Need some guidance. My D got admission at 6 year BS/MD program ( 3 years at UTEP, get through strict GPA requirements and get to med school in UT Health in Houston for 3 years). She also has admission into highly selective, per the school, UMIAMI’s neuroscience program. We have visited both schools… need to decide… any advise?
If she is dead set on med school, take that dual degree program.
If she’s waffling about med school, and U Miami fits the family budget, then she may prefer that option.
Thank you happymomof1
Kids who can make it to med school through a 6-year program typically have the stats to make it to med school without the program. More and more, the 6 year programs are turned into 7-year because it’s too exhausting and draining for the students, with another caveat, that what a 17 year old imagines medicine to be and what they find out in reality at age 21 is too different, and causes problems down the road (ie., don’t want to be a physician anymore but are stuck without a major they can use for something else.)
So, even if your daughter is committed to medicine, Aprime UTEP may not be the best choice.
In addition, if she were to change her mind, UMiami is a MUCH better university than UTEP (they’re not in the same category academically at all - several categories apart in fact). Umiami’s downside is that it’s not as diverse as UTEP, but it has the advantages of academic quality, a more personalized experience, and flexibility - the majority of kids dead-set on med school change their minds in college, and if that happens to your daughter, she’ll be stuck at UTEP or will want to transfer without the benefit of scholarships (available only to freshmen). UMiami has an excellent med school, by the way.
I will take a different stand. Other than US & Canada, and parts of Caribbean med schools that follow US medical system, 95% of medical schools around the world require 6 years after high school. If high school students all over the world can decide whether they want to attend med school or not, what is different about US & Canada based students to make such a decision?
Obviously there will always be a smaller percentage of high students who may not have the mental maturity to make such a lifelong decision. Only the students themselves, parents, teachers and others who come in contact on a day to day basis will know the level of commitment of the student to undertake an arduous journey of the med school. How committed is your daughter to tackle 6 years of hard work, and to the practice of medicine?
Keep in mind the competition for medical school after an undergraduate degree is equally daunting and time consuming, and only 40% of applicants in the US get admitted to a med school. It is always a nice to be pre-admitted to a med school; if your daughter does not like the idea, she can always transfer to other universities after the first 1 or 2 years, and continue with another major of her choice.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Congratulations!
^but in other countries, 16-year olds are already specialized in the sciences, the arts, or whatnot…
^ Agreed. Yet, someone who has taken AP courses in STEM subjects in high school and scored 4 or 5 (out of maximum 5) should be fairly well grounded to tackle the prerequisites of a six year program,whether it is pharmacy, MD or DO. With the rising, and in may cases unaffordable cost of higher education, it makes little sense to be required to do 4 years of undergraduate program before joining med school.
But overall, UMiami is >>>>>>>> UTEP.
UTEP is open-admissions, 100% students who want to go there are admitted.
Average GPA is 3.1 weighted, and average SAT CR+M is 900. Only the top 25% manage to hit 1,000 CR+M. One third of the students score LESS than 400 (!!!) on any portion of the test. Only 14% manage to score 24 or more on the ACT.
Not surprisingly considering the level of academic preparation and drive displayed in the numbers above, only 12% students manage to graduate in 4 years.
In short, OP would NOT be with intellectual peers and accepting this offer would likely not be satisfactory at many levels (academic growth, peer environment, common interests, pace of most classes, level of involvment in the classes, etc.)
Now, compare, with UMiami (which has excellent results for med school admission AND an excellent med school, which means that OP may not be sacrificing anything)
Admitted students’ average HS weighted GPA is 4.2. Their average SAT CR+M is 1325. The bottom 25% have 28 on the ACT - meaning that the top 14% at UTEP wouldn’t even make it into the bottom 25% at Umiami. 86% reach a score level that only 3% reached at UTEP. 87% score above 24 on the ACT. Nobody (zero, no one) scores below 400, and only 3% in the 400-500 range (ie., the bottom 3% at UMiami = top 30% at UTEP!) 72% were in the top 10th of their high school class and 71% graduate in 4 years.
Considering OP’s credentials, UMiami would make more sense and would be much more satisfying at all levels.
Hello bluesa, May I ask what did you decide? If you went for UTEP BS/MD program, how has it been so far? I am in same situation as you, would like to hear about your experience.