Same question different section

[supersal88]

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Just FYI the reason I posted this
Here is cuz the other URM forum is dead so please don't hate me anyways the questions go something like this...

Hey guys I apologize if this has already been answered I'm new to the forums but if someone can shed some light on this topic it'd be great.

First off I'm wondering if I would be able to classify myself as a disadvantaged student? I was born with epilepsy and lived with it up until I was 5 when I grew out of it (thankfully, but i had another episode when i was 12) but I took some medication (depicot) that apparently it hindered my learning ability quite a bit. I struggled with grades all of my life until I got to college where I work very hard to make my grades count. My family was poor when we moved here for my treatment (I'm middle eastern). I've always dreamed of becoming a doctor and I'm tenacious enough to make it a reality hence why I'm working so hard now. So that's question one.

Question two is from my observation (i could be wrong) on the disadvantage program at the school is it says that disadvantaged doctors work in underprivileged areas (my assumption the ghetto/low income cities) now does that mean that they aren't treated the same? Are they looked down upon? Do they share the same income as a regular doc etc...? Also are they able to transfer or work at a regular hospital? Thanks a bunch guys and again I apologize if this has web answered. Appreciate the help!

 

[theseeker4]

Just FYI the reason I posted this
Here is cuz the other URM forum is dead so please don't hate me anyways the questions go something like this...

Hey guys I apologize if this has already been answered I'm new to the forums but if someone can shed some light on this topic it'd be great.

First off I'm wondering if I would be able to classify myself as a disadvantaged student? I was born with epilepsy and lived with it up until I was 5 when I grew out of it (thankfully, but i had another episode when i was 12) but I took some medication (depicot) that apparently it hindered my learning ability quite a bit. I struggled with grades all of my life until I got to college where I work very hard to make my grades count. My family was poor when we moved here for my treatment (I'm middle eastern). I've always dreamed of becoming a doctor and I'm tenacious enough to make it a reality hence why I'm working so hard now. So that's question one.

Question two is from my observation (i could be wrong) on the disadvantage program at the school is it says that disadvantaged doctors work in underprivileged areas (my assumption the ghetto/low income cities) now does that mean that they aren't treated the same? Are they looked down upon? Do they share the same income as a regular doc etc...? Also are they able to transfer or work at a regular hospital? Thanks a bunch guys and again I apologize if this has web answered. Appreciate the help!

Disadvantaged status usually means a financially disadvantaged background. Not sure how adcoms would view you claiming a medical issue to mean you are disadvantaged.

How much have you struggled in college? Do you have a poor GPA, or have you been able to keep a good GPA even though you have struggled some? If your GPA is low, you will need to improve it or you won't have much success whether or not you apply as disadvantaged.

Disadvantaged doctors tend to work in the area/neighborhood they grew up in more often than doctors not from such an area choose to work there. The same is true for doctors from under served areas. There is no "program" that in any way makes someone who claimed disadvantaged status work in an under served area. There are programs that repay student loans in exchange for a set number of years working in an under served area, working for a non profit, etc., but where you work is entirely up to you. Income for physicians in under served areas tends to be higher than in desirable urban areas. If you were accepted to med school after claiming disadvantaged status, no one would know unless you told them, so there is no issue with being treated differently or being looked down upon (URM is another story).

 

[supersal88]

Disadvantaged status usually means a financially disadvantaged background. Not sure how adcoms would view you claiming a medical issue to mean you are disadvantaged.

How much have you struggled in college? Do you have a poor GPA, or have you been able to keep a good GPA even though you have struggled some? If your GPA is low, you will need to improve it or you won't have much success whether or not you apply as disadvantaged.

Disadvantaged doctors tend to work in the area/neighborhood they grew up in more often than doctors not from such an area choose to work there. The same is true for doctors from under served areas. There is no "program" that in any way makes someone who claimed disadvantaged status work in an under served area. There are programs that repay student loans in exchange for a set number of years working in an under served area, working for a non profit, etc., but where you work is entirely up to you. Income for physicians in under served areas tends to be higher than in desirable urban areas. If you were accepted to med school after claiming disadvantaged status, no one would know unless you told them, so there is no issue with being treated differently or being looked down upon (URM is another story).

Thanks a bunch man! And ok so my college GPS is another story. Initially when I started college I was doing flawless. Then my family and I moved to another state and I had to take a year off due to finances for not being a resident in the area. Which in return when I started again after the year off threw me off my mojo a bit so I stumbled. BUT I am in the midst of bringing my gpa back up I don't have an exact number but I'd assume it'd be close to a 3.0 I'm trying to get it into 3.4 or higher for my and my science gpa since I'm still doing the basic classes I'm focusing on keeping that high since from what I've heard is that med schools put more emphasis on that (go figure)

Now I actually do have another question. Considering an MD program how forgiving are they with retaking classes? Whether its science or non science?

 

[supersal88]

Thanks a bunch man! And ok so my college GPS is another story. Initially when I started college I was doing flawless. Then my family and I moved to another state and I had to take a year off due to finances for not being a resident in the area. Which in return when I started again after the year off threw me off my mojo a bit so I stumbled. BUT I am in the midst of bringing my gpa back up I don't have an exact number but I'd assume it'd be close to a 3.0 I'm trying to get it into 3.4 or higher for my and my science gpa since I'm still doing the basic classes I'm focusing on keeping that high since from what I've heard is that med schools put more emphasis on that (go figure)

Now I actually do have another question. Considering an MD program how forgiving are they with retaking classes? Whether its science or non science?

 

[slopes23]

Don't think you will be able to get into an MD program with a 3.0. Try the DO route.

 

[StephanieZ]

Thanks a bunch man! And ok so my college GPS is another story. Initially when I started college I was doing flawless. Then my family and I moved to another state and I had to take a year off due to finances for not being a resident in the area. Which in return when I started again after the year off threw me off my mojo a bit so I stumbled. BUT I am in the midst of bringing my gpa back up I don't have an exact number but I'd assume it'd be close to a 3.0 I'm trying to get it into 3.4 or higher for my and my science gpa since I'm still doing the basic classes I'm focusing on keeping that high since from what I've heard is that med schools put more emphasis on that (go figure)

Now I actually do have another question. Considering an MD program how forgiving are they with retaking classes? Whether its science or non science?

You can retake classes with MD, but your GPA will still be the average of all classes you took. DO does grade replacement. Did you say what year you're in in college? If you still have a year or two you could probably pull it up, but you need to be able to get it to at least the 3.5 range to have a good shot at MD.

As far as disadvantaged, if you grew up poor, you can definitely check disadvantaged. I'm not sure if having epilepsy would have put you in that category, but it doesn't matter anyway. You can mention the epilepsy in your PS or secondary essays if you feel it put extra hardship on you or helped shape your desire to go into medicine.

 

[supersal88]

Oh ok. But from what I've read on here the residency programs tend to accept more MD' than DO's which is why I'm aiming for an MD (I'm looking at orthopedics, dermatology, general surgery, and plastic surgery), and as for what year of school I am I just finished my first year of the sciences I'm still way behind due to having to work. So in all honesty what're my chances of an MD?

 

[slopes23]

First year of the sciences doesn't indicate what year of school you are in. Are you a Freshman (year 1), Sophomore (year 2), Junior (3), or Senior(4)?

I don't know your stats and am certainly far from an expert or authority, but reading in between the lines, if you did flawlessly say 3.8-4.0 and it dropped down all the way to a 3.0 then you must have had to done really poorly in a significant amount of classes. Getting a grade below a B- is not a death sentence if it's just a fluke, but getting multiple C's or D's (I am assuming you haven't failed anything) can really put a dent in your application. Even with retaking classes as mentioned earlier MD's will look at your entire transcript and take your overall GPA, not a replaced GPA and they will be able to see those poor grades. Regardless, do your best and try and pull your GPA up as high as you can. The closer to 3.5 the better. Combine that with a high MCAT, and a strong primary and secondary application you might have a shot.

Having said all of that, if you are past your sophomore year and have taken a significant amount of college credits, I believe you will find it difficult to move that GPA a lot. Short of getting 4.0 which I am guessing is what it would probably take to get a 3.5 come senior year if it's even possible.

Anyways, D.O. is probably your best shot, as they will be more receptive to your current GPA and allow you to retake courses. As for specialties, I won't lie to you and say that you have the same chances as MD, but realistically I don't think you will be able to make it MD without taking a lot of time post graduation to improve your GPA. The specialties you named are pretty much the most competitive of all the specialties out there and would be tough to get even with an M.D. I believe you would be better served if you went the D.O. route and made good use of your clinicals to really feel out the different specialties, and decide what's right/realistic for you at that point in time.

The whole point of rotations is to give you exposure to fields which were previously unknown to you (and by that I mean you had not experienced them, not that you hadn't heard of them, although sometimes that is also the case). A lot of doctors start out the journey wanting to be a surgeon of some sort and go to medical school realize that surgery residency is hell, and furthermore there are other things that really interest them more anyways and they change their mind and go after that. Not to mention that typically the lifestyle of a surgeon is not one that affords you much free time.

As a betting man I would say that by the time you are finished with rotations you will have found another specialty that you enjoy more and is attainable as a D.O.

Good luck.

 

[inycepoo]

Oh ok. But from what I've read on here the residency programs tend to accept more MD' than DO's which is why I'm aiming for an MD (I'm looking at orthopedics, dermatology, general surgery, and plastic surgery), and as for what year of school I am I just finished my first year of the sciences I'm still way behind due to having to work. So in all honesty what're my chances of an MD?

My main man you just rattled off 3 of the most competitive residencies there are like it's nbd.

Hope you know that. Best of luck. Declare yourself however you feel best. No one else can judge you better than yourself for this matter.

 

[supersal88]

First year of the sciences doesn't indicate what year of school you are in. Are you a Freshman (year 1), Sophomore (year 2), Junior (3), or Senior(4)?

I don't know your stats and am certainly far from an expert or authority, but reading in between the lines, if you did flawlessly say 3.8-4.0 and it dropped down all the way to a 3.0 then you must have had to done really poorly in a significant amount of classes. Getting a grade below a B- is not a death sentence if it's just a fluke, but getting multiple C's or D's (I am assuming you haven't failed anything) can really put a dent in your application. Even with retaking classes as mentioned earlier MD's will look at your entire transcript and take your overall GPA, not a replaced GPA and they will be able to see those poor grades. Regardless, do your best and try and pull your GPA up as high as you can. The closer to 3.5 the better. Combine that with a high MCAT, and a strong primary and secondary application you might have a shot.

Having said all of that, if you are past your sophomore year and have taken a significant amount of college credits, I believe you will find it difficult to move that GPA a lot. Short of getting 4.0 which I am guessing is what it would probably take to get a 3.5 come senior year if it's even possible.

Anyways, D.O. is probably your best shot, as they will be more receptive to your current GPA and allow you to retake courses. As for specialties, I won't lie to you and say that you have the same chances as MD, but realistically I don't think you will be able to make it MD without taking a lot of time post graduation to improve your GPA. The specialties you named are pretty much the most competitive of all the specialties out there and would be tough to get even with an M.D. I believe you would be better served if you went the D.O. route and made good use of your clinicals to really feel out the different specialties, and decide what's right/realistic for you at that point in time.

The whole point of rotations is to give you exposure to fields which were previously unknown to you (and by that I mean you had not experienced them, not that you hadn't heard of them, although sometimes that is also the case). A lot of doctors start out the journey wanting to be a surgeon of some sort and go to medical school realize that surgery residency is hell, and furthermore there are other things that really interest them more anyways and they change their mind and go after that. Not to mention that typically the lifestyle of a surgeon is not one that affords you much free time.

As a betting man I would say that by the time you are finished with rotations you will have found another specialty that you enjoy more and is attainable as a D.O.

Good luck.

You my friend, I appreciate. to take the time and really go into detail with your answers. Now yes I do understand those are extremely competitive fields but being a DO would they have the same shot as someone who's an MD? And yes my goals seem Farfetched and most likely I will end up a DO but I still want to give MD a shot ill do whatever it takes

Ps. Thanks again guys for all your input its really appreciated.

 

[slopes23]

You my friend, I appreciate. to take the time and really go into detail with your answers. Now yes I do understand those are extremely competitive fields but being a DO would they have the same shot as someone who's an MD? And yes my goals seem Farfetched and most likely I will end up a DO but I still want to give MD a shot ill do whatever it takes

Ps. Thanks again guys for all your input its really appreciated.

In all honesty its a little tougher to get competitive residency spots as a DO and for the ones you mentioned probably next to impossible. But keep in mind that these residencies can be unrealistic goals for some MD's as well because they just don't have the board scores, evals, shelf exams, etc., to get them come match day. There is nothing stopping you from applying to MD's along with applying to DO's but it may be unwise to do so if you are in somewhat of a difficult financial situation because at least where you are now it would be very very difficult to get into an MD program.

But hey, you still have time left in your undergrad. Just concentrate on getting your grades up as much as possible as it will help you out with MD and DO programs alike. Make sure you are getting in some good EC's as well if you can and when you finally do get your grades up post your stats again and you can reevaluate your options at a later point in time. Also, don't be afraid to let yourself look at different specialties they all have pro's and cons and if you are looking for good income, it's all about what you make of it. There are tons of Family Medicine physicians that own their own private practices and have a plethora of services offered with that, establish a name for themselves and have other doctors working with/for them and they make bank.

 

[supersal88]

In all honesty its a little tougher to get competitive residency spots as a DO and for the ones you mentioned probably next to impossible. But keep in mind that these residencies can be unrealistic goals for some MD's as well because they just don't have the board scores, evals, shelf exams, etc., to get them come match day. There is nothing stopping you from applying to MD's along with applying to DO's but it may be unwise to do so if you are in somewhat of a difficult financial situation because at least where you are now it would be very very difficult to get into an MD program.

But hey, you still have time left in your undergrad. Just concentrate on getting your grades up as much as possible as it will help you out with MD and DO programs alike. Make sure you are getting in some good EC's as well if you can and when you finally do get your grades up post your stats again and you can reevaluate your options at a later point in time. Also, don't be afraid to let yourself look at different specialties they all have pro's and cons and if you are looking for good income, it's all about what you make of it. There are tons of Family Medicine physicians that own their own private practices and have a plethora of services offered with that, establish a name for themselves and have other doctors working with/for them and they make bank.

Sounds good man. Really appreciate the info. Also what kinda EC's are ideal? I still have yet to shadow a physician mainly cuz I don't really know how to go about it and I'm working on volunteering with a local hospital here soon

 

[slopes23]

Sounds good man. Really appreciate the info. Also what kinda EC's are ideal? I still have yet to shadow a physician mainly cuz I don't really know how to go about it and I'm working on volunteering with a local hospital here soon

Volunteer - clinical is ideal if you have to choose just one type
Shadowing - its very important, the amount you need varies depends on who you ask, seems as if a general consensus is that you should have a minimum of 60-70 hours with 2-3 doctors.
Research - not necessary but it's another check in the box and just adds to you being well rounded. You don't need to be an author on a paper (although it helps), you just need to show you committed some time to it and be able to talk about your experience well.

Overall, what shows you have good EC's come interview is how well you communicate and describe your experiences. You could have had the most life changing experiences ever and if you couldn't talk about it well and convey that to the adcoms then it won't matter.

If you find yourself struggling don't let your EC's bring down your grades.

 

[supersal88]

Volunteer - clinical is ideal if you have to choose just one type
Shadowing - its very important, the amount you need varies depends on who you ask, seems as if a general consensus is that you should have a minimum of 60-70 hours with 2-3 doctors.
Research - not necessary but it's another check in the box and just adds to you being well rounded. You don't need to be an author on a paper (although it helps), you just need to show you committed some time to it and be able to talk about your experience well.

Overall, what shows you have good EC's come interview is how well you communicate and describe your experiences. You could have had the most life changing experiences ever and if you couldn't talk about it well and convey that to the adcoms then it won't matter.

If you find yourself struggling don't let your EC's bring down your grades.

Understood. Thanks again buddy you cleared up a lot of things for me. God bless and Godspeed in whatever it is your doing.

 

[slopes23]

Understood. Thanks again buddy you cleared up a lot of things for me. God bless and Godspeed in whatever it is your doing.

Anytime, glad I could help. Thanks for the kind words.