New to DO, need info

Started by SCooFS
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SCooFS

SCooFS

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Hey guys. I'm applying broadly to MD and DO this year but know very little about DO.

There is a very really chance I will not get in MD but should be quite competitive at DO with a 29 mcat, 3.7-3.9 GPA, non traditional.

I need to know what the best programs are for:

1) Getting me to a competitive residency.
2) Is a nice place to live for my wife and daughter.

What are the most sought after DO schools?
 
1. First place you should probably look is the CIB:
http://www.aacom.org/news-and-events/publications/cib_final
It gives you a general overlook on all the DO schools, their requirements, their mission and etc.

2. Shadow DO if possible - especially if you can shadow those in the competitive residencies you are looking for. Some of these schools require a DO LOR.

3. Search the SDN threads for more specifics/anecdotes. There are also plenty of MD vs DO threads that have been beaten to death. It wouldn't be a bad idea to scroll through some the recent ones (esp with residency merger) to get an idea of what you would be getting yourself into for DO.

Welcome aboard!
 
Getting into a competitive residency will hinge mostly on your board scores and clinicals, not which DO school you're at. Any of the programs (with the possible exception of LUCOM) would give you the training and info you need in order to match competively provided you hit the target scores you need. As suggested, I'd recommend looking more in depth at the list of all the schools for tuition, location, mission, etc. You could start compiling schools and pull up their match lists. There are a lot of great DO schools that will get you where you want to go.
Good luck
 
Concur with the posters above, check out the CIB - make a rank list of 10 or so schools you and your family would like in terms of the type of city, amenities, and all the other considerations you would want to take into account.

Whereabouts are you from? If you're on the east coast - i'd highly recommend considering Marian-U in Indianapolis, seemed like a great place for a family.
 
SCooFS said:
Hey guys. I'm applying broadly to MD and DO this year but know very little about DO.

There is a very really chance I will not get in MD but should be quite competitive at DO with a 29 mcat, 3.7-3.9 GPA, non traditional.

I need to know what the best programs are for:

1) Getting me to a competitive residency.
2) Is a nice place to live for my wife and daughter.

What are the most sought after DO schools?
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Here is a list of places to consider:
KCUMB
PCOM
NSUCOM
DMU
CCOM
NYIT
WesternU
AZCOM

All of these are good programs in nice areas. Good luck.
 
UBC2014 said:
Concur with the posters above, check out the CIB - make a rank list of 10 or so schools you and your family would like in terms of the type of city, amenities, and all the other considerations you would want to take into account.

Whereabouts are you from? If you're on the east coast - i'd highly recommend considering Marian-U in Indianapolis, seemed like a great place for a family.
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Thanks! I'm in Utah. I like the west coast and am interested in UNT in Texas because of the price tag and national ranking. But we have family in the Midwest and may apply there as well
 
SCooFS said:
Thanks! I'm in Utah. I like the west coast and am interested in UNT in Texas because of the price tag and national ranking. But we have family in the Midwest and may apply there as well
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UNT is hard to get into for non Texas residents! They accept 90% Texas people
 
There are quite a few people from Utah (mostly BYU grads) in the incoming class at TCOM. Definitely apply.
 
TMDSAS is used to apply to all Texas medical schools except Baylor.

They don't use AMCAS or AACOMAS.
 
Your stats look pretty similar to mine when I applied a few years ago. I'm at TCOM now. I was out of state. I definitely think it's worth doing the additional application, even if it is just for TCOM. If you want it to be worth your money, you could apply to a few MD schools too.

My wife and I have been very happy in Fort Worth. Like someone already said, there are quite a bit of out of state students from Utah/BYU. I'm one of ten from my class (current 3rd year), and almost all of us have kids. I'm pretty sure most of them would pick living here again.

I also interviewed at AZCOM and KCUMB and felt like we would have been happy at either of those places with a family as well. If you have any further questions about TCOM or Fort Worth, feel free to send me a message. Good luck!
 
lal4life said:
Your stats look pretty similar to mine when I applied a few years ago. I'm at TCOM now. I was out of state. I definitely think it's worth doing the additional application, even if it is just for TCOM. If you want it to be worth your money, you could apply to a few MD schools too.

My wife and I have been very happy in Fort Worth. Like someone already said, there are quite a bit of out of state students from Utah/BYU. I'm one of ten from my class (current 3rd year), and almost all of us have kids. I'm pretty sure most of them would pick living here again.

I also interviewed at AZCOM and KCUMB and felt like we would have been happy at either of those places with a family as well. If you have any further questions about TCOM or Fort Worth, feel free to send me a message. Good luck!
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It just seems like a lot of work for one school when I'm already doing MD and DO. Would I have any chance at the other Texas schools? Are there other DOs as good as TCOM? Are any as cheap?
 
If that is your picture in your profile pic then think about removing it to keep yourself anonymous.
 
You said you're non-traditional correct? Do you have any military and/or religious mission experience? Being military myself I can say that Texans LOVE both military and religion, and such experience would look favorably on an application.

Other than that, if a good place for your family is important I would recommend VCOM and ATSU-KCOM. Out of all the places I looked at and interviewed those two seemed to have the most family oriented support systems integrated into the student culture. Though ATSU-KCOM is kind of in the middle of nowhere, and could be difficult for your wife to find work.
 
SCooFS said:
It just seems like a lot of work for one school when I'm already doing MD and DO. Would I have any chance at the other Texas schools? Are there other DOs as good as TCOM? Are any as cheap?
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I can't say 100% about whether or not other DO schools are as good, but I've heard that TCOM tends to have one of the highest, if not highest, average board scores, most students matching to MD residencies of all the DO schools, and have a good reputation in the clinics and with other programs throughout Texas. As far as price, since you have a kid you'll get in state after first year (being a full time parent or paying someone to watch a child counts as a full time job in Texas) I don't think any other DO school comes close to its price.

Would you have a shot at other MD schools in texas? Maybe. I had plenty of friends accepted to Texas MD schools. I didn't get interviews to any of them. It does suck that it's another application, and more money, so I guess you just need to figure out if that's worth it for you. I figured that since I was already doing two application services, a third one couldn't be much worse. That combined with how much money I could potentially save by getting into a Texas school is what made me decide to give it a shot.

Hopefully that helps. I know the application process sucks, and some will tell you mss school sucks, but I've enjoyed it. It's been worth it for me so far. Still got a long way to go, but I'm getting there!
 
lal4life said:
I can't say 100% about whether or not other DO schools are as good, but I've heard that TCOM tends to have one of the highest, if not highest, average board scores, most students matching to MD residencies of all the DO schools, and have a good reputation in the clinics and with other programs throughout Texas. As far as price, since you have a kid you'll get in state after first year (being a full time parent or paying someone to watch a child counts as a full time job in Texas) I don't think any other DO school comes close to its price.

Would you have a shot at other MD schools in texas? Maybe. I had plenty of friends accepted to Texas MD schools. I didn't get interviews to any of them. It does suck that it's another application, and more money, so I guess you just need to figure out if that's worth it for you. I figured that since I was already doing two application services, a third one couldn't be much worse. That combined with how much money I could potentially save by getting into a Texas school is what made me decide to give it a shot.

Hopefully that helps. I know the application process sucks, and some will tell you mss school sucks, but I've enjoyed it. It's been worth it for me so far. Still got a long way to go, but I'm getting there!
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Very helpful answer thank you! I think you have me convinced. I was just looking at the application, can I start it now or what?
 
MightBeACylon439 said:
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Other than that, if a good place for your family is important I would recommend VCOM and ATSU-KCOM. Out of all the places I looked at and interviewed those two seemed to have the most family oriented support systems integrated into the student culture. Though ATSU-KCOM is kind of in the middle of nowhere, and could be difficult for your wife to find work.
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I second this as far as KCOM. It was by far the most non-traditional friendly and family friendly school where I interviewed. There are quite a number of folks in the class of 2019 who are moving with families. It would be well worth your while to shoot an application to KCOM and at least see if you can live with the location as it does have a lot of great things going for it.
 
No idea if you can start it now. It's been a while since I did that. Someone else will no better than I would.
 
SCooFS said:
Very helpful answer thank you! I think you have me convinced. I was just looking at the application, can I start it now or what?
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Per TMDSAS website: The application for entry year 2016 will be available Friday, May 1, 2015 at 8:00 am CT.
 
SCooFS said:
Thanks! I'm in Utah. I like the west coast and am interested in UNT in Texas because of the price tag and national ranking. But we have family in the Midwest and may apply there as well
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You may want to consider Rocky Vista University in Parker, CO as well. It's just outside of Denver. They seemed family friendly and are working at building lots of partnerships in Utah, if you're wanting to get back there eventually.
 
SCooFS said:
It just seems like a lot of work for one school when I'm already doing MD and DO. Would I have any chance at the other Texas schools? Are there other DOs as good as TCOM? Are any as cheap?
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While it's not impossible, I doubt you would have a chance at any of the Texas schools, including TCOM. I applied during 2 cycles to all Texas schools as an Oklahoma resident with a 32 and 3.78, and all I got was an interview in Galveston my first cycle. Never even got a TCOM interview either cycle. Without well above average stats and barring rare exceptions, you don't get into Texas as an OOS.
 
jqueb29 said:
While it's not impossible, I doubt you would have a chance at any of the Texas schools, including TCOM. I applied during 2 cycles to all Texas schools as an Oklahoma resident with a 32 and 3.78, and all I got was an interview in Galveston my first cycle. Never even got a TCOM interview either cycle. Without well above average stats and barring rare exceptions, you don't get into Texas as an OOS.
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While this may be true for some people, it's not always the case. I got in with a 28 MCAT and a 3.85ish GPA. I know I'm not the only OOS student with similar stats to get accepted. I was told by the admissions committee during my second year that they look at out of state with a minimum of 28. In state is a little lower. Saying that they are rare exceptions is not true, and you don't necessarily need above average stats, but a well rounded application that you submitted early is big. Definitely worth a shot.
 
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