Are accelerated medical programs a good idea for me?
I know for a fact that I will study medicine. I’ve been dreaming of becoming a doctor since middle school and I’m doing amazing in Anatomy and Physiology. However, are there any binding contracts with accelerated med? Like am I required to go to that specific medical school or can i still apply to others? Will I still get financial aid if I decide to go into accelerated med?
Your questions’ answers vary by program.
Also, they are super selective and typically require maintaining a high GPA and earning a high MCAT score.
Before you get too excited about accelerated med programs, know that they are very very competitive.
Your SAT should be >1500 and you should have significant experience in medical volunteering/research/shadowing.
So you should start at least volunteering in a medical setting in HS. It will help you see if you like medicine and also be good general service/volunteering for college apps.
Don’t worry about HS A&P as much as how you do in AP Sciences and Math.
Like @ucbalumnus says it depends on the school. At CWRU program for example, you have to keep a minimum GPA and you don’t have to take the MCAT if you go to CWRU. But if you want to apply to other med schools:
“Pre-Professional Scholars are expected to demonstrate successful academic progress by meeting the following level of performance: A CWRU cumulative GPA of 3.63 and a cumulative American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS) GPA and AMCAS Biology, Chemistry, Physics and MATH (BCPM) GPA of 3.63 at the time of application and maintained on final graduation transcripts.”
“Pre-Professional Scholars in Medicine are not required to take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) for the program. However, if they do take the MCAT, they are expected to achieve a score that is above the 94th percentile. Program participants who have an interest in applying to other medical schools or who wish to be considered for a dean’s merit scholarship at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine should plan on taking this test.”
https://case.edu/ugstudies/students/pre-professional-programs/pre-professional-scholars-programs
Here is a post on merit aid for BS/MD:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/multiple-degree-programs/1893691-bs-md-programs-and-merit-scholarships.html