Looking into Heme/Onc. Fellowship. Please help with 5 schools for me.

[Hopefulpremed123]

Hey guys,

I know at first glance you might think this belongs in the pre-DO forum but I wanted to ask medical students who know more about matching and residencies e.t.c. Anyways, I am a California applicant and am applying to medical school with a 3.8 gpa and a 512 MCAT. I am looking to apply to 5 DO schools and wanted your advice on which ones I should choose based on my future interest...

I am very interested in IM followed by a Heme/Onc. fellowship and I know not all osteopathic schools will give me the best chance at that. If you had to recommend 5 with maybe teaching hospitals or their own programs for Heme/Onc. please let me know!

As a CA resident, I will certainly apply to Touro CA, and Western CA.

1,) The other 3 Schools are up in the air currently and I don't mind if they are out of state. Can someone recommend the other 3 that would pave the best path forward- high/mid tier IM + Heme/Onc?

Thanks

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[TwistedTea]

You didn’t even list them. I would also apply to more than 5. Can’t be that picky likely esp in cali

 

[Fat_Albert]

Whatever school you get into. All do schools are basically the same. I’d worry more about doing well in school & getting research

 

[Hopefulpremed123]

You didn’t even list them. I would also apply to more than 5. Can’t be that picky likely esp in cali

So I was hoping someone could give me 3 more DO schools I could to apply to. I have touro CA, Western.

I’m thinking about DMU, KCU, PCOM, Touro NV, ATStill but I want the schools that’ll give me the best shot at an mid/ higher tier IM + Heme/Onc.

And my gpa is a 3.83 and a 508, do you think I need more than 5 DO schools?

 

[Ho0v-man]

PCOM and state schools are best. After that, just don’t go to a brand new one. There’s not much difference so pick based on location. Avoid wcu and lmu.

 

[Hopefulpremed123]

PCOM and state schools are best. After that, just don’t go to a brand new one. There’s not much difference so pick based on location. Avoid wcu and lmu.

If you had to choose 3 from the following list for what I’m going for what would you choose? I love the location of all.
DMU, KCU, PCOM, Touro NV, VCOM (VA), New England.

 

[Schwifty]

If you had to choose 3 from the following list for what I’m going for what would you choose? I love the location of all.
DMU, KCU, PCOM, Touro NV, VCOM (VA), New England.

DMU, KCU, PCOM

 

[Ho0v-man]

PCOM (PA) arguably has better resources ie better rotations, actual research (per this site, anyway). There’s nothing wrong with the others, there’s just not much that gives an edge of one over the other. So I’d pick whatever’s closest to home and consider things like mandatory attendance, electives 4th year, tuition, etc to stratify the rest. Every school teaches the same stuff overall and none have something magical to help you match mid/higher tier IM. That will be down to you’re own performance in school and research.

 

[AlteredScale]

Med students constantly go over to the pre-med forum so moving it there since you are talking about applying to medical school...

Landing fellowships is not really associated with the DO school pedigree. You're best bet however is to get into a strong IM program with in-house heme-onc. Whether that is at a large community/communiversity or university hospital.

If it was me and I was dead set on Heme/Onc, I'd start looking for mentorship/research opportunities as soon as I felt comfortable in M1/M2. The results of doing so can be two-fold: 1) research output and 2) getting connected indirectly with the IM program there.

Here's the relative driving time between DO school and relatively close MD university hospital. Please note that this is one of many steps to actually find research and mentorship in Heme/Onc as some places may not be as nice regarding taking DO or any outside med students for research and taking spots for their MD students. You need to contact the places/investigators on your own and ask if they will take you.

Marian U and IUSOM (10 minutes)
KCU to the University of Kansas Hospital (10 minutes)
PCOM to HUP/UPenn (13 minutes)
Touro NY to NYP/NYU (20-25 minutes)
RowaSOM is in the same city as Cooper (22 minutes)
OU-HCOM to The OSU (22 minutes)
Rocky Vista to CU Anschutz (22 minute)
AZCOM to Banner Medical Center/UA Medical School (25 minutes)
UNECOM to Maine Medical Center/Tufts (25 minutes)
WesternU to UC Riverside (30 minutes)
Nova Southeastern to UMiami (31 minutes)
VCOM-VA to VTC/Carilion (42 minutes)
CCOM to Rush, Northwestern, University of Chicago Medical Center, UIC Hospital (25-45 minutes with hella traffic)
Campbell to Duke (1 hour)
Touro CA to UCSF (1+ hours)

 

[DrStephenStrange]

With your list, you're basically going to apply to only 5 DO schools that are arguably among the most competitive to get into. That's a recipe for failure bro, you need more schools. Heme/onc is not crazy competitive (like Cards or GI), so you can get it from any decent IM program, even from a decent community IM program, you can still get it. Any DO schools can get you into a decent IM program as long as you do well on boards (USMLE and COMLEX), don't fall into the bottom rank in your class, get good letters of rec for residency, audition for those residency spots, and do well on your clinical grades.

 

[Hopefulpremed123]

With your list, you're basically going to apply to only 5 DO schools that are arguably among the most competitive to get into. That's a recipe for failure bro, you need more schools. Heme/onc is not crazy competitive (like Cards or GI), so you can get it from any decent IM program, even from a decent community IM program, you can still get it. Any DO schools can get you into a decent IM program as long as you do well on boards (USMLE and COMLEX), don't fall into the bottom rank in your class, get good letters of rec for residency, audition for those residency spots, and do well on you clinical grades.

My cumulative gpa is a 3.83, BCPM is a 3.77. I am applying with a pub and around 500+ hours of clinical, research, and community service. Some of my friends were telling me I don't need more than 5 Do schools? I am also doing 35 MD schools btw. However, if you suggest I add on more then I can tag on 1-2 more schools.

I have Touro CA, Western CA, KCU, DMU, PCOM.

Maybe the other one I can add is VCOM-VA ( I am from VA).

 

[Goro]

Hey guys,

I know at first glance you might think this belongs in the pre-DO forum but I wanted to ask medical students who know more about matching and residencies e.t.c. Anyways, I am a California applicant and am applying to medical school with a 3.8 gpa and a 508 MCAT. I am looking to apply to 5 DO schools and wanted your advice on which ones I should choose based on my future interest...

I am very interested in IM followed by a Heme/Onc. fellowship and I know not all osteopathic schools will give me the best chance at that. If you had to recommend 5 with maybe teaching hospitals or their own programs for Heme/Onc. please let me know!

As a CA resident, I will certainly apply to Touro CA, and Western CA.

1,) The other 3 Schools are up in the air currently and I don't mind if they are out of state. Can someone recommend the other 3 that would pave the best path forward- high/mid tier IM + Heme/Onc?

Thanks

Those schools are fine. But getting into fellowship will be far more on you, than the schools.

 

[Goro]

Applying to 35+ schools is insane. You'll simply burn out.

Concentrate on getting into med school before worrying about specialties.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

My cumulative gpa is a 3.83, BCPM is a 3.77. I am applying with a pub and around 500+ hours of clinical, research, and community service. Some of my friends were telling me I don't need more than 5 Do schools? I am also doing 35 MD schools btw. However, if you suggest I add on more then I can tag on 1-2 more schools.

I have Touro CA, Western CA, KCU, DMU, PCOM.

Maybe the other one I can add is VCOM-VA ( I am from VA).

Wasn't aware that you were also applying to 35 MD schools. Although with your MCAT, MD will still be hard, unless you're a URM. I'd say 7 DO schools is ideal then, I would add CUSOM and VCOM-VA (or RVU-CO).

Edit: Get ready for those secondaries in advance. Otherwise with 35+ schools, you will burn out.

Sent from my SM-G981U using SDN mobile

 

[Hopefulpremed123]

Wasn't aware that you were also applying to 35 MD schools. Although with your MCAT, MD will still be hard, unless you're a URM. I'd say 7 DO schools is ideal then, I would add CUSOM and VCOM-VA (or RVU-CO).

Edit: Get ready for those secondaries in advance. Otherwise with 35+ schools, you will burn out.

Sent from my SM-G981U using SDN mobile

Thanks for your suggestion. I forgot to include... my new MCAT score is a 512! I didn't update it, my bad.

Would you recommend any particular school over VCOM- VA?

I have friends at Touro-NV and apparently they have a teaching hospital. Do you think that's abetter addition to my list than VCOM or RVU?

 

[Hopefulpremed123]

Applying to 35+ schools is insane. You'll simply burn out.

Concentrate on getting into med school before worrying about specialties.

Definitely. Thanks for your advice @Goro .

The DO schools I decided on are: TOURO CA, WESTERN CA, KCU, DMU, PCOM (is it worth applying here as a CA resident?), TOURO NV.

If you don't think PCOM is a great option as a CA resident, would you suggest any other particular school?

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Thanks for your suggestion. Would you recommend any particular school over VCOM- VA?

I have friends at Touro-NV and apparently they have a teaching hospital. Do you think that's abetter addition to my list than VCOM or RVU?

From a quick search, looks like TUNCOM did sponsor the Valley Hospital's GME programs. That could be a plus for rotations and letters of rec. I'd say go for it if you like the location better than VCOM or RVU-CO. CUSOM have lots of GME programs and teaching hospitals in North Carolina as well.

 

[Goro]

Definitely. Thanks for your advice @Goro .

The DO schools I decided on are: TOURO CA, WESTERN CA, KCU, DMU, PCOM (is it worth applying here as a CA resident?), TOURO NV.

If you don't think PCOM is a great option as a CA resident, would you suggest any other particular school?

PCOM is a good school

 

[dial1010usa]

TUNCOM has a descent research program and rotations within 30 minutes.

 

[NontradICUdoc]

I think you are jumping the gun too soon there. When it is time for fellowship, what you did in residency is more important.

Take one step at a time. You will have no shot at any residency let alone a fellowship without getting into and doing well in medical school first. Focus.

 

[Hopefulpremed123]

From a quick search, looks like TUNCOM did sponsor the Valley Hospital's GME programs. That could be a plus for rotations and letters of rec. I'd say go for it if you like the location better than VCOM or RVU-CO. CUSOM have lots of GME programs and teaching hospitals in North Carolina as well.

I think you are jumping the gun too soon there. When it is time for fellowship, what you did in residency is more important.

Take one step at a time. You will have no shot at any residency let alone a fellowship without getting into and doing well in medical school first. Focus.

Sorry if I sounded like as if I'm jumping the gun, that was not my intention! I don't know much about the DO schools unfortunately and all I know is that in the future, I am passionate about pursing either Heme Onc, Gastro or Cardio.

I know that this will require me to get a mid/high tier IM program and as I'm in the process of applying to medical schools, I wanted to have suggestions in terms of what schools will give me a better shot at mid/high tier IM programs? I know of no ranking for DO schools, and I like to think that I am a strong applicant and so I want to seriously think about where I am applying to.

I hear the original 5 DO schools being promoted as being the "best bet" but I am not sure. As a CA applicant, I currently have Tuoro CA, Tuoro NV, Western CA, KCU, DMU, NYITCOM, AND UNE.

@AlteredScale @Ho0v-man @Schwifty

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Sorry if I sounded like as if I'm jumping the gun, that was not my intention! I don't know much about the DO schools unfortunately and all I know is that in the future, I am strongly passionate about pursing Heme Onc.

I know that this will require me to get a mid/high tier IM program and as I'm in the process of applying to medical schools, I wanted to have suggestions in terms of what schools will give me a better shot at mid/high tier IM programs? I know of no ranking for DO schools, and I like to think that I am a strong applicant and so I want to seriously think about where I am applying to.

I hear the original 5 DO schools being promoted as being the "best bet" but I am not sure. As a CA applicant, I currently have Tuoro CA, Tuoro NV, Western CA, KCU, DMU, NYITCOM, AND UNE.

@AlteredScale @Ho0v-man @Schwifty

You don't need a Mid/high tier IM porgram to get heme/onc. It's not as competitive as you make it seem. Even a good community IM program can get you into Heme/onc.

 

[Hopefulpremed123]

You don't need a Mid/high tier IM porgram to get heme/onc. It's not as competitive as you make it seem. Even a good community IM program can get you into Heme/onc.

Hey sorry just fixed it man. I am also very interested in Cardio/Gastro as well. By the sound of things, these two are quite difficult aren't they? So would you have any prospective schools you would recommend in this scenario?

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Hey sorry just fixed it man. I am also very interested in Cardio/Gastro as well. By the sound of things, these two are quite difficult aren't they? So would you have any prospective schools you would recommend in this scenario?

I think all that was said before were to the point.

 

[Ho0v-man]

Sorry if I sounded like as if I'm jumping the gun, that was not my intention! I don't know much about the DO schools unfortunately and all I know is that in the future, I am passionate about pursing either Heme Onc, Gastro or Cardio.

I know that this will require me to get a mid/high tier IM program and as I'm in the process of applying to medical schools, I wanted to have suggestions in terms of what schools will give me a better shot at mid/high tier IM programs? I know of no ranking for DO schools, and I like to think that I am a strong applicant and so I want to seriously think about where I am applying to.

I hear the original 5 DO schools being promoted as being the "best bet" but I am not sure. As a CA applicant, I currently have Tuoro CA, Tuoro NV, Western CA, KCU, DMU, NYITCOM, AND UNE.

@AlteredScale @Ho0v-man @Schwifty

State funded DO schools like OSU or MSU offer more options for research and rotations at teaching hospitals than private ones. Other than that, it barely matters as what you’ll do to match well in IM will likely be independent of your school. You should apply to all of those schools as well as the state funded and maybe a couple more. Then get choosey when you have choices. As of right now, there’s no guarantee that all of those schools will necessarily interview you. I go to an “old 5” school but didn’t get interviews at some new schools. The process can be a wash sometimes. With rare exception, the private DO schools are much more similar than unique in terms of opportunities (or rather lack thereof) so just pick the one you like best.

There’s nothing much else to add.

 

[Fat_Albert]

I think it’s funny how pre meds are passionate about 3 Completely different specialties but probably knows nothing about them except their salary

 

[DO2015CA]

I think it’s funny how pre meds are passionate about 3 Completely different specialties but probably knows nothing about them except their salary

Spongebob I can passionate about me money agagagag