<p>My son is a Freshman in a combo BS/MD program. He was accepted into 5 colleges with programs feeding into 4 Medical Schools. How did he choose? Well, to start, there are programs where you need to take MCAT's and those where you don't. You start there. Programs like LeHigh/Drexel require MCAT's, programs like Union/Albany don't. Then you look at things like cost which includes how many years the total program has and whether or not the Medical School is ranked (Look at US News & World Report). The point is that not all programs are the same. You need to compare the programs that you are accepted into to make the correct decision for you. By the way, he turned down an Ivy to take a combination program.</p>
<p>so ultimately which program did he choose?</p>
<p>I know a bunch of people who turned down schools such as Yale and Harvard for even the "worst" (well, for med programs) combined programs. People would kill for a med school guarantee.</p>
<p>Combo program don't really give guarantees. You need to maintain a GPA which is different for different programs and some programs require MCAT's with required scores. Having said that, these programs are highly selective from both an academic and demonstrated motivation perspective and so most selected students flourish and live up to the promise they have shown.</p>
<p>True, BERN1943...but don't you get the feeling that alot of the programs reward you anyway for getting into the program...just look at Northwestern HPME, ridiculous to get into, but once you do, its like 3.2 and no MCAT or something like that.</p>
<p>without the mcats, its already one step closer to med school. i think it's really worth it unless you truly want the pride of going to ivy leagues. people have different views.</p>
<p>Yes, programs do reward you for getting in. These rewards or "incentives" for going to their program includes not having to take MCAT's in many programs and needing to maintain a lower GPA than the GPA that would be needed if you applied to the medical school out of college. The reason I put in "incentives" to attract students is that these programs are highly selective as you know and the students selected are top drawer. Many of these students could attend Ivies if they wanted to and so the programs win as well as the students because they accept some of the finest qualified "pre-med" students available. Often, these students then become some of the best students in the undergraduate college that is fortunate enough to get them.</p>
<p>PipingHotTofu,</p>
<p>I read that they are going to raise the GPA requirement from 3.2 to 3.5 for the HPMEs (as the regular admission for the med school has gotten more selective in recent years). If the 3.5 applies to science GPA, then it's no walk in the park (though it's still easier than regular route). The orgo curve at NU is brutal. I knew a HPME who took the MCAT just for fun/curiosity and got a 36 on it; he managed only two B+ in his first two quarters of orgo. In the fall of his first quarter at the med school, he scored the 2nd highest in one of his med classes.</p>
<p>woooooooooow...yeah, i know that getting a 3.2 in college is wayyy harder than a 3.2 in hs...of course its no walk in the park, but hey, i'll be goin fer a 3.9, and i'd rather have a 3.5 requirement then a 3.9 one, just in case</p>
<p>A college GPA of 3.5 to 3.8 should get you into most American med schools. Then there's the MCAT's if you need them of course. Off-shore med schools require less, like maybe 3.2-3.4 for St. Georges in Granada plus MCAT's of something like 24. So a 3.5 GPA and no MCAT's for an American medical school through a combination program is a good deal (and some programs do require less than a 3.5).</p>