Thank you quite a bit @ReturningFavor , you certainly live up to your name haha.
@ReturningFavor do you know if students in this program can CLEP out some of the prerequisites for the med school portion
@Futureobgyn1 I am learning more about the program each day as one of our sons reports to us (in excitement) what he is learning about it from his sister’s friend who is in the program and has taken a mentorship role with him.
I do not, however, know the specific answer to your question. I can tell you that he has found that not only in the BSMD but in many premed programs in general they advise students to take their lab sciences in a 4 year program. This is (according to the young lady) because some (and maybe even many) medical schools do not accept AP credits as part of their requirements that you have the following classes in college:
Chem
Orgo (1 and 2)
Physics
Biology
Calculus (some schools)
They are told to take the classes there at college (and ideally not at a community college in the summer).
Therefore, I cannot imagine that the BSMD program would accept CLEP at Howard when they will not accept APs.
The student did tell my son to go ahead and take AP bio and chem anyway because it will make the college courses easier and show, when he applies to BSMD, that he can handle challenging work.
He likes the idea of BSMD but is still in high school so career thoughts certainly may change and there is no guarantee that he will get into Howard and get a great scholarship (which he will need to attend), much less get into the very competitive BSMD program there.
Thank you @ReturningFavor i meant like to CLEP out subjects like English etc. But thank you for your response
@Nedcone and @ReturningFavor :
Do you guys know how the question: Why BS/MD? Should be answered? It’s a basic question but I think the right answer is tricky to decide.
@Mckennna88 I was never asked that question in interview, and as always one should a unique answer.
But some explanations might be related to rigorous courseload, financial costs lowered, being able to help people faster etc. It is all about how one structures it however.
Anyways, update.
So, upon arriving on campus I have learned a few things. Howard’s Class of 2020 has shrunk overall to 800 incoming Freshman and 1200 transfer+freshmen, resulting in a shrinking of those accepted into the program. There are only 6 BS/MD (and one BS/DDS) members as of now in the program this year, one male and 6 females. 1 person (a female) dropped out already. Which may appear discouraging till one remembers Howard allows anyone and everyone to reapply their freshman year provided they take around 16-21 credits. 3.5 GPA or higher requirement is in place as well.
In addition, participating in a particular Preprofessional 6 week summer program known as HCOP has the potential to boost ones’ chances of gaining admission, and its also a valuable experience for college life, adjusting to D.C. prior to going there, and learning a ground of material. 2 people who were initially rejected were accepted this week (As originally it was 1 male to 4) as they had been in the program and thus had contact with the advisor.
I myself am taking 23 credits this semester to clear some things out early. AP credit is generally not allowed, but the typical requirements are lessened so as for it not be an issue.
Over the summer, one is required to take Organic Chemistry I, II, and lab in addition to any divisionals or requirements they desire.
I hope this information is helpful to anyone here, whether in deciding whether to apply at all, when to apply, what to do, or reassurance to continue. I’m no genius who got in compared to some of the people on this site, so don’t feel discouraged.
@Nedcone How are the dorms there ? I want to apply there next year for 2018 and I wanna make sure I get accepted by building my resume. I also have two other friends that wanna get into this program too so any advice you can give us ,like heads up on the application process and acceptance? Thanks for keeping us updated
@Futureobgyn1
For women, one has a plethora of options. There is either The Quadrangle and the various dorms that form it (Crandall, Frazier, Truth, Baldwin, and Wheatley) all of which have their ups and downs but are generally of decent quality. (Carpeting for example is found in some of the quadrangle but not all)
For a higher price (unless one is on scholarship) a person can stay in CHN, a higher quality place living wise with personal showers, study lounges on each floor etc. Some say the trade off is the more community aspect one gets in QUAD, as CHN tends to be a tad stricter and reserved as a result.
For men, there is only one option. Charles R Drew Hall. The only good thing I might say of Drew is that the community aspect is strong, and all the men are in one place which is convenient.
The bad is that, barring the football field and Gym, Drew is inconveniently located from all buildings and classes. So while girls may be able to return to their dorms during a break in classes, it is unlikely a boy would return. As a result of being far from the campus, Drew is actually located in the middle of a residential neighborhood, which is a tad odd. The building itself is old a tad mismanaged. The A/C works very strongly as a plus for it. However there are no water fountains, maintenance takes a long time to come, laundry machines are prone to break down, no soap is still in the soap dispenser, no water fountains, and a few other minor things that effect quality of life.
Apply early, have all your material in, and call in to confirm they received it. Ideally you should have already been finished with the common app, but if you haven’t, finish up by the end of September. You want to receive an acceptance by December so as to ensure both scholarship funds and that you can apply for BS/MD.
If I think of anything else helpful I’ll be sure to chime in.
@cookiestar @Trackislife2016 @somuawan @mdstud123 Hi! I was wondering if you could post your stats. I’m currently a sophomore in high school and this program is near the top of my list.
Just bookmarked this thread, it is some very helpful info in here!!!
@Nedcone
Hello Again! I have a question regarding the courseload. What term do you start the program after you were accepted (The phase plan says 1 summer but is it the summer before freshman year or the summer before sophomore year…)
After acceptance, the program essentially begins freshman year. I took 20+ credits first semester and 20+ credits second semester.
The summer session is between freshman and sophomore year (which is now for me).
Hope that was helpful. @haleema
@Nedcone
Thank You, that is helpful.
@Nedcone Do the program accept dual-enrollment credits? I took some community college courses while in high school (such as Orgo 1 and 2, Physics 2), and got As on all of the classes, so will they take them? Also, are AP credits accepted for the core sciences (such as bio)? Thank you so much.
@wisely1300 how did your interview for the bs/md program go? Can you give me some feedback?
@Nedcone
Your write up has been very helpful. Thank you.
Would you be able to tell me how many HU undergraduates go on to make it into their MD program? I am an international student with a Capstone scholarship. I did not make it into the HU bs/md prog.
From various searches, I see that HU has the most intake of international students into their medical college when compared to other colleges. Do you think it will be it easier once you are a diligent HU undergrad? Thank you.
@hubsmd my interview was decent I guess. I did pause a bit on some of their questions, and I feel like they pressed me a bit on some of their questions (famous people who went to Howard, specifically what makes me want to go to Howard, etc.). I’m still waiting for the results to come out.
@wisely1300 Thank you for your feedback.
Hope you don’t have to wait long and the answer is positive. All the best.
Either way will you be joining HU?
@wisely1300 Dual enrollment is accepted completely. AP science credit is not at all accepted. For example, a student came in with dual enrollment Chem I credit and was able to enter Chem II. I entered with Chem AP credit and had to take Chem I.
@hubsmd Unfortunately I don’t have those statistics, I could try asking.
@Nedcone, I would really appreciate that. Thank you.