As a second year MAMS student and as a student representative for the MAMS program, I’d like to take a second to address some of the things that have been said in this thread. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I feel as though some of the information being spread here is either false or biased. No disrespect whatsoever to the individuals who have said these things, but there is a fine line between stating an opinion and blatantly misrepresenting the BU MAMS program and its faculty/staff.
First is the idea that you should not be putting your faith in the professors. The program’s faculty/staff are some of the most knowledgeable people I’ve ever met over the course of my educational career. Their methods are tested and true, and they have been successful in getting students before you into medical school—so you should absolutely put your faith in them. That being said, you cannot simply put your faith in the professors and then expect results without demonstrating a dedication to medicine and to succeeding in this program.
Also, while it is true that professors are dealing with a lot of students, we are not seen simply as “numbers.” MAMS advisors/faculty provide some of the most individualized attention students can ask for, provided that they take some time to sit down with profs and discuss their resume, their goals, etc. In fact, without the faculty or staff's advice I am confident that I would not have had the success I have had in my application cycle (this can really be said for anyone else in the program as well). When I reached out, both Dr. Offner (MAMS program director) and my advisor were more than happy to go over my application with me and outline the areas in which I needed improvement. I was not given a scripted, half-hearted, or number-centered response that could be given to any student; I was given genuine advice on my application and guided on the ways in which I could improve my personal situation. It is clear from Popov89, traveler6, and boowser’s responses that I was not the only one to receive such advice. Therefore, to say that students are merely “numbers” implies an inherent lack of personalized advice, which is just not true.
As for sadsallyfromboston’s posts, I am very sorry to hear that you haven’t enjoyed your time in the MAMS program. However, it is important for others to understand that these are a single individual’s opinions and they do not reflect the opinions of current/past MAMS students as a whole, nor is her situation wholly representative of others' experiences in MAMS.
To begin, there are a number of individuals who have <3.3GPA and <30 MCAT coming into MAMS that successfully matriculate to MD Programs (not just DO) without being Ivy league grads or URMs. While I am not from California (and thus cannot personally comment on how this would affect an application), I can say that I know MANY individuals from California who have successfully gained admittance into MD programs in- and out-of-state. Thus, there are no “checklists" or criteria that students MUST meet to get into medical school.
In regards to BU’s MAMS Program not having a formal linkage to the medical school, this is true. However, as Sharks101 pointed out, a number of MAMS students (~25-30 each year) are accepted to BUSM. In fact, the admissions committee views MAMS students in a separate pool than individuals in the general applicant pool—something that puts students at an inherent advantage when applying to BU. Furthermore, students from BU’s program are successful in gaining admittance to a NUMBER of other amazing medical schools, so those who might not find a home at BU will likely still have a very impressive spread of schools to choose from. For those interested in viewing the full list of schools to which MAMS grads from 2008-2014 have been admitted can browse the following link:
http://www.bumc.bu.edu/gms/mams-gra...admitted-to-the-following-us-medical-schools/.
Much like the others who have posted before me, I would not trade my experience in the MAMS program for anything. If anyone has any questions specifically about the program or about anything that’s been said in this post please do not hesitate to message me. Meanwhile, those of you who are currently thinking of applying/have already been accepted to the MAMS program can join the conversation in the new MAMS thread that I will be making shortly (I’ll post the link in an edit).