Can you swing MCPHS financially? If so, I would strongly recommend it as it will eliminate
the next level of uncertainty – applying for Med school.
Applying for DO programs is just as difficult as applying for MD programs, and not for the faint of heart…
Riverside does have the Thomas Haider Program at the UCR School of Medicine reserved up to 24 seats for their students. Application to the program are submitted at the end of sophomore year:
http://medschool.ucr.edu/admissions/haider_program.html
Either way, both are good schools.
You’ll likely to be going into serious debt for either, so be sure to check out the total cost of attendance for both schools, calculating med school both in-state California as well as OOS in case you don’t get into UCR Med school.
Good luck.