BA/MD programs!! help!!!!

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strlght2348

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Hi everyone!! I am a junior in high school, and very much interested in applying to combined BA/MD programs.

does anyone have any info on the best ones (not necessarily highest ranking- I'd like to know which ones students really like, etc)

also, if you are in one of these programs or have gone to one of these programs- would you be so kind as to give me some advice on the admissions process?

thanks for taking the time out to read this guys!!

- em
 
Umm, a place to start could be the AMCAS. When I applied, they had a spot on the app for applicants to designate schools and the programs applied to. Every school had a box for "Regular MD" and "MD/Phd"; some schools had a box for BA/MD, I believe. You could check the site. www.aamc.org

C.
 
Thanks C!!

do you currently go to the BA/MD program or did you already complete it?

I'd appreciate any more info on these programs (is it impossible to complete 4 years of undergrad work in 2-3 years, do you have any time to yourself, etc)

Thanks again!! 🙂
 
The only ones worth applying to without compromising some aspect of your education are Rice/Baylor, UCSD, Univerity of Rochester, Brown HPLME (You can apply out), and Northwestern (Happiness is questionable). Otherwise, its best to goto a rigorous undergrad and do well.
 
thanks !!

are the 6/7 year programs frowned upon??
 
Originally posted by strlght2348
Thanks C!!

do you currently go to the BA/MD program or did you already complete it?


Thanks again!! 🙂
Click to expand...

Sorry, I have nothing to do with the BA/MD program. I didn't even know it existed until this year's application cycle.

C.
 
i'm also interested in these programs, but have been unable to find information about the programs themselves for UMDNJ, Penn State/Jefferson, and Rochester. do these programs not accept out of state applicants? what are the acceptance rates for the programs?
 
yg1786-- what grade are you in? I'm a junior-


I have the website for the program in Rochester
http://www.rochester.edu/Bulletin/Admissions/medical.html
~*~* the program is called the early medical scholars. since Rochester is a private institution, this program is not exclusively for New Yorkers.

Unfortunately, the UCSD is only for people from Cali, so if you don't live in Cali, dont bother applying or inquiring...

also... the website for the UMDNJ programs is http://lifesci.rutgers.edu/~hpo/BAMD.html

that's all that I have to offer, hope this helps 🙂


-em
 
yup, junior here too. wow, that info was quick. i actually found the umdnj site b4, but i was hoping for more information about how many apply. just wonderin, i found the USC site

http://college.usc.edu/bamd/index_html.html

and it doesnt say anything about not being able to apply if your out of state, so am i allowed to apply there? Because i know someone at another BA/MD program at a state school (Penn State) who was out of state and got accepted.
 
You guys must be a group of very motivated students.

Search on Amazon.com for books on "Accelerated Medical Programs" or "From High School to Med School"... I forget the names, but those should hit the topic of your interest right on the mark.
 
strlight, if you are really enthused about this, what I would do is apply to the entire lot of them and then choose from whatever you get into.

Some of these programmes are absolutely great and deliberately make it easy for students to do things that traditional pre-meds sometimes can't because of scheduling reasons-- such as study abroad for a semester or year, spend a lot of time focusing on a non-sciencey subject, not worry too much about the grades you get, etc. Others are a little more stressful, and in my opinion sound much worse than being a traditional pre-med. I would prioritize them by putting down as your first choice those that encourage you to have a life. So look for the ones whose philosophy is to remove super-competitiveness, not the ones who weed out students. Students at the "nourishing" type programs will absolutely love their programs, almost guaranteed, but students at the "look to your left, look to your right, in 3 months one of those people won't be here anymore!" programs may or may not have the same opinions. 🙂

Also... all of the programs state that you should be pretty sure you want to go into medicine, and imply that if you aren't willing to be shackled into it from age 17, you shouldn't apply. Not true-- if you matriculate at one of these programs, you'll find that many people at one point or another question whether they really want to go through with it. This is normal, and a few decide not to. That is okay, and while you're probably pretty sure about this that you want to apply now, don't worry about changing your mind or being less sure than everyone else. It happens, it is natural. You can still apply. 😉
 
About the application process, I am no expert but what I would suggest is simply being honest about yourself. For example, do not write your application essay about the time you delivered a baby in a taxi if you have done no such thing. Rather, just be honest about who you are and what you're interested in.

If you interview, very frequently the interviewer may not know much about the program because s/he is a college alumni, not a BA/MD alum. All the better since they'll ask why you're interested in the specific college, but won't ask the tough questions about the MD program. But you might get the occasional interviewer who asks, "Why are you interested in this program, as opposed to the one at X University?" It is hard to answer this if the program at X University is obviously way better, much cushier, doesn't weed people out, and lets you cruise through! So in some cases you might be stuck, but try to prepare an answer anyway. 😉

The admissions people understand that you're doing this out of high school with a very limited amount of personal experience in health care, that your interests are not crystallized yet, that none of their applicants are entirely sure of why they want to do this and that it's almost certain some of them will realize medicine's not right for them. I would guess that they also understand that college counseling doesn't usually provide very much support to BA/MD program applicants because many college counselors know very little about them. So even discovering them as a junior means you're on a very early head start-- more power to you. I suspect, based only on the fact that you're doing your research this early, that you'll be all set when it comes time to apply.
 
Incidentally, USC is a private school. As far as I know, there is no preference given to the state you're from, since it isn't state-funded.
 
thanx for all of the answers/advice/suggestions guys!!!!! 😀

I really appreciate it!!

- em
 
Tufts has a BA/MD program, but you do not apply until your second semester of sophomore year of college. you can major in what you wish and it takes 8 years (4 undergrad, 4 MD program). Brandeis also has a similar program with Tufts, and Lehigh U in PA with Drexel med school.
 
to correct above poster about brown's plme program..... a bunch of people this year are applying out, so the rumor is that in the future, plme students who apply out will have to withdraw from plme. but look into this - don't believe random posters on this site!
 
There have been threads on this before....try a search for BA/MD...

Anyway, I'm in the 8 year program at Virginia Commonwealth and I really enjoy it here. I'm in-state, which probably is the reason I'm so gung-ho about MCV, but we get quite a bit of out-of-staters...when doing the whole college app thing, I only applied to three of these programs. Looking back, I wish I had applied to more, if only because these really are an excellent method of keeping the college years somewhat stress-free. All I have to do is keep a 3.5 and take certain classes, etc., and there is no MCAT requirement, something a lot of places have. My cousin has a list of all these programs (the MSAR isn't as comprehensive as you'd think), so PM me if you want more info.

Oh, and for vcu....www.vcu.edu/honors/guaranteed.html :laugh:
 
Does anybody know if the BS (BA)/MD program will let someone be wellrounded in more than just the sciences (like English, Anthropology, Philosphy, etc.), or is it that once you're in this program it's science for life? I want to tack on an English major in addition to a science major, and was wondering if this program will prevent me from doing that. Thanks.
 
Rotty, it depends on the programme. In a full eight-year program it is entirely possible to major in the arts and take your pre-med classes; double-majoring in a science and an art is probably possible if all of your pre-med requirements are covered by the science major's requirements. If your science is completely unrelated (for example, if you're majoring in English and Computer Engineering) then you probably wouldn't be able to pull off a double major, because once you add in the pre-med requirements it would be like a triple major!

It is definitely not science for life. In fact if you go through a more relaxed program (not an accelerated 6 year program) your undergrad years will be pretty much like everyone else's undergrad years. You can use that time to branch out and try things you wouldn't have thought of before, like... uh... learning taekwondo and Swahili. It's true. 🙂

Just do the research programme by programme to see which ones would meet your interests in English. I did just an English major (no sciences major, just the pre-med requirements in addition to the English major) and was prepared for med school just fine. Some of the BA/MD programmes don't even require you to do an undergrad major, just a minor-- but this might not suit you well if you want to focus on English, because the more "accelerated" the programme is, the less time you'll have to focus on non-sciencey things. I personally would suggest taking your time throughout your undergrad years, because undergrad is a time of personal growth and maturing and there is no need to rush the experience.
 
Iliana, thank you for your great response. I'll make use of your advice in the near future. Thanks again.
 
I personally don't think BA/MD programs are a good idea. I have seen people get in, flunk out of chem101, some don't score the minimum MCAT scores needed, some just don't pull the required gpa.

plus, I think the pre-med competition does you good. I thought I wanted the ba/md program when I was in high school. Now I have acceptances from med school, and I feel that I deserve it, b/c I definitely had matured, and knew my goal better.

If you are interested, there is a program in temple, villanova/drexel med, union college/albany med
in NYC: Sophie Davis, but I think they only take instate
 
Originally posted by Iffy premed
I personally don't think BA/MD programs are a good idea. I have seen people get in, flunk out of chem101, some don't score the minimum MCAT scores needed, some just don't pull the required gpa.

plus, I think the pre-med competition does you good. I thought I wanted the ba/md program when I was in high school. Now I have acceptances from med school, and I feel that I deserve it, b/c I definitely had matured, and knew my goal better.

If you are interested, there is a program in temple, villanova/drexel med, union college/albany med
in NYC: Sophie Davis, but I think they only take instate
Click to expand...

I personally think BA/MD programs are a GREAT idea. Do a search... I've had a lot of input on this issue.
 
I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR RESPONSES!!


Dr. Dodger Dog~
do you by any chance go to any of the BA/MD programs?? if so, which one??
 
Here are my OPINIONS (=not authority) on the combined BA/MD programs:

I got into Northwestern's HPME program (one of the best ones in the country along with Rice/Baylor, UCSD, U of Rochester) and on the last day you could declare your undergraduate choice, I chose to go to a normal 4-year undergraduate program. While it was very tempting, I chose not to go to HPME for the following reasons (all of which you might want to consider):

1) I didn't want to give up a year of my undergraduate experience (HPME is 7 years, so it truncates your undergrad by a year). College is a time most people enjoy, so make the most of it by staying for all four years and getting a well-rounded education.

2) The BA/MD programs are VERY selective, and virtually everyone they accept is a capable of doing well in a normal undergrad program and getting into a fantastic medical school (in most cases more competitive schools than the med schools that offer the combined programs).

3) The most attractive feature of the combined programs is the stress-free feeling that you're already into medical school. And while I'll be the first person to tell you applying to med school sucks, I knew back in high school that if I had been granted admission to a med school immediately, I wouldn't have been motivated to work hard as an undergrad. I think HPME's minimum gpa requirement was a 3.0 and the students were not required to take the MCAT. I feared that this would make me lackadaisical as an undergrad and thus less prepared for med school.

I am now a senior at Johns Hopkins and although I've had to bust my ass to keep my gpa high and to do well on the MCATs, I think I've made the right decision because I think I'm more prepared for med school than I would have been, and because I've gotten into schools that are better fits for me than Northwestern would have been.

Anyway, sorry for the length of this message, but rejecting HPME was a big decision that I made 4 years ago, and I think it was the right one. This is not to say you should do the same, but think about it. PM me if you have any other questions.

Originally posted by strlght2348
Hi everyone!! I am a junior in high school, and very much interested in applying to combined BA/MD programs.

does anyone have any info on the best ones (not necessarily highest ranking- I'd like to know which ones students really like, etc)

also, if you are in one of these programs or have gone to one of these programs- would you be so kind as to give me some advice on the admissions process?

thanks for taking the time out to read this guys!!

- em
Click to expand...
 
yes... i am in USC's B/MD program... I chose it over Brown PLME and Northwestern HPME for various reasons. USC is a top notch institution in many respects. I don't regret choosing a med program at all... imagine having a guaranteed spot in med school.. a California school at that... I think the 8 year program at SC is different from other 6,7 year programs in that u get the full college experience. It's not rushed... it's like ur goin to undergrad but u have a guaranteed med acceptance so u can explore more and worry less.... agreed? AGREED!
 
wow- that sounds awesome! 😀

I plan on applying to USC's BA/MD program and Brown's PLME next year...

what were your high school stats and extracurriculars?

thanks for your response!! 🙂
 
I think HPME's minimum gpa requirement was a 3.0 and the students were not required to take the MCAT. I feared that this would make me lackadaisical as an undergrad and thus less prepared for med school.
Click to expand...

From the perspective of someone who did choose to go through a BA/MD programme (8 years, no stated minimum GPA although there probably is an unstated standard, no MCAT), I was admittedly "lackadaisical" in the lack of worry and in the lack of a need to get straight A's, but as it has turned out, not less prepared. 🙂
 
wow, dodger dog your stats are really good!!

any tips of SAT prep??
 
Can someone please explain to me why anyone would want to do a BA/MD program. What's the rush? BA/MD seems to me to be the embodiment of all that is wrong with the premed mentality. Besides, I don't understand how these people know that they want to be doctors when they are 17. Enlighten me, please.
 
yall HS students just need to chill. go out and try to get a fake ID instead of spending yer time on a pre-med board.
 
Originally posted by dr kevin40
yall HS students just need to chill. go out and try to get a fake ID instead of spending yer time on a pre-med board.
Click to expand...

holy ****!!! its a drkevin40 sighting 😱 🙂
 
Originally posted by strlght2348
wow, dodger dog your stats are really good!!

any tips of SAT prep??
Click to expand...

Wow, you're way more gung-ho than most high school students I've ever met! But anyway, I think the best prep is just to take the test more than once. I personally think you don't really need to study vocab flashcards and all that stuff-- my high school counselors encouraged ALL of their students to take the PSATs and the SATs more than once. So the way all the kids at my school did it:

Sophomore - PSAT (took the real thing, for practice)

Junior - PSAT in the fall (the final round), SAT I one time in spring, SAT II one time in spring

Senior - SAT I September, SAT II October, repeat if needed in November and December (I didn't repeat-- didn't re-register for SATI, and walked out after the first exam in the SATII in October, since I figured I didn't need to take the other two over again)

So why do people get such ridiculously high scores? Because almost anyone can after taking the stupid test six times in a row. 😛 So over the course of three years, the students in our class took the PSAT/SATI a combined total of <B>four to five times</B>, and the SAT II two or three times. I know that sounds sad, but that was the way my high school did it, and the college attending rate was something like 99%. I think in addition to that, I might've gone home with a practice book and taken a practice SAT I at my kitchen table twice.

But I think it was more about getting familiar with the format of the test and questions, and less about knowing the vocab or the math. In other words, I think it's most useful to <B>know the test</B>, not know the vocab/equations.

Actually... no, that <I>is</I> really sad. Don't kill yourself over it, just do your best (whether it's six times or just the once, like many other honest people), turn in the application, and don't worry about it anymore.🙄 🙄 🙄
 
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