Take a look :)

Pre-Med & Medical School Multiple Degree Programs
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<p>TAKE A LOOK! what are my chances? :)
I know this is a pretty long post but for those of you reading and (hopefully replying to) it, thank you so much!</p>

<p>I am a rising junior and extremely interested in getting into a BS/MD program. For the most part, I'd like to get into a program that does not have requirements for the MCAT (and GPA). I'd like to know what my "chances" of getting into a BS/MD program are and how I would compare to other applicants.
Here are my stats (though some are projected since I haven't finished junior, senior year and am yet to take the SAT)</p>

<p>GPA: uw - ~3.9/3.95 by end of sr. year
w - ~4.25 by end of sr. year</p>

<p>SAT I: ~2250
SAT II: Biology E - 710 (I plan to retake it or maybe take Bio. M and get 750+)
I also plan to take Math II and Physics</p>

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<p>The BS/MD programs I'm mainly looking at now are UCSD Medical Scholars, Brown PLME, Northwestern HPME, U. Pitt., Rice/Baylor, USC(If the program still exists), and maybe U. Rochester.</p>

<p>Please let me know what you think my chances are and what I could do to make myself a better applicant/candidate. Any advice about the application process, high school, etc. will be greatly appreciated. Thanks again :)</p>

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<p>awesome gpa and sat score! I would definitely bring up the biology SAT score. You don’t NEED to take the chem SAT, but some programs require it–I think Northwestern HPME requires it, but you should double check on that.</p>

<p>Unfortunately, you are not a stand-out applicant for ba/md programs. Yes, you have some decent medical extracurriculars, but nothing to stand out. Now that doesn’t mean you won’t get into any ba/md…essays are a very important part of the process, especially for Brown PLME. I would definitely get some international medical experience, research, etc.</p>

<p>You are looking at THE most competitive programs, programs with less than 5% acceptance rate. You haven’t even completed junior year yet, so I’m sure you will have a more impressive resume by the time next year comes around. However, for your resume as is, you definitely need to apply too some lower tier programs(which are still good!) like albany, drexel, etc.</p>

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<p>Also, don’t worry so much about the APs. Colleges/programs want to see you excelling at your school, which you are. If you feel like you need more of a challenge, take a local college course or two.</p>

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<p>Thestartingline: at this point, she’s only going to be a Junior. She still has a good year to bump up her ec’s. That said, you should start becoming more involved in medical ec’s if you are serious about these programs (HPME, PLME, R/B).</p>

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<p>Okay I’m planning to try to get some shadowing or research experience in next summer - would that make me a strong enough candidate for the programs I’m looking into?</p>

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<p>And will I not be able to apply to northwestern at all if I don’t take a chemistry sat2?</p>

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<p>you have to take chem II. buy barrons, princeton review, AND whatever else you can find. do all the practice tests in them. get as much experience as you can get. if you can get above a 700, you’re relatively good.</p>

<p>don’t do shadowing. do research. if possible, start research NOW and continue through the school year. Make sure to form great relationships with your teachers this year - you will ask two for recs. also, for hpme, you need an english teacher rec from your junior year - get to know them well and make sure that if you have any outside writing, show it to them and become their friend. it does help.</p>

<p>if you have any other passions, find ways to tie those in with medicine. it will help you greatly. if you can talk for more than 5 minutes to your grandparents about an activity and still want to talk more about it, it’s a good one.</p>

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<p>^
What’s wrong with shadowing…? Personally, I think shadowing expresses more interest in medicine that research…</p>

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<p>Shadowing is a passive activity. You follow around the doctor and stand quietly in the corner.</p>

<p>During research, you learn to read primary research articles and analyze studies, formulate your own hypothesis and test them, troubleshoot anything that goes wrong, stay late in lab or have to come in on the weekends occasionally. Or at least these are things you are supposed to be doing. If you’re coming in for 5 hours/day running PCR gels, you’re not getting the full experience. These are things that are very applicable to the life of a physician. A physician formulates differential diagnoses, finds out ways to test each diagnosis, reads the relevant medical literature, arrives at a conclusion, have to take call and come in on the weekends sometimes, and have to decide what to do when the initial imaging/labs are unrevealing.</p>

<p>I think far too many HSers do research without understanding why med schools like to see it. I’ve read far too many comments about how research has nothing to do with the practice of medicine and is just another hoop to jump through to get into med school.</p>

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<p>Which is not to say I don’t support shadowing. In fact, I love shadowing. I think it’s very educational in terms of finding out about the profession of medicine but only if you do it right. Even if a surgeon offers, don’t just come in, stay for 3 hours to see a cool surgery, and then leave thinking that surgery is the greatest thing in the world. Volunteering to come in at 6 AM to do pre-rounds with the surgeon. Volunteer to do the boring post-op checks with the surgeon. Volunteer to hang with the surgeon in clinic. These are all of the things a surgeon does. It’s silly to show up for 3 hours and think you have a good idea of a physician’s day. Stay for the full 13 hours.</p>

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<p>Okay well I won’t be taking chemistry until my senior year and I can’t take my subject sat for chem AFTER senior year or even in senior spring…so what should I do? Should I just study from a book on my own my junior summer and take the chem subject sat in senior year October?</p>

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<p>And I tried getting in touch with quite a few doctors and none of them can have me do research with them this summer because it’s obviously too lTe. None of them really want to give me the opportunity of working with them on weekends during the school year and said I may be able to do something next summer- my junior year summer. If I do research my junior summer, will that be enough or do I like HAVE to do more than that?</p>

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<p>La Princesa, there’s really no limit to the number of medical activities that you can do. The only limit that you’re given is time. Keep in mind that these programs want applicants to show passion; as long as the adcoms realize that you really have a passion in medicine after reading your application, then you’re fine.</p>

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<p>okay thank you :slight_smile: can anybody answer my question about the chem sat 2 - will i be able to take it and is it a must? because the ONLY way i’ll be able to take it is if i do self-study for the test even before i take the basic chem. course in my senior year. :O</p>

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<p>You must take it to be considered for Northwestern HPME.</p>

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<p>Would I be able to self study ap chemistry if ihave not taken chemistry even as a basic course? Im sure it’s definitely not advisable, but is it doable, to pass the ap test and do well on the subject sat (750+)?</p>