Chance Me for BSMD's (suggestions welcome)

Chance Me / Match Me!
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vague to avoid doxxing, see comments for some more details

Demographics: asian male, large competitive school, no fin aid income but not enough to drop full at an ivy

Intended Major(s): neurosci/cog sci with cs minor

ACT/SAT/SAT II: 1580

UW GPA: 4.0

W GPA: 5.5X

Coursework: 14 AP’s by end of senior year

Rank: top 1% out of 450-500 kids

Awards:

AP Scholar with Distinction (lol)

Seal of Distinction

Top 64 in International Debate Comp (Semi-prestigious)

NSDA Nats Qualifier (Freshman year)

National Merit??? (hopefully)

Extracurriculars (no particular order)

Researcher at local state school (1.5 years, 500+ hours projected 800+): Niche subject within bioengineering, mid author and co-first pub (incoming). Was really cool and hope to continue work

Startup student developer: Working a bit with a doc’s biomed startup and doing some work that is very similar to the research above, just started but will hopefully have large contribution to code

Chief of Staff/HR at a large nonprofit, thousands of students have access to our services and makes a large impact

Chief of Operations at another nonprofit, not as large as first one but starting new summer program very soon regarding stem education

Volunteer (Medical Assistant, but can rephrase) (200 hrs): Act like an MA at a local clinic for the past few years (taking vitals and patient history)

Debate competitor for 1 year, awards listed above

Coach for middle school olympiad for past 6 years (medaled at state comp in 2019)

Class President and VP, lots of pep rallies, blood drives, school dances, etc…

In school orchestra for past 7 year and first chair (nothing big)

Sports official of high level multistate/regional tournaments for youth sport as well adult amateur level

Schools:

My in state schools (not saying due to doxx but not worried)

Mid-tier BSMD’s (t80 or higher med schools but not brown plme level)

HYS

Duke, Vandy, Emory

Any BSMD that give full ride UG’s and then discounted med school?

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This could be your challenge! A full ride for the undergrad period.

In addition, you need to know that these BS/MD programs are as competitive or more competitive than most elite school admissions.

There is a whole section of this forum on medical school…and specifically multiple degree programs.

Your question might be better placed there.

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Also…what is this? Have you taken a medical assistant course if study, and passed the exam?

I don’t see any shadowing of doctors on your activity list. Also, you have some things that sound a bit exaggerated…please tell exactly what you did…and don’t exaggerate. “Chief of Staff” and “chief of Operations”…for example.

I’ll tag @texaspg who might have a posting direction here for you. And probably can tag others more familiar with the BS/MD application process.

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I have not taken the exam or gotten an official certification but I perform the same tasks. Taking vitals, patient history, patient interaction/

Chief of Staff involves hiring new staff, setting up new initiatives and programs, and managing current staff and making sure they are meeting all objectives. I was repsonsible for setting up our newest direct and led the effort to hire staff and coordinate new divisions/stafffing

Chief of operations involves overseeing all other departments and helping the CEO decide objectives and deliverables for the organization and as well as managing staff to make sure they are posting to social media, applying to grants, doing outreach, and other organizational aspects.

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Shadowing is something I am working on getting although I do have lots of clinical experience through the volunteering as a medical assistant

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I don’t see any in-person face-to-face community service with the less fortunate.

Administrative work at a non-profit is not what med schools (and BA/MD) programs are looking for.

Working as MA without appropriate credentialing/training may be considered working outside your scope of practice and is not something med school admissions look favorably upon.

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I see just a few questions:

Would the non profit work be not looked upon favorably? Even if I am highly involved and making top level decisions for the organization?
Should I rephrase from MA to just simply volunteer? The doctor that I was with didn’t consider it to be an issue?

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Pitt Medicine GAP?

https://admissions.pitt.edu/guaranteed-admissions-programs/

Very competitive. One kid from S20’s class was offered GAP. His stats were higher than yours.

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You are clearly a very strong student and should get into some very good universities.

In terms of your various activities, I am wondering how you can do everything on the list. For example, “Chief of Staff/HR at a large nonprofit”. How many hours did you put into this? Your list of activities seems very long.

The other concern that I have relates to direct entry into a BSMD program. 200 hours of volunteering is good for a student who is applying to a bachelor’s degree. This is a lot given that you are still in high school. To me it does not seem to be enough to be confident that medical school is the right future for you.

Another issue relates to budget and choice of undergraduate university. You do not need to attend a “big name” undergraduate school to get into a very good medical school. Your in-state public university is likely to be a very good choice, and might be relatively affordable allowing you to save $$$ for medical school (although I do not know what state you are in). Premed classes are going to be quite challenging at a rather wide range of universities. If you do attend a pretty good “top 100” university for your bachelor’s, you will find that premed classes are full of very strong students and exams are tough even for these very strong students. Your stats from high school are stronger than you need to get into a “top 100” university, but this suggests that you will be arriving at university well prepared to do well in the very tough premed classes. It is not clear to me that arriving at Harvard in the middle third of the incoming students will give you any better chances of getting into a very good medical school compared to arriving in the top third or even top 10% of incoming students at an in-state public university ranked in the 50-100 range, or even 100-200 range.

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THIS, to me is your challenge. Would you consider a BS/DO school? LECOM might be worth looking at. You would attend any one of a number of LECOM partner undergrads…and at some, you might get significant merit aid for the undergrad portion. Then you would go to LECOM for your DO. LECOM is the cheapest cost private DO school in the country.

If you become a NMF, you should look at places that give a full ride to NMF. Really, you can do the required courses for medical school applicants at just about every four year college in the country (arts conservatories excluded). Of course, this would mean applying to medical schools as a traditional applicant…taking the MCAT, interviews, strong sGPA and GPA. But really…is that such a bad thing?

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Look at MCCullough medical scholars at Alabama.

It’ll be cheap with auto merit. If you are NMF then really cheap as tuition and housing are paid. Tulsa would give you a full ride if NMF.

There was a student recently that got a guaranteed medical at Nova Southeast but is going to Rhodes instead with LECOM.

If you want to go cheap undergraduate, you need to apply to programs that will pay for a student like you.

I do agree with others - you really need to quantify your ECs because frankly, as listed, they just aren’t believable.

I’m not doubting you but you’ll need to clarify hours per week because what you list is more than the average human being can reasonably do (at least in my mind).

https://mccolloughscholars.as.ua.edu/

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If your family doesn’t have an extra 360K for undergrad and likely 400K for med school lying around, but you don’t qualify for fin aid, then I think that a BSMD is not the route for you. Better to go for 4 yr undergrad at a big southern/southwest flagship U that might give you a full ride. You would be able to get into any med school from there with the record that I am sure that you can compile at such a school. You might even have a shot at the few programs with free tuition, even free ride, for med school.

The only other way is borrowing. Even if you have to borrow for med school, you’d still be better off pushing the debt out til later in your education, by going to a full ride, or at least full tuition scholarship school.

You’d be surprised at what the top schools might give you in fin aid, depending upon your family’s income and assets. It might be worth throwing in apps to those tippy tops - you can of course run the net price calculators that they have, and see what they might offer you.

One thing to consider is the value of the life experience and maturity you might gain, based upon having a 4 yr undergrad experience. Yes, you can look at it as entering your prime earning years two years later, and thus missing out on that. But important intellectual and social maturation take place during a full 4yr undergrad experience.

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Wayne State in Detroit has a BSMD that is a full ride for both undergrad and med school.

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@the905
You will get more feedback from people who are very interested in BS/MD/DO if you post your query here. It is the thread for applicants for this year.

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Is the program only for those who are disadvantaged/qualify for significant financial aid?

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Any chance you can find/link the post or thread? I am having trouble finding it

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I googled wayne state bsmd and it came right up. Wayne Med-Direct - Wayne State University

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Hi, I meant the thread involving the student who got into UPitt GAP.

And do you know if the wayne state program is just for disadvantaged students? I’ve heard mixed answers from CC and others

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I only know what Wayne State says in its description of the program. Usually, if programs are targeting students of a particular race, or socioeconomic class, or any other specifics, the program will state this in its description.

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Here you go…