@naive101
Ok, so quite a few reply responses from @WGSK88, @PPofEngrDr, so I’ll try to hit on some points in their posts as well as the original post.
So I genuinely deep down think if you’re smart enough to get into an undergraduate institution like Penn, you’re smart enough w/a good work ethic & focus to get into a U.S. allopathic medical school thru the traditional 4+4 route (at Penn or another undergrad), whether that’s going back to your state’s allopathic medical school at KU Med or even possibly gaining admission to a more prestigious medical school (a lot of these latter schools have students from very high caliber undergrads). I myself, when I was asked the question previously in the thread, said that if I had to do it all over again, I would not have done the 6 year program, but gone the traditional route: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19812945#Comment_19812945
Does that mean your child should go to Penn for undergrad? That’s a hard question for me to answer. Harder undergrads are given more leeway in med school admissions, UP UNTIL A POINT. Most medical schools in admissions do make a distinction between different undergrads when comparing cumulative and BCPM (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math) GPAs. That’s bc obviously different undergrads have different rigor. This is a good start that discusses this question:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kvz8JFH71BI
- https://www.prospectivedoctor.com/does-undergraduate-reputation-matter-for-admissions/
By the way, this is all assuming that your child doesn’t change his mind and go for another career that may be healthcare related (i.e. PA, DNP, MBA healthcare administration, etc.) or not at all healthcare related. I realize this is College Confidential where people have been planning things since they were 5 years old, but you’ll see very much that life isn’t as it seems when it comes to careers, so obviously in that type of possibility, going to Penn would probably be a huge positive). You can see a scenario here of someone who started at UMKC’s BA/MD program convinced of wanting to be a practicing physician, left the program, and went into the healthcare administration/corporate world as she liked that aspect of healthcare more: https://info.umkc.edu/umkcstory/slesha-patel/.
In terms of UPenn’s stats on med school admissions, it depends on if applying as a non-senior is a voluntary thing or not. It wouldn’t shock me that a sizable percentage of students at UPenn might take a year off to do research and apply for med school during that year (although clear it is not a majority). Another thing, don’t choose schools based off of perceived salaries/reimbursement/primary care vs. non-primary care, etc. Reimbursement for medical services, compensation, etc. can easily change at the tip of a hat (this advice serves well when choosing a medical specialty in med school also).
One thing I will say w/regards to 4 year colleges, don’t choose undergraduate schools based SOLELY on name recognition (not saying it shouldn’t be a factor, just that it shouldn’t be the only factor driving your decision vs. other reasons: financial aid, academic caliber, resources available, student body, environment, etc.). You want to go to a place in which you think you can get a comprehensive, well-rounded education & in a place where you think you can thrive and be happy. You don’t want to be at a place where you’re always miserable and constantly homesick. It’s not great for your mental health and thus can affect your academics.
Just an observation from me, but in terms of what I’ve seen, those who choose a Bachelor/MD program solely because of skipping the MCAT or saving 1-2 years tend to be highly disappointed in the end. Why? One is the compromises you have to make in doing such a program when it comes to the undergraduate school caliber and undergraduate experience. The second is because the nature of the beast in the pathway through medical school, is that you have quite a few standardized exams. The MCAT is just one of many exams you taken and you’ll take exams that are much more higher stakes as you progress through medical school, both in courses and standardized. So skipping one standardized exam is not some huge thing in the process.
I do think that parents and applicants on average (especially on College Confidential) tend to HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY overestimate medical school admissions making it seem like it is this insurmountable task which is skewed even more with anecdotal evidence w/o having the full application file of the person(s). Keep in mind that most medical students (and physicians for that matter) are traditional pathway students. They do not do Bachelor/MD programs. It’s very much an alternative and is not a pathway that is endorsed by the AAMC as “better” or that has better outcomes.
As far as “Does the traditional vs BA-MD route matter SIGNIFICANTLY in the end, in terms of your OUTCOMES as a doc?” In terms of outcomes as a graduating and practicing physician, no, there isn’t this huge difference in outcomes.
Hopefully that clears some things up, if I missed something, let me know.
