Where to Apply to Medical School

In the United States people who are licensed to practice medicine have either obtained an M.D. degree from an allopathic medical school or have a D.O. degree from an osteopathic medical school.  Around 95% of the licensed physicians are M.D.’s and most medical schools are allopathic medical schools.  By and large allopathic medical schools are more difficult to get into and M.D. degrees are considered more prestigious and M.D.’s are more likely to be higher in medical field ‘pecking order.’  Osteopathic medicine is often described as being more ‘holistic’ and D.O.’s are most commonly found as primary care physicians.  Students with high GPA’s (over 3.5) and MCAT scores (over 508; 76th percentile) may be justified in considering only allopathic medical schools (but some may prefer the osteopathic approach to medicine); other students should spend some time finding out about osteopathic medicine and consider applying to osteopathic schools.

• How many schools to apply to
• When to apply
• How to apply