<p>I am a first year student at a 7 year combined med program and while I am still extremely interested in pursing medicine, I am not enjoying the program and do not feel like I am made for a 7 yr program because I am a very goal-driven person and don’t feel like I have an immediate goal here. I am also having a hard time adjusting to the general laid back atmosphere at the college/ in the program because I have a good amount of free time but I do not feel like I am using that time productively.</p>
<p>I am considering transferring into some of the undergraduate schools that I previously gained admissions to (UChicago, Duke, or UPenn) and was wondering if that is something worth doing. Is it worth giving up my guaranteed admission into a top 30 medical school for a chance at another undergrad institution where I can be pushed/challenged more and get a chance to apply to more prestigious medical schools?</p>
<p>do not cut ties with your current school AT ALL, until you see if you’re admitted elsewhere AND have an adequate aid pkg. Many schools do NOT give transfers good aid.</p>
<p>That said, you won’t have a lot of free time soon, so you need to wait and see.</p>
<p>This seems a little silly to me, I would suggest you sign up for some challenging/skill expanding classes outside your comfort zone. That freedom is the value of having a guaranteed acceptance. </p>
<p>But, if you really need to feel “goal directed”, then I would suggest you start making yourself a stronger candidate for “higher ranked medical schools” or residency programs. Find a medical school professor who is working on something interesting and start doing research or clinical volunteer work. Maybe a research lab interests you, maybe its a particular specialty you want to explore. I am clinically oriented (don’t have a lab) and there is a vast untapped potential for students to get involved in clinical research. Join a group to provide service to a community in need (homeless shelter medical clinic, abused kids, low income elderly…the possibilities are endless).</p>
<p>Perhaps you did not take the hardest course in your bs/md program. Hold it out for another year and see what happens. If you still feel that way you should plan for transfer. It’s easy to get out of the program but you will not be able to get back in. </p>
<p>I would NOT advise to transer out of bs/md, nope, no way. You can apply out (but only if you can retain your spot in Med. School, which is very rare in bs/md programs). My D. was in bs/md, hers was not accelerated. She was accepted also to accelerated one, but wanted a normal college experience. Her bs/md was 4+4=8 and it allowed to apply out while retaining your spot at Med. School in the program. She was the only one who applied out, the others did not want to bother, they went to Med. School without any interview, no application fees, nothing. Many out there would be envious of this, believe me. Just read about application cycles in couple threads. You will not question your current situation after that…
I do not think that you will maintain the same “laid back atmosphere” later. I do not know how is taking about 21 credits (which is normal for accelerated program) is a laid back. Are you involved in EC’s, medical or others, are you working?
What you are saying is not normal for a pre-med at any UG and more so in accelerated bs/md program. We have talked to several students in accelerated bs/md when D. was interviewing there. No “laid back atmosphere”, they were trying to convince us that they are surviving…</p>
<p>So…the OP is likely attending a good, but not top, undergrad that has a med school ranked somewhere around 25-30…maybe a state school? </p>
<p>Texas SW, Virginia, Wisconsin, Oregon, Iowa…which of these have a 7 year program?</p>
<p>He was accepted to schools like Cal Tech before. </p>
<p>I think that he is a Fall Frosh who hasn’t yet gotten his feet wet. I don’t know what his major is, but if it’s substantial, then he’ll likely soon find himself challenged.</p>
<p>I agree that it’s not worth giving up that top 30 school acceptance. No way.</p>
<p>Unless the program restricts you to take only specific classes, there is no reason to feel bored by not challenging yourself with additional classes. You can also spend your time working in a lab, doing volunteering at hospitals, teaching in a youth program or a myriad number of other things.</p>
<p>OP…many parents can’t/won’t fund the med school app process which is costly (you’d need to budget SEVERAL thousand dollars…or more if you take the Kaplan prep class. The very low income may get some help with app costs, but I don’t think they get help with travel costs for interviews. </p>
<p>Just that alone should be considered.</p>
<p>PLUS…if you plan on applying between jr and sr years, attending a TOP school and trying to fit in med school interviews (missing days of school) may be difficult. </p>
<p>In addition to all the previous posts, getting into UofC, UPenn, and Duke as a transfer is often much more difficult than as a freshman. You may not even get into a single one that you got into before. </p>
<p>It is really up to you to challenge yourself. Search out challenging courses, find extraordinary EC’s, get a job and save money for med school expenses, spend your free time making a true difference in your community. These are the hallmarks of maturity. </p>
<p>guarantee spot and it is NOT. One still has to maintain some min. requirements. And while they are lower than in 'regular route", they still have to be met to be able to attend a Med. School in the program. In D’s bs/md the requirements were 3.45/27. Well, her program required MCAT, may not be the case with OP program. However, as far as I know all of them require certain GPA. Having many credits / semester with GPA requirements is challenging at least for the most.
So, if OP is up to challenges, there are plenty in bs/md, right attitude is must.</p>
YES! This is the tradeoff of the combined BA/MD program. The school does it to lock down applicants who would otherwise be too good for them, and in turn you get the freedom to enrich yourself in ways that may be too risky or not flashy enough for a med school app since your spot is guaranteed.</p>
<p>Are you working in a lab or on clinical research? Do you speak a foreign language? Are you taking the most advanced classes possible? What extracurriculars are you engaged in (both medical and non-medical)? The program/school is not the reason you’re not using your time productively, you are!</p>
<p>Although it is rare, not all bs/md “lock down applicants who would otherwise be too good for them”. In additiion NOBODY, not the best Med. School applicant is too good for any Med. School. Nobody at all! Do not kid yourself. It may be the fact for the UG poriton, however, then the star student in UG will have many more opportunities.
What I said is based on D’s experience in very flexible bs/md, which she has applied out while still retaining her spot. This part was absolutely awesome, imagine going to interviews while you have already a spot at one Med. School. Talking about confidence level, and confidence is a clear winner at interviews. However, it is not the case with the most bs/md’s.<br>
I think that the OP is just testing waters, I do not think it is a real situation, there is NOBODY, not a single pre-med, not the kids with the highest HS stats that I ever met, who said that they were bored in UG. This includes taking the initial (first) classes after having 5 in AP of the class, not even those are bored as they discovered that the very first classes in college are much more challenging than APs in their rigorous private HSs. In fact the first college Bio tha D. took went thru AP material in the first 2 weeks and then they moved on, lots of groanning and moanning from the valedictorians and many falling off the pre-med track after this class. Nope, they were not bored at all!!!</p>
<p>The “locking kids down” idea is definitely more about the undergrad than the medical school. There’s a reason WashU, Hopkins, Harvard, Yale etc. don’t have BS/MD programs while UMKC, GW, UMass, and UConn do. It’s sort of like merit aid in that sense (and again, something the ivy league doesn’t offer that many other schools do)</p>