You have atleast 2 more years to go before you apply to colleges.
One B here or there will not make any difference (provided you have other elements) as long as you bring up your GPA by the time your apply.
My view on OPTIONAL grade or credit is this: IF you take CREDIT, it means you had a bad grade. I am for either all grades or all credits. Some grades and some credits (unless mandated in that subject for everyone) works against you.
In the activities section in Common App, it asks week/yr and hr/week for each activity. Due to COVID, many activities like clubs and volunteering, etc. got cancelled for 3-4 months (March, April, May, June).
How many weeks or hrs do we need to enter for such activities which normally would have gone for a full year until May?
Anyone can help?
Makes sense. Yes, hope to bring up my GPA. By the way, how do students bring up their unweighted GPA? Do they take a decent balance of hard and easy classes? I am thinking have to show rigor but then worry about the GPA impact. At my school we do not get any honors points or gpa weighting for honors classes and I have a few honors classes next yearā¦GL to all applying this year.
So BU has test-optional BS/MD? Any advantage to submitting scores?
@melslemonade
If one has near perfect SAT I and SAT II or ACT score, it can not hurt you. BU is known to get a large number of applicants with perfect stats. With no SAT II scores required (They required 2 SAT II - SAT II Chem and one other in past), the number of applicants is going to increase this year. Most should choose to apply. Most NMFs should apply since they get a presidential scholarship from BU.
Should you not enter the actual amount done ? Can you enter a projection in future ? Based on what ?
Another question: does anyone know if you can apply to Stony Brook and GW BS/MD? or only one? With AMC programs it is only one but with Upstate ones, there is no limit. Wondering which one this is.
Stonybrook and GW are separate. You can apply to both.
I think you are confusing between St. Bonaventure and Stonybrook.
St. Bonaventure is a feeder for GW and you can apply from both the feeder schools for GW.
Stonybrook has its separate BS/MD program.
Any school which is test OPTIONAL - you will be at a disadvantage if you do not submit scores. The assumption will be you had bad scores which is why you are not submitting such scores.
PSAT as a proxy for SAT?
Have the ADCOMS thought of using PSAT as a proxy for SATs?
Practically, all rising seniors would have given PSATs.
That is a good practically objective measure.
Havenāt seen or heard about this line of thought.
@grtd2010
There are some clubs which I have been in since freshman year and some honor societies since junior year and will continue those for senior year as well.
So for 9th and 10th the clubs went all the way until May but for 11th they stopped in March with some meetings online. So do you still enter the full weeks and hrs as it was in 9th and 10th or reduce it to March because it stopped for 1 grade? It is a combined field for all of high school and it is not differentiating the weeks or hrs for each class year.
@melslemonade -
For the colleges that are going test optional like Case or BU, the assessment is based on other criteria. Selectivity of this programs is not getting reduced. In the past, competition for BS/MD has been fierce and these programs have been very selective. I donāt expect this to change due to the change to test optional.
If other students are applying with near perfect test scores and solid ECs/medical experience, then they will be at an advantage over other students who didnāt submit test scores.
Doubt if they will make that as a criterion this cycle. Admissions people know most students donāt take PSAT as seriously as SAT/ACT for a variety of factors (still being in junior year and lacking the seriousness, lack of awareness about possible benefits in a few places, not caring about the miniscule advantage of NMF status in majority of colleges, going to the test without a formal preparation like for SAT or ACT ā¦ )
As an example Cās high school valedictorian in a subsequent batch was not of NMF status, but probably scored perfect on SAT anyway. So when he chose to join BU SMED, didnāt get the 20-25k/year price break.
A general good for thought for junior applying to BS-MD cycle with test optional question -
If you are planning to skip ACT/SAT I or II subject tests, are you also planning to apply to only those BS/MD programs that have gone test optional?
In the past, applying widely to several BSMD programs has resulted in the best results for students.
SO, not taking the tests means, students can apply to only a limited # of BSMD programs?
Hi! New member here. Is it worth it to try and take SAT subject tests? I am taking both the SAT and ACT (if my tests donāt get cancelled) which means that I would have to take my subject tests in October while working on college applications. I am not taking the writing portion of either test. I am currently thinking of applying to programs that donāt require SAT subject tests (there are actually a good amount of them).
Apply widely and do not expect much. This should be your mantra. SAT II score or no score will not make any significant difference. BSMD admission process is very unpredictable.
@melslemonade
If you are from NY state, apply to Stony Brook and SUNY Upstate. As others have pointed out, GW/GW and St. Bonaventure/GW are two separate options. So you have mentioned, 5 bsmd programs all together- Two for GW, StoneyBrook, RPI/AMC or Sienna/AMC, SUNY Upstate. Apply widely and do not expect much.
Do not underestimate NMF scholarship of 20-25k/year which amounts to 80-100k for 4 years at BU. This is almost equivalent to price of a UG degree at Rutgers for a NJ resident. Please do not recycle old stories.
@NoviceDad yes I was confusing the two. I meant st bonaventure. Thanks.