Two More Myths to be Wary of As You Fill Out Your Medical School Applications

Number 3:  It is Okay to Apply to an MD and DO Program During the Same Academic Year

According to a few of my colleagues who are friends with directors of DO programs, this is a partially true myth.  A DO program does not care if you are applying to an MD program during the same year.  They realize that most students are interested in starting their medical careers so it makes sense to have back-up options that are easier to get into in order to ensure you begin your career the following Fall semester.  Luckily for them, it is also why they are able to charge so a premium price for admissions into their programs. 

Unfortunately, MD programs do not share this same sentiment and if you are applying to an MD program and a DO program, you could adversely impact your chances of receiving an interview to the MD program.  The program will look at your decision to apply to both as you being uncertain of whether you want to have a career in Allopathic Medicine or Osteopathic Medicine and can overlook your application in that process.  If you are lucky enough to get an interview, the interviewer will likely question your decision thoroughly and it will transform into an interrogation rather than a pleasant conversation as to why you thought it was necessary to do both.  My roommate revealed that when he sent multiple applicants to both and got an interview at an MD, they told him they only considered him still because of his good MCAT, otherwise his file would have been passed over because the DO mark does not sit well with MD Admissions' Board members.  

Number 4:  Taking a Science-Heavy Course-load Will Benefit You on the MCAT 

This one is absolutely not true and it is something I wish I had known more about before I progressed further in my Undergraduate studies.  The MCAT is not a general knowledge test and you are not required to know additional subjects like Biochemistry, Physiology, or even Anatomy if your University offers it in order to do well on the MCAT.  It is a combination of applying theoretical knowledge and practice problem-solving strategies in order to do well on the exam.  You are only required have completed Biology, Physics, Inorganic Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry to fulfill the science-components of the exam and you should do everything you can to make sure you can take the MCAT as soon as you finished your last course in one of those 4 subjects.  The longer you wait, the harder it will be for you to remember concepts in the last class.  In most cases, chances are that was Organic Chemistry so if you only have to remember three classes instead of four, you will give yourself about an extra month to practice Full-Length Mock MCATs to hone in your skills to make sure you are successful on Test Day.  

Realize that you can recite facts from your Kaplan Prep Course from memory but still not score well on the MCAT.  It is a comprehension based exam as well so it is important that you do as many practice questions as possible to learn the style of how to solve these problems.  Test writers love to trick students or have them fall into traps to weed out pretenders from promising young doctors of tomorrow so make sure that is not you and study effectively and efficiently.