Why are so many people desperate to get into a combined program?

<p>Everything is possible. You can, in theory, match into any residency from any program. That is not to say that it is equally easy to do so from all programs.</p>

<p>Similarly, it is more important to be an excellent student than to be from an excellent school. That does not mean that your school does not matter at all, only that it is not the most important feature.</p>

<p>MSU would not completely kill your chances at a competitive residency; that much is obvious. Whether it would hurt it or not is a subject of more subtle discussion.</p>

<p>wat i think all this sums up to whether the med school offers the same opportunities as all the other "top-ranked" schools--theres no way you can do research if the med school doesnt do research, etc</p>

<p>but if your med school does offer the same opportunities, it won't hurt your chances at good residencies just because US News ranked the school 30 places below harvard...</p>

<p>Quote (Psychicreader): </p>

<p>Psychologically it is a very hard switch if your mindset was to attend a top ten or twenty ranked university in the country.After working so hard in HS, doing so many APs, getting good SAT/ACT scores and maintaining a near perfect GPA...its hard to accept for yourself or to explain to friends/family and teachers that you are opting to go to an unknown combined program.</p>

<p>Thank you so much, Psychicreader, for acknowledging the pain that makes these decisions so difficult.</p>

<p>Quote: (NCG)</p>

<p>Getting into any med school is not that tough. Getting into Harvard or Johns Hopkins is ridiculous. But, outside of a few programs, most BS/MD programs don't feature schools anywhere near that level. And the undergrads are even more poorly regarded.</p>

<p>:(
Everyone, what are your opinions on the Baylor-Baylor Med Track? First four undergrad years in Waco, TX, second four med years in Houston, TX.
I'm trying to get as much information as I can from different perspectives...this thread is very useful. Intimidating, but still informative. Can some of you share what you think about this specific option? I do like Baylor Med for its unique accelerated 1.5-yr preclinical curriculum, but I don't know very much about med schools across the nation, as I'm still a high school senior.</p>

<p>Baylor is one of the best medical schools in the country...the undergrad is completely separate</p>

<p>
[quote]
does anyone already in one of the programs ever actually regret choosing that school + program over their "dream school"?

[/quote]

[quote]
I never heard of anybody who regrets being in bs/md program.

[/quote]
</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/multiple-degree-programs/490891-some-advice-dont-rush.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/multiple-degree-programs/490891-some-advice-dont-rush.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I don't get the USA News. When ppl say "ranked number 10," which catagory are they referring to? There's catagories for research, primary care, and all kinds of specialties. I've never seen an Overall Ranking.</p>

<p>They mean the research rankings. The specialty rankings consist of just asking a bunch of people what they think. The primary care rankings are very poorly constructed and vary a great deal year-to-year.</p>

<p>I've been reading this thread hoping for some insight to my dilemna. </p>

<p>I applied to UMKC's 6yr med program without even considering Brown or Northwestern's programs because I wasn't really think about accelerated programs at all anyways and I only applied to UMKC's program because my parents told me to and I know some people going there. </p>

<p>Well, I got into Wash U and now have until May 16th to decide between the two programs. So far I have been a very high achieving student and so its very hard for me to accept a program whose average act/sat, gpa, and in general students have done less than me. However, I also see the advantages of going into this program. I simply wouldn't have to work as hard as I would at Wash U, I could skip two years of my undergrad with ap credit, and I enter into a residency early.</p>

<p>On the other hand Wash U allows me to do so much. Furthermore, I have the philosophy that children should do better than their parents. Seeing as how my parents may about 150K a year, I am worried that if I graduate from a low caliber state school med program, I may not be as well regarded by residency programs and hospitals.</p>

<p>Does anyone have any advice?</p>