Please post your results here so future applicants may benefit from your experiences
Rank: Valedictorian 1/165
Unweighted GPA: 4.00
Weighted GPA: 4.57
SAT I (breakdown): Did not take
SAT II: Did not take
ACT (breakdown): 29 Composite, Highest subscores (multiple sittings): Math 32, Reading 32, Science 31, English 25
I was the first person to apply to a BS/MD program from my high school, therefore, my school does not have any track record with these programs and a very weak track record for Ivies – all but one person ever accepted to any Ivy from my school (which is about 8 in 20 years) were recruited athletes.
AP’s taken at time of application (place score in parenthesis): Did not submit AP scores. AP Spanish Language, AP Chemistry, APUSH, AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, AP Human Geography, AP Psychology, AP Government, AP English Language
Senior Year AP’s: AP Bio, AP Physics 1 and 2, AP Computer Science A, AP Stats, AP Micro, AP Macro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Won a National Award in Science (won’t say which one as it will identify me on Google), World Championship qualifier in Robotics, World ranked in Robotics, multiple robotics awards, Student-Athlete award (also won’t say which as it will identify me)
Extracurriculars: Robotics Team (Captain), Student Council (Senior Class President, Junior Class President, Sophomore Class President, Freshman Class VP), Foreign Language Club (VP), Academic Decathlon Team, Boys State Delegate, NHS, Varsity Baseball, club travel baseball, play an unusual instrument.
Job/Work Experience: Youth baseball umpire
Volunteer/Community service: Hundreds of hospital volunteer hours, American Red Cross High School Leadership Team, volunteer for a service mission that provides items for the homeless, peer tutor (calculus, Spanish, chemistry, physics)
Summer Activities: Shadowed physicians in many different specialties during the summers, volunteered a lot of hours, worked a lot on Robotics, played travel baseball
Research/publications: NONE
Essays: 10/10. Everyone who read my Common App essay loved it. I felt my Why Brown supplement was also excellent since I truly love Brown and visited multiple times so I had a lot to say.
Teacher Recommendations: One was amazing from a teacher who knows me very well. The other one was probably very strong but the teacher isn’t an overly expressive man so probably was very low key.
Counselor Rec: Probably good, since I have gotten to know her pretty well, but she is new, so…
Additional Recs: Submitted two additional. Both were excellent. One was from a Doctor I shadowed and really spent a lot of time with and the other was from the CEO of the American Red Cross where I put in a lot of volunteer time. I submitted the one from the Doctor to support my PLME application.
Strengths: Letters of recommendation, robotics successes, awards, Valedictorian, course rigor, GPA, love for Brown, passion for medicine.
Weaknesses: ACT English score, period.
Why you think you were accepted: Brown and the PLME admissions are truly holistic. I am living proof! Important: I made the most out of everything that my high school had to offer. My one letter of recommendation was over the top amazing and I strongly feel that it probably nudged me into the “accepted” pile. I am shocked I got in, as there are so many great applicants and I was bracing myself for a deferral at best. But I know I can, and will, add to the Brown and PLME communities and I think they saw that. Also, I just think I am one of the luckiest people in the world to have gotten a spot in the PLME!
General Comments: MAKE SURE YOUR APPLICATION HAS A COHESIVENESS TO IT. Do what you love and be the BEST at it that you can be. I never did anything that I wasn’t genuinely interested in. BE YOURSELF! SHOW your passion for medicine in a genuine way (not what you “think” they want to read). I had so many family/friends read my essays; they all recommended changes here or there and I didn’t make any of them! Be genuine is all I can say and don’t underestimate the power of the letters of recommendation, essays, and the INTANGIBLES! They truly can show who you are in ways that the application can’t. Good luck to everyone waiting for decisions! Keep your heads up and think positive! Thank you to everyone here on CC. If anyone has any other questions, feel free to message me.
Applied to the following BS/MD programs:
- Brown PLME – ACCEPTED (Early Decision)
- NEOMED – Withdrawn
- Siena/AMC – Withdrawn
Other schools:
- Wright State – Accepted (full scholarship) (was my extreme safety)
I had not applied to many programs and schools as the deadlines were after the Brown PLME decision came out. I would have applied to many more.
DECISION: Brown PLME! Class of ‘19/’23!!
Reflection: The process was super easy for me by getting my ED decision from Brown PLME. I would do it again in a minute. If you want Brown and BS/MD, and can financially do it, apply ED and save yourself the extra 3 ½ months of stress and the misery of applications and interviews.
DO NOT LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT STATS ARE THE ONLY KEY TO GETTING IN!
DO NOT LET PEOPLE TELL YOU THAT YOU WON’T GET IN WITHOUT RESEARCH!
FOLLOW YOUR DREAM!
i got NJIT/SGU and NJIT/AUA. im torn between the two. at SGU i do 2 years in the carribean and 2 years in the US, but i can also choose to do that with AUA (however AUA is mainly 4 years in the carribean)…any advice??
don’t do carribean. with new medical schools opening up, your residency chances will be slim coming out of a carribean medical school.
My D is accepted to UT-PACT.
She is also accepted to few other programs including BU, U Miami HPME, FAME, U Houston HBS, Texas Tech UMSI. Did not get interview invite at NU HPME. No response yet from Rice/Baylor.
Here is what I think are top and important priorities for anyone looking for admission in to BA/BS/MD programs (for future students):
- Start very early ON (9th grade)- Browse through this forum; can’t help do all the items if you start late
- Good SAT/ACT scores; Good GPA & Class Rank
- Meaningful and Consistent Volunteer work, preferably in a hospital setting
- Undergraduate level Research (one or two projects during summer is fine)
- Shadowing local physicians / doctors
- Good and Clean on-line profile (facebook; twitter; I would say even forums like college confidential)
- Filling up the Applications very diligently
- Nice and passionate essays (Start very early on – have them reviewed two three times before submitting)
- Your essays should complement you as a person with out repeating contents in your Application and resume.
- Recommendation letters - teachers, counselor and / or outside - make sure they would write a full page about you.
- Show interest, be courteous; explain all the things you did that relates to the medical field in the interview.
- Follow ALL the instructions from the school websites and Emails you get from the staff - you would think that this is the easiest, but, they have specific instructions on where to mail; when to email; have the teacher do this and that; etc); to scan and email etc.
It is important that student; parent; teachers; counselor all are aware of the importance of the 12 points above.
If you think you will be able to accomplish these, you could get in to these programs!
Is it possible to post the score/GPA/ECs?
I was accepted to UCF’s 8 year BMS program, and currently waitlisted at FAU’s 7 year Wilkes Medical Scholars program. I am also considering the University of Miami (Lots of merit scholarships). Any advice or suggestions on which school to pick?
Please post results only in this thread.
Format: Please copy this fill it.
Class Rank
Unweighted GPA
Weighted GPA
SAT:
Total -
M -
CR -
W -
ACT: Cumilitive: , M:, E:, R:, W:
SAT II:
Math 2:
Chemistry:
Biology:
AP classes:
Major Extracurriculars:
Community Service:
Research Experience:
Applied to the following BS/MD programs:
- Brown PLME →
- Northwestern HPME →
- PSU/Jefferson → 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Other schools:
Decision:
Reflection:
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2330: 760 (CR), 770 (M), 800 (W)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800: Math II; 780: Chemistry; 780: World History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): My school doesn’t send unweighted GPA. Weighted: 109, UW: Prob. 98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/180ish
AP (place score in parentheses): World History (5), AP Calculus AB (5), U.S. History (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): IB Chemistry (6); IB Diploma Candidate; all IB courses.
Senior Year Course Load: IB English HL, AP Calculus BC, IB Biology HL, Honors Physics, IB Philosophy SL, IB Economics SL, IB French SL, TOK
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, National French Exam 10th place and Honorable Mention, Co-authored three published abstracts; presented one abstract (first-author) at a 2014 national cardiology conference and another (first-author) at a 2015 international cardiology conference; Gold Presidential Service Award (X 2); Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards (Gold Award in June); AP Scholar;
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Business and Economics Club (Founder—9th grade & President); School Newspaper (Editor-in-Chief); School Leadership Group (Co-President); Mathletes (Member), Science Olympiad (Grades 10, 11; won a medal)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service:
Volunteer at Religious Place of Worship since elementary school—volunteer coordinator, student leader in religious community (maintaining flow of operating at large-scale events and training peers in public service rituals); Girl Scouts since Kindergarten; Started and implemented district-wide tutoring program aiding 100+ students. Started an outreach program connecting 100+ students at my high school with students in Kenya.
Summer Activities: 2012: Religious Camp for 2 weeks; 2013, 2014: Cardiac Research
Essays: CA was about my emotional journey moving from one school to another—Went through like 20 drafts lol. My guidance counselor said it was beautiful. My later supplements were definitely better than the first ones I wrote.
Teacher Recommendation: Research Teacher/Coordinator—AMAZING! I am close with my Philosophy teacher, School Principal, and my other teachers who wrote me recs, so they were probably very good.
Counselor Rec: Probably pretty good. She definitely talked about my growth from 9th grade to 12th.
Additional Rec: Research Mentor: This one, according to my guidance counselor, was very nice. My research mentor and I are pretty close as well.
Interviews: These went well. I stumbled in a few places at my HPME interview and one place in particular at my Siena/AMC interview, but it still worked out! I heard from one my friends after I heard I was accepted that the interviewers thought I was very well-spoken.
Supplementary Material: Sent a sheet with info about a student leader award I won–selected from students across two counties and spoke at an event with 600+ attendees. I also sent my abstracts.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
School Type: Public
Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): >200K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A
Reflection
Strengths: ECs, GPA, SATs, SAT IIs, Letters, Common App
Weaknesses: Some of my essays could have been a bit stronger, Asian; I wish I started the global outreach program earlier…I feel like that could have been a greater talking point in my essays and interviews; Lack of Shadowing
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think my ECs were somewhat unique; strong research basis, strong service focus
Applied to the following BS/MD Programs:
Boston University SMED -->Rejected Pre-Interview
Brown PLME --> Applied ED; was deferred and then rejected RD
Brooklyn BA/MD–>Interview–>Waitlisted
Case Western PPSP–>Rejected Pre-Interview
GW/GWSecond-Stage Applicant (Had to write an essay)–>Rejected Pre-Interview
Northwestern HPME–>Interview–>Accepted
Siena/AMC–>Interview–>Accepted
Rice/Baylor–>Rejected Pre-Interview
UPitt GAP–>Interview–>Rejected
WashU University Scholars Program in MedicineRejected Pre-Interview
Where were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to UPenn (Benjamin Franklin Scholar), Vanderbilt, Rice; Rejected From: Harvard, Stanford
General Comments:
For each interview (undergrad and BS/MD), I did A LOT of research on the school. If you are in science research, definitely look at the medical school faculty, see what research interests you, and bring that up in your interviews and essays. For example, I am involved in cardiac research, so for every school, I spent some time looking through the cardiac research that was done at the medical school that I would be going to and then mentioned the name of the professor, what research he did, and most importantly, WHY I was interested in that research. If you’re really up to it, you can contact the specific professor you want to work with (one alumni gave me that suggestion at an interview). I didn’t do that but it probably wouldn’t hurt.
On Demonstrated Interest:
These schools want to see DEMONSTRATED INTEREST. I was rejected from GW/GW after the second stage (writing an essay), but the main advice that I was given was, show why GW is the only place where you will be able to accomplish your goals. This kind of goes for any school. For the NU HPME interview, they really expect you to know a lot about the medical school. Know why you want an accelerated program rather than a regular 4 year undergraduate school.
Also–many programs have their own focus. HPME is big on flexibility–academic, extra-curricular, pursue your own interests before medical school, etc. The Albany Med Programs are geared towards leadership, service, and research. If you show a good understanding of why you are a good fit for the program you are applying to, they will be more likely to call you for an interview.
Essays:
I guess the best advice I can give is that you should make sure your passion for medicine, service, extra-curriculars, etc. comes through. Definitely have people look your essays over, but not too many. You want your voice to come through. For every med program, there is the generic “Why Doctor” essay. You can re-use this essay (usually around 500 words for most programs) but make sure that you include school-specific info too. In your “Why Doctor,” you can definitely put in/tie in observations about the medical field. Everyone has their unique story. Make sure that the essays you write are only the ones YOU can write, no one else.
Interviews:
- It’s important to recognize and be able to speak about the good AND the “bad”/challenges in the medical field. Have a plan for what you are going to pursue, what you are interested in, and how you will contribute to campus life.
- Do not discount undergrad interviews! They are AMAZING opportunities to “practice” for your BS/MD interviews. I did 10+ undergrad interviews before my BS/MD interview; it definitely makes your life easier. You are significantly more comfortable in an interview environment.
DECISION: Northwestern HPME
The college application process is unpredictable, an emotional roller-coaster, and arguably a microcosm of real life. Ultimately however, it is most important to go in with an open mind, not seeking validation from admissions officers and realizing the value in the journey of writing and reflecting, rather than in the outcome. Despite a lot of rejections, I’m really happy with how it all worked out! Definitely apply widely! Good luck to all the future applicants and congratulations to all those who were accepted!!
Pretty poor turnout…If you found the results threads from previous years helpful, you owe it to future applicants to post here. Even just scores/brief list of activities can help others.
Class Rank: N/A school doesn’t rank - top 10%
Unweighted GPA: 3.79/ 4
Weighted GPA: 4.24/ 4.5
SAT: 2350
M - 800
CR - 750
W - 800
SAT II:
Math 2: 800
Chemistry: 780
Biology: 760
AP classes:
AP Chemistry
AP US History
AP Literature
AP Biology
AP Computer Science
AP Language
AP Calc BC
Major Extracurriculars:
Indian Classical Dance: 12 years
Piano: 8 years
Soccer: 12 years
Model UN
Women of Science
National Honors Society
Legislative Council
Community Service:
100+ hours hospital volunteering
Shadowing experience
Bank of America Student Leaders - Community Program
Volunteer with various other Organizations regularly
Research Experience:
Studied miRNAs and impact in various cancers at Harvard Medical School
Applied to the following BS/MD programs:
- Brown PLME →rejected
- Northwestern HPME →rejected pre-interview
- Case Western PPSP →rejected pre-interview
- Boston Unviersity SMED → rejected pre-interview
- UConn SMIP → accepted
Other schools:
Accepted:
Georgetown
Carnegie Mellon
University of Virginia
Boston College
Decision: University of Connecticut SPiM
Reflection: I would say that along with the importance of stats in getting acceptance into these programs, a huge factor is demonstrating the passion for the medical field and being service oriented. It is so important to show that you have a love for this field through your volunteering, summer work, and other research opportunities. Best of luck to all future applicants! Can’t wait to start my next year as a husky!
Class rank: school does not rank but so far top of the class
SAT R 770, W 800, M 780
ACT 36
SATII Maths, Chemistry, Biology 780 to 800
AP Physics , Chemistry, Biology, French, Art and History 4 to 5
Major extracurriculars:
Teaching underprivileged kids, hospital volunteering 200 hours, Dr. shadowing.
Research:
At NJ governor school.
Applied to following programs
Boston : no interview
Northwestern: no interview
Brown: not selected.
Rice / Baylor : not selected.
Penn : Rejected post interview. Interview did no go well with a lot of arguments and even yelling from interviewer over why 7 years.
Drexel: Selected
RPI / AMC : Selected. Interview went really good , questions on bio ethics answered really well.
TCNJ/NJMS : Selected. Interview went really well. Interviewer also happened to have attended NJ governor School.
Other schools
Cornell BME
John Hopkins BME
Boston BME
Harvard, Princeton, Brown wait listed
Decision TCNJ / NJMS
Reflection. Apply to a lot of programs. Stats and Interview both are important. There is a lot of luck factor on who your interviewer is and many times good candidates are rejected. The process is not always fair so be prepared for rejections. It no way reflects on you.
These are my son’s stats:
Class Rank: School doesn’t rank. Must be in top 10% out of 65 students.
GPA: 95.2%
SAT:
Total -2340
M - 800
CR - 760
W - 780
SAT II:
Math 2: 800
Chemistry: 770
Biology: 780
AP classes: Biology - 4; Chemistry - 5; English - 5
Sr.year: APUSH, AP Spanish, BC Calculus, College level Physics, AP Environmental Science, English Honors.
Major Extracurricular: Research and other activities.
Community Service: Lots of hours of teaching and hospital work
Applied to the following BS/MD programs:
- Brown PLME → Applied ED, differed and then rejected later.
- Northwestern HPME → Rejected pre interview
- Case Western → Rejected pre interview (Got admission in UG with good scholarship)
- U of Rochester --> Rejected pre interview(Got admission in UG with good scholarship)
- UMiami --> Rejected pre interview(Got admission in UG with good scholarship)
- RPI/AMC --> Rejected after the interview
- GRU/MCG --> Got accepted. But, he didn't take it.
Other schools: Got accepted into WashU and other good undergrad programs.
Decision: WashU
Reflection: It’s better not to try for these combined programs. He wrote so many essays. We spent lot of money. Its not a fair game. Lot of stress and it’s not worth it.
Dear kpd mom
I do not think it is fair to say it is not worth it.
I am a graduate of a bs md program as well as my two sisters.
I am not saying it is easy and everyone should understand the odds are low and will be and should be…
If you truly know you want medicine it is a great straight path
Sorry but I disagree with your assessment about the bsmd programs.
I don’t recognize gRU/MCG but this is my lack of knowledge
^ You are correct! I meant to say that “it is not worth it for our situation”. Not for everyone. GRU/MCG is a Georgia Regents University and Medical College of Georgia 7 year medical scholars program. And it started last year only.
Class Rank: N/A (but top 2%)
Unweighted GPA: 3.99/4.0
SAT:
Math: 800; Critical Reading 790; Writing 790; Total: 2380
ACT:
N/A
SAT II:
Math Level 2: 800
Chemistry: 800
Biology: 800
AP’s (at the time of application to BS/MD programs):
Biology: 5
Chemistry: 4
Physics B: 4
Statistics: 5
APUSH: 5
World History: 5
AP Lang/Comp: 5
Seniors Year AP’s:
AP Lit/Comp, Physics C, Calculus BC, AP Spanish Lang, College Economics
Teacher Recs: I didn’t see them, but from what my teachers told me, I am happy to say they were stellar.
Counselor Rec: My counselor and I are pretty close, so I can only assume that her rec was also super strong.
Additional Rec: I got only one extra rec from my research advisor and it was probably good if not great.
State: NY
Gender: M
Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
Income: 150k-250k
Hooks: Absolutely none. Asian male? Haha I kid, I kid.
Major EC’s:
Speech and Debate Team - Captain/Founder
Model United Nations - Secretary General for two large state conferences
Newspaper - Editor-in-Chief
Science Olympiad - Vice President, State Gold-medalist
Pathology Program (at the medical school of a local university, it’s a program that is mostly geared towards college/postgrads interested in medicine) - Student Leader
MUSIC: Violin - Winner of two Concerto Competitions (performed with the respective orchestras), First Violin in NAfME All-Eastern Orchestra, performed internationally in different nations of Europe a number of times
Community Service:
Hospital Volunteering ~180 hours
Church - I’ve played guitar and helped with the children’s service for about three years
Research Experience:
Ophthalmology Lab (wet lab experience) - 40 hours - It was an exceptionally short experience because I didn’t have time for it anymore, so nothing particularly meaningful on paper came of it.
Pathology Research (clinical research) - 210 hours - My experience in the pathology department was far more substantial, and personally, I enjoyed it more; the results were more individually significant.
Applied to the following BS/MD programs:
- Baylor/Baylor – Interview – Declined Interview
- Boston University SMED – Interview – ACCEPTED
- Brown PLME – No Interviews Given - ACCEPTED
- Case Western PPSP – Interview – ACCEPTED
- UConn SPiM – Interview – ACCEPTED
- Drexel/Drexel – Interview – ACCEPTED
- GW/GW – Rejected pre-interview
- University of Miami – Interview – Declined Interview
- Northwestern HPME – Interview – ACCEPTED AND WILL BE ATTENDING
- Penn State – Interview – ACCEPTED
- University of Pittsburgh GAP – Interview – ACCEPTED
- RPI/AMC – Interview – ACCEPTED
- University of Rochester – Interview – ACCEPTED
- Stony Brook – Interview – Declined Interview
- Villanova/Drexel – Rejected pre-interview
Other Schools
Accepted: Harvard, Yale, UPenn (Vagelos Scholar)
Rejected: Princeton
Decision: Northwestern University HPME
Reflection: Wow, where to even begin. There is so much I’ve learned and have come to appreciate throughout this whole process, and a post here on CC can’t begin to convey it. Walking into college season back in the fall of 2014, I would have never ever in my wildest dreams imagine I would be where I am today. Honestly, if I was to go back just eight months and tell myself this would happen, the past me would’ve probably gotten a good, hearty laugh out of it. For all the future BS/MDers, I would encourage you to not only read over this but also go through the forums from past years (I’m absolutely guilty of near-obsessively stalking past forums). There’s a good chance you can gleam some tremendous information here and there.
All that aside, you’re probably reading this because you want to know the secrets to receiving the coveted acceptances from these increasingly selective programs. Hate to be cliche, but just be you and that’s truly the best you can do. Now, before you get mad at me for being overly idealistic and hackneyed, there are ways to set yourself apart without undermining your entire persona. From interviewing at a number of different medical schools and speaking with a large number of fellow interviewees, I’ve come to understand the entire admissions process at far greater depth. For lower-tier programs, it seems that stats themselves, if strong enough, can often be enough to move onward to the interview step. That doesn’t mean the subjectives like essays and recs aren’t important, but 2300+, 3.97+, and a smattering of extracurriculars/medical activities should be enough for extra consideration for an interview.
For the top-tier programs (HPME, GAP, REMS, PLME, etc.), however, it is VERY different. To be even considered for an interview, your stats MUST be strong enough. Again, 2300+, 3.97/4.0, 760+ on SAT IIs should be good enough in terms of numbers, but really, the higher your numbers, the better the chance. What’s different is that the subjective aspects of your application are extremely emphasized at these higher-end institutions. I can’t stress enough how important your essays and recs are to the admissions staff. Especially at the top-tiers, they’re automatically assuming you’re a qualified student academically, so they are specifically looking to see if your personality fits well with the program. This is why all your essays are so crucial. Before the interview, your essays comprise THE one and only avenue to which the admissions staff can get a feel for you as a breathing, feeling, compassionate human being.
I have A LOT more to say about writing the all-important essays and getting through interviews, but apparently posts on CC have a character limit so I won’t be posting the rest of my lengthy commentary. If you want to learn more, feel free to message me and I’ll get back to you. Seriously, you’ll know you’re doing it right when you find yourself enjoying the whole process. For those of you who make it to the interview, talk to your fellow interviewees! I met some of THE most incredible people, many of whom I can confidently call my friends after getting to know them at various interviews. Good luck future BS/MD applicants and I’ll see you around CC! 
Class Rank: 2/170 Salutatorian
GPA: 102.19
ACT: Math: 35; Science: 36; English: 34; Writing: 33; Combined English/Writing: 33; Essay: 10
Total ACT: 35
SAT:
Math: 750 (bro I only had one question wrong!!!); Critical Reading 690; Writing 750;
Total: 2190 -_-
AP’s (at the time of application to BS/MD programs):
AP Biology: 5
AP Physics B: 4
AP US History: 4
AP Lit: 4
Subject SAT:
Bio M: 730
Senior Year APs:
AP Lang, AP Chem, Calculus AB, AP French, AP Microeconomics
Teacher Recs: I thought they were absolutely amazing and perfect!
State: NY
Gender: F
Ethnicity: Asian Indian
Income: >125k
Hooks: None lmao I’m Indian and I go to a really small school and live in an area with limited opportunity. I did whatever I could.
ECs:
Model UN Secretary- Commended at BOSMUN and BardMUN
Science Olympiad - Captain, 15 medals at regional/state overall
Math Team, Spanish Honor Society, Tri-M Honor Society, National Honor Society
Student Council- Senior Class Secretary
French Club and French Honor Society Secretary
Interact/Rotary Club
Quiz Bowl- Got to States
Sports: Track and Field, Soccer, Tennis, all scholar athlete awards.
Music: NYSSMA/All County Soloist on the Clarinet, 1st chair in concert band
idk what else ive done there’s a lot lol.
Community Service:
Senior Assisted Living/Hospital shadowing about 150 hours
Tutoring at library/school throughout high school
Created a campaign for girls’ education in India.
Taught young swimmers how to swim locally
Teen Vogue/Toyota Safe Driving Ambassador
Research Experience:
Dimension metrology and data analytics research for a month under IBM nanotechnologists.
Applied to the following BS/MD programs:
- NJIT/Stevens/TCNJ with NJMS: Combined Interview for all 3 - Declined after med school interview
- Rutgers/NJMS: Declined pre interview
- Drexel/Drexel: Declined pre interview
- Sophie Davis: Interview - Declined
- Brooklyn (Macaulay Honors)/SUNY Downstate: Interview- ACCEPTED
- Stony Brook Engineering Scholars for Medicine/ Stony Brook Medicine: Interview- ACCEPTED
- RPI/AMC: Declined pre interview
- Hofstra/LIJ North Shore: Declined pre interview
Decision: Stony Brook Engineering Scholars for Medicine 2019/2023 (the engineering sfm accepts 1-3 students each year)
Reflection: warning there are tons of exclamation points in this
I’m going to be completely honest with you all… I didn’t even know what BS/MD programs were until September of 2014! I started looking into these programs when I heard about the Stony Brok one (ironic right??) and by October I decided to apply to some and it kind of just kept going from there to be honest! I had already been doing shadowing at hospitals and interning at primary care facilities, so I wasn’t completely clueless, but if I have to suggest something, definitely do more research, because I didn’t have a whole lot of it and I know for a fact I wasn’t considered for RPI/AMC because of that detail. With Drexel, the fact that my application was declined two days after I paid my $150 deposit tells me that they already selected people to interview but asked for money from everyone that fit the requirements anyways. Be aware of these little things when you apply! Get your applications in early!!! Also, definitely take SAT/SAT IIs more seriously! I didn’t know the importance of Subject SATs unfortunately. I wish I had known all of this information!! And also, read the directions of the application carefully! I didn’t do that for Hofstra and I knew before I even heard anything that I would be declined because my essays didn’t match the prompt whoops! Don’t apply Sophie Davis unless you really think you have a visible commitment to primary care! My interviewers were extremely impressed but I think I came off as not interested in primary care, as I’m into surgery more, so… apply accordingly. NJIT/Stevens/TCNJ was honestly a surprise to me! My interviewer literally told me that “I’d hear about my acceptance in April” but I guess not! If you can, get late interview dates so that the people remember you! My interview for that program was one of the first and who knows how much they remembered me two months and 40 more interviews later to be honest. But I wasn’t accepted. It’s a huge game of luck! I had no expectation of being accepted to the SUNY Downstate program! I was just being myself in the interview and I was able to really connect with my interviewer, so make sure to do that! My top program from the beginning of the process was Stony Brook, but as all of the results were coming out, my hopes kept decreasing, since the process for Stony Brook is exceptionally cut throat, with them accepting less than 10 out of thousands of applicants total for Scholars and Engineering Scholars. Stony Brook really values a strong essay and exceptionally strong interviews, after extremely high scores. If you show your passion in both, and you have good stats, you should be able to qualify for interviews! I didn’t really apply to any top-tier programs other than Stony Brook, as they were inconveniently far from home, but for those, you definitely need extremely high ACT/SAT scores to be able to even qualify. Ace the interviews and hope for the best after that! I’m extremely thankful for my acceptance to Stony Brook.
If you are a young high schooler aspiring to be in a BS/MD, try to get your hands on research and also get hospital experience! those two aspects are pretty key to a good application, of course along with really strong SAT/ACT/Subject SAT scores. At the end of the day, if you really want to accomplish something, don’t let anything get in your way!!! Show your passion in your essays and in the interviews, and good luck!! It’s been a crazy year with the surprises and the realizations, but at the end I’m happy to have gained the knowledge that I have. If anything, I gained tons of interview experience!!
I rambled so much in this… sorry! But GOOD LUCK
Class Rank: N/A
Weighted GPA: 4.35
School Type: Public, STEM magnet school
Gender: F
Hooks: None
SAT:
Math: 800; Critical Reading 750; Writing 800; Total: 2350
ACT:
N/A
SAT II:
Math Level 2: 800
Chemistry: 790
AP’s (at the time of application to BS/MD programs):
Biology: 5
Chemistry: 5
BC Calculus: 5
Computer Science: 5
Environmental Science: 4
Statistics: 5
US History: 5
Spanish: 5
Seniors Year AP’s:
AP Lang, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics
Teacher Recs: Didn’t see them, but I think they were pretty strong.
Counselor Rec: Super strong, counselor knows me very well and was able to talk about my involvement with medicine, research, and how I’ve promoted STEM in my school.
Additional Rec: From my two research mentors (one of whom is an MD/PhD), probably my strongest recs since they were both able to talk about why I would be a good fit in healthcare.
Major EC’s:
-2014 Intel Science and Engineering Fair Regional Grand Prize Nominee
-Toshiba ExploraVision National Semifinalist
-Spirit of Innovation International Finalist (flown to NASA to present our project about developing a continuous blood glucose biosensor monitor for diabetic patients)
-Future Problem Solvers State Champion
-Verizon Innovative App Challenge State Winner
-Co-President of Bioengineering Club
-2 summers of research at a national pediatric research institution, several manuscripts published
-South Indian classical music vocalist: have learned for over 10 years, performed concerts and won competitions across the United States and India
Community Service:
-400-500 hours of hospital volunteering
-Co-Director of X-STEM Outreach: teaching science to children in inner-city urban areas in partnership with the USA Science and Engineering Festival
-Branch Co-Director of Kids Are Scientists Too: teaching science to children in local area
-Outreach Officer of Future Problem Solvers
Applied to the following BS/MD programs:
- VCU GAP – Interview – ACCEPTED
- University of Pittsburgh GAP – Rejected pre-interview
- University of Miami HPM – Interview – ACCEPTED AND WILL BE ATTENDING
- Case Western PPSP – Rejected pre-interview
- UConn SPiM – Interview – ACCEPTED
- GW/GW – Interview – ACCEPTED
- Northewestern HPME – Interview – Rejected
- Penn State – Interview – ACCEPTED
- UMKC BA/MD – Interview – ACCEPTED
Other Schools
Accepted: UVA, Vanderbilt, UNC, etc.
Decision: University of Miami HPM
Reflection: I honestly can’t believe the process is done for me - I remember my position exactly a year ago, reading through these forums and trying to understand the many, many details in the BS/MD process. I started closely looking into BS/MD programs in the middle of my junior year, and from then on it was a wild ride. If you are a rising senior reading this right now, I would strongly recommend you to use this CC forum to your advantage. As @FutureDoc2015 said, it’s important not to be obsessive, but the amount of information I gained from CC about the whole process - from applications, to recommendations to interviews - was truly invaluable as I started to put my application together. There are so many forums from kids who were in your exact position years ago, and if you read closely you can find some gems of knowledge that will help you immensely as you get further into the process.
I think BS/MD is by far one of the trickiest application processes to navigate - every program has its own set of recommendations - SAT subject tests, # of recommendations, details on how to send your BS/MD apps and so much more. If you are a junior, I could not stress enough the importance of getting a headstart over the summer. I started by making a spreadsheet of all my colleges and indicating exactly where I’d be sending my app to, what the supplements I needed to write were, and color-coding all the deadlines. Sounds a little over the top, I know, but it really saved my life when school started and I had to start sending transcript requests, talking to teachers about recommendations, AND managing a full school workload. Remember, first semester senior year is just as tough as any other, so why not lighten the load by writing some essays and planning everything out over the summer? I promise you it will make everything so much easier.
Additionally, with a process as tricky as BS/MD, I can’t stress how important it is to work together with your parents - I honestly don’t think I would’ve been able to apply to even half the schools I did without the my help of my Mom and Dad in planning. Obviously it is up to you to make it happen, but remember you can always rely on your parents for help in other ways, whether it’s writing out envelopes, making a checklist with all of the program requirements, etc. They want to support you, and there’s no shame in taking that help, especially with such an overwhelming process!
The most important thing to remember is to take everything as it comes - the BS/MD process is so subjective. You may get into programs you thought you never had a chance at, and not get into programs you thought you were a sure fit. Every program is looking for something different, so the best thing you can do (as cliche as it sounds) is stay true to yourself and your interests, because there is a college or program that is looking for you. I never thought I would get into GW and Miami merely due to how insanely selective they are, and they ended up being my top two choices. Don’t worry about the outcome, just stay focused on the work you put in along the way. Anyways I could ramble on and on, but I wish you all the best of luck, and feel free to message me if you have any additional questions about planning for the process, what specific programs are looking for, interviews, or anything else!
@in2llect
Thanks for sharing your reflections. Congratulations on your accomplishments.
- For U of Miami, did you send the supp app, recommendations etc second time to the college of medicine (in addition to sending the doc to UG office) via postal mail?
- Is it ok to PM you to get some clarification on the application process?
- How to PM in CC?