I appreciate the kind words and apologies for some typos.
When I talk to MIT/Harvard MBA students here and they complain about the $140K in loans they take for B-school, it boggles my mind to have $300K+ in debt coming out of UMKC. Keep in mind that the the MBA students are also generally starting with salaries atleast $110K (pre-tax), not the 45-50K that residents get.
Quick finance fact: loans are in after-tax dollars, salaries are advertised in pre-tax dollars (meaning that if you make $100K gross, you really take home around 60K, being conservative with a 40% tax rate).
^ I don’t think legally you can put double deposit. Someone can correct me here if I am wrong on that.
Don’t come to the UMKC 6yr program. ‘Provisional acceptance’ is just tip-of-the-iceberg of your misery at UMKC. If you are one of the best students of your highschool class then don’t come to this worst program in the country. Go to a better ranked school where you got in.
if your provisional that honestly makes no difference. your actually probably better off because you’ll get your chem credit done in the summer and there’s really no correlation to general chemistry at all except for the class so i don’t even know why they make you take the toledo exam. i have had a really rough time since i’ve been to umkc and there have been times where i have completely broken down and i’ve only been here for about a year and a half. this program really depends on the person , i know a lot of people here who are happy and content and would go nowhere else. some people it just doesn’t suit them no matter how much they want to try and make it work, so think about it really carefully and see what works for you and if you’ll be able to adapt and thrive in this kind of environment
@bikergirl, if you look at HighHope’s previous posts, you’ll see he/she started in the first year of the six year program this year.
@astumph, there is a limit of 30 credit hours through testing credit. There is no limit on transfer coursework through a community college, or university. Neither will give you grade points towards your grade point average unless you happened to take the transfer coursework in the University of Missouri System.
Thanks for being so balanced in your response to questions about the UMKC 6 yr program. I have a question. Is it preferable to have a BS ( rather than a BA ) to be competitive for highly ranked specialties at good residency programs post UMKC and if so is it possible to do this if transferring the max 30 hr credit for the AP’s taken in high school ( this includes AP’s in all major science subjects with good grades ) ?
When it comes to going for highly sought after and competitive specialties at good residency programs, whether your undergraduate degree is a B.S. vs. a B.A. is negligible. Realize everyone else will be a traditional student having entered medical school after completing their bachelor degree in a full 4 years.
Even if your type of undergraduate degree had an impact say if you were to get a B.S. degree in Biology, realize that the UMKC undergrad is ranked in the third tier of national universities: [UMKC[/url</a>]. There are many other factors during your actual medical school years that they will take a much greater look at, some of which will be in your control and some which won’t be, when you’re at UMKC’s medical school.
By the way, if you click on my link in the previous post, you’ll see that AP Biology credit will not give you credit for General Biology I and II.
For the B.S. you’d probably have to take the 2-semester Organic Chemistry course with Labs (the ones premeds take) instead of the 1-semester Organic Chemistry course with Lab that those in the 6-yr program take. You’d also probably have to take 2 semesters of Physics with labs (if you don’t have credit for it through an AP exam). You’d have to check with your advisor about what additional requirements there are to make the B.A. into a B.S. degree even even with 30 hours of AP credit.
Thanks Roentgen…well balanced again. I was just trying to put as many chips in my favor as I could. I have a 35 on the ACT and 11 AP’s with good grades. I’ll work hard on USMLE steps to maximize my scores. Are there any other factors under my control?
Thanks persistent. You mention you got a 35 on the ACT and have credit for 11 AP Exams - you may see that UMKC is not up to your high caliber either at the undergrad or med school level. Since you’re already in the program, you can see more in detail, during Year 1, if the program is indeed tailored towards your career and specialty goals, or not, when you can actually do something about it, and have a good out, like transferring after the Spring (end of Year 1), if necessary.
Your GPA: Your cumulative GPA starting from Fall Semester Year 1 to Year 6 is reported to residencies, which includes undergrad and med school classes. Keep in mind Your GPA does not start over after 2 years when you enter the medical school, unlike other 6 year med programs.
Clinical Evaluation Grades - in non-graded classes, some are graded Pass/Fail only (like many of the MED classes you take Year 1 and 2), some are Honors/Pass/Fail (like the Clinical Skills course), or Honors/High Pass/Satisfactory Pass/Marginal Pass/Fail (all clinical rotations). Try to achieve Honors in as much as you can.
Research - Get involved in basic science “bench” research or clinical research in a specific field you’re interested in, at UMKC, assuming it is even available.
Thanks again Roentgen. I have much to think about. Thanks also for the tip about the AOA Honor society…the lady there mentioned that the combined program at UMKC is quite active with Dr Foxworth as the councillor.
Even with doing 1) through 4), and assuming 5) is even available, just realize that when you apply for more competitive residencies, along with other 4th year medical students, it will be an uphill battle coming from UMKC.
Would doing a year or two of research in the chosen specialty/ subspecialty (with publications) at NIH or a similar institution post UMKC, paid or unpaid, level the playing field somewhat?
Also, is there a textbook that could be started on over the summer prior to starting at UMKC?
You’d probably be only allowed one year off for research. As far as leveling the playing field, it is really dependent on where exactly you are doing the research, who you’re doing it with, in what specialty, and if you end up publishing or presenting your research. So pretty much what you accomplish in that year off.
Some do it through an official program at Doris Duke or Howard Hughes which are research type fellowships - I think these are paid - which you can imagine is competitive for application. Many other medical schools also have a summer medical research program as well.
I personally would not read any textbooks over the summer as the program can get pretty intense and you should enjoy your last and only summer to the fullest. You really won’t end up that far ahead of the game, as you think you would, as undergrad campus classes are pretty well spaced out, including the undergrad science classes - which are Mon/Wed/Fri or Tues/Thurs, so you do have enough time.
I have a 30 on the act and a 1930 on the SAT. Does UMKC even look at the SAT??
Also, I am in the top 2% of the class of 500 and I have a 4.3 weighted and a 3.89 unweighted. Also, I have not taken subject tests and AP tests, I have done medium on. My activities list is very long and I am the president of many clubs and I have establised a club as well pertaining to medicine. I am really worried about the interview for UMKC if i make it that far. People just say to be yourself but how are you supposed to answer questions like what is the biggest problem in medicine, why do you want to be a doctor. I feel like everyone has somewhat of the same answer(they want to help people ect). As far as ethical questions, is there a right or wrong…what if the person doesn’t agree with you?