@Superstar678 -
Why don’t you retake SAT and aim for above 1550? You still have a few more months and nothing to lose in terms the number of attempts since they consider only the test/s you submit (except a little time & money LOL)
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@MasterPhatBoy - Definitely - it is worth putting effort to reach 1550+ in August/October before applying. Alternatively, you could take with minimum prep and see if you are able to do better in the test this time!
You should be able to work on our ECs, essays and SAT at the same time. Going forward, it will help to develop good time management habits not only during summer 2021 but even at college!
@futurebs_md12323 An ACT 34-36 score is fine but an UW 3.7 HS GPA is iffy. It might be fine for bs/do program. IMO, regular route MD should be tried before BS/DO. Your medical ECs should show passion for medicine and any research in medical fields may add value to your application. Are you an ORM(mainly South East Asian and other Asians) ?.
Some times schools may have an unofficial rankings which they will divulge to admission officers if they call HS guidance counselor. It may not be an issue for most BS/MD programs.
Ok so I am not completely sure what my UW is but it should be between 3.7-8. I am asian. However, I have a lot of research, shadowing, leadership(Hosa prez), others. Why would you rather do a normal premed than a bs/do? Med schools are getting harder each year.
Most folks wait for MCAT score to decide whether to apply only medical schools or a mix of medical schools and DO schools. A MCAT score >= 515 will be sufficient to do well in only medical schools applications where as a MCAT score 505 will need one to apply to DO schools only, IMO. Of course, there are no guarantees. It depends on your risk profile what path you would like to take - a bird in hand (BS/DO, BS/MD) approach or wait until your MCAT score during UG. One needs a high UG GPA as well along with a high MCAT score. See the table below from AAMC.
that’s what i mean, I can do a low-profile bs/md/do which requires a 502 on MCAT and get a 3.5 GPA. This is just an example but I think you get the point. Other rather that what is the biggest disadvantage of doing DO than MD?
Hi All
I would appreciate advice/ tips/ steps on how to choose OOS BS/MD programs list for my C with (GPA 3.97; ACT-35) or the application process. Even though we will not qualify for need-based funding, cost is still a consideration as I have another C in college and medical school will be expensive too.
Also, are financial packages negotiable?
I am posting for the first time and appreciate all of the seasoned posters giving great feedback! I have just been able to read a 1000 
@bsmdmom1 - your C stats are similar to most students applying to bsmd programs. Does your state have a in-state “public/public” bsmd program? If so, this should be top of your list. This also could be cheapest options providing best value.
Are you ORM? Competition for BS MD is cut-throat (there are way too many qualified candidates). Apply widely to BSMD programs and some strong UGs (reach, match, safety). On an average, students interested in BSMD have ended up applying from 12 to 18 colleges including 12-13 bsmd’s and 5-6 undergrad colleges.
I am not sure if financial packages are negotiable! i have not heard from past students about this, but this would require your C receiving multiple offers from comparative colleges.
Some UG colleges that are part of BSMD do give out scholarships. Inspite of scholarships, this might not make these the cheapest. Once you have a bunch of acceptances you can compare to see which one is the cheapest or provides the most value. Will your child qualify for National merit scholarship? Some programs that give out scholarships for accepted students are - NJMS feeders, Stony Brook, Oklahoma, a few Programs in Florida, Georgia, Texas (only in-state) etc. Other schools might also offer…merit awards like presidential awards etc.
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@bsmdmom1 , you can appeal awarded financial aid package. The outcome - it depends. There may be special circumstances (unemployment, salary reduction so on) which you can use to appeal the given aid. For my DC, we did not appeal for Merit-based awards, those were already given. Don’t know if you can appeal merit-based scholarships/awards. Regarding this you better reach out to Admissions Counselor at the college you have applied to.
You may have to visit campuses, attend tours, gather bs/md programs info over program websites, CC, and google, then shortlist your BS/MD program to apply. My DC decided to apply 5 BS/MDs initially (almost everyone would apply to these 5 programs), later DC added 4 more to the list. By the time DC realized to apply for more BS/MD programs, most programs deadlines already pass by. Based on our experience, I still feel a dozen BS/MD programs are required to apply in our case.
Some didn’t get any BS/MD acceptances, even after applying a dozen BS/MD programs, not at their fault at all. Most of these applicants have perfect or near-perfect scores. So be prepare and apply widely. Good luck.
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We appealed our son’s award at Brown. He was given about $12k less at Brown than was given at places like Stanford and Dartmouth. Brown approved our appeal and increase the aid.
Though I will add a caveat: private scholarships will only decrease need based aid at the school, they won’t replace the parental expected funding.
So in the end they just lowered it back to the original amount 
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@bsmdmom1
IMO, most merit based awards are non-negotiable and are fixed in amount. They are mostly given irrespective of any demonstrated financial need ( even if EFC is high). One may qualify for some merit based awards in BS/MD as NMF (National Merit Finalist). A need based award may have some scope for negotiations based on changes in financial situation.
Hello everyone,
I have a good GPA and a few EC’s, but my test scores were a little low. I have a 3.84 UW and 4.3 W GPA, Will have taken 13 AP Classes by senior year, all scores were some 4’s and mostly 5’s. ECs include 50+ hours of shadowing, working in a dental office, volunteering in multiple doctors offices(400+ hours), I will try to do an internship as well, I also play piano and have played in chamber orchestra, have participated in science bowl for three years, and have gone to some medical-related fairs to do volunteering.
As for my test scores, I scored a 31 on my ACT in June and I will be retaking it this weekend, with either a superscore or a better composite score though, I doubt I’ll be able to score anything over a 33. I also took my SAT in June and will receive the scores by the end of the week, I feel like I scored above a 1400 for sure, but from reading the thread it seems that it’s not even worth it to apply if your score is under 1550(SAT)/35(ACT) and I feel discouraged.
I also saw in the thread that some universities will be going test-optional, so if I apply to schools without my test scores, will that be a disadvantage for me? Do I even have a chance?
And also, are BS/DDS/DMD programs less competitive by any chance? Do I have a chance for any type of accelerated program?
Thank you.
Thanks! Yes ORM and will apply locally.
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Are you still deciding between medicine and dentistry? If so, it might be best to get more exposure before committing to either.
It sounds like you’re primarily interested in attending an accelerated program for the sake of attending one. Is that right?
Anywho, maybe look into to Howard, UMKC (both 6-year programs; and UMKC is arguably one of the “easiest” BS/MD to get into) and LEOCOM. Caveat: UMKC will be very very expensive to attend if you don’t live in-state. To finish Howard’s BS/MD application process, you’d have to commit to Howard’s undergrad (so you’d still have to go to HU even if you don’t get accepted into the BS/MD). I know people who have gotten in these programs with a 27-31 ACT, 1300-1400 SAT. But even in their cases, they likely had good ECs and recs. For more regular BS/MD programs, a decent score would be above a 1450. Some have cutoffs at 1490. Most people here would say 1520 (minimum).
By the way, nice ECs. You sound like you’re very involved in your community.
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@frozenmay Per UMKC website…their BS/MD intake stats: The School of Medicine receives approximately 1500 initial applications to the B.A./M.D. program, and about 1000 of these students complete the full application process. The Council on Selection will select approximately 350 students to participate in the interview process.
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Medicine and dental are very different careers, you should take some time to think about your goals. Applying just for the sake of the accelerated guarantee is not a wise choice.
Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but is Polygence a good place for research? Is it legit? (https://www.polygence.org/)
Do you pay to join and get a mentor ? You can try to connect with local universities and colleges for research projects on you own.
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@frozenmay
FYI, There is a separate thread for UKMC on CC. This program prefers in-state and regional candidates and allocates them a large chunk of seats.