new DO fan

[MDpride]

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Hii

I've decided to apply to DO along with MD

But, with hard luck I found somebody who can give me DO's number so that i can contact him for shadowing.

Is it too late for applying?

What shall I write in essay or extracurricular activities without any shadow exp.?

are there any schools that don't require personal statement?
help

MCAT : 30 O and GPA: 3.83

 

[prionsRbad]

Hii

I've decided to apply to DO along with MD

But, with hard luck I found somebody who can give me DO's number so that i can contact him for shadowing.

Is it too late for applying?

What shall I write in essay or extracurricular activities without any shadow exp.?

help

MCAT : 30 O

No, it's not too late.

Also, maybe you should try another DO for shadowing. Look here: http://www.osteopathic.org/directory.cfm

If you don't have any shadowing experience yet you can't really put anything down. You can, however, send an update to schools about your DO shadowing experience once you get started. 😀

Do you have any other EC's that you can write about? What about clinical volunteering experience . . . I hope you have this at least!😕

Good Luck

 

[MDpride]

I only have MD shadowing exp.

Short on budget so had to work.

 

[prionsRbad]

I only have MD shadowing exp.

Short on budget so had to work.

That's OK! List MD shadowing! DO schools are not going to hold it against you?! Actually, some of the DO schools that require a letter from a physician advise that if you have a letter from an MD that you've known for 3 years and a letter from a DO that you've known for 3 hours, you should definitely use the MD letter.

 

[EEL08]

I only have MD shadowing exp.

Short on budget so had to work.

Wait, so you have MD shadowing but no other ec's? What work experiences do you have?

 

[MDpride]

Well, I have worked in fastfood places and as electrician.
currently working as frontdesk manager.

 

[EEL08]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but even with your MCAT it seems like it would be hard to get in with hardly any clinical/volunteering experience. Have you thought about trying to fit something in so you have more experiences to discuss?

 

[mastamark]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but even with your MCAT it seems like it would be hard to get in with hardly any clinical/volunteering experience. Have you thought about trying to fit something in so you have more experiences to discuss?

Yeah...I think DO schools are really big on experience and EC activities. I guess that is fair seeing as they look past just the numbers, at the whole applicant. That would be hard if you were only made of numbers. That said, I still think you will figure it out MDpride. I am sure you got something to wow them with. Definitely shadow a DO as soon as possible and gather any community services and activities as possible. I myself had tons of activities that I just plain forgot about. I still think your application is lookin good.👍

Good Luck to ya.👍

 

[Tensyle]

Hii

I've decided to apply to DO along with MD

But, with hard luck I found somebody who can give me DO's number so that i can contact him for shadowing.

Is it too late for applying?

What shall I write in essay or extracurricular activities without any shadow exp.?

are there any schools that don't require personal statement?
help

MCAT : 30 O and GPA: 3.83

welcome to the land of nicer people. im being serious 👍

 

[Nasem]

I became a DO fan a while back...
The biggest thing that influenced me was that DO schools are more forgiving to non-trads and people who fudged up thier undergrad GPAs...

But in all honesty, Primary Care is where I really want to end up (Internal Medicine "nerd" all the way baby), so DO or MD behind my name is of no importance to me.... Besides, I am very lucky I am a michigan resident since MSUCOM accepts a HUGE %age of thier class from MI alone.

 

[prionsRbad]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but even with your MCAT it seems like it would be hard to get in with hardly any clinical/volunteering experience. Have you thought about trying to fit something in so you have more experiences to discuss?

👍 I agree.

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Clinical experience is a big deal. The last time I applied, the dean of admissions at UT-houston told me that I didn't get any Texas interviews because I didn't have any clinical experience. Now I have a ton, so we'll see how it changes things.

 

[Pansit]

Hii

I've decided to apply to DO along with MD

But, with hard luck I found somebody who can give me DO's number so that i can contact him for shadowing.

Is it too late for applying?

What shall I write in essay or extracurricular activities without any shadow exp.?

are there any schools that don't require personal statement?
help

MCAT : 30 O and GPA: 3.83

Actually you might have a problem when during interviews they ask the typical "What is your SDN username?", and they pull out a laptop and ask you to log in....I suggest that you have a good reason or else they will think you are using them as a backup...good luck...you still have time👍

 

[mastamark]

I became a DO fan a while back...
The biggest thing that influenced me was that DO schools are more forgiving to non-trads and people who fudged up thier undergrad GPAs...

But in all honesty, Primary Care is where I really want to end up (Internal Medicine "nerd" all the way baby), so DO or MD behind my name is of no importance to me.... Besides, I am very lucky I am a michigan resident since MSUCOM accepts a HUGE %age of thier class from MI alone.

I don't think DO schools are necessarily more forgiving of GPAs. You still can't apply with a 1.8 or 2.0. I think it is just a matter of them looking beyond the numbers in the first place. Many people can get through any med school that do not have 3.5+. MD schools are just so competitive that they have to use those higher numbers as criteria for selection. If there were 600 med school seats and 400 applicants many people would get in with GPAs less than 3.5(allo or osteo).

I think Osteopathic schools realize that once you have a certain MCAT and GPA you can handle it, so they consider other factors just as heavily as MCAT and GPA.

Good Luck at MSU.

 

[DOcat]

will they actually ask you to log into SDN?? haha, not like i have anything to hide, but thats a lil intimidating. haha or maybe i've completely lost my sense of sarcasm??

 

[JaggerPlate]

will they actually ask you to log into SDN?? haha, not like i have anything to hide, but thats a lil intimidating. haha or maybe i've completely lost my sense of sarcasm??

Yup they do ... which is why 'MDPride' is in trouble. On the other hand ... you, 'DOcat' are in great shape. In a typical interview though, they ask you to log in, check your post count, number of posts per day, any warnings given, avatar, and if you are a donor or not. It's become a fairly large chunk of the interview process ...😱

 

[prionsRbad]

Yup they do ... which is why 'MDPride' is in trouble. On the other hand ... you, 'DOcat' are in great shape. In a typical interview though, they ask you to log in, check your post count, number of posts per day, any warnings given, avatar, and if you are a donor or not. It's become a fairly large chunk of the interview process ...😱

 

[Nasem]

lol are you serious ??? they ask you to login SDN ? what if your not a SDN member?.... thats the craziest thing for a medical interview

 

[speeter]

They also make you login to your facebook and they look at all of your pictures. Get rid of the "red solo cup" pictures for sure. The last thing they check on the laptop is your bank account information.

 

[saylorsdad]

I also hear that they are now adding the clean underwear check, just in case you are in a car wreck on the way home.

Seriously don't go d.o. for a backup plan, if your dream is md stick with it, likewise for do . If you go d.o. as a backup and always wish you would have went md then you could regret it in the future. Now if your plan is to practice medicine, and be a really good doctor then the initials before your name shouldn't matter. I fall into the latter, guess I'm a bit older at 31 and less worried about what I am or am not called.

 

[Powdermonkey]

they ask you to login SDN ? what if your not a SDN member?

Why do you think so many people get rejected each year....???

 

[Revenant]

We're screwing with you dude....

 

[JaggerPlate]

THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL SDNERS WHO HAVE HAD THEIR SENSE OF HUMOR RUINED BY THE PRE-MED EXPERIENCE ...

I was kidding. 100%. Everything I said was a joke !!

 

[Powdermonkey]

I was kidding. 100%. Everything I said was a joke !!

Aww... you ruined it. It was becoming so funny. I think some were actually falling for it too

 

[Nasem]

You bastards !!! lol

You had me going for a second

 

[TexasTriathlete]

Somebody go post that on the pre-allo forum, and see how fast that place clears out.

 

[Powdermonkey]

You bastards !!! lol

You had me going for a second

Hahahahaha


hey, quick look, gullible is written on the ceiling!!!😎

 

[JaggerPlate]

Aww... you ruined it. It was becoming so funny. I think some were actually falling for it too

hahah no joke I had to stop it when my pm inbox started overflowing with people asking me how I knew this, where I got this inside information, and what they should do??

It had to be done ... I am sorry

 

[Powdermonkey]

hahah no joke I had to stop it when my pm inbox started overflowing with people asking me how I knew this, where I got this inside information, and what they should do??

It had to be done ... I am sorry

OMFGROTFLMFAO!!!! Are yous erious??!! sheesh... some people....

 

[Powdermonkey]

Texastriathlete, you or Jaggerplate should go start a thread like this over in the pre MD forum. Should be fun to watch

 

[osli]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but even with your MCAT it seems like it would be hard to get in with hardly any clinical/volunteering experience. Have you thought about trying to fit something in so you have more experiences to discuss?

I think that is true at many schools, but not at all and certainly not for everyone. The important thing to remember is that many DO schools are interested more in your journey and your life's story more than your stats, or checks in certain boxes.

MDpride - don't get discouraged. Your numbers are similar to my own, and when I interviewed I had very little clinical or shadowing experience. Very little, as in almost but not quite none. Many schools, osteo and allo, saw past that. I was a non-traditional student that had no reason to shadow a doctor either as an engineering student or as a working engineer. And they were also understanding that after making the decision to return to med school my 4 science/lab courses and 30 hours of work to pay for it (and the wife) left little time for that. I squeezed in what I could, and had some more dates lined up for later in the spring/summer that I could point to.

The biggest thing is that you demonstrate a sincere interest. Make an effort. Some schools may be looking for miracles, or for you to live on a street corner while you volunteer and shadow for a year, but not all of them, and certainly not a large number of DO schools. But get something on the schedule. Talk frankly but passionately about the limited experiences you do have, and how your goal (hopefully) is got work in as many more experiences as possible.

 

[Powdermonkey]

+1 Osli! That was great. Gives me hope as an engineer!

 

[osli]

p.s. engineers rock as medical students. There are other degrees that give you a head start on some of the fact memorization, but I can't think of any other discipline (broadly speaking) that better prepares you for truly learning medicine.

Of course I'm just a bit biased...

 

[Powdermonkey]

I've heard that... more than once. Super pumped about it. Crossing everything that I have that I get in this year.... 🙂

 

[Nasem]

yeh I like reading Osli's responces.... not just here, he made a really nice argument in the Clinton's universal healthcare thread

good job Osli 👍

 

[JaggerPlate]

OMFGROTFLMFAO!!!! Are yous erious??!! sheesh... some people....

Yup ... dead serious.

 

[osli]

yeh I like reading Osli's responces.... not just here, he made a really nice argument in the Clinton's universal healthcare thread

good job Osli 👍

Thanks. It seems that I'm not so fond of heavy neuroscience and clinical neuroanatomy, so my not studying has given me more time to post laterly.

 

[Tensyle]

You bastards !!! lol

You had me going for a second

HAHHAHAHHA!!!! i started laughing out loud...my kinda humor!

 

[tony montana]

High memorization in engineering?

Last I spoke to engineering students they regret I switched since med school had so much memorization..."so unlike engineering"...

 

[Meatwad]

Anyone who had to memorize lots of stuff for an engineering curriculum must have went to a weak, weak school for engineering...

Engineering is the exact opposite of memorization; it's innovation and creation. Sure, you memorize a few formulas, but even those are usually readily available and not necessary to memorize. You should understand concepts and be able to apply them to new problems as an engineer, not simply regurgitate information that you've crammed in your brain.

 

[osli]

Man, I'm doing a piss poor job of wording things clearly lately. I reread what I wrote and it did sound a bit strange. Here is the new improved and clarified version:

"There are other degrees that (do) give you a head start on some of the fact memorization (engineering doesn't), but I can't think of any other discipline (broadly speaking) that better prepares you for truly learning medicine (conceptually and comprehensively)."

Here's the analogy I use to describe med school to my engineering friends and to interviewing students here...

Engineering school is like taking a phone book and choosing one particular number to study for a one semester course. You derive its digits, learn how they relate to one another, and learn why there are ten of them and not more or less. You calculate the maximum possible combinations of numbers of that length, the maximum possible permutations of the digits in the number the course is studying, and what significance the difference in those two calculations has. You learn how to apply the number - who you can call, and who you can't. You learn what real world situations might require that particular number. If it an advanced class, you might examine what happens in the telecommunication network when you actually dial that number... how it is routed, what processing occurs, and so forth.

Med school is like taking a phone book and memorizing all the numbers. Six weeks later you throw it away and they hand you a new phone book.

Or course I realize that there is some real conceptual learning in med school, and that is where engineering particularly comes in handy (and where a lot of students tend to have problems). But the balance between concepts and facts is quite a shock to the engineering student at first. Not difficult, necessarily, but astonishing.

 

[Nasem]

Osli, I have a question about medical students...

How the hell do doctors know the names of SOOOO MANY different diseases, there is no way in hell all of them grab the 1000 page book which has all the diseases known to man kind and simply memorize it inside out... thats insane, thats like memorizing an english dictionary.

A more scary thing is, how do they know how to pronounce the names of those really weird once lol

 

[nlax30]

Osli, I have a question about medical students...

How the hell do doctors know the names of SOOOO MANY different diseases, there is no way in hell all of them grab the 1000 page book which has all the diseases known to man kind and simply memorize it inside out... thats insane, thats like memorizing an english dictionary.

A more scary thing is, how do they know how to pronounce the names of those really weird once lol

It's weird but once you start and get in the flow of chugging through the material I think you'll surprise yourself by how much you'll be able to retain and remember. I never considered myself good at "memorizing" so to speak, but now that we're just about all the way through the body (anatomy) I'm amazed at how much stuff I've been able to pick up over the past 8 weeks. The volume is insane, but as along as you sit each day and work through it it's doable. The other thing is you're not just sitting and flat out memorizing 1000's and 1000's of structures/diseases, etc.... but you're learning things in context and their relationship with other structures.

 

[osli]

Osli, I have a question about medical students...

How the hell do doctors know the names of SOOOO MANY different diseases, there is no way in hell all of them grab the 1000 page book which has all the diseases known to man kind and simply memorize it inside out... thats insane, thats like memorizing an english dictionary.

A more scary thing is, how do they know how to pronounce the names of those really weird once lol

The key to medicine is to understand the mechanisms, not just remember names and lists of symptoms. Then you really pound the important "never miss this or else..." and "this deadly disease is easy to diagnose and treat... if you think of it..." kinds of things into your head.

You don't need to know every detail of every disease (except for boards), you just need to understand medicine well enough to know when something is abnormal, and who to ask or where to look if you don't remember the specifics.

Ever watch Mystery Diagnosis? (or is it called Medical Mystery?) That show is about doctor after doctor that missed a diagnosis before one finally got it right... usually the one that didn't "assume" he knew what it was or write it off as something trivial, but went searching the knowledge bases until he figured it out.