<p>My D is trying to decide between offers from BU SMED, RPI AMC and a couple of ivy-leagues. She wants to be a doctor eventually. I would like some opinions from current and past students and parents how they made their decision in a similar situation and how they feel now after a few/more years.</p>
<p>I don’t know too much about RPI/AMC vs BU/SMED, but I would take them over an Ivy League school for a couple of reasons:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The guarantee for the medical schools.
I personally know of two people who attended Ivy league schools (one was the salutatorian at UPenn and the other had a 3.8 GPA at Cornell) who were unable to get into medical school. The salutatorian for some reason didn’t do so well on her MCATs, and the girl at Cornell did very well on them. The girl at Cornell was only able to get into an Australian medical school 14 hours away from home.</p></li>
<li><p>Financial reasons
Typically BS/MD students have a much higher academic standing than the other students at that undergraduate. This means a very good financial aid package filled with mostly grants rather than loans. Ivy Leagues are usually very expensive unless you fall under the $60,000 yearly income range (in which case you will usually be given a full ride. You could then take this full ride to negotiate with the BS/MD undergraduate school for more money).
BS/MD programs save you thousands of dollars on medical school applications, traveling to interviews, MCAT prep courses/books, etc. </p></li>
<li><p>A lot less stress/less competitive nature
The guarantee of medical school results in less stress throughout the undergraduate years. For programs that require MCATs, the requirements are usually on the lower end. This puts a lot less pressure on taking the MCATs, vs traditional applicants whose MCAT scores will make or break them.
Students within a BS/MD program become very close, almost like a family. They will go out of their way to help each other, instead of only looking out for themselves (which is more likely as a traditional pre-med in an Ivy League school). By eliminating the cutthroat, competitive nature, students are better prepared not only for medical school, but for the rest of their careers. Physicians must be willing to ask one another for advice to not only increase their knowledge, but to produce better outcomes for their patients. Medicine requires people to be willing to work as teams.</p></li>
<li><p>There are not as many seats available in medical school as you would think
AMC has a class size of about 135-140 students a year. However, this does not mean there are 135-140 slots available. Taking into account the ~14 students in the Siena/AMC program, ~20 students in the Union/AMC program, ~20 students in the RPI/AMC program, plus students who’ve been accepted into the Early Assurance program through Amherst College, Bowdoin College, College of the Holy Cross, Hamilton College, Haverford College, Middlebury College, SUNY Albany, Swarthmore College, Williams College, and Albany College of Pharmacy.
From these programs alone, there are approximately 64 students taking up slots at AMC, leaving only 71-76 slots open for traditional applicants (If you’d like another example, look at the number of programs that funnel into the George Washington School of Medicine). Taking these numbers into account, the odds of getting accepted into an American medical school are even lower than the statistics posted on their websites.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Which ivy leagues are in consideration? There is a difference between schools like Harvard/Princeton and Penn/Cornell. The latter are tough schools for pre-med.</p>
<p>The Ivy Leagues are Columbia and Cornell and wait listed at UPenn…</p>
<p>Thanks “sienabound”…</p>
<p>The fact that Cornell graduate with 3.8 GPA could not get admission to an US medical school really bothers and baffles me…I keep hearing that “Ivy-League” pre-med does not guarantee a seat at any US medical school but means having to go abroad like the Carribean or even Australia. </p>
<p>Can anyone post data or links of “Ivy League” pre-meds going to US medical schools including the schools they graduate from…</p>
<p>How much would you be paying at BU? I would go there if it is financially feasible. It’s located in a great city, it’s an accelerated program with manageable requirements, and it’s a top 30 medical school.</p>
<p>BU and the ivy-leagues are giving nothing which means we will have to shell out $60K/year. But she has the “RPI medalist” award for $15K/year which gives a small break. We are not eligible for any “need-based” aid…</p>
<p>I faced a similar choice 4 years ago and chose the BU SMED program and I’m very happy with the choice I made. I think that if you’re certain you want to go to medical school and want a great undergraduate experience without constantly having to worry about getting into medical school, the choice should be easy. But I’m biased, obviously.</p>
<p>You can message me if you have any specific questions or concerns.</p>
<p>How are the finance packages at each of these schools?</p>
<p>If the goal is definitely medical school, go with combined. Otherwise, go to Columbia.</p>
<p>Just noticed she is a medalist. The disadvantage at RPI is it is 72 percent male but she has to suffer through only three years in a 7 year program.</p>
<p>While it is hard to come by specific data for ivy leagues, AAMC provides data on the gpa/MCATs of students accepted to med school.</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.aamc.org/download/270906/data/table24-mcatgpagridall0911.pdf[/url]”>https://www.aamc.org/download/270906/data/table24-mcatgpagridall0911.pdf</a></p>
<p>Your daugher would have to maintain a high gpa (3.6+) and score high on the MCATs (30+) to have a fair shot at medical school and still have the risk of not getting in anywhere. Going to an ivy doesn’t particularly give an advantage in med school admissions where gpa/MCAT are overwhelmingly more important factors than the school attended. </p>
<p>I have also heard that Cornell isn’t a good place for pre-med (also someone with a high gpa/35 MCAT not accepted to any med school) and I’ve also heard Columbia pre-med is somewhat competitive. If your d know she wants to do medicine, BS/MD is the way to go for reasons sienabound suggested.</p>
<p>What about Stanford, or Harvard for premed vs BU SMED?</p>
<p>If you go to Harvard or Stanford and don’t make it into medical school after, it is on you.</p>
<p>Thanks dblazer…</p>
<p>The data from aamc is very sobering. I am glad you posted it.</p>
<p>The fact that a pre-med with GPA > 3.8 and MCAT > 39 has only a 91.5 % acceptance rate is very scary. Now I see why some smart people go to the “Carribean” schools…</p>
<p>desidad - what is your state? It can also make difference based on your home state and how competitive the state schools are for admission. Most state schools reserve 80+ percent seats for in state students.</p>
<p>If you go to foreign medical schools, the chances of obtaining a good residency position in the united states are very slim. As you are offered an accelerated opportunity to pick between two American med schools you should be deciding between them. When there is no cost difference why wouldn’t you pick the BS/MD program? You will save a year and potentially a lot of stress.</p>
<p>go to RPI/AMC its worth it. if you want to talk i am a student there pm me.</p>
<p>I can see the benefits of the BS/MD programs. Can someone provide some insight into the pro/cons of RPI/AMC vs BU/SMED programs and why one would pick one over the other. I am hoping students (and parents) who are deep into the programs will have better feedback and hindsight assuming they are still reading CC.</p>
<p>I am aware that RPI/AMC is not ranked by USNEWS but that does not mean anything to me.</p>
<p>1) Although RPI has a high male pop - the bs/md program has an even male/female ratio - infact female may be higher than male
2) RPI has a good campus, will give her a good and fun UG experience and the student body is small (5000 in total). but yes the UG school is not easy and there is grade deflation.
3) Although keep hearing about amc not being ranked etc etc - the best proof are the residency lists - where many students have got matched to duke/yale/mount sinai/bwh (Brigham) similar stats as other not top twenty medical colleges.<br>
Incidentally President of BWH is a RPI/AMC alumini
[BWH</a> Selects New President- BWH Bulletin - For and about the People of Brigham and Women’s Hospital](<a href=“http://www.brighamandwomens.org/about_bwh/publicaffairs/news/publications/DisplayBulletin.aspx?articleid=1650]BWH”>http://www.brighamandwomens.org/about_bwh/publicaffairs/news/publications/DisplayBulletin.aspx?articleid=1650)</p>
<p>sorry cannot help about BU/SMED as it was not a target program …</p>
<p>Sienabound,</p>
<p>What exactly did the Columbia grad with 3.8 get on the MCAT? There must be some thing seriously wrong with this applicant. Everyone I know with a 3.8 GPA got into a U.S. medical school.</p>
<p>From:
[Pre-Med</a>, Pre-Law, & Pre-Business Opportunities](<a href=“Home | Dartmouth Admissions”>Home | Dartmouth Admissions)</p>
<p>“The national medical school acceptance is about 45%, but with Dartmouth’s strong Health Professions Program, our students’ chance of admission to medical school is about twice the national average.”</p>
<p>Data for 2011 Dartmouth premeds:
<a href=“http://www.dartmouth.edu/~nss/nav/pages/school/Med%20School%20MSAR%20Summary/MSAR%20Summaries%202012-13/DCApplicants2011.xlsx[/url]”>http://www.dartmouth.edu/~nss/nav/pages/school/Med%20School%20MSAR%20Summary/MSAR%20Summaries%202012-13/DCApplicants2011.xlsx</a></p>
<p>taken form:
[Med</a> School Facts](<a href=“http://www.dartmouth.edu/~nss/nav/pages/school/Med%20School%20MSAR%20Summary/MSAR%20Summaries%202012-13/MedSchoolFactSummary12-13.html]Med”>http://www.dartmouth.edu/~nss/nav/pages/school/Med%20School%20MSAR%20Summary/MSAR%20Summaries%202012-13/MedSchoolFactSummary12-13.html)</p>