<p>madamebovary, I see your point, but I believe these programs are for people who want to ENJOY college, and not worry about keeping a 4.0 GPA constantly, and doing amazing on MCATs, and still getting into med school.</p>
<p>there are many 2400s that apply to these programs. i'm sure.</p>
<p>I agree with Evilbooyaa, unfortunately for me and the other people who aren't demigods that are applying.</p>
<p>med programs are always worth it because there is no comparison to the feeling of having a med school seat waiting for you. med school gets more competitive every year and i can see these med programs becoming super competitve in the next few years when they gain more recognition (if you have noticed, med programs are generally not advertised at all, and for good reason). If you are in a med program and end up getting a 35+ on the mcats, you are more than free to apply to other med schools (but you will forfeit your seat at the program's med school)</p>
<p>Unless you end up at an inferior school. (Not the same as a less-prestigious school.) In that case, you won't go through your premed classes as well, won't score as well on the MCAT, and/or might not have the same EC opportunities.</p>
<p>In that case, you will have just significantly sabotaged your chances to get into any other medical school.</p>
<p>Why do you think that so many of the 8-year tracks are dominated by schools that these sorts of students would never consider otherwise?</p>
<p>Bluedevilmike:</p>
<p>I assume that you are not including Rice, Brown and NU among schools that these sorts of students would never consider otherwise. The undergraduate programs at those schools are as good as any. As you mentioned, Baylor is an outstanding med school and perhaps the best value of all. The stats of students who enroll at Baylor Med are virtually identical to those who go to Harvard, Duke, Hopkins, Penn and Wash U.</p>
<p>1.) I am not including those, although I do feel quite borderline about Brown's. I would also omit WUSTL from my criticism, and Pitt would be borderline for opposite reasons (undergraduate not as preferable, medical school very good) as Brown's.</p>
<p>Those four or five programs aside, however, you can see that the majority of these programs are not those sorts of places.</p>
<p>2.) Still, I do think there's an important difference between being an undergrad at Rice and an undergrad at Harvard.</p>
<p>Baylor's a great place and any Harvard undergrad would be proud to go there -- but what if it happens that this particular kid, say, doesn't like Houston?* I would say that while Harvard may not have been likely to help the "quality" of his medical school admission, it might have helped preserve some options that might otherwise have been closed.</p>
<p>I would level the same criticism at, say, a program that locked you into JHU, where their medical school is top-tier and their undergraduate program, while solid, is not the sort of place most students would choose over Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc. What if you discover you don't like the fit? Or if you don't like Baltimore? You will still have wished for other options that may not still be open.</p>
<p>*Houston is one of my favorite cities in the country.</p>
<p>Wow, I have that same Chem score and am in limbo about whether or not i should retake it. If you dont mind me asking, do you know what other qulaifications that person had? </p>
<p>thanks</p>