Done
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DS is done with first year medical school. It was a very hectic year with fast paced curriculum (1.5 year pre-clinical). In addition to medical school classes he took classes at Wharton and participated in research (already got one middle author paper).
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How time flies - DD completed her first year of med school.
Agree with @srk2017 on the nature of the first-year med school - it is hectic.
DD transitioned well from the quarter-system undergrad to semester system medical school.
And was pleasantly surprised that Feinberg has a lot more supportive administration than Northwestern undergrad.
DD has made some new friends, and it is good that they are such a supportive bunch.
Practically, all M1s at Northwestern are doing research, including my DD. DD is also doing an extended summer research assignment.
On a separate note, my DS has graduated high school and will attend Georgia Tech for his CS major.
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My D has completed hectic M1 and now taking time to visit friends and family during short break before M2 starts. She is also doing research during the break.
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@NoviceDad congratulations to you and your DS. Best wishes for his CS at Georgia tech.
Yes, medical school is quite hectic for M1 students and the medical students find good support from university and their peers.
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Congratulations!!!
Yes, you said it right - M1 is hectic, and it is good that our kids are coping with it with support from their friends and peers. It seems practically all M1 that I are doing research and other ECs. good to know your D is also doing so.
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Welcome back from sabbatical @grtd2010 
Different situation but thought I would update. We posted a while ago S17 was in a BSDVM program (3 years undergrad and 4 years vet school) and his girlfriend was premed traditional. Well several years have passed and he just finished his 2nd year of veterinary school and is at the top of his class! He has had two papers published and is working this summer on a summer fellowship in radiology and doing a little work for the cardiologist. He is now engaged to his gf and she decided not to go the MD route. She realized it was her motherâs dream not hers. She is entering PA school next month in a 28 month program. They will be married next August! So the early admit has worked out great for him even though it is different it is similar in many ways. He will be entering the match and doing an internship and residency when he graduates. Good luck to all.
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Congratulations to you, your son, and his fiance.
Wishing him the best for his vet residency and happy married life.
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@NoviceDad Congratulations on S getting into CS-Georgia Tech! It is tough to get into CS Georgia Tech - my S was applying for CS few years ago, he got admission into UIUC, UT Austin, U of Washington etc, but could not get into Georgia Tech (he went to UT).
@cheer2021 D chose UTSW, and will be starting in a week.
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Thank you for your wishes.
Yes, CS major at top schools is becoming hyper-competitive. We are fortunate he made the cut at Georgia Tech. UT-Austin is also a great school, and I am sure your S thrived there.
And congratulations to your daughter.
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There is no break from M3 to M4. So my DD scheduled her 4 weeks study block for Step-2 in June to be at home with me and went 5 weeks back. Getting ready for the residency cycle. She told she will apply broadly and will be happy wherever she gets accepted. As a parent I will be happy if she gets into CA, preferably Bay Area so that I can visit often (when working from home in the new world). 8 months to March Madness.
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What specialization is she planning to apply?
Internal Medicine
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Fellowship plans after that?
Nothing planned. She always takes 1 step at a time. Very clear wants to balance family life and career.
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Over the summer, which options would be most beneficial for UG sophomore students?
- Working as an EMT
- Conducting research (Research Internship or similar)
How would the answer to these questions vary between a traditional path pre-medical student and a BSMD student?
Any thoughts?
All depends on what ECs are done so far and Whatâs planned going forward. EMT is a good clinical volunteering experience but not an easy one and every other premed is doing it.
For most schools some research experience is enough but Few value research more.
For example, my DS had more than 1000 hrs of first author research but had 100 clinical volunteering only but highly valuable One.
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- EMT jobs require the student to have the appropriate certification for the position. EMT-B[asic] (entry level EMT) requires taking and passing a 4-12 week long class, then taking and passing a state licensing exam.
EMT certification is a state dependent process and there are no guarantees that certification earned in one state will be honored in another. This is true even if a individual is listed on the national registry for EMTs. This is because the scope of practice for EMT-Bs varies by state.
If your student wants to be an EMT, they are strongly advised to get licensed/certified in the state where they plan to work/volunteer.
- all (traditional) pre-med students should have some exposure to research. Itâs expected. But a single full time summer or 2 semesters of part time work during the school year is enough for medical schools that are not research-intensive.
College students new to the lab will not be conducting research**, they will be supporting a research project by working as lab assistants/lab techs in an established lab. IOW, they will start off doing grunt work. Some may eventually get beyond doing grunt work; others wonât. The quality of any research
lab experience will vary a lot depending on the lab and PI.
**Conducting research involved developing an original thesis, designing the experimental protocol, collecting data, analyzing the data and reaching a conclusion. A student may eventually be able to do that, but not without more significant lab exposure/lab experience. Often students interested in a having significant research exposure will complete a senior research thesis.
BTW, research neednât be lab based. Clinical research is also fine. And research that not biology or medicine focused is also fine. Research in any physical science discipline (and any engineering discipline) provides the necessary elements for an acceptable research experience for pre-meds. D1 did medium energy particle physics research in college and still got multiple med school acceptances.
How would the answer to these questions vary between a traditional path pre-medical student and a BSMD student?
Given that a BA/MD student has a guaranteed med school acceptance at the end of undergrad, research would be more of an optional experience. BA/MD students are still expected to have X hours clinical exposure by the time they are applying to advance to the MD portion of the program; they may not be expected to have Y hours of research exposure. However, EC requirements vary by program so it will depend on what the particular program requires.
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I posted my S stats, etc in the BSMD results forum in 2020. Time flies and happy to report that S completed undergrad coursework from PMM program within 2 years with a PMM major. He had AP credits for 14 courses. So, he took the waivers and took advanced STEM courses. Although not required, he took some additional elective courses just for fun every semester (bucket list of stuff he thought he would enjoy knowing more about) â overloading courses each semester. PSU charges per semester and students can take as many courses as possible they like for a flat rate. Also, he wanted to save money by not paying for the 3rd year. Since the graduation requirement is low GPA-3.5 and MCAT 504, he felt he had cushion.
In 2020 fall, S went to Penn State despite the COVID warnings and remote classes. He wanted to 100% enjoy the college & dorm life and partake the various activities offered! S is into outdoor stuff, hiking, caving and went regularly with a Penn state club. Also, played tennis, swimming, badminton, etc. recreationally for fun. Additionally, formed dragon and dungeons club and 3-4 hrs sessions every week. In the winter of 2020, he had an opportunity to earn $$$ while campaigning for presidential elections. Once he got exposed to money earning, he continued to work outside of college, on a regular basis. Simultaneously, he did research in a Penn State Lab from semester 1 onwards. Other volunteering was closed due to COVID. PMM has no EC requirements as well so he did what he enjoyed the most.
PMM students are really close-knit group. There is a lot of comraderies. Students have combined studies and help each other. They also hang out with each other (cooking night, art night, dance night) during school year as well as during holidays (taking one-week or a weekend trips) with entire class or with a group. S went on several such trips each summer while also working and doing research in the summer.
He completed his UG with strong stats (both GPA, MCAT) and is now home doing a paid research job during the 3rd year locally. He will start his Med school at Jefferson in July 2023. We (parents) are grateful and thankful to have this unexpected time with him and of course for saving us money as well
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