I am currently a junior in high school and want to go into a 6 year med program. I’ve find Howard university, university of Kansas City in Missouri and university of north state California. Those are also my choices in order. I know admissions are very hard but does anyone have any valuable information on them, especially Howard. I didn’t do so well freshman and sophomore year but I’ve gotten straight As so far and believe I can maintain that. Can I still get in? I have many work experiences, played a sport, and founded an African culture club at an old school. If anyone has applied or plans to apply and has some insight please let me know !
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I didn’t do so well freshman and sophomore year but I’ve gotten straight As so far
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What the above means is that you’ve done well for one semester and part of the current semester.
You can try but you’re going to have a difficult time competing against applicants who didn’t have two rough years. Those BS/MD programs are highly competitive (many, many applicants for few seats) so getting accepted is very difficult.
Those programs are looking for students that they believe would have been successful premeds if they had applied the traditional way. That often means showing stellar stats.
Those programs are also looking for students who’ve done medically-related ECs.
As in both Bio and Chem, also As in anatomy and physiology course that I’m taking. I plan to volunteer at a medical center this summer and shadow a CNA. With that and good scores on the SATs and ACT do you think they can overlook sophomore year?
It is pretty tough as they get high stat applicants but what do you have to loose? Give it your best shot and if doesn’t work out then go traditional route.
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As in both Bio and Chem, also As in anatomy and physiology course that I’m taking. I plan to volunteer at a medical center this summer and shadow a CNA. With that and good scores on the SATs and ACT do you think they can overlook sophomore year?
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From your first post, it appears that you need them to overlook your frosh and soph years.
What is your current cum GPA?
Typically those accepted into those BS/MD programs have a 34-36 ACT or similar SAT.
@“Yalie 2011” thank you @mom2collegekids freshman year wasn’t my best but it also was not so bad. As and Bs but Cs in sophomore year. My science average will be at an 88% after junior year which is an 3.2 gpa I think. And my cum gpa is a 3.0 since sophomore but after this year I believe it be nearly at 4.0 since I had it before and know I can pull it off with straight As.
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And my cum gpa is a 3.0 since sophomore but after this year I believe it be nearly at 4.0 since I had it before and know I can pull it off with straight As.
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Your cum GPA after this year will not be “nearly at 4.0”… If you had a 3.0 cum GPA at the end of soph year, then after this year (your junior year), your cum GPA might be about 3.33, if you get straight As this year.
It is highly doubtful that you’ll be competitive for a 6 year program. Those are highly condensed programs and will likely only be accepting students who have near-perfect stats.
If your dream is to be a physician then you’ll need to demonstrate that during the traditional route.
@Trisherella If I can become a doctor in 6 years opposed to 8 years, why not! I have no problem dedicating myself and completing this program. It would be a personal goal to be able to go into this program and accomplish it.
I just had a bad year trying to work and manage school at the same time. No excuse but I’ve been on my A game since then :)) what ever the out come going to med school is defiantly my plan regardless ! Thank you for everyone’s opinion though I appreciate it
A complete summary:
Joined Red Cross
Founded a club
Played volleyball
6 work experiences
Plan too :
Volunteer at a medical center
Shadow a CNA
Classes:
Anatomy & Physiology (Honors Class)
Fornensic science (extra science class)
Chemistry (Honors Class)
Biology (Honors Class)
And then the basics !
What are some good classes I should take senior year? Imma going to go for AP since I’m getting As in honors.
I will take my SATs and ACTs twice before I apply to any college.
@mom2collegekids I had a 3.76 entering sophomore year and my grades weren’t as good. 3.0 entering junior year and with straight As I thought entering senior year I would have a much higher gpa.
What help are you looking for? You have had several posters tell you that you aren’t competitive given your GPA. Now that you’ve posted that you haven’t taken any AP courses yet it makes it clearer that this isn’t really a good plan for you. Nothing can stop you from applying if you want to, but you will be competing against people who have had 4.0’s every year, and who have been taking APs all through high school, not just senior year. You haven’t posted test scores yet, but with your GPA and rigor I think you should not even be looking at selective colleges.
Also you can read this long post by me. Summary it is based on many factors not just GPA or test scores (both are given) but other factors related to medical EC, essays/interviews and your personal background and demographics. Utilize your current semester and this summer wisely and give it a try. But suggest, don’t be hung up on the 3 programs of 6 years. Rather apply broadly for the 7or 8 years BS/MD programs depending on your state and financial situation. Also at the worst case, go for the regular route and you have ample time to prepare since you are determined to become a physician now.
The Howard program only accepts a handful of students to the 6 year program. Don’t be fooled by the stats required to apply. Those accepted are generally tippy top students who turn down acceptances at Ivys, U of Chicago, etc. and come to Howard on a large scholarship with the 6 year program as an added bonus. We know one in it who told us that to get even an interview for the program, much less acceptance, you have to show extreme rigour of your high school curriculum, an ability to juggle a lot (leadership, sports, volunteering, etc.) while maintaining top grades (Cs in high school might knock you out) and top ACT/SAT scores. In addition, you need to show that it is not just about getting into medical school faster, but about attending Howard, an HBCU. No, you need not be african american, but if asked why Howard and why our program, you should have an answer other than ‘to do the 6 year program’.
Finally, once in she told our son (interested in Howard and the program) that you overload classes every term, take summer classes and need to be volunteering and doing other things…while also prepping for an taking the MCAT at the end of sophomore year. She has loved it and loved Howard and still managed to have great college experiences (which, she noted, continue to some degree even once in medical school as you are still there near your college friends though obviously have much less time than most of them do!). But she thrives on being busy, handling pressure and has embraced the very urban environment and all it offers.
In sum, understand that getting in is not easy at all, staying in is tough (some dropped themselves, one was asked to leave the program since her time in it) and then you still have the step of getting top grades and a decent MCAT score and interview so that you can in fact start the MD track. All of this while at the very intriguing, social active, politically active and urban environment of Howard pulling you in many directions.