The main concern with bs/md programs is the commitment. It is where you will be spending the next 6-8 years of your life so you want it to be a location and school that’s fits your personality. As an applicant from California, I have really been thinking this over because all the schools are across the country. It’s definitely something to think about.
What do you call the kid that graduates from Harvard Medical School? Doctor. What do you call the kid that graduates from the “lowest-tier” med school? Doctor.
If you are 1000% certain you want to be a physician for the right reasons (e.g., not for fame, money or prestige), going to a BS/MD over an Ivy is a no-brainer. If you are uncertain, then an Ivy is right for you. Do not commit eight years of your life to a school and profession that may not be right for you.
If you are sure you want to be a physician and are looking for “brand-name” school, understand that if you go to a very competitive university, later on, you will be facing the stress of competition and application season all over again, but this time it will be 100x worse. A BS/MD program alleviates all the added stress. Although most of the programs may seem like “lower-tier” schools now, any medical school is a blessing to get into.
In the end, what matters is your work ethic and sincere passion for medicine. Although high-ranked schools may offer better research opportunities and internships, it is YOUR hard work that will make you an outstanding physician. If you are willing to put in the effort to make the best of your education, where you go does not matter. All medical schools (both Ivies and state schools) churn out hundreds of mediocre physicians, and a few brilliant ones.
Although Ivy day hasn’t arrived, if/when you are considering choosing between one of them and a BS/MD, please keep in mind that even a 4.0 GPA and 528 MCAT student from an Ivy is not given the wonderful opportunity you are. YOU ARE GUARANTEED A PATHWAY TO YOUR DREAM CAREER, something so priceless I cannot believe people give it up.
Again, this is just my two cents. I am not “bashing” the Ivies, I am just stating that too many students make the mistake of chasing brand names when, in reality, the pathway to achieving their goal of becoming a physician is right in front of them. Whatever you may choose, hard work and perseverance will get you to where you deserve to be! Good luck to all applicants! Our wait is almost over, hang in there. 
Is it worth sacrificing an undergraduate experience for being guaranteed into medical school? I got an interview for a BS/DO program but my heart isn’t 100% set on D.O. and I have a pretty good chance getting into the program and it’s in state but I know my undergraduate experience won’t be superb. I want a good undergraduate experience but also getting guaranteed admission to medical school is so rare I’m conflicted
@bsmdstudent101. It is hard to give an opinion without knowing which program it is and what undergrad choices you have (if it is associated with more than one undergrad college). Also what do you really want to get out of an undergraduate education.
The BS/DO program I got invited to is the OMSP from Michigan State University and the undergraduate college I had my eyes set on was the University of Michigan (very good undergraduate and lots of pre-med opportunities) had I not gotten into any directmed programs
@ivyhunter
Congrats on RPI/AMC! I am a graduate of that program and had a great time and excellent education. I ended matching into my first place residencies and fellowship at UCLA, USC and Harvard. If you have any specific questions, I’m happy to answer them privately. I also found RPI to be extremely generous with merit based scholarships.
We didn’t receive NJMS either.
I do agree with comments that traditional route is getting harder and harder with each application cycle, it is not as bad as portrayed. We all hear stories of 3.9 GPA and 95 percentile MCAT not being enough, but issue is numbers are the only criteria anymore. You need ECs other than shadowing and volunteering and you need great interview skills.
My DS was an applicant last year and applied to few combined programs and even though he was admitted into 2 good programs, he chose to go traditional route because he wants full UG experience and target different medical schools. Few friends and family members disagreed With that but we let him decide.
He is working hard but also having good time. Only time will tell if he made a right decision or not.
@Empire007 @ivyhunter My DD got $18,000/yr merit-based award last year from RPI but she chose Temple PPHS because of a full-tuition scholarship and being closer to home.
@bsmdstudent101. University of Michigan is a great school whereas Michigan state is also a solid mid tier school. They have a good honors program also. If you are accepted to their honors program, it may satisfy your college experience. Honors programs are like an island in an ocean. Honors students generally do not intermingle with regular students until their junior or senior years. Of course they can if they like to. I do not have a first hand experience with either of these schools and only know a handful number of people who went there. The Michigan state students I knew a while back never thought their school was any inferior than u of michigan. (Of course there is traditional rivalry between the two). Competitive admission criteria is not the only thing one should consider. Michigan state being a larger school of course is less competitive to get into. I went to Ohio state which is not very competitive because of a student body of more than 65k students but in fact is an excellent school. Also u of Michigan’s rep mostly comes from it having an excellent graduate school and a business school. I am not familiar with their undergraduate program so I cannot comment on that. If I was in your situation I will choose the BS/DO program as a low risk option. Of course you can always apply out later to an MD school if you desire. It all depends on you as a person. If you can handle four more years of stress and no guarantee at the end then go for u of michigan.
I have not seen any NJMS interview invites on this group yet. Did anyone hear from them?
@NewJerseyFan: “I have not seen any NJMS interview invites on this group yet. Did anyone hear from them?”
All NJMS interview schedule calendar spots were taken.
I dunno if this helps, but two of my friends already had their NJMS interview and I believe two others have scheduled theirs. They are all IS so maybe that made a difference.
@bsmdegree So if we haven’t been notified of an interview yet, we didn’t get one?
@Tigr0705 : “So if we haven’t been notified of an interview yet, we didn’t get one?”
NJMS interview calendar reserves spots for those interviewees to schedule their interview date and time.
Since there is no spot shown on NJMS interview calendar, I am sure that all NJMS interviewees had been notified and scheduled their interview date and time already.
(some of them had been interviewed already.)
@moodybluepapaya
Sorry to hear that.
@bsmdegree Oh ok thanks, do they send emails of rejection?
@Tigr0705 : “Oh ok thanks, do they send emails of rejection?”
This notification probably will be done by feed schools, not NJMS.
(same for those who been NJMS accepted)
@ivyhunter
Congratulations !
@bsmdegree Where exactly is this interview calendar? Is it sent only to people who were invited?