So I’m in a bit of a dilemma. I’ve been accepted to
Rice ($0 need-based or merit scholarship),
Duke (1/4 cost of attendance need-based scholarship),
NJIT/NJMS 7 Year BS/MD (with full-ride undergrad scholarship, med school ranked 70),
TCNJ/NJMS 7 Year BS/MD (with 1/3 cost of attendance merit scholarship),
my state’s 7 year BS/MD program (the medical college is ranked ~85 in the country)
My question is, what should I pick? All of these options seem to have their pros and cons. My parents would like me to live close to them before I head off to med school/residency (because they are slightly concerned due to a health condition that could theoretically flare up).
For Duke, despite its prestige and amazing undergrad education and experience, I am concerned because of its difficult pre-med program (hard to maintain a high GPA, 75% of pre-meds take a gap year before applying to med school (I do not want to take 5 years to get to med school)).
Rice seems a bit more flexible and relaxed (easier to maintain a higher GPA, socially conducive, better environment for pre-meds), but then again, the cost and the stress of applying to med schools is always there. My parents would be able to pay for Rice and we may be getting aid from them in the future.
At NJIT or TCNJ, I can easily finish my undergrad in 2 years (or 3 years as well) and either go directly to NJMS (effectively making it a 6-year program) or take a gap year to do research, enrichment, etc. In this way the NJ programs are very flexible, but there’s concern about the distance and the fear of missing out on possibly getting into better med schools if I had gone with non-BS/MD.
My state’s BS/MD program is the most rigid (the course schedule is fixed and identical for everyone in the program over 3 years) and I am locked into the state med school, but I stay close to home and there’s relatively less stress for 7 years (I could focus more on research etc. and getting into a good residency). My state’s medical school is ranked lower than NJMS, but not sure how much that matters?
My personal advice would be, if your priority is becoming a doctor, to take the NJIT/NJMS offer and travel to your home town as often as you get a chance to. I doubt though if the program will let you become a doctor in 6 years.
And even if theoretically they may, you may still not want to rush since it can negatively impact your residency chances (in fact there are people taking a gap year after MD to strengthen their credentials for competitive residencies). NJMS students match into good residencies, but it is ultimately the student, more than the medical school, that decides the outcomes. You may attend top medical school and do badly when it comes to residency placements or attend the non fancied med school and get into a top choice residency, mostly depends on you (have come across so many cases in the latter category). In that context, your state med school may not be bad option either.
IMO, take your state bs/md since you want to be closer to home. One can get into a good residency from any accredited US medical school if one works on it. All MDs after board certification are treated equally and paid the same amount for the same work performed based on billing code. Your medical school/UG does not matter much except for the prestige factor.
If distance from your home town to NJ is not too far, both TCNJ/NJMS or NJIT/NJMS bs/md are good option.
First, congratulations, nice to have options these days!
Based on what you are saying, I would suggest the two best options is NJIT or TCNJ, they are giving you some money and state school (close to home).
I heard being close to home with that mental support is essential during medical college year from multiple students currently studying medicine. So, state school might be the right choice. But it looks like you wanted to evaluate other medical school options (or at least keep that open).
Unless you really don’t like the state medical school, I would suggest the state school, stress free, close to home, guaranteed doctor!
Personally, I’m leaning towards taking the State BS/MD atm (because the state med school’s match lists are pretty good as well), but I still find it difficult to wrap my head around the fact that I will be forgoing a prestigious undergrad and a potentially prestigious med school. Does the reputation/prestige of med school matter/would it be worth it?
@GentleGiant, IMO, all MDs after board certification are treated equally and paid the same amount for the same work performed based on billing code. Your medical school/UG does not matter much except for the prestige factor. In long run, your medical school name does not matter. It is how well you perform in medical school that matters. No body asks which medical school one attended when practicing medicine. Of course , it is for bragging rights.
Even the residency match list of a medical school does not guarantee you anything. You have to work on the residency you want to do.
If you are having so much difficulty, why settle?
Go ahead with what your head and gut tells you to, at least that way you won’t have any regrets later no matter what the outcomes may be.
For 20,000 cost of attendance (1/4th as you indicated) Duke is a steal. However, there is no guarantee that you will be offered seat in Med school. Only 20 students from Duke at max are accepted to the medical school. Ask yourself if you have the zeal to make it?
There is no comparison in UG life between Duke and NJIT/TCNJ. You can always come back for an in state medical school from Duke if you attain good GPA and MCAT score.
plenty of kids from Duke or any top school do NOT make it into med school. So if you are 100% sure that’s what you want to do for life, take the guaranteed NJ spots. But if there is any possibility that you change your mind and go for a different career then choose Duke or Rice for the doors they will open.
@billythegoldfish - well said. Kids who got into BSMD have a competitive profile and usually end up with multiple excellent options. Out of these, many kids who get into both top UGs and BSMD’s have grabbed the bird in hand, choosing BSMDs over Top UGs.
If you want a rigorous, prestigious college AND the BSMD guarantee, pick TCNJ. You’ll have both the guarantee and some of the brightest students in NJ [it’s a very imperfect measure, but the NMSF cutoff is typically 221-223, so that gives you an idea of how deep the pool is].
If that’s what you pick, don’t rush through it. Take as many classes as you want, explore interests, discover new ones.
Think back six years, when you were 12. That’s the difference between you now and you by the time you"ll be an MD. Think of how much you matured, changed, all the things you did.
(And now think of yourself aged 10 or 11. How much more you changed.)
Medical school is a marathon. The clearest path to NOT becoming a doctor is rushing, confusing the marathon with a dash and collapsing quickly. Slow and steady wins the race.