@BAMDHopeful, @brown2024,
At first, we got the supplemental request from SUNY Upstate, and it did not state which school was the feeder school. When we got the interview e-mail, SUNY Upstate stated the feeder school.
ACPHS was my son’s feeder school.
Folks
Colleges do triage all the applications.
While every college does it in a manner to achieve that year’s objective, based on past trends, if your SAT>=1540 or ACT>=34, you are likely to be grouped together in one bucket.
After this, the entire holistic review comes in to play.
Last year, we had one Afghan student who had excellent ECs and other elements but had SAT of 1420. He did not receive any BS/MD interviews but received aid at NOVA for BS/DO.
Last year someone had shared a link by a medical student (who was part of the review process) describing the process for review for medical school admissions. From what I recollect:
- Round 1 review: applications grouped into 3 groups - Yes, Maybe, NO
- Round 2 review: YES category applications further divided into 3 or 4 groups – Yes, Maybe, NO or Yes-1, Yes-2, Maybe, No
- Interviews
- Committee Review
- Offers
However, at this point, once an application is submitted, stay calm and pray for the best outcome.
@orm2020 - If you can plan ahead and have resources or connections you can make up deficiencies in stats with ECs and come up with correct package for BSMD 
Your question: “can you choose to attend the undergraduate programs even though they did not forward you to NJMS?”
I do NOT know. It may not be possible but that would be a good question to ask NJMS. And get their response/ commitment in writing.
Would SUNY Upstate handle It the same way as NJMS if multiple schools forward your file to them?
SUNY Upstate is a relatively new program and I believe they are still trying to figure many things out themselves. Again, if you are in such a situation, confirm with Upstate. And get their response/ commitment in writing.
If we are worried about burn out we shouldn’t be sending kids to medicine since it’s a long road and there are exams at every step, USMLE, board exams (every 10 years or so) etc… Other than Engineering, most majors require liberal arts classes to get degree.
Key benefit of BSMD is to help the kids who may slip due to transitional issues or distractions from sudden freedom (no helicopter parents) or attend an easier HS and find college little tougher to get 3.7+ GPA. I think burnout is overrated!
Medical school start is perhaps the most important phase of a physician. One less tiresome phase is always a favorable factor in this long career path, that too at the beginning of that.
Also just as is important to choose the right fit and not necessarily fancy brands for the traditional undergrad (some of which I listed earlier), also important to go with the right fit med school more than a fancy brand name.
My acquaintance with many (at least 6 and not some exceptions here and there) of those going to ordinary med schools who have shined brilliantly and gone to their top choice residencies in the recent past only confirms and reinforces that.
@gradedu - congratulations! could you please let me know when you received the supplemental request from SUNY Upstate and in how many days you got the interview e-mail?
@rk2017 , @NoviceDad : Thanks for reminding us the MAJOR benefit . I truly believe health factor is above everything. Want son become a Doctor, not a Patient.
This make a huge headline in local newspaper :
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/head-mental-health-services-university-pennsylvania-dies-suicide-n1052156
From Burn our perspective do you agree
That Programs BU TCNJ and PMM are more relaxed from GPA and requirement perspective And should be ranked higher as compared to others where GPA requirement is above 3.7x which will definitely burnout kids in undergrad only even before they enter med school having the same traditional route stress and GPA requirment.
PMM is certainly most relaxed and probably equally enjoyable from students’ perspective. Only drawback I can think of is the long distance between be the undergrad portion and the med school and so not sure how the students who want to get involved in med ECs manage.
Don’t know much about TCNJ academically. But heard lot of students can get involved in UPenn med research. Princeton is also nearby.
Don’t be misled by what appears to be low 3.2 GPA requirement at BU program. As mentioned, it is a tough school. Couple of courses are meant only for the 20-30 students in the program exclusively, graded relatively and toughly and not uncommon to get Cs in. Even all courses in Chemistry are tough though taken along with general pre-med population. In the batch from couple of years ago that I am most aware about, 10% of the class dropped out unable to maintain the GPA (and these are the students who made it to the program with their superlative credentials to start with !)
By other BS/MD programs with 3.7x or above GPA requirements, I guess you are alluding to WashU, NU HPME, FAU … ? WashU is certainly crazy. @NoviceDad can confirm but think NU HPME is quite certainly do able at that level. Don’t know enough about FAU and anything else.
@mi2019 : I gladly vote TCNJ as #1 choice here by adding in the least importance factor - $. As half of curriculum 50% courses are in liberal arts and humanities, very relaxing. The pre-med part my son could have finished in a semester ( orgo/ bio electives).
As PMM 6 years proved to work out in past 50 years , TCNJ/NJMS can also be another 6 years ( total cost 200k ). The $400,000 savings ( compared with Brown, BU, NU ) with 7% return rate ( put it into S&P index ) will double to $800,000 in 10 years. Then 2 years of time will be additional $400,000 in income . Not only a future MD, but a millionaire too 
Nice Dream to myself !
Did any one get invited for HPME interview yet?
We all speak based on what we hear or read or observe around. It’s silly to say that you need to have stress free UG before entering medical school. One must face challenges at every step of the way to achieve success or fulfillment. It’s like asking all major sports players take few years off or play for weak teams before playing NBA/NFL/MLB.
Having said that each student (with the guidance of parents) should decide their stress levels, strengths and weakness and chart the best path. As I said before there is no ONE size fits ALL answer.
@viola9 : just submitted HPME last week deadline… Possibly need to wait few weeks.
@orm2020 - Only 5% of medical school graduates are from BSMD programs, so don’t think your son will be treating the other 95% 
Taking gap years in medical school also becoming a trend and I know two BSMD candidates taking gap year to strengthen their app for competitive residency. If your child’s goal is do primary care and start own practice and make lot of money then your math works perfectly fine 
@mi2019 If you are worried about burn out in UG, medical school will be a big shocker. Burnout is not a factor for failure in UG, it’s losing focus or no proper planning.
@rk2017 - For the record, there is only kid went to BSMD from our competitive school and that was to BU and he decided medicine is not for him and doing Ph.D in Chemistry. He is one of the smartest ever graduated from our HS and burnout was not a factor at all.
I have heard that during residency time, a day in a week requires to work 24 hours straight+commute time. Is this true for all residency programs or are there exceptions for less burn out?
Is he applying as a high school sophomore? :neutral:
You are indeed proving an ORM thought process. 
Go ahead and start a thread, I will certainly participate. Less vigor UG students will suffer in medical school just like less vigor high school students suffer once starts a college. So whether you take BS/MD or traditional, it is inevitable to grind in UG in order to be a good start with M1 in medical school. That study is great, still it is not being accepted and expanded by other colleges, contrary there are less than 5 BS/MD programs those are 6 years.
Irrespective of career goals, interests, choices, BS/MD or traditional, fancy or not, right fit is always a paramount in college selection. Though fit variable has different meaning and value from one applicant/family to another one.