So the only date left is the Mardi Gras rule?

[kin1662]

Hi everyone,

I have a quick question. Seeing that 2017 is around the corner and everything, is the only date rule that's left for our 2016-2017 cycle the Mardi Gras rule about preparing for reapp if we don't have any MD acceptances by some Tuesday in February?

I'm just curious since I've been feeling disheartened and upset as of lately. I received a DO acceptance like in September and multiple DO interviews but I have yet to receive a MD interview and I've applied to 30+ MD schools. I'm not sure if it's because I'm a CA resident and my LizzyM score (slightly Lower than 70) as an Asian is relatively subpar to the rest of the Asian applicants.

I kept hoping I'd start hearing this month as people have started declining MD acceptance offers but have had no luck in attaining a MD interview.

I just don't know what went wrong. I applied broadly with the majority of my schools in my target range and few out of reach. I had people review and edit my statements and I have a few ECs that display commitment and everything. especially when it comes to working in underserved areas. So idk what happened. I can't sleep or concentrate because I've felt so lost. And it definitely doesn't help that holidays are inching closer and closer so my family keeps asking me.

Is there any other dates I can keep an eye out for or something that will give me hope that my MD interview is coming?

Thanks for your time. Sorry for the long post :/


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[Chelsea FC]

Tell your family you're going to be a doctor and don't for one minute think about dropping that DO acceptance. I think you will hear back from a MD soon because pepole will drop spots because they already got accepted at their top choice or just burned out from interviewing. But I'm not going to lie those free spots normally go to people who got waitlisted or have 1 or 2 MD interviews already so if you haven't heard anything but rejections dont expect a flood of MD II. But you only need 1 to get into a MD so keep the faith! And drink some eggnog with lot of whisky and be happy with the fact that you're going to be a doctor no matter what.

 

[doc.gif]

i dont understand the confusion. you've been accepted to a medical school - go there and become a doctor.

 

[MeltingIceCube]

So let me get this straight. You feel lost and upset because you have the opportunity to become a doctor?

You have an amazing opportunity at your fingertips and I think it would be foolish to pass that up. At the end of the day, whether an MD or DO, you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world. If the DO acceptance ends up being your only acceptance: take it (with one caveat).

I've seen plenty of threads asking how to transfer from DO to MD and I have had plenty of friends who were absolutely miserable after going DO. Not because of the degree or the profession, but because they simply couldn't get over the alleged stigma and other real/imagined negativism (e.g. from family, having to learn OMT, etc.). Therefore, if you do not think you would be happy as a DO, or if you believe that your family will never view you as being as good as an MD (and this would haunt you for the rest of your life), sit out and reapply STRICTLY to MD next year.

People may view your decision as selfish, uninformed, unintelligent, etc. (and I would agree with them), but you are the one who has to live in your skin at the end of the day and for the rest of your life. Don't take a spot that someone else would love to have, and don't waste money obtaining a degree you never wanted.

 

[Ehwic]

Metrics is just one part of the application. Maybe you're missing another component schools are looking for? I know one or two who had a higher LizzyM than you and they got no interviews either.

 

[ChrisMack390]

DOs do the same job for the same amount of money and often in the same location as MDs. Get over your bias.

 

[doc.gif]

DOs do the same job for the same amount of money and often in the same location as MDs. Get over your bias.

well, but, what if my friends and family aren't proud of me? what if people dont think im smart and are marginally less impressed w my education? isn't that what this is all about?

 

[Holmwood]

well, but, what if my friends and family aren't proud of me? what if people dont think im smart and are marginally less impressed w my education? isn't that what this is all about?

It would be great if friends and family were proud of us even if we didn't reach this one goal. Many of us have accomplished alot of impressive things and put in tremendous work just to get to the point of applying.

Getting into a DO school is, statistically, an enormous feat as well. And will continue to be as more and more applications roll in year by year.

But those not in the process may not understand all that...

Hi everyone,

I have a quick question. Seeing that 2017 is around the corner and everything, is the only date rule that's left for our 2016-2017 cycle the Mardi Gras rule about preparing for reapp if we don't have any MD acceptances by some Tuesday in February?

I'm just curious since I've been feeling disheartened and upset as of lately. I received a DO acceptance like in September and multiple DO interviews but I have yet to receive a MD interview and I've applied to 30+ MD schools. I'm not sure if it's because I'm a CA resident and my LizzyM score (slightly Lower than 70) as an Asian is relatively subpar to the rest of the Asian applicants.

I kept hoping I'd start hearing this month as people have started declining MD acceptance offers but have had no luck in attaining a MD interview.

I just don't know what went wrong. I applied broadly with the majority of my schools in my target range and few out of reach. I had people review and edit my statements and I have a few ECs that display commitment and everything. especially when it comes to working in underserved areas. So idk what happened. I can't sleep or concentrate because I've felt so lost. And it definitely doesn't help that holidays are inching closer and closer so my family keeps asking me.

Is there any other dates I can keep an eye out for or something that will give me hope that my MD interview is coming?

Thanks for your time. Sorry for the long post :/


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Totally understand your frustrations, having been in a similar position. Congrats on the DO acceptance! Statistically, that is an impressive accomplishment. If you applied similarly to my list, there will be more interview invites rolling out in the busy month of Jan-Feb. Keep your chin up, because as others have stated, you will not have to repeat this cycle. You're going to be a doctor! PM me if you need someone to vent or talk about things related to your app.

 

[Alma1989]

Hi everyone,

I have a quick question. Seeing that 2017 is around the corner and everything, is the only date rule that's left for our 2016-2017 cycle the Mardi Gras rule about preparing for reapp if we don't have any MD acceptances by some Tuesday in February?

I'm just curious since I've been feeling disheartened and upset as of lately. I received a DO acceptance like in September and multiple DO interviews but I have yet to receive a MD interview and I've applied to 30+ MD schools. I'm not sure if it's because I'm a CA resident and my LizzyM score (slightly Lower than 70) as an Asian is relatively subpar to the rest of the Asian applicants.

I kept hoping I'd start hearing this month as people have started declining MD acceptance offers but have had no luck in attaining a MD interview.

I just don't know what went wrong. I applied broadly with the majority of my schools in my target range and few out of reach. I had people review and edit my statements and I have a few ECs that display commitment and everything. especially when it comes to working in underserved areas. So idk what happened. I can't sleep or concentrate because I've felt so lost. And it definitely doesn't help that holidays are inching closer and closer so my family keeps asking me.

Is there any other dates I can keep an eye out for or something that will give me hope that my MD interview is coming?

Thanks for your time. Sorry for the long post :/


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Hey scrub, I'm gonna tell you two things. One that you wanna hear. The other that you need to hear.

WHAT YOU WANT:
Hold out faith. 30+ is a lot, and it's entirely possible to still get one. Assuming you didn't make a ridiculously unrealistic school list that includes solely UCs and Ivy Leagues, there's still time. I got one randomly from VCU when I thought my time was up for them, and I only have a 70ish LizzyM too.

WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAR:
Life is gonna hit you like an El Camaro if you don't perk up, buttercup. I'm Asian too, and I am in the same position as you. D.O. acceptance with no MD acceptance. It happens, kid. I thought I had a compelling story too. When you have a field that is as wide as the applicant pool, somehow somebody else is gonna be a dancer, an athlete, and worked with kids in Africa. I know it made be hard having a family around you that has little understanding of what "success" is but that's the great thing about being a doctor: You define it.

I have been in the hospital volunteering, scribing, and researching for the last three years as the best doctors I have met were all DOs: A 70something who had a life in law enforcement, got injured on the job and went back to school and now's he kicking ass as as hospital chief AND a med school professor; a young hispanic doc who always says "Hang in there. You're safe with me" to all his patients, and I see the glimmer of hope that flashes in their eyes.

The smart fellas on this thread said it all: If you don't think you'll be successful as a D.O. because of whatever somebody else tells you to believe, then yes, it's not worth it to take that acceptance. Go back to the wheel, look at yourself, and reapply. But, don't even for a second, keep losing your mind over something like this. Thousands of other poor saps with only hope to back them up would give their left leg to be in your position.

 

[kin1662]

I sincerely thank those of you who replied genuinely. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have posted a thread in the early morning hours frantically after searching through the threads and other sites to see if I still have a chance. But I truly appreciate those of you who replied relating to the topic.

For some of you who were criticizing my position, I apologize if I came off as ungrateful or bias against osteopathy. It's not like that at all.

I've been out of school for 3+ years now. During this time off, I've been trying to gain the experiences necessary to reinforce my decision to choose medicine and to try to decide what my interest was in (primary care vs. specialty). Seeing that this path is very long, hard and can seem tiresome at times, I needed to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into. In addition, during my time off I wanted to prepare for the best MD application possible because I don't want to go through the cycle more than once. As such, I applied to MD schools broadly and also applied to DO schools as my backup. At this point I still haven't decided what kind of physician I aspired to be. I knew that if I go the DO route, I'd most likely go into primary care. If I went the md route, my options would be limitless. I prefer the limitless option so I focused on trying to secure my MD acceptance with DO as a fall back. But my first choice was the MD so that's what I've been focusing on. And I know that it's been debated whether or not one is more competitive than the other but from what I had concluded, MD was more competitive and since this was my first choice, my efforts were directed towards attaining the md.

I understand that getting into med school (as many people so eloquently put it) is a bit of a crapshoot. Sometimes the odds are in our favor and sometimes they aren't and we don't know why. The odds scared me so I tried my best to take as much time as possible to become a well-rounded applicant. These years that I've placed my life on hold didn't sit well with my family and some friends who didn't understand. Nevertheless my parents supported my ultimate decision to take these years off.

Now, fast forward to this 2016-2017 application cycle. I tried my best to ensure my application didn't have any weaknesses and I did all the steps our medical friends have advised us to do and read all the books and guides I was supposed to. So, I tried to make the odds in my favor. I invested in myself. And I was optimistic that in 30+ md apps I sent out into the virtual world, I would receive a reply of intrigue from schools who would want to interview and invite me into their family and program. A MD program that would provide me limitless options as to what I want to specialize in.

Now, it's the middle of December, I'm past thanksgiving, with no md IIs after taking so many years off.
The bet I placed on myself and the risk I took to try to get the MD acceptance was coming up empty handed. So yea I felt lost. I gambled on myself and the odds weren't in my favor.

Yes, I have a DO acceptance and yes, I'm going to be a doctor via DO. But my reservation is what will occur after med school. My residency and my field of choice. Having limitless options is what I would have preferred because the only thing I know about what I see myself doing in the future is the following: I know I want to travel and serve war torn areas and help families get resources and access to vital care so that they can get a better quality of life. This vision of my future relied on having limitless options, so I had the desire for the md route. As such, I worked hard to focus on my attention on that. So, that's where my feeling of being disheartened and lost lye. I'm incredibly grateful that I'm going to be a doctor and My fall back option pulled through. But, I'm upset that this means my options will be limited. The DO school whose offer I've accepted have rotations primarily in primary care. as such, the only thing I could really do that relates to traveling and working in other countries would be to help people with chronic conditions or emergency medicine. I wont have the chance to consider the thought of becoming a surgeon or anything else that relates to a competitive field. And that makes me sad.

As for those of you who say I'm being selfish, bias, uninformed, unintelligent, I'm sorry if I offended you or osteopathy in any way. It wasn't my intention. I will be matriculating to DO school in the fall if my md schools don't work out. I'm just upset over the fact that I spent so much money and time over all these md apps. I'm upset adcoms don't see my app as competitive enough for their schools when I tried so hard. And I'm upset my plan A won't fan out.

Yes I understand this is life. It just hurts to feel this way. I know other people are in a much more difficult situation and I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I'm just disappointed, tired, and out of far more money that I should have risked.


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[kin1662]

@MeltingIceCube and @ChrisMack390, it's easy to criticize someone else when the application cycle has faired well for you.


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[Holmwood]

I sincerely thank those of you who replied genuinely. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have posted a thread in the early morning hours frantically after searching through the threads and other sites to see if I still have a chance. But I truly appreciate those of you who replied relating to the topic.

For some of you who were criticizing my position, I apologize if I came off as ungrateful or bias against osteopathy. It's not like that at all.

I've been out of school for 3+ years now. During this time off, I've been trying to gain the experiences necessary to reinforce my decision to choose medicine and to try to decide what my interest was in (primary care vs. specialty). Seeing that this path is very long, hard and can seem tiresome at times, I needed to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into. In addition, during my time off I wanted to prepare for the best MD application possible because I don't want to go through the cycle more than once. As such, I applied to MD schools broadly and also applied to DO schools as my backup. At this point I still haven't decided what kind of physician I aspired to be. I knew that if I go the DO route, I'd most likely go into primary care. If I went the md route, my options would be limitless. I prefer the limitless option so I focused on trying to secure my MD acceptance with DO as a fall back. But my first choice was the MD so that's what I've been focusing on. And I know that it's been debated whether or not one is more competitive than the other but from what I had concluded, MD was more competitive and since this was my first choice, my efforts were directed towards attaining the md.

I understand that getting into med school (as many people so eloquently put it) is a bit of a crapshoot. Sometimes the odds are in our favor and sometimes they aren't and we don't know why. The odds scared me so I tried my best to take as much time as possible to become a well-rounded applicant. These years that I've placed my life on hold didn't sit well with my family and some friends who didn't understand. Nevertheless my parents supported my ultimate decision to take these years off.

Now, fast forward to this 2016-2017 application cycle. I tried my best to ensure my application didn't have any weaknesses and I did all the steps our medical friends have advised us to do and read all the books and guides I was supposed to. So, I tried to make the odds in my favor. I invested in myself. And I was optimistic that in 30+ md apps I sent out into the virtual world, I would receive a reply of intrigue from schools who would want to interview and invite me into their family and program. A MD program that would provide me limitless options as to what I want to specialize in.

Now, it's the middle of December, I'm past thanksgiving, with no md IIs after taking so many years off.
The bet I placed on myself and the risk I took to try to get the MD acceptance was coming up empty handed. So yea I felt lost. I gambled on myself and the odds weren't in my favor.

Yes, I have a DO acceptance and yes, I'm going to be a doctor via DO. But my reservation is what will occur after med school. My residency and my field of choice. Having limitless options is what I would have preferred because the only thing I know about what I see myself doing in the future is the following: I know I want to travel and serve war torn areas and help families get resources and access to vital care so that they can get a better quality of life. This vision of my future relied on having limitless options, so I had the desire for the md route. As such, I worked hard to focus on my attention on that. So, that's where my feeling of being disheartened and lost lye. I'm incredibly grateful that I'm going to be a doctor and My fall back option pulled through. But, I'm upset that this means my options will be limited. The DO school whose offer I've accepted have rotations primarily in primary care. as such, the only thing I could really do that relates to traveling and working in other countries would be to help people with chronic conditions or emergency medicine. I wont have the chance to consider the thought of becoming a surgeon or anything else that relates to a competitive field. And that makes me sad.

As for those of you who say I'm being selfish, bias, uninformed, unintelligent, I'm sorry if I offended you or osteopathy in any way. It wasn't my intention. I will be matriculating to DO school in the fall if my md schools don't work out. I'm just upset over the fact that I spent so much money and time over all these md apps. I'm upset adcoms don't see my app as competitive enough for their schools when I tried so hard. And I'm upset my plan A won't fan out.

Yes I understand this is life. It just hurts to feel this way. I know other people are in a much more difficult situation and I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I'm just disappointed, tired, and out of far more money that I should have risked.


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Have you looked that the school's match list? Anyone there that matched into surgery or any other competitive specialty?

 

[kin1662]

It would be great if friends and family were proud of us even if we didn't reach this one goal. Many of us have accomplished alot of impressive things and put in tremendous work just to get to the point of applying.

Getting into a DO school is, statistically, an enormous feat as well. And will continue to be as more and more applications roll in year by year.

But those not in the process may not understand all that...



Totally understand your frustrations, having been in a similar position. Congrats on the DO acceptance! Statistically, that is an impressive accomplishment. If you applied similarly to my list, there will be more interview invites rolling out in the busy month of Jan-Feb. Keep your chin up, because as others have stated, you will not have to repeat this cycle. You're going to be a doctor! PM me if you need someone to vent or talk about things related to your app.

@Holmwood, thank you! Feel free to message me too! I hope the cycle works out in your favor! Yea, I have some friends that don't think DO as a great feat. Luckily my parents have been supportive and happy that my back up worked out. But I can tell they were hoping for a MD interview coming my way too.

Hey scrub, I'm gonna tell you two things. One that you wanna hear. The other that you need to hear.

WHAT YOU WANT:
Hold out faith. 30+ is a lot, and it's entirely possible to still get one. Assuming you didn't make a ridiculously unrealistic school list that includes solely UCs and Ivy Leagues, there's still time. I got one randomly from VCU when I thought my time was up for them, and I only have a 70ish LizzyM too.

WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAR:
Life is gonna hit you like an El Camaro if you don't perk up, buttercup. I'm Asian too, and I am in the same position as you. D.O. acceptance with no MD acceptance. It happens, kid. I thought I had a compelling story too. When you have a field that is as wide as the applicant pool, somehow somebody else is gonna be a dancer, an athlete, and worked with kids in Africa. I know it made be hard having a family around you that has little understanding of what "success" is but that's the great thing about being a doctor: You define it.

I have been in the hospital volunteering, scribing, and researching for the last three years as the best doctors I have met were all DOs: A 70something who had a life in law enforcement, got injured on the job and went back to school and now's he kicking ass as as hospital chief AND a med school professor; a young hispanic doc who always says "Hang in there. You're safe with me" to all his patients, and I see the glimmer of hope that flashes in their eyes.

The smart fellas on this thread said it all: If you don't think you'll be successful as a D.O. because of whatever somebody else tells you to believe, then yes, it's not worth it to take that acceptance. Go back to the wheel, look at yourself, and reapply. But, don't even for a second, keep losing your mind over something like this. Thousands of other poor saps with only hope to back them up would give their left leg to be in your position.

@Alma1989, congrats on your II! I'm glad to hear it! It's great to hear your experiences with osteopathic physicians have been so positive! Yea, hopefully I'll hear back from one of my other schools. If not, I'll be going the DO route.


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[Go_Pokes_11]

If your family and friends are not proud of you for being chosen out of a highly selective pool to receive a medical education, there is no way you could have pleased them in the first place. Go to the DO if the MD acceptance does not come your way and do not think another second about it. Congratulations.

 

[kin1662]

@Holmwood, yea I look through their match lists and it was mainly primary care with the exception of a couple of people in Anesthesiology and neurology.


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[kin1662]

If your family and friends are not proud of you for being chosen out of a highly selective pool to receive a medical education, there is no way you could have pleased them in the first place. Go to the DO if the MD acceptance does not come your way and do not think another second about it. Congratulations.

@Go_Pokes_11 thank you for your response. Yea, I plan on going the DO route if I don't get a MD offer. Luckily, my parents have been supportive. Just some of my friends weren't too impressed. They've gone through the app cycle themselves previously and matriculated into a MD program so they are bias towards DO for some reason. But I agree with you, they wouldn't have been proud in the first place.


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[ChrisMack390]

@MeltingIceCube and @ChrisMack390, it's easy to criticize someone else when the application cycle has faired well for you.


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No, it's easy to criticize someone who chose to apply to schools they didn't want to go to.

 

[Dr. Janitor]

If I were on an adcom at a school and saw an application come through where the student turned down a perfectly good US school simply because of initials...I'd file that application right in the trash can faster than you can say "reapply"

Do you have any idea how many kids apply every year (some multiple times) and never even get an interview? Go to the school you were lucky enough to get into and do yourself favor...do some introspection and mature before you start next fall or med school is going to kick you right in the keester.

 

[Dr. Janitor]

@Holmwood, yea I look through their match lists and it was mainly primary care with the exception of a couple of people in Anesthesiology and neurology.


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You know, if you do well on boards it won't make much of an iota what your initials are. When you say "primary care" that includes FM, IM, PEDS, OBGYN, PSYCH. A lot of specialties require a 3yr IM residency prior to fellowship, so quite a few of those individuals who match IM straight out of med school will specialize.

Here's my question for you: What does the match list look like for people that turn down perfectly good med school acceptances and never go to med school? Pretty poor I'm guessing. Get over it. You can compare match lists when you actually have options. Go to school, study, do well on boards and make your own luck.

I hate to say it, but you need to take a long look at other peoples lives to see what real problems look like. Some people went to sleep tonight without food, water, or adequate clothing/housing....and you're over here worried about what initials are going to be monogrammed on your lab coat. I promise you, when it matters...absolutely no one will care about those which means you shouldn't either.

 

[cantelopeavocado]

No, it's easy to criticize someone who chose to apply to schools they didn't want to go to.

Let's not be too harsh! OP clearly spent years of her life after graduating as well to perfect her app, and I'm sure like all of us she spent a lot of time so that she would only need one app cycle. The truth is unlike me (and maybe unlike you) she is an Asian from CA and that is a notoriously difficult state to be from - it's hard to outshine other Californians when you're applying to other schools. To the OP: I personally applied to low tier and only a couple mid tier schools - as well as newer ones. Perhaps your list was awry? I'm sorry that you are disappointed as it is clear you worked hard to get MD. I have a friend with lower stats (GPA, MCAT, hours of service) and she was accepted before I was to a much higher ranked school. There is a degree of randomness, and I can tell you are disappointed as you spent years to get MD - I'm assuming you could have applied to DO originally without the extra 3 years you took! I know it's hard to stay positive when you have spent so much time and are so disappointed, but @ChrisMack390 she is stating that she is still going to go the DO route. Applying to med school is a sensitive time for many of us and can feel helpless at times. I hope you do get an II but if not I do have a friend's sister who graduated ATSOMA and is now doing her gen surgery residency in another state. I also have a ortho surgeon who operated on my knee who was indeed a DO.

 

[cantelopeavocado]

You know, if you do well on boards it won't make much of an iota what your initials are. When you say "primary care" that includes FM, IM, PEDS, OBGYN, PSYCH. A lot of specialties require a 3yr IM residency prior to fellowship, so quite a few of those individuals who match IM straight out of med school will specialize.

Here's my question for you: What does the match list look like for people that turn down perfectly good med school acceptances and never go to med school? Pretty poor I'm guessing. Get over it. You can compare match lists when you actually have options. Go to school, study, do well on boards and make your own luck.

I hate to say it, but you need to take a long look at other peoples lives to see what real problems look like. Some people went to sleep tonight without food, water, or adequate clothing/housing....and you're over here worried about what initials are going to be monogrammed on your lab coat. I promise you, when it matters...absolutely no one will care about those which means you shouldn't either.

She didn't say anywhere she was turning it down..she said she would go to the DO if she had no MD acceptances at the end of this cycle - I feel a little sad reading her post. Until I had my first acceptance I was extremely stressed. I am lucky as I am currently a senior at school in a biology major so I still have a lot of work that keeps me busy and distracted

 

[Dr. Janitor]

Glad to hear that. Don't let your parents dictate your future. 2020 we all go through the same match....tell them that if they give you a hard time.

 

[cantelopeavocado]

Glad to hear that. Don't let your parents dictate your future. 2020 we all go through the same match....tell them that if they give you a hard time.

She said here that her parents supported her decision just her friends made fun of her ^^ sigh maybe it's late and you're tired but pls read the post before attacking OP as you have made mistakes in this response and prior (although I see you are attempting to be supportive here)

I personally don't like to see people get dragged in the mud as this is a very stressful process for all of us!! I realize that I'm blessed for my acceptance and I'm sure she does too - but she is voicing her disappointment as a non trad applicant with seemingly decent (?) stats

 

[Holmwood]

OP has legitimate concerns. DO seems to require more legwork to get to some specialties, but there are enough DOs out there in competitive specialties to show that it's not impossible. It's still stigmatized, but perhaps not so much by patients (at least the ones I've talked to). The problem is people not in the know, and not DO schools.

Got it.

But I mean, let's try to at least acknowledge the underlying emotions here and not always try to dismiss or minimize people's concerns, yeah? Criticism can only get you so far, even when the facts are in your favor.

 

[cantelopeavocado]

OP has legitimate concerns. DO seems to require more legwork to get to some specialties, but there are enough DOs out there in competitive specialties to show that it's not impossible. It's still stigmatized, but perhaps not so much by patients (at least the ones I've talked to). The problem is people not in the know, and not DO schools.

Got it.

But I mean, let's try to at least acknowledge the underlying emotions here and not always try to dismiss or minimize people's concerns, yeah? Criticism can only get you so far, even when the facts are in your favor.

Exactly my feelings! ❤️

 

[Holmwood]

Sending positive waves to anyone here still waiting for an acceptance, MD or DO.

And have a good holiday. We all deserve it.

 

[kin1662]

Thank you @cantelopeavocado and @Holmwood for your support and taking the time the read my responses without jumping to conclusions. Yea, I could have gone the DO route from the get-go but decided to take my time to ensure I got a md. I didn't want to post that initially because I didn't want people to criticize me for thinking I could get into DO so easily or something like that. But, I've learned people will state things no matter what you try to explain. But I sincerely thank both of you for helping me and trying to get others to understand my frustration and the other bazillion feelings that I'm going through right now.

Congrats @cantelopeavocado on your MD acceptance! I'm so glad it all worked out for you! My list consisted of newer and low tier md schools as well. There's only one new md school in California, which i applied to but haven't heard back from. I applied to all the md schools in California minus Loma Linda. As for OOS, I invested in MSAR once it got updated with the previous years stats and looked through all the schools that matched my range and also seemed to accept a good number of OOS students. I think the average LizzyM score is below 70 or something so I assumed my stats were decent for someplace. In hindsight, it might not have been the average score for Asian applicants or even California applicants so I guess maybe I ended up not have as great of stats as i thought.

I still have about half of my schools left to hear from with a couple of holds. However, seeing that it's already December, I am trying to be realistic at this point.

Once again thank you both for your support. I truly appreciate it. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and happy holidays!



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[cantelopeavocado]

Thank you @cantelopeavocado and @Holmwood for your support and taking the time the read my responses without jumping to conclusions. Yea, I could have gone the DO route from the get-go but decided to take my time to ensure I got a md. I didn't want to post that initially because I didn't want people to criticize me for thinking I could get into DO so easily or something like that. But, I've learned people will state things no matter what you try to explain. But I sincerely thank both of you for helping me and trying to get others to understand my frustration and the other bazillion feelings that I'm going through right now.

Congrats @cantelopeavocado on your MD acceptance! I'm so glad it all worked out for you! My list consisted of newer and low tier md schools as well. There's only one new md school in California, which i applied to but haven't heard back from. I applied to all the md schools in California minus Loma Linda. As for OOS, I invested in MSAR once it got updated with the previous years stats and looked through all the schools that matched my range and also seemed to accept a good number of OOS students. I think the average LizzyM score is below 70 or something so I assumed my stats were decent for someplace. In hindsight, it might not have been the average score for Asian applicants or even California applicants so I guess maybe I ended up not have as great of stats as i thought.

I still have about half of my schools left to hear from with a couple of holds. However, seeing that it's already December, I am trying to be realistic at this point.

Once again thank you both for your support. I truly appreciate it. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and happy holidays!



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Please read my PM

 

[kin1662]

@cantelopeavocado just replied!


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[sfkniner81]

@kin1662 @cantelopeavocado and more: so great reading all of your comments - especially being in a very similar situation as OP. hoping for the best but preparing for the worst haha. good to see other people having similar struggles

 

[summergirl]

I sincerely thank those of you who replied genuinely. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have posted a thread in the early morning hours frantically after searching through the threads and other sites to see if I still have a chance. But I truly appreciate those of you who replied relating to the topic.

For some of you who were criticizing my position, I apologize if I came off as ungrateful or bias against osteopathy. It's not like that at all.

I've been out of school for 3+ years now. During this time off, I've been trying to gain the experiences necessary to reinforce my decision to choose medicine and to try to decide what my interest was in (primary care vs. specialty). Seeing that this path is very long, hard and can seem tiresome at times, I needed to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into. In addition, during my time off I wanted to prepare for the best MD application possible because I don't want to go through the cycle more than once. As such, I applied to MD schools broadly and also applied to DO schools as my backup. At this point I still haven't decided what kind of physician I aspired to be. I knew that if I go the DO route, I'd most likely go into primary care. If I went the md route, my options would be limitless. I prefer the limitless option so I focused on trying to secure my MD acceptance with DO as a fall back. But my first choice was the MD so that's what I've been focusing on. And I know that it's been debated whether or not one is more competitive than the other but from what I had concluded, MD was more competitive and since this was my first choice, my efforts were directed towards attaining the md.

I understand that getting into med school (as many people so eloquently put it) is a bit of a crapshoot. Sometimes the odds are in our favor and sometimes they aren't and we don't know why. The odds scared me so I tried my best to take as much time as possible to become a well-rounded applicant. These years that I've placed my life on hold didn't sit well with my family and some friends who didn't understand. Nevertheless my parents supported my ultimate decision to take these years off.

Now, fast forward to this 2016-2017 application cycle. I tried my best to ensure my application didn't have any weaknesses and I did all the steps our medical friends have advised us to do and read all the books and guides I was supposed to. So, I tried to make the odds in my favor. I invested in myself. And I was optimistic that in 30+ md apps I sent out into the virtual world, I would receive a reply of intrigue from schools who would want to interview and invite me into their family and program. A MD program that would provide me limitless options as to what I want to specialize in.

Now, it's the middle of December, I'm past thanksgiving, with no md IIs after taking so many years off.
The bet I placed on myself and the risk I took to try to get the MD acceptance was coming up empty handed. So yea I felt lost. I gambled on myself and the odds weren't in my favor.

Yes, I have a DO acceptance and yes, I'm going to be a doctor via DO. But my reservation is what will occur after med school. My residency and my field of choice. Having limitless options is what I would have preferred because the only thing I know about what I see myself doing in the future is the following: I know I want to travel and serve war torn areas and help families get resources and access to vital care so that they can get a better quality of life. This vision of my future relied on having limitless options, so I had the desire for the md route. As such, I worked hard to focus on my attention on that. So, that's where my feeling of being disheartened and lost lye. I'm incredibly grateful that I'm going to be a doctor and My fall back option pulled through. But, I'm upset that this means my options will be limited. The DO school whose offer I've accepted have rotations primarily in primary care. as such, the only thing I could really do that relates to traveling and working in other countries would be to help people with chronic conditions or emergency medicine. I wont have the chance to consider the thought of becoming a surgeon or anything else that relates to a competitive field. And that makes me sad.

As for those of you who say I'm being selfish, bias, uninformed, unintelligent, I'm sorry if I offended you or osteopathy in any way. It wasn't my intention. I will be matriculating to DO school in the fall if my md schools don't work out. I'm just upset over the fact that I spent so much money and time over all these md apps. I'm upset adcoms don't see my app as competitive enough for their schools when I tried so hard. And I'm upset my plan A won't fan out.

Yes I understand this is life. It just hurts to feel this way. I know other people are in a much more difficult situation and I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I'm just disappointed, tired, and out of far more money that I should have risked.


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You've described my situation exactly. I also personally took three years out of my life to try to get into a MD school. I got off on the wrong foot in undergrad and that GPA has haunted me forever. So having that experience makes me absolutely hate the idea of closing doors on myself before I even start medical school by going to a DO school. I'm also Canadian so I can't even do AOA residencies since most of them won't offer me the visa I need (the merger won't change this). I also sent out almost 30 MD apps this year because I knew it would be my last year applying. The only thing I have to psychologically hold onto is the fact that I really really really tried to get into a MD. I applied three times until I decided to finally apply to DO. I also let my 98th percentile MCAT expire without applying to DO because I wanted one more shot at MD. I know how disappointing it is in your situation, trust me. However, I have heard that DOs will likely become very very similar to MDs in all aspects (social perception and such) in the future, so that's always nice. And I think you can still have a shot at most specialties as long as it's not the uber competitive ones like dermatology or orthopedic surgery. I wish you all the best.

 

[cantelopeavocado]

You've described my situation exactly. I also personally took three years out of my life to try to get into a MD school. I got off on the wrong foot in undergrad and that GPA has haunted me forever. So having that experience makes me absolutely hate the idea of closing doors on myself before I even start medical school by going to a DO school. I'm also Canadian so I can't even do AOA residencies since most of them won't offer me the visa I need (the merger won't change this). I also sent out almost 30 MD apps this year because I knew it would be my last year applying. The only thing I have to psychologically hold onto is the fact that I really really really tried to get into a MD. I applied three times until I decided to finally apply to DO. I also let my 98th percentile MCAT expire without applying to DO because I wanted one more shot at MD. I know how disappointing it is in your situation, trust me. However, I have heard that DOs will likely become very very similar to MDs in all aspects (social perception and such) in the future, so that's always nice. And I think you can still have a shot at most specialties as long as it's not the uber competitive ones like dermatology or orthopedic surgery. I wish you all the best.

You forgot to note that there is such a small chance that anyone would match into those with an MD degree anyways n=1 my ortho surgeon was a DO

 

[kin1662]

@sfkniner81 and @summergirl, I'm low key relieved others have been in my position as well. It's not a great situation to be in, but I'm comforted that we all are in a collective struggle and that my situation isn't totally unique... Also I'm so glad there's a great sense of comradery among us. Hopefully, we all get good news but like @sfkniner71, we also gotta prepare ourselves for the worst. And like you, @summergirl, the years I've spent trying to get the MD is very hard for me to let go of. Luckily, this thread helped cathartically. Though, I know better now not to start a thread in a frantic state of mind lol... Wish you both the best of luck and patience over the final 4ish months of this cycle!

Congrats @summergirl on your acceptance to the DO school of your choice! Hopefully one of your other 30 apps bring you some good news too!
Im glad to hear there's a sense of change coming about DOs and hopefully by the time we begin our match process begins, it's even more highly regarded.I hope the visa issue for residency gets resolved over the course of the next couple of years as well!


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[mangomaniac]

I sincerely thank those of you who replied genuinely. In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have posted a thread in the early morning hours frantically after searching through the threads and other sites to see if I still have a chance. But I truly appreciate those of you who replied relating to the topic.

For some of you who were criticizing my position, I apologize if I came off as ungrateful or bias against osteopathy. It's not like that at all.

I've been out of school for 3+ years now. During this time off, I've been trying to gain the experiences necessary to reinforce my decision to choose medicine and to try to decide what my interest was in (primary care vs. specialty). Seeing that this path is very long, hard and can seem tiresome at times, I needed to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into. In addition, during my time off I wanted to prepare for the best MD application possible because I don't want to go through the cycle more than once. As such, I applied to MD schools broadly and also applied to DO schools as my backup. At this point I still haven't decided what kind of physician I aspired to be. I knew that if I go the DO route, I'd most likely go into primary care. If I went the md route, my options would be limitless. I prefer the limitless option so I focused on trying to secure my MD acceptance with DO as a fall back. But my first choice was the MD so that's what I've been focusing on. And I know that it's been debated whether or not one is more competitive than the other but from what I had concluded, MD was more competitive and since this was my first choice, my efforts were directed towards attaining the md.

I understand that getting into med school (as many people so eloquently put it) is a bit of a crapshoot. Sometimes the odds are in our favor and sometimes they aren't and we don't know why. The odds scared me so I tried my best to take as much time as possible to become a well-rounded applicant. These years that I've placed my life on hold didn't sit well with my family and some friends who didn't understand. Nevertheless my parents supported my ultimate decision to take these years off.

Now, fast forward to this 2016-2017 application cycle. I tried my best to ensure my application didn't have any weaknesses and I did all the steps our medical friends have advised us to do and read all the books and guides I was supposed to. So, I tried to make the odds in my favor. I invested in myself. And I was optimistic that in 30+ md apps I sent out into the virtual world, I would receive a reply of intrigue from schools who would want to interview and invite me into their family and program. A MD program that would provide me limitless options as to what I want to specialize in.

Now, it's the middle of December, I'm past thanksgiving, with no md IIs after taking so many years off.
The bet I placed on myself and the risk I took to try to get the MD acceptance was coming up empty handed. So yea I felt lost. I gambled on myself and the odds weren't in my favor.

Yes, I have a DO acceptance and yes, I'm going to be a doctor via DO. But my reservation is what will occur after med school. My residency and my field of choice. Having limitless options is what I would have preferred because the only thing I know about what I see myself doing in the future is the following: I know I want to travel and serve war torn areas and help families get resources and access to vital care so that they can get a better quality of life. This vision of my future relied on having limitless options, so I had the desire for the md route. As such, I worked hard to focus on my attention on that. So, that's where my feeling of being disheartened and lost lye. I'm incredibly grateful that I'm going to be a doctor and My fall back option pulled through. But, I'm upset that this means my options will be limited. The DO school whose offer I've accepted have rotations primarily in primary care. as such, the only thing I could really do that relates to traveling and working in other countries would be to help people with chronic conditions or emergency medicine. I wont have the chance to consider the thought of becoming a surgeon or anything else that relates to a competitive field. And that makes me sad.

As for those of you who say I'm being selfish, bias, uninformed, unintelligent, I'm sorry if I offended you or osteopathy in any way. It wasn't my intention. I will be matriculating to DO school in the fall if my md schools don't work out. I'm just upset over the fact that I spent so much money and time over all these md apps. I'm upset adcoms don't see my app as competitive enough for their schools when I tried so hard. And I'm upset my plan A won't fan out.

Yes I understand this is life. It just hurts to feel this way. I know other people are in a much more difficult situation and I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I'm just disappointed, tired, and out of far more money that I should have risked.


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Almost scary how much I can relate to this.. Good luck to you kin. You're not alone.

 

[kin1662]

@mangomaniac, thank you! Good luck to you too! Congrats on your NYMC II!


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