Ba/md?

[Gigantron]

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*or BS/MD...whichever one is actually more right to say*

I'm a bit confused as to what this is. So far, I'm only aware that it is a 7 year program jointly offered by partnering undergraduate and medical schools. (correct me if I'm wrong on that description) What confuses me is that this comes....after highschool? Could somebody (preferably a person who is in this program) explain to me what this actually is and how one would go about trying to get into one of these "7-year programs"?

Note: Yes I'm aware there is a thread about BS/MD programs, but it doesn't say what it actually is (rather, it just shows programs that offer these types of degrees.), which is what I'm asking in this thread.

 

[MilkmanAl]

You've got it. Combined programs generally range from 6-8 years and often condense the pre-med curriculum. They usually offer increased medical school acceptance rates to members of the program. However, most require you to maintain a minimum GPA and get a minimum MCAT score. You can read more about them in this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=6766122#post6766122

 

[schrizto]

Uh, I don't get it. What is there to explain?

 

[Gigantron]

You've got it. Combined programs generally range from 6-8 years and often condense the pre-med curriculum. They usually offer increased medical school acceptance rates to members of the program. However, most require you to maintain a minimum GPA and get a minimum MCAT score. You can read more about them in this thread: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?p=6766122#post6766122

Ah okay. So once I'm a senior in highschool (next year), that is when I should start looking for colleges that offer these programs? Would guidance counselors at my school be able to help me in looking for these types of programs to apply to?

 

[physicsnerd42]

Ah okay. So once I'm a senior in highschool (next year), that is when I should start looking for colleges that offer these programs? Would guidance counselors at my school be able to help me in looking for these types of programs to apply to?

Yes. That's when you would start looking.

No, you don't want to do one of these. I cannot think of a (good) reason anyone should take this path. Just because you think you want to be a physician now doesn't mean you'll want to be one in three or four years. I think high school is far too early to be making this kind of decision (whether or not to attend medical school).

 

[Baller MD]

Ah okay. So once I'm a senior in highschool (next year), that is when I should start looking for colleges that offer these programs? Would guidance counselors at my school be able to help me in looking for these types of programs to apply to?

Your application better be top notch.

 

[c5212]

Your application better be top notch.

yep, these programs are notoriously difficult to get into- near perfect GPA/SAT and tons of extracurriculars. 😱😱😱 If you've worked hard enough through high school and have shadowed enough doctors to know that the profession you want to enter into is medicine, a bs/MD or ba/MD is the way to go 😎

 

[MilkmanAl]

I'm not convinced that "knowing" medicine is the profession for you is possible in high school. There's no way you could have had the breadth of exposure necessary to make a call like that.

 

[c5212]

I'm not convinced that "knowing" medicine is the profession for you is possible in high school. There's no way you could have had the breadth of exposure necessary to make a call like that.

Milkman- IMO, you're 100% wrong. I think you're underestimating the passion of high school students like myself and the OP who spend endless hours searching and looking at what a career in medicine entails; including shadowing as many doctors as you possibly can.
What difference does a couple years of college make if you know deep down inside that you want to be a doctor? Your MD APPS profile says "Unbelievable! I'm going to be a doctor!" after you got accepted to med school. Did you just decide to be a doctor a few weeks before the MCAT came around or was that choice one that you have dreamed of your entire life? The BS/MD takes away a large amount of pain incurred during the application process, some of which I'm sure you felt after you were rejected from over 20 medical schools.
I will agree to the fact that MOST high school students shouldn't be making long commitments like this. The point is, if you've done your research and know that without a career in medicine you will be unsatisfied doing anything else- why not almost guarantee yourself a spot at med school?
GO FOR THE BS/MD
p.s. Milkman, I sure hope that you're not undermining the BS/MD opportunities because you yourself were rejected from any/all you applied to...

 

[MilkmanAl]

Passion doesn't mean much. If you have nothing to compare it to, how do you know medicine is what you want to do? No perspective = no solid decision. Sure, you can know that medicine interests you a lot, and that's awesome. However, if you've never been exposed to anything beyond the bare bones of everything else - "done your research," as you say, on other subjects - you're in the dark.

I appreciate you trying to turn this into a personal confrontation, but I'm afraid you're off base. I applied to one combined program, was accepted to it, and chose not to attend. I felt that exploring my other interests and not forcing myself into medicine was a wise move on many levels, and I am very glad I made the choice I did even though I would be an MD now had I attended that program. Even my horrendous application year was a worthy sacrifice for the variety "normal" college granted me. College should be about growing up and really figuring yourself out, not narrowing your tunnel vision even further.

Honestly, I think that if you only have one chief interest at 16-18, you're doing it wrong. Expand your horizons some, and you might be surprised at the results.

 

[physicsnerd42]

Passion doesn't mean much. If you have nothing to compare it to, how do you know medicine is what you want to do? No perspective = no solid decision. Sure, you can know that medicine interests you a lot, and that's awesome. However, if you've never been exposed to anything beyond the bare bones of everything else - "done your research," as you say, on other subjects - you're in the dark.

Honestly, I think that if you only have one chief interest at 16-18, you're doing it wrong. Expand your horizons some, and you might be surprised at the results.

Agreed. If I had done what my "passion" was when I finished high school, I'd be sitting in a cubicle at Intel designing microprocessors right now. Everyone changes during college, many people do so significantly. I think it's naive to think that the career you choose in high school is the one you'll actually end up wanting to do.

Medicine is a field with many positives and negatives. There are other careers you've never even heard of. It is extremely unlikely a high school student knows enough about medicine or the other careers out there to be able to (competently) make this type of decision.


No, I never applied to BA/MD or BS/MD programs and I'm glad I didn't.

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I've said this a few times in the various college threads, though it bears repeating....college is as much about learning about yourself as it is about learning the academics. Pre-determining your path before you've even walked it can be a treacherous endeavor.

In some respects I wish they didn't have BA/MD programs because at 17-18, it is pretty unrealistic to expect a person knows what they want at 4 years in the future, let alone plan for the next 12. Trust me now, and believe me later when I say that 98% of people are not in a position to do that. I am not saying that some of you will go into medicine and have fine careers, but many of the best Pre-Med Majors are now lawyers, and some of the best English Majors are running ERs.

When I was in HS I was set on medicine, but it all changed when I started checking out colleges. For as much research I had done on different programs, and which offered me the best route.....looking back I can honestly say I under-estimated how much I would change in 4 years and over-estimated my true interests. I was a top scholar, a highly recruited athlete, and I had offers out the wazoo, but I decided to give myself options. Medicine would be there, and I decided to take a bunch of classes and see what I liked. I found out that not only did I loathe Java-script, love the Classics, and enjoy the heck out of research.....but medicine was great in theory and not in practice. This former pre-med re-assessed his goals, started in non-profit, fell into business, and somehow is <300 days from being a psychologist (not that I'm counting).

ps. It is interesting to see were the "gunners" went from my class. One is now a non-profit lawyer, another is an investment banker, and another deferred from one of the best med schools in the country to live on an island for a year.....and it only took him 8 years to come back to the mainland (not to be a physician). Yes, some of the others went on to med school, residency, and now are doing what they started out to do....but they are in the minority.

 

[Gigantron]

I thank you all for the replies. But now I have some other questions:

When would it be a good time to apply to these types of programs? I live in the NY area, and BS/MD programs seem to be very limited around here.

I'm a junior in high school, and have yet to take my SAT's and related subject tests. My guidance counselor told me that by next summer/fall, I should be applying to schools. Now, would that be the right time to apply to BS/MD programs as well (assuming I have stellar SAT/ACT scores...)?

 

[PsxDcSquall]

In keeping with the theme of the last few posts I figured I would offer my opinion.

I did not decide I wanted to go to medical school until I was a sophmore in College. High School my ideas changed so much I really had no clue. In college you get exposed to so much and thats part of the fun of college. I find it silly to restrict your options during your senior year.

College should be about finding yourself not just a means to an end. Enjoy your time in college, they were 4 of the greatest years of my life and I would not have done school any other way. The whole BA/MD route just seems silly to me.

 

[schrizto]

When would it be a good time to apply to these types of programs? I live in the NY area, and BS/MD programs seem to be very limited around here.

I'm a junior in high school, and have yet to take my SAT's and related subject tests. My guidance counselor told me that by next summer/fall, I should be applying to schools. Now, would that be the right time to apply to BS/MD programs as well (assuming I have stellar SAT/ACT scores...)?

You apply to the BS/MD programs by their deadlines. Be careful, most schools have deadlines for their BS/MD programs much earlier than for regular admissions. For example, I remember AMC and Miami's programs had a deadline of November 1. That is very early considering most people who apply regular apply by January 1.

You should take the SAT by the spring of junior year. If you take it for the first time as a senior, it is late to try to improve if you don't do as well as you hope. Also, you should have taken your subject tests right after you took the class that corresponds to it.