Accelerated Med Programs?

[eri1092783]

I'm a junior in high school and I am planning to go into medicine (pediatric rehab). I am considering applying to some 6 or 7 year accelerated medical programs for college. I was wondering if anyone here has attended one and could give me any feedback on them. What are the pros/cons of these programs, and how competitive are they? Thanks.

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[stifler]

requirements:
~top of your class at school
~at least upper 1400s, but 1500s to really stand a chance
~damn good essays to explain you know what you are getting yourself into
~some sort of acheivement academically or social achievement that is very big (personal example award from senate prez and speaker of house for commitment to public service)

if you can get into an ivy you prob stand some sort of shot at getting in. acceptance rates range from 5%-15%.

pros:
~don't have to worry that much about gpa
~don't have to worry much about mcats (maybe you dont even have to take it)
~really enjoy college without living a fake life as a premed aka being someone's bitch in a lab and sucking up

cons:
~YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOU JUST GOT YOURSELF INTO FOR A CAREER
~you are too young to make this decision
~usually the caliber of med school is low (unless its usc or baylor)

Summary:
Apply to them if you have the credentials. Don't cont on getting in. If you do seriously evaluate this opportunity, because its a huge commitment. It might make life easier if this is what you want to do and what you will want to do over 15 years from now, but if not don't accept the offer.

I turned down Brown's PLME program cuz I wasn't sure. I think I made the right choice.

 

[shawty ya'head]

if you have the right stats, you'll be able to get in.

now, do you want to go? trust me, 99% of the time its no.

if you have good stats, you're most likely a good candidate for a great school and you should go there and enjoy. have a good time in college, do the 4 yeras and learn a lot.

most med students coming from these programs are not great and they don't ususally land great residencies (i have information to back this claim up).

 

[Rendar5]

Another con is that you don't get the opportunity to take really great, horizon-broadening classes in college. College is the best years of your life and the only real chance to take lots of fun and enjoyable classes and I wouldn't want to waste it just to save a year of med school. I'm in med school right now and loving it, mind you. But it just isn't the decision to make this early for the huge majority of people (especially the really really smart ones who have been wanting to be a doctor for a really long time), even though I've been where you are and thought I was all set when I was in high school.

 

[burlypie]

if you have the right stats, you'll be able to get in.

Amen. There are about 20+ of these kids (yes, kids) in my class and you can absolutely tell who they are. Really nice people, but many of them are pretty clueless about life and the outside world. Some of them are still 18/19 years old and have never known anything outside of school.

Do yourself a favor and get a 4-year degree, do well, and remember to have fun while you're at it. Develop your interests for your sake (not for the Ad Coms) and even consider taking at least one year off between college and med school if possibile. (Do something like AmeriCorps/HealthCorps, etc.) This is prime time for getting to know yourself. As a result you'll be more comfortable with yourself, and patients will see that. Medicine will always be there, youth will not.

Good luck 🙂

 

[solitude]

I dont know if you're interested in WUSTL, but they have a special program where you can be accepted to the school for undergrad and medical school. You live the normal life of a WUSTL undergrad, but if you pull a 3.8 and 36 you are automatically accepted to the med school. If you get sick of St. Louis after 4 years, you can also apply to other med schools. If you decide medicine isn't for you, you can drop the program. Anyways, the numbers might seem high, but consider that a lot of students with 3.8 and 36 aren't accepted at WUSTL med, so a guarenteed acceptance to one of the best medical schools would be a sweet thing to have. Unfortunately, being admitted to the program is very difficult. It would be a nice compromise to the normal accelerated med programs in the sense that there would be less stress, and you would have tangible numbers to aim for.

Also, Northwestern's HPME is pretty good, I think. Very difficult to gain admission to HPME as well.

Good luck.

 

[stifler]

wustl prog is bs in my opinion. getting a 3.8 at wustl and a 36 is insanely hard even if you went to a state school. wustl gets the best deal. you pay them tons of dough for undergrad then they get a tested and trusted student for another 4 years at med school.

dont go to it. check out nw, usc, brown, bu, rice baylor

 

[MediMama23]

Brown is actually getting rid of their PLME program, and with good reason. So check out the rest.

 

[45408]

UW-Madison has one of these programs too, but it's not accelerated - it's just guaranteed acceptance.

 

[DrHopeless]

Virginia Commonwealth University / MCV has the Guaranteed Program as well. Best of all it is not binding; you could still take the MCAT and go somewhere else. It is just peace of mind, while you are planning for the next step. The school is really nice, and if you are in-state also, then it is a really good place to go to.

 

[Docta "O"]

I'm a junior in highschool, and I was considering accelerated routes, but I think I'll stick to tradition. Whats being a premed without all the paranoia and worry, right?( I assume the answer is happy, but it was rhetorical )

 

[leechy]

Interesting seeing the responses on this thread. I didn't even want to do medicine when i was in high school, but sometimes I think back and wish I had made the decision in childhood like so many others, so as to save some time and be one of those hotshot 24 year old doctors. But I guess the benefits of being a slow decision-maker outweigh the negatives, since I now feel I'll be less likely to look back and regret my choice.

In terms of accelerated programs, you do sacrifice the prestige of the degrees (both undergrad and med) that you end up getting. If you're concerned with prestige, or just want the experience of a top school, then don't do an accelerated program. But if you didn't get into a regular school that's hard to give up, then the accelerated programs can be very attractive indeed. Many of the people I know who've gone into these programs have mixed feelings about it - sometimes they wonder if they chose the right profession, or if they should've risked it and gone the regular path. Others are happy with their decision though.

 

[vicinihil]

i advocate for a regular 8 yr gmed program where the med school is guaranteed. It's clearly the best choice if you want a guarantee to a med school mostly because not only do you experience college at its fullest, you get the freedom to do whatever you want. I'm in the VCU/MCV one and it's nice to know that you're already in as long as you keep a 3.5gpa. You aim for soething else other than grades. It's a nice feeling. Ofcourse if you drop out...and end up with a vcu degree.... 😱 🙁 those are the emotions that come to mind...but make sure it's what you want before it's too late.

 

[DrHopeless]

haha so do we all, at the least you didn't have to take the MCAT to stay in the program Are you pretty much staying at MCV?

i advocate for a regular 8 yr gmed program where the med school is guaranteed. It's clearly the best choice if you want a guarantee to a med school mostly because not only do you experience college at its fullest, you get the freedom to do whatever you want. I'm in the VCU/MCV one and it's nice to know that you're already in as long as you keep a 3.5gpa. You aim for soething else other than grades. It's a nice feeling. Ofcourse if you drop out...and end up with a vcu degree.... 😱 🙁 those are the emotions that come to mind...but make sure it's what you want before it's too late.

 

[fielight]

if you're really sure that you want to go into medicine, then one of these medical programs can be really great. it's competitive to get in one of them from hs (e.g., the people who end up at these programs often are also accepted to many top-tier/ivy undergrads and even offered scholarship money), but keep in mind that admission to med school is also pretty tough (and getting tougher) because of the overwhelming numbers. at the very least, you have a sort of insurance... and since none of them is binding (i.e., if you tell them that you decide against med school, it's not like they can actually force you to attend), it's not a bad idea even if you change your mind later.

i came from one of these programs myself, though it's an 8-year track, and pretty much all of us that have moved into the med school phase are happy with the decision (no MCAT, no expensive app fees, no waiting to hear for a decision). if you are really considering it, then i'd suggest looking into the 7-year minimum ones... 6 years is much too short. you wouldn't have much of a life in the 2 years of undergrad, and med school is very stressful both personally and academically; i'm not sure that 2 years in college is able to prepare you with the right mindset.

 

[Farvah]

if you're really sure that you want to go into medicine, then one of these medical programs can be really great. it's competitive to get in one of them from hs (e.g., the people who end up at these programs often are also accepted to many top-tier/ivy undergrads and even offered scholarship money), but keep in mind that admission to med school is also pretty tough (and getting tougher) because of the overwhelming numbers. at the very least, you have a sort of insurance... and since none of them is binding (i.e., if you tell them that you decide against med school, it's not like they can actually force you to attend), it's not a bad idea even if you change your mind later.

i came from one of these programs myself, though it's an 8-year track, and pretty much all of us that have moved into the med school phase are happy with the decision (no MCAT, no expensive app fees, no waiting to hear for a decision). if you are really considering it, then i'd suggest looking into the 7-year minimum ones... 6 years is much too short. you wouldn't have much of a life in the 2 years of undergrad, and med school is very stressful both personally and academically; i'm not sure that 2 years in college is able to prepare you with the right mindset.

If you dont mind me asking fielight, what program did you go too?

I am a senior in hs and also looking into BS/MD progs. I am really tempted by the thought of not having to go thru another application process again, this time even more rigorous as it's med school....

 

[Docta "O"]

I haven't heard about 8-year programs, what other schools offer them?

 

[vicinihil]

a few 8 year programs are like NYU, VCU, WUSTL, Rice I know they are out there, just look at aamc for these bs/md programs and goto the respective school's website and check it out. I'm in the VCU one right now and I have no complaints beside the fact that it's RICHMOND....

 

[Nittany Lion]

I only breezed through the rest of the replies so I'm not sure what everyone has said, but I'd like to throw this out there... my dad actually did an accelerated med school program back in the 70s.. and believe it or not, it was a 5 year program (combined undergrad/med) - I think most programs are 6-7 years now. And while he has enjoyed his career as a physician for the past 30 or so years, he is SO regretful that he did the accelerated program. I'm sure things are quite different now, but he tells everyone who is thinking about doing one of those to definitely NOT do it. He doesn't talk about it in great detail but I think he just really feels like he missed out big time on the whole "college experience", and he's always encouraging me to take advantage of all the interesting classes that are offered outside of science because he never go the opportunity to take any of them. I think that above all, the pressure of having to perform at such a demanding level at age 20 was just way more pressure than necessary and not a pleasant experience.

Also, about the thought that you would supposedly not have to do the "pre-med bitch work" (for lack of a better term) since you already know you're going to med school, I knew of a few people in Penn State's accelerated pre-med/med program and I think they still were expected to join labs and do research, get involved with pre-med-ish resume-boosting activities AND still have to take the MCAT. I'm sure every program is different, though.

 

[Nittany Lion]

In terms of accelerated programs, you do sacrifice the prestige of the degrees (both undergrad and med) that you end up getting. If you're concerned with prestige, or just want the experience of a top school, then don't do an accelerated program.

Just wanted to add... I think many of these programs would still grant you the undergrad degree, because you're still taking most or all of the required undergrad courses. The difference is, they just make you cram most of it into summers (like starting the summer right after high school graduation, etc.) and you don't take electives... or something of that nature. At least that's how it was when my dad did an accelerated program in the 70s... he still got a BS in addition to his MD.

 

[DrHopeless]

They do not force us to take summer classes, thanks God. However, they stepped up the requirements for G-Med, at the least for the VCU/MCV program. If any of you guys are interested here is the link http://www.vcu.edu/honors/guaranteed.html
. Probably late for most of us, but some of you guys who is still in hs might find this useful. I wish I knew about this thing when I was in hs. Thankfully I still got accepted into the program, but I have to take the MCAT and get a certain score where as others G-Med does not.

Just wanted to add... I think many of these programs would still grant you the undergrad degree, because you're still taking most or all of the required undergrad courses. The difference is, they just make you cram most of it into summers (like starting the summer right after high school graduation, etc.) and you don't take electives... or something of that nature. At least that's how it was when my dad did an accelerated program in the 70s... he still got a BS in addition to his MD.

 

[vicinihil]

if any of you guys are really interested, there are books on this stuff

The High School Doctor
From High School to Med School

Personally i'd go either 7 or 8 year route. 6 year is too short as most of you said and some 7 year programs tell you waht to major in. 8 year route is the most "normal" since you get to do what everyone else gets to do in college which is LEARN RIGHT?! 😕

 

[StartingLine3]

Baylor has a couple of these programs, but I believe they are aimed at supporting URMs. They have a program with Rice University and the University of Texas Pan American.

 

[Karine04]

Virginia Commonwealth University / MCV has the Guaranteed Program as well. Best of all it is not binding; you could still take the MCAT and go somewhere else. It is just peace of mind, while you are planning for the next step. The school is really nice, and if you are in-state also, then it is a really good place to go to.

The University of Rochester here in my hometown of Rochester, NY has a guaranteed admission program, too (it's called REMS). It's also non-binding, and it's not an accelerated program. You still have to do your 4 years of undergrad at UR, a top notch research institution with great humanities opportunities, as well. This way you get to explore other areas of interest and have the college experience, but you don't have to take the MCAT or worry about applying to med school.

One of my best friends from high school was accepted into this very elite program when we were high school seniors, and a few years into college she decided she wanted to pursue MD/PhD instead (she'd had some great research experience at UR and wanted to continue doing research throughout her career). I think she was happy with her undergrad experience at UR, but she wanted to experience another institution for med school. Remember that if you do a combined prorgram, you're stuck at the school for 6-7 years! I could go on and on about how great UR is (I didn't go there for undergrad, but have been working at a lab there for the past two summers and it's an incredible medical community), but obviously it's sometimes a bit much to attend the same school for 8 years.

Alright, this has turned incoherent. As other posters have mentioned, you don't know how your mind will change and how undergrad experiences might sway your career path. So think long and hard before applying to a combined program, and if you're really set on it, pick a non-binding guaranteed admissions program instead. This gives you the flexibility of backing out and doing something else with your life if you decide that medicine isn't for you, or if you wish to experience another institution or another part of the country. Plus you get to have a normal college experience in the process.