<p>hello everyone. I’m currently a non-trad student who transferred to Columbia, which is affiliated with this program. I transferred mainly philosophy, political science and english classes. 3 questions:
I’m 24, non-trad with a lot of “real life” experience. Might this be something that serves my application well? I’m a strong writer, but I don’t have any extraordinary accolades such as being a published novelist.<br>
My school requires taking Chemistry concurrently with Calc-is this grounds for disqualification?
How catering is this program to Ivy students? Do I stand a strong chance of being admitted based on the proper credentials and that fact?</p>
<p>i want to apply!! i’m a freshman… however i’m scared because they apparently had an acceptance rate of ~6%?! oh my… i wish i knew the statistics of some people who were accepted. does anyone who was accepted want to take pity on me and answer a few questions?? :)</p>
<p>So I am definitely interested in this program, but I had some concerns I wanted to clear up before I went full fledge behind it. </p>
<p>1)I have always had a passion for the humanities and social sciences and displayed this affinity through high school and college. Some of my closest teachers are my social science teachers and all of them can vouch how strong I am in the area. However, when I came into college I decided to major in engineering (big mistake) but am switching out, probably to history. Because of this, I took a lot of physics classes and engineering classes. Would you think this would count against me and hurt my chances? I did take a good number of humanities classes in college, and I did really well in all of them, and am planning on getting my English professor to write me a rec letter for this program. Would I even have a chance due to my heavy science background? I have already taken a year of physics and organic and calculus, but I am confident I can defend my position on why I like the humanities on paper and in person.</p>
<p>2) I noticed that a lot of people were saying this program favors ivy leaguers. Is this actually true? I go to a mid-range school, but am on a special scholars program (similar to the Morehead-Cain at UNC or Jefferson Scholars at UVA). Would this play a huge impact? </p>
<p>Thanks for the help and any other helpful comments!</p>
<p>Does this program affect coursework? Like am I not supposed to take Orgo sophomore year (as is the tradition) if I apply? Even though there’s a small chance I’ll get in.</p>
<p>Wanted to bump up this thread: how much does the college GPA impact the app? If you have taken chem & math during your frosh year and have a lower GPA, does this decrease your chances? More specifically, would they prefer a student with a 4.0 who has taken only humanities/social science courses, or a 3.3 of a person who has taken chem/math/mixture?</p>
<p>I would guess since the program is called “humanities in medicine” and is at a top medical school that the 4.0 without science is better than a 3.3 with. 3.3 isn’t even a competitive GPA for medical school in general.</p>
<p>It’s not either/or. They want Hume/lit majors with strong gpa’s. (that includes science coursework). A 3.3 in science courses has no chance, even with a 4.0 in all other courses.</p>
<p>the average APPLICANT reportedly has a 3.7 overall college gpa…and these students are applying usually with 2-6 semesters worth of math/science–more if you applied as a rising junior–(i applied with 5 as a rising sophomore, personally). so those reported GPAs include the applicants’ math/science courses as well—so you’d have to be pretty darn special and compelling to even get an interview let alone be accepted. and you’d have to imagine that the ACCEPTED students have higher GPAs than the reported applicant average…</p>
<p>Hahahha I believe you! I’m just wondering what they would value more based on the goals of the program. If there are two applicants–one who has taken a load of only social science/humanities and gets a 4.0 and the other has taken chem/math/bio and a few social science classes with a 3.3, which one would get the leg up. (if they were still looking at such applicants). If you apply as a rising sophomore, it’s entirely possible that you haven’t taken any medical reqs yet, so I was simply curious what they would do</p>
<p>to be perfectly blunt, they’d probably value neither. yes they want social science/humanities-minded folks who have delved into such things substantially and prove their love of it. nevertheless, they ALSO want those people to prove that they have made a mature decision to pursue medical school, and that such a decision is warranted via their interests and experiences. the program wants BOTH facets. to prove you have the aptitude, you probably would have taken several sciences at the college level. if not, you’d need a good amount of 5s on AP tests/upper 700s at least in math/science subject tests.</p>
<p>Their website doesn’t say you had to have taken them by the time you apply:</p>
<p>"Do I have to complete the required coursework before applying?</p>
<p>You do not need to complete the required courses before applying to the Humanities and Medicine Program. If accepted into the program, you must complete these courses before you graduate from your undergraduate institution."</p>
<p>So no, the website isn’t “clear” on anything being required prior to applying, only prior to matriculation. Feel free to use that link to see more info…it’s not just a year of bio and 1 semester of organic chemistry…it’s a year of gen chem and 1 semester of physics (not on website) as well. It would be prudent to familiarize yourself with their website.</p>
<p>^ My exact point. Thanks axc! Sounds like a great program for those interested in pursuing medicine. I have a friend from a lesser known school who has only taken humanities (classics I believe) classes because she thinks it might give her a leg-up in admissions. She is still passionate about medicine, but didn’t want to apply with a lower GPA. It will be interesting to see how it turns out!</p>
<p>Think about this folks: you apply in fall of Soph year. You have to complete Organic no later than spring of that year, which means you must have completed Gen Chem prior to applying.</p>
<p>Figuring out the requirements is rather simple. Someone with zero science classes has zero chance. Why would a top med program accept someone who has not demonstrated the ability to pass Gen Chem? It ain’t happenin’.</p>
<p>And fwiw, search on the history of the program – it was originally designed for students from tippy-top schools. It still is. An applicant from a “lesser known” college without outstanding credentials is wasting time and an app fee, IMO.</p>
<p>Gretsky: You miss every shot that you don’t take. </p>
<p>By all means apply, but don’t get hopes up. Early Assurance programs are EXTREMELY competitive (the one at Tufts accepts students with a ~3.8 in the sciences and overall, and Tufts is a lot lower ranked than Mt. Sinai), particularly if one doesn’t have an Organic grade. (Organic is the bane of most premeds who skated through Gen Chem.)</p>