The Med School Pulse

By Lauren Poindexter, Kaplan Elite MCAT Teacher

So you’ve decided you want to be a doctor – good for you! But, have you considered what that really means? There are a plethora of rewarding careers in the medical field that aren’t defined by the letters M and D, and the professionals in most of those fields are still “doctors” in one sense or another. These are careers in which your altruistic tendencies and desire to better the quality of life for countless (human) patients can be put to work! Check out the following list of awesome degrees…you may just discover …

By Carleen Eaton, M.D.

Like many applicants, you may have started out with June 1 as the target date for submitting your primary application. However, school, work, studying for the MCAT and life in general intervened and your primary application is still a work in progress. An early application is important for rolling admissions, but if you submit your primary application soon, you are still in good shape in terms of timing. Therefore, set yourself a firm deadline of August 1 to hit “submit” and figure out what you need to do between now and then to achieve that goal.…

By Carleen Eaton, M.D.

While many aspiring physicians apply solely to allopathic (M.D.) schools, others choose to also apply to osteopathic (D.O.) schools, and some apply exclusively to D.O. schools. D.O. schools provide a medical education similar to M.D. schools, but with an emphasis on holistic care and the inclusion of coursework in osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM). Osteopathic graduates are more likely to go into primary care compared with graduates of allopathic schools.

If you decide to try for D.O. schools, be aware that the application process is separate from the process for the M.D. schools and make sure that …