Are international student acceptance for DO school as low as MD?

[paul2752]

MY GPA as of 5th semester is 3.54, which is not competitive at all for MD schools. I am considering DO schools now.

Are there any differneces in DO schools admission processes? And is it as hard to get into DO as it is to MD schools?

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[MusicDOc124]

Your GPA is in a position that it is relative. If you score well on the MCAT, your GPA is fine for many MD schools, and the same goes for DO schools. If you don't do well on the MCAT, it barely matters for either. Generally speaking, no - the admissions process is the same. The only "difference" is that MD applicants use AMCAS and DO applicants use AACOMAS, which are set up similarly anyway. Is it as hard to get into DO as MD? Pretty much the same, give or take, in terms of how many applicants apply v how many get interviews v how many get accepted. Average stats for DO programs are a little lower in most places compared to most MD programs, but they take many other things into account during the process anyway.

 

[MusicDOc124]

Have you taken the MCAT? Also, without any additional info, no one can really answer beyond generalizations. ECs? Background? State of residence? Where you plan to apply? Etc...

 

[paul2752]

No, but I plan to take it next early Spring.
Background: As I stated in title, I am an international student-therefore non citizen. Asian .
Chemical Engineer major with minor in Spanish.
EC: Free tutoring, high school mentoring, volunteer for grief counseling, volunteer for Alzheimer patients. Research in molybdenum-NIickle Alloy. I am participating another research in nanotechnology for another proferssor in my school next semester.

 

[giguerex35]

MY GPA as of 5th semester is 3.54, which is not competitive at all for MD schools. I am considering DO schools now.

Are there any differneces in DO schools admission processes? And is it as hard to get into DO as it is to MD schools?

Roll Tide

 

[UBLI-EINSTEIN]

I think I've seen you in pre-MD forum.
hmm, DO usually accepts lower stats and accept possibly more international students for each school.
However, there are only limited amount of DO schools open for international students.
Take a look at that, but plz notice it's hard anyway. Your stats don't seem great in terms of an international students anyway, unless you have great MCAT.

 

[Goro]

Your GPA is in a position that it is relative. If you score well on the MCAT, your GPA is fine for many MD schools, and the same goes for DO schools. If you don't do well on the MCAT, it barely matters for either. Generally speaking, no - the admissions process is the same. The only "difference" is that MD applicants use AMCAS and DO applicants use AACOMAS, which are set up similarly anyway. Is it as hard to get into DO as MD? Pretty much the same, give or take, in terms of how many applicants apply v how many get interviews v how many get accepted. Average stats for DO programs are a little lower in most places compared to most MD programs, but they take many other things into account during the process anyway.

Internationals need to have Harvard/Stanford stats for MD schools. For DO, a 3.5 is fine.

 

[paul2752]

Thanks for valuable info, all.

This is so hard for me to decide change my future career path because I have been dead set on being a MD since iwas 5 years old, but now I see I was not prepared enough for it. I wish I should have done more researches before I started my undergrad.

Still it feels less stressful that DO may be a possibility. Is it equally expensive to apply?

 

[MusicDOc124]

It's roughly the same to apply, but if accepted, DO schools generally have larger deposits required to maintain your seat. Many MD schools are between $50-$200 whereas many DO schools are $1000-$3000. With that said, the deposit goes toward tuition, so thats $1000-3000 more you still have to pay toward tuition for MD, or $1000-3000 less for you to pay for DO.

 

[piptheorangecat]

Hi! I feel obliged to answer your question because I struggled to find answers for this, and now I am in a position to be helpful. I'm an international student who applied the past cycle and is starting osteopathic medical school this year. To answer your question, getting into DO school is A LOT easier than MD schools for international students. I have pretty good but not Harvard Stanford stats (3.75/515), applied to basically all the MD schools I could, got one interview (rejected). I applied to like 5 D.O. schools (the older, more established ones), and got interviews to them all. I interviewed at 4, and was accepted to 3. Fellow international students in my friend group all have similar stats, and getting into MD was really luck of the draw (only one of us ended up accepted). I was the only one who really pursued the D.O. route actively, probably because it's not so well known to internationals. I think if you have decent stats, say 3.6/510, you are almost certainly getting into D.O. school if you apply widely. The standards are still somewhat higher, but reasonable (not Harvard/Stanford). This is just speculation, but I think there a a few reasons D.O. school is easier than M.D. school for international students:

1) You need to be head and shoulders above your fellow applicants to gain acceptance as an international student (that's certainly easier at D.O. schools where the average is 3.5/505 as opposed to MD where the average is 3.7/510).
2) Private D.O. schools tend to have less regional bias, allowing internationals a more fair chance. Private M.D. schools also tend to have less regional bias but tend to be very prestigious (think Harvard, Yale). State M.D. schools we may have the stats for but usually outright do not accept international students.
3) D.O. school is less well known to (usually very qualified) international students, who tend to cluster their applications towards the thirty or so M.D. schools that will accept them. This results in fierce competition, as the schools will have their pick of 4.0/520/Ph.D's among the international students.

Sorry if this is long winded, but here is my concrete advice for you:
1) Kill the MCAT, get a ton of clinical experience, take a gap year. Your GPA would still have three semesters to grow.
2) Shadow a D.O. and really show that you are committed to osteopathic medicine and not using it as a backup
3) Apply early and widely. D.O. schools tend to be rolling.
4) Without being eligible for federal financial aid, make sure you have the funding for medical school.
5) Don't get caught up in the "unfairness" of it all and comparing yourself with U.S. peers through the process. All we can do is to try our best.

Good luck!

 

[paul2752]

Hi! I feel obliged to answer your question because I struggled to find answers for this, and now I am in a position to be helpful. I'm an international student who applied the past cycle and is starting osteopathic medical school this year. To answer your question, getting into DO school is A LOT easier than MD schools for international students. I have pretty good but not Harvard Stanford stats (3.75/515), applied to basically all the MD schools I could, got one interview (rejected). I applied to like 5 D.O. schools (the older, more established ones), and got interviews to them all. I interviewed at 4, and was accepted to 3. Fellow international students in my friend group all have similar stats, and getting into MD was really luck of the draw (only one of us ended up accepted). I was the only one who really pursued the D.O. route actively, probably because it's not so well known to internationals. I think if you have decent stats, say 3.6/510, you are almost certainly getting into D.O. school if you apply widely. The standards are still somewhat higher, but reasonable (not Harvard/Stanford). This is just speculation, but I think there a a few reasons D.O. school is easier than M.D. school for international students:

1) You need to be head and shoulders above your fellow applicants to gain acceptance as an international student (that's certainly easier at D.O. schools where the average is 3.5/505 as opposed to MD where the average is 3.7/510).
2) Private D.O. schools tend to have less regional bias, allowing internationals a more fair chance. Private M.D. schools also tend to have less regional bias but tend to be very prestigious (think Harvard, Yale). State M.D. schools we may have the stats for but usually outright do not accept international students.
3) D.O. school is less well known to (usually very qualified) international students, who tend to cluster their applications towards the thirty or so M.D. schools that will accept them. This results in fierce competition, as the schools will have their pick of 4.0/520/Ph.D's among the international students.

Sorry if this is long winded, but here is my concrete advice for you:
1) Kill the MCAT, get a ton of clinical experience, take a gap year. Your GPA would still have three semesters to grow.
2) Shadow a D.O. and really show that you are committed to osteopathic medicine and not using it as a backup
3) Apply early and widely. D.O. schools tend to be rolling.
4) Without being eligible for federal financial aid, make sure you have the funding for medical school.
5) Don't get caught up in the "unfairness" of it all and comparing yourself with U.S. peers through the process. All we can do is to try our best.

Good luck!

'


Hi piptheorangecat,

thank you so much for your detailed account. You know its hard for me to change my future career route because it's been something I have been aiming for since I moved to the USA 8 years ago. You can't get everything you want, and that's fine, but it's extremely discouraging when there are so many hurdles that you can't just beat no matter how much you try.

How did you get clinical exposure? ARe you talkig about volunteer near patients? or working as a scribe? Doctor shadowing? I have been looking for doctors to shadow but it's been extremely difficult because of HIPAA.

 

[ccrose]

Internationals need to have Harvard/Stanford stats for MD schools. For DO, a 3.5 is fine.

Hi, I know you're a big name here, but I have to differ. This is true for the VAST MAJORITY of medical schools >95% but there are a good 20-25 schools where domestic and international students are not held to different academic standards. It may be worth your while, applicant, to research those schools.

 

[canadian1287]

Hi, I know you're a big name here, but I have to differ. This is true for the VAST MAJORITY of medical schools >95% but there are a good 20-25 schools where domestic and international students are not held to different academic standards. It may be worth your while, applicant, to research those schools.

I would have to disagree. Even if this is stated, the competition is insane for these schools (they still generally take only 1-3% of the class as internationals, except for maybe Wayne State). In addition, the tuition seems to be astronomical ($70K+ US per year).

It seems you haven't applied or been accepted to medical schools just yet. My advice would be not to through out DO schools... they may be your only shot. Just my $0.02.

 

[Mad Jack]

Only thing I can say for sure is that UNECOM takes international grads. Every school is so specific about international grads that it's impossible to generalize.

 

[ccrose]

I would have to disagree. Even if this is stated, the competition is insane for these schools (they still generally take only 1-3% of the class as internationals, except for maybe Wayne State). In addition, the tuition seems to be astronomical ($70K+ US per year). I don't know about you, but as a Canadian, I only can receive only a $275,000CAN LOC plus a $40K CAN government loan. There was no way I could afford to attend a medical school at 70KUS/yr, even if I wanted too. The DO school I will be attending in the fall is approx. 22K less than most MD schools for international students, and is found in a relatively cheap area to live in.

It seems you haven't applied or been accepted to medical schools just yet. My advice would be not to through out DO schools... they may be your only shot. Just my $0.02.

Hey I have to agree with you about the financing. I didn't say anything about that. I meant PURELY in terms of acceptance, several schools (about 12-20) don't discriminate. BUT yes, financing options are not available, that has nothing to do with *stats* which is the part that I was addressing in the initial post. Overall, all factors considered, yes it is harder I am not denying that but for an interantional to apply to Tulane it's not like you need a 3.9/520 as the original post would have us believe.

This is information I have based on a lot of folks who applied + got accepted and also every intrenational student from the college I went to (very selective LAC) was accepted to some US medical college if they ended up applying (in the past 3/4 years--some have had to reapply). I just don't want people to get freaked out because this definitely intimidated me and set me back after I got my first semester of B's. That said though, like everything else, this is hard as hell so yeah considering DO is a great option I'm doing that as well.

 

[Isoval]

Every school has a quota.

Just as some schools allot certain spots to Canadian and OOS applicant, or even male/female or white/Asian/black/etc., schools allot certain spots to international applicants.

I cannot imagine there is a place accepting of international students that does not have rough competition. Internationals are all competing for that small number of allotted seats.

The only reason a school would be less competitive for internationals is if very few of them applied, and this is generally - if not universally - not the case for schools accepting of international students.

 

[Goro]

Hi, I know you're a big name here, but I have to differ. This is true for the VAST MAJORITY of medical schools >95% but there are a good 20-25 schools where domestic and international students are not held to different academic standards. It may be worth your while, applicant, to research those schools.

Data?????? The plural of anecdotes =/= data. And please do not engage in the sin of solipsism.

 

[fluffpop]

Hi! I feel obliged to answer your question because I struggled to find answers for this, and now I am in a position to be helpful. I'm an international student who applied the past cycle and is starting osteopathic medical school this year. To answer your question, getting into DO school is A LOT easier than MD schools for international students. I have pretty good but not Harvard Stanford stats (3.75/515), applied to basically all the MD schools I could, got one interview (rejected). I applied to like 5 D.O. schools (the older, more established ones), and got interviews to them all. I interviewed at 4, and was accepted to 3. Fellow international students in my friend group all have similar stats, and getting into MD was really luck of the draw (only one of us ended up accepted). I was the only one who really pursued the D.O. route actively, probably because it's not so well known to internationals. I think if you have decent stats, say 3.6/510, you are almost certainly getting into D.O. school if you apply widely. The standards are still somewhat higher, but reasonable (not Harvard/Stanford). This is just speculation, but I think there a a few reasons D.O. school is easier than M.D. school for international students:

1) You need to be head and shoulders above your fellow applicants to gain acceptance as an international student (that's certainly easier at D.O. schools where the average is 3.5/505 as opposed to MD where the average is 3.7/510).
2) Private D.O. schools tend to have less regional bias, allowing internationals a more fair chance. Private M.D. schools also tend to have less regional bias but tend to be very prestigious (think Harvard, Yale). State M.D. schools we may have the stats for but usually outright do not accept international students.
3) D.O. school is less well known to (usually very qualified) international students, who tend to cluster their applications towards the thirty or so M.D. schools that will accept them. This results in fierce competition, as the schools will have their pick of 4.0/520/Ph.D's among the international students.

Sorry if this is long winded, but here is my concrete advice for you:
1) Kill the MCAT, get a ton of clinical experience, take a gap year. Your GPA would still have three semesters to grow.
2) Shadow a D.O. and really show that you are committed to osteopathic medicine and not using it as a backup
3) Apply early and widely. D.O. schools tend to be rolling.
4) Without being eligible for federal financial aid, make sure you have the funding for medical school.
5) Don't get caught up in the "unfairness" of it all and comparing yourself with U.S. peers through the process. All we can do is to try our best.

Good luck!

Hi, congrats on your acceptance! Can I please ask how international student DO's are considered for residency? Are you aware if they are considered as IMGs or not? Would really love any insight on this going on as I am not sure what happens when you come out of med school

 

[Barefootsnail]

I am a International applying this cycle. All I want to say is the competition is stiff, but for all the international students out there, you still have a chance. Don't let statistics scare you! Pursue your dream! Work hard and pace yourselves!
I had 508 and 3.63, which was not spectacular by any means but I have gained 5 interview invitation so far.

I did not have any mentor who lead the same path as I did, so I was uncertain and depressed throughout undergrad. I now feel that I am obligated to show all the international students that your dream is achievable!

If you have any question, PM me.

 

[futurexray]

Definitely check to see if you will have an issue with Residency if you are international. There are certain requirements at hospitals which may be an issue so do your research if accepted to a school to be sure you will not have issues with Residency.

 

[Osminog]

For foreign DO applicants in 2017, average GPA and MCAT were 3.52 and 502.5, respectively. For foreign DO matriculants in 2017, average GPA and MCAT were 3.63 and 505.6, respectively. (Data here.)

Your GPA isn't going to be a deal-breaker, but your MCAT score will make or break you.

 

[DOfromCanada]

I'm currently a Canadian at a DO school. I remember speaking to one of the deans and they told me they care more about fit than anything else once you meet their cutoffs. In my class there are only two internationals, both Canadian including myself. However, I think that's because so little Canadians apply to do schools to begin with.

 

[DameJulie]

Can anyone comment on the non-Canadian international student's chance of admission for DO? Any number of matriculants at each school that are international?

 

[nooneyouknow]

Can anyone comment on the non-Canadian international student's chance of admission for DO? Any number of matriculants at each school that are international?

We have a good number (~10 per class) of non-Canadian international students at NSUCOM. They are mostly Asian.

 

[International_student]

Can anyone comment on the non-Canadian international student's chance of admission for DO? Any number of matriculants at each school that are international?

I’m African and I can certainly attest that we non Canadians have a good shot at DOs too. It’s still pretty early in the cycle but I already have 2 acceptances amongst which the openly biased MSUCOM and am waiting to hear back from 2 other interviews. 3.76 gpa and 507 MCAT so I’m fairly average. I have some good EC such as research on the importance of PCPs and on health disparities, that are DO oriented. I also have years of volunteering, TA, tutoring and clinical experience paid and unpaid... However I’ve applied to 3 MD schools where I was waitlisted before interview. I’ll have to agree with the previous posts. If you don’t have stellar stats............read more about DO and the great international work that DO schools achieve, you’ll fall in love like I did

 

[pinkgirl123]

MY GPA as of 5th semester is 3.54, which is not competitive at all for MD schools. I am considering DO schools now.

Are there any differneces in DO schools admission processes? And is it as hard to get into DO as it is to MD schools?

Did you get in anywhere? I am in a similar position.

 

[gyngyn]

Did you get in anywhere? I am in a similar position.

They haven't been here in 6 years...
Closing.