Why was my comment deleted?
Anyways, I guess I’ll just repost it then? upon entering the program, you are indeed a professional student. Before I withdrew as a year 2 student, I met with several administrative faculty members. My etc mentioned that if I ever choose to apply to medical school down the road, I’d have to apply as a reapplicant. Other administrative faculty members said the same with the explanation that you are a professional student once you enter the program. The differentiation you are referring to is the first two years are medical student undergrad and the last four years are medical student professional. But regardless of the terminology, faculty members literally told me that you are a professional student once you join the program from year one and onwards. The website does not explicitly state this. Also, nowhere in the handbook does it say what the process is for a student who wants to transfer out during the first two years. But as I said, regardless of what year you transfer out, I’d you apply to med school down the road, you will be a reapplicant. I withdrew as a year 2. If I apply to med school I will be a reapplicant according to what I was told by my etc and the deans at umkc som. So in all honesty, I think the lcme should be invovled for all six years of the program. This program is one of a kind so I am not surprised that they get away with it. But just because they are getting away with it, does not mean it is right in any way.
Also, in response to your other comment, the school does emphasize professionalism so it is shocking that over 40 students from the class of 2022 own fake IDs. Aside from that several of the same students have used social media (group me) to bully faculty. Additionally, some students have used racial slurs. I have several family members in medical school and am fully aware that this is not common at other medical schools. I think several students are immature. Additionally, my original class (2022) had two class meetings with administrative faculty due to issues of unprofessionalism. I agree that we all make mistakes, it’s part of growing up. But repeatedly making them is a problem, especially if they can potentially hurt someone else. Students need to be held accountable for their actions and actually learn from their mistakes. That’s just my opinion.
These particular screenshots of students cyberbullying faculty and one student even using racial slurs (N word) were reported to the school. Several students got upset and tried to justify their actions even though they were clearly wrong. I even got a letter from the lawyer mother of one student who made fun of an advisor on group me chats demanding that I do not post those pictures of their cruel words anywhere. So I don’t know where you stand but I do believe several of my classmates were unprofessional just based on the way I was harassed for reporting some students’ racial slurs and hurtful remarks towards faculty.
Oh, I had never heard of this. I’m not as familiar with the traditional 4+4 AMCAS application to medical school and what it exactly asks for on the application. You naturally turn in academic transcripts of any coursework/education at any institution you’ve done since high school. I know if you finished Year 2, you’ve finished the “undergraduate part” at least in terms of financial aid. I don’t know if what they’re saying now is just a change in rules or what for AMCAS. I would say most parents and applicants would naturally see the first 2 years as more the “undergraduate part” w/the last 4 years being the “medical school part”. If that’s not at all true, they really need to make this clear on the website to incoming applicants as well as on interview days as well.
Even the school sort of categorizes it like that: http://med.umkc.edu/docs/SOM/AcademicPlan.pdf
On page 8 of 29 it doesn’t even categorize the medicine part in Years 1 & 2 as “med school” but as “health sciences”. On page 9 of 29 it says “Year 3, 4, 5, 6 Medical School Curriculum” and on another page “Counseling, examinations, and close observation of the students provide an unusual source of information for judging aptitude for medical school.” So it makes it seem like this is in preparation for med school, not while in it. Even then being labeled a “reapplicant” is not a Scarlet Letter. It happens in the traditional application process too, & people move on to med school just fine.
I wonder how this would work if someone left after Year 1 fall semester. It would make NO SENSE to say they’ve finished a semester of med school when you’re taking General Chem I and undergraduate level Anatomy. Docent, LBMS, and Med Term are not really medical school level courses even with the MED label. You get no credit for this at the undergraduate degree plan level or any other medical school. They’re very much undergraduate level and didn’t even play a role in our Dean’s letter for application for residency.
The truth is that once you leave UMKC, any premed/med school application process would be through your new college and it’s really best to ask a premed advisor there. I understand that students are treated as a “professional student” but that’s different from being classified as one (if you were, there would be no change in rates from Years 1-2 vs. Years 3-6: https://www.umkc.edu/finadmin/cashiers/school-of-medicine-tuition-fee-rates.asp & your FAFSA status wouldn’t change). It’s called a BA/MD program for a reason. There’s a BA part and an MD part. So there is some distinction (whether that actually translates to status is a question).
In this thread, I & other previous current students have mentioned that often times the student handbook/evaluation policies are not clear, & all too often that’s then left to interpretation by students themselves, various ETCs and Councils when a petition happens: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18304814#Comment_18304814. Apparently there is a lawsuit now on those very policies w/respect to implementation, which was reported by the Kansas City Business Journal that someone had actually posted it earlier in this thread that I missed (HT @kablemac1 ): https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2018/06/07/umkc-school-of-medicine-racketeering-lawsuit.html. I’m not shocked that this eventually happened just bc often times the rules tend to be quite vague sometimes on initial reading. As years pass, more rules are added or changed, and often any perceived “loopholes” are closed: http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18601733#Comment_18601733
Just based on the reading of the article, it does appear to conflict w/certain policies stated but that’s just an article of one side’s interpretation, and not an official court document, deposition, etc.
You’ll be surprised how immature medical students can be (esp. in the millennial & Generation Z generations), especially in the era of social media where you see it in text. I’ll leave the “professionalism” eyerolls, stories, and lectures to SDN because they make a heck of a lot of fun of it based on how it is carried out by medical school faculty, & not necessarily the concept itself, which I think most people would agree on. I tend to leave deference on evaluation conclusions about “professionalism” to medical school faculty, just because all too often, it ends up being used as retaliatory/vengeance power among students who are still growing and learning what that is, esp. on clinical rotations when you first enter the hospital, where someone with a gruff affect can be accused of “unprofessionalism” when its really not (that’s just an example, I’m not saying your examples are that). Not to mention what classifies as bullying vs. just talking badly about people behind their backs (i.e. what high schoolers do - which BA/MD classes tend to do bc surprise, surprise they just graduated from high school although over time this eventually does fade), tends to be a different line for everyone. This is why medical schools have councils, task forces, etc. to adjudicate these type of claims when concerns or complaints are turned in.
Yeah, you probably have not heard of this because most students who leave the program and transfer usually choose to pursue another career, so this question has probably never been asked. Additionally, some students who withdraw from the program still finish their undergraduate career at UMKC. I am not familiar with the 4+4 AMCAS application either, but when my ETC told me that I would have to apply as a reapplicant if I want to pursue medical school in the future, I got very confused and upset. I have only completed the year 1 curriculum as you said. I did not complete any of year 2 courses (biochem, genetics, HSF). Yes you are right, in terms of financial aid, after you finish year 2, you finish the undergraduate portion of the program. Well, unfortunately, it does not matter how parents and applicants view the program. Once you join this program in year 1 you are a medical student from the FIRST semester and onwards (trust me, I have hard, written proof of this from an administrative faculty member.) I AGREE! Haha, want to help me write a letter about it to the school? I told them SEVERAL times before I withdrew how unclear the information on their website is. I even showed them where it says “professional” student and tried to explain that it should say “medical” student instead, so it is not misleading, but I was told by a council member that those terms are used interchangeably. Again, the big takeaways that need to be made clear though- you are indeed a PROFESSIONAL (MEDICAL) student upon entering the program. Also, if you choose to leave the program (for any reason), but would still like to apply to med school in the future, you WOULD HAVE TO apply as a REAPPLICANT.
Like I said, it does not matter how parents and students view the program. Sadly, what I am saying is mentioned on their website, but honestly, it is something a student who is right out of high school could easily skip over while reading because it is not clearly stated.
Read the first sentence of the third paragraph: http://med.umkc.edu/six-years-two-degrees/
In reference to the page 8 of 29, yeah, that is very strange. In my opinion, their policies could definitely be interpreted in different ways because they are giving conflicting information on the website versus that academic plan you posted. Goodness, how are they even accredited? Does the LCME even know about this? I never said being a reapplicant would label a person that way, but it is incredibly difficult to be accepted into competitive medical schools as a reapplicant, even with a good GPA, MCAT score, etc. If I wanted to reapply, I would have to explain why I withdrew from medical school (aka this program) even though I never really withdrew from medical school since I was still in the undergraduate portion. As it is, top ranked medical schools in the Midwest and several medical schools outside of the Midwest have never even heard of UMKC’s 6 year med program, so this would be unfair for me to have to explain the nature of this “one of a kind” program to medical schools when the purpose of a medical school application is to highlight why you want to pursue medicine, clinical experiences, strengths, weaknesses, etc. I reached out to a friend of a friend who is a medical school consultant and told her about my case and she told me she would not take my case because it is very difficult to gain acceptance into medical schools after withdrawing. She knew about my medical circumstances and that I had a very high GPA, but she still said she would not take the case. This is someone who has worked with several premed students and has had a lot of success with helping these students get accepted into medical school, so I trust and value her opinion based on her experiences and testimonials. I can share her information and website with you if you would like. But anyways, yes, it is definitely a disadvantage to be a reapplicant, and in my fair opinion, I don’t really think it would be fair for a person to be considered one if he/she leaves this program within in the first two years for the reasons you mentioned. These classes are not even medical school courses. They are literally just undergraduate courses. In my opinion, I would not even consider docent a medical school course either. It was honestly no different from shadowing family medicine physicians and psychiatrists for me at least.
If someone left after Year 1 fall semester, they would have to do the same that I would have to do if I wanted to pursue medical school in the future. That student would most likely finish undergrad at UMKC or transfer out of UMKC to another undergraduate university. If that student wishes to pursue medical school the traditional route, that student would need to take premed requisites before applying. Depending on how late a student leaves the program, a post bacc program may be necessary. I know quite a few students who failed the HSF series but would still like to pursue medicine, so they will be pursuing post back programs after graduation. This actually made me really sad because those students had extenuating circumstances. As I said before, life happens (ie. Getting sick, family members falling ill, family members passing away, etc). And before you ask, yes- I knew one person with each circumstance I mentioned. Joining the alternate program is basically being punished for failing or taking a leave of absence in my opinion (this program has its own nonsense stipulations.) So yeah, I personally thought these students were being punished just because life happened which is insane. I was worried that other medical schools are like this too and they thankfully aren’t. I have several family members who are currently in or graduated from medical school (traditional route) and their schools have actually made accommodations when situations have come up or all students did not pass. The state med school my sibling attends is pass/fail and they actually lowered the passing requirement to the high 50s because not all students received passing scores. My sibling told me the school made it clear that it wants students to succeed and move on to the next class. They repeat questions at this medical school as well, but at least to my knowledge, no one seems to compile them and use them to cheat, like students at UMKC Med have done. The school also admits that questions are repeated unlike UMKC SOM. Faculty members at UMKC SOM have repeatedly said they do not repeat questions, but from memory and mistakes I made, I discovered several questions were repeated. I find it funny how it is so easy for them to make the statement “we don’t repeat questions” and then go ahead and do that. That is literally misinformation. And this is just my theory, but they complain that Biochem board scores are below average and that the class needs to be made more difficult. However, what if the scores are low because several students have cheated their way through these classes? There is too much grade inflation at this school due to cheating (aka students in greek life compiling old questions) in my opinion. I was in shock when I learned about the way other medical schools design curricula because UMKC SOM is the complete opposite in my opinion. I agree with you that they are undergraduate level, which is why I am still so confused and upset about why I would be a reapplicant. Even though I am passionate about medicine, it makes me not want to apply anymore because they are basically saying I attempted medical school and I most definitely did not!
Actually, if you leave UMKC or any other undergraduate program, the application process is through the common app. And that is a challenge too by the way. The common app does not have any place for a student to write that they attended this program. The differentiation needs to be made though because as an out of state transfer student into this program, I would not have left the first university I was at to attend UMKC just for its undergraduate curriculum. I would want future schools I apply to, to know I attended UMKC’s BA/MD program. If they are labeling me as a professional student, I should be able to do the same on the common app and I am not able to do so. I can only put “pre-professional,” which is NOT the same as “professional.” There is nowhere on the common app that I can write that I was a student at BOTH UMKC and UMKC SOM. I should be able to do this though because like I said, I would never have left the university I was at to attend UMKC just to do the premed track I was already on. Before you even ask, yes, I reached out to staff at the common app and they were not able to answer my questions clearly. There is not even a phone number for the common app, so I am frustrated and I really do not think it is on me to explain this unique “one of a kind” combined BA/MD program. How to go about the transfer process is not even listed in their policy, which is just horrible in my opinion. There is no guidance on how to go about making my academic history clear and understandable, specifically regarding his program. I honestly feel so helpless because the Common App staff does not know how to help me and UMKC SOM faculty has not helped me in making this a smooth transition. In fact, I requested a meeting with the dean and was denied this meeting. I then requested a meeting with the year 1 and 2 dean and was denied that meeting too. Who am I supposed to go to for help on making sure my academic history is labeled correctly for future universities I may attend? This is really unfair. It is so ironic that this school claims to have a wellness coordinator and other resources available to students, but as soon as a student withdraws from the program, this school suddenly has no resources to help with the process whatsoever.
Yes, I am aware that policies are not clear. I was actually involved in bringing to their attention that some statements made about the alternate program were not clear. When I took a medical leave, I received some WFs on my transcript due to the deadline for a W having passed. I never finished those courses though since I took the WFs. When I came back for the alternate program, I was told those classes would be considered repeat classes, so I would have to receive a B- or better (the alternate program holds students to higher academic standards for classes they are retaking.) I questioned my ETC why the classes I left were considered retakes. I even mentioned that I could not find in the policy where WFs were considered retake classes. During a meeting, my ETC said she would email a council member and that policy would be changed. Soon enough, the statements made in the policy were changed to explain what constitutes a repeated course. I thought this was nonsense again though because I never even finished those classes due to my medical leave. I felt like I was being punished for taking a medical leave because I came back and was held to higher standards for those courses. Meanwhile, students who are not in the alternate program are not held to these standards. This is a big flaw with their policy. What if someone takes a personal leave to take care of an ill family member in the middle of the semester? What if someone receives a cancer diagnosis in the middle of the semester and needs to take a leave? In both these examples, since those students would be leaving in the middle of the semester, they would have to join the alternate program and the classes they withdraw from would be considered repeat classes, so they would need to receive grades of B- or better. Again, meanwhile, students who were NOT in the alternate program could pass courses with Cs.
I actually saw this happen with students too. Students who did not pass the HSF series the first time were required to receive grades of B- or better while several other students got by with grades below that. Some peers were recommended for separation because they did not receive the B- or better grades. They had to make a good argument and appeal the recommendation for separation to the council. One friend even mentioned that she almost had to hire a lawyer for this appeal process. Again, just another big flaw.
In reference to the lawsuit you brought up, I am more familiar with that lawsuit than you probably are. I actually met with one of Mr. Carter’s lawyers and reached out to Mr. Carter myself. Several students have actually reached out to Joshua Carter because they have been in similar situations. It is ironic that even UMKC’s own students have acknowledged that UMKC is trying to “screw Joshua Carter over.” Yes, this was said in a groupme chat by a student IN the program, with the hashtag #freejoshcarter. I took screenshots of everything before my withdrawal to keep the hard evidence. It is so sad that this program’s own students acknowledge the wrong it has done but are so scared to speak openly about it. I do not blame them though. I brought up this case to my ETC and was required to meet with the year 1 and 2 dean just for bringing it up. In our meeting, the year 1 and 2 dean was relieved and said the meeting was going to go one of two ways when I reassured him that I had no intentions of filing a lawsuit. His exact words to me were that bringing up that lawsuit has “negative connotations.” It really does NOT though and I thought that was definitely an abuse of power there because he used his position as the dean of year 1 and 2 students into scaring me not to speak up about my concerns. I posted the article about how other students came forward to Joshua Carter about their experiences ( https://info.umkc.edu/unews/umkc-responds-to-medical-school-lawsuit/ ). There is a LOT that is kept quiet about this school. I learned that other students have also left this program due to medical reasons and the lack of support. I learned that there was a student who left the program due to sexual assault as well. I have no information about these students and I would want to respect their privacy, but I think it is important to acknowledge that these issues exist and the school is not even acknowledging them because it could affect their reputation for the worse. As I said, I reached out to him as well and am truly hopefully that he wins because, I too, believe the school screwed him over. I mean, I don’t think the person who wrote these policies is a very good person because they obviously can’t see things from the perspective of students who leave these programs. These students have lost time, money, and so much more. Some of these students’ undergraduate careers may be prolonged depending on when they left the program. Depending on circumstances and financial backgrounds, some of these students are going to be in further debt. Aside from that, for me, it was an extremely emotional decision that left me severely depressed. I am sure this must be the case for some of the other students too. I made sacrifices to be in this program and follow the dream I had, so I was very hurt and sad (but glad to be out of such a corrupt program at the same time.) If students are looking to pursue a different career, like myself, it is very mentally and emotionally draining because you are basically starting from scratch. But please understand, I am not here to complain or gain sympathy at all. I want to explain the reality of things because I did not hesitate to join this program. I did not even bother with reading the handbook or other policies. I did not even know there was an alternate program with all these stipulations. I wish I had known. That is why I am here to just really urge prospective students to talk to current students AND students who left this program. I took notice of this early on and it is probably just my opinion, but every single student I knew who left the program was kind, genuine, and empathetic. I guess it is true when they say this program is not for everyone. But with that statement, I would define ‘everyone’ as kind, genuine, empathetic, helpful individuals. I know leaving that program was a blessing in disguise for me. I am always happy to share my experiences and if any students would like to ask me questions about my experiences as a student who withdrew due to medical reasons, I am more than happy to answer based on my experiences.
I guess I was born in the wrong generation then. But, do not be mistaken, in my class most students were very mature, kind, patient, etc. There was definitely a select group of students who got away with a lot. Ironically these students are some of the most “successful” students in the class. These particular students got away with a lot- cheating, fake IDs, making comments about faculty, using racial slurs, etc. I have seen, read, and heard it all. Yeah, it is very sad how faculty addresses those issues. I mean the dean spoke to our class on two occasions and while he was speaking students were literally making rude comments about him. They did the same with our advisor. Some of the students who made those comments were actually caught for a “cheating scandal” in Genetics. There was a chain of people cheating off each other. It really upset the Genetics professor, so this year he said he was going to watch everyone and he would even have people empty their pockets. I have never seen such an angry professor in my entire life, but I do not blame him. I would be upset too. There was also a flash drive with HSF questions that I was told was submitted to the proper faculty members, but when I met with those faculty members, they told me they did not even have the flash drive… I asked family members again if they encountered this kind of stuff in med school. They all said they haven’t. But yes, they are older. One of them goes to Harvard med and a lot of her classmates are older. But again, personal opinion here, based on the way students have laughed and joked about getting away with cheating, I do not trust the council at UMKC SOM. I obviously can’t speak for other schools. Concerns and complaints cannot even be made to the council anonymously. This is so unfortunate because again just a hypothetical, but honestly based on true stories that point to flaws that can be changed ( http://www.idealmedicalcare.org/1103-doctor-suicides-13-reasons-why/?fbclid=IwAR2epcOvoBrV6Y7mwXXyz05vnFrwXx4WhKrnZPmQrLHJiO1tcoWVc1d8Ivc ), but what if a student is severely bullied, sexually assaulted, or hurt in any other way, but does not want to report this due to fear? Especially with my classmates who could easily commit a felony and purchase tons of fake IDs, I think it is fair for students making concerns or complaints to request anonymity. However, complaints can’t be made anonymously, which is why even though the school had a flash drive (clear evidence of cheating), it was never acknowledged by the council because a student submitted it “anonymously” (this is what I was told by a professor when I asked about the flash drive because I heard about it as a rumor). And again, I asked family members if this type of thing has gone down at their med schools and they all said no with puzzled and concerned looks on their faces. Only in this program does that kind of thing happen, but yeah I guess you are right. It can and should be attributed to the fact that these students join the program upon graduation from high school, so they are probably extremely immature. I don’t know if I agree with you that it fades for everyone though. I kind of noticed the opposite with students in my class. It is so sad that this program is supposed to be noncompetitive, but as a transfer student I found some classmates to be more competitive, aggressive, and willing to do whatever it takes to get good grades in comparison to typical premedical undergraduates I worked with before. I heard the term gunner too many times during my time at UMKC. I did not find premed students to be this rude and selfish, but that could just be me and it is all perspective. But yeah back to my point, I don’t think what you said is true for everyone in the program sadly. Thanks for the good chat though!
Also, I wanted to clarify that I met with his lawyers because I too wanted to take legal action due to mistreatment, misinformation, and inappropriate/unprofessional behavior from professors. I filed all my complaints with the grievance office, but was disappointed with the way everything was handled. I honestly would have filed a lawsuit too if I could afford a lawyer, but one of my parents is ill, so I could not. However, I am very glad Joshua Carter has filed a lawsuit and like I said, I hope things go in his favor.
I believe many people have legitimate grievance against UMKC BA/MD program, but I am not sure fake ID or borderline underage drinking shall be labeled as big offences. This happened in almost all the college campuses and normally local law enforcement agencies cut college kids some slacks as long as they don’t make troubles. They will grow out of it.
I have a question about the main essay prompt that refers to two separate sub prompts: What motivates you to pursue a career in medicine? What would you like the UMKC School of Medicine to know about you that isn’t available in other parts of this application?
What does this really mean? Should the essay be written for the first part (motivation) using information that is not available in other parts? Or does this essay expect applicants to address both prompts (motivation for med school + provide more information about you that isn’t available in other parts). If a student’s volunteering work motivates him/her to make a career in medicine, can he/she use these reasonings to justify the motivation? If yes, this would be a repetition of information from other parts of the application. The presence of 2nd prompt really makes it hard to understand what the admissions committee will be expecting.
Hi @Roentgen I have read many wonderful post from you on different threads. Thank you so much for helping the bsmd aspirants. I am a new member (parent) and wanted to PM you for UMKC prompts, but I do not see orange tag on your profile. Can you please PM me? Will appreciate that. Thanks!
Hey @florendo,
I would say the main question is the “What motivates you to pursue a career in medicine” part and then you can briefly add in if there is some special aspect you think the School of Medicine should know about you (that you think might be relevant to your application) that isn’t asked for in other parts of the application (not everyone will necessary have one). Yes, I think it’s perfectly fine to talk about how volunteering got you to be interested in medicine. You can do more than just rehash your CV, but talk about specific experiences that had a huge impact on you and go into greater detail on a personal level. This personal statement part is relatively straightforward of just why you want to do medicine in the first place. The goal for the reader is to assess your own internal personal thought process on choosing medicine.
Hi @Roentgen, this helps a lot. My daughter was trying to incorporate the second subprompts into her essay, and that was essentially breaking the flow of the main essay. I wish the prompt was a little more descriptive on this. Once again, many thanks for your quick reply as November 1st is just around the corner.
@florendo, no problem! If you have any more questions feel free to ask, I’m happy to answer them as November 1 is less than a week away. I’ve PMed you like you wanted and you can ask any there as well.
Hey guys,
I’m an out-of-state resident (California) and I attend a very small, public STEM school with limited course options (I had to take AP Chem and AP Bio in sophmore year). I was wondering if you guys could check out my stats and chance me for an interview? Also wondering if it matters that I am 15 and a senior? does that subtract any weight from my application?
SAT-1500
GPA (UW/W)- 3.75/4.3
AP Lang-4
APUSH-4
AP Euro-3
AP Bio-4
AP Chem-3
AP Calc AB-3
Honors/Awards
-multiple medals in regional and state Science Olympiad tournaments
-two academic letters
-CSF sealbearer candidate- all 4 years
-highest honors gpa award?
ECs
-science olympiad (co-captain) for all 4 years
-ASB (class president) for 3 years
-worked on a housing and homelessness solution which I presented to my city council and mayor, as well as to the California State superintendent at a STEM conference
-currently have an internship at an architecture firm, where I am helping to design the new campus of my current high school
-red cross and pre-med member-3 years
-pianist (certificate of merit levels 1-6)
-homelessness outreach…I, along with some of my classmates constructed a tiny house with money from Toshiba and presented it to a homeless individual
-participated in an entrepreneurship challenge, my team and I were given a business to manage and had to compete with other teams over who was most successful in managing their business
Volunteering
-50 hours shadowing a physician in both a hospital and private practice setting
-about 50 hours of installing fire alarms in homes through red cross
Work
-Cook at a pizza restaurant
Hi @Roentgen !! My name is Ridah and I am a senior at LASA, a competitive magnet school in Austin, TX. I have been binging your comments on BS/MD programs particularly UMKC.
I am applying to UMKC’s BS/MD and the first prompt is “What motivates you to pursue a career in medicine? What would you like the UMKC School of Medicine to know about you that isn’t available in other parts of this application?” I have drafted two essays: 1) 3 health-related experiences but general and can be sent to any BS/MD program 2) 2 health-related experiences and discusses what I find interesting about UMKC S.O.M.
The prompt does not explicitly ask why I want to attend UMKC, but many other BS/MD programs do. Should I go with essay 1 or essay 2? I would really appreciate it!!
Hey @khalilarmy, I’d say your academics are excellent, but I’d say you’re a little low on the medical volunteering experience side w/respect to having 50 hours, although you do have a variety of really interesting stuff. That being said your CV is pretty good, but the out-of-state pool can be such a crapshoot in terms of getting an interview/acceptance w/even the very best of applicants just bc it’s the pool w/the smallest number in the eventual class. Out-of-state is probably the worst deal in terms of tuition, so just try your best on the essays and see how it turns out. The youngest I’ve seen in terms of entering the program is at age 16 so I think you’re ok there.
Hey @RidSid, so the question doesn’t ask anymore about why you’re choosing the UMKC program specifically so I think you’re fine there. I’d go with Essay #1.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I actually had a career shift from engineering to medicine after my mother was diagnosed with gastric cancer, which is the topic of my main essay. Do you think the fact that I wasn’t originally planning on pursuing medicine explains my lack of medical volunteering?