Question for MSU Student

[koennen]

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Someone posted on the pre-med forums that MD and DO students take classes together at MSU. They also stated that the passing grade for DO students in those classes is set 5% lower for DO students than for the MD students.

Any truth to this?

 

[8744]

Someone posted on the pre-med forums that MD and DO students take classes together at MSU. They also stated that the passing grade for DO students in those classes is set 5% lower for DO students than for the MD students.

Any truth to this?

Hey, I was at MSU today teaching the second year DO students BLS. They mentioned that they take a lot of first year classes with the MD students, or used to. I bet the passing score is the same.

 

[ddmo]

I'm not a MSU student but my fiance is. They share first year classes, and yes that is correct about there being different pass rates, but the difference depends on the course.

 

[Packamylase]

I'm not a MSU student but my fiance is. They share first year classes, and yes that is correct about there being different pass rates, but the difference depends on the course.

Are you saying that MD and DO students pass at different rates or that there is a different standard of passing for those two groups? Very different statements. Please clarify.

 

[peppy]

I am a DO student at MSU, so hopefully I can help clarify things here. 🙂
Yes, we take all our science classes in the first year with the MD students. In 2nd year we go our separate ways. The MDs have a PBL format 2nd year, whereas the DOs take lecture-based systems courses in 2nd year.

As for the passing grade: In *all* of the classes, the passing grade is *at least* 70%, regardless of whether you're DO or MD. Getting less than 70% in either school definitely means you fail.
In some classes, the passing mark was set higher than that for everyone, both DO and MD (for example, Gross Anatomy required a 75%; Pharmacology and Neuroscience required a 72%). In other classes, the passing score for DOs remained at 70%, but an MD student who received a grade between 70 and 75% received a "conditional Pass" grade that required some kind of remediation. So, basically, an MD student who receives a 70% in a class can still pass the class, but has one more hoop to jump through than a DO student who gets a 70% would and gets a "Conditional Pass" notation on their transcripts.

 

[kellsmd]

That's a good explanation Peppy.
As a former MSU student (CHM, MD program), I can also tell you that a "conditional pass" is not really a pass in the eyes of the school. 75% or higher grades in 1st and 2nd year equal a pass.
Conditional pass means you have to remediate the exam and get at least 75% or higher on your second try. Otherwise, you have to re-take the class or parts of it.

Just thought I'd throw my 2 cents in!🙂

 

[anon-y-mouse]

Hey, I was at MSU today teaching the second year DO students BLS. They mentioned that they take a lot of first year classes with the MD students, or used to. I bet the passing score is the same.

It's not BS, it's BLS... hehe

And a conditional pass is still pretty bad... it goes on your transcript and so on. Yeah it's another hurdle, but it's sort of tantamount to failing "lite".