which BA/MD schools should i apply to?! HELP!

<p>hey everyone...first time poster here...</p>

<p>let me give you some background about me as a student first off before i ask my question:</p>

<p>i am a senior in HS. Have a cumulative GPA of 4.1 SAT: 1830 ( :sad face: )
i play 1 sport (tennis, if it matters)
i am in almost every club on campus and an officer of 2 clubs. </p>

<p>anyways, i am going to be a doctor when i am older and my counselor suggested some combined BA/MD schools i could apply to. He suggested a good number of them so i wanted your guys/girls' input on which few were best for my stats like gpa/SAT/extracurriculars</p>

<p>here are the ones he thought i should think about:
albany medical center
university of florida college of medicine
george washington university school of medicine and health sciences
howard university college of medicine
university of nebraska college of medicine
drexel university college of medicine
temple university school of medicine
boston university school of medicine
stony brook university health sciences center school of medicine
tufts university school of medicine
university of rochester school of medicine and dentistry
university of pittsburgh school of medicine</p>

<p>i was wondering if those of you who know about these schools could narrow down my choices to the 5 best ones for me to apply to and why? thanks alot for any input. Feel free to instant message me about it if i am on as well. :)</p>

<p>bump for SOMEONE's advice :(</p>

<p>Do you have any medically-related ECs? The thing that will hold you back is your SAT score.</p>

<p>no medically related ECs. But i HAVE taken a physics course at a nearby community college last summer. I was thinking that that would impress some colleges that i was taking science classes and doing well in them IN COLLEGE at a younger age. </p>

<p>but as far as medically related ECs i have none. :( wish i did some before to make my application stronger. Do you guys have any suggestions of which of these i can apply to with my stats though?</p>

<p>I don't know anything about these programs, but try posting in the medical schools or premed sections here on CC.</p>

<p>Remember that plenty of people enter college as premeds and change their minds. Everyone focusses on those whose grades are too low in the required science courses, but quite a few others simply realize this is not for them.</p>

<p>I bring this up since you do not have any medically related EC's. Unless you have doctors in the family, you may not really know enough about medicine to make a commitment now for the rest of your life. So I suggest that you pay a lot of attention to how you would like to go to COLLEGE at these places in case you get there and decide you do not want to be a doctor. </p>

<p>There are no bad medical schools, but among this group, Tufts and Pitt probably have the strongest schools. Again, I am talking about traditional medical school, I don't know anything about the combined program.</p>

<p>Howard is the premier historically black medical school. If you are not black it might feel...strange being there. Interesting, not unwelcome, certainly not hostile, but strange.</p>

<p>i know that the one drawback is pretty much once you're in this program, you can't really change your mind. But i am pretty positive i want to be a doctor. I love all fields of science and am good at them too. And i love helping people. and my moms side of the family has many many doctors that i have met and talked to. My brother is currently a senior in college at UCI. The reason i brought up combined BA/MD is because it is going to take him 9-10 years of college to get his doctorate and BA while the program will let me do it in 7.</p>

<p>i'm sure id be fine maintaining grades as well. My weak point is calculus but i'm sure with some tutoring i'd be fine in that as well. everything else - physics, bio, etc. i understand with ease. </p>

<p>i don't know, i just am confused about where to apply to and my counselor said he couldnt tell me because I'D have to make the decision...but how can i if i have no idea which is right for me? not like i can visit the campuses since they are all over America :(.</p>

<p>U of Miami has a true 6 year program. Any of these programs will be competitive, because they are so desirable</p>

<p>Actually, I think most, if not all, of these programs will allow you to drop out of the program, and finish your undergraduate, if you decide that you really don't want to be a doctor.</p>

<p>Investigate the BA/MD program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. When you receive the BA(BS) you are GUARANTEED a place at the UAB Medical School. UAB Med is well regarded.</p>

<p>Also, a point about Howard Medical School. Please realize that there are non-white students at Howard Medical School, just as there is a similarly diverse student body at Morehouse School of Medicine another school with HBCU roots.</p>

<p>Really, try posting in the premed and med school section. You may get some people who are at these schools (mine, like most, does not offer a combined program). </p>

<p>There are definitely non-black students at the HBCU med schools, just not that many, and it is a different atmosphere. I am not putting them down, but just saying that you should try to see them in person. Of course the same advice is ideal for all colleges.</p>

<p>I don't know what medical EC you can do at this point to put on your applications, but if you have access to doctors, then in addition to talking to them, see whether you can shadow them through their days, to get a better idea of what the job is about. </p>

<p>I share the impression that these programs are selective, but I don't know details, so I will not speculate on your chances.</p>

<p>Contact each program and ask for information. Most will tell you something about the stats on the people they have admitted, in addition to general descriptions of the programs.</p>

<p>If you know what field you want to enter, there is a slight advantage to getting your degree from a place that is strong in your area. This helps with letters of recommendation, and you may want to stay at that place to train.</p>