<p>Of course HPME isn't all that it's hyped up to be. No program is perfect, no school is perfect. I even see flaws in the program. However, as to your comment Doc2be, I'd imagine that as a parent, you'd be pretty proud of your son/daughter if they got into HPME or any really good combined degree program. Because I'm not a parent, and you probably aren't either, you don't know how it feels to be extremely proud of a son or daughter. So while parents may perhaps be a little excessively proud of their children's HPME acceptance, it is understandable. This is another case of not knowing how it feels without experiencing it for yourself - just like experiencing Northwestern and HPME before you pass judgments. </p>
<p>On campus, we largely ignore the outside "hype" around HPME and enjoy it for its actual positive qualities - really smart people, great institution, intense academics, relaxed atmosphere, among others. Indeed, any hype about HPME should not overshadow other outstanding programs. Again, take what you will, everybody is entitled to their own opinions. However, realize that it's a totally different perspective once you're actually enrolled in the program and actually attend the school.</p>
<p>Also, I want to emphasize that "best combined BA/MD program" is a subjective term and I never like to label any program or any school as "the best." The program is only as good as the students that are in it, and honestly, Northwestern is not the only one with "snobbish," "arrogant" students...but I won't name any names.</p>
<p>No, I am not a parent. Lol, I am still in high school! I do know what it is like to feel proud of a family member's accomplishments. My sibling was selected for the UCSD's Medical Scholars Program a few years ago. Along with luck, fate, and an impressive academic record, this is a great feat. With students giving up schools such as Stanford, Harvard, Rice, Berkeley, MIT etc just to attend, I see how important it is to have a guaranteed spot into medical school.</p>
<p>To me, the situation between NU and Rutgers is like the difference between a pair of designer jeans versus a pair of Levi's jeans. Both serve the same purpose. Yet, the designer pair draws more attention because some how it seems more worth it due to its elevated cost and brand name.</p>
<p>As a potential applicant to these combined programs, if I am faced with the good fortune of having to choose between several programs along with regular undergraduate ones, I want to know whether it is really worth going after the hyped-up place or not.</p>
<p>Doc2be, your intentions are good. Unfortunately, I never had the luxury of picking between programs...it was either HPME or normal undergrad. So I had to choose between going pantless or wearing designer jeans lol</p>
<p>All the HPMEs that I knew when I was at NU were through an Asian Christian fellowship (I was told by one of them that the majority of them were Asians). Perhaps they were church goers that view humility as a virtue, they were humble and among the nicest persons I'd met at NU. So it really depends on whom you happened to be with. Any generalization and judgement due to limited exposure (like talking to couple students) is very premature. Even when someone said something arrogant or whatever, maybe that's not what he/she meant. Maybe he/she just misbehaved AT THAT MOMENT. On the other hand, any selective school would have certain number of people that like bragging about their acheivements. It's very possible you just happened to run into them. It takes time to get to know anybody, let alone the entire student body.</p>
<p>hmm so there seems to be quite a bit of debate over the student body at Northwestern.. I suppose.. all that is really subjective and based on limited personal experience... it does kind've make me uneasy that there's more bashing than defending, though. Neom is like a one man force. </p>
<p>mm another issue that's been bothering me is the cost of medical school... my parents are kind've freaking over Feinburg tuition. the thing is.. my family lives in Texas and the med. schools here are MUCH more affordable... I'm debating whether or not I should just go to NW Undergraduate and apply for Baylor or something... does anybody know if debt becomes a serious problem for HPME Students? how do loans work in Med. School? are they subsidized? my interviewer told me that you have 10 years to pay off your med school loans.. but.. during these 10 years are your loans subject to increase with interest? and if so, by how much?</p>
<p>that's because nobody ever bothers to come to CC after they get into NU...everybody's out having fun or working too hard - meaning NU is a fun place with intense academics!!</p>
<p>I've been enjoying all your posts, and gotten lots of good info. I've been recently accepted to HPME, and will probably be attending. Just like others, though, I'm worrying about the costs of med school. I'm from TX too, and in-state med schools are really cheap.</p>
<p>Is it possible to complete three years of undergrad at NU, and then apply to other medical schools? (I know that I'll have to keep up with ECs and take the MCAT and keep a high GPA etc.) Of course, there's the issue of how many credits you need to graduate. To let HPME students graduate in three years, they lower the credit requirement to 36. Regular undergrads need 45 I believe. So will I need to meet this higher credit requirement to graduate early, if I want to attend a different medical school? Or will I have to complete the 4 year undergrad?</p>
<p>Money is really the big issue for me right now, and even paying for undergrad will be pretty tough for me. I know that I can get bigger loans for med school, but right now, my parents have to pay a ton for the upcoming years, which they will find difficult to do. Thats why the three year thing seems good, and at HPME, at least I am guaranteed a place in med school.</p>
<p>btw, sry if this entire post seems to be defeating the purpose of HPME, since I'm basically doing all the things that pre-meds do anyway...just with the assurance of med school.</p>
<p>Yes, it is possible to apply out. I know at least one person who is already planning to do that. However, I'm not sure if you need to complete a fourth year of undergrad. Most likely you do, because med schools generally recommend 4 years of undergrad to get a good solid undergrad background.</p>
<p>for the people who apply out, do they still have the guaranteed spot at Northwestern Med school? Also, in your opinion how is the academic rigor/reputation of Weinberg? I know that the chemistry dept is top notch, but what about other sciences, particularly molecular biology?</p>
<p>Yes, they still have the spot. It's tough to talk about Weinberg in general because it has about 30 departments. Professors are very very knowledgeable in their subject area though, and Northwestern's academics are definitely not easy. I haven't taken the Biology sequence yet so I can't tell you about mol. bio but I hear it's a hard class...and research opportunities for biology are there if you want them.</p>
<p>I can't find Stanford med school admission stats but it should be very similar to Princeton's. The reason why I was posting that is to give people reality check if they are thinking they'd choose HYPS over HPME and then get into top med schools (like Northwestern's med school or better); med school admission is extremely competitive and even if you are in the best premed program (like Princeton's with 93% success rate to get into at least one of the med schools), it's against the odds to get into top med schools. The admit rate is 15% for Harvard and 17% to for Northwestern med school. That's roughly 1 out of 6 and that means you have to finish among the top within Princeton; being average there (and we are talking about average at Princeton) isn't gonna cut it.</p>
<p>can people post some stats, so people who apply next year can get a general feeling of how hard to get into the program.
This will definitely be beneficial.
So please flaunt your stats:)</p>
<p>what is teh language requirement for hpmers in weinberg? </p>
<p>as for stats..here goes, and this is the FIRST time i'm posting stats in CC so I'll be brief</p>
<p>SAT:M 790 V 800 W 730
SAT II: Chem-790 US hist-800, MathIIC-800, Bio (M) 770
GPA: 108 (W)
APs: 5s on 8 APs
ECs: lots of research, founded medical club, violin, very active in school
Hooks: Research awards, really good interview</p>