Older Students

[britboy7]

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Trying to get a feel as to my chances of being accepted to Osteo College. I'm 38, will be 40 if I start Sep 2003. I'm a Chiropractic student so hope that all my tough science classes will help with the MCAT. Does anyone on the forum think that my age will work AGAINST me?? Hope to go to Western Uni /LA

 

[Popoy]

Personally, I don't think your age will matter much.... 😀

 

[innerpower]

If you have the "right" stats, your age should be the last thing you should worry about.

Go for it!!

 

[muonwhiz]

I'm starting this fall and I am definitely a non traditionally aged student. I think the tougher thing to explain will be why you want to leave chiropractic after having invested time and $$$ to train in it. You should give that some thought and discuss it in your personal statement, for sure you'll be asked about it at interviews! Good luck!

 

[oldies]

hello britboy: I have asked the similar question and received lots of positive responses. read the posts in the Osteopathic doctorals section. I am curious as to what make you change your mind about the chiropratic school because I have been accepted for fall 2001 at LACC and recently come to realize that DO is a better match to what I want to do. Would you share with us your thoughts on the chiropractic program so far and what you would gain by going to DO?

By the way, I don't think my age (42) will stop me from trying to get into the DO school. It's all in your mind.

 

[britboy7]

Hi Oldies,

Chiropractic College is great but I feel (know)that I can help HEAL my patients even more with a combination of Osteopathic technique and Allopathic medicine. The BUZZ at college right now is that LACC has filed chapter 11 !!! Quite amazing!! I would advise you to look into this!! Good Luck,

 

[Big Bill]

my only question is why so many older students settle for just DO. There are so many schools that will accept you if you have the stats and the grades to get in. 😎 😎

 

[Popoy]

What do you mean "settle?" 🙄

 

[Big Bill]

Dont you get the picture every time you see a non trad it is about DO schools only. I mean I get that picture from most of the posts. From that it seems that they only shoot for DO schools. When i check out old premeds at Yahoo That is the prevailing school. there wasnt a hidden meaning in the post.

 

[muonwhiz]

I doubt that all of the non traditional students apply to DO schools only, as you imply. I suspect that most apply to bothkinds, as I did, based on research and location. It could be that the acceptance rates for these students is higher at DO schools than at allo or that there are students like myself that turn down allopathic acceptances to attend osteopathic schools.

 

[Popoy]

Don't get on the offensive there Big Bill.... Just asking.... But by the way you responded, you might ask yourself whether or not there is a hidden agenda behind your question.... Stay cool dude 😎

 

[Big Bill]

Im cool, dont think Im mad because Of the way things come across on the web.


😎 😎

 

[Billie]

Also I think older students are looking for more from their education. I know when I was in my 20's, I didn't really think much about it, I just showed up for class. But now in my "late 30's" I expect MUCH more out of the college/university. I am paying them a heck of a lot of money to teach me, so I expect more out of them. And like muonwhiz, I too applied to both MD and DO programs. But after evaluating them (esp during the interviews) there was just no comparison. The DO schools and their faculty stood out, far beyond the MD programs. I also turned down the MD school to attend my first choice, the DO school.

Billie, MS-IV

 

[Popoy]

Big Bill, thanks for bringing up the question though... You notice a trend in non-traditional applicants that many have noticed.

I think Billie was able to answer a bit of it.

A think apart of it is because some naive undergrads think that there's really a limitation to being an osteopath.... by being more mature and have lived life a little, a nontraditional student knows that they want more than just a degree out of life. Maybe most of them see the benefits of osteopathic medicine because it is equal to allopaths plus more!!! 😎

 

[Aloha Kid]

Popoy,

Once again nicely said.

 

[Aloha Kid]

OH YEAH! I am now a SENIOR MEMBER just like POPOY the philosopher.

 

[mompremed]

Originally posted by Big Bill:
•my only question is why so many older students settle for just DO. There are so many schools that will accept you if you have the stats and the grades to get in. 😎 😎•

I applied at a local allopathic state institution, though it is not as good a school as the local DO school. (This from an alumnus of the MD school, who also helped start another local MD school and who feels that in many respects it is also inferior to the local DO school.) I really feel that the DO philosophy dovetails totally with my own philosophy of medicine, but I applied to the MD school because it was a difference of ~$20k tuition per year, so it just made financial sense to give it a whirl, even though I knew I would not get as good a medical education at the MD school. (I have always figured I will learn what I need to learn, because as a non-trad, I have long since learned "how to learn" what I WANT and NEED to learn.)

Needless to say, I was rejected, and although frustrating at first, I am glad. I have since talked to people that have far less credentials than I; people that were accepted to the school that turned me down....which confirmed why I really wanted to go DO in the first place. DO schools, like their philosophy of medicine, tend to look at the WHOLE person....not just the stats. And that is always how I have intended to practice medicine....looking at the WHOLE person. MDs are only just recently coming into that mentality/philosophy, and only because of societal pressure to do so. And their adcoms have not come close to that mentality yet because the adcoms have no reason to bend to societal pressure. DO's have been there all along, so their adcoms have been too.

So even though I was not accepted at the MD school, I don't feel I am "settling" for DO school. The MD school never was my first choice, but the DO school was - and is! Maybe the MD adcoms intuitively sensed that somehow, but it's no secret that the DO schools look for a lot more than just stats, which is just part of the reason many older students go DO, I think. Most older students have a "spotted" academic history, not to mention they are working to support a family and don't have mommy and daddy to pay all the expenses, since they ARE the mommy or daddy, and MD schools tend to look askance at GPA's that are less than stellar. Conversely, DO schools tend to look more intensely at the person's character: community service for instance (not just token volunteerism!), etc. To me, that speaks volumes about the difference in MD vs. DO philosophy.

The long and the short of it? Even if I don't get accepted to a DO school, I will never again apply to an MD school, because I refuse to compromise my values for something less than the best ever again.

Cheers,

Mompremed

 

[Popoy]

Catherine, well said, thanks for allowing others to see your perspective at things....


Aloha Kid.... wazzzz up!!! Welcome and congratulations to your, now, senior status.... You're on your way 😎

 

[mompremed]

Popoy,

What are we doing up so late at night?! Staying primed for those late night study sessions? Or what?!

Cheers,

Mompremed

 

[Big Bill]

SO it i much deeper than just a choice based on stats. where I live We have very few osteopaths and much of it is not known around here. the closest one is in pikeville ky or lake erie pennsylvania. I have been looking at both of them in addition to others. When it comes to age the three schools in my state are generally pretty good. In my town I have evms and in richmond where im going in the fall has a non trad representation and so does UVa. also Im close to GWU hahneman and jefferson which take older students. So im lucky there. I will apply to DO schools including the one at Va tech when it is time. Thanks for the insight.

 

[Billie]

Big Bill, how close are you to Lewisburg, WV? There is an Osteopathic school there too. 🙂

Billie

 

[pete.]

hey mompremed - check your private messages - I'm wondering if we're in the same situation.

thanks

 

[OldManDave]

Originally posted by Big Bill:
•Dont you get the picture every time you see a non trad it is about DO schools only. I mean I get that picture from most of the posts. From that it seems that they only shoot for DO schools. When i check out old premeds at Yahoo That is the prevailing school. there wasnt a hidden meaning in the post.•

Big Bill;

I find your comments very curious...yes, I am the same OldManDave who runs OldPreMeds...by a large margin, most of my members who are in medical school are attending MD programs. And, all of the physicians who participate are MDs. So, I am earnestly curious why you perceive there to be a DO-bias on OldPreMeds?

I work very hard to keep my organization neutral and equally representative of MD & DO alike. If you feel some adjustments need to be made, I would appreciate your feedback.

😀

 

[Florida_style]

Maybe older applicants (please remember 'maybe' as you read my post), maybe these non traditional applicants are more mature, and so are less impressed with the supposed prestige of the MD designation against the DO designation, and maybe they have a heightened tendencya to believe (or realize) that DOs receive better training than MDs, and that as a consequence of the augmented training and practive, DOs are more likely (statistically)to be capable of transfering more excellent medical care to a greater number of people under circumstances of more highly varied pathologies than the MD, and with decidedly less invasive and less destructive mechanistic tools.

john

 

[Florida_style]

Maybe older applicants (please remember 'maybe' as you read my post), maybe these non traditional applicants are more mature, and so are less impressed with the supposed prestige of the MD designation against the DO designation, and maybe they have a heightened tendencya to believe (or realize) that DOs receive better training than MDs, and that as a consequence of the augmented training and practive, DOs are more likely (statistically)to be capable of transfering more excellent medical care to a greater number of people under circumstances of more highly varied pathologies than the MD, and with decidedly less invasive and less destructive mechanistic tools.

john

 

[Big Bill]

Dave, My post wasn't based on any bias concerning this forum. It was based on my perception that sometimes I think older students apply only to DO schools. Sometimes I think or thought that some older applicants were just applying to do schools without giving MD schools a thought. Thinking that adcoms were bias or they didnt think they were to get in an md school because of their age. I now realize it is more deeper than that.
I got that perception from here and 'Old premeds'.

What I realized is that these forums are dealing with the whole country and that in some parts of the country it is prefered. Where I live the md schools are very Non trad friendly and there isnt a bias concerning age here. Some of the people that I got acquianted with at ODU where older than me. They got into UVa, mcv, EVMS. IT didnt depend on age. Also where I live DO doctors are scarce. I looked in the phone book and there were few in the whole tidewater area. A population of 1.2 million.

Dont take my comments as a slight, my underlying thought was non trads were 'settling' based on age bias. A bias I really havent seen. The only bias I see is on in state and out of state and that comes from the carolinas. ECU and UNC average about 95 % in state and im not sure what the % in sc is.

Now as for bias on the boards Dave. What gave you that idea. Everyone kinda has their own section. Allopathic, osteopathic, the lounge.

Please dont take this as a slight it was based on age bias.
😎 😎 😎