<p>Assuming that I will be accepted to Union/Albany Medical College and guaranteed admission to medical school without taking the MCAT, what challenges/differences will I face if I choose to decline, attend a top tier university like Vanderbilt, and apply to medical school the conventional way?</p>
<p>Are freshmen "weed out" classes real?
How much work does studying for the MCAT really take?
Will my social life be affected?
How much harder is it to get a competitive GPA rather than just the 3.4 that I would need to stay in the program?
How nice would it be to not be so stressed in undergrad if I get in the program?</p>
<p>I know nothing about BA/MD programs, so I will just comment on your other questions:</p>
<p>a) Yes, they are. I can't even describe to you how many people changed their majors from Biology to something else after Fall of Freshman year was over, let alone after the semesters to follow. But don't let that scare you.
b) Average study time is about 6-8 weeks. I wouldn't recommend to start studying/take a prep course until you finish all of your premed requirements.
c) It's all about time management. No, you're probably not going to be able to go out every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night of your entire college life, but then again, most college kids don't regardless of major. Something I wish I realized Freshman year: just because it's a Friday or Saturday does not mean you can say "Oh, it's the weekend, I'll just put off my work until Sunday." You will get more work each year, and there's nothing wrong with doing homework/studying for at least a few hours on a Friday before you go out.
d) Again, it all depends on the person. You shouldn't aim for the minimum, though, because you never know what could come up and prevent you from getting a grade you thought you were going to get.
e) I can guess that's a pretty good feeling, but what if you decide you don't really like their med school and would want to go to a different one? Or even want to go to med school period? What would you do then? Again, not saying you will fail at completing this goal or decide you don't enjoy it enough, but there are so many people who come into college hoping to become a doctor and then never actually apply. It's bad enough more than half of actual applicants do not get into a single med school each year; think of all the people who never applied who wanted to be a doctor at one point. What I'm saying is it's difficult to predict what you want for the next eight years as an 18 year old, before even going through the transition of college.</p>