me to begin with so maybe I'm wrong. At this point the best thing to do I suppose is to research the school and osteopathic medicine as much as I can and then do my best on the interview.
Click to expand...

Just because you got a 32 on your MCAT doesn't mean MD school is more appropriate for you than DO. That's like saying I got a 40 MCAT therefore I will be the best doctor in the world. Be honest with yourself. There is probably a reason why you waited so long to apply to DO schools. The fact you said that a 32 mcat = MD really tells me you want to have MD after your name more than DO. I understand you're saying you just want to be a physician, but if you really wanted to have all your options open why didn't you apply to both from the beginning? Will it bother you if every time you see DO after your name you will cringe? If so, then hope you get good news from the third interview.

However, here are some advices:

1. Research Osteopathy, so you don't give a buzz word filled response to "Why DO"
2. Know about osteopathic manipulative medicine.
3. If you shadowed a DO and he did omt that's a plus for you. Try to recall what you saw and how that impacted your decision to being a DO.
4. Have a mock interview with someone. You've been through 3 interviews so you should be less nervous and know what kind of questions to be expect.


Lastly, there is really no special answer to "why DO" Everyone is different. So don't waste your time on these forum trying to see how ppl answered that question, but do the above 3 to formulate your own "unique" response to why DO. And do your best to avoid "I like the whole person philosophy"
 
fkt24 said:
Just because you got a 32 on your MCAT doesn't mean MD school is more appropriate for you than DO. That's like saying I got a 40 MCAT therefore I will be the best doctor in the world. Be honest with yourself. There is probably a reason why you waited so long to apply to DO schools. The fact you said that a 32 mcat = MD really tells me you want to have MD after your name more than DO. I understand you're saying you just want to be a physician, but if you really wanted to have all your options open why didn't you apply to both from the beginning? Will it bother you if every time you see DO after your name you will cringe? If so, then hope you get good news from the third interview.

However, here are some advices:

1. Research Osteopathy, so you don't give a buzz word filled response to "Why DO"
2. Know about osteopathic manipulative medicine.
3. If you shadowed a DO and he did omt that's a plus for you. Try to recall what you saw and how that impacted your decision to being a DO.
4. Have a mock interview with someone. You've been through 3 interviews so you should be less nervous and know what kind of questions to be expect.


Lastly, there is really no special answer to "why DO" Everyone is different. So don't waste your time on these forum trying to see how ppl answered that question, but do the above 3 to formulate your own "unique" response to why DO. And do your best to avoid "I like the whole person philosophy"
Click to expand...

Honestly, and I know this is the least sympathetic answer possible, but it really came down to laziness. This is a very superficial answer, but MD school, from the way everyone talked about it, just sounded "better." The doctor I shadowed didn't do any OMT, unfortunately. I will research it. I guess for my secondary essays for the DO schools my response was buzzwordy, but that's done now.

I am of course hoping for a favorable response from the third school, lol. I had a really good interview with one of the doctors at the school I was waitlisted at, and when I emailed her to tell her that I was waitlisted she told me the following:
"I did check with admissions at the School of Medicine and they confirmed that the most important thing you can do right now is to get that Letter of Intent to the School as quickly as possible. Then, it is a matter of waiting (hopefully, not too long!) You can be sure that I will do my best to stay on top of this."

I took that to mean she'd do her best to help me get off the list, but my family thinks it just means she'll keep me updated. Whatever. I don't really know why I'm posting this here, but oh well. This whole process can be a little disorienting sometimes.
 
DO=MD with an additional diagnostic tool in OMM. You're hands are as important as your stethoscope. OMM allows for musculoskeletal treatment along side flexeril. Understand that the principals in learning are the same, and you have the option to use OMM if you wish.
 
Well, for starters, we know people interviewing this late are MD school rejects, so you'd better come up with something that's better than the "whole body, whole mind, whole person, your hands are your tools" crap that you can simply vomit up from reading Wiki.

Have you shadowed a DO? If not, find one and then compare and contrast the two. And no, they're not 100% identical.

Be forewarned that we get a lot pickier now, since our classes are filling up.

Falconclaw said:
Sorry if this has been asked before. I applied to DO schools really late, like over winter break. My goal was MD, and I got three interviews at MD schools. I've been waitlisted from one school, rejected from another, and should hear from the third in a couple of weeks. I have interviews coming up at Touro Com and NYCom. I don't mean to offend anyone here who is really passionate about osteopathy, but DO was my second choice. I feel like the fact that I am interviewing so late in the cycle sort of makes that transparent. I do have experience however shadowing a DO doctor and I do admire the "whole person" approach of osteopathy. What should I say to get this across, and are my chances realistic this late in the cycle?
Click to expand...
 
I think if you interview well enough it will likely be an acceptance spot not just waitlist. Definitely research a lot on OMM. I didn't read up too much before my first interview and got the rejection letter a few weeks later. I researched a bunch more and did much better my second interview and got the acceptance letter there. Be prepared and good luck!

P.S. I get what you mean about you wanting to get into MD schools. For me, and I think most other people, we would rather have MD at the end of my name but not at the expense of having to wait another year, being a physician is the main goal so I am very pleased to have a DO acceptance.
 
Will they ask why I applied so late? If so, are there any decent answers?
 
From what I have been told, call it "osteopathic medicine" and not "osteopathy."
 
If you view osteopathic medicine as inferior or second rate to getting an MD then you probably should not even apply to DO schools.

There are plenty of people with respect for the profession and realize that in the real world MD and DO all do the same job and work together. I guess this is the pre-med forum, we should expect this constant debate/discussion week after week after week.
 
Jbirdski said:
If you view osteopathic medicine as inferior or second rate to getting an MD then you probably should not even apply to DO schools.

There are plenty of people with respect for the profession and realize that in the real world MD and DO all do the same job and work together. I guess this is the pre-med forum, we should expect this constant debate/discussion week after week after week.
Click to expand...

To be fair, OP didn't say he saw D.O. as inferior, just that he preferred M.D. I personally am fully aware that a D.O. and an M.D. receive the same education and do the same job, but it seems like much of the general public is still ignorant of this fact. From my experience, this is a large reason why many applicants, given the choice, pick M.D. over D.O. If you give me the choice to choose between 2 fields with the only difference between them being that some people have an unwarranted negative opinion of the field due to ignorance about it, I'll always choose the one where I don't have to deal with uninformed opinions. I thoroughly respect D.O.'s (the GP I have gone to for years is one) and would have chosen to be one in a heartbeat if I didn't also have the M.D. option. But I and several other M.D. classmates I've talked to just didn't want to deal with the segment of the population that asks "wait, is a D.O. a real doctor?" Unfortunately some applicants also still have that misguided belief, but I do think the constant debate on SDN, while often annoying, has helped decrease applicant ignorance about D.O.'s.
 
jqueb29 said:
To be fair, OP didn't say he saw D.O. as inferior, just that he preferred M.D. I personally am fully aware that a D.O. and an M.D. receive the same education and do the same job, but it seems like much of the general public is still ignorant of this fact. From my experience, this is a large reason why many applicants, given the choice, pick M.D. over D.O. If you give me the choice to choose between 2 fields with the only difference between them being that some people have an unwarranted negative opinion of the field due to ignorance about it, I'll always choose the one where I don't have to deal with uninformed opinions. I thoroughly respect D.O.'s (the GP I have gone to for years is one) and would have chosen to be one in a heartbeat if I didn't also have the M.D. option. But I and several other M.D. classmates I've talked to just didn't want to deal with the segment of the population that asks "wait, is a D.O. a real doctor?" Unfortunately some applicants also still have that misguided belief, but I do think the constant debate on SDN, while often annoying, has helped decrease applicant ignorance about D.O.'s.
Click to expand...

You worry about USMLE, we'll worry about USMLE/COMLEX/DOreputation.
 
Will they ask if I also applied to MD schools? I'm currently on two wait lists. What should I say, just the truth?
 
Falconclaw said:
Will they ask if I also applied to MD schools? I'm currently on two wait lists. What should I say, just the truth?
Click to expand...
Some do, and yes, you should always tell the truth, as you're more likely to screw yourself over by coming off insincere in a lie than you are to turn them off by telling them you're on an MD waitlist.
 
maybe it's just me but I applied and interviewed at several DO schools and never got the "why DO" question with the exception of one school which is one of the newer ones. I was pretty surprised.
 
jqueb29 said:
To be fair, OP didn't say he saw D.O. as inferior, just that he preferred M.D. I personally am fully aware that a D.O. and an M.D. receive the same education and do the same job, but it seems like much of the general public is still ignorant of this fact. From my experience, this is a large reason why many applicants, given the choice, pick M.D. over D.O. If you give me the choice to choose between 2 fields with the only difference between them being that some people have an unwarranted negative opinion of the field due to ignorance about it, I'll always choose the one where I don't have to deal with uninformed opinions. I thoroughly respect D.O.'s (the GP I have gone to for years is one) and would have chosen to be one in a heartbeat if I didn't also have the M.D. option. But I and several other M.D. classmates I've talked to just didn't want to deal with the segment of the population that asks "wait, is a D.O. a real doctor?" Unfortunately some applicants also still have that misguided belief, but I do think the constant debate on SDN, while often annoying, has helped decrease applicant ignorance about D.O.'s.
Click to expand...
Here's the thing: I really don't think the general public sees a difference. They don't know the difference between a PA/NP/MD/DO. All they know is this person has studied medicine and they're helping them feel better.
I've only seen bias from some older docs and pre-meds.
Edit: my phone decided that older meant poser. . .
 
JimmyB123 said:
maybe it's just me but I applied and interviewed at several DO schools and never got the "why DO" question with the exception of one school which is one of the newer ones. I was pretty surprised.
Click to expand...
Same, and I applied late in the cycle because I only applied MD at first too. I interviewed in March and was waitlisted then accepted. You have to consider that fact that if a school chooses to interview an applicant this late in the cycle, they are really interested in him/her.
 
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