<p>The BU Program is GREAT and the only other schools other than BU that I think I'm considering are Duke and JHU (I also got into Rice and Berkeley). However, I'm having a tough time choosing. While BU is a good medical school, I don't know if it's worth giving up a spot at Duke or JHU, where I could potentially get into a better med school. Because I want to enter Orthopedic Surgery, a particularly competitive specialty for residency placements, I wonder if BU Medical School would put me at a disadvantage. Also, the undergrad experience at Duke would be amazing. And JHU is top-notch for premed. But on the other hand, the BU Program would be a lot less stressful and has many advantages of its own. What do you guys think?</p>
<p>I would have been in your position if I had gotten into both Duke and the BU med program. I was going to decide to choose BU because it would be a cheaper undergrad with only 3 years and half-tuition scholarship that ppl in the program likely get. </p>
<p>But, if I could choose without having to worry about the cost, I would goto Duke for sure. The undergrad experience would be great and its a top notch school and I think somewhere it said 85% of their students get into their top 3 medical schools (this is out of a very hazy memmory so I would look this up if you were deciding based on this statistic)</p>
<p>Nah... I would go to BU... yeah the residency you want is competitive--but remember, residency slots are determined as much (if not more) by personal performance as school prestige. If you do excellent on those Board exams, you'll have a fair shot at the residency you want. If you do poorly...then you'll be in trouble, regardless of which med school you go to. Just something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>I agree with Son of Liberty. I would choose BU's med program. First of all, the Boston location is much better than Duke or JHU's. Second, the program at BU is outstanding from what I hear from a current student. BU would not put you at a disadvantage for great residency programs. Besides, where is the guarantee that you will get into a medical school as good as BU, after graduating from Duke or JHU? There is absolutely no certainty that you will get into medical school at all. So opt for BU.</p>
<p>See msdoc's post for profound reasons why you should choose a combined program (bearing in mind, that BU's med program is one of the best):
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=165583%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=165583</a></p>