Please advice me choose between traditional 4 year college vs 7 year med. She is 99% sure of medicine.
Until she has been accepted, and has received he financial aid offers, there is no decision to be made. There are advantages of both programs. She should apply to several of each, and then see where she is admitted and whether any of them arer affordable.
At some schools, like Boston University, if you are denied for the accelerated program you are also denied for admission to the regular 4 year program.
She may change her mind about medicine over the next four years and then mind the school she did choose. She many not want to go to the med school associated with her undergrad. At some, the 7-8 year program locks you in and if you apply elsewhere for med school, your lose the preferential slide into their med program, have to separately apply. Since you also asked about “safety” choices on another thread, are her qualifications up to snuff?
Also changing her mind doesnt mean not going into medicine. She may decide to pursue a PA, NP, RNA etc. Those programs require a BA, which might be harder to break out of in an integrated MD program.
7 year med is a good option. Saves 1 year of tuition, and get to the job market more quickly. Med school loans can be quite hefty. However keep in mind that lots of people change their mind about medicine, even after med school. Many other countries use a shorter path to becoming a doctor (UK, India, Singapore, most of Europe, etc). So an 8 year program like we do here in the US is probably not necessary.
However the benefit of having a bachelors degree as others point out, is if a child decides not to practice medicine, then there is adequate fall-back position.
Be aware that very few get into the seven year programs. It likely will not be in her hands to make the choice.
One of the things my Indian H notices is that since I did an undergrad major before medical school I not only was able to focus on something different (chemistry in my case) but I also had the chance to take many enrichment courses during my undergrad years. He only did the relevant coursework for medicine. I strongly encourage would be physicians to take a variety of courses for themselves that have nothing to do with getting into medical school. Art history, music appreciation, literature, philosophy and so many other fields make a person more well rounded. Plus these are things one will not have time for once the medical route begins.
All people are so much more than their professions. There is life outside of medicine, although sometimes it may not seem so. It is good to be passionate about medicine but it is also good to have other passions. Taking a variety of “useless” courses in college makes one better able to appreciate art and music. It also gives options for stress relief while taking all of the heavy science courses in college.
If I were the parent who wants medicine 100%, I’d push for the combo. Otherwise, 4-year then play by ear.
I’m not a physician, so I put this question to friends and family who are. Most supported the idea of not only going through the bachelor’s degree route, but also taking a year or two off of studying to work. Without consulting each other, their mindsets were that taking a year or two gave your mind a break from school while, at the same time, providing an opportunity to pay down undergraduate loans. (They also said that having a degree is a great backup plan in case the student either decides not to continue in medicine or does not get accepted to medical school.) Interestingly, their choices of bachelor degrees seemed to somewhat correspond to their MD paths. The biology major worked in a lab and still likes the academic research climate, the PT chose orthopedics, the mechanical engineer chose radiology, etc.
One thing I kept hearing from some friends who have gone the 6-7 year BA/BS -> MD route is how much more intense that experience was and how some regret not having a full undergrad and med school years felt like living in a blurred existence because of that very intensity.
On the flipside, some who have gone through loved that very intensity due to their personality and liked the fact they started working as MDs 1-2 years earlier than their non 6-7 year BA/BS -> MD counterparts.
BA/BS->MD programs typically do require that the student maintain a high GPA and earn a high MCAT score in order to retain the “guaranteed” admission to the MD program (check each one to see what requirements it has). So the student is not exempt from the GPA-grubbing and MCAT-cramming part of the pre-med experience, although the sometimes stressful and expensive process of applying to medical schools, going to interviews, and waiting for decisions is skipped if the student does pass the GPA and MCAT thresholds.
One also has to consider the cost of the MD program in the BA/BS->MD program. On one hand, it is more locked in, but on the other hand, if it is one of the more expensive MD programs, that may not be as much of an advantage.
BA/BS->MD programs do come in 6, 7, and 8 year versions.
I’d recommend going the 4year + med school route. Typical requirements for 7-year programs mean that the student would be competitive at med schools anyway so it’s not that advantageous - and not being competitive there doesn’t guarantee anything. It’s a bit of a risk, too, since the intensity may mean less stamina and power for when it really matters - residency. It’s much better to take four years and use every opportunity, spend a glide year doing research and working, spending time outside the academic context in order to better relate to patients (volunteering perhaps) , arriving at med school in a different state of mind from twenty year olds who rushed through college.
Top students can get 4-year scholarships so that spending 3 vs. 4 years wouldn’t be a huge concern, but if it is, 1) How does med school factor in? 2) see whether there are other ways to cut costs.
Note : check to see if colleges of interest accept gen ed credits, in particular for AP Lit, AP art (music, art history, 3D, photography) , AP history, as those are three areas often required for graduation but not for medical school.
In any case, guaranteed admission programs are highly selective so one should treat them as super reaches - apply but don’t count on them.
Yoir daughter is currently a HS senior…and you already have her career and college plans all set for her?
Others have already given you good advice. She may not get acceoted to a 7 year BS/MD program. They are highly competitive for admissions and are not a slam dunk for any applicant.
Your daughter may change her mind about becoming a doctor…or,about the costs associated with becoming a doctor.
My opinion…if she wants to be a doctor, she needs to be 100% sure about it, not 98% sure.
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Be aware that very few get into the seven year programs. It likely will not be in her hands to make the choice
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^^^. This!
The parent who is posting is writing as if there will certainly be a choice. There may be a choice, but more likely, there won’t be a choice since BS/MD programs are crazy competitive.
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If I were the parent who wants medicine 100%, I’d push for the combo. Otherwise, 4-year then play by ear.
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this seems like a strange post to me. @eiholi
I knew that my son wanted to become a doctor, but I never wanted him to consider an accelerated BS/MD program. I’m GLAD that he got to spend the full 4 years as an undergrad. I’m glad that his senior was rather “light,” and got to spend that year taking mostly classes for fun and interest…Italian, for instance. He got to travel to watch his school win 3 football national championships during his 4 years. He’ll never forget those times. He made close friendships and still keeps in touch.
My son is in his 4th year of med school. He’s facing MANY more years of residency and fellowship. I just got to spend 2 days with him this week and won’t get to see him again until Nov 10th. Before this week, the last time I saw him was April 26th…even though his med school is only an hour away. This is because he’s soooo busy.
The med school, residency, and fellowship years are ultra intense. Why start the ultra intensity earlier and prolong it longer?
Why would a parent want their child to “miss out” on enjoying some of the “social” side of undergrad???
If the child is expected to study for the profession chosen by the parents, then marry someone family chooses for her, any “fun” or distractions like elective courses put the plan at risk, don’t they?
I’m totally against sending kids to “trade schools” right after high school. They should get general education and evolve intellectually/socially before deciding which profession they really want. 18 is too early to make these kind of decisions. Medicine isn’t for everyone, just because one is intelligent and qualifies for admisssion, doesn’t mean they’ll want to dedicate their whole life to it.
There are tens of thousands of applicants to medical schools every year who are well qualified it seems, and bright. They don’t get accepted to the schools of choice…or they don’t get accepted at all. Many students apply more than once before they get accepted.
The OP is assuming it is a slam dunk for his kiddo to get accepted to a 7 year BS/MD program. The acceptance rates to these programs are tiny. In addition, the student must meet certain criteria while in the first few years to continue in the MD part of the program.
I agree with you, @WorryHurry411, but unfortunately, kids interested in certain professions, such as engineering or accounting, do have to make those decisions at 18 because you prepare for those careers through undergraduate programs.
Fortunately, medicine is not one of the careers that requires such early decision making.
@piliyar, I may be wrong, but I get the idea from some of your posts that you didn’t get your own education in the United States. I think it’s great that you’re coming to CC to ask questions about the U.S. higher education system so that you’ll be prepared to talk with your daughter. The way things are done in the United States is downright peculiar compared to the way they’re done in many other countries, and parents who were educated in other countries often find it very confusing.
@Marian, it’s pretty easy to switch majors in the American system, so future engineers and accountants never are locked in to their majors before sophomore or (usually) junior year. Plus, there are masters programs for those who want to switch in to those professions (and gained the requisite background for them in undergrad).
However, the flip side is that professional degrees that are at the post-bachelor’s level (e.g. MD and JD) could be financially out-of-reach for more students, or result in heavier student loan debt burdens for many graduates.