MD VS DO

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MeatTornado said:
Getting rejected from multiple DO schools with a 34 on the MCAT tells me that you may have had red flags in your application....an unflattering comment from a letter writer perhaps? I won't speculate further but this would certainly make anyone familiar with the process wonder.



Way too early to say.

Regardless I'm glad you got into med school and good luck. Just realize that from here on out your attitude is going to be huge. I understand you feel slighted in life but at the end of the day if you are unpleasant to be around that'll be your undoing. I've found self-awareness to be the most important attribute to success and happiness in medicine (both personal self-awareness and surrounding oneself with people who are also self-aware).
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It was two DO schools (that I wasn't really familiar with). I would agree with you, but where I was accepted, my interviewer commented on the quality of my letters (and I agreed, since I saw all of them before they were submitted). Regardless, the past is the past and everything happens for a reason. The match list at my state school is comparable to my current school for the past 5 years, so I'm not too worried.

But I appreciate what you said and it is noted. Thanks everyone. Enough about me, back to the super cute cats!
 
Purrito bump!

HT_best_friends_kittens_1_jt_150526_16x9_992.jpg
 
MeltingIceCube said:
My senior photo, when I was filled with hope and gusto. Back then, Harvard MD was not only attainable, it was a safety.

o-DRAVEN-facebook.jpg
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I have gotten a couple of application photos like this. Mirrored background and all.
 
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MeltingIceCube said:
At the end of the day, this website is just a bunch of j&rk of^s hiding behind computer screens, living our unhappy lives (life is suffering after all; make no mistakes, no one is immune, it's all a show). Be the best you can be while helping as many people as you can! It takes all kinds.
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runawayfrompain.jpg
 
MeltingIceCube said:
That is fantastic and makes me feel better about the world we live in.

Did it help or hurt? I would have loved to be creative but did not have the stones. Without the cat and with proper attire...the lasers don't automatically make it 'unprofessional'. Odd? Sure.
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It hasn't helped.
Med school application photos are a good place to play it safe.
 
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MeltingIceCube said:
Ever tempted? I'm sure that there are occasions when you have an urge to meet one of these people in person...right?

I'm surprised schools get away with the whole photo thing...seems sketchy to me.
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The applicants choose how they present themselves...
 
MeltingIceCube said:
Do you ever think there will be a point where in-person interviews are abolished? It's expensive, especially for FAP applicants. I'm willing to go in loads of CC debt to make it happen (what's another drop in the bucket), but I can see why some people could have a problem with it.
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Nope. If I don't believe I can get these people a job in four years, it's just wrong to accept them.
 
MeltingIceCube said:
That's what I figured. The costs could definitely be reduced, however, if schools were more transparent in regard to what they actually wanted and/or deemed unacceptable. But it's a business...an ethical business? Probably not. Not ruffling feathers or pointing fingers, just an observation. We all have jobs to do.
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It's more ethical to accept people whom we believe will be able to gladly pay back the burden of their debt in a field of their choice. To accept those for whom we are not the right school is also less than ideal...
We do tell applicants what we are looking for, but they seem to have a hard time with self assessment.
 
MeltingIceCube said:
Interesting...I don't know if you read that story on the previous page. But could that have been that girl's problem in regard to not gaining an MD acceptance (I'm interested in social barriers and find this stuff fascinating)? She went on about how social stigmas and socioeconomic barriers may have precluded her from gaining an acceptance, even after overcoming a situation I would never wish on my worst enemy (homelessness, incarcerated parents, etc.). If you don't want to answer that question, I completely understand and I don't want to bring up her situation again exclusively. I'm talking generalities.
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Medical school is expensive and very challenging for even the most talented applicant. Even though attrition is small, collateral damage is high. However evil applicants may believe us to be, we are actually just trying to avoid pain; our own pain as well as the pain of our students. This makes us risk-averse.
Some risks are still worth taking.
 
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MeltingIceCube said:
So is it reasonable to assume that pedigree (to a degree), stigma (e.g. is a person from a horrible background stable enough for medical school despite impressive feats of overcoming the odds), and income (explaining why schools ask about parents) plays a role in who gets the nod? Again, I don't believe you guys are evil. It's a system that you didn't create. I plan to study this one day so I really appreciate your input.
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Evidence of the core competencies is what we are looking for, not social status or "pedigree."
Adaptability and resilience are more important than parental income.

I've studied this since the 70's. It is fascinating.
 
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No.

MeltingIceCube said:
Do you ever think there will be a point where in-person interviews are abolished? It's expensive, especially for FAP applicants. I'm willing to go in loads of CC debt to make it happen (what's another drop in the bucket), but I can see why some people could have a problem with it.
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MeltingIceCube said:
I'm not going to bring up a previous poster again so I'll make a new example:

Suppose student A overcame...being in a group foster home that included severe abuse and some sort of trauma (which is elucidated in a personal statement). The aforementioned inhibited student A's performance for quite some time (indicative of emotional/adaptability issues). However, student A eventually got it together and became an 'acceptable applicant'. In reading such an application, would there be ANY doubt or question as to whether or not the rigors of medical school could perhaps reignite such emotional/adaptability issues (triggering the risk-aversive behavior you speak of on the adcom side of the table)?

Also, suppose student B is poorer than dirt and applies to the most expensive medical school in the country. If student B is a good applicant, within acceptable range, etc. Would there be a possibility of student B being rejected simply due to not having the money (or all star potential) to pay back his loans (again, risk aversive behavior).

Thanks a lot gyngyn...this topic just really gets my marbles moving.
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A: A sustained period of academic excellence would make this an fine candidate. Limited evidence of the ability to perform under sustained pressure would make this is a high risk/high reward candidate, though. Unfortunately, many applicants seem to be in a great hurry.
B. Everyone is eligible for federal loans (except international). Ability to pay plays no part whatsoever in the admissions process (except for internationals.).
 
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Lots of good discussion! I'm applying next cycle, I'm place-bound and competing for a seat out of 25 MD spots and 140 DO spots. I'm not sure what I want to do after graduation, so would like to keep all options open if possible. I was looking at the match rate for residency. Reviewing the "Main Residency Match" report shows U.S. MD seniors match 94%, whereas DO "students and graduates" match at 80%. [The DO category on this may include previous DO grads (the match rate for previous MD grads is 49%), thus lowering the overall DO match rate]. But what's odd is the statistic that 26% of DO match applicants withdrew their application. If those withdrawals counted as no-match, it would lower the overall DO match rate to just over 50% (a similar operation on the MD match rate would only reduce it to 90%). Are they withdrawing due to futility? Are the pro-commenters on here comfortable with the idea that MD grads find residency matches at nearly twice the percent rate of success compared to DO grads? I would be interested to hear thoughts, thanks.

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Main-Match-Results-and-Data-2016.pdf
 

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rabbott1971 said:
Lots of good discussion! I'm applying next cycle, I'm place-bound and competing for a seat out of 25 MD spots and 140 DO spots. I'm not sure what I want to do after graduation, so would like to keep all options open if possible. I was looking at the match rate for residency. Reviewing the "Main Residency Match" report shows U.S. MD seniors match 94%, whereas DO "students and graduates" match at 80%. [The DO category on this may include previous DO grads (the match rate for previous MD grads is 49%), thus lowering the overall DO match rate]. But what's odd is the statistic that 26% of DO match applicants withdrew their application. If those withdrawals counted as no-match, it would lower the overall DO match rate to just over 50% (a similar operation on the MD match rate would only reduce it to 90%). Are they withdrawing due to futility? Are the pro-commenters on here comfortable with the idea that MD grads find residency matches at nearly twice the percent rate of success compared to DO grads? I would be interested to hear thoughts, thanks.

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Main-Match-Results-and-Data-2016.pdf
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They are matching in DO residencies?
 
gyngyn said:
Nope. If I don't believe I can get these people a job in four years, it's just wrong to accept them.
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Can you believe the law school admissions process doesn't require interviews? I'd argue communication skills are just as important in law as they are in medicine.
 
rabbott1971 said:
Lots of good discussion! I'm applying next cycle, I'm place-bound and competing for a seat out of 25 MD spots and 140 DO spots. I'm not sure what I want to do after graduation, so would like to keep all options open if possible. I was looking at the match rate for residency. Reviewing the "Main Residency Match" report shows U.S. MD seniors match 94%, whereas DO "students and graduates" match at 80%. [The DO category on this may include previous DO grads (the match rate for previous MD grads is 49%), thus lowering the overall DO match rate]. But what's odd is the statistic that 26% of DO match applicants withdrew their application. If those withdrawals counted as no-match, it would lower the overall DO match rate to just over 50% (a similar operation on the MD match rate would only reduce it to 90%). Are they withdrawing due to futility? Are the pro-commenters on here comfortable with the idea that MD grads find residency matches at nearly twice the percent rate of success compared to DO grads? I would be interested to hear thoughts, thanks.

http://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Main-Match-Results-and-Data-2016.pdf
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This does not include the students in the DO match. When both matches are included along with SOAP, DO's have about a 97% placement.
 
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