Hi everyone. Currently I'm in a small hairball. I go to University of Kentucky and I currently have a 3.98(cGPA) and 4.0 (sGPA). I applied to medical schools, but I got denied from all the allopathic schools, but was accepted to some osteopathic schools. I know it is probably because I am not American and I also scored a low 7 on my verbal (cumulative MCAT was 29S). So what I am asking is what would you guys do in my situation would you retake the MCAT and go next year to MD or just take the acceptance to the DO schools and walk away with it?
What would you guys do in my position?
- Thread starter HotFudge
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take the acceptance to the DO schools and walk away with it and a hotfudge sundae
As an international student, I would be cautious about going to a DO school. What country are you from, and will you be able to practice there with a DO? I know in my country that DO would simply not fly. We only have MDs.
I would reapply, if I were you as hard as it may be. Study your butt of for the MCAT and do practice problems extensively.
29S can get you into your state school. You need to choose your schools carefully; I choose only schools that accepted at least ten international students each year.
In the end, you have to ask yourself what you want. Do you just want to be a doctor, or do you want to become an MD. Also, talk to people in the know (MDs, DOs, professors), so that you can begin to make an informed decision.
Goodluck
I would reapply, if I were you as hard as it may be. Study your butt of for the MCAT and do practice problems extensively.
29S can get you into your state school. You need to choose your schools carefully; I choose only schools that accepted at least ten international students each year.
In the end, you have to ask yourself what you want. Do you just want to be a doctor, or do you want to become an MD. Also, talk to people in the know (MDs, DOs, professors), so that you can begin to make an informed decision.
Goodluck
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The odds are not on your side to get a high enough MCAT score with a good VS to be competitive as an international applicant. Take the DO acceptance and be a doctor.
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Unless your country doesn't accept DOs as physicians, take the DO acceptance and RUN with it! Honestly w/ a 29S and such a poor VR as well as being an internat'l student, your chances at MD on a reapplication are pretty low and you may not get another DO acceptance if you were to reapply. Take what you can get as an internat'l student, esp. with the score you got.
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Unless you have a desire to practice overseas, go DO! 👍
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You almost need to take the DO acceptance. It looks piss poor to reapply and have to admit that you already turned down a medical school acceptance. People will think you don't have the dedication needed for medicine. Too many people drop out and costschool's thousands of dollars to waste valuable funds on someone they doubtwill stick with the program.
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I guess that would depend on what you want. If you just want to be a doctor, go for DO. Retake the MCAT and apply the next cycle if you're set on MD.
You're grades are inconsistent with your MCAT score. That's what I think really sticks out. If you have a 4.0 sGPA, one would think you would do better on the MCAT. You definitely want to study more for that if you really want MD.
You're grades are inconsistent with your MCAT score. That's what I think really sticks out. If you have a 4.0 sGPA, one would think you would do better on the MCAT. You definitely want to study more for that if you really want MD.
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I don't know anything about being an international student and having a US degree and practicing elsewhere, so you have to do you own research on that or wait till someone here chimes in. But...I would take the DO route. Like people have said, there's no guarantee that you'll score higher on the MCAT AND that you'll be accepted to an MD school next year (or future application cycles).
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It depends... I don't know if DO flies in Asia or Europe
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not like you can practice with a american MD in other countries either..
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You can practice, at least, in all parts of Asia (including Korea and Japan), Africa and South America. I bet almost all European countries also. Everyone, including Canadians and Europeans know that American Medical school system is simply the best and most superior in the world. Why do you think these Canadians try to copy us?
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DO works in china,india, russia i think israel.. the only country in europe that doesnt accept DO's is france..
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When I said Asia I meant Korea, Japan, China and so on...
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eh.. cite your sources where you believe that the european system is somehow even close to the american system..
canada probably copies us to maintain a good stream of immigrants and other diplomatic crap..
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Osteopathic_Medicine
basically all countries in asia accept the DO degree..
realistically if your saying that a MD is the key to the world your way off..
in america we force foreign grads to re-do residencies and do education.. the other nations of the world likely hold the same regards to american grads
Oh I'm sorry, I forgot to specify. I'm Canadian and I would like to practice in the US. As a DO am I allowed to practice in the US as a Canadian citizen? Also, I would like to enter some competitive residencies like the ROAD residencies, I talked to my cousin (he's a cardiologist) and for some odd reason he told me to stay behind another year and retake the MCAT. Now I'm a little confused...🙁
EDIT**One small thing I am a little confused of. Whats the difference if someone goes into ortho or derm with an AOA residency as opposed to ACGME residency. I understand ACGME is MD and AOA is DO, but do you work as the same jobs and why do people really prefer ACGME for residencies? I understand it matters if you want to practice in Canada, but in the US do you get the same jobs with AOA residency and ACGME?
EDIT**One small thing I am a little confused of. Whats the difference if someone goes into ortho or derm with an AOA residency as opposed to ACGME residency. I understand ACGME is MD and AOA is DO, but do you work as the same jobs and why do people really prefer ACGME for residencies? I understand it matters if you want to practice in Canada, but in the US do you get the same jobs with AOA residency and ACGME?
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Do not retake the MCAT or burn another year. Take your acceptance and enjoy becoming a doctor.
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aoa residencies arent held in as much prestige and usually done in really unattractive area's.. these are usually considered residencies for primary care.
acgme i think are slightly better if you want to go towards a specialized residency or one of the internal medicine subspecialties.
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You have medical school acceptances in hand. Take one of them and run with it. Why would you lose the spots to reply again next year and risk maybe not ever getting anything? For what reason would you have to take that kind of risk?
In the US, MD's and DO's are equivalent degrees and have the same practice rights. You can pursue any specialty with either degree, including the so-called "ROAD" specialties (which I guess every pre-med wants to do, until they are hit with the stark reality that most of them can't cut it). DO's can apply to both the ACGME and AOA matches. The AOA match precedes the ACGME match, but if you match into the former, you get dropped from the latter. Some people choose to withdraw from the AOA match so they can avoid that issue.
Would you be able to practice in the US with a US MD degree? If so, then you would be able to do so with a US DO degree as well. They are equivalent in the US. I don't know anything about non-citizens obtaining practice rights, though.
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I'd look in the specialty forums for the answer. But in general, 99+% of the time, the answer is yes. The only reason it's not 100% is because I lurk in the Anesthesiology forums a lot and apparently doing a AOA residency will hinder your job search to some extent. But like I said, go to their forums for specifics.
It depends on how old you are and whether you are willing to retake the MCAT and wait it out another year. The big thing for me, if I were in your shoes, is the discrepancy between your gpa and your MCAT. No native english speaker should ever get that low on verbal and if the rest of your application is relatively strong, a 32+ with double digit scores in all three categories should greatly improve your selection the following year. However, don't expect the same acceptances from DO schools if you do reapply. And if you are interviewed, you better have a good reason with why you chose to reapply despite having medical school acceptances in hand. On the other hand, if youre getting up there in age (ie 27+ years old) then I say go DO and get going with your life. The difference in degree doesn't matter if you plan to practice in the US.
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When is the deadline for accepting your acceptances?
Could you retake the MCAT before the deadline in order to better make your decision? Also, maybe call the adcoms and see if there is anything else you can do to strengthen your apps. This cycle isn't over yet, so there is still hope for an MD.
Good luck!
I only have MSU (MD) left that hasn't rejected me yet. I have received an acceptance from Pikeville and NSU. In regards to the MCAT, I dont believe I can retake before deadline. All the MCAT spots are probably full by now...
