Turning Down a US MD acceptance to go DO?

[BestoFriedo-Todo]

How often does this happen?
Does the DO/MD title really matter?
Am I making a horrible mistake?

I am currently in a position to do this. I am truly considering it, cause I really like my DO school and they already have my non-refundable $3000 dollar deposit of mine. Also, OMM sounds like a great tool set to have.

Edit
WVSOM - DO
Meharry - MD

Cost is about the same.
Haven't decided on a specialty just yet.

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[freedoctor17]

How often does this happen?
Does the DO/MD title really matter?
Am I making a horrible mistake?

I am currently in a position to do this. I am truly considering it, cause I really like my DO school and they already have my non-refundable $3000 dollar deposit of mine. Also, OMM sounds like a great tool set to have.

Depends on too many things we don't know. What MD and what DO school is it? Are you interested in competitive specialties or primary care? What's the overall cost difference (will the 3000 deposit really matter in the end)?

 

[breachnaked]

First: 3000 dollars over the course of a lifetime means literally nothing..... take that out of the equation.

Second: go MD, it will open more doors for you in the long run.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

How often does this happen?
Does the DO/MD title really matter?
Am I making a horrible mistake?

I am currently in a position to do this. I am truly considering it, cause I really like my DO school and they already have my non-refundable $3000 dollar deposit of mine. Also, OMM sounds like a great tool set to have.

You will forever remember your mistake if you do.

 

[Isoval]

I would say that as long as there are a) no glaring issues with the MD school (declining boards, awful support, etc.) and b) there is no financial incentive of going DO, I would choose MD.

It does not appear that either of these are true for you.

 

[BurntFlower]

Go to Meharry!

 

[doc05]

OMM is a joke. Go MD

 

[el_duderino]

Absolute no brainer.

 

[On_The_Way_Up]

Lol the $3,000 will mean nothing when you have a salary of a doctor one day. Making a life changing decision based on that is really short sited.

 

[Oso]

What is it that's drawing you to the DO school, aside from the deposit money (should be a non-factor, as others have mentioned) and OMM?

Do you have any idea what specialties you are interested in?

Especially since the cost is the same, I would recommend going to the MD school, but it's possible you have other reasons for wanting to go DO that aren't apparent here.

 

[DokterMom]

The $3,000 is already gone, so don't factor it into the equation.

MD opens many more doors for you - probably even more so in the next few years post-merger. Attending a DO school significantly narrows the range of specialties for most applicants. And very, very few DOs actually use OMM in their practices. It's not widely considered to be evidence-based.

 

[Lucca]

go to the MD school, that 3,000$ will sting now but MD rly is the better option

 

[BestoFriedo-Todo]

WVSOM is my first acceptance. I've been accepted there for like 2 months already. I feel some sort of loyalty to them. They have $3000 dollars of mine. I am a fresh out of undergrad and still poor, so that $3000 is a lot to me. Also, I've literally spent the last 2 months telling everyone at work i'm going to WV. That is just about it.



(Trivial Stuff)

 

[CyrusHabs7695]

Only reasons to go DO over MD is if the DO offers a full COA, or if you cannot leave the area the DO school is in to go MD for family reasons.

 

[MareNostrummm]

WVSOM is my first acceptance. I've been accepted there for like 2 months already. I feel some sort of loyalty to them. They have $3000 dollars of mine. I am a fresh out of undergrad and still poor, so that $3000 is a lot to me. Also, I've literally spent the last 2 months telling everyone at work i'm going to WV. That is just about it.



(Trivial Stuff)

Why would you feel loyalty towards an institution? If you turn down the acceptance nobody will care and they just pull someone from the waitlist.

 

[drkks1516]

The mere fact that you aren't sure what you want to do is why you should go to Meharry. The MD route will keep the doors open for you while the DO route will make things unnecessarily harder should you fall in love with a more competitive specialty. You shouldn't feel any loyalty to a school you haven't attended yet. Like the poster above me said, if you drop your spot they'll give it to someone else tomorrow. And $3000 will be nothing in the years to come. Chalk it up to a small price to pay for your dreams. I vote Meharry.

 

[MarineMDHopeful]

WVSOM is my first acceptance. I've been accepted there for like 2 months already. I feel some sort of loyalty to them. They have $3000 dollars of mine. I am a fresh out of undergrad and still poor, so that $3000 is a lot to me. Also, I've literally spent the last 2 months telling everyone at work i'm going to WV. That is just about it.



(Trivial Stuff)

I would say Meharry, I do have a good friend that is a General Surgeon that went to WVSOM. He will tell you the same, he is the exception and not the average. MD just lessens the gap bro, hit up Marshall with that update letter to make the choice easier. But when in doubt got MD.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

WVSOM is my first acceptance. I've been accepted there for like 2 months already. I feel some sort of loyalty to them. They have $3000 dollars of mine. I am a fresh out of undergrad and still poor, so that $3000 is a lot to me. Also, I've literally spent the last 2 months telling everyone at work i'm going to WV. That is just about it.



(Trivial Stuff)

Don’t do it.

 

[Lucca]

WVSOM is my first acceptance. I've been accepted there for like 2 months already. I feel some sort of loyalty to them. They have $3000 dollars of mine. I am a fresh out of undergrad and still poor, so that $3000 is a lot to me. Also, I've literally spent the last 2 months telling everyone at work i'm going to WV. That is just about it.



(Trivial Stuff)

they literally dont care about you they barely met you and you are the one who has to live with your career choices, not your coworkers.

 

[DokterMom]

they literally dont care about you they barely met you and you are the one who has to live with your career choices, not your coworkers.

Not to jump on the bandwagon, but yeah -- The sentimentality is completely one-sided. WVSOM decided you were worthy of acceptance. Just like Meharry did. No more; no less. You will not hurt their feelings and they will bear you no ill will.

 

[Kingsmen2018]

"DOs aren't real doctors. You're a phony."

I don't mean this, but this is what you will hear the rest of ur life from ignorant people. And many of whom will be ur patients. Go MD, it'll open more doors

 

[ciestar]

My friend is at a DO school and is really hating not having an MD acceptance two years ago now that we’re studying for boards.

 

[Goro]

How often does this happen?
Does the DO/MD title really matter?
Am I making a horrible mistake?

I am currently in a position to do this. I am truly considering it, cause I really like my DO school and they already have my non-refundable $3000 dollar deposit of mine. Also, OMM sounds like a great tool set to have.

Edit
WVSOM - DO
Meharry - MD

Cost is about the same.
Haven't decided on a specialty just yet.

Do not fall victim to the sunk cost fallacy.

As mentioned above, Meherry will open more doors for you.

 

[Goro]

My friend is at a DO school and is really hating not having an MD acceptance two years ago now that we’re studying for boards.

He'll get over it.

 

[ciestar]

He'll get over it.

She is still resentful she never got off an MD waitlist. She will complain about this for years lol went as far to say once that DO’s should be seen as more competitive than MD since they take two boards. Chip on shoulder kinda thing. Just staying in my lane with all of this, though.

 

[MareNostrummm]

She is still resentful she never got off an MD waitlist. She will complain about this for years lol went as far to say once that DO’s should be seen as more competitive than MD since they take two boards. Chip on shoulder kinda thing. Just staying in my lane with all of this, though.

Hopefully she gets into her specialty/residency of choice.

 

[Stagg737]

There is a very specific set of criteria for choosing DO over MD which is becoming more and more strict with the impending merger. You meet none of those criteria. As someone who turned down MD interviews to attend a DO school and who has no regrets whatsoever about the decision, I say go MD. You'll be thankful you did in 4 years.

 

[Goro]

She is still resentful she never got off an MD waitlist. She will complain about this for years lol went as far to say once that DO’s should be seen as more competitive than MD since they take two boards. Chip on shoulder kinda thing. Just staying in my lane with all of this, though.

Yeah, another self-hating DO. Seen tons of them in real life and here on SDN. They tend to make life miserable for my OMM/OMT colleagues. Hopefully getting into practice will fix that.

 

[deleted870424]

The 3k is a sunk cost, it should not factor into your decision.

MD.

Rule of thumb: MD > DO >>>>>>>>> international MD

 

[bananafish94]

I just want to say...the fact that there are schools that charge $3000 as a NON-REFUNDABLE deposit is obscene. THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS? That's over 5% of the MEDIAN INCOME in the United States! Before taxes! Good lord. Where do people come up with this kind of money? You want more low-income people to go into medicine? Maybe start with the THREE THOUSAND DOLLAR deposit. I think I need to go meditate or something.

Also, you should definitely go with the MD school. Congrats on the acceptances!

 

[MareNostrummm]

I just want to say...the fact that there are schools that charge $3000 as a NON-REFUNDABLE deposit is obscene. THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS? That's over 5% of the MEDIAN INCOME in the United States! Before taxes! Good lord. Where do people come up with this kind of money? You want more low-income people to go into medicine? Maybe start with the THREE THOUSAND DOLLAR deposit. I think I need to go meditate or something.

Also, you should definitely go with the MD school. Congrats on the acceptances!

You gotta pay to play in this town.

 

[raiderette]

Please consider rotations. MD schools tend to do rotations at training sites connected to the school. DO schools often use preceptors with varying degrees consistency. Also, many schools place a large burden on the students to schedule those rotations. This factor alone makes MD a better choice.

 

[Med Ed]

Also, I've literally spent the last 2 months telling everyone at work i'm going to WV.

You will many opportunities in life to grow a mullet. This is your only chance to get an MD. Go for it.

 

[HeIsHeinrich]

Congrats on your acceptance--bite the bullet. Go MD.

 

[BestoFriedo-Todo]

Welp, that was a unanimous debate. Any DOs out there want to speak their mind? If so do it now or forever hold your peace.

 

[freedoctor17]

I think there was at least one DO in the thread who already mentioned they think you should go MD and also Goro, an adcom at a DO school (correct me if I'm wrong), says to go MD as well.

 

[IzzyMandelbaum]

Would you recommend going to any of the newly opened MD schools this cycle over an established DO?

 

[DSM_302.0]

OP, go MD!

 

[Goro]

Would you recommend going to any of the newly opened MD schools this cycle over an established DO?

DO >>>>>>>>>>>>CNU.

 

[freedoctor17]

Would you recommend going to any of the newly opened MD schools this cycle over an established DO?

Not all newly opened MD's are created equal. Places like Seton Hall who already have a well established hospital are gonna probably have a leg up on some other new schools.

 

[Sharknad0]

Welp, that was a unanimous debate. Any DOs out there want to speak their mind? If so do it now or forever hold your peace.

You've had DO's respond

 

[BestoFriedo-Todo]

You've had DO's respond

*corrections* any opposing DOs?
But I'm pretty much set on MD now.

Maybe in a few decades, one day the DO stigma will be gone, and they will be equal to MDs when it comes to opportunities. However, today is not that day.

 

[Trollest]

Noone ever said this unless they are referring to an OMM specialist.

"DOs aren't real doctors. You're a phony."

I don't mean this, but this is what you will hear the rest of ur life from ignorant people. And many of whom will be ur patients. Go MD, it'll open more doors

 

[Dagrimsta1]

*corrections* any opposing DOs?
But I'm pretty much set on MD now.

Maybe in a few decades, one day the DO stigma will be gone, and they will be equal to MDs when it comes to opportunities. However, today is not that day.

I am a DO student and from personal experience I’ll say this.

1) we DO’s DO need to work harder to open our doors.
2) Taking 2 boards sucks.
3) in DO school you learn OMM. 60% voodoo 30% useful in specific situations. 10% nonsense. YMMV.
4) go MD simply because life will easier.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Welp, that was a unanimous debate. Any DOs out there want to speak their mind? If so do it now or forever hold your peace.

Yeah, go MD.

Would you recommend going to any of the newly opened MD schools this cycle over an established DO?

Yes I would.

 

[naway]

I just recently turned down a DO acceptance (and a scholarship, which added a whole 'nother layer of complication), and I really get both the loyalty thing and the pain of losing a tuition deposit when you're currently financially strained. My DO acceptance was my first ever acceptance after an unsuccessful previous cycle, AND they offered me a scholarship when it seemed like no other school even wanted me. So there is this sense that how can I turn them down after they were so good to me? Then there's the fact that my family is going through really tough times financially, and paying that deposit money was a huge, difficult sacrifice. I get it, but you have to recognize that these feelings are literally irrational and clouded by your current situation that soon won't matter. You aren't making a financial decision for your current self but for your future self. Future asdf333 isn't a poor recent college grad. Future asdf333 is a physician who can afford to drop $3000 on a fancy pair of boots if future asdf333 really wanted them. It's easy to get caught up in sentimentality with as emotional as the application process can be, but the rational part of your brain already knows that the DO school feels no such loyalty to you. Every year, they lose dozens if not hundreds of their acceptees to other institutions. They aren't crying over each one.

 

[el_duderino]

Out of curiosity, how much does the whole COMLEX series cost?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

Out of curiosity, how much does the whole COMLEX series cost?

I think they cost as much as the USMLE series but I’m not sure.

 

[el_duderino]

I think they cost as much as the USMLE series but I’m not sure.

Just added it up.

$660 + $660 + $1295 = $2616 for COMLEX 1, 2CE, and 2PE. That's $2600 for the DO board exams on top of the ~2600 you'll be paying for the USMLE board exams.

So there's your $3000, even though as others have noted it's already spent and lost.

 

[On_The_Way_Up]

WVSOM is my first acceptance. I've been accepted there for like 2 months already. I feel some sort of loyalty to them. They have $3000 dollars of mine. I am a fresh out of undergrad and still poor, so that $3000 is a lot to me. Also, I've literally spent the last 2 months telling everyone at work i'm going to WV. That is just about it.



(Trivial Stuff)

Then you can tell everyone at work since then you've accepted a better offer. lol

Loyalty? You haven't attended school there yet. You've been on the campus how many times? How many people do you even know there? And have you had more than a couple conversations from the few you have talked to?

The money might matter now but it will be minuscule years from now. Its not wasting money. You are investing in your future! Turning down a MD would be a terrible decision. And so far you haven't given any good reasons. Not that there aren't much. Like someone else said the only time would be if you couldn't leave family.