Hello! I am a senior currently applying to this program. This is my number one choice and I am really excited. Anyway, so I have already started applying and it is asking for grades for each course I have taken yet it is self reported. Does anyone know if they will eventually ask for an official transcript. I am trying to request all my transcripts for my schools now. & Does anyone know how generous financial aid is for this program? Thank you!
@DRintheWorks, yes, on the application it is self-reported in terms of the courses and grades that fulfill the 17 core requirements of the university, but in the application process they also require you to snail mail an official transcript: http://med.umkc.edu/bamd/apply/ (Step 2: Submit Transcripts & Test Scores). My guess is that whatever you enter, in terms of courses & grades, on the general application, will be crosschecked for accuracy with what is on the transcript to calculate the unweighted GPA that will be used. If you’re a high school senior, you only need to send a high school transcript.
In terms of actual financial aid thru the University itself, as a BA/MD student, you probably won’t get much in total financial aid that isn’t loan-based (i.e. have to pay it back) vs. grants and scholarships (that don’t have to be paid back), etc. UMKC medical school student tuition finances a lot of the overall university’s budget even at the Year 1 & 2 level (which are considered, for financial aid purposes, to be the “undergraduate” years), which is why we are ineligible for a lot of the university’s scholarships. This is why even for in-state BA/MD students, they pay about 21K for Year 1 alone: http://med.umkc.edu/bamd/finance/ (normally at UMKC, as an in-state undergrad, it would be about 8K annually).
Financial Aid and Scholarships:
http://www.sfa.umkc.edu/site2/health_professionals.cfm?info_pane=1
–Bright Flight is a program for Missouri students - http://dhe.mo.gov/ppc/grants/brightflight.php
School of Medicine Scholarships:
http://med.umkc.edu/sa/finance/som_scholarships/
There are some limited SOM scholarships available now, but for some reason, for a lot of the scholarships listed, they do not list the exact amount. Based on what I’ve been hearing, a lot of the scholarships do tend to go to in-state students, not regional or out-of-state students.
Cost of Attendance Charts:
http://www.sfa.umkc.edu/site2/forms/coa/Resident-(BA-MD).pdf
http://www.sfa.umkc.edu/site2/forms/coa/Regional-(BA-MD).pdf
http://www.sfa.umkc.edu/site2/forms/coa/Non-Resident-(BA-MD).pdf
Cost of Attendance Charts:
http://www.sfa.umkc.edu/site2/forms/coa/Resident-(BA-MD).pdf
http://www.sfa.umkc.edu/site2/forms/coa/Regional-(BA-MD).pdf
http://www.sfa.umkc.edu/site2/forms/coa/Non-Resident-(BA-MD).pdf
Thank you so much @Roentgen! I have a few more questions if you don’t mind. I plan on taking some dual credit courses at my local college such as Eco., Gov, and English 4. Do you think those courses will transfer over? Do you know how many non-resident students typically get accepted and how many African-American students at that? & Do you have any tips as I go through the application process? Thanks again!
You can see the degree plans here which have now been updated for the 2016-2017 academic school year:
Bachelor of Liberal Arts: https://cf1.umkc.edu/majormaps/maps/2016-2017/SOM_BLA_MD_2016_2017.pdf
Bachelor of Arts in Biology: https://cf1.umkc.edu/majormaps/maps/2016-2017/SOM_BA_MD_Bio_2016_2017.pdf
Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry: https://cf1.umkc.edu/majormaps/maps/2016-2017/SOM_BA_MD_Chem_2016_2017.pdf
My understanding is you are now effectively limited to only 3 Bachelor degree options as part of the 6 year combined Bachelor/MD program at UMKC.
Your dual credit Macroeconomics class would give you 3 hours of Social Sciences credit as part of the Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree.
Your dual credit US Govt. class would give you 3 hours of Missouri Constitution credit that everyone has to complete.
Your dual credit English IV credit would probably give you 3 hours of Humanities credit as part of the Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree (normally the AP English Literature exam gives you credit for English 124, a random English class, that can go towards Humanities credit hours)
If you are in an underrepresented minority group (Black, Hispanic/Latino, or Native American), and you are accepted, you will receive the Chancellor’s Historically Underrepresented Minority Award, as mentioned in the Financial Aid and Scholarships link posted above), which effectively knocks out the non-resident portion of your tuition. You would pay in-state tuition the entire time you’re in the program. About 13% of the class is non-resident/out-of-state (entering 2015-2016 Year 1 BA/MD class had 116 students, 16 were non-resident). I don’t believe UMKC Med has an actual quota in terms of number of African-Americans to accept in a matriculating Year 1 BA/MD class (I believe actual racial quotas in higher education have been struck down by the SCOTUS for a very long time now). UMKC Med also doesn’t release, at least not publicly anyways, the racial demographics of their entering Year 1 BA/MD classes. The percentage of African-Americans in the entire university is 12%: http://www.umkc.edu/facts/. The percentage of African-Americans at UMKC Med who are in the last 4 years of the 6 year program in 2015-2016 is 2.5% (11 out of 437 people): https://www.aamc.org/download/321540/data/factstableb5.pdf.
I would go thru the thread starting from this last application cycle from 2015-2016, maybe start around June/July 2015, and read up to the present. IMHO, it has to be one of the thread’s best years in terms of stellar applicant participation, as well as an explanation of the process and what happens on interview day by applicants. The only difference is that this year there will be only ONE deadline - November 1 (as it had always been before). The “early notification” deadline is no longer available as an option, which is good as applicants get 2 additional weeks without having to hurry up in an already stressful process.
i don’t know if its just me or has the school of medicine supplement app not come out yet? if it hasn’t come out, do you possibly know when it might be available? Thanks!! 
@Sona3599, nope it’s not just you. I thought it would be out by now or at least the UMKC Med website updated so that students can work on the short essay response prompts in the meantime (personal statement essay prompt is already there): http://med.umkc.edu/bamd/apply/. When it is ready, the “New Applicant” and “Re-Apply” tabs appear next to the “Forgot Password”.
Ok, so I’ve gotten messages as to the what personal statement essay prompt I’m talking about. This is what I was referring to in the link: http://med.umkc.edu/bamd/apply/,
Your personal statement should try to incorporate all of these aspects in some way (+ or - the third question, if it applies or not). The short answer response prompts are NOT in that link. Usually there are only two you have to write, but you’ll have to wait until the supplemental application comes out to see what they are since they are NOT in that link.
Hey @Roentgen
So, in the 17 core requirements, we need to have 1 unit of Chemistry. Our school provides semester courses and I have had one semester of Chemistry and I assume I need to have 1 year of chemistry. Can I still apply if I only have one semester of chemistry rather than 1 year of chemistry under my belt? I’m taking another semester of chem this year but obviously that won’t be included in the transcript, right?
@priyaluvsbooks, so on the 17 core requirements: http://www.umkc.edu/apply/documents/umkc-application.pdf (I’m looking at the PDF version of the application downloaded from here: http://www.umkc.edu/apply/freshman.cfm – hopefully the online and PDF versions of the application match), it states 3 science units required (each unit being 1 year). Courses in earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, etc. qualify under this category. Courses in general science, vocational-agriculture, or agricultural science do NOT qualify. It doesn’t mandate what those 3 units that you list have to be composed of, as long as they fall under earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, etc.
For most high schoolers, sophomore level chemistry (whether it’s at regular level or accelerated/Pre-AP/Pre-IB/Honors level) is a required course in high schools, which is usually one year in length, and would qualify. For your additional semester of chemistry in your senior year, I would put that under the “Coursework in progress” section (as would go all of your senior year coursework). Looking at the PDF application now, I’m a little confused, as high school full year courses are usually divided up into 2 semesters, with two separate grades, so I don’t get why they only ask for one grade, unless they want the average.
Hope that answers your question, if not, please let me know. But not having completed the 17 core requirements now, before your senior year is done, should NOT stop you from applying.
The area I live in does not offer shadowing opportunities for students under 18. Does that put me at a disadvantage to someone who did have shadowing hours? If so, what could I do instead with the same amount of importance? Thanks 
@Sona3599 Unfortunately, we felt not shadowing put at disadvantage. My D did not have any shadowing for the same reason and she did not get much traction for even interview invitation. It is a puzzle for me. Because even from my area (Bay area), I saw few students who managed to get shadowing. So combination of their tenacity and / or contacts (friends / relatives who are either physicians or working in health care setup) helped them to get that. So still explore if possible to do shadowing.
In case, if that is ruled out, try to volunteer in health related setup like Children hospital or helping any disadvantaged groups or who need help like senior citizens or kids with autism, or inner city kids etc., It will also help you to know whether you like the area you plan to pursue a career.
I realize that actual inpatient hospitals can have quite a bit of rules and regulations regarding high schoolers volunteering there or in shadowing their physicians, but I would definitely try private practice physician offices. Start with your family doctor, your parents’ internist or OB-Gyn, or a previous pediatrician who might allow you to shadow or at least even volunteer in their office, and he/she may know colleague physicians willing to take a student on for a temporary basis to observe and see what its like to see what a physician does. This can be done with physicians in different specialties. You can amass hours like that easily.
Even with the most spectacular of academics in GPA and standardized test scores, if I’m someone looking at your application, I want to be sure that you know what you’re getting into, in terms of this career path (much less one in which you’re committing to it as a high schooler). My natural question(s) will be, how did you come to the conclusion that being a physician was right for you (vs. other just as great healthcare careers)? What personal experiences or exposure have you had to the profession that solidifies in your mind that becoming a physician is the right one - especially one in which the training pathway is longer than others? Your GPA & test scores don’t give me a clue as to those questions. All that tells me is that you’re a hard working, conscientious student (maybe someone who likes science), with good study skills and test-taking ability (which a med student definitely needs, but it isn’t the ONLY criteria to be successful). Your academics, in terms of GPA and standardized test scores, tell me one part of the picture, while your healthcare ECs tell me another part of the picture but they aren’t interchangeable. They are like different puzzle pieces needed to complete the entire puzzle, just like your personal statement is another aspect, etc. See my discussion of this part of the supplemental application here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19747021/#Comment_19747021
I think @goldenrock came up with fantastic ideas that you could do as well. I would also add getting involved in cancer fundraiser drives, blood or bone marrow drives, working with kids who are disabled, volunteering at a nursing home since a nursing home also counts as a healthcare facility. There are also free/indigent care clinics as well.
My weakest part in this application are my test scores. I got a 1160/1600 on the SAT and have not taken the ACT. Does UMKC require the ACT? I plan on retaking the SAT and the ACT to improve my score. Are test scores a huge determinant in the application compared to the other parts?
@DRintheWorks Focus on what you can control and ignore what you can not control. No one knows with certainty, these are the x factors and these are the y% for each of the x factors on your application. Test scores are considered but what exact score, no one will know. But your SAT score is very low for these competitive programs, even if you are a URM. Note, some students do well in ACT (than SAT). So you should take ACT and see how your score. Also take any test prep classes before you take SAT and ACT second time. But don’t try to do so many times (beyond 2 times).
UMKC and few other programs take ACT (rather they prefer ACT). But there are very few programs which prefer or state they will take only SAT. But found out some one who took only ACT and got in to those programs which states only SAT. So again focus on how you can improve your SAT and ACT scores. GL
@DRintheWorks, so UMKC prefers the ACT, but they are ok with the SAT if you are out-of-state (since in many states the preferred test taken by everyone is the SAT). If you’re an in-state applicant, you’re required to take the ACT. Applicants to be considered have to have a minimum ACT score of 24 (1090 SAT). The average ACT score for a student entering the B.A./M.D. program in 2015 was a 31 (SAT 1380), with an ACT range of 23-36 (the minimum ACT of 24 rule was implemented in the 2015-2016 application cycle). Standardized test scores are one aspect but not the entire aspect of getting an interview so I would try to do the very best on the ACT and/or SAT that you can before November 1 for interview consideration.
Thank you so much & will do! @GoldenRock @Roentgen
Another thing you guys (and gals) should do while waiting for the BA/MD supplemental to come out is put your CV activities (both your school activities and your healthcare experiences) in this type of format below. This is going by last year’s application format: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18737719/#Comment_18737719. This is so that when the application does come out, you only have to cut and paste into the application.
Open up a new file and save under Notepad (all PCs have the program Notepad: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Notepad), I’m sure Macs have something similar to that program, so that the text that is typed is not formatted (no official font, plain text) and so won’t mess up when you cut and paste from Notepad into the online supplemental application. In last year’s application, you were limited to 10 activities for each section, which I’m sure will be the case this year.
High School/College Activities and Leadership - according to last year’s application, it says, “estimated total hours devoted to activity” below, but in the paragraph above it, it says, “hours per week you devoted to the activity”, so for right now, I would type both numbers and then clarify with the UMKC Med admissions office which number they want - hours per week or total hours, if it hasn’t been corrected on this year’s supplemental application which should come out soon.
Do this format for each activity in this section:
Name of activity (please do not use acronyms):
Leadership Position Held:
Estimated total hours devoted to activity (if applicable):
Start Date:
End Date:
Description of activity/organization and your specific involvement with the activity/organization (200 word count limit):
Health Experiences - according to last year’s application, it says, “estimated total hours devoted to activity” below, but in the paragraph above it, it says, “hours per week you devoted to the activity”, so for right now, I would type both numbers and then clarify with the UMKC Med admissions office which number they want - hours per week or total hours. Hopefully this will also be corrected on this year’s supplemental application.
Do this format for each activity in this section:
Name of activity (please do not use acronyms):
Type of activity: Choose 1 option from the 7 options (School related, Work experience, Structured/Formal program, Other health experience, Volunteer experience, Shadowing, Research)
Estimated total hours devoted to activity (if applicable):
Start Date:
End Date:
Description of activity/organization and your specific involvement with the activity/organization (500 word count limit):
@Roentgen Just to clarify are we only supposed to put activities in which we held leadership positions for High School/College Activities and Leadership??
@chocolatina1001, nope, ALL activities (up to 10), regardless of whether you were in a leadership position or not. The “Leadership Position Held:” field is only applicable to those activities in which you might have had some type of leadership position along the way: i.e. class officer or club officer, sports team captain, head cheerleader, drum major, newspaper editor, etc. Having a leadership position may not be (and probably won’t be) applicable to every activity that you’ve attempted in high school and that wouldn’t be expected anyways.