They also put some weight behind the letter. The one issued for my D was labelled as coming from a DEAN as a combination of all her recommendations forwarded to them and summarized.
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Iâve seen this practice at the med school level for residency. A book I read advises to pick the right mentor. Some specialties requires several LORs from mentors in the specialty.
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Thank you @kingsman115 for sharing your daughters stats and perspectives.
Congratulations on NJMS!
All the very best to your daughter.
Hello. I am currently trying to decide between Case PPSP and Pitt GAP. I have visited both campuses and like them both. I have a half tuition scholarship from Case and full ride from Pitt, but money isnât too much of a factor. Overall, I am leaning towards Pitt as I kinda like the city. Does anyone have any thoughts on PPSP vs GAP?
Whatâs the cost difference for medical school?
Pitt GAP over PPSP.
Trust your heart.
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They are pretty much the same.
Thatâs also how I feel. But are there benefits to having the private UG experience opposed to being at a large public institution?
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Yeah, I got Harvard!
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@Orthopod.girl.05 - First of all, congratulations on impressive results.
Since you are considering Pitt GAP vs. Case PPSP inspite of admission to Harvard, you are betting on the medical schools and almost guaranteed admission. From medical school point of view, Case and UPitt SOM are similar.
From undergrad experience point of view, I feel Upitt provides more by default. Being in Pitt Honors, you can do Bachelors in philosophy alsoâŠwhereas at Case, there is a lot of competition (for example, it wont be easy for students to get shadowing/volunteering/research at Cleveland clinic).
Also, last couple of years, students were complaining/mentioning that Case has introduced a mandatory interview for PPSP students before they can graduate to medical school. So, the graduation requirements are not transparent or automaticâŠthere is a unknown factor whereas at UPitt, this is not the case at all.
So, guarantee wise, UPitt is much better and clearer than Case.
My suggestion is to go for UPitt GAP. It is a better choice, you like Pittsburgh and you can also take classes in CMU if interested, get experience in Pitt SOM. In addition, you got full ride for Pitt UG whereas Case being a private college, 50% off tuition still makes it around 40K per year!
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Private colleges could be better on a case by case basis, but in this case Upitt GAP program is better than Case PPSP program!
The crime rate in cleveland is bad when compared to Pittsburgh. you can check internet. Personally, with all the moving around a students would be required to do due to ECs/volunteering/shadowing/research etc, itâs much better to stay in Pittsburgh!
Do add your results/perspective in the BSMD RESULTS folder!
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Thank you! I will!
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Thank you @kingsman115 for sharing your daughters stats and perspectives, especially about high school research, SAT scores and starting early. This will be useful for future applicants.
Congratulations to your DD as well as her proud parents on her admissions to NJIT/NJMS and TCNJ/NJMS! IMO, historically these are more popular feeders to NJMS anyway!
Hmmm, you need to think hard on giving up on Harvard. You went thru BSMD process and got very good BSMD programs, so you have that experience to build on comparing to other traditional path applicants. This is what lot of BSMD advocates fail to mention. As you may know my DS and another girl from 2017 cycle gave up BSMD and ended up with multiple T5 admissions.
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@Orthopod.girl.05 I have not heard anything about Harvard being grade-deflated. So, doing well in Harvard UG could really open the door for further med education at T5-10. At Pitt and Case, youâll still need to do well to maintain a good GPA to advance. In making your decision, please do not see the MCAT as a deterrent. If you had done that well to have such great results, taking the MCAT will be fine if you have a plan and have a solid premed education, which no doubt Harvard will provide.
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On the topic of grade deflation, what are everyoneâs thoughts on attending a public university like UT-Austin instate. Will the grade deflation affect chances at a Texas medical school or non-Texas medical school admission? Or do medical schools account for grade inflation at some private colleges.
Medical schools donât account for grade deflation since they can find enough students with good gpa. Itâs challenging to get good GPA at flagship public universities but itâs doable. Need careful planning and execution.
What appears to be grade deflation at state flagships is just a result of a high students to professors ratio. With a larger class size, itâs hard to a professor to get to know each student and to have enough time to address all issues with the contents. Without enough 1-on-1 help, students with a shaky foundation would just either get a low grade, withdraw or flunk out.
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Also they canât give out too many As?
If not 100 percent sure on medicine pathway and can change mind go with Harvard.
Else
Pitt or Case
If aiming for academic medicine go with Pitt Med
Still both are top BS MD Programs you cannot go wrong either way.
Good luck