<p>This is just a hypothetical situation. The grade, the credentials, everything else is all real. Lets just pretend that this was the end of my junior year. Where do I stand?</p>
<p>Grades:</p>
<p>Chemistry Honors (Not AP or IB) - 91
Anatomy and Physiology - 95
IB Physics SL - 95
Health (required) - 99
IB English HL I - 90
IB History of the Americas HL I - 89
IB Psychology SL - 90
IB Math HL I - 93
Gym - 95</p>
<p>My total average is a 93, equivalent to a 3.72 GPA.</p>
<p>I only have my PSAT scores from my Sophomore year, and only practice ACT scores to go by. My highest practice ACT was a 29, and my PSAT was a 210.</p>
<p>-PSAT 210
-ACT 29</p>
<p>Extra Circulars:
-Hospital Volunteering 250+ hours (did it since the 9th grade)
-Physician Shadowing (Anesthesiologist) - 100+ hours (The doctor is awesome for letting me shadow him this long so far)
-Martial Arts for 7 years. Currently hold the Junior Black Belt Rank
-Piano for 14 years
-Played at the nursing home every month for 2 hours last year.
-Played at charity recitals that my school district has held for the past 10 years. So yes, even when I could only play "Yankee Doodle", I played in it.
-Piano Guild Participant for the last 5 years. Am currently on the 5 year national roll
-NYSSMA participant for the last 5 years. Every year had a grade of "Outstanding".
-By the time I am a senior, I will be preparing, selling tickets for, and performing in my own piano concert. It will be 4 hours long. >_></p>
<p>School "Clubs":
-Student of the Month
-National Junior Honor Society (junior high)
-National Honor Society
-Track and Field (Junior High)
-Concert Chorale for the past 3 years
-Youth Group</p>
<p>"Will Be" Letters of Reccomendation:
-Chemistry Teacher
-Anatomy Teacher
-Guidance Counselor
-Martial Arts instructor
-Music Teacher
-Anesthesiologist I shadowed
-Hospital Volunteer Coordinator</p>
<p>These are all of the people who said they would write me one should I ever request it one day. I'm thinking about waiting until December to ask so they can have all the time they need <em>until June that is</em>.</p>
<p>BS/MD programs I want to apply to:
1) Union College with Albany Medical College (8 years)
2) George Washington University with George Washington School of Medicine (7-8 years?)
3) Howard University with Howard University College of Medicine (6 years) NOTE: Top BS/MD choice
4) Penn State University with Jefferson Medical College (6 years) NOTE: Second choice BS/MD
5) Northwestern University with the Feinburg School of Medicine (7 years)
6) Wilkes University and State University of New York Upstate Medical University (Unknown years. Can somebody fill me in on the years?)
7) University of Conneticut with the University of Conneticut School of Medicine (Couldn't find the # of years for this either.)
8) Siena College with Albany Medical College (8 years)
9) RPI with Albany Medical College (7 years)
10) Drexel University with Drexel University College of Medicine (7 years)
11) Brooklyn College with SUNY Downstate Medical Center (8 years)
12) The College of New Jersey with New Jersey Medical School (7 years)
13) University of Akron with NEOUCOM (6 years) NOTE: Third choice BS/MD
14) Indiana State University with Indiana University School of Medicine (I don't know the years for this either)</p>
<p>BS/DO programs I want to apply to:
1) Gannon University with PCOM (7 years) NOTE: Top BS/DO choice
2) NYiT with NYCOM (7 years)
3) SUNY New Paltz with NYCOM (7 years)</p>
<p>-Now, the amount of programs I am applying to may seem a bit on the heavy side, but I really do want to be a doctor (particularly an Anesthesiologist or Neurosurgeon), M.D. or D.O. regardless. Please chance me.</p>
<p>I would not apply and settle for Bachelor/D.O. programs esp. since you want competitive subspecialty residencies like Anesthesiology or Neurosurgery.</p>
<p>Your ACT score needs to be much higher than a 29. Example: Penn State/JMC requires at least an ACT of 32 to even be eligible to apply. Without a higher ACT score, the rest of your application - to be frank, won’t matter.</p>
<p>The Connecticut program is 8 years. Be careful that you are picking schools based on quality of curriculum, how good they are in preparing students for boards, match lists, etc. and that fit you and not just based on number of years (Jefferson Medical College is much much better than Howard - your 1st choice, by the way). You’ll regret it later guaranteed.</p>
<p>George Washington Medical School is currently on probation by the LCME.</p>
<p>If I could edit posts, I would take away George Washington Med school and Indiana State Uni if I could. But I can’t, so you can assume that they’re off the list now. However…</p>
<p>…You’re basically saying I won’t get into any BS/MD or DO program with a 29 ACT, which would include Howard? I think that’s a bit ridiculous considering that I also have a fairly good PSAT score (which will mean a good future SAT score for sure), which will only get higher because I get tutored for it. I think, though, that you’re missing the point of me applying to BS/MD and BS/DO programs in the first place. I’m not dead set on wanting to “Enjoy the college experience”, which is 95% partying. It just isn’t my scene, and everybody who has dissaproved of my path in real life have either been drug addicts, alcoholics, or both. The reason is because I’m fairly certain that, even though I’m in highschool, I want to practice medicine. So essentially, picking a BS/MD or BS/DO program that has 2 years of undergrad not only saves me time, but it also saves me money. As for the EC’s…yes EC’s matter. They matter, they matter, they matter. Programs just don’t look for people who gunned it in highschool. Yes, they want good grades, but they want to see that you actually WANT to become a doctor because, otherwise, why would you even apply to these programs? </p>
<p>Oh and by the way, I’m still going to apply to D.O. programs. There is literally no distigunishable difference between the two other than OMM. The doctor I shadow is a D.O. Anesthesiologist, and there are such things as D.O. neurosurgeons. Look at PCOM for instance, they have a reputable neurosurgery residency over there, so why would I risk that just because I may not have a chance to put a different set of letters behind my name? I’m not saying I’m a definite shoot in for the Gannon/PCOM program, but I’m not gonna risk not applying to it just because I may not get into Howard University. Just because there is a different set of letters behind your name, does not make you a less competent or intelligent doctor. </p>
<p>With that said, I essentially don’t want this to be a flame thread. Nonetheless, I don’t want this to be a thread that will have people trying to give me “life lessons” and “good college advice”. I just want to see what schools I would have a shot at if, hypothetically, it was the end of my junior year and I was getting ready to apply to these. </p>
<p>MD, your post was pretty much that. You did chance me, but only on one school. =</p>
<p>your scores and GPA are below average for all programs. dont apply to NEOUCOM, it only has 5 spots for out-of-state students. And Northwestern is pretty hard to get in. </p>
<p>You should google the programs’ websites. I hate it when people come to this forum without doing some effort themselves.</p>
<p>You might have a shot for Drexel BS/MD and Howard (why is this ur first choice?)</p>
<p>But bottom line is your scores and grades are too low. Heck, I don’t even know if my score (SAT 2340) is high enough to get me in.</p>
<p>I really don"t know anything about the program you mentioned at SUNY New Paltz but my son is a student there and if you have any questions about the school I would be happy to answer. I do know that they have been putting more effort into the science majors and are building a new science building.</p>
<p>Fian, I appreciate the criticism, but no effort? I had to research every single program I am going to apply to by myself. The AMA website was of no help, only because they listed MD only programs, and only listed the medical schools that had the programs, not the undergrad schools. That was the problem. There was no help searching here, and the “comprehensive” sticky on this board isn’t all that comprehensive, in my opinion. </p>
<p>Are you also saying that a near perfect SAT score (in your case) is not even enough to get into a low tier BS/MD program? Howard is my top choice because unlike law school for instance, it does not matter what medical school you go to as long as you want to be a doctor. The board scores and how much you dedicate your time to the work is what matters. Most, if not all, schools teach the same curriculum. And while I don’t believe my scores are low, I appreciate your “feedback”.</p>
<p>My guess is that you chose Howard because of the low average stats. As you know, it is a HBC and the medical school has a high percentage of African Americans (who, on average, have lower stats). The entrance requirements for a non-African American may or may not be low.</p>
<p>The biggest issue with Howard is that its mission isn’t to train neurosurgeons or anesthesiologists. It looks for people who want to do primary care in underserved communities. While you can of course still apply for neurosurgery residency, the environment and opportunities can’t conducive to it. You wouldn’t be a good fit for the school.</p>
<p>“University of Akron with NEOUCOM” - Are you OH resident? If not, forget about this one. Overall, GPA/ACT is way too low for any combined program, if you are looking for honest opinion. However, it would not hurt to apply to few and see what happen. You are going against kids with Ivy credentials, most of whom have perfect GPA and ACT=33+.</p>
<p>I seem to be getting more positive responses over at SDN. Hmm…maybe I’ll ignore this thread and take the advice of actual medical students and Physicians I know in real life, rather than disgruntled pre-meds and parents over the internet. Again, a good response to me would’ve have been just copying/pasting the list I had while adding the words “match”, “reach”, or even “safety” next to them. Oh well.</p>
<p>P.S., it’s actually funny. I’ve seen chance threads with similar (or even lower) stats, only to see posts in the same thread years later saying that they got into the programs. Just saying…</p>
<p>XelbMS, SDN a forum for actual college and medical students. They are not as knowledgeable about BS/MD programs as us high school students. </p>
<p>This forum is not for “disgruntled pre-meds”. I am a high school student just like you and am applying to these programs. Others who have commented are actual people (or parents of people) who went through the process and got in, are I believe some are currently in medical school. </p>
<p>These programs are highly competitive. What u saw a few years ago might not be the same now. Medical school admissions has become increasingly competitive over the years. Your scores, believe me, are below average (but since you’re a junior, you have a lot of time to prepare for these tests, so I wouldn’t worry about it). If you don’t believe me, see this: [The</a> Honors Program in Medical Education](<a href=“http://www.feinberg.northwestern.edu/AWOME/HPME/Prospective_HPME/entrance.html]The”>MD Education: MD Education: Feinberg School of Medicine).</p>
<p>Ur chances: You can easily get into the DO programs, but for MD programs, I would say only at Howard u have a shot.</p>
<p>If Howard is the only shot I have, then I am content. It is my top choice. My Uncle and a friend of his went there for their M.D.'s. My uncle is a fairly successful cardiologist, and I believe his friend is currently doing his General Surgery residency. Plus, a colleague of the Anesthesiologist I shadow attended Howard U and works as an Orthopedic surgeon (he did the majority of surgeries that I got to see when I shadowed the Anesthesiologist for the first time). As for PCOM, PCOM is a good school and I would love to attend there should I ever get the chance. Thank you for actually chancing me.</p>
<p>P.S. SDN has a Highschool forum you can post on.</p>
<p>The GPA is good only if your rank is <1-3% at school or you’re an URM.
Bump up SAT score to 2200+…remember, they look at your GPA, then SAT scores, AND THEN extracurricular/essays/whatever else that adds towards your passion to medicine…unless you’ve solved the world’s most elusive and interminable diseases. </p>
<p>Ex. Getting Intel semifinalist is good AS LONG AS you’ve got high SAT’s scores and high GPA…</p>
<p>Besides, don’t get all cranky. We’re providing constructive criticism, and you, my friend, are posting at the College Confidential, the meeting place of neurotic people.</p>
<p>Based on several of your posts it seems like XelbMess is just wanting a pat on the back from CCers rather than actual frank, truthful advice. Not only that, you react overly defensive and take things personally. Hopefully you’re not like this in interviews and can fake a personality as it won’t get you far in medical school or even in life. This is especially ironic, considering the title of your post is “Chance me. I must know where I stand.” You should rename it to “Chance Me. Please tell me what I tell myself.” If you know so much, then why are you here? Go to SDN, where they apply talcum powder to your bottom before wearing your diaper to make you feel good about yourself.</p>
<p>Examples of asinine comments you have made to others of which I will let the idiocy, whining, and snarkiness speak for themselves:</p>
<p>“I had to research every single program I am going to apply to by myself.” (Oh no!!! Did you want a cookie? Or are you used to your parents looking it all up for you)</p>
<p>“There was no help searching here, and the “comprehensive” sticky on this board isn’t all that comprehensive, in my opinion.” (Then why don’t you do actual work and look them up yourself instead of expecting for it to be given to you on a silver platter? The comprehensive sticky has programs talked about on this forum. There is this thing called the Internet and Google. Learn to use it.)</p>
<p>“P.S., it’s actually funny. I’ve seen chance threads with similar (or even lower) stats, only to see posts in the same thread years later saying that they got into the programs. Just saying…” — Then I guess you have absolutely nothing to worry about since you have the guarantee of an SDN forum, right?</p>
<p>And while I don’t believe my scores are low, I appreciate your “feedback”. (Your scores ARE low and just bc you don’t like his feedback doesn’t make it “feedback” with air quotes)</p>
<p>“I seem to be getting more positive responses over at SDN. Hmm…maybe I’ll ignore this thread and take the advice of actual medical students and Physicians I know in real life, rather than disgruntled pre-meds and parents over the internet.” (when actually the people WHO ARE ACTUALLY IN these type of programs, or have been in these programs are here, not really as active on SDN - which actually has more disgruntled premeds)</p>
<p>“Again, a good response to me would’ve have been just copying/pasting the list I had while adding the words “match”, “reach”, or even “safety” next to them. Oh well.” — How about this - you probably won’t even get into one (not counting a Bachelor/D.O.), besides #6 and #11 and only bc they are NY state schools, none of the AMC programs as its private (although they may take pity since you are from NY), and Howard is a definite reach, does that help?</p>
<p>What’s funny is the numerous things you say that show that you know ABSOLUTELY nothing about medical school, the process of getting into it, as well as about Bachelor/MD programs in general like saying, “it does not matter what medical school you go to as long as you want to be a doctor. The board scores and how much you dedicate your time to the work is what matters. Most, if not all, schools teach the same curriculum.” </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Sorry genius, but you don’t have a “fairly good PSAT”, which is generally easier than the SAT. You don’t even reach the cutoff as 218 was the cutoff for NY. Wow, you got tutored in the SAT!!! Congratulations. The only score you have is an ACT of 29 which for Bachelor/MD programs IS LOW. Please don’t give the BS about why you’re choosing a Bachelor/MD program. We’ve heard the same speech again and again and nobody cares. You’re not impressing anybody nor are you making yourself look better as you’re lecturing people who know MUCH MUCH more about the process than you do now. If you think a 29 on the ACT and WANTING to become a doctor and your ECs is the magic ticket - who is stopping you? You obviously came here for the pat on the back, of “Oh don’t worry Xelbmess, everything will be just the way you want it.”</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I really don’t give a flying ($%^ if you’re applying to D.O. programs or not. No one is even talking about the different letters after the name. You came on this website asking for advice, since you don’t know, and now you’re ****ed about the advice given to you. Get a grip. The realities of the residency match with respect to M.D.s and D.O.s and with respect to certain competitive residencies is CRYSTAL CLEAR. D.O.s. who match in Neurosurgery residencies are generally in their own osteopathic residency programs, not allopathic. I never remarked about competence. I remarked about the realities of the match.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Please save the D.O vs. M.D. high horse shtick to yourself. It’s tiresome. Nobody said that a D.O. is less competent or less intelligent. Stay on point. You seem to have ADHD.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You’re the one, alone by yourself, has made this a flame thread. You’ve argued with EVERY SINGLE PERSON and taken the opposite stance of every person on this thread. Good for you. It’s obvious you truly need to learn life lessons as well as being able to take advice and opinions about chances for Bachelor/MD programs</p>
-Idiot. That’s all I can say. You give me pathetic “Advice”, and go on to say that there is basically no shot. Remember that this is HYPOTHETICAL? You are honestly the only person I’ve had a problem with when it came to forums like these and SDN. Out of ALL of the posters that have posted in this thread, you are the only one that has acted out in such an unprofessional and childish manner. I take advice here and on SDN with a grain of salt. Why? Because of people like you. You’re not the first to argue with me, so don’t feel like you’re anymore special than you should be. And I’m not sure as to why you try to insult SDN anyway. Do you honestly think I’m going to take personal offense to this? Absolutely not! The only reason I heed their advice because a lot of people on their are ACTUAL doctors and medical students. Yeah, there are disgruntled pre-meds everywhere, and not just here or SDN. The fact of the matter is, you’ll find disgruntled pre-meds anywhere. But when it comes to medicine, should I honestly take advice from you, or from a Doctor? Honestly, I think taking advice from you would be like taking advice from a plumber. You’re overreacting, you’re overly defensive, and you’re rubbing this hypothetical scenario in the wrong area’s. You, my friend, need to take some sedatives, go get yourself evaluated for anger management, and chill the **** out. If your hearts desire is to take a personal swing at me, go ahead. You seem to enjoy this. I definitely am. </p>
-My parents were shot dead when I was an infant. I was in foster care until I turned two. Two years of being orphaned, and yet, you tell me that I’m used to being babied around? Again, is this just another asinine attempt to turn this into a personal dispute? Seriously? My current parents never helped me with anything that was considered easy, or hard. Whatever it was, I had to do it myself. But the thing is, you assumed that that’s how I was because you judged me based on a few lines of text on the internet. Pathetic. But hey, who am I to stand in the way of your overinflated ego? </p>
-Generally, when one takes personal swings by insulting their intelligence, they would usually know how to read first. If you’ve cared to even read my response, then you would know that I HAD TO LOOK ALL OF THAT INFORMATION UP BY MYSELF. No help, no nothing. I even posted a thread here asking for a list. I barely received one. Searching and searching and searching went by until, eventually, I just said “**** it”, and looked up every single University that I had in mind that I thought had these programs. This was a grand total of 104, shortened down to a list of 17. Good job. Shall I need to explain myself any further, or are the personal attacks just going to keep on rolling? By the looks of the rest of this idiocy, I can surely bet that there most certainly will be. By the way, “MS” stands for my initials. You renamed it to “Mess”. How clever of you, there was absolutely no way I would’ve EVER THOUGHT OF THAAAAT. >_></p>
<p>
-So basically you’re also saying that because I DON’T have a guarantee on a college forum, such as this, that I SHOULD be worried? Please, enlighten me. I know you’re trying. </p>
-You’re right! There aren’t many people who are in the programs posting on SDN. Do you want to know why? Because they’re already doctors! Their advice is just as good, if not BETTER, than a lot of the advice here. All I was looking for in terms of replies was just a simple copy/paste of the list that I had posted, and then that would be the end of that, and you could all go back to your happy-go-lucky overachieving lives. Again, you’ll find disgruntled pre-meds EVERYWHERE. This just seems to be the hub of it all, at least from my experience. Such cynicism and negativity, it’s making me break out. </p>
<p>
-Hey look, in the midst of all of the stupidity, a shunt of an actual response! Woo hoo! See the thing is, I would have even preferred that you said this in your first response, simply because it would’ve made you feel better, and you wouldn’t have had to waste time posting such nonsensical bull**** like your second response in the first place. It’s also pretty obvious that you see the D.O. degree as inferior, judging by this response, though you try to refute this later in your post, which is pretty hypocritical anyway. </p>
<p>So are you actually saying that, just because of the prestige of the medical school, that I won’t be a doctor at all? It sure sounds like that. Med schools DO teach the same ciriculum, if you haven’t noticed. Just because a school like Johns Hopkins teaches O-Chem in their med school, doesn’t mean that a medical school like Howard won’t. The fact of the matter is, you’re STILL called, and referred to as “Doctor so and so”. No doctor I have ever talked to introduced themselves as “Doctor so-and-so who graduated from Johns Hopkins”. As far as I’m concerned, you can have good doctors graduating from Howard, and bad ones coming out of Johns Hopkins. This can go either way. But to say that the prestige of the med school is ALL THAT MATTERS, that is very egotistical of you to say in the first place. The real thing that matters is residency, which is like applying to medical school all over again. The residencies don’t give two *<strong><em>s what school you went to once you’re actually in the program, just like how Medical Schools don’t give two *</em></strong>s about the type of undergrad you went to after being accepted. You’re not the first one to tell me this, and you will not be the last.</p>
<p>
-I’d say that they are the same in difficulty. The only reason I would see the SAT as being harder is because the SAT also includes an essay section. The PSAT does not. But that really isn’t a problem for me. And again with the personal attacks. I have never, nor will ever consider myself, a “genius”. Please don’t judge me based on one PSAT score from my SOPHOMORE YEAR. I haven’t even gotten my Junior PSAT scores!</p>
<p>
-Again, if you had read my original post, you would know that the PSAT scores were from my sophomore year, not this year. Idiot. So boohoo, a tenth grader wasn’t able to score higher than 13% of all other Sophomores! It’s the end of the world for me! I’m definitely going to have no future with THAT kind of a score. :O</p>
<p>
-You have no idea how godawful this response is. I’m not going to bother. It just lowered my IQ. But who am I to judge? I’m not the one giving personal attacks and accusing people of having mental disabilities just because they don’t take your advice with more than just a grain of salt. </p>
<p>
-Of course you don’t give a flying ****! Why else would you take the time to write a book length response about how I’m wrong and have ADHD? It’s obvious you just don’t care at all. Really obvious there. </p>
<p>
-Another personal attack! So that makes…7? Anyway, I don’t actually have any type of disabilities. Your post would have been more well-suited had you decided to say A.D.D. instead of ADHD. The funny part of it all, is that you’re the one who seems to be hyperactive and chemically imbalanced, judging by the tone of your post. It’s obvious that anyone who disagrees with you has ADHD. Bravo. I would call you an idiot, but that would be an insult to all stupid people.</p>
<p>
-And yet you’re the only one who overreacted to one post I made. The only one! How unprofessional and immature can you get? Seriously? A book length response about how I’m stupid, ADHD, annoying, etc. It’s basically just a response of personal attacks left and right. I don’t even know you! And yet you’re telling me that I’m making it a flame thread? Look who just made it a flame thread with his whole response! But it’s obvious you’ll be refusing to accept this reality, given the fact that all of your 115 posts are probably nothing but flame posts. Oh well, I can’t change you. Nobody can. Maybe you should take my advice and chill the **** out, because it’s obvious you have some issues that I don’t want to get involved with. If you think your petty and immature personal attacks have affected me, you’re dead wrong. But it has shown me that you are incapable of taking some criticism. I said earlier that not all feedback is praiseworthy. Maybe you should try repeating these words to yourself, and maybe it’ll spare another poor soul from your idiocy.</p>
<p>Wow, i can’t believe i just read all that. Keep in mind though, XelbMS, MD2B2012 is a medical student at UPenn, which is on par with Harvard, so he’s not some random guy attacking you. He knows about the process.</p>
<p>And yes, MD2B2012 does have a point. Howard medical school is a primary-care focused medical school. Neurosurgery is a highly-specialized and competitive field. To get into a specialty field like neurosurgery the prestige of the medical school does come in to play, along with your board scores.</p>
<p>I think you can easily get into better programs if you raise your scores, which have a lot of potential to go up. So don’t worry about it.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply. See, you’re actually pretty nice. It was the personal attacks that I thought were completely uncalled for and unecessary. I understand that Howard is primary-care focused, so I’ll just have to kill everything when the time comes. Thanks again.</p>
<p>OP, "disgruntled pre-meds and parents " - wishful thinking. My D. has applied to several combined programs and was accepted to 3 of them. She is college junior currently and very far from being disgrunted (actually her GPA continue to be 4.0). I know exactly what I am talking about. Apparently, you are not looking for honest opinion. If so, why don’t you just ignore what we have said and apply. This was waste.</p>