I am trying to decide between UMiami HPM 7 year BS/MD program, and going through the traditional route. Out of the BS/MD programs I got into, Miami seems to be my best option (based on ranking, requirements, length, cost, etc.). However, Miami is definitely a mid-tier med school unlike UNC, JHU, Vanderbilt, etc.
Looking long term, is it worth committing to Miami HPM as opposed going to an more reputable undergrad (UVA, UNC Chapel Hill, or Vanderbilt) and then applying to medical school via the traditional route?
Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.
What is your vision? Do you have an idea of the kind of specialties you want to match into? are you interested in academic medicine (working for a university hospital with research and teaching responsibilities, though w/ significantly less pay than private practice)? Med school rep will matter for landing top academic residencies in any specialty and particularly competitive ones like derm, plastics, rad onc, urology, neurosurgery, ortho, and optho. For anything else, it’s not too important. Miami is no Hopkins but they seem to match ok.
So there is a possibility that you could work hard in a traditional undergrad and get into a better medical school. But there’s also the possibility that you get into a same tier/worse medical school - after a good amount of stress, hard work, and an extra year or two. Miami might not make that top 10 residency in an uber-competitive specialty easy, but it should get you close enough to where you would be able to achieve your long-term goals while saving you time and stress in the short term. For these reasons, I would strongly consider Miami’s HPM.
On another note, it’s one thing if you’re comparing a Harvard to Miami’s BS/MD, but it doesn’t seem like your other options for undergrad would offer you that much more than Miami in the way of opportunities/prestige, etc. If you really want, you could always try to apply yourself at Miami and drop out if you feel as though you’re a strong candidate for top tier medical schools. Anyways, good luck with the decision.
if you want to go into ophthalmology, bascom palmer is ranked #1 for the last 10 years for ophthalmology-residency and fellowship. Otherwise, miami is a prime location to relax and have a good time plus you get to go to medical school there. Im not seeing anything wrong with this choice.