Preparing to apply DO

[hokie13]

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Hey all,

I really appreciate all the help I've gotten on here already and I am becoming more and more confident in the possibility of becoming a med student.... and eventually a doctor!

Now, I'd really love to know what all you successful people did prior to applying to med school. I get the whole GPA, MCAT, and clinical/volunteer experience stuff and will continue working on those. My question now is how did you go about narrowing down the list of schools to apply to? Did you have a chance to visit most of them? I've visited my state school and plan on going back at some point.

For those of you who applied a few years after college, what did you do in the meantime to prepare yourself? I'd like to apply right out of school but I'm worried I won't be able to support myself. I think I would enjoy the experience more if I wasn't straight up broke starting out.

Lastly, what made you decide to go DO? 🙂

Thankksss! Sorry this is long but I am just SO EXCITED about my future and all of you experienced people give such great advice!

 

[hmainn]

I'm glad to hear you're more confident about this path in life 🙂

Besides the normal gpa/mcat/med extracurricular focus, do the things you enjoy. I was more heavily involved in ministry than I actually was in medical institutions. And spend time with people, developing meaningful relationships.. because connection with others will teach you a lot about the world and yourself.

I also encourage you to take a year off if you have thought about it. You might regret going in right away, especially if you might be better prepared with another year to build your resume and life experience. And if you can, work during the year.. wherever. It'll help you earn some pocket money for the next year, keep you busy, and you'll probably have more motivation to go back to school (if you're like me).
If you're planning on taking 2 or more years off, look into programs like Teach for America or Peace Corps.. especially if it relates to where you want to go with your medical career.

The reason that I decided to go DO was a gradual process. Curiosity sparked interest, interest led to shadowing, and during shadowing I was able to see the real impact of OMM.
The concept of touch and relationship also did it for me. Although I'm not the most extrovert person, I do see the real value in relationships for the health of a person. Touch is a tool that can foster this. There's some really great studies out there about support groups, and also of premature infants and touch.

After this, I typed out a list of all twenty some DO schools in a Word document during my senior year. As I thought about what was important to me, I begin deleting the names of certain schools. This will be very different for you. Some of your criteria may even seem silly to others, but don't let that discourage you. One of my top things was weather. I can't stand really hot weather.
And when you visit these handful of schools, you will know where you fit.

Lastly, I want to tell you to take all the advice you are going to receive, with a grain of salt. Consider everything, but don't let the majority sway you. Ultimately you will have to decide for yourself how many years to take off (if any), which schools to apply to, and whether to go DO or not.
Life is full of many small decisions that make a lasting impact. Make those decisions wisely, and once you do, don't look back with regret. You'll stress yourself out. If you're passionate and capable, you can become a doctor.

Let the past provide you with a foundation, let the future provide you with a passion.. and provide the present with your whole self.

 

[CopToEM]

My question now is how did you go about narrowing down the list of schools to apply to? Did you have a chance to visit most of them? I've visited my state school and plan on going back at some point.

I did my research and applied to the schools that I knew I was competitive at. Some people will say, "add those reach schools," and my reply to that is, "I'm not made out of money." Be realistic based on your application's strength and apply to schools that you have a shot at. Based on your name VCOM is a given. LMU-DCOM, WVSOM, and UPIKE-KYCOM are all around you and all have a regional preference for Appalachian citizens. No reason not to send an application to them all.

For those of you who applied a few years after college, what did you do in the meantime to prepare yourself? I'd like to apply right out of school but I'm worried I won't be able to support myself. I think I would enjoy the experience more if I wasn't straight up broke starting out.

Don't stress out about the money - you're not expected to support yourself. I have four friends from undergrad in various schools and all of them have roughly the same amount of money each month after bills. ~$1,000/month for food, gas, and day to day expenses. That's not too shabby. How much could you save up in a year? $10-15k, max? In the long run that's not a lot.

If money is a serious factor browse around the military medicine forum on here. $14,000 signing bonus (after taxes) and $2k/month while you're enrolled.

Lastly, what made you decide to go DO? 🙂

My AAMC GPA would have been about a 3.8 and Science would have been a tad higher. Even before the MCAT, however, I decided I was only going to apply to DO schools. I've shadowed a tremendous amount and ultimately I felt like I really liked the personal touch that DOs bring to the table. Could I have the same personal touch coming out of an MD school? Absolutely.

However, even while touring, I realized it wasn't an academic thing but a cultural thing. DO schools, in my experience, were just friendlier all around and less bureaucratic. I'm a simple kind of guy from a small town... I don't need or want prestige in my life.

Nearly all of the DO schools I was looking at provide wonderful clinical exposure during the first two years and seem to really care about you becoming a clinician. It was a win-win situation.

To seal the deal - the older I get and the more about science I learn, the more I begin to agree with A.T. Still's declaration that the body is like a locomotive engine. It will run on its own, sure, for a limited amount of time - but it's a machine of moving parts and requires maintenance. That and many more of his beliefs, which are instilled in the Osteopathic field, really resonate with me.

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In the end, the decision is yours, but I feel like if you look at Osteopathy with an open mind you, too, will probably agree with many of its teachings.

 

[hokie13]

This is great advice from both of you! CoptoEM, what got you into EM? That's one of the ones on my list. Can't help but be interested in it after being an EMT!

I need to start on this list! Sounds like shadowing has been a huge thing for everyone. I've been asking some of the ER docs I know from the hospitals I bring patients to from EMS about shadowing. One told me he'd be willing to have me come in for 2 days after receiving my secondaries and then write me a letter, but I would really like my letter to reflect a good deal of time spent and a true relationship between myself and a DO. I was a little sad about that one since I would love to shadow an ER doc.

Also, I've thought about doing the Peace Corps so many times! It being 2 years is the hardest factor for me to get over.

So many choices about life!!! Scary but awesome!