There’s still a month before my D has all her decisions in and has to pick a school so we’re trying to diligently come up with a big list of pros and cons for each.
My current question is this - does an with or having your own medical school provide any benefit to the undergrad programs?
For this example let’s use Rowan - they have 2 medical schools (MD and DO). I have emails to some of the faculty there with some specific questions but wanted to ask here too since I’m sure they’re quite busy.
Will there be better chances for volunteering/research/etc due to having the med schools? Will their pre-health-related undergrad programs be “better” at preparing someone to get into med school than schools without their own med schools?
They just created a new undergrad restricted (invite only basically) major in molecular and cellular biology with a stated goal of :
“The BS in MCB degree is intended primarily for students interested in pursuing biomedical or health professions. Students will be trained in the theoretical and laboratory aspects of modern molecular and cellular biology. This rigorous training will prepare students for competitive positions in biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies, graduate programs (MS and PhD) in biomedical or molecular biology fields, or health profession programs (medical, veterinary, dental, or pharmacy school).”
which my D will be in (if she goes there). Other schools have similar majors obviously, but with having the med schools, would this one be better than other schools?
Sorry if this is a common question - the amount of information is daunting, and trying to find the right school for D that will meet all the criteria, provide a solid plan B in case med school doesn’t happen, is a good “fit”, affordable, etc is a lot of work!
Thanks.
It really depends and not really.
Volunteering may be more convenient due the proximity of the med school, but there is will greater competition for a limited number of slots
There may or may not be more/better research opportunities, but again it depends on the exact hospital and exact undergrad. At some, the answer will be yes, at others, no.
Having a med school adjacent to an undergrad will not prepare a student better in the sense that the coursework will be superior, but the pre-health advising may be better. (Or not.)
My advice–don’t choose a undergrad with the thought that it will give your student a boost in getting into the associated med school. It really doesn’t work like that. Plus approx 75% of freshmen pre-meds won’t actually get to the point of applying to medical school. (For lots of reasons–not just GPA/academics.)
Pick a undergrad where your D would be happy to attend if she wasn’t a pre-med, one that offers other academic possibilities and majors she may be interested in.
“Pick a undergrad where your D would be happy to attend if she wasn’t a pre-med, one that offers other academic possibilities and majors she may be interested in.”
That’s the plan - we were just wondering if there are a few schools that fit into that category, if the med school association should bump a school slightly higher on the list or not.
Her final list to choose from will all be places she’d love to go regardless of major, and I’m in full support whichever she ends up picking.
It all depends, if the school has an early assurance program(for example UC Riverside) and fit for her, that school could be bump up in her list. Private med schools usually takes in about 10% of their incoming class from their own UG, but the student must also qualified and competitive to the med school incoming class. Normally, if one is qualified to its own private med school, that student may get offers from other med school as well, therefore you might have a choice. State school normally has an IS bias, attending a State school UG with a med school will not get any advantage over other applicants from the same state.