DOs with 30+ MCATs?

[MightBeACylon439]

Its the problem that I stated before, it is a retrospective cohort study. This means you are looking backward in time and finding out if MCAT scores correlate with USMLE scores. It is a weaker end of the spectrum in terms of type of study. What you are stating above is more of a randomize study, which tries to control the variables that can be confounders. This is much much more powerful of a study than all the retrospective studies these medical schools push-out. However, it is extremely unpractical (people vary in habits) thus difficult to carry out. Part of my issue is that there has been no study, which I have read, that has convinced me that MCAT scores relate to USMLE success. This is mostly due to weaker study design (not much they can do, but at least a prospective cohort study should be possible) and calculations (they were lazy with their calculations).

However, it doesn't mean I don't think there is some predictive value. The problem is that we don't know what about the MCAT correlates with success in UMSLE. As it stands, I did rather poorly on the MCAT (<26, studied my ass off), but I'm currently in the top 1/4 of my class. Now based on the MCAT I should do poorly when USMLE times comes around, but based on my clinical grades I should do okay on the USMLE. Now which should I believe more?

I think thats when you have to look internally. What kind of studying did you do? Did you do enough practice tests? Did you learn the test itself? Maybe you had something distracting going on? Are you a good standardized test taker?

Nothing against you but you seem smart and are obviously hard working, so I'd hate to the same thing happen on your Step 1.

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[MightBeACylon439]

Neither. Ignore both predictions. It doesn't matter how well you did on the MCAT or how well you're doing right now in your pre-clinical coursework. It matters what you do to study for the exam when the time comes. If you put in the time now on your courses (to learn the material not just do well on the courses) and for the months leading up to it, you'll do well. If you don't, you won't, no matter how high your MCAT was.

I think this is a load of crap. Someone didn't study hard enough or effective enough for their med school exams and all the sudden they are gonna pull it together for step 1? Doubtful. Maybe some will but they will likely be outliers.

People's behaviors are consistent. If they have a hard time studying for exams they will have a hard time studying for step 1, very doubtful they'll magically be able to put it all together just because its boards.

 

[hallowmann]

I think this is a load of crap. Someone didn't study hard enough or effective enough for their med school exams and all the sudden they are gonna pull it together for step 1? Doubtful. Maybe some will but they will likely be outliers.

People's behaviors are consistent. If they have a hard time studying for exams they will have a hard time studying for step 1, very doubtful they'll magically be able to put it all together just because its boards.

Wow, completely ignored what I said. Did I say anything about magically pulling things together? I said to study hard, and that'll be the primary determinant of how well you as an individual do, not your historical performance on the MCAT. Again, I'm saying this as someone who did well on MCAT.

And by the way, I watched multiple people with 24/25 on the MCAT, that actually did learn how to study in med school (because you have to in med school to get by) and they did turn it around.

Also, just because someone did poorly on the MCAT doesn't mean they had a "hard time studying" or getting themselves to study. There are plenty of people that had a poor base in the sciences because of how their undergrad courses were, there were people who couldn't afford review courses, there were people who had to rush to take the exam because they wouldn't have been able to support their family without being in med school.

My point is, you can't just rely on the fact that you did well on the MCAT, and assume you'll do well on the USMLE, and you can't just assume you'll do terrible on the USMLE because you did terrible on the MCAT. They are two different exams that occur years apart and while there may be a correlation accross a large cohort of individuals, that doesn't really mean much to you as an individual. Population statistics are great for predicting how a population will trend, but not really great at predicting the specific outcome of an individual.

 

[Staphylococcus Aureus]

just because someone did poorly on the MCAT doesn't mean they had a "hard time studying" or getting themselves to study. There are plenty of people that had a poor base in the sciences because of how their undergrad courses were, there were people who couldn't afford review courses, there were people who had to rush to take the exam because they wouldn't have been able to support their family without being in med school.

Exactly, there is a wide variability when it comes to how prepared one is when sitting for the MCAT, compared to boards where almost everyone is roughly on a similar time frame and similar coursework. These correlation arguments boil down to:
1. It is intuitive that those who were able to prepare and successfully take the MCAT should have traits that able them to prepare and successfully take boards
2. A good MCAT score itself does not give you a leg up of any sort when it comes to board exams

 

[IslandStyle808]

Wow, completely ignored what I said. Did I say anything about magically pulling things together? I said to study hard, and that'll be the primary determinant of how well you as an individual do, not your historical performance on the MCAT. Again, I'm saying this as someone who did well on MCAT.

And by the way, I watched multiple people with 24/25 on the MCAT, that actually did learn how to study in med school (because you have to in med school to get by) and they did turn it around.

Also, just because someone did poorly on the MCAT doesn't mean they had a "hard time studying" or getting themselves to study. There are plenty of people that had a poor base in the sciences because of how their undergrad courses were, there were people who couldn't afford review courses, there were people who had to rush to take the exam because they wouldn't have been able to support their family without being in med school.

My point is, you can't just rely on the fact that you did well on the MCAT, and assume you'll do well on the USMLE, and you can't just assume you'll do terrible on the USMLE because you did terrible on the MCAT. They are two different exams that occur years apart and while there may be a correlation accross a large cohort of individuals, that doesn't really mean much to you as an individual. Population statistics are great for predicting how a population will trend, but not really great at predicting the specific outcome of an individual.

I have to concur with this. What it really comes down to is how well you study for the exam itself. My real belief is that you need to understand both the material from class and the material from the board prep books. This is because curriculums at medical schools are different and they don't all the board relevant material (meaning they miss information relevant to the boards). At the same time only knowing the board material will only take you so far, because most people who have done well state there is this 10-15% on the exam you could only have gotten correct if you had a strong foundation from M1-M2 classes.

 

[IslandStyle808]

One last thing I will add is that comparing the MCAT to the USMLE is like comparing apples and oranges. The MCAT is a critical thinking exam, there are people on here who only need a 1-2 months to hit a 30 (true for those years out of their pre-req courses). You didn't need to know the finer details to do well on the exam, but have to make sense of the passage. Based on what has been said on the USMLE, the exam is a combo of critical thinking and memorization. The exam doesn't seem to be as convoluted as the MCAT in terms of passages, but it makes up for it by being rather detail oriented. So I don't put much stock in the correlation between the two exams.

 

[shadowlightfox]

Well, I reapplied two years after I graduated college. Maybe they expected me to be REALLY good from that. The first time I took the MCAT, I got a 29, and I applied with those credentials during my senior year of college, and I guess I wasn't good enough with that.

After I graduated, I became both an EMT and a scribe, and retook the MCAT, and got a higher score. I still don't know why I didn't get in. My advisor saw my personal statement, and he said it was well-written. I had a really good committee letter according to the person who interviewed me at a DO school I'm now in. My advisor even told me I was one of his best students (although my low self-esteem always made me think he was lying).

The only explanation I can think of is that maybe the applicants the year I reapplied were so competitive, that I just needed to work even harder to keep up, or maybe it was the fact that I was a reapplicant two years after I graduated that they expected even higher standards from me.

It sucks because I know someone that did way less than me with lower MCAT and GPA and still got in. Ah well, c'est la vie, I guess.

 

[hex000000]

1) 36 MCAT (12-11-13)
2) cGPA 3.3 (3.7 w/ grade replacement) and Canadian (international applicant).

Bungled first year.

 

[mcouse]

1. 32 MCAT
2. OMM is awesome

 

[sab3156]

36 mcat. My college GPA is very bad, so DO was the only option. There is no way I would have chosen DO over MD if I had a chance for MD, due to the competitive nature of the specialty I want to get into.

 

[sylvanthus]

1) 36
2) Looooootssss of retakes, Ws,etc.

 

[Jinxapotato]

1) 36 MCAT (12-11-13)
2) cGPA 3.3 (3.7 w/ grade replacement) and Canadian (international applicant).

Bungled first year.

Canadian here as well, with that MCAT wouldn't you still have a chance for Canadian schools if you do some post-bacc work too boost that GPA? I know Canadian schools are crazy but 36 is still a pretty dam good score!

 

[hex000000]

Canadian here as well, with that MCAT wouldn't you still have a chance for Canadian schools if you do some post-bacc work too boost that GPA? I know Canadian schools are crazy but 36 is still a pretty dam good score!

I did try that, I did a postbacc year with a full course load and got a 4.0, still didn't get any Canadian interviews (applied 3 times total). I kinda expected it though since Canadian schools don't really care as much about the MCAT (at least once you are over the hurdle level they set) and I witnessed my colleagues with 3.8's reapplying/struggling with getting accepted. I remember the uOttawa cutoff was 3.85, like what? lol. And Western's VR cutoff is 11 IIRC? Which I qualified for but my general point is Canadian schools are ridiculous and my cGPA is a nonstarter for any Canadian school, at least as an Ontario resident.

 

[GUH]

How many of you guys at DO schools have 30+ on your mcats and what do you think was limiting your app from getting into MD (unless you chose DO over md)?

I'm not trying to start a fight. I'm starting this thread because someone recently told me that they went to a DO school over an MD school and that got me thinking about the topic. One of my greatest mentors is a DO, and I've met many brilliant DOs that I hope to be as good as professionally. I have a family friend that is a DO ortho surgeon, and I've shadowed multiple DOs in highly competitive fields. I was curious and wanted to get anecdotal info on how many of you guys got over a 30, and what stopped you from going md.

If you guys could reply with the following I think I'd would make the thread more neat:
1. MCAT score
2. Reason for going DO

1) 33 first attempt
2) Figured I'd have more options for which school I wanted to attend if I went the DO route, especially since I benefited from grade replacement. I was also considering primary care at the time and thought (correctly) that OMT can give a family doctor an extra edge in terms of services they can offer for patients. I did not apply to MD schools mostly because I thought my options of places I would get in would be more limited but also because I didn't want to fill out another set of applications when I knew I could do what I wanted to do as a DO.

As of right now I'm still pretty happy with my choice but we'll see how the match goes!

Update: match went well.

 

[karling]

1. 32 MCAT
2. OMM is awesome

I had a 34 and was pumped about OMM. I didn't even apply to MD schools.

Regret it now. I like my school and I actually like OMM for the most part, but it's a huge time drain and I know I'm never gonna use it, and I feel I underestimated the residency match bias. Oh well. It is what it is.

 

[TheaterOfTheme]

I had a 34 and was pumped about OMM. I didn't even apply to MD schools.

Regret it now. I like my school and I actually like OMM for the most part, but it's a huge time drain and I know I'm never gonna use it, and I feel I underestimated the residency match bias. Oh well. It is what it is.

What are you going into?


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[Nesrizona]

510 MCAT and I am a non trad/reinvented applicant.

 

[68PGunner]

One last thing I will add is that comparing the MCAT to the USMLE is like comparing apples and oranges. The MCAT is a critical thinking exam, there are people on here who only need a 1-2 months to hit a 30 (true for those years out of their pre-req courses). You didn't need to know the finer details to do well on the exam, but have to make sense of the passage. Based on what has been said on the USMLE, the exam is a combo of critical thinking and memorization. The exam doesn't seem to be as convoluted as the MCAT in terms of passages, but it makes up for it by being rather detail oriented. So I don't put much stock in the correlation between the two exams.

I'm actually going to agree with this statement. It wasn't hard for me to break 30 despite taking zero upper level science courses in comparison to my peers. Most of the answers on the MCAT can be found by being able to scan for phrases and sentences verbatim. It's like 60-70% about reading comprehension and critical thinking. It's funny bc I always score on the extreme high end of the spectrum in term of critical thinking quests on exams in medical school so far. Honestly, I wouldn't put too much stuff into any correlation. Good preclinical grades as in Bs or higher will probably mean that you will score at least 220 on Step 1. My aim is 230+. I'll be ecstatic if I score 70% percentile or higher on the real thing. The only thing right now is to put the best effort day in and day out and hope for the best.

 

[karling]

What are you going into?

Not exactly sure yet. Nothing surgical, so I don't think my specialty of choice will be out of reach, I just realize I'll just have more limited options/less interviews than if I went to an MD school, which is pretty frustrating. Radiology is at the top of my list right now, and my understanding is that the top 20-30 or so programs (someone on here will know better than me) don't even consider DOs. I just plan to murder step 1 and hope for the best.

 

[deleted564680]

Not exactly sure yet. Nothing surgical, so I don't think my specialty of choice will be out of reach, I just realize I'll just have more limited options/less interviews than if I went to an MD school, which is pretty frustrating. Radiology is at the top of my list right now, and my understanding is that the top 20-30 or so programs (someone on here will know better than me) don't even consider DOs. I just plan to murder step 1 and hope for the best.

You're right about rads.

 

[Mad Jack]

Wow, completely ignored what I said. Did I say anything about magically pulling things together? I said to study hard, and that'll be the primary determinant of how well you as an individual do, not your historical performance on the MCAT. Again, I'm saying this as someone who did well on MCAT.

And by the way, I watched multiple people with 24/25 on the MCAT, that actually did learn how to study in med school (because you have to in med school to get by) and they did turn it around.

Also, just because someone did poorly on the MCAT doesn't mean they had a "hard time studying" or getting themselves to study. There are plenty of people that had a poor base in the sciences because of how their undergrad courses were, there were people who couldn't afford review courses, there were people who had to rush to take the exam because they wouldn't have been able to support their family without being in med school.

My point is, you can't just rely on the fact that you did well on the MCAT, and assume you'll do well on the USMLE, and you can't just assume you'll do terrible on the USMLE because you did terrible on the MCAT. They are two different exams that occur years apart and while there may be a correlation accross a large cohort of individuals, that doesn't really mean much to you as an individual. Population statistics are great for predicting how a population will trend, but not really great at predicting the specific outcome of an individual.

It's also very different test pools- just because you're in the 97th percentile amongst a bunch of random students, most of whom don't get into medical school, does not mean you'll be in the upper tiers of the people who made it to Step 1. Plus you could always burn out like me- I did around average on the USMLE but crushed the MCAT largely because of burnout.

 

[jw3600]

I had a 34 and was pumped about OMM. I didn't even apply to MD schools.

Regret it now. I like my school and I actually like OMM for the most part, but it's a huge time drain and I know I'm never gonna use it, and I feel I underestimated the residency match bias. Oh well. It is what it is.

This post right here should really be a sticky.

 

[Thyr0id]

I had a 32 MCAT. Applied to both MD and DO schools. Got into both. Ultimately chose DO for several reasons. I liked the fact they welcomed non-traditional students, I wanted to have another trick in my bag when trying to treat a patient (OMT), and many of the nurses and other hospital employees I knew preferred working with DOs because they thought they were better doctors; not because they had more knowledge (they were equal in that respect), but because they were more humanistic and had better bedside manner with their patients.

Legit, this is the reason I went DO. I wanted to learn OMM and every DO I have worked with has been stellar, the nurses say the same. Looking forward to joining the family .

 

[The_Sunny_Doc]

I had a 30+ MCAT (better than the score of the average student matriculating at an MD school), but my GPA was low (around a 3.0). It was permanently tanked due to a bunch of failed classes from my freshman year of college.

Retook all the science classes during a self-designed post bacc, but couldn't retake the liberal arts courses due to the expense, since the specific courses were not offered at cheaper state schools.

 

[frappalino16]

1. 33
2. Went DO because my undergrad GPA was 3.0-3.1. I applied to both and was only accepted at the DO school I attended.

 

[Ravizzle]

Got above 30. Doesn't really matter, the second med school starts you're on equal footing with everyone in your class. If you did well and get into MD definitely go that route over DO. But I didn't get much MD love in terms of acceptances and didn't want to take another year and reapply so DO route was what I chose. Would still do it again if I could go back and was in same situation.

 

[AttendingAdvice]

How many of you guys at DO schools have 30+ on your mcats and what do you think was limiting your app from getting into MD (unless you chose DO over md)?

I'm not trying to start a fight. I'm starting this thread because someone recently told me that they went to a DO school over an MD school and that got me thinking about the topic. One of my greatest mentors is a DO, and I've met many brilliant DOs that I hope to be as good as professionally. I have a family friend that is a DO ortho surgeon, and I've shadowed multiple DOs in highly competitive fields. I was curious and wanted to get anecdotal info on how many of you guys got over a 30, and what stopped you from going md.

If you guys could reply with the following I think I'd would make the thread more neat:
1. MCAT score
2. Reason for going DO

I have worked with hundreds of med students over many years and know of countless DOs with above 30 MCATs. Some chose DO because of good experience with them in the past, some had DO parents/ family members, some chose DO because they can make more money if they use their DO skills, etc. One DO I know makes easily over $800,000 a yr working 4 days a week. Some were into Chinese medicine or were accupunturist and naturalpaths before med school and just prefer to treat patients with that hollistic full body mindset.

 

[ctran019]

1. 500 first attempt and 504 second attempt
2. I was not very disciplined or mature at the young age of 18-21 so I finished undergrad with a 2.7/3.09 sGPA/cGPA. I knew I wasn't getting into an MD school. Through volunteering and work I learned that I still wanted to be a doctor so looked into SMP/postbacs. Then I learned about DO and thought/still think that OMM would be to cool to use on my family and friends even if its pseudoscience, saw that the stats to get in were doable if I committed to a 1-2 year informal postbac while improving my application. I'll admit that I'm settling for DO because I'd go to an MD school over a DO school in most cases, but I believe that I'll be a decent doctor regardless of the two letters after my name.

 

[Roxas]

I got a 30. My gpa was okay (~3.6 or something) but by the time I got my MCAT score I was too late for MD cycle and didn't want to hang out for a year to just likely end up going DO anyway since a 30 isn't that impressive to OOS MD schools.

I'm with @Ravizzle , all of that premed stuff means exactly jack when you walk through the doors of med school.

 

[WhatIsSleep]

Low 30s. Competitive GPA/experience/extracurricular. I applied to one program and it was DO. Location was the biggest factor. But learning an additional skill was a bonus in my mind, and I knew I wanted to pursue a primary care residency.

 

[TheOther]

510+ MCAT. Anything less than that is pathetic, but that's not to say that you won't be successful in medical school. If your MCAT score is what kept you from getting into an MD or well-established DO school, then you have no one to blame but yourself. The best realization any OMS-1 will come to, especially after their first few exams in medical school, is why they didn't try harder on an exam with material mastered by first year college students.

Life's not that black and white. I had a solid GPA but a 29 MCAT. I worked ~30 hours a week while going to school full-time (including the semester from hell when I took pchem). Because of circumstances, I only had about 4 weeks to study for the MCAT (again, while working) in order to have my score in time for the next cycle. Money was tight so I applied to less than 10 DO schools and got in.

For those of you who think there's a correlation between MCAT numbers and Step 1, come May, I plan to prove you wrong.

 

[Roxas]

1. 32 MCAT
2. OMM is awesome

 

[Nietzsche's Barber]

510+ MCAT. Anything less than that is pathetic

DO student fails to get into US MD due to GPA-->DO student feels 'inferior' compared to MD students-->DO student, to alleviate his/her imagined inferiority, begins to ridicule DO students with lesser MCAT scores so as to feel superior.

Textbook.

If your MCAT score is what kept you from getting into an MD or well-established DO school, then you have no one to blame but yourself.

Same could be said for GPA.

However, in the real world, several factors (largely centered around SES) may negatively impact one's GPA/MCAT.

 

[acapnial]

DO student fails to get into US MD due to GPA-->DO student feels 'inferior' compared to MD students-->DO student, to alleviate his/her imagined inferiority, begins to ridicule DO students with lesser MCAT scores so as to feel superior.

Textbook.


Same could be said for GPA.

However, in the real world, several factors (largely centered around SES) may negatively impact one's GPA/MCAT.

Woah man, he goes to an established DO school, we'd better listen to him. That's totally basically on par with MD schools, unlike those awful regular DO schools. But only academic badasses with 510+ MCATs can get into the super ivy DO schools.

 

[Roxas]

Woah man, he goes to an established DO school, we'd better listen to him. That's totally basically on par with MD schools, unlike those awful regular DO schools. But only academic badasses with 510+ MCATs can get into the super ivy DO schools.

He must go to Princeton COM

 

[Mazshax]

I applied DO and MD in the northwest and northern California, offered interviews to every DO school, and none of the MD schools.

1. MCAT: 37
2. GPA: 3.85
3. Age 26, white male
4. no research or publications
5. Lots of volunteering, and I worked full time from age 16 all the way until med school.
6. No red flags, other than my gap between college graduation and application, which was due to my degree being non-science. I did post-bac bio, chem, o-chem, and biochem over a two year period after graduation.

 

[67552931811]

I applied DO and MD in the northwest and northern California, offered interviews to every DO school, and none of the MD schools.

1. MCAT: 37
2. GPA: 3.85
3. Age 26, white male
4. no research or publications
5. Lots of volunteering, and I worked full time from age 16 all the way until med school.
6. No red flags, other than my gap between college graduation and application, which was due to my degree being non-science. I did post-bac bio, chem, o-chem, and biochem over a two year period after graduation.

^ My condolences.

 

[jw3600]

I applied DO and MD in the northwest and northern California, offered interviews to every DO school, and none of the MD schools.

1. MCAT: 37
2. GPA: 3.85
3. Age 26, white male
4. no research or publications
5. Lots of volunteering, and I worked full time from age 16 all the way until med school.
6. No red flags, other than my gap between college graduation and application, which was due to my degree being non-science. I did post-bac bio, chem, o-chem, and biochem over a two year period after graduation.

No INTERVIEWS?? Did you write your personal statement in crayon?

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

No INTERVIEWS?? Did you write your personal statement in crayon?

To be fair he said he only applied to the schools in Northern California and the "northwest", which basically is just UW and OHSU, two state schools that don't interview a lot of Californians. I sense a really poor school list.

 

[Mazshax]

To be fair he said he only applied to the schools in Northern California and the "northwest", which basically is just UW and OHSU, two state schools that don't interview a lot of Californians. I sense a really poor school list.

I'm from Oregon and really wanted to stay in the region. I also knew absolutely nothing about the medical school application process and received very lacking advising from my university.

 

[jw3600]

To be fair he said he only applied to the schools in Northern California and the "northwest", which basically is just UW and OHSU, two state schools that don't interview a lot of Californians. I sense a really poor school list.

Yeah I see that now. Glossed over that to be honest. Still that's practically a stellar application. Brutal.

 

[SUNAE2008]

I had 30/31 on the old MCAT (12 PS, 7/8 VR, 11 BS) and 3.5 cGPA. I didn't do too well on VR because I spent the majority of my childhood/adolescence in South Korea. The language is very different from English, and I think my comprehension of English is just as good as others, but my speed is slower. And during the test, speed really matters.

I applied both MD and DO schools. Didn't get any love from MD, but got 3 II from DO schools, and so far I have one acceptance. I am absolutely thankful for the opportunities I have been given. I have met some wonderful DOs in my area, so I am very excited to become a DO.

 

[Anicetus]

Two friends one male one female would make fun of me for studying on Fridays and Saturdays while they rushed and partied in college. They were friends and joked but would still have moments of trying to make me feel bad by saying you don't need a high GPA to get into MD school.

Long story short we all nabbed 31's on the Mcat. They had ~3.1 and 3.2 GPA. I had 3.6CGPA and 3.8 sGPA. I got MD they are in DO school.

 

[Chibucks15]

Two friends one male one female would make fun of me for studying on Fridays and Saturdays while they rushed and partied in college. They were friends and joked but would still have moments of trying to make me feel bad by saying you don't need a high GPA to get into MD school.

Long story short we all nabbed 31's on the Mcat. They had ~3.1 and 3.2 GPA. I had 3.6CGPA and 3.8 sGPA. I got MD they are in DO school.

Sounds like you had a just a blast in college...as long as they're okay DO schools and you're not gunning for a super competitive specialty then they did it right...


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[Smarties]

35 MCAT 3.9 GPA chose DO because I wanted to do ortho and the residency I wanted was DO, ended up switching to rads but have never regretted going DO.

 

[TheBoneDoctah]

35 MCAT 3.9 GPA chose DO because I wanted to do ortho and the residency I wanted was DO, ended up switching to rads but have never regretted going DO.

Why the switch to radiology?


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[Smarties]

Why the switch to radiology?

Because I am really really smart. LOL. No, well I am but no ortho just was not a fit for me, I can't stand the stop and go pace of surgery, sure you work hard as hell, then you wait, then you work hard as hell, then you wait. In radiology I just sit back with a constant workflow these days.

 

[Anicetus]

Sounds like you had a just a blast in college...as long as they're okay DO schools and you're not gunning for a super competitive specialty then they did it right...


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Ironically they both wanted surgery in california but 1 goes to a DO that recommended him against surgery. The other is going through a transfer (didn't know this was possible) because they hate having OMM in their life as well as she hated her family medicine and IM rotation and feels she's being pushed into primary care. Both OMS3. I'm sitting happy that i did my part honestly but I think if you're smart from the beginning (3.7, 30+ Mcat) and ended up at a DO school, you'll most likely be the top of that DO class and have more choices if you want to get out of the primary care bubble.

 

[Vrachika]

As someone who is likely to be an OMS-1 in the fall I thought this thread was interesting to read, as I have a 34/3.8 I am on 1 MD waitlist and recently withdrew from another MD waitlist (USUHS, decided I wasn't ready to make the military commitment at this time).

I will choose the MD over the DO if it comes down to it, but I won't be that upset if I don't get off the waitlist tbh. The DO location is so close to most of my family, cost is lower, I think OMM could be a valuable tool (and I will honestly be sad if I don't get to learn it), and the only specialty I have considered outside of primary care is ID, so basically nothing even close to competitive. I also prefer rural areas, so I won't be that sad if I get a "less desirable" residency location.

Of course all that could change, so yeah if I go DO it will be because I didn't get accepted to MD.

 

[AD17]

Still have to hear back from my last MD school but will most likely end up DO. I think being ORM with my MCAT and a somewhat late application hurt me. 3.8/507