This isn’t a med school guarantee. This is a “here’s how we can make med school admissions less risky” which is not the same thing.
^^^Agree, but its still something the OP can choose to weigh into his/her decision.
OP can decide after organic chemistry that medicine was a tragically bad idea from the git-go. Easier to do that while being full pay at U Conn than being in a “not quite guaranteed” program at Hofstra.
These guarantee programs are a whole lot of marketing. Do you know how many 17 year olds who think they are becoming physicians actually become physicians? A tiny percentage. This kid still needs to take the MCAT’s… hardly a guarantee here.
He should definitely choose another school. If he decides to major in something else, then he’ll surely look foolish for having chosen Hofstra over far, FAR better schools.
I know of a guy who grew up the next town over from me who chose Hofstra over UMass Amherst for some reason…just a head-scratcher, really.
Those are much more stringent BS->MD requirements than some folks I knew who did the BS-> MD at Tufts and a few other BS-> MD programs.
The requirements my friends were held to at Tufts was to maintain a minimum of a 3.3 in core pre-med classes/overall and there was no requirement to meet a minimum percentile on the MCAT. Not even sure if they had to as some BS->MD programs only require students to take the MCAT as a statistical formality.whereas others don’t require their students to take the MCATs period.
To be fair, the Tufts BS->MD program my friends took was 6 years, not 7 or 8.
Hey everyone-- sorry for being late to my own party (I was taking some time off away from all of this college decision stuff), but I have some comments to add:
-
@ucbalumnus @thumper1 @blossom @cobrat Yes, the program does hold a requirement for a 3.6 GPA/80%ile MCAT, but for an Asian male, these are requirements that are below average (someone posted something about a 48.8% acceptance rate somewhere…), and probably will not get me into a Medical School in the first place; same goes for the B or better in science courses (that’s basically the “minimum” requirement to get into a med school). As far as the “guarantee” goes, the 4+4 program has very a high matriculation rate; most students are able to keep with the requirements and usually, all program students make it through to the next step. Also, even if I did perform better than the minimum requirements, I would still be content with Hofstra Med; they have a unique environment and teaching style (plus it’s graduating its 3rd class this upcoming year), so I would have no qualms at all about going to Hofstra for Med School.
-
The real problem that I’m facing right now is whether I’m limiting myself (as far as Medical School goes) by not going to an undergrad that can provide me with a much wider set of opportunities (specifically UConn), but this option would mean that I would have to go through the whole process of applying, resume building, all the things that are associated with pre-meds. Looking at UConn’s Matriculation List from 2014 (http://premed.uconn.edu/uconn-matriculants/), 24 out of the 52 med school matriculants went to UConn SOM. People that get into “top” Medical programs are not exactly common at UConn, but there are a few students every year that go above and beyond (kill the MCATs and get a great GPA) that get into amazing schools.With Hofstra, however, I have to turn down this potential of getting into a top medical school.
[Side note]: Prestige is not a major factor in my decision; I’m looking at this from the perspective that top medical schools would probably have more opportunities for their students. -
@LBad96 I know that going down the path of medicine is what I want to do; there’s no doubt in that. I can go through my resume to exemplify my motivations and dedication towards medicine, but I don’t think that’s necessary here: it’s simply where I want to be. These 4-5 schools are simply multiple ways of reaching that end goal of becoming a physician. Now, is there a chance that I’ll go into a science class and say “oh wait, I change my mind?” Sure there is, but I sincerely doubt that this will be the case.
-
As far as why I prefer the 4+4 Program, I’m really not that afraid of taking the MCATs or taking rigorous courses; it’s only work - nothing that I’ll shy away from. The “pull” that the 4+4 program has for me, however, is a little different: of course, having the guaranteed med school seat is nice and whatnot, but being in this program simply puts me a step above in anything that I want to pursue. For example, 4+4 kids are valued highly for very competitive spots at Feinstein (a research institute). In addition to this, the program would enable me to explore other things; at any other school, I would most likely be a Biology/Biochem major. At Hofstra, I’m leaning towards Neuroscience/Psychology. The student environment (in the Honors College, at least), from what I saw on my overnights, likens a lot to the open, welcoming, and collaborative environment that schools like Vanderbilt have. In addition to this, there is no sense of competition between 4+4 students; they all know that they’re all into Med School, so they all help each other out - a very valuable component that no other program that I’ve gotten into has.
-
For what it’s worth, I asked four students at UConn that also have compatible scholarships of what I should do. When I talked to them, each one - in a heartbeat - told me to take the Hofstra spot. This exemplifies the academic environment that pre-med students across the country are having to go through, so I do believe that having the Med School spot has some value (now to find out the true value of this is why I came here in the first place).
Thank you all so much for your input!
1 Like