@tempestasavvy108 Thanks for the clarification on the housing. It seems like you did your homework and are pretty well informed, the only other thing I could suggest is to compare the undergrad curiculum and see which school offers more in the way of what interests your son. Some programs have rigid curiculums and others tend to provide flexibility to allow the student to explore more
@crazy dad Agree, individualâs view points and what is important or not important may differ. But going only if the program waives MCAT may not the best approach. Need to consider many factors and it is going to differ with individuals which factors should be given how much weightage. Few factors are, interview needed later or not, GPA, GPA related constraints (every semester or at the end of some timeline), how GPA works (Is A, A+, A- same or have different points), fixed curriculum (of option to do any major), location, UG college vibe/fit, cost, MD school related factors and how critical they are for individual situations etc.
For example, even the definition of guaranteed program. For you, it is if there is no MCAT. For me it is when there is no interview later to gets admission for MD. Because MCAT is within the control of the student. But interview outcome is not fully in the control of the student.
@Empire007 Itâs no problem! Thank you as well for your guidance and suggestions. We will definitely take them into consideration. Much appreciated!
@tempestasavvy108 please read post #3621 by @GoldenRock, I think it answers your question well, he said much more eloquently what I was trying to convey.
@WGSK88 the article is almost 2 years but I believe the concerns are still valid today. @srk2017 I think there might also be another reason which the article touches upon. " that Asian Americans often donât use the âconnectionsâ they do have. In all my years in college admissions, I never received a phone call or a visit from a well-connected politician, chief executive or other leader to advocate for an Asian American student."
As getting into BS/MD programs and colleges becomes more competitive, schools become more âholisticâ in their selection process. Therefore, if certain ethnic groups are less likely to seek resources, because they feel they have the ârightâ GPA or test scores, then they may miss out on opportunities.
This day and age, a perfect GPA and ACT/SAT will only get you so far ⊠Itâs all about the presentation of an application and as the article stated, many of these kidsâ parents most likely did not even go to school in the US, let alone understand the complexities school admissions these days!
@tempestasavvy108, my DS liked Drexel BS/MD program very much when he went to admitted students day. The surrounding area of Drexel is very vibrant and felt safe. As in any big cities, people need to be aware of the surroundings. If any student needs help/escort at any time of the day, Drexel police service is available.
The undergrad GPA requirement is not difficult to maintain as long as the student does his/her work and not slack off. The students all seemed happy and answered all the questions. As for MCAT, you need to work for it. I heard from top BS/MD program director that it is good to take MCAT, it helps for USMLE test taking skills.
Also, U Penn being next door to Drexel, interested students can do research at U Penn too.
Did Rice/Baylor already announce? I get the feeling that Baylor might have already called the candidates
@path2md Excellent points! My DS did consider those factors since they are very important. However, one of the biggest concerns of Drexel BS/MD is their MCAT requirement, where each section has a minimum score of 128 and one being 127, which corresponds with a percentile of 85 last year (this can range). Already being a very high score/percentile to reach, doesnât this technically mean the percentiles can range very low or very high depending on the exam difficulty and curve since only scores, rather than percentiles, are needed to be met? So, if the MCAT is very hard with a poor curve during the final year of undergrad at Drexel, those students would @-), would they not?
Hi guys! so this is for all the people who applied/committed to Hofstraâs combined program. They changed the MCAT requirement to only 1 try, not 3. Dont know if they have told the program applicants/commits but please let everyone know. I know in the interviews they mentioned something else
@tempestasavvy108 What are MCAT requirement for Brooklyn BS/MD if any ? For MCAT mean is 500 (51%),
4127 = 508 (77 Percentile)
4128 = 512 (87 Percentile)
One point/section can make a huge difference in MCAT score.
GPA requirement is around 3.6-3.7 at most programs.
MCAT/Percentile
528 100
526 100
525 100
524 100
523 100
522 99
521 99
520 98
519 98
518 97
517 96
516 95
515 93
514 91
513 89
512 87
511 85
510 83
509 80
508 77
507 74
506 71
505 68
504 64
503 61
502 57
501 54
500 51
499 47
@BeeMan yeah, I have that feeling too⊠Cool username though!
@tempestasavvy108, the students take MCAT at the beginning of 3rd year, right after summer vacation. DS told us that, they can study during summer after sophomore, since they donât have to worry about volunteering/shadowing etc at that time. Achieving 85th percentile shouldnât be very hard for these kids, if they are competent enough to do well in Medschool. If they were to go through traditional route, they wouldâve to get 95th percentile and above in MCAT in addition to all other criteria in order to have decent chance.
At Drexel BS/MD, they get 2 more chances, in case they didnât do well first time. What is the MCAT requirement at SUNY Brooklyn?
@path2md @grtd2010 The MCAT requirement for SUNY Brooklyn BS/MD Class of 2017 is the 79th percentile (breakdown is 79, 76, 67- CARS, and 67). These are the minimum requirements that must be met. However, it should be noted that these percentiles are subject to change. The Class of 2016 saw much lower percentiles in each section (~10-15% lower). I have been told that because the program is subject to change certain regulations for matriculation, it should come as no surprise if the MCAT requirement is raised to at or above the 80th percentile (84th-87th) by junior or senior year of undergraduate. So, from what I understand, scoring in the 80th percentile of the MCAT will generally mean youâre safe. The question is whether itâs doable and if itâs ultimately going to be higher than Drexelâs MCAT score requirement.
@stresstasticlife @BeeMan I havenât received a call yet either for Rice/Baylor. I think they said they would call after they send the emails tomorrow.
@Harryp17 @stresstasticlife Thanks. Good Luck
Is there a results thread for this group?
Hello,
This forum is amazing as I joined few weeks ago
Just wanted to inform my DD selected UCF BMS over FAU B.S. M.D
Are there any one else considering UCF BMS?
But no one has posted yet though May 1 is very close. Request every one to post there.
Keep all interactions in this thread and use results thread only to post stats and reflections (currently many posts there as interactions, please avoid any further interactions in the results thread). Thanks.
I posted in the results thread 
Itâs kind of nice to vomit up everything Iâve been thinking for the past 8 months.
@kmn213 - Thatâs a great post! Congrats for HPME! your results are great reflection of how unpredictable the BS/MD process is. I am amazed that you were able to apply to 18 programs in addition to regular UG.