One of my prior "home team posts" singing BCM's praises...I drop by here less often now, so decided to get some info posted early in the process--
BCM will proffer a demanding challenge to be sure, but the atmosphere is collegial and supportive...the great faculty really cares. Our daughter (OOS) attended 2012-2016 and loved it. She later smoked the Steps and credited BCM for its part in that preparation. Acceptance has gotten still more competitive, especially OOS. (When she matriculated, they took 25% OOS, which she was...I believe that is down to 15% now.)
Some overview
points for those
rightly considering BCM:
1) do not fear interviewing late at BCM vis-a-vis your chances of acceptance...our daughter was complete a bit late and interviewed (OOS) on the very last interview date for the 2012 class
2) they have scholarship $ available late
3) BCM is an EXCEPTIONAL cost value even relative to home state/in-state medical school costs, and with or without a scholarship. It might be less expensive OOS than your IS schools straight-up (w/o a scholarship). ALL schools charge fees in addition to tuition, so don't let BCM's fees spook you.
4) Be sure to focus on
NET costs to you...some schools are quick to note how many students get scholarships,
but if the "list price" tuition and fees are very high, you might pay quite a lot more
net than to go to BCM (even OOS).
5) BCM can position you to smoke the Steps and track toward top residency interviews and matches. It is either # 1 or close to it in Step score averages every year.
6) the PRN (Peer Resource Network) thing is a nice plus to help you adjust to medical school--
Letter to incoming Baylor College of Medicine medical students advising them about the Peer Resource Network....
www.bcm.edu
7) the 18-month pre-clinical period (which might have originated at BCM) has proven to work well...it gets you into the hospitals sooner seeing patients, which is what medicine is
really all about.
8) Notwithstanding the earlier
rare flooding from the hurricane, and the usual sticky heat, as a practical matter Houston is a far better place than various other top program locations (Washington U, Harvard, Hopkins, e.g.) to attend medical school. COL is moderate to low, and you can live a 15-minute bus ride away...just $1.20 a day for student fares. In your free/down time, there are excellent dining and cultural activities/sports.
For anyone OOS, after establishing Texas residency (buy R.E. before you matriculate...or you could marry a Texas resident!
, and net of a 50% scholarship, BCM was
WELL LESS EXPENSIVE than going IS to our public medical school might have been.
BCM boasts (rightfully) that it is the best private medical school value in America--
but they are being TOO MODEST! BCM is the best medical school value PERIOD, especially when you factor in the bang for the buck---> tangible results (Step scores and residency matches) vis-a-vis net costs
www.bcm.edu
