What to Choose?!?!

Pre-Med & Medical School Multiple Degree Programs
1

<p>Hey everyone. Where do you think I should go?</p>

<p>Rice/Baylor (near-full scholarship)
Case PPSP (Trustees scholarship)
Northwestern HPME (no scholarship)
Washington University in St. Louis (half scholarship)</p>

<p>Those are my top choices, and I'm leaning pretty significantly to choosing one of the three combined medical programs. My decision will probably end up coming down to choosing between Rice/Baylor and PPSP because of scholarship offers. Any suggestions and the rationale would be so appreciated! This is gonna be a tough (but i guess fun!) next few days until May 1st! Thanks guys.</p>

2

<p>Definitely Rice/Baylor!</p>

<p>BCM is ranked slightly higher (whatever).</p>

<p>What should really sway you is that Rice has a way better location than CWRU!</p>

3

<p>Those are definetely good points, jenskate1. What I'm concerned about is the distance from Ohio to Houston. Also, the Cleveland Clinic is awesome and affiliated with Case. I know the Tex Med Center is great, are there top-notch places there or is it primarily just a "big" place? Also, do you know if Baylor not being pass/fail ends up being a big deal? Those are my only concerns with Rice/Baylor, which otherwise seems absolutely amazing! Thanks.</p>

4

<p>About the quality of the Texas Medical center:
According to US News:</p>

<p>MD Anderson: 1st (Cancer), 5th (Gynecology), 10th (Ear, Nose, and Throat), 10th (Urology)</p>

<p>The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research: 3rd (Rehabilitation)</p>

<p>Texas Children's: 4th (Pediatrics)</p>

<p>The Menninger Clinic: 6th (Psychiatry)</p>

<p>St. Luke's: 9th (Heart and Heart Surgery)</p>

<p>Methodist Hospital: 10th (Neurology and Neurosurgery), 11th (Opthamology), 13th (Urology), 17th (Heart and Heart Surgery), 20th (Ear, Nose and Throat), 20th (Psychiatry), 23rd (Gynecology), 36th (Orthopedics), 42nd (Kidney disease)</p>

<p>Memorial Hermann: 39th (Hormonal Disorders), 48th (Kidney disease) </p>

<p>Plus, Baylor is affiliated with one of the greatest VA hospitals in the country, as well as Ben Taub, the public hospital for the area.</p>

<p>I'm not trying to say that US News rankings are everything, but they must mean something...</p>

5

<p>As a first year PPSP student my opinion is undoubtedly a bit biased. However from the med school students I've talked to they really enjoy the pass/fail system since they feel that there's a lot more copperation and team work amongst students than with a grading scale. Even though med school is 4 years off, it's a factor that shouldn't be overlooked. Also have you visited both schools? Both Case and Rice/Baylor are good schools you can be successful doctor from either so I'd think about which undergrad school I'd prefer if I were you. Just a few thoughts, best of luck and congrats on having such good options</p>

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<p>Another advantage to attending Case Western is that one can finish in 7 years. Cleveland Clinic>>>Texas Medical Center.</p>

7

<p>I definetely appreciate Cleveland Clinic's renown. I'm wondering though, is it easy for Case undergrads to volunteer, do research, and take advantage of other sorts of opportunities at the Cleveland Clinic? I only ask because being next to an awesome hospital doesn't necessarily mean you can take advantage of its opportunities. Thanks.</p>

8

<p>My daughter is a freshman studying biomedical engineering at Case...although she is not planning to go for her MD, she is hoping to go for a PhD. She managed to get a great job doing office work for research a local hospital is performing...next year it will become a research position for her (and a freshman will do the office work). She is also involved with the new Emergency medical response team on campus. Although she had her EMT license before she got to Case, they do offer free Saturday classes to students who commit to helping CasEMS--it takes a while to be certified, but for those students who are really interested it is a great opportunity.</p>

<p>Not only is the Cleveland Clinic down the street (about a half mile away), but the University Hospital is right on campus, and the Veteran's Hospital is basically across the street ...They all are involved in research. You might search their websites to see what opportunities they have for research, volunteering or jobs.</p>

<p>My daughter found the best way to get a research position is to stand out from the students around her (not in an obnoxious way). She stayed focused during lectures and worked hard in her classes--it paid off for her. Although job and research opportunities are important, be sure that you work hard at whichever school you end up at...The students chosen for research opportunities often get those spots because they are noticed by professors that need the help or are recommended by someone. </p>

<p>Be sure to visit the schools you are interested in. Transportation wise, the rapid transit trains that stop on the edge of campus go directly to the Cleveland Airport (takes about 40 minutes)...so it is quite easy to fly home...Another thing to keep in mind is that Cleveland is cold and snowy in the winter...This year Cleveland beat its record snowfall of 101 inches--but the average is about 63 inches...Good luck...</p>

9

<p>Thanks so much for that thoughtful reply. Bharath2007, or anybody else, I know this is really long-term thinking, but do you know if the merit scholarships that Case Med School offers are meant for non-PPSP students? I wouldn't be surprised if the official answer is "PPSP students are just as likely to receive scholarships as traditional students", but I can't help thinking that those merit scholarships are designed to attract top students who might otherwise attend OTHER med schools. PPSP students are probably more liekly to go to Case Med anyways, so the school may not feel the need to woo them. I'm not arrogant enough to presume I would be in contention for one of those scholarships, but I was just curious if anyone knew if (and how many) PPSP students have gotten case med scholarships in years past. Thanks.</p>

10

<p>Well yes the official answer is PPSP students are just as likely to receive scholarships as traditional students. However I think that most of the kids who end up taking the MCAT do so to apply out not just for the scholarship. When they apply out they go to Stanford, Wash U, Johns Hopkins, Ohio State, etc. with various amounts of scholarships depending on the school and their scores. Yeah Case Med is expensive but more than 70% or something get financial aid so I woudln't worry about it too much. Case=P/F, 1.5 years basic science, so time off to do research/volunteer, PBL , Cleveland Clinic rotations, MD/MPH MD/MBA and MD/JD, the list really goes on.</p>

11

<p>I just wanted to briefly tell you that these advantages of PPSP that people are listing are generally also present at Rice/Baylor. It is extremely easy to get involved in research at both Rice and Baylor (and if I remember correctly, you are a century scholar, so you have a guaranteed research placement at Rice). So for example, in my freshman year, I did my century scholars thing, plus volunteered at Texas Children's, and shadowed a doctor (I'm observing my first surgery the week after next!).</p>

<p>Rice also has an EMS program that offers free certification (for credit, though you must agree to be a part of EMS after earning your certification).</p>

<p>It doesn't usually snow here (this was the first year in 10 years that snow stuck to the ground), and even if it does it melts in a day, and it will be over winter break when you won't be here.</p>

<p>Houston public transportation is improving a lot. The light rail runs right by campus, is free for students, and will take you to all the downtown attractions, cultural events, clubs, etc.</p>

<p>Baylor is also 1.5 years of basic science, so that's the same.
We also have some cool PBL things, like the Integrated Problem Solving class, and nice programs where you can do clinical stuff from your first weeks (HOMES clinics, and Physician, Patient and Society class).</p>

<p>Baylor also offers MD/PhD, MD/MBA, MD/MPH, and MD/JD.</p>

<p>Baylor is one of the cheapest med schools in the country. So there is much less of a worry about will you get scholarships/fin aid or not. </p>

<p>Finally, you might be interested in some of the special tracks that Baylor offers to get more experience in your field of interest. These are special curricula about international health, research, geriatrics, or bioethics.</p>

12

<p>Haha, woah. Both programs have so much to offer. Thanks again, guys, for all your help. Bharath, have you heard of, or do you known anyone in PPSP that went on to medical school after finished a BME major in 3 years? How often do you find PPSP students who do BME at all? I was also wondering if you or anyone else could comment on whether its advisable to do the new public health major at Case (which is exciting), seeing as how next year will be its first year and Case's MPH program is new and not yet accredited. Thanks.</p>

13

<p>Baylor also has one thing that Case doesn't...Grades in Med School. Yes there are students who are BME and who are pre-professional. You can also design your own major if you choose to do so. I am not sure if you can finish BME in three years, but if you overloaded, had many AP credits, and took summer courses it might be possible.</p>

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<p>Bharath</p>

<p>You seem to favor the Case PPSP pass/fail system over one with grades in medical school. Please eludicate on why the former is better? Also you mentioned that at Case you can design your own major. How does that work? Thanks a bunch.</p>

15

<p>Jenskate1, I know that one of Rice/Baylor's themes is the stress-free exploraton of your genuine interests during the undergrad years, and I totally embrace that concept. I'd like to do study abroad, double major, and even take certain classes just for the heck of it. But, I'm also wondering: is it possible to finish Rice in 3 years and then go to Baylor? The program encourages a full 4 years, but I was wondering if it was an option. Also, do you know if anyone has done it in the past? Thanks.</p>

16

<p>I know that there are two current sophomores at Rice who will be graduating next year and then going to Baylor. They told me that Baylor did strongly encourage them to stay at Rice for the fourth year, and that at least one of them thinks graduating early will simply not be allowed in coming years. However, I do not know if that is the case. If you graduate early, you must take the MCAT, though I don't believe there is a required score.</p>

<p>If you double major and study abroad, it will be very difficult to graduate in 3 years anyway, i think.</p>

<p>However, even if you stay for the whole 8 years, you will save a lot of money over case - probably even if you take 8 years in r/b and 7 at case. You'd have to do the math.</p>

17

<p>Decidin- Its pretty self-explanatory as to why P/F is better. Would you like to compete for A's in medical school to get a good residency among very bright overachievers? Or would you like to not have to worry about that and pass, its really a no brainer. The majority of schools in the top 20 (Northwestern, Duke, Yale, Case, etc. are P/F during basic sciences). Someone who goes to Rice/Baylor may do well at Rice but then get all C's at Baylor what good is that?</p>

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<p>There is a little about designing your own major in this article: <a href="http://www.case.edu/news/2005/2-05/noto.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.case.edu/news/2005/2-05/noto.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

19

<p>To clarify, Baylor does not give out As, Bs, Cs, etc. You are graded Honors, High Pass, Pass, Marginal Pass, or Fail. As far as I know, you don't get a GPA or class rank at the end.</p>

<p>By the way, someone who goes to Rice/Baylor, does well at Rice, and does so-so at Baylor will likely go to a really good residency program and become a doctor. That's the point, isn't it?</p>

<p>BTW, most Rice/Baylors do excellent work when they get to Baylor.</p>

20

<p>5 interval grading= A/B/C/D/E
Do you have data for people who made it through with just marginal pass and their residencies?</p>