<p>I'm confused and am trying to decide between Boston University's 7-year med program, Case Western Reserve University's 8-year med program, and George Washington University's 7-year med program. </p>
<p>If anybody is or has been in a similar situation, could you please share your thoughts and advice?</p>
<p>Some of the factors I'm considering are quality of the undergrad and med school, stress level, flexibility of the program, etc. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I am actually starting BU 7 yr in the fall, but if I had the same options as you, I would honestly pick Case PPSP. Objectively speaking, the medical school is ranked the highest of them all. Also, I assume you received a decent scholarship from Case undergrad (20-40k), so if money is a consideration, attending Case would be the most prudent option. </p>
<p>Subjectively speaking, I got an extremely good impression of Case when I went for the interview days. The students were all extremely nice and friendly, and the medical school seemed to have a very nice atmosphere. The medical school had “Harry Potter”-style houses, and the students all seemed to really like that. The location was gorgeous and has a campus-y feel (must moreso than BU or GW, if that matters to you). The medical school is right across the street, literally, from the Science quad of the undergrad. The dorms were very nice, especially the freshman dorms, which again are broken down into 3 themed residential colleges. The freshman dining hall was AMAZING (hands down the best dining hall I have seen among all the colleges I interviewed at/ visited). The medical school has an amazing residency match list, and Cleveland Clinic is right down the road. The school is a lot smaller than BU (4000 undergrads at Case vs. 16000 at BU). As a result of the small size I think, the administration REALLY seemed to care about all the students. The accepted students day was extremely well planned, down to the half-hour, and CWRU Live! showcased a lot of the interesting student activities on campus.</p>
<p>Honestly, the only downside I can think of is location. I am personally not from the midwest, so I’m not so fond of Cleveland weather, but that’s a small tradeoff for an amazing undergrad and grad school experience, in my opinion- and if you’re from the area, this “downside” is trivial.</p>
<p>Overall, I vote for Case. I mean, all three are great and you can’t go wrong (but if you do turn down Case, maybe I’ll get off the waiting list! haha). I got an amazing impression of the school during the accepted students days, and though I have committed to BU 7yr at this point, if I got off the PPSP waiting list I would actually switch and commit to Case because I liked it so much. And if you do come to BU, I look forward to meeting you in the fall! Best of luck with your decision :)</p>
<p>Ranking wise BU is 31 for primary care and research, and Case is 35 and 24. The difference is small enough that I would use financial aid, location, and “fit” to pick, because they are nearly equal if you average the two values</p>
<p>Thank you both so much for your replies! I really appreciate the feedback.</p>
<p>ferredoxin, I definitely agree with you on all the positives you listed about Case. The downsides that I see with Case, however, are that 1) it’s an 8-year program rather than a 7-year, 2) that it doesn’t have the same liberal arts focus that GW and BU have, and 3) the weather. I think that BU is a lot more well-rounded than Case, in that Case is primarily a science and tech school, whereas BU’s program encourages the liberal arts as well. I’m not really sure how much those should factor in to my overall decision, because Case definitely has both a great undergrad and a fantastic med school.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, I’m not really leaning towards any one program at the moment and am trying to consider all the factors. I think once I visit BU and GW, I’ll have a much better idea of the “fit,” as neoevolution said, and my decision will be a bit easier.</p>
<p>I guess I’ll see you both on Friday at BU? 
Thanks again!!</p>
<p>Hey, I think given what you’re looking for, BU SMED is the best choice because it has a med school comparable to Case Western’s and is accelerated (which I consider a big plus). However, I would definitely recommend talking to students at each of the schools because the students I talked to at BU were not really enthusiastic about it. I don’t know much about GW besides the fact that the med school was on probation a few years ago and that someone I met in the BU program chose it over GW. Good luck in making your decision!</p>
<p>can you folks post your stat.</p>
<p>Congrats for being accepted to fantastic places! it is not that common having choices like yours. I am sure you have made your choice and whatever you choose, will work out for you.</p>
<p>So, for those who had the choice among GW, Case, and BU ba/md programs, which did you decide?</p>
<p>ferredoxin got into Case off a waitlist and chose it over BU, I don’t know if any of the current SMEDs at BU turned down Case or GWU although several didn’t apply due to disinterest.</p>
<p>I know of a few bu smeds who picked it over Case and GWU, but I also know of a couple people at case who picked it over BU. Seems to be more of a personal choice. I don’t know anyone who has picked gw over bu though.</p>
<p>Accelerated is NOT a plus at all. Take your full time in UG if you have this option. Do not rush, you do not know what you rushing for…My own D. had choice between accelerated and 4+4 and she rightfully choose non-accelerated. 4 years of your life are more important than being pre-med, take your time to explore, grow, have tremendous experiences that you will never ever have chances to have any more, later you will be way too busy with everything else in your life. This is looking back. For reference, D. is a second year Med. Student…</p>
<p>Many accelerated programs (including BU) let you take an extra year of undergrad if you choose to do so. I also know of students (albeit very, very few) who have taken time off to travel, do research, etc. Other students pursue additional degrees (MBA, MPH, etc) with the extra year. Much better to have a program with the flexibility and choice to do what you want IMO</p>
<p>^Definitely! Do not rush, not worth it, take it easy!</p>
<p>The cost of a 4th year needs to be considered too. Even with my decent FA from BU, it totals over 40k per year. It might not be much compared to total debt burden, but it’s steep for an optional year. I understand some people want the full 4 years of UG, but it’s not like you can’t study abroad, research, and do some fun ECs in 3.</p>
<p>Yeah, I personally would rather just go straight through after 3 years to med school or spend a 4th year travelling/working/getting an additional degree rather than pay 40k for a 4th year of undergrad. But if that’s what you really, really want to do, you should do it.</p>
<p>“The cost of a 4th year needs to be considered too.”
-The accelerated program that my D. was accepted was more expansive. it might be because they had to take 20-21 hrs . I do not know why. However, the non-accelerated 4 + 4 was tuition free in UG as D. got full tuition Merit award. So, there are no general rules, every program is different, longer might not mean more expansive at all and in case of my D. it meant UG that matched her personality and wide range of interests much better and was also tuition free and bs/md was much more flexible. I would advise to apply to wide range and evaluate everything AFTER getting accepted and having financial package from each in your hands. It is impossible to do before it happens as financial packages are different from person to person in the same program, usually they are awarded by college, not by the combined program.</p>
<p>i picked gw over bu and penn state, i think as 2013 applies to programs, keep in mind fit above everything! i am in my second year at gw and made the best decision of my life… at the end of the day if you are a motivated student you’ll excel no matter what! at the end of the day the top residencies go to great students and leaders which you can be anywhere! good luck to you all!</p>
<p>@topher14, my son got accepted at GWU 7years program, where do you find out more information about Tuition cost for 7 years and program strength?</p>
<p>I would say take Case - its close to Cleveland Clinic and other great local hospitals. Case is also ranked higher.</p>
<p>Would you know if the medical student be taught at the Cleveland Clinic at their residency years ?</p>