BS/MD BS/DO Results - FALL 2022 applicants

This thread is to post the stats and feedback/reflection from students / parents to post the BS/MD Acceptance at the end of the cycle. Below is a post from a student of previous cycle to provide the sample format.
This is a very nice post from a previous year’s results thread. You can copy & paste & update with your details when you post. Thank you so much in advance to help future students / parents.

Important Note: Please post only results. If you have questions and discussion topics, please use the other thread which will have the year and BS/MD applicant in the title.

******* SAMPLE POST *****

Posting for my daughter …

GPA: 4.0 (UW), 4.75 (W) at the time of application

Class Rank: NA; Class Size 350+

ACT: 34
SAT: 1510

SAT Subject Tests:
Chemistry: 800
Math 2: 800
Bio: 800

AP’s (at time of application)

AP Calculus BC: 5;
AP Physics C-Mechanics: 5;
AP Computer Science A: 5;
AP Biology - 4;

AP Chemistry and AP Statistics (both will be taken this year);

IB – MYP certificate.

Teacher / Counselor Recs: Not seen but assume to be Very Strong, teachers knew my daughter well and mutual respect existed at both ends.

State: PA
Gender: F
Ethnicity: Non-Caucasian
Income: >150k
Hooks: None

Awards:

  • SWENext Northrop Grumman Community Award – Winner
  • Aspirations in Computing Affiliate (Regional) Award Winner and Honorable Mention
  • Associate Scientist Award (Regional Science & Engineering Fair)
  • Junior Scientist Award (Regional Science & Engineering Fair)
  • Top 5 International Finalist at a well-known competition
  • Data Jam - Winner (twice) (also Captain)

Major ECs:

  • FIRST Robotics - member; Qualified four times for World Championships in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)
  • Piano - 10+ years ; Winner of competitions
  • Martial Arts - 3rd degree Black belt – 10+ years
  • Golf - High School JV and Varsity team — 4 years
  • Music technology - 3 years

Other:

  • AMIE / Math League
  • Verizon App Challenge
  • Cultural Communications Alliance International Marketing Competition

Community Service:

  • President of the Local Youth Chapter of a foundation focused on education (involvement > 5 years)
  • Volunteer - at an Independent Senior community &
  • Volunteer - at a Rehabilitation and Wellness Center:
  • Teaching and playing piano to patients needing memory support due to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Medically related activities:

  • Physician Shadowing
  • Research Assistantship at a local University
  • Research Survey at a Medical center

Mentoring/ Teaching:
Peer Tutoring: Tutor other students at school in the subjects of Chemistry and Geometry.
Robotics: Founded a FLL Team and mentored middle school kids; mentored 3 other FLL / FTC teams
Martial Arts: Volunteered to teach children

Applied to the following BS/MD Programs:

  1. Northwestern HPME - interviewed - ACCEPTED
  2. PennState / Jefferson - interviewed - ACCEPTED
  3. Stony Brook Scholars for Medicine - interviewed - ACCEPTED
  4. Drexel/Drexel - interviewed - ACCEPTED
  5. Temple/ Temple - interviewed - rejected (accepted undergrad with scholarships)
  6. Hofstra - interviewed - rejected (accepted undergrad with scholarships)
  7. UPitt GAP, CaseWestern, URochester, UCinncinati - rejected pre-interview (accepted undergrad with scholarships)
  8. Rice/Baylor, Brown PLME - waitlisted undergrad; rejected BSMD
  9. BU, UConn - rejected
  10. GW - withdrew

Applied to the following undergraduates:

  1. Carnegie Mellon - Computer Science - ACCEPTED

DECISION: Northwestern HPME
Scholarship: None

Reflection:

It is a Roller-Coaster ride; be prepared for a long 6 month ride!
God only knows what these admissions committee folks look into the applications;
Interview acceptance or rejections APPEAR to have NO relationship with your score or accomplishments; a “higher” rank university may invite you for an interview and you may be rejected by a “lower” ranked university!
So apply to 10-15+ programs and pray for the best.

Somethings we learned:

  • About 3500-4000 students apply for BSMD programs. If you add up the BS/MD seats available across all universities, they are < 500. So, you know the odds of getting in.
  • Many universities prefer in-state students e.g. NJ, TX, CT, OH universities.
  • Universities constantly re-calibrate their yields - i.e. ratio of offers to accepted students. For example, Rice this year had over 2000 applications compared to 750 last year. But they sent offer acceptances to 199 this year compared to 233 last year. You may be on the wrong side of their yield management.
  • UPitt: Apply only if you have a FULL score on SAT or ACT; it is a wasted effort otherwise. It has an OUT-of-state preference (one of the odd ball universities in this regard).
  • Rice/Baylor: they have 6 seats; RICE will send around 200 applications to Baylor and Baylor will invite 25. Odds for out-of-state are low.
  • UCinncinati: If out of state, put it on a very low priority; very strong in-state preference.
  • Same for UConn - if out of state, do not waste your time.
  • BU: should change its name to “Mute” university for lack of any communications.
  • Rice/Baylor and Brown PLME - I would like to call them “apply and forget” - after applying, think about them only after March 21.
  • Northwestern : HPME program officials were absent for HPME session on Admitted Student days; I believe this is not respecting time and money parents spend visiting the university; excellent HPME student interactions - kudos to them; Regular Undergrad faculty present for other sessions - good interactions with them; good vibe at the campus.
  • Penn/Jeff: The best and most well organized interview day. Kudos to the university. Great speakers; good financial aid session; excellent student interactions; good vibe at the campus.
  • Stonybrook: No parent sessions; could not form any opinion about the school/ program; student-to-student interactions with WISE students; daughter like the university.
  • Hofstra Medical: Very good and small group parent session; very informative and open to all kinds of questions; other universities should emulate them.
  • Temple: Was chaotic.
  • Drexel: was on a Saturday; limited student or faculty interaction; informative session and Q&A.

Lastly, be judicious about the time you spend on College Confidential. Spending more time here DOES NOT increase your chances of acceptance. But it can definitely increase your anxiety levels, especially as folks get interview calls. But, it remains a great source of information and support.

Thank you for a great forum and all the best to future aspirants!

3 Likes

Congratulations… My D got into Hoftsra 4+4 BSMD program.

1 Like

BTW has anyone heard back from TCNJ/NJIT NJMS BSMD program decision yet? Do they convey the decision in an email or call us? We were so surprised we actually got a congratulatory call from Hofstra before they sent the email.

Please post all your questions on this thread:

The results thread is for sharing your stats+perspectives+acceptances only.

Got it thank you

Can you please tell me in which thread to join to know about Rice/Baylor Medical program acceptance for Fall 2022.

Post your questions on this thread:

GPA: 4.575 (W), 3.950 (UW) at the time of application
Class Rank: school does not rank, class size: 313

ACT: 26 (was required to report for BS/MD, otherwise did not report most places)
SAT: 1410

Test-optional: all BS/MDs required testing, submitted scores to most UG

AP’s (no scores submitted)
At time of application: AP BC Calculus, AP Physics C (both), AP Physics 1, AP Psychology, AP Chemistry, AP Computer Science A, AP US History, AP English Language & Composition, AP Statistics, AP US Government and Politics
Taken senior year: AP English Literature & Composition, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, AP European History

College Classes (transcripts submitted)
At time of application: Animal Biology, Genetics, Genomics & Bioinformatics, Data Structures
Taken senior year: Cell Biology, Introduction to Sociology, Modern World History, Macroeconomics

Teacher/Counselor Letters of Recommendation: Didn’t read, however, should be great because I was very specific in my “ask” email and they most likely copy-pasted.

State: WI
Sex: M
Ethnicity: ORM (Asian)
Income: >200k
Hooks: None, unless being LGBTQ+ counts (I don’t think it does?)

Awards:

  • Presidential Volunteer Gold Service Award
  • HOSA, Future Health Professionals Competition: EMT Category: 2nd in State & Internationals Qualifier
  • Reverse Pitch High School Edition: 3rd, pitched a way to increase healthcare access for patients
  • WI Youth Entrepreneurs in Science Contest: selected to Diligent Dozen (state-wide)
  • Semifinalist at the Conrad Challenge, a virtual innovation summit for non-renewable energy solutions

Major ECs

  • Statewide Council for LGBTQ+ Activism (was newly elected at time of application)
  • Founding President of school’s GSA (Genders and Sexualities Alliance)
  • 1 Computer Development internship (service-based)
  • 1 Electrical Engineering internship (paid)

Community Service:

  • Hospital NICU: 40+ hours
  • Key Club: 250+ hours
  • Nonprofit I was a leader of: 250+ hours

Medically related activities:

  • 2 internships at Medical College of Wisconsin - different labs, no publications
  • Leadership of national non-profit (that provided online shadowing) with over 55,000 members
  • Summer program for medical shadowing: 70+ hours

Mentoring/Teaching: nothing officially.

Interviewing Ability: Excellent.

Applied to following BS/MD Programs:

  1. Baylor-Baylor - rejected pre-interview (accepted undergrad with scholarships)
  2. Oklahoma University - rejected pre-interview (accepted undergrad with scholarships)
  3. Virginia Commonwealth University - rejected pre-interview (accepted undergrad with scholarships)
  4. Rice-Baylor - rejected pre-interview (waitlisted undergrad)
  5. Boston University SMED - rejected pre-interview (rejected undergrad)
  6. Siena College - rejected pre-interview (accepted undergrad with scholarships)
  7. Augusta-MCG - rejected pre-interview (accepted undergrad with out-of-state waiver)
  8. Stevens Institute of Tech-NJMS - rejected pre-interview (accepted undergrad with scholarships)
  9. University of Cincinnati - interviewed (MMI) - ACCEPTED (with partial undergrad scholarships)

Applied to the following undergraduates:

  1. Tulane University - Cell & Molecular Biology - ACCEPTED (with partial undergrad scholarships, rejected Paul Tulane full-tuition)
  2. University of Louisville - Computer Engineering - interviewed for multiple full rides and guaranteed dental program - ACCEPTED (as a full ride+ Brown Fellow and BS/DMD Program)
  3. Washington and Lee - Computer Science - interviewed for full ride (the Johnson) - ACCEPTED (as a Johnson full ride+ recipient)
  4. University of Houston - Computer Science - interviewed for full ride - ACCEPTED (as a Tier One full ride recipient)
  5. Marquette University - Biomedical Sciences - interviewed for full-tuition scholarship and guaranteed dental program - ACCEPTED (as a full-tuition Burke Scholar and BS/DDS Program)
  6. UNC at Charlotte - Computer Science - ACCEPTED (no interview for Levine Scholars full ride)
  7. UT Austin - rejected
  8. Duke - rejected
  9. UW Madison - ACCEPTED
  10. NYU - waitlisted
  11. Rollins College - Computer Science + premed - interviewed for full ride - ACCEPTED (rejected full ride - Alfond)
  12. Carthage College - Computer Science + premed - interviewed for scholarships - ACCEPTED (rejected majority of scholarships)
  13. U of Mississippi - Computer Engineering - ACCEPTED (with automatic full tuition scholarship, no interview for Stamps Scholars full ride)
  14. IU - Bloomington - Computer Science - ACCEPTED (with partial scholarship, no interview for Wells Scholars full ride)

DECISION: University of Cincinnati Connections (BS/MD) Program
Scholarship: Multiple, around half-tuition undergrad

Reflection:

Loved it! This was an awesome time for me. I started my application in the January of my junior year so I was way ahead of the curve. I was able to write most essays well ahead of time and lost zero sleep because of procrastination - may have lost some to the anxiety though. I hated the waiting. Everything else was great. I also wouldn’t let lower stats deter you, most people on CC and otherwise will tell you not to go for it, but I did and look where I am!

Going into the cycle, I had two individual goals - win a full ride to college OR get into a BS/MD program. Fortunately, I met both of those goals - alas, not at the same university.

Initially, I thought I was going to be a physician 100%. Then that absolute faith dwindled so I also applied to dental programs (after shadowing some really happy dentists). I ended up getting the only BS/MD I got the interview for, both the BS/DDS programs I applied to and interviewed for, and multiple full rides to study Computer Science + Biology + premed at great universities and in great programs. When it came down to it and I had to choose, I decided medicine was my path and I wasn’t going to let impostor syndrome win. I feel incredibly blessed to have gotten all of these acceptances!

Giving up full rides is tough, but the guaranteed medical school is worth it. It’s extraordinarily tough to get in nowadays without taking gap years, especially as an ORM male.

I’ve said this before - but, you’ll constantly read on here and other websites that “all you need is one acceptance.” I’m here to tell you that its true. Believe in yourself.

Somethings I learned:

  • Getting flown out for full ride interviews is incredible. The people you will meet are lifelong friends - honestly, despite where everyone ends up. Apply to full rides for the networking if nothing else.
  • Cincy is truly holistic. They consider all of the parts. I wouldn’t have gotten in without that. My interview went awesome! They also consider how much prep you did for the standardized testing (between each administration). You have to report all scores.
  • Cincy: The program focuses on humanistic development (my interest), has a pretty okay MCAT cutoff (507) and GPA cutoff (3.5). It is not accelerated. You can also apply out to other medical schools without losing your seat. Also, completely crazy perk I had no idea about, Cincy’s a great medical school (it was the 3rd highest ranked school that I applied to) and the BS/MD is pretty phenomenal too.
  • Cincy BS/MD interview: it’s literally conducted by the College of Medicine just like any MD interview would be. There are 9 MMI sessions. It was online. Most of the raters do not give hints as to how your answer was. You cannot write things down. Scenarios can be difficult. There’s definitely gonna be a “why physician?” in there. I’d prepare with mock questions, focus on personal stuff always, try to relate back to your own life and experiences, and give extremely thorough answers. There’s apparently a strong in-state preference, but hey, I’m OOS.

I was told CC was incredibly toxic, so I didn’t even go on here until I had turned in all of my applications. However, that turned out not to be the case - the community is mostly supportive. Join and post if you want! People are mostly nice.

Thank you very much!!! Good luck to everyone who applies in the future and congratulations to everyone who was accepted!

18 Likes

Wow congrats! Do you mind sharing your D’s stats and ECs?

1 Like

Posting for my daughter … (who doesn’t want to share her info).
So, sorry there will not be stats/personal info.
I will be happy to answer in the main forum/message.

DISCLAIMER: I have experience in working with other students in BSMD but it’s equally challenging to work with your own D too.

In short this is a Marathon and not sprint.
Baring edge case scenario, I strongly believe You/Your parent/Your Guardian/Your coach should be willing to spend “more time” (or take help)
as unfortunately it’s not a “cookie cutter” process or no defined manuals for this.

GPA: 4.0 (UW)
Class Rank: NA (but an A+ student and possibly in top 1-2% based on her creds and subjects); Class Size 250+

ACT: Not perfect but very good (science 36)

APs: Many from Junior years and was also doing community college (As she finished everything required for high school already)
ECs: Very good (and diverse)
School activity: Sports team and also in school committees.

Teacher / Counselor Recs: Not seen but assume to be Very Strong, teachers knew my daughter well and mutual respect existed at both ends.

State: OOS for all BSMD
Gender: F
Ethnicity: Non-Caucasian
Income: >200k
Hooks: None

Medically related activities:
Had decent medical experience shadowing, online classes, virtual work but in-person was disrupted due to COVID, and many activities were restricted for greater than 18 years (which she was not at those time)

Reflection:

  • The info from this forum (and possibly any forum/reddit) maybe stressful (if you can’t filter or ignore)
  • The whole BSMD is a crazy reality show; be prepared for a long ride! with lots of Ups and down
  • Your experience WILL NOT resemble another person so don’t bother too much in comparing
  • Interview acceptance or rejections have many criteria’s (have gone thru my perspective down below) many of which you can only assume and will never know why.
    For example: My D got Harvard interviews but not from some College C. Why. No idea
  • Approximately around 8000 students apply. There are roughly < 400 seats (if you ignore regional, in-state preferences maybe 100) so your odds are very very less
  • As an example, for 10 seats, 2000 total applications, 200 OOS (for 1/2 seats)
    OOS chances <.2% , entire pool <.4%
    Remember I didn’t add other criteria like Location, Race etc., which makes it much tougherr
  • Essay writing is very important (IMO). My D got handwritten note in her admission letter from at least 2 programs highlighting/quoting her essay points (so we know they read it)
  • Many universities prefer in-state students e.g., TX (90%), AL, NJ, CT etc., Many say it on their info but few don’t but shows up in the selections of many instate/regionals students.
    So we totally avoided many of these good universities in Texas and few places.
  • We approached college selection (more time spent on this) into 3 buckets
    (Based on OOS, locations, number of seats, scores, what they look for and what my D brings and many more criteria)
    The grouping was based on “our criteria” and it’s just an example only
    • Good shot (say Stonybrook, Drexel, Hofstra etc.,)
    • Reasonable shot (say HPME - less seats, CASE - < .02% shot, PITT - more tristate student preference and need perfect score)
    • Lotto shot (say Brown - competition, UMKC - less for OOS , Uconn - OOS preference etc.,)
  • We removed many of the universities due to their chaotic or other reasons that we (MY D) felt didn’t seem will be good fit for her. This is equally important when someone spends 8 years in a places
  • We were never swayed for 6/7/8 years differences as IMO less years means NOT less money but equally more “crazy work” to squeeze it. Though my D was comfortable in those we didn’t play huge importance to a college because of its years.
  • We did plans for the EA (Early assurance) routes acceptance as many of her BSMD colleges had that option (like VCU, BU, PSU, Arizona etc.,)
  • We also did choose many UG colleges for EA route alone(Dartmouth, Loyola, Icahn, Wake Forest etc.,)
  • We also planned for good local UGs only (and reputed UGs neighboring places) in case her opinion changes (or decides to follow traditional path).
  • I felt this year (due to online only), it seems there were lots of students selected for interviews.
    If it’s “in person” many folks won’t bother to spend “$$$s” if they are not interested in the college.
    This (IMO) resulted in more competition. Not sure this trend will continue but it’s to prove that just because you got an interview, it’s NOT guaranteed (but better odds)

Results:

  • She decided to choose her BSMD college based on her visit, interaction with peers (and her own criteria from few acceptances).
  • She promptly withdrew from all other acceptances (and waitlist) to ease her/our stress.

What we could have done better:

  • Though i had experience prior to this, I wish still we had allocated more time to “college grouping”.
  • We had 40-30-30 ratios among (Good, reasonable, lotto) but we should have tilted more towards Good shot group (particularly this year with everything being online only)
  • I know it’s tough for 18 years old, but we/I wish we learned more not to be in “Euphoria” (when 3 out first 4 calls were positive) to “unknown” (when no response from few) to “sad” (when put on waitlist/rejections).
  • Learn to cut losses and move on (What i mean is, many colleges may have different criteria than you have. So just learn to accept it). We wish we weaned these colleges before applying itself (Say if college looks for more rural then odds are much tougher)
  • Prepare to allocate more time for school follow ups (and colleges follow-ups too) for grades, scores, recommendations etc.,
    We were NOT considered for 1 reputed college because they didn’t receive the rec info (though in this case it’s not the fault of teacher as she did submit but the college claimed it didn’t get and we ran out of time)

Finally, all it takes is 1 to fulfill your dream in BSMD and even if you don’t get in 95% of folks follow “traditional method” so still continue dreaming and good luck.

8 Likes

GPA: 3.98 (UW), 4.51 (W) at time of application
Class Rank: NA
SAT: 1490
AP Scores: AP Lang: 5, AP Bio:4

AP classes taken/taking:
AP BC Calc, AP Gov, AP Comp Sci, AP Spanish, AP Chem, AP Physics 1

Teacher/Counselor Recs: Haven’t seen.

State: MA
Gender: F
Ethnicity: Asian
Income: 55k
Hooks: Low-Income, First generation Asian American

Major ECs:

  • Choir 7+ years: Districts, All-states, All-eastern Choir. Soloist, section leader.
  • Founder/President of 501c3 Nonprofit on dermatology awareness @Ddermadreams on Instagram, leader of 16+ members including college students
  • President of town volunteering mentorship program
  • President of Cards4Kindness Chapter, distributing thank you cards to hospital staff and patients
  • Tennis: 4 years JV and Varsity, Varsity Letter and Award for Leadership

Medically related activities:

  • Virtual Shadowing
  • Virtual Research Internship at UMass Medical School, Project on disparities in Hepatitis B in low-socioeconomic Asian populations
  • Systemic Review Research on Melanoma Research with Stanford Oncologist, peer reviewing at Stanford Journal
  • Podcast host for Dermadreams (Nonprofit) discussing experiences of patients with dermatological diseases
  • MIT/Biogen Biotechnology Virtual Program

Mentoring/Teaching:

  • Physics tutor (volunteer)
  • Homework help for students of low socioeconomic backgrounds in town (volunteer)

Applied to following BS/MD Programs:

  1. Rochester REMS- Rejected
  2. UMKC- Rejected
  3. BU SMED- Rejected
  4. GW- Rejected
  5. Brown- Rejected
  6. Union/AMC - interviewed- ACCEPTED (with 38k a year aid)
  7. Stonybrook - Rejected
  8. Temple- Rejected
  9. Augusta - withdrew
  10. Case Western - rejected
  11. Stevens Inst - rejected

Applied to the following undergraduates:

  1. Cornell - ACCEPTED
  2. Brown - Rejected
  3. UPenn - Rejected
  4. Dartmouth - Waitlisted
  5. Northeastern - Waitlisted
  6. Boston University - Waitlisted
  7. Boston College - Waitlisted
  8. George Washington - Waitlisted
  9. Case Western Reserve University - ACCEPTED
  10. Columbia - Rejected
  11. UMass Amherst - ACCEPTED (5k merit with in-state tuition)
  12. UMass Boston - ACCEPTED (12.5k merit with in-state tuition)
  13. Stony Brook - ACCEPTED (10k merit with In-state tuition scholarship)
  14. University of Rochester - ACCEPTED (21k merit)
  15. Stevens Institute - Accepted (25k merit)
  16. Temple (full ride undergrad)

Major: All majors were either biology, biomedical engineering, or music with biology minor

DECISION: Union/AMC (waiting for more aid request)

Interview for Union/AMC was very relaxed and organized well. MMI interviewers were generally respectful and understanding (except one time where I blanked out during a question and I could tell interviewer was hiding her laugh lmao). When touring Union, I fell in love with the beauty of the campus and how friendly the staff is. Also, there are stress dogs there year round :slight_smile:

12 Likes

PA: 106 weighted at time of application
Class Rank: Below 10
SAT: 1520
AP’s and IB’s :14
Ap score are most of them 4 or 5
2 scores are 3

Asian Female

Extra circular Activities:

  1. Catch my breath - national organization -one of board of directors( 1 out of 4 members) - through out world - 2 years
  2. Youth advisory committee - one of board of director - 3 years
  3. Keyclub- secretary - 4 years
  4. Red Cross- she started the club which is closed past 3 years. - president - 1 year
  5. Hosa- member - 3 years
  6. Unicef member - 4 years
    7 . Green club - -2 years And so many other clubs member
  7. She wrote some articles in news paper about vaping and alcohol
  8. Recently she did selected for discovery education channel interview out of 4 members throughout the country
    Her program will be come in TV after April
  9. Volunteers hours - presidential scholarship service award - gold
  10. Shadowing- 70 hours physical (physician and heart specialist in upmc hospital)
    And no research

Ap scholar, Spanish award, national honors society

  1. Internships paid -1 (leaf program)
  2. health internship - 2 not paid

Bs/md:

  1. Case western - rejected pre interview
  2. Brown - rejected pre interview
  3. UPitt - rejected pre interview
  4. Pennstate - rejected pre interview
  5. REMS - rejected pre interview
  6. Rpi- rejected pre interview
  7. Temple- rejected pre interview
  8. Tcnj - rejected pre interview
  9. George Washington- rejected pre interview
  10. BU - rejected pre interview
  11. Syracuse - rejected pre interview
  12. Stony brook - rejected pre interview
  13. VCU - rejected pre interview
  14. Drexel - rejected interviewed

Bs/do:
LECOM - ACCEPTED
NYITCOM - when st. Boneventure rejected for bs md they gave option to apply BS DO
We applied - ACCEPTED

UG:
Georgetown - rejected
NYU - ACCEPTED

We are going with LECOM BS DO path since MCAT is waived

10 Likes

Hi everyone! I was an applicant this cycle to BSMDs and UGs for a major in neuro/global health and i’m very happy with my results. I tried to be vague to keep myself anonymous (if you know me pls dont dox). pm me for any specific questions!

GPA: 4.0 (UW), 4.5068 (W) at the time of application

Class Rank: Top 5%; Class Size: 190

SAT: 1560

SAT Subject Tests:
Math 2: 800

Coursework:

  • took rigorous IB schedule with 4 HLs, still have yet to take IB exams in May
  • self-studied for AP Calculus AB exam and scored 5
  • self-studied neuro and Multivariable Calculus in free time

Teacher / Counselor Recs: I assume they were strong and were reflective of the strong relationship I had with my school counselor and teachers (who could both attest to my playful personality and my willingness to help the class when needed)

Demographics:

  • Do not wish to disclose, but no hooks

Awards:

  • medical research recognized in international research conf
  • 3rd place at international research symposium for a global health research project
  • published research article in a jhu research journal, was accepted in the jhu cty study of exceptional talent program
  • recognized in a medical school department newsletter for research project
  • coca coca semifinalist
  • helped pass legislation in ny related to a global health issue
  • recognized on ABC for publishing a full length book
  • state/international awards for hosa
  • four presidential volunteer service awards (3 gold, 1 bronze)
  • placed internationally in vex robotics world championship and national championship (5th, 8th, and 9th in the world)
  • state/regional awards for tsa

Major ECs:

  • hosa (state vp and school pres)
  • published a full length self-help book (professionally edited)

Other:

  • vex robotics
  • store associate at retail pharmacy
  • tennis
  • student council

Community Service:

  • american red cross volunteering (120+ hours)
  • some other general volunteering (200+ hours)

Medically related activities:

  • research intern at state med school
  • research fellow in harvard sponsored research lab
  • research ambassador at a northwestern sponsored research program
  • neuroscience literature review writer (published 4 articles in high school research journals)
  • clinical shadowing (100+ hours)
  • virtual shadowing (25+ hours)

Mentoring/teaching: N/A

Interviewing Ability: pretty good. I practiced a lot leading up to my interviews (around an hour a day) so i think i was more than prepared

Applied to the following BS/MD Programs:

  1. temple bs/md - interviewed - REJECTED (accepted UG with honors)
  2. upitt bs/md - REJECTED pre-interview (accepted UG with honors)
  3. wilkes bs/md - REJECTED pre-interview (accepted UG)
  4. drexel bs/md - interviewed - ACCEPTED (accepted UG)
  5. RPI/AMC bs/md - interviewed - ACCEPTED (accepted UG)
  6. tcnj bs/md - interviewed - REJECTED (withdrew from UG)
  7. rutgers bs/md - interviewed - REJECTED (withdrew from UG)
  8. rowan bs/md - REJECTED pre-interview (accepted UG)
  9. penn state bs/md - REJECTED pre-interview (accepted UG with honors)
  10. hofstra bs/md - REJECTED pre-interview (accepted UG)
  11. stevens bs/md - interviewed - REJECTED (accepted UG)
  12. rochester bs/md - interviewed - ACCEPTED (accepted UG)
  13. rice/baylor bs/md - REJECTED pre-interview (accepted UG)
  14. gw/gw bs/md - REJECTED pre-interview (waitlisted UG)
  15. bu smed bs/md - interviewed - REJECTED (rejected UG)
  16. brown plme - REJECTED (rejected UG)

Applied to the following undergraduates:

  1. amherst college - WAITLISTED
  2. cwru - WAITLISTED
  3. rice - ACCEPTED
  4. duke - WAITLISTED
  5. northeastern - WAITLISTED
  6. harvard - REJECTED
  7. washu - ACCEPTED
  8. columbia - REJECTED
  9. emory - WAITLISTED
  10. cornell - ACCEPTED
  11. dartmouth - REJECTED
  12. brown - REJECTED
  13. jhu - WAITLISTED
  14. northwestern - WAITLISTED
  15. tufts - ACCEPTED
  16. upenn - ACCEPTED

DECISION: still deciding between urochester bs/md and upenn
Scholarship: None

Reflection:

  • i definitely applied to way too many UGs, meaning my apps were a bit rushed
  • bs/md admissions are super random and are not predictive of your results in other bs/md programs or UGs
  • if you’re applying to ivies + bs/mds, be prepared to make a decision between the two. i’m currently in that process and its a very big decision!
  • interviews are very important for bsmds! getting an interview does not guarantee acceptance!
  • show demonstrated interest for schools

Somethings we learned:

  • if you’re applying for bs/mds, be prepared to work harder than your peers in the application cycle to finish all of your applications
  • don’t copy and paste essays from school to school (always be specific to the school and make sure your essays are tailored to the mission/values/beliefs of the school, as well as how you would fit on campus)
  • bs/md programs require a completely different type of application than UGs and ivies. i would suggest modifying the way you present your application to UGs so you have a better chance
  • speak to current bs/md students for tips on interviews. i spoke to many students who helped me craft my interview responses in the proper way

pm me if you have any questions about bs/md or college admissions!

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This one is geared more towards BS DO programs
Part 1 of 2
ORM, Asian Indian male, California
Hooks: None
Income: >150k

SAT: 1510, (1520-superscored)
GPA: 4.0 (UW) 4.6+ (W), Class Rank 1 (of 200)
17 AP classes – scores were mostly 4’s – not disclosed on his college application.
800 on Chem SAT

Non Medical EC’s
Eagle Scout Rank (Boy Scouts of America) > 200 hours of community service + other leadership positions: Senior Patrol Leader, Bugler, Webmaster + various leadership training courses
Brass Captain of Marching Band (4 years of Marching Band)
Captain of Varsity Tennis team (4 years on Varsity Tennis team)
Student Ambassador and Link Crew Leader
Freshmen Summer – Took a programming class at UC

Medically related EC’s
200 hours of hospital volunteering
Junior Summer – COSMOS (science program at UC system)
Junior Summer - Summer research at local research facility
Virtual Shadowing – 40 hours
In person Shadowing – 20 hours

The process for us:

We had been through the BSMD cycle with my older son four years ago (without success – applied to 12 programs, 2 interviews, both rejections) and his stats were higher than my younger son’s.

We focused more on the DO programs because we knew going in that his SAT score wasn’t high enough.

The BS/DO pathway was not as easy as I thought it would be. At the very least I thought that my son would be offered an interview at each of the DO programs. I don’t think you can take these programs for granted.

He applied to 6 BSMD, 9 BSDO.

BSMD

CA Northstate CA Northstate Accepted
Case Western CWRU School of Med Rejected pre interview
Rochester Inst of Tech SUNY Upstate Rejected pre interview
UMKC UMKC Med Rejected pre interview
Union Albany Medical College Interviewed, Rejected post interview
University of Oklahoma Univ of Oklahoma Med School Rejected pre interview

BS DO

Adelphi or LMU LECOM UG -accepted, LECOM-rejected post interview
Gannon Philadelphia College of Ost Med Accepted
Illinois IT Chicago College of Osteopathic Med Accepted
Michigan State Univ MSU-COM Accepted
Missouri Southern State Kansas City COM Accepted
Novasoutheastern Kiran Patel Osteopathic Med Accepted
NYIT NYIT College of Ost Med Accepted
Pitzer Western Rejected pre-interview
Rutgers - Camden Rowan DO Rejected post Rutgers interview (not forwarded to Rowan)
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Part 2 of 2 - Again, this is mostly about BS DO

My thoughts
These are my personal opinions. Also understand that if I say guaranteed or reserved, it is always based on the fact that you will meet their criteria in UG (GPA, MCAT if required, EC’s if required). As with any BSMD or BSDO, if you do not meet the criteria, your seat is forfeited.
BSMD
We were thrilled to even get an interview at Union/AMC. Rejection was painful.
CNSU (California Northstate University) – don’t apply, don’t waste your time. Other threads have covered why this was a questionable program about 4 years ago and is now a really bad idea.
FAU, Oklahoma, and I think, BU, prefer National Merit Finalists – we wouldn’t have bothered with Oklahoma had I realized this earlier.
The other ones we applied to were for various personal reasons. He could have applied more broadly to BSMD, but I didn’t believe that he would find success on that path.

BSDO
There was no interview for the NYIT/NYITCOM program and the Gannon/PCOM program.
Gannon/PCOM- I contacted an admission counselor regarding the Gannon/PCOM program. They do not reserve a seat for you. They guarantee an interview. I do not know how many people are offered the Gannon/PCOM program. PCOM only reserves 3 seats for Gannon students – they can accept more at their discretion. Again, only the interview is guaranteed.
NYIT/NYITCOM - I also do not know how many students received the NYIT/NYITCOM letter and how many will accept the position or how many will eventually be accepted into NYITCOM. Mythical has reposted things from this program on this thread. There is one student on this thread in another UG affiliated with NYITCOM. You can DM this student if you have questions regarding NYITCOM, but his/her perspective comes from being at Old Westbury/NYITCOM BSDO

You can apply to Gannon/PCOM, but I would also recommend Adelphi/PCOM. I would recommend trying to get a position where the seat is reserved for you as long as you fulfill the requirements.
The same applies to NYITCOM – try to find a feeder that reserves a seat. You can still apply to NYIT/NYITCOM.

IIT/CCOM – my advice is to get you application in earlier than the stated deadline BECAUSE they have scholarships and the portal only opens once you’ve been accepted. The IIT scholarship application is no joke – 10 questions. You think you’ve given them everything and they still want more. And that’s not the end – if you’re invited to interview, you will have a roundtable “discussion” or group sessions to compete for various scholarships in addition to the BSDO interview. Your seat is reserved, it is non-binding. 5 to 10 spots, 4+4, MCAT required. If anyone is interested in this program in the upcoming year, DM me.
This is my son’s top choice.

Michigan State/MSUCOM – if you want a big school feel, this might be the place for you. Apply to the Honors College. OMSP is not a reserved seat, but MCAT is not required if you meet all their criteria. 4+4 (or 3+4, if you apply through Lyman Briggs College) Administration states that about 90% of students make it through to the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Seems like a solid program – I just have concerns about the 90% because I don’t actually know how many seats are available through the program. What happens if more students accept the OMSP program than they anticipated, does the acceptance to the COM go down to 80%? Maybe someone else has more info on the program

Missouri Southern State/KCUCOM-Joplin – if you want a small town feel, strong sense of community, collaboration, this might be the place for you. The sincerity of this school is palpable – they want you to succeed. It’s a 3+4 program, no MCAT required (unless you want to try to get a 10K scholarship), and as a bonus, they have a cadaver lab for UG students. At the current time, there are plenty of seats available at this school. Two things to note, 1. the linkage is with KCUCOM-Joplin, which is the newer school that KCUCOM has opened; 2. There are other UG’s in Missouri that have a linkage with KCUCOM-Joplin, so you have a few options.

Nova Southeastern/KPCOM – who doesn’t love reading a philanthropic story about an Asian Indian American? But seriously, good school – I know someone who’s there now in her junior year doing the BSDO program. Plenty of reserved seats for the BSDO (and apparently, it’s not their most competitive program – Nova says the dentistry and PA combined programs are more competitive). Get your application in earlier than the deadline because they start interviewing and accepting students on a rolling basis (yes, even for the BSDO program). Application is a four part process 1. Main application (gets you considered for Presidential Scholarship) 2. Razors Edge (gets you considered for various “other” programs – look at the website to see what fits you) 3. BSDO 4. Honors College. This is another labor intensive application and then the interviews. Presidential, Razors Edge, and BSDO require interviews, the Honors College does not. They have a 3+4 and 4+4 – they decide if you qualify for 3+4 and you can decide which one you want. MCAT required, non-binding.
This program is his second choice.

Pitzer/Western Univ COM – 6 seats, 3+4 program, I’m not 100% sure if MCAT is required. I’ll admit I don’t know too much about this program, since he didn’t make it to the interview stage. I will share what I know based on a very small sample size. Social/environmental cause is key. Read their website and see if you are a fit. One young woman I know who got an interview had a social cause that she advocated for. The other young woman was involved in a national charity league – she interviewed and was accepted. Of course, both had a full resume beyond this. On the other hand, my son did not have a strong social cause. Having already done something vs going to do something makes a difference in this application (in my opinion).

Rutgers-Camden/Rowan DO – Again, I have very little information. It is a two-part interview process. You interview with Rutgers and then are forwarded to Rowan for interview. My son was not forwarded to Rowan. I’m not sure why. I thought there might be in-state preference, but I’m not sure of that (so, don’t quote me on that). If others have applied to this program and been forwarded to Rowan DO, they may have more insight.

LECOM – It is the easiest application you will submit. Keep in mind you are applying to the College of Medicine, so you still need to find an UG (AND apply to UG separately). And they have plenty of feeder schools. I believe they have at least one in each state. There are a lot of great things about this program. They have a 3+4 and 4+4 program at the UG level (just look at the feeder school list carefully, if you’re interested in 3+4), they’re cost effective as a medical school and they have additional cost savings if you’re interested in primary care, and they keep tabs on you throughout UG to make sure you’re meeting their criteria (I guess this last one could be good or bad). For this program, you have to be accepted to the UG and LECOM independently.
For this program, apply to UG’s that are affiliated with LECOM, but if those schools have other programs, you could try to apply to those. LECOM doesn’t require you to tell them that you’re joining their program until the beginning of your first year of college.
There is an interview – this year it was virtual. As far as I can tell, my son didn’t mess up the interview, so I’m not sure why he was rejected.

Additional info (that I forgot to add in the other thread that I posted this). If you are looking at 3+4 programs, you will be limited in your choice of major. Usually, it is biology or life sciences or something in the biological sciences. Make sure you are okay with that prior to applying.

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Stats

  • GPA: 3.986/4 (UW); A top public magnet school in the country
  • Class Rank: N/A

Test Scores

  • ACT: 35
  • SAT: 1570
  • SAT Bio: 800
  • SAT Math II: 800
  • AP Calc BC: 5
  • AP Chem: 5

Letters of Recommendation

  • Research Mentor (very strong)
  • History Teacher (strong)
  • Chemistry Teacher (strong)

Hooks

  • None

Awards

  • Regeneron STS Scholar (I think this played big role in acceptances)
  • National Merit Finalist
  • 2nd in HOSA States (medical math) - qualified and competed at international leadership conference
  • 3rd at local research expo competition (biochemistry)
  • National Honors Society, National Spanish Honors Society
  • ISEF Finalist, Regeneron Biomedical Science Award, 1st in Biomedical Health Sciences at local EXPO (all grouped together because they came from same research project and updated bs/md programs on them very recently)

Extracurriculars

  • Independent Research: Completed a full, independent wet-lab research project where I discovered the novel and powerful therapeutic potential of a protein in Parkinson’s Disease (Entered to Regeneron STS, currently sending manuscript to various journals for publication)

  • EMT: Certified EMT (completed 240 hour course and passed NREMT exam) and riding for local ambulance squad

  • Internship: Selected for competitive shadowing internship at hospital nearby where every week, I shadow a different specialty (including surgeries in OR); also attend morbidity & mortality conferences with residents and science lectures

  • Internship: Selected for a research internship at hospital where I learned surgical techniques and perform surgeries on rodents. Also performed a post-op ileus experiment and wrote research paper on it.

  • Club: President of school’s first sports debate club; Founded sports blog website as well as youtube channel where we simulate a sports news network.

  • Volunteer: Volunteer tutor for middle schoolers in math

  • Volunteer: Volunteered significant hours at local cancer center

  • HOSA: Member of HOSA club, (as listed in honors & awards) - won competitions at regional, and state level

  • Class Council: Treasurer for my class council, head of financial planning for class events (dances, fundraisers, etc)

  • Volunteer: Volunteered for reelection congressional campaign of congressman (US House of Representatives); responsible for sending texts, making phone calls, etc

BS/MDs applied to

  • Penn State: Rejected pre-interview
  • Union/AMC: Waitlisted post-interview
  • TCNJ/Rutgers UG + NJMS: Forwarded by both UG schools, Accepted
  • Pitt GAP: Accepted
  • Brown PLME: Accepted to undergrad, rejected to PLME

Undergrad Schools Applied To (not counting undergrads of BS/MD feeders)

  • Brown: Accepted
  • Columbia ED: Rejected (not deferred)
  • Cornell: Waitlisted
  • Duke: Rejected
  • Emory: Accepted
  • Johns Hopkins: Rejected
  • Northwestern: Rejected
  • UPenn: Rejected
  • WashU in St. Louis: Accepted
  • Yale: Rejected

Decision: Deliberating between UPitt, Brown, and Rutgers NJMS; likely going to go with Pitt

Reflection

  • It was def a stressful experience, esp after getting rejected by Columbia, but I’m glad it’s over and I feel grateful to walk away with a few good acceptances
  • I think the strong part of my app was my research, especially since it was done independently and not with a professor at a university (cannot state how grateful i am that my school offers labs for students to do their projects in)
  • in my opinion, I think the best way to approach BS/MD application is to go heavy research and try for the ISEF and Regeneron competitions. many of the kids who are successful in research will go for Ivys and other top UGs, so you will have an advantage; it’s hard to stand out in terms of pure clinical experiences
  • Another piece of advice: be natural in your interviews! i prepared a lot for them, but try to let your personality shine through them. in my njms interview, my conversation with my interviewer was (I kid you not) more casual than with a regular UG alumni interivew. We talked about sports, our philosophies behind medicine, current medical issues, etc. Although it was casual, showing that you’re a well spoken and thoughtful individual is really important.
  • Overall, I’m happy that this process is over and relieved to know that I will be a doctor (ofc meeting the minimum requirements)

Please feel free to DM with any questions!

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Posting for my DS:

GPA: 3.98 (UW), 4.92 (W) at the time of application

Class Rank: Valedictorian (large public school)

ACT: 36

SAT Subject Tests:
Chemistry: 800
Math 2: 800
Bio: 800

AP’s (at time of application) – 11 (8 5s, 2 4s, one 3) all STEM AP scores were 5. Taking 6 AP weighted classes in senior year

key AP classes:

AP Calculus BC: 5;
AP Physics 1: 5;
AP Chem: 5;
AP Biology - 5;

AP Stats – 5;

AP US history – 5;

AP Psychology – 5;

Teacher / Counselor / research mentor Recs: Not seen but assume to be Strong.

Gender: M
ORM (Asian)
Hooks: None

Major ECs:

President of 2 STEM clubs

Founded HOSA club

Debate – Involved heavily in speech and debate (State level prize winner)

Community Service:

Multiple tutoring experiences spread across all 4 years (Covid restrictions limited the opportunities)

Medically related activities:

Physician Shadowing – in person and virtual (about 60 hours)

Hospital volunteering/shadowing (spread across all 4 years) – about 400 hours

Research: Did lot of research including a recognized summer research program (probably around 800 hours in total)

Applied to the following BS/MD Programs:

U Pitt GAP – ACCEPTED

NJIT/NJMS – ACCEPTED

UMKC – ACCEPTED

RPI/AMC – Interviewed – Waitlisted

VCU – Interviewed - rejected

BU - rejected pre- interviewed

PennState / Jefferson - rejected pre- interviewed

U Rochester - rejected pre- interviewed

GWU - rejected pre- interviewed

Brown – rejected

Rice/Baylor - rejected pre- interviewed

Case Western - rejected pre- interviewed

Applied to the following undergraduates:

Yale – ACCEPTED

Princeton – ACCEPTED

Columbia – ACCEPTED (received likely letter much before IVY day)

Johns Hopkins – Waitlisted

UPENN – Waitlisted

DUKE – Waitlisted

Harvard – rejected

Stanford – rejected

DECISION: UPITT GAP
Scholarship: decent

Reflection:

BS MD application process is very uncertain. You don’t know which program will fit you, therefore apply widely. Start preparing early and focus on getting good experiences like research and ECs. You can only write good essay if you have the experiences to write about. At the end, don’t get discouraged. The BS MD results do not define who you are. You will succeed regardless if you keep working hard.

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Stats:

  • GPA: 3.932/4 (UW, school does not weight)
  • Class rank: N/A; class size 259
  • Med-related academy at top public magnetic school in the country

Test Scores:

  • SAT: 1560
  • SAT Bio: 750
  • SAT Math II: 800
  • AP Calc BC: 5
  • AP Chem: 5

Letters of Recommendation:

  • Counselor: strong
  • Physics teacher: strong
  • Math teacher: strong, knew me from 2 years of AP Calc BC/Multivariable Calc
  • Spanish teacher: strong, knew me well from 2 years of IB HL Spanish
  • English teacher: not sure, only asked because of BU SMED recommendation letter requirement (submitted different recommendation letters to different programs/schools based on their requirements/emphasis)

Hooks:

  • None: Asian female, ORM

Awards:

  • 1st at HOSA ILC and States (Healthy Lifestyle); 3rd at HOSA States and 4th at Regional (Medical Math); Barbara James Service Award - Gold and Silver
  • National Honor Society, National Spanish Honors Society
  • Girls Soccer All-Division Second Team and Honorable Mention
  • 2 Gold Cups and 8 Superior Awards in Piano from National Federation of Music Clubs
  • Rebecca Serkey Foundation EMT Textbook Scholarship
  • National Merit Finalist (updated in February/March so unsure of whether or not programs/schools saw update)
  • 1st Place in Biomedical Health Sciences at local Research EXPO; Special Award from American Psychological Association (updated in February/March so unsure of whether or not programs/schools saw update)

Extracurriculars:

  • EMT: 60+ calls over 400+ hours, completed 150-hour course, passed NREMT exam
  • Internship: selected for competitive shadowing internship at hospital nearby where every week, I shadow a different specialty (including surgeries in OR); also attend morbidity & mortality conferences with residents and science lectures
  • Independent research: completed a research project with some bioinformatics and some wet lab components, discovered link between certain gene/protein and progression of ALS
  • HOSA: elected as Secretary of club, awards as listed above
  • Soccer: Varsity Captain, 4-year Varsity, 3x Division Champions and NJTAC Tournament Finalists, elite club team until end of sophomore year
  • EMT Club: founded club at school, help underclassmen through EMT training
  • Volunteering: local hospital, assist patients after orthopedic surgeries
  • Piano: 10+ years, weekly lessons, awards as listed above
  • Art: oil paintings, more of a hobby but helped to present me as more artistic/well-rounded

BS/MDs:

  1. BU SMED: ACCEPTED
  2. Drexel: ACCEPTED
  3. TCNJ/NJMS: ACCEPTED
  4. Rutgers/NJMS: rejected pre-interview
  5. Siena/AMC: received supplement, rejected pre-interview
  6. Penn State: rejected pre-interview
  7. UPitt: rejected pre-interview
  8. Brown PLME: rejected both undergrad and PLME
  9. UConn: rejected pre-interview

Undergrad Schools:

  1. Cornell: ACCEPTED
  2. Brown: rejected
  3. Duke: rejected
  4. Emory: waitlisted
  5. Johns Hopkins: rejected
  6. Northwestern: rejected
  7. UPenn: rejected
  8. WashU: waitlisted
  9. Yale: rejected
  10. UNC - Chapel Hill: waitlisted
  11. Northeastern: waitlisted
  12. Wake Forest: ACCEPTED

Decision: Most likely BU SMED but still deliberating due to the lower cost of TCNJ/NJMS

Reflection:

  • The entire college process is SUPER random (especially for BS/MDs), so just because you are rejected from a lower-ranked school, it does not mean you do not have a chance at the higher-ranked one
  • I think it’s important to change how you present yourself when applying to BS/MDs vs. undergraduate schools (as you can see, I presented myself more favorably towards BS/MDs)
  • Interviews are critical! I am very proud to have a 100% acceptance rate once I received the interview, so just have a natural conversation with your interviewer. Ofc be prepared with both typical interview questions and med-related questions but just relax.
  • A big part of how admissions people view you is not only based on your extracurriculars but also what you specifically took from them, so make sure to convey this compellingly in your essays.

Overall, although there were many rejections and waitlists, I am very happy with my results (especially during such a competitive year for college applications)! Feel free to DM me with any questions!

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Congrats on the results! You have great stats and experience. Is one of your parents in health care?

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