Chances

Pre-Med & Medical School Multiple Degree Programs
1

<p>Hey guys
I have been looking around at the stats of those who were accepted to the BA/MD programs and when i look at mine, i dont really see myself as a competitive applicant. However, a lot of people have been telling me to try it out anyways--that i will never know--so i want to ask your opinions. do i have a chance at any programs? if so, which ones?</p>

<p>GPA: UW 3.8 W 4.3
SAT 610CR, 750WR, 780MT
SATII 740BIO, 760MTIIC
AP 5BIO, 4ENGlang, 4USHIST, 5CALCBC, (currently, CHEM, STATS, COMPSCI)
EC: Hope Can Cure Cancer Club (9,10officer,11officer, 12officer)
Red Cross Youth Corps (9, 10, 11, 12officer)
Spanish Club (11, 12officer)
Project Ascent Club (12--we are still in the process of creating and organizing the club, but we are well on our way. i am in the focus group in charge of preparing the club and i have been assigned as the secretary. this club's purpose is to encourage more involvement in the community while preparing future PA-ers(i will explain later) for their leadership training in beijing and hong kong.)
Pre-Med Club (12)
Volunteered at an elderly home (10)
Tutored at a middle school (10)</p>

<p>NHS (10, 11, 12)
California Scholarship Federation (9, 10, 11, 12)
Participated in Project Ascent, a leadership training/ camp for Asian Americans. About 15 high schoolers, including myself, traveled to Beijing and Hong kong to volunteer at an orphanage, meet with the elderly, learned more about our Chinese culture through interactions with BeiJing's high school students, and visited a drug rehabilitation college where former drug addicts lived together on an island off of hong kong and taught others about their experiences.)</p>

<p>*i am worried because my extracurriculars dont really show that i have done something medical, like shadowing over surgeries or done any research.</p>

<p>thanks for your replies!</p>

2

<p>replies, anyone?</p>

3

<p>First of all, the biggest red flag (and you mentioned it yourself) is that you don't have any true medical related EC. You need to volunteer at a hospital at the very least. Shadowing is good, as well as research. The thing is that you're a senior now, so it might be a bit late for volunteering/shadowing and research will probably not happen. Plus, schools will see that this all happened during your senior year, which will make them think that this was all done to boost your chances and has nothing to do with passion. However, it's good that you've done some community service work because it shows that you're committed to helping others.</p>

<p>As for your chances at programs...it really depends on which ones. Some programs are extremely tough, while some are on the "easier" side. Your stats are good for the lower level programs. However, your SAT I CR score is on the low side. Any chance you could retake? Also, what is your class rank?</p>

<p>Lastly, if you want to pursue a program you have to have a true passion for medicine. Let me copy and paste one of my earlier posts on deciding if a program is right for you:</p>

<p>
[quote]
As for if a program is right for you...only you can decide that. The programs can be very intense academically if they are accelerated. They are not just an easy way into medical school. Most importantly, you may go to a school just for the sake of the program and then later find that you want to do some other subject and be stuck at that school. You have to confident medicine is what you want to do.

[/quote]
To add to this, some schools will not present the BS or BA degree until graduating from the medical school, so if you decide not to go to medical school, you will have no degree depending on your contract. Some schools will stuff medical school courses into your undergrad, which some people find unnecessary.</p>

4

<p>thanks!
how about for usc's 8 year program?</p>

5

<p>if i was not accepted to the program, should i still go to USC for undergrad? i heard that it is not a good school for undergrad...</p>

6

<p>^Ask that question in the College Search & Selection board. You'll get a better answer there. You can ask on the USC board also, but of course their view will be biased (maybe just post your specific concerns).</p>

<p>Like I said earlier, if you want to get into the top tier medical programs (which incl. USC) you're going to need to raise your CR score to a 700+. You also need a lot more clinical/medical experience.</p>

7

<p>so should i just not apply? i mean, it is already my senior year and if i suddenly go do something, not only is it too late, but the colleges might think that i just did everything for apps (honestly, i never heard of shadowing until a few weeks ago.)</p>

<p>are there any programs in which i have a chance at with my stats and ecs?
thanks</p>

8

<p>No. If you want to do a program (i.e. you know you want to do medicine...which is something you need to find out through EC, you are okay with the school the program is at, etc.) you should definitely apply if you can afford it. There is no harm in applying...you have a chance.</p>

<p>Now, about your medical EC. These programs are a huge commitment. Spots are limited. Schools are looking for students who are serious about medicine. The best way to prove that you are serious is to have medical/clinical EC that can back up your claim that you feel that medicine is right for you. For example, I volunteered at a hospital and was able to observe the treatment of patients first hand, so I was able to put this down on my EC list and talk about it in my interview. You don't NEED medical/clinical EC, but they substantially help you.</p>

<p>The thing is that if you start doing the EC now, schools might not take you that seriously if you say that these EC helped you decide you wanted to be a doctor because you just started them. HOWEVER, you do have some substantial community service, which you can use as leverage to explain how you are committed to helping others. If you combine the medical EC with this you could possibly weasel yourself through. I explain how below.</p>

<p>There are programs that are less strict about EC (i.e. volunteering at the hospital is enough). If I were you I would do the following:</p>

<p>-Immediately begin volunteering at the local hospital for several hours a week. Interviews are late this year or even next year, so you'll be able to talk about it at your interview.
-See if you can find a doctor to shadow by calling the hospital or finding one through friends, parents, etc.
-Raise your CR score...it really needs to be higher (700+ is ideal, but 680+ would probably be fine).</p>

<p>When it's time to write essays and interview you can talk about how you've always been committed to helping people and have always considered medicine, but after you began volunteering and shadowing you knew it was what you wanted to do. NOTE...this is extremely clich</p>

9

<p>thank you Central Perky--
is it better to go down the regular track now with hopes of getting into a prestigious medical school in the future, or go to a not so good undergrad and med school through the 8 year programs?</p>

10

<p>It really doesn't matter where you go for undergrad even if your school is "not so good." Go to a place you like, feel comfortable at, and fits your academic goals. As for doing a BS/MD, please see below.</p>

<p>Topics regarding entering a BS/MD program:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=379469%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=379469&lt;/a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=298878%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=298878&lt;/a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=162657%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=162657&lt;/a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=327846%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=327846&lt;/a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=165583%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=165583&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Topics regarding medical school prestige:
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=213924%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=213924&lt;/a>
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=366517%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=366517&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

11

<p>CP is right that we've repeatedly argued that the "prestige" of an undergraduate program or a medical school is not particularly important. Trading these off for a guarantee might make sense.</p>

<p>As a general rule, however, we do maintain that how much you like your undergraduate program and medical school is very important. Trading these off for a guarantee -- especially because I believe that this guarantee is actually not very worthwhile -- is something you really, really should not do.</p>