<p>Ah, so my dream has always been to discover a majestic letter of acceptance to the BS/MD program during my senior year.. To blissfully open the top and softly read each line until i found the words.."CONGRATULATIONS. You've been accepted". It is the very reason i study my ass off and have a 4.0 gpa at the moment and still a sophmore. I've fantasized about my life in Philly: surrounded by an uncomprehendable amount of new sensations and discoveries. To be able to spend 2 years in Penn state..To be able to smell the crisp trees shedding as the seasons change. To spend 4 years in the complete haven of Jefferson Medical college. Oh how i want that...but lieing in the shadows of the abyss comes, a new opportunity. Down in the good Ol' south of Texas lies RCHS. (Richland Collegiate High school). </p>
<p>A program where highschoolers spend their last 2 years of highschool in a college and also get their diploma AND associates..which is the first 2 years of college. So this means i'd already sorta be in a 6 year BS/MD program..But theres another unique thing..Also in texas, lies..Texas Tech. One of the few medcical schools in the U.S. that has the volumptious 3 YEAR MEDICAL SCHOOL curriculum. WOAH. So..that means 2 years of college and 3 in medical school? DAM RIGHT. Ofc, i want to become a doctor as soon as possible and do my part to save lives..but i still have my morals. And one of my biggest is "NO REGRETS". So i'm not sure what to do.Its a very rare chance and i want todo it, but my heart is still in love in PSU/Jeff. But time heals all wounds. HELP MEH!!! Thank you very much =)</p>
<p>TTU is a huge institution in West Texas. It has its own Med, Law and Business schools. It is considered the mecca if you are from the area. It has nothing in common with Houston and Dallas. Unless you are from West Texas, the rest of the state (and the country) knows it is a bottom five school in all categories. I went to schools in Houston and Dallas, but I practiced in West TX for five years. TTU med sch graduates are capable doctors, not incompetent like I have heard/come to expect. They just built a second branch of the med sch in El Paso. The emphasis is in primary care.
There is no way you can be a good doctor taking just 5 yrs to earn the BS/MD degrees. 4 yr TTU med sch graduates don’t do that well in the Match except locally. 3 yr would do worse. There is no need to rush. I knew a bright guy who just had to graduate HS in three yrs, college in three and med sch in three. UTMB used to allow students to skip fourth year if they matched into a university accredited residency. He matched into anesthesiology. He could have gone into more competitive residencies like Opth or Ortho if he had just stuck around the last year.
The only benefit for this route would be the lower total cost. You will not be able to Match into any competitive specialty.
Go with Jefferson. It has a track record.</p>
<p>Penn State/Jefferson used to be a 5-year BS-MD program. Two of my cousins enrolled in it.
The bottom line is that Penn State/Jefferson was changed to a 6-yr program, because 5 years is too rushed. Other medical programs have gone from 6 to 7 years, or 7 to 8 years. </p>
<p>Diverse experiences during undergraduate are believed to help make you a better physician. Don’t be in such a hurry. You’ll never get the undergraduate years back to enjoy.</p>
<p>my high school advisor is married to doctor who serves on the board of a state med school with a 7 year med program, and he feels that 7 years is still quick, mainly because it takes away the ability to be passionate about learning and exploring science when your courseload is so compact and grueling… 5 years almost sounds like it would ruin my desire to be a doctor. but everyone’s different, eh?</p>
<p>PLUS
you need to secure a place in all of these schools/programs for your plan to work. god forbid circumstances in your life change your entire journey could be in vain if you put all your eggs in one basket…</p>