<p>I believe there are quite a few of us that are trying to decide between a Multiple Degree Program and another top notch school. I am just as torn as anyone else, but if we could all just put in our 2 cents, we'd all get a bit more information..... And help us ultimately choose.</p>
<p>Pros of Multiple Degree Program:
no stress program
path already set</p>
<p>Cons:
not being pushed in undergraduate
getting sick of one place for 8 years</p>
<p>Pros of reg. Undergraduate School:
get to explore other majors, areas of concentration
be able to be pushed and enjoy a prestigious university and its surroundings</p>
<p>Cons:
Not having the spot for med school---major stress
not doing well in undergraduate school, and then having to appy for med school would be bad news....</p>
<p>Columbia/Berkeley and Stony Brook 8 year..... I have a 7 year program that I got accepted to as well, but I don't know if I want to go to it....</p>
<p>i myself was accepted to UMKC, RPI&Union/Albany, SLU, and USC for their accelerated med programs and also Brown, Northwestern, UCLA, Berkely, Stanford, and Harvard for undergrad and im leaning towards RPI/ALbany. I think that if your goal is set on becoming a doctor then going through a combined program is the best way. Sure schools like Harvard have their appeal because of their name and quality of education in various majors, but i kno that if i go to a IVY-league or a similarly rigorous university it will be harder/more stressful for me to attain my goal of being a physician. So, it all depends on how dedicated you are to the field of medicine, at least for me.</p>
<p>I got into VCU/MCV 8-year program as well as the Union/Albany 8-year program. Undergraduate schools I was accepted to were UCLA, Berk, Duke, Dartmouth, and Rice. I'm definitely going with the VCU program, not only because it guarantees you a spot to med school without the MCAT, but also because it holds your seat at MCV even if you decide to apply out to a different med school. What's more, med schools don't really care too much about the difficulty or prestige of the undergraduate university, so as long as you get a high gpa anywhere and have the MCAT score to back it up, you should be competitive. Because of this, it would be pointless to attend a more difficult school in your undergraduate years. So essentially, I do attend on trying for a more prestigious med school, so I will be going through the rigors of the premed process, but the fact that I have a seat guarantteed somewhere makes things much less stressful.</p>
<p>hashman89: wow you must have been a pretty competitive applicant, i'm not sure where you're located geographically, but I would choose USC's program or any of the excellent undergraduate schools you applied to (stanford, harvard) -- california weather is awesome, usc's undergraduate school has alot of well rounded students and you'd have the opportunitiy to take enriching electives (same goes for the other undergraduates you got into, however you'd have the added stress of making an application for med school) Students do have to take the mcat at USC but many do very well and actually apply to other schools (if they're in state for cheaper tuition etc) or stay at Keck. Also USC's program seems more difficult to gain admission into (perhaps because of it's affiliated med school and the fact it's in california) --The opportunities are great at Standford, Harvard, they are good private schools where you can do well as a pre med applicant. why are you leaning towards RPI/albany over the other schools? scholarship, advice from others? proximity to home?</p>
<p>Seems like the consensus is towards the ba/md programs, and I can see why... it's just that although getting one of these seats is quite a feat, I can't help but think that I will never go to a "good" (if you catch my drift) university. This is our only chance to explore and by the time we get to med school, who knows where we'll end up. Getting into a "good" med school is quite hard, so hmm....</p>
<p>On that note, does anyone know which program is better? VCU or Stony Brook?</p>
<p>Go to Stony Brook. I think it's better ranked and more well known than VCU. Just my opinion. I am in the same dilemma, but I dont know if my undergrad choice is as prestigious as all of yours.</p>
<p>I got into Berk and LA and for ba/md programs, I got into UMKC and SLU. I'm pretty sure I'll choose SLU (have to visit and see first though) because SLU has a pretty good med school and their standards are doable (3.5, about 27 MCAT), but I think that even if you go into these programs, you should see if you can transfer out (I'm pretty sure you can do this with SLU) so if you decide to work your *** off anyway, you can go to a great med school and also have an ensured spot for you in med school.</p>
<p>Hash: I'm also going to say that you should go to USC; it's a great program and it's also in California. It's an awesome program. And oh yeah, nice job with Stanford and Harvard.</p>
<p>actually curiosity, i live in california, just a 2 hr drive from USC and i got a 1/2 presidential scholarship to USC. i do love the california weather and everything and i would love to stay here but the USC program isnt well made. I have 2 friends in it already and they are struggling and arent happy with it and i do not want to be in the same position as them. My sister goes to UMKC and i have a friend in Albany and from what both of them have said, RPI/ALbani is one of the best programs bc the students who go through RPI always end up on the top 10% of ALbany Medical School, and 50% of the students in the top 10% get their first choice of residency, my friend getting into Johns Hopkins. Id rather be at a school where id get a great education and have a better chance at a higher end residency.</p>
<p>Hello hashman0689:
First of all, congrats on some great choices!
I read with interest the plight of your friends in USC's med program. Can you tell me why they are struggling and what makes them unhappy? I am currently in high school, with the aspirations of applying to a combined program, and USC is one of my top choices.</p>
<p>hashman89: wow I had no idea about usc's program, a family friend of ours has been accepted into it and she is excited about it, i also have a friend in the rpi/amc who is a third year who says he and two others from rpi are at top of his class at amc and are doing well. he tells me the rpi students do well at amc since it is not full of as many competitive students and the program students tend to stand out, he felt well prepared by the program,but felt at times he was held back by the limited curriculum in the humanities at rpi, of course this is a personal preference. but i guess i just thought usc's was held in higher regard being so popular with many applicants finding a hard time to even get an interview at the school. I also thought the undergraduate usc affords students more class choices other than math and sciences and keck may have a higher reputation (resources, faculty mentors, networking) but yes It would be interesting to know more about the difficulties the usc program students are having</p>