Everyone In The Pre-med Forum Please Read/comment

Pre-Med & Medical School Multiple Degree Programs
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<p>okay, now that i have your attention.</p>

<p>this is going to be a somewhat lengthy post but if you took your time to read everything and leave helpful comments, it will be VERY much appreciated and helpful for MANY cc'ers.</p>

<p>THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME IN ADVANCE.</p>

<p>hi all. i am a rising senior and with august coming around the corner, it's time to think about where i want to apply for college. i am interested in being "pre-med" in college and earning an MD/PhD in graduate school.</p>

<p>i've done the research and the reading on this forum and i think i have a pretty good grasp on different things regarding BA/MD programs, their selectivity, "rankings", etc.</p>

<p>but one thing that seems to bug a lot of people who have already gotten their decision letters is having to make a choice between a superb undergraduate vs. a BA/MD program (ex. yale vs. PLME).</p>

<p>in response to this dilemma, the most common comments/advices are:
1) if you're 100% sure about going to medical school, take the combined program. knowing that you're guaranteed a seat in medical school is a GREAT relief and you'll be freer to do other stuff. ON THE OTHER HAND...
2) if you're a bright, bright student, who will somehow survive the pre-med life at a top-notch undergrad, are you sure you're willing to compromise the chance of getting into a better medical school (such as Harvard) than let's say Brown or Rochester medical school?</p>

<p>SO...</p>

<p>i don't know if i missed it when i was reading the threads, but i have one question in mind: if you're accepted to a combined program and you choose to attend, do you HAVE to attend the affiliated graduate school? or do you have the option of studying for MCAT and applying to different medical schools at the end of your undergraduate years? this way the student has the benefit of comfort in the BA/MD program and still have the option of shooting for better medical schools if he's willing to put in the undergraduate effort. if have a feeling that different programs will have different policies, but my primary interests are PLME, HPME, REMS, and BU.</p>

<p>i also have another request.</p>

<p>it would be awesome to hear from current undergraduates who were faced with the same dilemma.</p>

<p>1) for those in BA/MD PROGRAMS:
first of all, CONGRATULATIONS!!! i was just wondering... speaking HONESTLY, would you say that the relief that comes from not having to wry about MCAT is noticeable? how is your studying evironment? are the other people in your program competitive or cooperative with each other?</p>

<p>2) for those in TOP UNDERGRADUATES:
if you chose your college for the better undergraduate experience, ARE YOU REALLY enjoying that experience? i know that some of you also chose the more prestigious undergrad so that you can be studying among other bright-minded and motivated students. but don't those other brilliant kids end up being your COMPETITORS as pre-med majors?? and how much of your time do you spend regretting not having gone to the BA/MD program? if you are NOT regretting your choice, please tell me what school you're attending.</p>

<p>i'm not trying to voice an opinion in favor for the BA/MD programs. i'm honestly interested in knowing the benefits of each option.</p>

<p>i think if this thread got enough responses and it was stickied, so many people who have the same dilemma would save time and have some quality advices before making a decision.</p>

<p>THANKS AGAIN for reading this :]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]</p>

<p>p.s.: i'm also going to add two links that seem to pop up a lot in random pre-med threads
<a href="http://services.aamc.org/currdir/section3/degree2.cfm?data=yes&program=bsmd%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://services.aamc.org/currdir/section3/degree2.cfm?data=yes&program=bsmd&lt;/a>
<a href="http://www.medicalhelpnet.com/content/view/28/46/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.medicalhelpnet.com/content/view/28/46/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>I'm in Case PPSP, we're allowed to apply out but if you take the MCAT and currently get <32 you're first time taking it you're dismissed from the program. You're just required to make you're decision by April 15th ish of your senior year, when you'd have to be deciding about other medical schools anyway. I believe you could also apply out with REMS.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
don't know if i missed it when i was reading the threads, but i have one question in mind: if you're accepted to a combined program and you choose to attend, do you HAVE to attend the affiliated graduate school? or do you have the option of studying for MCAT and applying to different medical schools at the end of your undergraduate years? this way the student has the benefit of comfort in the BA/MD program and still have the option of shooting for better medical schools if he's willing to put in the undergraduate effort. if have a feeling that different programs will have different policies, but my primary interests are PLME, HPME, REMS, and BU.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>It depends on the school. Some schools are binding, the minute a student applies to another med school their position is dropped. Others, it is optional, but is generally looked down upon to run off to a different grad school.</p>

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<p>As others have said, it depends. For example, Brown's PLME is binding.
Some schools have non-binding policies, but if you apply out, you lose your spot in the original school.
Others, like Rice/Baylor, allow you to apply out without risking your original spot.</p>

<p>This is an important question to ask each specific program before accepting an offer (or ideally, before applying).</p>

<p>And, yes, the lack of pressure is super noticable, not just about the MCAT, but for things like organic chem as well. It's definitely really nice. However, for me, the undergrad experience was really important, so I wasn't willing to give it up just for having a little less pressure. Luckily, I'm at my first choice undergrad school AND in a program. See if you can make that happen - because if you can, you suddenly have the best of both worlds.</p>

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<p>thanks guys for the responses.</p>

<p>i was also wondering, how important are ECs when applying to a combined program? will they be looking primarily for research/hospital work experience? i'm asking because music is my big "hook" and i want to know if the same EC advantage applies to BA/MD applications.</p>

<p>thanks</p>

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<p>^ It's always a plus to have clinical experience, though regular ECs should also count just as much.</p>

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<p>when you say "clinical experience", do you mean just volunteering at any department at a hopsital (i.e. medical records) or something more hands on (i.e. recreation)?</p>

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<p>anybody can volunteer at a hospital if he wants to. i'm pretty sure the admissions people are looking for ECs where you have to take the initiative to do more hands on stuff such as working in a lab.</p>