Any parents or students from Drexel BSMD program, who are already part of BSMD program, who can help us clarify what does Drexel offer of provisional admission really mean?
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I guess risk aversion=fit now a days.
Hi, congrats on your sonās BS/ MD acceptance. Are you considering Temple program? Have you connected with any kids already in the program. Please let me knpw. TIA
There was a time pre 2010 when PLME didnāt care if someone took MCAT but it changed when they figured out they were losing many top students to Ivies that had higher ranked (read T10) programs. I was there with my older kid on a college tour when they said they were no longer allowing PLME students to take MCAT starting that year (summer 2010).
There are programs that dont require MCAT which require students to reapply if they take MCAT, there are programs that require students to score a certain MCAT but dont allow students to apply out (Temple that I know of) and there are programs which require students to get a specific MCAT but also allow you to apply out (Baylor that I know of).
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Wonder where does AMC fit in this matrix. Believe they donāt need MCAT, can they apply out if they were to take it? (without having to give up their spot that is) Havenāt checked their portals in a long time.
I think they lose their spot. Not sure if this has changed or not
What about PPSP and Pitt GAP? If you decide to take MCAT and apply to other schools do u lose your spot?
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PPSP allows you to apply out, but you would need to achieve at least 94% to keep your seat if you choose to take the MCAT.
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Interesting discussions on Reddit
If link is not allowed check BSMD vs Cornell.
This is guy (Luca, MD/PHD) is well known in SDN
I have never recommended anyone do a BS/MD program because I believe they are simply a terrible deal for students. Summarizing my thoughts:
- ā Anyone who can get into a BS/MD program can get into med school. Why do you think they offer these programs? Itās an excellent deal for schools like Hofstra who can snag extremely well prepared students without having to go through the admissions cycle. If you had it in you to get into this and Cornell, I believe you can get into med school if thatās your goal, even at a ādeflationaryā place like Cornell, just be smart and donāt be PreMed #128472, major in the humanities or anything that isnāt straight biology, and carve your own path.
- ā Education isnāt about medical school. This is the most important point. BS/MD programs subordinate an entire period of your life to clearing the med school hoops as quickly as possible. I know that when youre 18 medical training seems like it takes forever and you want to get it over with. Hereās a time capsule from someone a decade your senior in the middle of an MD/PhD program: I loved college, I got a great education, I explored different career options, i made friends and did a lot of random fun BS like act in plays, I took gap years, I fell in love, I moved in with a partner, I traveled the world a little bit and studied abroad. I have zero regrets about all the extra time I took, and I have zero regrets about doing a PhD, I love science and my program. You know what I regret? Any second spent in the preclinical phase of med school, itās a giant waste of time. And all of med school after Match is less than pointless. Med school will always be there. I love my med school, but med school as a concept in the year of our lord 2023 is irreparably broken with no signs of getting better. If I had completely sacrificed the period of my life prior to med school to getting into med school as quickly as possible I guarantee that I would be clinically depressed. The only point of med school is that they gatekeep residency, and are hopefully associated with the resources and network you need to discover what kind of medical career you want and can help you achieve it. There truly is no rush to get there.
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Iāve seen IG posts from a former Cornell student who got accepted to med school directly from Cornell. Itās possible to gain med school acceptance without gap years, but it takes sweats. This girl is awesome, but she herself got gripes about Cornellās making premed courses to tough for their students to have great grades.
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He truly spoke as a Millenial or GenZ. They tend to prefer enjoying the journey more than getting to the destination like their seniors (previous generations)
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Hi, has anybody heard from MSU( Michigan state University) osteopathic medical Scholar program(OMSP) ?
You are tired of seeing these kinda messages again and again. But the person(s) posting such stuff never seem to be, despite declaring that s/he was going to retire from the forum few years ago. Guess canāt help themselves LOLā¦
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Some person(s) come out of retirement to counter fear mongers and vested interests. Same persons give balanced responses about BSMD, while others gloat about how they their kids did in Organic Chemistry or fake data about MCAT scores at one school (which no longer has BSMD) repeatedly LOL. Participation here is about giving balanced opinions to newcomers, not pushing one path over the others!
Looking for guidance for an out-of-state student to select between VCU GMED and Stony Brook. (Received 64k scholarship in VCU and 44k at Stony brook -Presidential scholarship). Irrespective of cost and location, it would be great if I get pros and cons of both programs. Thanks in advance for your time!
You can DM me to compare
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Replied to your DM
It is not hard to get to medical school direct from undergrad from any of the Ivies. Luca is advocating a different philosophy which is to take your own time, enjoy undergrad and if it requires gap years so be it. I knew a guy who went to Stanford, got into stanford med and decided to go start a couple of companies, get an MBA and still in med school at 29 and was dancing with my daughter at age 18 in the indian dance group and going to competitions. He finished medicine at 31 or something after starting at 22 and didnt do a PhD. 
Yeah, that wonāt sit with risk aversion and gap years are cancer crowd. I know some who took gap years purposely to experience different things before getting into medicine (I know two who took deferral from T20 schools) and some who had to take gap years since they were little careless early and needed GPA repair.
Having someone who succumbed to med school grinds in the family, I fully understand taking time to explore life. If they come back to medicine, then itās meant to be. Had he started med school right after Stanford undergrad, he might have gotten bored and flunked out of med school. A full life for a few gaps year probably made him a better, happier doc.
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