Thank you @rk2017! That makes sense.
@veeyes
Re: tuition question
Yes, BS portion of BS/MD has the same tuition as regular undergrad BS/BA.
However there is a nuance - if you are pursuing regular undergrad (not BS/MD), there is a high likelihood you may qualify for many merit based scholarships at public universities. Such scholarships may not be available if you are in the BS/MD program.
I am currently supporting a medical student with the residency match process.
Residencies are for specialties - e.g. internal medicine, OB/GYN, dermatology, family medicine, surgery, etc.
Most traditional DO residency hospitals/universities accept USMLE Step 1 and 2 scores (apart from COMLEX scores). A few traditional DO residency hospitals/universities MAY ask for certain hours of DO course-work and a letter of recommendation from a DO.
DOâs planning to match to traditional MD oriented residencies have in the past taken USMLE Step 1 and 2 exams.
If you have the scores, the grades, the LORs, and other items in your profile, you have an equal shot at residencies match.
At this stage of the game, it is suffice to understand that options exists and not worry too much about it. Medical school process prepares kids to study hard/smart and clear these exams and plan for their residencies.
Thank you for your response @NoviceDad ! That gives some relief. So do you suggest kids to apply for both BS/MD and BS/DO programs in high school? Is it advisable to go for regular premed or BS/DO if my daughter doesnât get into BS/MD? I recently heard from a friend that her daughter dropped out of medical school, not sure if itâs because of not meeting GPA requirements or a different reason. Is there anyone in this group whose kids graduated successfully from BS/MD programs and doing residency. Is Residency also as difficult as Medical School?
I have another question regarding School of Arts & Sciences-Newark and the New Jersey Medical School at Rutgers University. They mentioned that if you submit ACT, then they consider writing too. My daughter has 35 composite in ACT but her writing is only 8. Her SAT is 1510. Do you think she should take ACT/SAT once again or she can just submit both scores? I am not sure if 1510 SAT is little low.
Sorry for bothering you all with bunch of questions. So many questions come into my mind as this is the first time weâre going through this process. This thread is being very helpful till now.
My question: How do you all get time to complete all the supplements and so many essays before Nov 1 or 15th deadline for BS/MD programs. I see that most of these kids are applying to at least 15-16 colleges. I know they can start writing essays during Summer that are in general common but they cannot complete these really to submit until the applications open. I am just looking for some suggestions on how to be proactive to apply widely.
I think I answered these concerns already directly or indirectly. Yes 1510 on sat is on the lower end.
- ACT writing graders are generally stingy, compared to sat. Admissions folks do know this and take into consideration. That's why writing score of 8 corresponds to 87-88% ile. Also did you find out if the program considers the 1-12 score or the ELA on 36 scale?
- Rutgers Newark sends 5-6 students to NJMS every year. Is it worth retaking ACT to possibly raise the writing score (no guarantees) to impress them more? By comparison NJIT and TCNJ send 2-3 times more.
However by the wording on their website it appears njit looks at decimal ranges of ACT i.e. whether the 35 on act report is actually 34.5 or 35.25 (both of them equated to 35 by act)
If you have enough time to give another shot, sure you can try giving another attempt(s) at ACT, but believe it may be better to focus on strengthening other aspects of oneâs background.
@mygrad2021
1510 is on the low side and out of range if you are ORM. The ave accepted candidates at NjMS was 1570. Scores is not the only thingâŠ
Thank you @rk2017 and @sammyGA ! I do not know if the program considers the 1-12 score or the ELA on 36 scale. So far other than Rutgers no one really asked for ACT writing part. They said itâs optional. So I will first finalize colleges and then think about it. I know it doesnât make much sense to put so much time on ACT instead of focusing on the other parts of the resume. One of my Dâs friend gave another shot recently after getting 35 and she got 34 this time.
Since BSMD is so competitive, are there any other majors that can give one a boost when applying to Medical schools? For example, does it make sense to major in BS in Nursing to show medical school that you are committed? Or maybe there are other strategies to maximize oneâs chances to be accepted to a medical school
@Westerngirl Major has no bearing to medical school admission. There are folks opinion-ed doing Nursing is counter productive since shortage of nurses Adcomms would question or think twice. But have seen posts from students who were nurses or PA or any health related fields who got MD admission.
But the key point is students should choose whatever they feel passionate and interested. At the end of the day students are the ones need to study and get good GPA and not parents. We need to make them aware, what it takes to make critical decisions in life which may have significance.
If the student is so clear and sure about medicine then choose a school where student can be in the top 25% and choose a major student enjoys. The major is just a stepping stone for any professional education and career.
But at the same time, if the student is not sure about medicine, then student should choose a major which also facilitates for Plan B in case if the student changes the mind or not competitive to get MD admission.
Let the student know things will evolve and change which is a natural process as we grow older. Also students should know just because shadowed a Doc for few hours, anyone can fully comprehend what it takes to do MD nor if that career may interest a person to do it day after day for 30+ years.
Thank you @GoldenRock ! Why doing a nursing degree by some considered counter-productive? In theory, all the required subjects like chem, bio, anatomy would be covered in such a program and prepare somebody for Med school better than say English major? I like your thoughts on plan B. Thank you again!
Sorry for the delayed reply. I had been out of pocket having spent the entire weekend at a non-profit national conference.
Re: your post #543 above:
If your current scores and grades put you in play for BS/MD, do NOT apply to BS/DO.
If you do not get into BS/MD (for whatever reasons), try the regular undergrad route to apply to MD schools.
Think about DO only after the above two options.
If your current scores and grades are not âhighâ enough e.g. SAT < 1450, then think about BS/DO.
ACT=35 puts you in play for practically all BS/MD programs.
DO not worry too much about the writing score.
Question is: how is your Dâs profile, her LORs and how well are you reflecting her passion to do medicine in the WHY BS/MD essay.
FYI -
According to AMA:
"In total, the AAMC has data tracking 21,622 students who matriculated to medical school. The breakdown of primary undergraduate majors in that group generally had a heavy emphasis on science and math, which tend to align with medical school prerequisite requirements.
The most common majors were:
Biological sciencesâ11,843 total matriculants.
Physical sciencesâ2,214.
Social sciencesâ2,107.
Humanitiesâ797.
Specialized health sciencesâ650.
Math and statisticsâ168.
It is worth noting that the second largest group of matriculants (3,843) tracked by the AAMC fell into the âotherâ category."
Thank you for sharing this
Thank you @NoviceDad !
BU mentioned that they recommend SAT Foreign Language for their bs/md program. How important it is? Anyone have experience with getting into the program without SAT Foreign Language.
Is SAT Chemistry 760 good enough for my daughter to be competent for the program? I know it depends on many other factors.
No, sat subj in foreign lang has no much bearing on the selection, only reason itâs asked is that if the student has a decent score in that, they will waive the foreign language requirement they have.
760 is so close and yet off the Average + Standard deviation = 770. No hard and fast rule, but better give another shot at if you are interested in that program and have time.
Thank you @rk2017 ! So AP scores in foreign language are not considered to waive foreign language requirement?
I donât know. If the student has done AP and got a bad sat subject score in that, a possibility, they may not waive it I guess. So I think it is kind of double validation in such a case. But you do have time till June or so of senior year HS (before entering college) to take that sat test in F.L.