<p>D was invited to apply. Does anyone know anything about the program? I can't see any tangible benefits from it.</p>
<p>Send a PM to Jenskate. She can answer your questions.</p>
<p>My sister's part of it (she's a Rice sophomore and very happy there).</p>
<p>Here are a few benefits:
-guaranteed admission to a top medical school without having to take the MCATs (this is a gigantic plus--I mean, you could always still study for and take an expensive and difficult standardized test if you wanted to, or if you decided you disliked Houston, but having just taken the LSATs I would give just about anything to be in professional school without doing so)
-if you have lots of AP credits, Baylor's premed requirements for RBMS kids seem a bit easier than what you'd need to apply to other med schools
-mentorship/networking opportunities with lots of other talented premed students, doctors, and faculty members
-if you don't live in TX already, going to undergrad there might make it easier to claim TX residency when you go to baylor for medical school, thus saving you a ton of money (the residency rules are complicated and would involve your daughter moving off campus, but it's doable)
-it looks good on your resume and might help you get summer jobs
- less stress and more electives than 7-year ba/md programs</p>
<p>it's really competitive and the interview process can be a bit intimidating, but if your d wants to be a doctor, it's an awesome program. my sister's really thriving in it.</p>
<p>The benefit is that the student has guaranteed acceptance into a good medical school - no MCATs. He/she can have a fairly stressless 4 years of undergrad at a great school, Rice, exploring areas of interest without worrying about getting a "stellar" gpa to gain acceptance to med school. And the program is nonbinding - in case student wants to apply elsewhere at the end of the 4 years.</p>
<p>What can an applicant do to make herself stand out? Will research or experience shaddowing doctors help much? I was admitted ID to Rice, and the program sounds amazing!</p>
<p>I taught a young man who was accepted into the program last year. He was val in a competetive suburban HS from Houston area, 1550+ SAT (old) was really into math/science/academic EC's, and was a hospital volunteer for all 4 years of HS, even earning a scholarship from the hospital for all the hours he put in there. He said about 15 kids were invited into the program, and only 5 or so admitted, so the interview process is quite strenusous and competetive.</p>
<p>"Baylor received 4,285 applications for the 168 positions in the 2005 entering class. Of those applicants, 664 were interviewed."</p>
<p>This may add to the value of the Scholars program. </p>
<p>PS The Baylor College of Medicine is not affiliated with the Waco Baylor.</p>
<p>You should check out the "Multiple Degree Pograms" category under the Pre-med, Med School forum. There is a lot of good info there and one thread is dedicated to Rice/Baylor.</p>
<p>Hi - I am the aforementioned jenskate, and stacy's sister.</p>
<p>Congratulations on your D's Rice acceptance!
Rice/Baylor is a fabulous program, and definitely worth applying to.
Stacy, Anxiousmom, and Xiggi hit most of the benefits, but I'll try to go over them one more time, in a little bit more detail.</p>
<p>Here's the big one: You can go to BCM as long as you maintain a 3.2 overall GPA, and a 3.0 in your pre-med classes. The point is that if you actually got that GPA, you would never get into BCM. So it takes a lot of the stress off. Plus, you don't need to take the MCAT. At first I thought no MCAT wasn't a huge deal - what's another standardized test after you've just finished SATs, ACTs, APs, PSATs, SAT IIs, etc. But the MCAT is hellish, and most people (at least at Rice) waste a whole summer studying and taking prep classes to prepare for an 8-hour long, no calculator exam that includes a timed essay. No fun at all.</p>
<p>Baylor is also a top notch med school (ranked 13 by USNWR) and the cheapest in the country if you are/become a TX resident. It might be nice to start out your career as a physician without $200000+ in debt.</p>
<p>But, if you are in the program, and decide to apply elsewhere, no problem, you may do so without jeopardizing your BCM acceptance. So in effect, BCM becomes your safety school. This is an enviable position to be in, considering something like half of med school applicants nationwide are not accepted to ANY med school. Despite the program's non-binding nature, most people in the program do go to Baylor, just because there are so many advantages to doing so.</p>
<p>Like Stacy said, if you have AP credits the requirements are light. If you have credit in Bio and Chem, all you will need to take in college is Orgo, Bio lab, and Physics (you can't use AP physics credit). That frees up some time for extra electives. </p>
<p>The main point of Rice/Baylor is for students who have a lot of interests, and don't want to feel like they need to take just what "looks good" or what they can get the best grades in. Instead, it encourages you to try out a class in Tibetan Language or Computer Science without worring that you'll "never get in to med school!"</p>
<p>For me, the 7 year programs weren't really a viable option, because I had/have a lot of goals for my college experience (study abroad, take a ton of random classes, do research, be in lots of extracurriculars, etc.) and I knew I couldn't comfortably fit it all in in 3 years. Plus, I figured that I only get 4 years of college and about 40 years to be a physician - no need to switch the balance to 3 and 41!</p>
<p>And just to clarify, about 200 people apply to the program each year, with about 40 being offered interviews, and about 15-20 accepted.</p>
<p>Emswim, both of those will help, but you won't be the only one with those experiences. Mostly, it's a lot of luck, and if you get to the interview, your ability to talk confidently and engagingly about your experiences.</p>
<p>And reply or PM me if you have questions!</p>