Hey Guys, I recently got accepted into the Rutgers Summer Science Scholars Academy. Basically students get to 'explore the human body through a series of lectures, organ laboratories and clinical experiences. ’ You attend courses and seminars.
Core Courses Seminars
Anatomy Science & Health Careers
Physiology Clinical Skills
Research Methods in Health Public Health
Patient-Centered Medicine Research in Biomedical Sciences
The problem is , it’s 3000 dollars! I want to go to a 7 year med program (preferably Rutgers BS/MD program), so do you think attending this would help with admissions chances?
If it really interests you, go for it. If it would be a strain financially to swing it, then you probably shouldn’t. I found that doing a summer engineering program at Brown University really helped me decide that engineering was my thing, but that too, cost a fair amount of money. I also found, though, that it showed me a little of what college might be like socially. I was completely on my own for three weeks, and had to learn budgeting time and getting out and making new friends, which was useful in itself.
In admissions, I can’t really say whether or not a summer program in your field of interest would help at all because colleges may or may not see that as useful in deciding admissions, but if the program is at your intended college (here, Rutgers), then it might be beneficial.
Is your summer program a selective course as in you need to write essays, get teacher recs and maybe do a couple entrance exam problems to get in?
If it’s selective, then depending on its selectivity, then it’s definitely beneficial. Some prestigious summer camps like the math camp at MIT are extremely helpful in your application (most of the people who get in are already extremely qualified anyways).
If the course is non-selective or open admission, then it will not improve your chances of admission, however it will be a good experience at the college and you get a feel for the school and really decide if it is a good fit for you. Go if you
don’t have anything else to do over the summer.
P.S. I’m not sure if Rutgers is the one hosting the summer program. I know for Stanford, a program rents its housing during the summer when all the students are away and uses the empty facilities for its summer program (also extremely expensive at over 4000$).
Most summer courses like this are easy ways for the college/university to make money, and easy ways for them to advertise their facilities to students who might be interested in applying. Attending doesn’t mean that you will get in to that college/university, and it doesn’t mean that you will automatically be a more attractive applicant elsewhere.
If you have the money to attend, it will be an interesting experience and you will learn a lot. But if you don’t have the money, not attending won’t keep you out of any particular college or university that you apply to.
One thing that you do need to be aware of, is that if the program awards any college credit, then for the rest of your life whenever you apply for admission to a degree program at a college/university, or for a job that requires all of your college-level transcripts, you will have to request an official copy of this transcript. I have several small transcripts like that from summer courses and it is a pain in the you-know-what to keep track of them.
@happymomof1 luckly i am able to afford this program , but i’m wondering if it would be a better use of my time to just volunteer at hospitals instead?
If it’s solely about “better use of your time” and this isn’t a financial burden, I’d go for it personally! the coursework sounds very interesting. Just know, in advance, that attending this per se, won’t bolster your eventual BS/MD applications.
@sonpat It will only be a better use of your time if you truly want to work in a hospital, if you truly want to work at one to gain experience for your profession in the future.
Both are very viable options if you want to become a doctor.
If you were my kid, I’d suggest the hospital volunteer route. You need to be in the environment where you think you’d like to be working one day. That will help you determine whether or not the career you think you want really is for you.
While you are hanging out at the hospital, you can investigate any training that you are eligible for now, or will soon be eligible for such as first responder or EMT. College and med school are expensive, and a well-paying EMT gig a couple nights each week would help you pay for your education as well as give you practical experience in advance of your eventual medical education.
I think making it look good on the common app should not be a reason why you’re doing x activity. If that is your sole motivation, it’ll be very hard to write good essays, which is what admissions officers are really looking for. I understand that you need some kind of activities to compete with other applicants, but I think volunteering at hospitals is so common that the only way to stand out among the thousands of other applicants is to write outstanding essays, displaying your genuine interest in the subject.
The only activities that “look good” by themselves without any essays explaining their significance are things like curing cancer etc. Most people don’t have those kind of activities, so they use their essays to portray the distinctiveness and significance of their activities.