<p>As you can see my situation is rather...different. I am GOING to be a neurosurgeon. Nothing else matters.</p>
<p>I took the SAT in my freshman year and got 670reading, 560math(i know, its terrible), and 640 writing(8 on the essay).
Naturally I expect this score to go up, as I intend to study hard for my actual trial. I also will be taking SAT IIs in biology, math, and world history.</p>
<p>Now my question is, given my current situation and statistics, would it be more prudent for me to apply to a guaranteed BA or BS/MD program? Or go the traditional route? My two options are apply to a local college here and then apply to hopkins. Or go the guaranteed route. Will going the guaranteed route affect my chances of doing residency at hopkins?(which i REALLY want to do). What are my options? (My guidance counselor knows nothing of these guaranteed programs so that avenue is of no use).
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>At this point you should concentrate on your gpa and class placement. You should take a SAT training course and if you can swing it go for private SAT tutoring. In the spring of your Junior year you should start touring the colleges and talk to the representaives of the joint programs and the pre-med committee or bio department. Then decide, but don’t lose sleep over it yet.</p>
<p>Apply where you wish and then choose from the list of acceptances. now you have nothing to choose from. Your question is way too premature. keep in mind that you have to be Ivy caliber student for most ba/bs/md programs.</p>
<p>I am sorry for your loss. On your applications you can explain how this profound loss effected your grades in the first quarter of your junior year. That makes your SAT’s more important since they show what you are actually capable of to most colleges. They also act as an equalizer between high schools so colleges use them as a yard stick.</p>
<p>That’s why for you SAT tutoring would be so important. Good luck.</p>
<p>But should I even bother applying to guaranteed programs? I don’t think I’m an ivy caliber student…but I have a strong passion for medicine and biology which is why I know I will make a great surgeon</p>
<p>Try to get back to your habit of getting A’s in class. Then study for your SAT’s and get tutoring help. Try to get at least 2300 SAT’s which will make schools believe you have the intellectual horsepower to do well in a premed type program. (Yes, most schools do not call it that anymore but some still do. It means gen chem, organic chem, bio classes and physics) </p>
<p>Next Sept. apply to a few combined programs and other schools that have a high percentage of grads who get into Med School- like 40 or 50%. Look at the Princeton Review Best 376 ? Colleges book and look in the 40 best biology programs for starters.</p>
<p>It is pointless at this point to worry yourself at night about something so far in the future.
Use that energy for something constructive instead.</p>
<p>"But should I even bother applying to guaranteed programs? I don’t think I’m an ivy caliber student…but I have a strong passion for medicine and biology which is why I know I will make a great surgeon "</p>
<p>-As everybody else, who apply either to combined programs or Regular Route. Both of them are very brutal process and require type of person who can perform at the very best under any circumstances, including being in emergency room themselves under severe stress reading their textbooks (as an example).</p>
<p>If there is 40 programs? averaging 20 kids each that’s about 800 , and I remember Brown was about 67 so you are still under 1,000 combined spots. That makes about 15,000 traditional Med School spots left, so you have 4 years from now to prepare for one of those. So worry about things you have control over not those you don’t</p>
<p>^Not all “combined” kids are making it. In addition some of them are applying “regular route” out of their programs. It is not very straight math. OP just needs to apply and see what happens. However, applying is the easiest part. The question is, are you able to perform under any circumstances. The requirements are very demanding, your personal stories are very unimportant, adcoms will not listen to them.</p>