SO i got into med school..... Not excited. IDK what to do. HELP

[Pre-Med L]

PLEASE HELP!!!

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[lumya]

Turning down an acceptance is like a kiss of death. There’s still time in this cycle for DO schools. If you don’t have any other schools you’re waiting for, you could apply to more DO schools. Otherwise you’ll have to make the best out of the school you’re accepted at.

 

[Pre-Med L]

Turning down an acceptance is like a kiss of death. There’s still time in this cycle for DO schools. If you don’t have any other schools you’re waiting for, you could apply to more DO schools. Otherwise you’ll have to make the best out of the school you’re accepted at.

would you mind expanding on your answer?
Im super conflicted because this school makes me feel super uneasy and like i wouldn't get a good education there.
If i were to turn it down, would it completely shut my chances at any other school in the future?? Do schools even have access to this information?

 

[ciestar]

You should have withdrawn your application before you were given an acceptance.

 

[Dr. Basketball]

I´m no expert, but I can´t recommend turning down a medical school acceptance. I don´t think there is a little black book that all med schools share about who was accepted and turned it down, but I have seen the question on secondaries of some schools asking if you have been accepted in previous cycles. Maybe Goro or another faculty member can shed some light there.

Here are my two cents:
At the end of the day, no matter what school you go to, it is still a U.S. medical school. You still beat out plenty of people that would kill for that spot, even if it is a ¨lower tier¨ DO school as you put it. Your degree is what you put into it. If you work hard and kill your boards, you´ll be fine. I don´t think the school is going to set you up to fail, but it is not going to spoon feed anyone either, and that is true for EVERY medical school. There are not enough hours in a day for your professors to teach everything, so the majority of your learning will be on your own. I know what you mean about getting an odd feel about some schools because I felt the same way about one school that I interviewed at, but if it was my only acceptance then I would have gone(they rejected me by the way). I think if it turns out being your only acceptance, you should take it and look beyond the school, which is your future career as a great physician.

If you do decide to take the acceptance, look forward and not back. PLEASE don´t be that ¨woulda, coulda, shoulda¨ person in your class that talks about how he or she should have gone to a higher tier DO school or should have gone MD or whatever. Go to school every day pumped and honored that you are continuing your journey in medicine.

In any case, congrats on your acceptance, whether you realize it or not it is an amazing accomplishment. Best of luck with your decision!!

 

[CJhooper123]

Do you want to become a physician or not? Take the acceptance and run with it.

You should have withdrawn your app immediately following your interview if you didn't feel comfortable there.

 

[Bacchus]

You should not give up an acceptance. How many DO and MD schools did you apply to? How many IIs are pending. I've been out of the game a while, but your GPAs and URM status (sorry, I know) are really helping you. The MCAT score ranks where? I'm used to my 29R (). You still have time, I believe, where you have to make the big deposit, I believe 12/15ish.

 

[Blanky]

If you don’t want to go there then decline it and let someone go who wants to be there.
You will figure out your own path.

 

[Goro]

Hey,
So I was accepted into a med school ( a lower tier DO program) with the following stats
500 MCAT
3.7 sGPA
3.8 cGPA
a lot of volunteer hours
shadowing hours
research
URM
good LOR
(overall a pretty decent application)

now, the reason I'm concerned is that this is my only acceptance, however, the school doesn't really convince me.
When I interviewed there I felt off about the school. It gave me the feeling that it was a degree mill. this school just doesnt make me feel good.

(the school is on the lower tier of DO programs)

Im conflicted because i don't know if i should take this acceptance and run!! or if I should turn it down and submit myself to another application cycle and another MCAT retake.
If I were to turn it down and submit myself to another MCAT retake resulting on another ~500 pretty much forcing me to apply to lower tier DO schools, would these DO schools know that I had gotten an acceptance in the past and turn it down, and would that raise a red flag about me????


PLEASE HELP!!!

The only schools I Can't recommend are WCU, LUCOM, Nova and TouroNY. LMU I'm concerned about.

 

[ES671]

You are in the less than 1% of applicants getting in, it doesn’t matter where you go, you will become a physician. If you say no there is absolutely no guarantee you will be getting another chance. If it were me I would not give it up.

 

[Medschoolready95]

The only schools I Can't recommend are WCU, LUCOM, Nova and TouroNY. LMU I'm concerned about.

Just out of curiosity, why can't you recommend Nova?

 

[Goro]

Just out of curiosity, why can't you recommend Nova?

Why not these schools?

Nova: three of the four last years have declining first-time COMLEX pass rates. They're now at ~85% and on top of this, some 7% of their 2018 grads failed to match. This was the second worst match rate among all the COMs (only WCU did worse). These are things you expect from a new school, not a veteran. Something is very wrong there.


Wm Carey: VERY high attrition rates and only a 92% placement rate for their Class of 2018. That means 8% of their grads are now unemployed, NOT doing residency. No SOAP, no scramble, no TRI. This is simply NOT acceptable. I expect they'll be put on probation very soon.


Touro-NY: Poor COMLEX II pass rates; unethical behavior in how they dealt with an overbooking issue two years ago.


LUCOM: I have a profound distaste for the politics of their parent organization; their Faculty make blatant attempts to twist facts to match their theology.


LMU: granted continuing Accreditation with Heightened Monitoring. “Accreditation with Heightened Monitoring: This indicates that fewer than three standards are non-compliant and ongoing monitoring will occur via progress reporting. For schools with this status, accreditation will be granted for four years.”

This is the only COM that has this level of accreditation status right now.

https://osteopathic.org/2018/09/24/accreditation-decisions-for-colleges-of-osteopathic-medicine-9/

 

[Medschoolready95]

Why not these schools?

Nova: three of the four last years have declining first-time COMLEX pass rates. They're now at ~85% and on top of this, some 7% of their 2018 grads failed to match. This was the second worst match rate among all the COMs (only WCU did worse). These are things you expect from a new school, not a veteran. Something is very wrong there.


Wm Carey: VERY high attrition rates and only a 92% placement rate for their Class of 2018. That means 8% of their grads are now unemployed, NOT doing residency. No SOAP, no scramble, no TRI. This is simply NOT acceptable. I expect they'll be put on probation very soon.


Touro-NY: Poor COMLEX II pass rates; unethical behavior in how they dealt with an overbooking issue two years ago.


LUCOM: I have a profound distaste for the politics of their parent organization; their Faculty make blatant attempts to twist facts to match their theology.


LMU: granted continuing Accreditation with Heightened Monitoring. “Accreditation with Heightened Monitoring: This indicates that fewer than three standards are non-compliant and ongoing monitoring will occur via progress reporting. For schools with this status, accreditation will be granted for four years.”

This is the only COM that has this level of accreditation status right now.

https://osteopathic.org/2018/09/24/accreditation-decisions-for-colleges-of-osteopathic-medicine-9/

Wow! Very good to know. Thank you for sharing this!

 

[hello1234!]

How would u feel if u apply next year and you don’t get a single acceptance? Would u be ok with that?

If you do take the acceptance, don’t look back and think “what if”. Go all out into it.

 

[workaholic181]

If you turn down this acceptance, retake the MCAT and get another 500, other DO schools will know that you were accepted in the past and turned it down. This is generally considered to be a red flag (hence why people on here are saying it would be very risky to turn down an acceptance). With that said I have heard of DO students who turned down a DO acceptance and applied a few years later with more work experience or better app in some regard and got in. n=1 though. I think the key in these circumstances is that while they had turned down an acceptance, they were able to claim that they had done so in order to get more experience or do something that academically prepared them to better succeed in med school than when they were originally accepted.

I would only turn this acceptance down if you a) have a job lined up or are working and b) are okay with the idea that it may take years, a masters program, etc to get another acceptance at a school you potentially (but maybe not) feel better about.

With that said, flip side is med school is very difficult and expensive and going to a program you'll be miserable at would definitely make things harder. You have very good GPAs, and a 50 percentile MCAT. What happened there? Do you genuinely feel you can improve? Only you can answer these questions. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Doc_Ock]

I'm not particularly super stoked about my school either. Get your degree and just move on.

 

[CJhooper123]

I'm not particularly super stoked about my school either. Get your degree and just move on.

Honestly... losing 1-2 years worth of attending level salary... and instead, paying for apps again, potentially paying to retake the MCAT, and not making money as a pre-med.... just take the acceptance.

I get that it can be tough attending a school that you don't want to be at... but honestly, it's just 4 years (possibly 2 depending on where the rotation sites are).

 

[Doc_Ock]

Honestly... losing 1-2 years worth of attending level salary... and instead, paying for apps again, potentially paying to retake the MCAT, and not making money as a pre-med.... just take the acceptance.

I get that it can be tough attending a school that you don't want to be at... but honestly, it's just 4 years (possibly 2 depending on where the rotation sites are).

Exactly, you're really only at your school for 2 years, not even 4. Once you start rotations you'll be seeing very little of your fellow students.

 

[workaholic181]

Exactly, you're really only at your school for 2 years, not even 4. Once you start rotations you'll be seeing very little of your fellow students.

Yea but not all rotations are made equal, especially for DO schools, especially for newer DO schools.

OP, again I think it comes down to why your first MCAT score was so low. If you studied as much as you could and are just not a good test taker you should take this acceptance and run with it, make the most of the situation. If you rushed an exam date and didn't prepare as you should have then I think it's worth considering a retake and reapplication. You're a URM with excellent GPAs. An improved MCAT will open a lot of doors.

Potentially, you could consider taking the seat at this new school, and taking an MCAT in March/April and see how you do. If you do great then you could make a decision as to whether to turn this seat down and apply to other DO or potentially MD depending what your score is. If you do poorly again then you would commit to this school. I'd probably do this TBH. All you have to lose is a couple hundred $ for the MCAT retake and a few months of studying.

Fact is, as taboo as it is on these forums, you would not be the first person who turned down an acceptance they didn't feel great about to try and improve their app. It's risky though. Hence why I would retake the MCAT this winter/early spring before you need to commit one way or another. Good luck.

 

[Stagg737]

The MCAT score ranks where? I'm used to my 29R (). You still have time, I believe, where you have to make the big deposit, I believe 12/15ish.

I believe 500 is a 25-26 on the old scale. So not really anything to write home about.

 

[958587]

Time to assess why you wanted to be a doctor in the first place. Medical school is rough but temporary. It is the vehicle to get you to bigger (and dare I say better) things.

Do you have access to a Pre-Med adviser? Maybe send this question by him/her/they.

Good luck, but be very careful about your next step.

 

[Dagrimsta1]

Unless your school is on probation or about to be, go get that DO. If you’re on the fence because your title says DO instead of MD, decline it because you don’t deserve the spot.

 

[RNtoMD87]

A school is a school, as long as you have high match rates. Teach yourself what you're lacking when you get out.

 

[GatsbyK]

If this is your only acceptance just take it and move on. Medical school is hard any where you go. You think insurance companies care about prestige, where you went to school, or if your letters are DO/MD? You'll still get paid the same.

 

[Medic741]

Going to dissent here. This is *the most important purchase of your life.* If you don't feel comfortable making it, WALK AWAY. Your gut might be a lot more right than you think...

That being said, there might be consequences to that decision but we're all grownups here. You make your decisions and live with the consequences

 

[RNtoMD87]

I don’t understand how someone could not be excited to get into any decent medical school. Lot of entitled people here

 

[HaveAnOsteoblast]

Remember that there are applicants like me who haven’t even been accepted anywhere so far this cycle. It’s such a huge privilege to get into med school, man. It’s an honor to be able to be able to launch yourself toward a career in medicine. Don’t squander it.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Sometimes after a long difficult road to a goal, achieving it sometime falls flat. Let it sink in. Thousands of applicants would kill to be in your shoes. Ok, maybe not kill, but you get it. Give it a chance to all sink in. You are going to be a Doctor! Congratulations and best wishes.

 

[RNtoMD87]

Sometimes after a long difficult road to a goal, achieving it sometime falls flat. Let it sink in. Thousands of applicants would kill to be in your shoes. Ok, maybe not kill, but you get it. Give it a chance to all sink in. You are going to be a Doctor! Congratulations and best wishes.

True but that’s why you keep going. I thought the army would be fulfilling and it wasn’t, nursing was somewhat fulfilling but fell short, you just have to keep pushing ahead.

 

[Gurby]

OP, again I think it comes down to why your first MCAT score was so low. If you studied as much as you could and are just not a good test taker you should take this acceptance and run with it, make the most of the situation. If you rushed an exam date and didn't prepare as you should have then I think it's worth considering a retake and reapplication. You're a URM with excellent GPAs. An improved MCAT will open a lot of doors.

Potentially, you could consider taking the seat at this new school, and taking an MCAT in March/April and see how you do. If you do great then you could make a decision as to whether to turn this seat down and apply to other DO or potentially MD depending what your score is. If you do poorly again then you would commit to this school. I'd probably do this TBH. All you have to lose is a couple hundred $ for the MCAT retake and a few months of studying.

This is the best answer IMO.

If OP retakes the MCAT and scores >508, it's probably safe to drop the DO acceptance and apply MD next cycle. If OP gets another 500, they keep the DO acceptance and run with it.

 

[arc5005]

is it worth putting off med school another year just to get the MD if you aren't gunning for any competitive specialties?

 

[Kawi347]

is it worth putting off med school another year just to get the MD if you aren't gunning for any competitive specialties?

No. Sound like you just want the letters. With a DO you're going to be a physician and with hard work can get into any specialty. If you're in it just for the letters might as well go Caribbean and see how that goes.

 

[arc5005]

No. Sound like you just want the letters. With a DO you're going to be a physician and with hard work can get into any specialty. If you're in it just for the letters might as well go Caribbean and see how that goes.

wasn't about me actually, but for a friend who has high gpa, high mcat, but debating if applying DO this cycle or wait until next year to re-apply. thanks though!

 

[Gurby]

wasn't about me actually, but for a friend who has high gpa, high mcat, but debating if applying DO this cycle or wait until next year to re-apply. thanks though!

In your friend's case, it would depend on why he didn't get acceptances this year. High GPA/MCAT, what went wrong, and can it be fixed? Most likely he should delay and go MD, I think. Might need to delay another whole year if he hasn't been working on fixing those deficiencies during the app cycle...

The letters matter a lot, and we don't know for certain what will happen but they might matter even more in the future with the residency merger.

 

[TheRealCookieMonster]

I don’t understand how someone could not be excited to get into any decent medical school. Lot of entitled people here

Ahh yes OP is hesitant to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a lesser degree that will consume most of his/her life for the foreseeable future and yet is still has a superior degree available and as it has been stated is still in reach. OP may be immature or entitled. Unfair to assume the latter.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

In the case of the OP (high GPA, low MCAT), they would be a candidate for MD with an improved MCAT. You don't just open up competitive specialties by applying MD, you also open up better programs in better locations. After attending a med school that you don't like, you may want to have a better list of options for residency. In addition, even if you want IM, you may want to sub-specialize, something easier to do if you're both an MD and a grad of a university residency program.

No matter how you slice it, even for less competitive specialties, you'll have more doors open to you in better locations as an MD.

You're also telling OP to give up a chance at medical school, just to chase a higher MCAT which is not guaranteed, and even if he does improve the MCAT, with a previous low score, he'll probably need at least a 515 to level that previous score out, and even then an acceptance to an MD school is still not guaranteed. It might take him 2 or 3 cycle before realizing that with each subsequent cycle reapplying MD, his chances are only getting lower and lower. By then he would have already lost 3 to 4 years of at least 200K of attending salary. Moreover, whenever he's going to have to apply DO again, chances are he's going to have to disclose the fact that he had a previous acceptance which automatically blacklists him from many schools.

I say OP if you don't get any other acceptances for this cycle, run with the one you have even if you don't like the school. You're only gonna have to spend 2 years there, and come 3rd and 4th year chances are you'll be far from the school. I hope you're not gunning for Derm, ortho, ophto, or any surgery speciality other than general surgery. Anything else is attainable as long your work hard for it. MD definitely better your odds at anything, but it's not really that easy for them to match in uber competitive specialities either, and most of them still go primary care just like DOs. When it comes to IM sub-specialities, for example cards or GI, yes they are hard to get, but still attainable to DOs. You just have to make sure you land an IM residency program with those fellowships in-house and take it from there. That will require you to bust your ass off, get high board scores USMLE and COMLEX, get research, and get good letters of rec. Nothing in life comes easy, and everything you do make sure you keep an open mind and a good attitude.



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[DOgdad23]

I don’t understand how someone could not be excited to get into any decent medical school. Lot of entitled people here

Right??? I remember my first acceptance this cycle. It was from a “low tier” DO school and I cried when I found out. My boss gave me the rest of the day off, I went and bought my wife some flowers, we went out to dinner, etc lol. I went on to receive several more interviews at both MD and DO schools that turned into acceptances. But I’ll never forget the feeling of being accepted to my first med school, even if it was a “low tier DO school”. I question the OP’s intentions. Do they actually want to be a physician or do they just like the idea of being a physician.

 

[Blanky]

lesser degree

lol

I hope you're not gunning for Derm, ortho, ophto, or any surgery speciality other than general surgery. Anything else is attainable as long your work hard for it. MD definitely better your odds at anything, but it's not really that easy for them to match in uber competitive specialities either, and most of them still go primary care just like DOs.

Truth

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

Your performance in a school you have a bad attitude about might not be so good.
What have you been doing in the first half of this year to report on next cycles application? Some schools (like Vanderbilt) place a high emphasis on the consistency of activities and reject you on that basis of considerable "holes."

 

[ChiDr]

Right??? I remember my first acceptance this cycle. It was from a “low tier” DO school and I cried when I found out. My boss gave me the rest of the day off, I went and bought my wife some flowers, we went out to dinner, etc lol. I went on to receive several more interviews at both MD and DO schools that turned into acceptances. But I’ll never forget the feeling of being accepted to my first med school, even if it was a “low tier DO school”. I question the OP’s intentions. Do they actually want to be a physician or do they just like the idea of being a physician.

Truth. I couldn’t hold it in. Luckily, I heard on a Friday. Happy hour was a great time. It felt like the weight was lifted and I could breathe better. It was a euphoric experience.

There are still a few months of interviews, anything could happen. OP should be grateful and run with what you got or roll the dice, it’s on OP.

 

[RNtoMD87]

Right??? I remember my first acceptance this cycle. It was from a “low tier” DO school and I cried when I found out. My boss gave me the rest of the day off, I went and bought my wife some flowers, we went out to dinner, etc lol. I went on to receive several more interviews at both MD and DO schools that turned into acceptances. But I’ll never forget the feeling of being accepted to my first med school, even if it was a “low tier DO school”. I question the OP’s intentions. Do they actually want to be a physician or do they just like the idea of being a physician.

This is why I’m surprised there isn’t a major preference for non trads. I had no idea what I wanted to do at 22 and I doubt many people do. It seemed like an interesting job to me but it wasn’t until I worked alongside MDs collaborating as a nurse until I KNEW.


I know “I wasn’t sure if medicine was worth 8 years of education to me until I worked alongside MDs daily and found myself constantly enthralled by what they were discussing and more unsatisfied by the basic nature of my job” isn’t as romantic as
“From the time I was a small child I knew I wanted to be a doctor...”

But it’s more realistic, like infatuation vs true love. Besides what child DOESNT want to be a doctor?

 

[DOgdad23]

This is why I’m surprised there isn’t a major preference for non trads. I had no idea what I wanted to do at 22 and I doubt many people do. It seemed like an interesting job to me but it wasn’t until I worked alongside MDs collaborating as a nurse until I KNEW.

Agreed. At 22 I was still doing dumb 22 year old things. Just going through the motions. It wasn’t until I got cancer at 22 and went through 3 rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant that I realized I wanted to be a physician. Like think about that... it took me almost dying to go huh yeah I wanna spend the rest of my life doing this. That was 5 years ago. So I get it if people aren’t sure at 21 or 22. I also understand being influenced by parents, the idea/status of being a physician, or other extrinsic motivating factors. When I was younger I used to think about how “cool” it would be to be a physician. The money, lifestyle, the status. I didn’t pursue it then because there wasn’t an unearthed intrinsic motivator to do it. My life experiences eventually led me there. I sincerely hope that OP, and all people pursuing this profession, find something that gives them passion for this profession.

Edit: I also want to add that the OP made a mistake by applying with a 500 MCAT, ESPECIALLY if they didn’t want to go to a mediocre school. I took the MCAT a few years ago and got a sub 500 score. I didn’t apply because that would’ve been dumb. Instead, I continued expanding my knowledge, retook it this year and improved by 22 points. Not a single interviewer furrowed their brow at my previous score. OP should’ve retook the MCAT with 3 months of dedicated studying and consistent practice scores >510, especially since they have an MD level GPA.

 

[RNtoMD87]

Exactly. I thought I wanted to be a SWAT officer, and then I realized that the pointman gets shot 60% of the time, and as much of a rush I got from being a door kicker, I got my thrill and decided I had enough, then I said well I’m a big nerd, so I’d like to be an investigator but realized I’m far too libertarian to get ahead as a patrolman. I didn’t care if people did drugs or sped or whatever. Only time I would do something is if someone was a true “victim” so it wasn’t a good fit. I know medical is the right choice for me, because nothing has moved me emotionally like it does (especially younger cancer patients. I pretty much cry a little every time) and it pumps the sh out of me seeing the ones who are like “F IT! I’m gonna push through this ah!” I’ve learned that what inspires me is the human spirit. Amputees, cancer pts, trauma victims, etc.

 

[DOgdad23]

Exactly. I thought I wanted to be a SWAT officer, and then I realized that the pointman gets shot 60% of the time, and as much of a rush I got from being a door kicker, I got my thrill and decided I had enough, then I said well I’m a big nerd, so I’d like to be an investigator but realized I’m far too libertarian. I didn’t care if people did drugs or sped or whatever. Only time I would do something is if someone was a true “victim” so it wasn’t a good fit. I know medical is the right choice for me, because nothing has moved me emotionally like it does (especially younger cancer patients. I pretty much cry a little every time) and it pumps the sh out of me seeing the ones who are like “F IT! I’m gonna push through this ah!” I’ve learned that what inspires me is the human spirit. Amputees, cancer pts, trauma victims, etc.

Exactly! This is why it is so important to have clinical experience of some sort, whether it is paid or volunteer. Both my paid and volunteer clinical experiences have given me insightful perspectives into medicine and insight on the provider side vs only the patient side.

 

[RNtoMD87]

Right. I think it should be an absolute requirement. I don’t give two sh*^s if someone has a 4.0

Know how many idiots I know that are absolutely brilliant but I wouldn’t trust to do anything regarding my health? Usually it’s also an inverse relationship to a degree. There’s a certain level of inherent intelligence that’s required, but just as important is empathy, common sense, and resilience.

In fact thats the main improvement the army gave me that I feel is necessary. The ability to push through when you’re starving, tired, sick etc. Once I got stuck as the armorer in a combat Military police unit that also worked law enforcement duty. I worked 22 days straight and only had 4 hours non consecutive off at a time due to 3 shifts weapons draw, turn in and inventory of $3,000,000 of equipment as well as field draw and turn in. After that I feel I can handle anything. In fact, currently as a full time nurse and full time student I typically sleep 3-4 hours per night and catch up once a week sleeping 12-14 hours. I see many of these young bucks complaining about only getting 6 hours of sleep a night and I can only chuckle.

Maybe if they took more veterans, parents of older children (experienced raising them but the children aren’t a hindrance), medically experienced people, etc they would have a lower burnout and suicide rate. At 22 years old the average American thinks the slightest inconvenience is hard.

It wonder why medschools are so picky about taking prior other medical specialities and give us such a hard time. I’d prefer a pharmD gone MD because I feel like you’d know your drugs far better than a typical MD.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

That is so false. Competitive in the realm of a pre-med means derm and ENT, when in reality it also encompasses IM subs. While I'M is easy to match, you aren't matching GI from a community shop. This thread is filled with so much pre-med idealism.

Most IM grads from MD programs subspecialize. They don't go into primary care.

What I said was that it was attainable (meaning not impossible). I've seen plenty of DOs subspecialize in Cards or GI. I never said they weren't competitive though. The general rule of thumb is to land a IM residency program that already has those fellowships in-house and work your ass off to obtain a spot after finishing residency.

Edit: I'm not a pre-med by the way.

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[Prehealth1011]

There's no "lower tier" DO schools. It's either "are you a DO student or a MD student" in the program director's eyes.

 

[DrMcCoyDO]

There's no "lower tier" DO schools. It's either "are you a DO student or a MD student" in the program director's eyes.

In most program directors’ eyes, this is true (except occasionally on a regional basis); however, in terms of education and rotation opportunities, there are higher and lower tiers of DO school.

 

[Blanky]

Bro nobody said it wasn't hard, or harder than MD. It is realistic though and the above merely stated that Ortho, Neurosurg, Optho etc are far fetched pipedreams.

 

[CJhooper123]

The data show that DOs have a tougher time getting into academic residencies, even with equivalent board scores- this cannot be disputed. I'm not arguing that some DOs subspecialize, but let's quit it with the sunshine and rainbows and quit pretending like the OP, with an improved MCAT, isn't a candidate for a low-tier MD.

And I know what it takes to apply/interview for IM as a DO...I'm an IM applicant interviewing at exclusive university programs.

Idk... MD applications are so competitive.

I understand that a 508-510 MCAT would definitely put OP in a good position... but turning down the DO is going all in on MD. Given how expensive the application process is, losing a year's worth of attending salary, and the uncertainty of the application process in general... it just seems risky to turn down the DO acceptance. Nothing is guaranteed when applying to medical school, especially MD. Honestly... these are things OP should have considered prior to applying to this DO school (and even after OP interviewed at this school).

If OP is not hellbent on pursuing a surgical subspecialty or going to one of the top residency programs in the US, why not take the DO acceptance and run with it?

EDIT: Good luck with your IM interviews