***Official Thread for 2020 BSMD applicants***

[mi2019]

23andMe can confirm. I am bullish.

This may encourage folks to push kids for phd in genetics rather than MD

[PPofEngrDr]

From activity it sounds more like a nephew/niece

[rk2017]

@PPofEngrDr

@rk2017

@PPofEngrDr

@rk2017

@PPofEngrDr

@rk2017

@NoviceDad

Interesting article in WSJ

https://www.wsj.com/articles/top-colleges-in-the-northeast-for-student-outcomes-11579104365?mod=hp_lead_pos13

Ivies are in top 7 out of 10

Couldn’t read the article completely bcoz asking for subscription. But couple of names in there (and may be more?) stand out as known dream crushers, or busters if you prefer for many pre med aspirants who went there.

Either they dropped the plans altogether or had to settle for med schools which they would have never thought considering going to when entering these schools to start with.

Yet another predicament for students in such schools, after having a bad undergrad experience, it is difficult for them to go for masters to recover and make themselves competitive again. They feel awkward going to the state school due to the prestige hangover and they can’t afford master’s at the same place, most of them spending over a quarter million already on the undergrad.

Know a student who is in one such top of the list above (tied). After undergrad didn’t bother taking MCAT knowing doesn’t stand a chance and has been involved in some research full time with a professor there for couple of years already now. Not sure when it will end and where it will lead him/her.

@rk2017 and/or anyone, please address 2 following questions for the sake of applicants?

1. What is the N for your data of how many HYPSM.. class size?
2. Do you have similar N for success stories from HYPSM... class size?

No one here ever suggested that break your bank and take all risk.
Most likely who broke the bank doesn’t really break it to begin with because parents are capable of carrying that burden.
I am sure you heard drop out success stories like Gates, Zuckerberg etc…but again those are outliers, shall we advise parents don’t send kids to college?

To all applicants and parents, beware of outlier success/failure stories on this thread. Ask yourself a question, what are your goals and where you can fit (that covers risk appetite) best.

@PPofEngrDr

No one here is capable of getting a big N (sample size) if that is what you are referring to. Only the educational institutions know that and it is a well known fact that they manipulate those stats when claiming x% of our students (including alumni with break years and master’s and filtering those unfortunate ones) are successful in med school admissions.

@rk2017 it is sample size, thanks for acknowledging that it is not big enough, hence it is anecdotal. But I am sure that success stories N from HYPSM is far bigger and meaningful than failure stories N from HYPSM. Do I have those number to back it up? ofc not, but rationale is simple HYPSM students are best of pool, thus higher success rate.

Not true, success stories of the above group can’t be concluded to be high and consistent across them. As mentioned P and M students take the brunt within that group. No need to look at any data to conclude that.

So which group has highest success stories? Non-HYPSM?

Don’t know and don’t care enough to know. But when I first heard in the presentation of admissions officers during college tours of one of the above 5, that the success rate of their pre med students is 96%, it raised my eye brows since I knew it is not possible.

It is up to the students and their parents to do due diligence (if serious about medicine) before getting carried away by prestige alone and so hopefully not having to regret later.

[nightriser1]

What happens during a phone call interview. How should I prep?

[ppofbng]

@PPofEngrDr

From activity it sounds more like a nephew/niece

I have to admit, when I was searching for a handle name, your name appealed better

[PPofEngrDr]

@rk2017

@PPofEngrDr

@rk2017

@PPofEngrDr

@rk2017

@PPofEngrDr

@rk2017

@NoviceDad

Interesting article in WSJ

https://www.wsj.com/articles/top-colleges-in-the-northeast-for-student-outcomes-11579104365?mod=hp_lead_pos13

Ivies are in top 7 out of 10

Couldn’t read the article completely bcoz asking for subscription. But couple of names in there (and may be more?) stand out as known dream crushers, or busters if you prefer for many pre med aspirants who went there.

Either they dropped the plans altogether or had to settle for med schools which they would have never thought considering going to when entering these schools to start with.

Yet another predicament for students in such schools, after having a bad undergrad experience, it is difficult for them to go for masters to recover and make themselves competitive again. They feel awkward going to the state school due to the prestige hangover and they can’t afford master’s at the same place, most of them spending over a quarter million already on the undergrad.

Know a student who is in one such top of the list above (tied). After undergrad didn’t bother taking MCAT knowing doesn’t stand a chance and has been involved in some research full time with a professor there for couple of years already now. Not sure when it will end and where it will lead him/her.

@rk2017 and/or anyone, please address 2 following questions for the sake of applicants?

1. What is the N for your data of how many HYPSM.. class size?
2. Do you have similar N for success stories from HYPSM... class size?

No one here ever suggested that break your bank and take all risk.
Most likely who broke the bank doesn’t really break it to begin with because parents are capable of carrying that burden.
I am sure you heard drop out success stories like Gates, Zuckerberg etc…but again those are outliers, shall we advise parents don’t send kids to college?

To all applicants and parents, beware of outlier success/failure stories on this thread. Ask yourself a question, what are your goals and where you can fit (that covers risk appetite) best.

@PPofEngrDr

No one here is capable of getting a big N (sample size) if that is what you are referring to. Only the educational institutions know that and it is a well known fact that they manipulate those stats when claiming x% of our students (including alumni with break years and master’s and filtering those unfortunate ones) are successful in med school admissions.

@rk2017 it is sample size, thanks for acknowledging that it is not big enough, hence it is anecdotal. But I am sure that success stories N from HYPSM is far bigger and meaningful than failure stories N from HYPSM. Do I have those number to back it up? ofc not, but rationale is simple HYPSM students are best of pool, thus higher success rate.

Not true, success stories of the above group can’t be concluded to be high and consistent across them. As mentioned P and M students take the brunt within that group. No need to look at any data to conclude that.

So which group has highest success stories? Non-HYPSM?

Don’t know and don’t care enough to know. But when I first heard in the presentation of admissions officers during college tours of one of the above 5, that the success rate of their pre med students is 96%, it raised my eye brows since I knew it is not possible.

It is up to the students and their parents to do due diligence (if serious about medicine) before getting carried away by prestige alone and so hopefully not having to regret later.

But you do care enough to highlight only failures from HYPSM in favor of BS/MD. Wouldn’t it be fair to applicants and parents to know success stories as well, as unbiased contributor?
No one is debating that 96% is a skewed number. That is a marketing tool as good as BS/MD program who lowers bar for bright kids and than earn bragging rights about program success. If those programs are that confident on their selection quality and care that much about best kids, they should fill entire MD batch with BS/MD admissions, why only ~5-20% of their MD freshman size?
What is the bird worth if its wings are cut?

[mi2019]

@ppofbng

step 1 pass fail will be implemented when ?

[ppofbng]

@mi2019

@ppofbng

step 1 pass fail will be implemented when ?

I don’t know if they decided that way or not. But its one of the options based on what I read online. There seems to be lot of support for that option. It seems to increase diversity. The decision might come anytime as it looks like past due based on what they announced in the summer of 2019. I will defer the specifics to more seasoned experts on this site. Looks like @srk2017 did research on this.

[NoviceDad]

Folks

BU interview calls/emails are still going out - one of my students got one today.

[nightriser1]

Do you have any insight about phone call interview?

[srk2017]

@mi2019 I don’t think that decision is made.

https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/should-usmle-be-pass/fail

[kush22]

@NoviceDad

Folks

BU interview calls/emails are still going out - one of my students got one today.

Thanks !! We are still being hopeful.

Do you think calling them or emailing will help?

[bsmdparent1234]

Does anyone know the breakdown of applicants in Stevens and NJMS’ program?
- how many apps they get, how many are selected for interviews,etc?

[rk2017]

@PPofEngrDr

But you do care enough to highlight only failures from HYPSM in favor of BS/MD. Wouldn’t it be fair to applicants and parents to know success stories as well, as unbiased contributor?
No one is debating that 96% is a skewed number. That is a marketing tool as good as BS/MD program who lowers bar for bright kids and than earn bragging rights about program success. If those programs are that confident on their selection quality and care that much about best kids, they should fill entire MD batch with BS/MD admissions, why only ~5-20% of their MD freshman size?
What is the bird worth if its wings are cut?

Sure, why don’t you do some research on this in your free time and publish your detailed findings here? Will be happy to know myself

By the way you seem to be hyper defensive about HYPSM, your child(ren) in any of them? Or in Ivies? If so congrats!

[mi2019]

Does anyone has opinion about residency director rankings which I think almost equates to med school ranking ?

[srk2017]

@ppofbng

@mi2019

@ppofbng

step 1 pass fail will be implemented when ?

I don’t know if they decided that way or not. But its one of the options based on what I read online. There seems to be lot of support for that option. It seems to increase diversity. The decision might come anytime as it looks like past due based on what they announced in the summer of 2019. I will defer the specifics to more seasoned experts on this site. Looks like @srk2017 did research on this.

I didn’t research this but noticed that it mentioned on SDN. I don’t agree with that proposal since most medical schools are already going P/F grading, so step 1 scores are also P/F what are they going to use, essays, LORs, ECs? Also how will they compare FMGs and Caribbean graduates? As some folks here say may be all MDs are same and they should just use lottery or throw darts to pick residents. Also, standardized test taking is one of my son’s strengths so why loose that?

[PPofEngrDr]

@rk2017

@PPofEngrDr

But you do care enough to highlight only failures from HYPSM in favor of BS/MD. Wouldn’t it be fair to applicants and parents to know success stories as well, as unbiased contributor?
No one is debating that 96% is a skewed number. That is a marketing tool as good as BS/MD program who lowers bar for bright kids and than earn bragging rights about program success. If those programs are that confident on their selection quality and care that much about best kids, they should fill entire MD batch with BS/MD admissions, why only ~5-20% of their MD freshman size?
What is the bird worth if its wings are cut?

Sure, why don’t you do some research on this in your free time and publish your detailed findings here? Will be happy to know myself

By the way you seem to be hyper defensive about HYPSM, your child(ren) in any of them? Or in Ivies? If so congrats!

@rk2017 You are the one coming up irrelevant N size every time for ivy failures, not me, so onus is on you, not me. I am not on defense or offense for any route, path, career goals. Seems you have short memory at this point. You seem to forget all of suddenly communications for last 2+ years, forget the postings on experience threads about our kids etc…You hit a new low today my friend by taking a jab ar my son, knowing he is not in any of them ! Other day you jabbed at @srk2017 son at Vandy as easy school !
So to keep that record straight with you alone, my elder son is CS Junior in top 10 CS school (UofI), younger one is a NU UG (not HPME) sophomore and doing great academically (no effect of grade deflation so far) as well as ECs (go and read experience thread if you are interested learning more about him). I will tell you another secret that you don’t know about my kids, my elder son is the reason why younger one wants to be a MD, not money but passion for medicine !

[srk2017]

@mi2019 - I have opinions on everything Before I answer you need to tell me which category you fall in my category list

on serious note, I haven’t actually looked at them, but USNWR haters like that better. I will use my own secret ranking system when making the list for my son.

[shametomyfamily]

ok boomers

[PPofEngrDr]

u funny.