<p>Hello all,</p>
<p>Looking at the title will probably get a "don't worry, residency only looks at medical school. Focus on your GPA and MCAT for now" response, but I'm in a different situation.</p>
<p>I'm in a combined BA/MD Degree program, where I'm guaranteed a seat into the SOM after 4 undergraduate years (given that I maintain a certain "minimum" GPA and MCAT score, blah blah blah...). I can't go to medical school early, but I can graduate early and wait the remaining time out. So, I'm looking to the next step: residency. The program I'm in offers a lot of flexibility - we can major in anything we want to in the A&S College and I have enough high school credits to potentially double major.</p>
<p>My question to you is: what can I do to make the most of my undergrad years. Some people I've asked say research. Some say study abroad. Some say double major. Some say finish undergrad early and pursue Masters in Public Health coursework. Some say "Seriously man. Relax. You're in a great situation." </p>
<p>I want to make the most of my opportunity here. I'm on track for a B.S. in Biochemistry, and still have room for a minor or double major in Biology. This would take the full 4 years to complete. I could major in something else (i.e. B.S. in Biology) to finish earlier and do something else with my spare time until my 4 years are up. </p>
<p>What do you think? I appreciate the responses :)</p>
<p>OP,
You were correct, NOTHING!!
My D. was also in bs/md, she just applied out (while retaining her spot) and currently is MS4 at the Med. School outside of her original bs/md. Does not make any difference whatsoever.
Yes, calm down and enjoy your UG as much as my D. has enhoyed hers. However, apparently, she was thinking about applying out all along, we just did no know about her plans. So, she made sure that her college GPA and MCAT score were way way above requirements of her program. If you do not plan anything like that, than so much more for your relaxation and enjoyment.<br>
No UG academics actually have much to do with the Med. School academics anyway, you do need certain min. background though, so think about UG in regard to Med. School just like reasonable ability to read to be able graduate from HS, not much more. </p>
<p>“So, I’m looking to the next step: residency.”</p>
<p><a href=“Residency Data & Reports | NRMP”>http://www.nrmp.org/match-data/main-residency-match-data/</a>
take a look at the most recent (2014) residency program directors (PD) survey of what factors they consider important in residency decision making. Please note that they do not really care about how or what you did during your college years. Their focus is essentially on how an applicant did in med school. So as you’re still in college, relax, take a deep breath, and focus on the task at hand, (aka getting into med school).</p>
<p>As to getting into med school, the same for PDs applies to med school adcoms. They don’t care a lot about your high school performance which got you into a BA/MD program. They will care a great deal about your actual college GPAs/MCAT scores (including subsections), ECs, LORs, PS, interviews, etc. Relying on high school credit and graduating in two years will not be impressive to adcoms. A double major and/or minor in and of itself will not impress them as much as the grades you receive in these areas of study. Adcoms will expect to see that you’ve pushed yourself in college academically and in your ECs (research, volunteering, shadowing, etc). Yes, you are in a “great situation” to get a college degree early, but in the eyes of adcoms you really haven’t done anything yet. To an adcom, you’re a blank slate at this point. Take advantage of your “great situation” and the opportunities your college offers to create a med school app into an actual acceptance. As to specifics, without knowing you, I can’t offer advice. Good luck.</p>
<p>^" GPAs/MCAT scores (including subsections), ECs, LORs, PS, interviews, etc. " - not really in ba/md. ba/md does have requirements, they are much lower (normally, one program is an exception - WUSL). Unless, it is specifically required by this specific program, Ihave never heard of requirements fo any ECs, interviews,…etc. In fact. D. even did not pay application fee for Med. School in her program, although, she had to sent an applcation, no interview was required either. For comparison, requirements of her bs/md were 3.45/27, I do not think there was any other requirments and many bs/md do not even require taking MCAT at all. OP is in “great situation” simply because OP is accepted to Med. School if OP meet lower than Regular Route requirements of ba/md program. The requirement of 3.45/27 made my D’s UG years much more enjoyable and relaxed and enabled her to achieve 3.98/35 (she said, that she should be much more nervious at each exam and sitting thru MCAT). She knew that score of 27 was practically in her hands after she had a diagnostic score of 25 the very first time she took it, before she opened any preparatory book, reviewing anything at all, before she even took college Physics.
being in bs/md makes the whole difference and being in non-accelerated bs/md is a huge advantage since a student able to have a noraml college experience while not worrying much (just a little) about getting into Med. School.</p>
<p>I would personally recommend you do study abroad during the earlier years, and definitely take courses you find interesting as well as learn a language or two. I really regret not being able to do these things because I am a traditional premed. Another thing you should do is you should get involved in research early. Go find a PI in your medical school and start some basic science research. Your goal is to publish, publish, publish. If you can function for four years as an undergrad research assistant doing your own experiments you will be able to get very high quality publication-worthy material for sure. Because you will still be at the school, you might not want to publish early in PLoS one/F1000 type open-source journals, go for the more prestigious Nature/Cell type journals. You can hold your data and publish WHILE you are in medical school is the best part. Submit your senior year, published MS1, you still maintain contact with your PI and do research with him during medical school. Win-win situation</p>
<p>One does not need to study abroad to get a language, unless you want to. D. took one semester of 3rd year colelge Spanish after which she was speaking and was able to place into Intermideate level of Medcial Spanish while at Med. Schoo, (outside of Med. School program). If you want, go ahead, D. dd not have time for study abroad (she took an organized trip to NZ though).<br>
As far as Medciacl Research, this part is easy. Just contact somebody in charge of Med. Research lab. D. had unpaid intern position for 3 years, wrote grant proposals and received 2 and had a poster presentation at the end. Result - great connections, great LOR. If you are very very lucky you may be able to publish. Most medical students have hard time publishing even when their manuscript is submitted by MDs and even after they were invited to annual conferences with the result of the great write ups by attending MD.<br>
Good advices but a bit on a dreaming side. I am not saying that it is not possible, but got to get very lucky, which sometime happen. Publishing during UG years is not needed at all.
Again, since you are in combined program, you do not need to do any ECs, only if you want to. They will not affect your residency application at all though.</p>
<p>i recently applied to residency programs, and aside from listing the school i went to and the degree i earned, as well as listing a student organization i started and am still active in as one entry of my “volunteer” experience, there was literally no mention of undergrad on my application. in fact, your undergrad transcript doesn’t even go to residency programs–just med school. in other words–there’s nothing possible to worry about in terms of making yourself more competitive for residency, except perhaps publishing research relevant to the field you’re pursuing (which is basically impossible to know as an undergrad, and thus you can’t really accomplish that) or earning a graduate degree in something “sexy” like MPH, MBA, or MHA if you’re interested in those fields (again–not something you can do as an undergrad). my vote is to do something fun and awesome that makes undergrad a memorable and invigorating experience!</p>
<p>^Yep, agree 100%. Take advantage of your “worry free” guaranteed spot, there are very few out there in this situation!</p>