Congrats @HS2DirectMed, I was a valedictorian myself (2015) and currently in BS/MD program, I have been following this forum silently and at most curiosity and looks like you have come out with the first acceptance, I was in the same situation as you all are in now. This year’s 2016 BS/MD group appears to be very focused and all have very competitive profiles to gain admission I’m sure you all will get an admission somewhere and I wish you all the very best , and BTW for the valedictorian speech it is an exciting task, let it be something that you must relish. Just make sure its persuasive, and uplifting speech in which your peers are not only given a fond farewell but they’re also inspired to go forth and achieve their greatest. je vous souhaite le meilleur !!!
@dudefromnowhere is NJMS still sending interview invites ? We were told from TCNJ and Rutgers 2-3 weeks ago in email that app has been forwarded to NJMS. We confirmed that We were forwarded from NJIT as well so 3 undergrad forwarding app to NJMS but we have not heard anything back from NJMS regarding interviews. Anyone recently received interview invited from NJMS? Appreciate an update from anyone.
Received RPI/AMC acceptance and “under consideration” for Union/AMC
Seeking input from experts on National Merit Scholarship.
Why do NMSC has such a complex process and expects folks to have Einstein level intelligence to understand?
Currently my D is finalist and has ‘Undecided’ for college choice with NSMC. The plan is to wait until Mid-April to know the complete picture of all admission and merit scholarship information and change the status to her college of final decision with NMSC.
Is this the correct thing to do or am I missing or getting trapped because just now got a mail from a University as follows?
“For best scholarship consideration, we encourage you to indicate XYZ as your school of choice by midnight, Tuesday, March 1 (receive date) with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.”
This XYZ school has given admission and given $30k scholarship (has a tuition of $37k per year). But it has a Presidential scholarship program which is a full ride and my D has applied. Also this school has BS/MD program but not yet finalized who will be called for interview, leave alone the final acceptance to BS/MD program.
My D will definitely attend if she gets a BS/MD seat but definitely will not attend if she does not get BS/MD seat.
My reading of NMSC rules, in case if we notify tomorrow, then NMSC will notify XYZ in the first week of March and if XYZ awards scholarship then later if my D does not attend, lost the opportunity. So it is best to inform NMSC only later once the picture is clear.
Appreciate if folks who has can gone thru this process before shed some light. Thanks in advance.
FYI. My D got admission and Regents scholarship from UC Santa Barbara today. Being in-state the tuition comes to $8k/yr.
@GoldenRock, first congratulations on your D’s acceptances. Also, you have kept most of us sane during this rough ride.
Regarding, NMSC rules this is my thought process
- Check whether the xyz school offers college sponsored NMSC scholarship; if they offer is it one time or renewable.
- Compare it with one time $2500 that NMSC offers - in the case you don’t get corporate or college sponsored NM scholarship. I believe NMSC hands out 4000 students this one time scholarship (rest 4000 - 100 from corporate and 3900 are expected to be sponsored by various participating colleges)
My personal opinion is put in the college that offers max NMSC scholarship amongst your college list that you are likely to attend. Also, check which colleges allows to stack the NM scholarship on of top of their largest scholarship (provided that it is not their full ride).
@goldenrock - The school designation can be changed. I am under the impression each school provides a specific amount for NMF designation and so I am not sure what they are claiming with that note unless presidential scholarship hinges on the designation since they have already given you 30k without the designation.
There is a date where your choice becomes final but it is definitely not March 1st.
@GoldenRock heartiest congratulations on UCSB… And that too with a hefty scholarship! I am NMF too and have wen following this thread for a while. Check this out to see if it answers any questions you might have, if you haven’t already. Hope this helps:)
@NJTDad Not sure if NJMS is still sending invites but I know the interviews are still going on. Btw D received the invite about 4 weeks after TCNJ interview. Also, please note that NJIT will know that a candidate was not invited and will then ask if one wants to apply for their other programs. Since you haven’t heard from NJIT I think you can expect NJMS interview. Wish you the best!
@jumbletumbles Thanks and good luck to you!
A big problem with BA/MD applicants is their inability to clearly explain why they want to be a physician; very few of them have a satisfying answer to this question. Moreover, an applicant’s unwillingness to go off their predetermined script does not look good. From my perspective, when interviewees come off as practiced they come off as disingenuous/synthetic. Four years of hard work is often thrown away within the first few minutes of the interview, simply because the applicant neglects to establish an ability to effectively communicate without an overriding sense of awkwardness. Medical schools don’t want students that can’t think on their feet. Everyone that gets an interview looks good on paper, but few are able to impress me in person.
anyone notice anything for penn state? they were supposed to have the committee meeting today to decide
@AdmissionsAdmin All true however that fact is not isolated to Bsmd candidates but to ALL medical school candidates at large. Age/maturity/experience all influence. If your core reasons are sound (coming from the heart and speaks to the essence of self) then it will come a cross as natural. After all YOU are the expert of YOU! It’s not necessary to memorize a reason you think they want to hear. Just share your reason and let the chip fall were they may. Be true to yourself.
@dudefromnowhere thank you for keeping the hope alive. Anyone on the forum who may have received NJMS interview in last 2-3 weeks can you please post. I got to believe that more interviews notices are being sent. Last we heard from undergrad was on 4th of feb from Rutgers and TCNJ that they have forwarded to NJMS.
@AdmissionsAdmin “applicant neglects to establish an ability to effectively communicate without an overriding sense of awkwardness”
The general consensus & advise both on CC & elsewhere (web, counselors, etc) seems to be that interviewers for BSMD programs understand that these students are only finishing up High School now & are in fact, still teenagers and simply won’t be as polished in demeanor nor interviewing skills as a 20/21+ year old. Aren’t the points you bring up of ineffective communication skills & sense of awkwardness rather expected of this age group, thus par for the course? By your statement, if true across all programs, these applicants are not in fact being evaluated as high schoolers, but being held to the standards of a college graduate. Or am I misunderstanding your intended point on this? I’d appreciate it if you would please explain this further.
ETA: I’m not trying to argue your point. Just trying to understand why there’s a difference between the general advise being given to applicants & your opinion.
@AdmissionsAdmin @IfnousWHO I think that another problem may be that after a candidate has had 4-5 interviews already, it can be hard for their “why do you want to be a doctor” answer to not sound rehearsed.
I was moved by this lad’s graduation speech:
Did any one get Uconn, Penn state and UAB BS/MD interviews ?
@dvrvarma123 Looks like you have taken a long nap. Just kidding. All those interviews are over long time back. Actually UAB even extended the acceptance offers in Feb 1st week itself. You need to go back to lot of old pages in this thread to get any specific info for these 3 college interviews.
As per UConn admission office decision letters are in mail for the students interviewed in Feb. we should expect to hear by Friday then.