Thread for BSMD 2020-2021 Applicants (Part 1)

Some one asked me same thing about another post the other day.image

All those 15 (=0.2*74) Asian kids join Brown PLME.

So is the PLME class representative of the general student population at Brown? That would mean about 40% caucasian, 15-20% asian. Or does PLME aim for more diversity

Can you please suggest and recommend between Rowan BS/MD VS SUNY Upstate BS/MD. Rowan is 7 years program while Upstate is 8 years but Upstate is an older and more established medical school. Cost and distance wise, both almost same.

ORM wisdom is take 7 years, make money as doctor one yearly and put that in stock market and in 30 years you will have couple of millions at least :slight_smile: On serious note, look at the quality of education, campus life and match data. You (or you kid) get to have college experience once in a life, so don’t short change that. 7 year program may force you to take classes in one summer. Whatever the research and ECs done during UG are foundation for medical school.

So for ORM, if our only option is BS/DO should we still go with that? Or is applying regular way a possibility?

Without knowing details I can’t give a recommendation. I never say don’t take combined program. If you want you can DM/PM me.

SUNY Upstate BS/MD over Rowan BS/MD, IMO.

There may be other diversity goals- URM(under represented minority) representation is an important goal for medical schools.

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Visiting campus is an important step in making your final decision of which school to attend.
Research general facts about Rowan & SUNY Upstate campus life ,quality of education. Reach out to students around campus and ask how they feel about their school.

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IMO, if you think that you can achieve a UG GPA >= 3.75 and MCAT >= 515, please take the risk and consider applying via regular MD route in future. If you are risk averse, take the bird-at-hand option BS/DO, IMO.

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Oh, ok. Thanks!

I understand and agree with your statement. I think the challenge is that at the time decision has to be made (e.g, choosing between BS-DO program vs traditional route), one doesn’t have that info (MCAT and UG GPA). If you mean while in undergrad doing the BSDO program and applying out, then that makes sense, but is different if have to decide prior to starting college. Thus, that’s where the dilemma is since it’s tough for anyone to know with confidence what their UG GPA and MCAT scores will be in ~3+ years. Throw in race/ethnicity, finance, medical specialty (primary care vs surgical/derm), etc. as other factors to consider. Thus, as we all know, the decision will be a personal individualized one and cannot be answered in general applicable to everyone.

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Thank you for comments. Both schools have decent research and EC opportunities. Rowan is having little bigger campus while SUNY upstate UG school is having a small campus. Student body at both school seemed happy and most of students were local to areas. UG schools of both programs do not have that much competitive environment as both are not highly ranked UG schools. Looking at medical school statistics, both have decent placements in all kind of residencies. Upstate is older well established school and bigger class size while Rowan Medical is relatively new and having smaller class size.

IMO, not all decisions are based on all known information before hand. One has to understand their risk tolerance and risk appetite before making such a decision. A risk-averse (a zero risk appetite) case is the bird-hand-choice BS/DO, IMO.

I have no idea about Rowan BS/MD program as we did not look into it. A quick look at the program reveals, its a BS in Biochemistry. Sample course work shows that you have lot more Mathematics classes (4) and of courses a whole lot of Chemistry
and a few summer classes. While with Upstate feeders, you could just do Biology or other preferred major. That’s one important aspect you may want to consider.

Also, what is your UG feeder for Upstate? And see if that’s a better fit over Rowan’s UG. Just don’t consider the 7yr. Vs 8 years as THE only criteria, but pay attention to where the kid will be happy and feels good about the program.

Btw, per our research Upstate is very stress free, collaborative and very supportive med school. Have not seen any negative feedback on SDN at all. DD is going to Upstate, but first to ACPHS this fall :v:.

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It is a much more difficult major than a BS(Biology), includes a calculus III and a lot more chemistry courses during UG. Unless your DC enjoyed chemistry in High School, it may be a challenging choice.

I would go with SUNY Upsate based on what you said. Newer medical schools may take some time to get proper recognition. Medicine is a conservative field so not sure how receptive PDs are for newer ones.

For most part, highly ranked UG schools and BSMD would not fit in the same sentence, so we don’t have to worry too much about it. Let’s consider other factors :rofl:

Has anyone received an email from REMS coordinators after rejection asking to schedule a pre-med advising conversation? I assume all those interviewed and not offered a spot got this too?