@GoldenRock Thanks!
@Roentgen thank you very much for your helpful insight!! I think Iām leaning towards Rochester because of their high ranking in research as well as the atmosphere of the med school is more appealing. Thanks once again for the input!!!
Yeah, I think Rochester in this specific comparison is the better choice, just because of the specialties you are considering, the grading system, and relatively small price difference. At max itās 10K more per year, since $80K/8 years is $10K/year, or at min itās $7.5K more per year, since $60K/8 years is $7.5K/year for both undergrad + med school together.
In that handbook, it looks like for Rochester, that when it comes to the MSPE which goes to residencies in which you are divided into groupings (Outstanding, Excellent, Very Good, Good), your basic science grades donāt factor into your overall grouping: āThe Years 1 and 2 course performance will only be used for AOA consideration and will NOT be included in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (Deanās Letter) groupings or in the MSPEā. So it looks like outside of AOA, it really is ātrueā Pass/Fail.
I think also having U Rochester undergrad literally right next door to Rochester Med (Google Mapped how close they are and itās 0.3 mi. which is like a 1 minute drive between the two) is an advantage in terms of getting involved in medical research early as an undergraduate and continuing it. Much harder if not impossible with Penn State University and Jefferson since they are 3 hours apart (even commute between Penn State University and their med school in Hershey is > 1.5 hours).
Congratulations in having really great programs to choose from!!
@BiochemStudent
Rochesterās matches are better than Jeffersonās, but perhaps not as much as the USNWR ranking differential would suggest. If you intended on pursuing neurology, the difference may not be appreciable, since neurology is relatively uncompetitive and you should be able to match into a desirable program. If you intend on internal medicine followed by cardiology for fellowship, Rochester may help you land a better internal medicine residency, which could make you more competitive for cardiology (a fairly competitive specialty). But neither should hold you back from realizing your long term goals. Of note, Jefferson will be implementing a new curriculum within a year or two, which may incorporate true pass/fail grading
Other than that I guess the differences would be the location, size of the student body (both med and undergrad), cost, and the length of the program. Either choice would be reasonable depending on how much you weigh each factor.
@dblazer, thank you for that update!! I was pretty sure the website was a little dated but I couldnāt find anything that current (after 2013) to refute it that showed for sure that Jefferson had converted (or was converting) the first 2 years of basic sciences to a ātrueā Pass/Fail grading system.
@BiochemStudent, Iām sure youāve looked at these match lists before, but just for comparison, as Iām sure, there will be others who will want to look at them in the future who will be considering these programs:
Rochester (goes far back as 2011, couldnāt find earlier than that)
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/smd/alumni/events-activities/match-day.aspx (Click on each year on the left, and then click on the PDF appointment list)
Jefferson (couldnāt find a match list before 2012)
http://www.jefferson.edu/content/dam/university/skmc/studentGuide/OSACC/academic-advising/MatchList2012.pdf
http://www.jefferson.edu/content/dam/tju/jmc/files/Admissions/MatchList-13.pdf
http://www.jefferson.edu/content/dam/tju/jmc/files/Admissions/2014Match.pdf
http://www.jefferson.edu/content/dam/tju/jmc/files/Admissions/MatchList2015.pdf
http://www.jefferson.edu/content/dam/university/skmc/admissions/Match2016.pdf
@BiochemStudent
Based on the points @Roentgen and others have made I think you should choose REMS if you donāt mind the weather and atmosphere of Rochester (itās not for everyone). Nonetheless I donāt think either program will hold you back.
Happy May 1st aka college decision day. :bz Enjoy the extra day tho!!!
@GoldenRock, I spoke with someone in Pre-Med Advising at OU and asked about how exactly to accomplish the transition from UG to Med School as part of the BA/MD program. She said that our daughters would still have to fill out Med School applications and have 2 letters of recommendation. Asking for letters of recommendation seems like a superfluous requirement. The website provides the following:
āProvisional acceptance means that a spot is waiting for you at the OU College of Medicine, if you achieve an MCAT score and a GPA that are equal to or higher than the average MCAT score and GPA of the previous yearās incoming medical school class. Typically, this is an MCAT score of approximately 30 and a GPA of approximately 3.75.ā
That language says nothing about additional āhoopsā to jump through.
Thanks @RayznHELL for the information. Agree with you on these extra steps, but still I think it is more of a formality and I am sure they should be able to get the recommendation from profs or others where they will volunteer as part of the program. But definitely they need to focus to get GPA in the range of 3.8 and needed MCAT score (which is relatively not that high req in OU)
Hopefully every one has signed up to their college choice by now. Friendly and final remainder to every one, when time permits, please post your stats and reflections in the *** BS/MD Results For Class Of 2016***. So far only 6 students have posted. Longer you wait, chances are very less you will post. So please do it now and enjoy your summer vacation. Thanks.
Has anyone been accepted into the Howard BS/MD program?
@aspiringgirl To the best of my knowledge, no one had any post related to Howard BS/MD program in this thread.
To add to what @GoldenRock is saying, if people donāt feel comfortable posting in the BS/MD results page linked thru their CC username, Iām more than happy to post it under my username in that thread (if you PM it to me), to make it more anonymous. I can alter the CV (i.e. remove specific institution names/hospitals, for example). I can then send it back to you thru PM for final approval, BEFORE I post it into the thread. Just please follow the format in that thread http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/multiple-degree-programs/1857339-bs-md-results-for-class-of-2016.html#latest, initially posted by @texaspg.
College Confidential is only as good and as helpful as its members are, so the more information, the more it can help future applicants when it comes to gauging how competitive they are for specific combined programs and for getting ideas on building their CVs if theyāre just starting out. If you really benefited from the forum, please take the time now to give back to those who are coming up behind you, and will be applying in the fall, who will have the very same questions, concerns, doubts, anxieties you had while going thru this process, by posting in the results thread,
Doesnāt everyone have to commit to by now? I am surprised by lack of participation on results thread esp from those who were very active on this thread. I hope most of them post eventually.
@srk2017, I hope most of them do as well. I havenāt done the comparison from prior years, but I really do hope once things settle down, as high school students are probably now getting ready for and preparing for prom, and graduating at the end of this month, if not early next month, that applicants from the 2015-2016 application cycle do come back and take the time to sit down and fill it out.
@GoldenRock, I spoke with Dr. Sarah Tracy, Director of OU MHSP, who confirmed that a Med School application including 2 recommendations will be necessary to transition from OU UG to Med School. They will be completing the same 18-hour course requirements as a Medical Humanities Minor together with 100 volunteer hours (not 100% sure on exact number of hours) over 4 years and a couple of internships. I mentioned that I knew from CC that at least one accepted student had gone elsewhere. She said they went to their waitlist. The total number of BA/MD students going to OU will be 6.
@RayznHELL Thanks for the update. It is a small group and hope they collaborate together and enjoy the college years and transition to OU Medical school.
I am fired my from job (admin assistant to the future MD) since she can talk care of all these things in the future. But to keep me happy for all the work done so far, she has given only 1 task in the future also. You would have guessed, take care of the bill from bursar office!!!
Is there one during undergrad?
@GoldenRock, itās ok, College Confidential will hire you full-time!!! :)) The application process never ends, but itās much more in her hands in terms of what she can do now when it gets to later application stages.
@texaspg I was kidding! Though it is almost free for UG, but you know how the process works. Got a letter to pay $1k which is needed for any freshman before they can enroll for any classes, which will be adjusted later when the final bill comes for 1st semester. It is beyond $450 already paid as enrollment fees.