<p>In your opinion is it better to accept a 6 year accelerated med program or to go the normal route with more leniency to study other areas you enjoy or study abroad</p>
<p>It depends. If you have superior stats and are possibly accepted to a 6 year program, I see no reasons why one should not do that. The cost will be a big factor if you’re OOS. UMKCs program would leave an average student that is OOS a debt of 300,000$ assuming there are minimal scholarships. 300,000$ in my opinion is freaking ridiculous but if you have the money, thats awesome! I personally am going to do traditional route, hoping I will make it into med school!! I also think that two more years wouldn’t be that bad because it would mean lower stress rates and more time to actually enjoy what you are studying instead of cramming everything ever day for your undergrad cause its “2 years shorter” hence the 6 years. It is clearly your decision, but I would recommend taking your time to think about it, and anyways the BS/MD programs are FREAKING competitive. Like no joke, you would need a 3.9GPA and a 2350SAT score with plethora of ec’s. That is unreachable for a lot of students, making BS/MD a “dream”. No offense in any of this!
Good Luck:)</p>
<p>Excuse any spelling mistakes as I was typing fast:)</p>
<p>Based on D’s experience, it has helped her to be in bs/md.<br>
-She rejected accelerated one, she choose 4 + 4 bs/md that also allowed to apply out and still retain your spot
Being in bs/md allowed her;
-Be very calm during MCAT, she needed only 27, she got much higher because she knew that she would definitely get 27
-Be very confident during interviews at Med. Schools because:
1. she had a spot at Med. School already
2. she has experience having several interviews at Med. School for bs/md’s while still in HS
-Be very selective applying to Med. Schools and apply to relatively few.
-Her specific non-accelerated bs/md allowed her to have normal college experience with trip abroad, sorority and Music Minor and many other activites that she would not have a chance at accelerated bs/md. Looking back, her UG was a perfect place for her with numerous opportunities and it was tuition free (Merit awards).
-For references, D. graduated #1 from her private prep. HS. She is at Med. School outside of her bs/md. She had great choices of Med. Schools and had hard time deciding.</p>
<p>This is just my opinion, but I think going the 6 year route robs you of an undergrad college experience.</p>
<p>When I think of my pre-med son (now a junior)…if he were in med school now, that would have meant that he would have spent his first 2 years cramming in all his pre-med pre-reqs…striving for top grades…having little outside interests or fun. I that later on he would have looked back on those years as “missed opportunities”. You’re only young once. You have your whole life to be a doctor…don’t rush it.</p>
<p>Just another opinion:
S applied to only 1 bs/md program at a top 25 school he was seriously interested in attending even if he didn’t get into the bs/md program. It wasn’t accelerated (very important to all of us, especially S) and allows him to apply out to other med schools without losing his spot. Like Miami’s D, this combination will hopefully allow S to enjoy his UG experience and still have the security of a MS slot lined up. We wouldn’t have considered a 6 year program or a school that didn’t allow a student to apply out. He wasn’t interested in attending an undergraduate school or med school that he wasn’t excited about either, just for a guaranteed bs/md slot. </p>
<p>He ended up choosing the bs/md slot over HYPS acceptances as merit money at the bs/md school sealed the deal and he is very satisfied with his choice.</p>
<p>A different view: two siblings went the 6 year route to MD; both are glad they did. Both eventually obtained Master’s degrees in complimentary areas(Occupational Health) and believe going the 6 yr route gave them time later, after getting established, to take time to get the Master’s.</p>
<p>It seems to make sense to go the easiest route! I haven’t started med school yet, but would have loved to do it the fastest route possible!</p>