@bsmdhopefully I would make decision based on medical school ranking + total BS/MD cost combination, in a highest possible tier with significantly lower cost in that tier.
With respect to my earlier post and your point 6 above, let me clarify a bit. The admissions official was very professional and not advertising anything, it was his response to some oneās one on one inquiry face to face and I happened to overhear since I was right behind that person waiting for my turn.
The 15 to high teen % is something I calculated in my head at that time, since a typical med schoolās annual intake is in the 150 range and say 22 (under grad + grad) from that school turns out to be about 15% of the incoming med school class of JHU that year (and not that it is the % of undergrads there making it to JHU med school, I suspect it will be a lot lower).
Yes schools tend to advertise what % of their pre med track students make it to med schools overall but like anything else that needs to be taken with salt . I donāt remember JHU folks ever making such a claim on our visit, but Princeton did mention 96% of their pre med students make it, which was highly suspicious to me right then, considering how many undergrads they weed out because of their rigorous curriculum and gpa killing heavy grade deflation.
I mostly agree with @dadofd. However, one other very important factor should not be ignored and that is the GPA and MCAT score requirements to stay in the program. There is no doubt in my mind that the students who have made it this far are capable of meeting the GPA and MCAT requirements but please try to give them / yourself a break. College is very different compared to high school. Also 18-22 is a very different age group compared to under 18. Most of the kids also are going to be living out of their house first time in their lives. There will be times when they will miss home and cry whole evening. Some may not get the ideal roommates. Their friends would like to go to a movie that they do not want to miss. Last but not the least there may be heatbreaks. Like they say you are young only once. They have every right to enjoy it too. Yes they are capable but why make them miserable for 4 best years of their lives. The 18-19 years olds do not understand what the next 4 years are like but as parents we know how many things can go wrong that can impact their grades. To me one of the reasons behind going to a BS/MD program is to reduce stress and uncertainty. Just think about it if going to a program like Washington University or University of Pittsburgh and several others that require for example a 3.8 GPA and 80th percentile MCAT is really worth it? I know people talk about reputation of school etc etc but are they really that important that you may miss the chance to become doctor because of high requirements. Just like GPA and MCAT scores are the most important factor to get admission to a medical school, the most important factors for getting a residency are USMLE scores not reputation of a program. Yes, students from from a big name medical maybe landing good residencies but is it due to the school name or these schools just only get the brightest students to begin with. Like someone else has said above, go where you feel the best and at home and you will not fail. The number game (ranking etc.) should only be taken with a grain of salt. The high rep schools do not give much more than provide you and your parents bragging rights. What makes you successful is you and your hard work.
@BSMDDAD Very well said.
Did you say 80th percentile in MCAT as a requirement above, I believe it is a typo. As far as I know it is a lot higher at WUSTL. If it was really 80 as at BU, no need to be concerned on that front at least.
@rk2017: I was just giving an example. What I meant to say was a very high MCAT score requirement.
Also for those going traditional route you may want to find out grade deflated schools and if the school you are interested in attending is one of them. As far as I know, most of them are in the east coast.
Cornell, Princeton, JHU, RPI, MIT, Boston, Emory. I think some one may have also mentioned ucla and uc berkeley here in the past, but I am not sure about them.
It is not simply how good and hard working you are and have been at high school so far, but also pretty much every one in your new class in one of these places is of similar credentials and caliber and I believe they restrict the number of As they give out in each course in some of these places.
Yes, if I remember properly the MCAT requirement at WUSTL was something like a 36 on the old scale which translates to a 95+ percentile. This is besides the 3.8 gpa req. We ruled out right away, even applying to the program for D.
@TheElusiveGod were they sent through email? the portal? I didnāt get anythingā¦
@rebekahyi email. Check all your folders. If you cannot find anything call them Monday AM
@Rghanem i was planning on starting one. pm me! (for some reason, i canāt pm anyone on CC)
Got rejected from BU SMED post-interview. With that, Iām basically done with my BS/MD journey, besides PLME and Rice/Baylor (both of which I doubt Iāll get into) and Sophie Davis, which I will not attend even if I get in. It was nice having this resource available, and I hope to be able to help future applicants.
Good luck to everyone awaiting decisions!!!
Well said, @BSMDDAD .
While everyone on here is very academically oriented and driven, it is important to not forget that weāre only 18-19 years old and should enjoy college lifeā¦ or take it somewhat easy because the transition away from home can be difficultā¦
Facebook group for accepted āBoston University Seven Year Medical Program (SMED) 2025ā
This group is created by current SMED students to answer questions and newly admitted SMED students to connect. PM me and I will send an link.
Good luck to you @Metsfan7860. I am sure something wonderful is in store for you in future years. Your have great test scores and GPA, research with publications, youāll ace in in the traditional route if not via bsmd. Best of luck!
@BSMDDAD well said!
@Metsfan7860 good luck with your pending coming decisions. Please remember that more than 95% medical school students come from traditional route. You will be OK.
My son got into BU SMED too. Will see you guys on April 6 open house probably then.
@Metsfan7860 Iām sorry to hear about BU, but you donāt know what PLME is looking for exactly. I looked at the stats you had posted in the beginning. I wouldnāt give up all hope because you do have unique ECās and you may be the student that PLME wants. Rice/Baylor is tough, but again you never know.
@Metsfan7860 and others in similar situation,
Good luck with any pending ones and please donāt take the experience as a set back. As mentioned earlier, the total intakes from all these programs combined is just few hundreds and is so unpredictable even for the brightest of the students like you all. Just stay the course you have set yourself and I am sure doors of opportunities will wide open wherever you may decide to go. Enjoy your journey. Best regards!
@bsmdhopefully Congratulations.
You mentioned Baylor in your post.
I presume this is Baylor/Baylor, correct?
From your list, my top 3 would be REMS, Baylor and PennState.
Now you have to factor in the university environment, total cost after aid if any, and strength of undergrad program you applied to.