Long time listener. First time caller.
Recently I received an invite from UMDNJ SOM (applied late in the cycle
). After having previously interviewed at NJMS, being waitlisted and later rejected, I can honestly say that its been a bumpy ride. As I have come to learn, gaining to matriculation into an Allopathic school is quite difficult. So, this year I decided to turn my focus towards Osteopathic schools, with my first choice being UMDNJ (of course). Admittedly, I am probably an applicant you can classify as one who applied b/c he failed to gain acceptance into an allopathic program. This however, does nothing to quell my excitement over the prospect of pursing a career as an Osteopathic Physician. Neither does it imply any disrespect to the SOM program, which I hold in the highest of regards. I expect that gaining acceptance will prove to be difficult in its own right.
My take on my new career choice is this: Osteopathic medicine is relatively new, even an infant you might say, when compared to its big brother (or sister!). Thus those who are getting into the field now will by default, be pioneers of the profession. What could be more exciting!? It will be up to us (well you all for now, hopefully me soon 😉 ) to move our profession of choice forward. Based on the talented people I have spoken to that are applying to UMDNJ, I can say that these are exactly the intelligent, caring individuals that can accomplish such a feat
. Another aspect to consider is how competitive it will be to gain admission to UMDNJ in the future every year medical school applications are growing more impressive
soon even the top students will find it difficult to gain admission. This bodes well for current SOM students, for only the best will be able to matriculate and eventually work in the field alongside of them. The talent in the field is only going to rise.
So, lets work really hard and make a difference for those who chose this profession in the future. And of course, while were at it, let us love life and cherish the ability to be able to preserve it
.