Thank you for saying this. I have a high 30s score and an otherwise strong application and I have deliberately chosen DO... and caught no end of crap for it here. SDN dogma says that DO is only for people who can't get into an MD school. I had begun to worry that I might have an uphill battle to convince DO schools that they are not my safety valves, that I truly want to go there.
The reasons that I will share are:
1) I know several exceptional doctors who were trained at the two schools that I am most interested in attending,
2) I feel that DO schools are more accepting of older nontrads like myself, and
3) DO schools have more of a clinical focus, which fits my ambitions better. Many MD schools seem to value research above clinic, so that you can't even graduate without conducting significant research. That is good for them, but not my thing.
What I probably won't explain in the interview is that I am glad that gunner pre-meds avoid DO at all costs. Because they underrate the education offered at those schools, I have seen them choose to reapply multiple times to MD programs rather than suffer the indignity of learning a little extra OMM. So, I figure that the percentage of my class which is comprised of douchey bro gunners will be lower than at an MD school. Given the great personality of almost every DO that I know compared to the egomania of many of the MD docs, I just think that I will get along with my classmates better at a DO school.
That isn't to say that every MD I know is a jerk. Say 8% jerk rate among MDs, 1% jerk rate among DOs that I know. It is anecdata, but statistically significant enough to convince me that I am seeing a real phenomenon.
Just addressing the 3 points:
1) Yeah, I get wanting to go to schools that your mentors went to...
2) Probably to some degree, but this really depends on the school.
3) This ABSOLUTELY depends on the school. Some DO schools barely focus on clinical experience during med school (beyond the requirements obviously). Many MD schools have a HEAVY focus on clinical experiences in med school (way more than most DO schools), that's the reason I applied to many of those MD schools. If you want community medicine, there are plenty of MD schools with that focus.
And to be honest, research is a good thing. You contribute to the collective through it, and quite frankly you could really help undeserved and rural/community areas with it. For example, one MD school I applied to had a research project that you complete each year. You choose an important health concern of a specific community. You meet with patients and officials in the community and collectively determine what the primary issues are (usually public health related) and think of a solution. You can then continue to work with the community to implement that solution.
If I were you (in other words I strongly recommend this), I'd apply to the DO schools I'm interested in, as well as MD schools with a community/clinical focus. In the end, you can make the decision after you see where you get in. The thing is, there really is very little difference between a DO school and an MD school, and you can certainly practice as an MD with the principles of a DO. The difference comes in with applying for residencies, taking boards, and ultimately cost. MD schools have a ton more public schools and a ton more scholarships to give out.
Ultimately, the type of physician you become is more about YOU than your school, so your goal should be the school that will leave your options open and give you the experiences you want for as little money as possible (unless you're already getting HPSP or something). I can tell you for sure you can find what you want at both an MD and DO school.
