Regarding BU, I called their office before break and they told me that calls would be going out on a rolling basis until early February. Going off the fact that no one on this forum has reported getting an interview, I am assuming that calls will continue at least through mid-January.
Happy New Year! Anyone receives SUNY Upstate Interview invitation yet?
Since the submission of the Upstate Medical supplement, there has been no news. Others please confirm. I guess the reviews will start in the coming week followed by invites probably the week after.
@Zephyr212 No news. Submitted from RIT.
Anyone has idea about George Masonās Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship program? It sounds interesting if you look at the description and the kind of summer research they are offering but I would like to know how much worth itās to take a break from her current research, volunteering and go to Virginia. Weāre not local to VA but my daughter cousin and stay there.
Here is the link for the program:
Happy New Year everyone
RE: PennState visit
This is visit to undergrad program. If you meet them, ask them about the Honors program and research opportunities.
You will get a better feel of the PMM program if you are selected for interview. Penn/Jeff has the most organized interview day will specific sessions for parents and common sessions for both students and parents. Most of your program questions will be answered there.
Office of Diversity - I personally do not see any benefit of meeting them. Unfortunately, most diversity officers do NOT seem to focus on Asians/ Indians.
All
RE: COSTS (Some of this may be repetitive to what others may have shared)
BS/MD is expensive. Period.
There are two components - undergrad component and medical school component.
Unless you get into NYU or are in-state in Texas (and in a few in-state programs like UPitt or do MD/PHD), most medical schools will cost you 280K-350K for the the four years.
Undergrad education is where costs vary - both from private vs public universities, in-state vs out-of-state.
If you qualify for need based aid, private colleges are generally more generous than public colleges. Public college, on the other hand, offer merit based scholarships.
Drexel, Brown (without any aid) are probably the most expensive undergrad programs (among BS/MD programs). Prepare to shell out ~ 300K for these programs.
So, in the above scenario - the cost difference between BS/MD vs traditional is ~300K (assuming you get full aid in undergrad in traditional path).
Against this cost, you need to weigh in the following:
- 60% of traditional pre-med students take a gap year (and associated anxieties).
- 20% of students take 2 or more gaps years
- Some BS/MD programs are accelerated
- Some BS/MD programs give you partial or full undergrad scholarships
Every family has to evaluate their unique circumstances and decide which path makes sense.
For parents out here: Remember students can get education loans but no one gives loans for retirement/ old age. So avoid tapping into your retirement funds.
UCincinnatiās intake for Connections Program is about 8-10 students.
Of which, 1-2 are out-of-state, rest are in-state.
Oh Boy! DD applied Cincinnati OOS. >.<
@ttb1263 Hi, I saw your comment describing how youāre torn between traditional and BS/MDā¦ A very good friend of mine (from a school in MD) was very competitive on the BS/MD path and, after interviews at REMS, NU, BU, + other the top schools, was accepted to many. He ended up choosing to attend UMD with a prestigious scholarship instead, and I have absolutely no doubt at all that he will become a fantastic and extraordinary physician.
Donāt be afraid to go to UMD, itās a wonderful premed school and if your daughter is competitive for BS/MDās then sheāll be absolutely fine wherever she goes. The more time I spend in college, the more I realize how wonderful state schools are at providing a solid, nuanced education while in collaboration with kind, down-to-earth, grounded people.
A tough school can be tough regardless of state school or private. Those considering going to UCLA, UCB and UVA for pre med tracks have to really think twice or more. Perhaps UMich and Georgia Tech too. One has to factor in high school rigor and college preparedness if choosing these schools. (To my surprise, have found out even some of the students in the BS/MD programs not sufficiently prepared but some how making it up for after struggling). Donāt know much about UMD (college park) but heard itās pretty competitive also.
I believe every student on this forum is capable of getting into med school whatever may be the route they choose as long as they stay focused. But have known some very good students till high school, some of them even getting to BS/BA/MD programs, but who chose to go to state schools (not the above mentioned), somehow got side tracked, couldnāt maintain high stats and ECs and either ending up with gap years or giving up the plans for medicine altogether.
Among the private schools, one has to think twice if the choices are amongst Cornell, Princeton, MIT, UChicago and perhaps WashU, Emory and JHU.
My great thanks to @rk2007 @cherax @NoviceDad @Empire007 @GoldenRock and others in providing great insights and opinions to my questions and comments. From your input, I plan to narrow down the college list that my daughter and I put the together.
As for UMD, it was originally in the list as safety school but now, itās moving up the rank to almost the top of the list based on what it can offer. Iām adding a couple more traditional public schools to the list but may have to trim it down since itās getting to long now.
I was so excited when found out about BS/MD but reality hit very fast with the cost of those colleges. Itās so expensive even for UG compare to what it used to cost when I went to college (I went to UMD 
). We will plan to apply for BS/MD and wait to see if we can afford it ;-). If not, my D will go to a good traditional school for her pre-med.
Thanks again for all the info and guidance. This thread is very helpful to us parents with kids ready for colleges and want to know about premed and BSMD.
Thanks
Did anyone hear back from RPI/AMC after submitting the supplement. Deadline for supplement submission was Dec23.
@rk2017 thanks for the great advice. Given a hypothetical choice of Cornell Pre Med vs BU or Upstate BSMD which one would you choose and how would you analyze it?
Following this forum I have one question and one comment . First the question: anecdotally I see a lot of commentary of someone who knows someone who turned down specifically Harvard, Yale, Princeton for a seat in a non top tier BS/MD program ( meaning those unlike Brown, Northwestern, Case Western, Rice,Baylor). Being sincere if you are talented and lucky enough to be accepted for a slit at HYP would you really walk away from that opportunity to be amongst some of the most renowned academics in the world for a BSMD seat?
Next my comment: Full disclosure I am a physician. So I have been through the cycle. I did a traditional path and went to a prestigious undergrad and top med program afterwards. I see a lot of comments that all that matters is you get in any school. āA doctor is a doctor.ā I can tell you if you metric is monetary reward i.e. income then yes this comment is true. If however you metric is true medical knowledge, opportunity for leadership in the medical academia as well as even you local health system then reality is not all medical school are the same and it does in fact matter. I am not here to list this school is better then that School etcā¦but I would say to anyone asking advice if you are gifted, hardworking student go to the absolutely best school and program you can. Do be afraid of what ifs or lol for gauranteeā¦Reality there are no guarantees in life. I will tell you that if you feel you are selling yourself short you will always regret that twenty years into your career. Lastly as far as BSMD potentially being an easier ride or path because less demanding/no MCAT / application , interview cycle etcā¦one point is if an easier path is what you are already seeking I would ask you really revisit if a career in medicine is what you wantā¦itās a long long roadā¦itās a career of sacrifice and long hours and at times dissapointment. Itās rewarded by high salary yes but it is a definite grind and that is something that those who are successful in it embrace rather then avoid. I think the BSMD path is good for some people and pass no judgement on anyone choosing same, however if there is a choice in your mind or heart that keeps asking if you should roll the dice because you may be able to shoot higher please trust in your talent that has brought you to this point, roll up your sleeves and go for it.
no news yet.
Thanks for some great advice @PAdude
Just one point to add. All the folks here are very talented and as you go through extreme highs and lows of interview acceptances, denials etcā¦ do not fall into the TUNNEL VISION trap.
The BS/MD path is not the only path and most make it through the traditional route. All of you are very bright and if you work hard you will become a MD.
Enjoy and cherish the last few months of High School. You will never get back and leave with great memories.
Havenāt read your post completely yet, but thanks for the comments and will post my thoughts if need be. But wanted to make couple of quick observations. Regarding HYP donāt know about HY but P is definitely said to have wiped out the med school dreams of many who went there for the prestige factor (or of their parentsā?).
Some went there knowing of the possibility upfront and were fine with that. Others had to either reconcile that they got something after all, if not what they wanted and yet others regretted.
As I recently mentioned of an acquaintance who had been to H, with top notch everything, going to a top medical school after break year(s) (but not H, S or JH) and not getting a dollar worth of price break either for the undergrad or for med school.
Also the conditions and competition between when you went to school and now needs to be factored in. Even as recently as a decade ago, pretty much everyone with a decent GPA and MCAT used to go to med school straight out of undergrad with multiple offers to choose from. Not any longer. We have had physicians in the latest cycle (2019) who had no hesitation in sending their kids to BS/MD programs in preference over Ivies they got into.
Regards to cost of BSMD, private undergrad and 4 year MD adds up easily to 700,000 if not receiving financial aid. MD tuition is 65k a year, but expenses add up to 94k for Boston U. NU and Brown cost more or less, without considering the inflation rate next 8 years. However seats are so so limited, buying a lottery ticket ( paying application fees ) is nowhere near to winning one. 90% rejected pre-interview.
Just getting an interview requires years of preparation ( test scores , GPA, research ) and luck . It is stressful waiting to receive supplemental forms , re-sending teacher recommendations to different portals, and writing lists of never ending essay prompts. Then months of waiting and disappointments one after another.
Nevertheless, the experience is very valuable. Because we truely understand what Pre-Med means, going through the same burnout process next 4 years
My 2 cents : For future applicants and middle class parents , in-state BSMD is the best shot in affordability and probability ( Free ride UG, 10% acceptance rate). OOS with 2-3 seats for 50 states is the least likely to happen .
In the meantime, good luck to all and hang on as few months left .
@ttb1263 there are plenty of state school BS/MDs that offer near-in state tuition! At mine you get ~in state for a particular major, and Iām sure others have similar agreements. Completely agree with keeping UMD at top of list, but after that, look at state school BS/MDs!