BS MD acceptances- Please help choose

[2FutureBSMD'sMom]

Hi,
My DC has been accepted to Seton hall 7 year BSMD as well Toledo Bacc2MD program. Both are OOS for us. Inputs are appreciated. Thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[CorgiLoaf]

Whichever one is cheaper/offers more financial aid

 

[2FutureBSMD'sMom]

@CorgiLoaf , thank you! So far Utoledo is cheaper. In terms of medical school reputation and residency placement for Hackensack Meridian and Toledo college of medicine, do you have anything to share?

 

[CorgiLoaf]

They both have similar reputations and residency placement is mostly based on what you sow during medical school.

If I were in your kids' positions, the order of importance for me would be:
Cost (depends on the difference magnitude) >= Location/Student Life > Curriculum (1.5 vs. 2 yr preclin, P/F, hidden rankings, mandatory lectures, etc.)

 

[deleted1064759]

Seton Hall is a newer medical school and Toledo is cheaper. I'd pick Toledo.

@EdgeTrimmer might know more specifics since he is well versed on these programs.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Seton Hall is a newer medical school and Toledo is cheaper. I'd pick Toledo.

@EdgeTrimmer might know more specifics since he is well versed on these programs.

Unfortunately I am not familiar either program. You know the schools I focus on 🤪 in general better to go with established schools (since residency directors are familiar with the schools) and lower cost. Also look at GPA and MCAT requirements.

as per curriculum, medical schools are constantly updating so tough to know how they will be after 3 or 4 years.

 

[Banco]

Seton Hall is the newer school so maybe better to go to a more established place. Beyond that I can’t say much.

 

[Damson]

It's awesome that you're asking for advice on here.

My advice is based on an assumption that getting into medical school is #1 in priority for you, while finances/location are #2

After reviewing both programs (Seton Hall BSMD and Bacc2MD at Toledo), these are guaranteed interview BSMD programs. Not guaranteed admissions. Guaranteed interview offers are STILL awesome because the interview is mostly just a formality as long as you do fine in the interview.

Unless your daughter has other BSMD program applications pending, I would take Bacc2MD Toledo without much second thought. Because continuation into the MD program is not contingent upon an MCAT score. "maintain a 3.5 college GPA...MCAT will not be required for students admitted to our College of Medicine"

For the Seton Hall program, your daughter MUST take the MCAT and score in the top 20th percentile (510 and above). Have your daughter and yourself make no mistake, this score is difficult to attain, and will take months to study for.

You might hear other comments saying the following:
- if she's gonna be a med student 510 is no big deal anyway
- USMLE step 1 is gonna be much harder, she should challenge herself to get that 510, otherwise how likely will she do well on the USMLE lol
- why take a BSMD program, is your daughter SURE she wants to be a doctor? what if she gets tunnel vision from going BSMD and never consider other career paths she might be happier in

I suggest ignoring these comments and heeding my advice. The MCAT and USMLE are two different beasts, albeit the latter takes on average more time to study and practice for. The fact that your daughter is admitted to 2 bachelor-to-md programs already confirms in my mind that she can handle med school and the USMLE after going through a bachelors; the USMLE is a totally beatable exam, even for students with average intelligence. The same applies to the MCAT - the MCAT is a totally beatable exam. But it will be a source of stress for your daughter. Your daughter may prefer to spend that energy and time stressing over/studying for the MCAT on other things more valuable to her; studying for her undergraduate classes, working, doing fun/cool stuff before she has to dive into medical school for 4 years, residency for 3-5 years.

Am I begging you to give your daughter the opportunity to focus in solely on undergraduate coursework? Yes I am. I'm in medical school now after taking the MCAT, but I can tell you right now that so many friends of mine did not matriculate to medical school from my BS/DO because the MCAT was just too burdensome to handle while trying to maintain a B+/A-/A in undergrad coursework. A lot of them just burned out in the end and had to spend an extra few years getting back up.

 

[deleted1064759]

I'll also add that Toledo's match list is solid. It would not prevent your 'dear child'(?) from matching any field your kid wants.

Seton Hall graduates it's inaugural class in 2022, but it's still a US MD school so I doubt it will close any doors.

 

[2FutureBSMD'sMom]

It's awesome that you're asking for advice on here.

My advice is based on an assumption that getting into medical school is #1 in priority for you, while finances/location are #2

After reviewing both programs (Seton Hall BSMD and Bacc2MD at Toledo), these are guaranteed interview BSMD programs. Not guaranteed admissions. Guaranteed interview offers are STILL awesome because the interview is mostly just a formality as long as you do fine in the interview.

Unless your daughter has other BSMD program applications pending, I would take Bacc2MD Toledo without much second thought. Because continuation into the MD program is not contingent upon an MCAT score. "maintain a 3.5 college GPA...MCAT will not be required for students admitted to our College of Medicine"

For the Seton Hall program, your daughter MUST take the MCAT and score in the top 20th percentile (510 and above). Have your daughter and yourself make no mistake, this score is difficult to attain, and will take months to study for.

You might hear other comments saying the following:
- if she's gonna be a med student 510 is no big deal anyway
- USMLE step 1 is gonna be much harder, she should challenge herself to get that 510, otherwise how likely will she do well on the USMLE lol
- why take a BSMD program, is your daughter SURE she wants to be a doctor? what if she gets tunnel vision from going BSMD and never consider other career paths she might be happier in

I suggest ignoring these comments and heeding my advice. The MCAT and USMLE are two different beasts, albeit the latter takes on average more time to study and practice for. The fact that your daughter is admitted to 2 bachelor-to-md programs already confirms in my mind that she can handle med school and the USMLE after going through a bachelors; the USMLE is a totally beatable exam, even for students with average intelligence. The same applies to the MCAT - the MCAT is a totally beatable exam. But it will be a source of stress for your daughter. Your daughter may prefer to spend that energy and time stressing over/studying for the MCAT on other things more valuable to her; studying for her undergraduate classes, working, doing fun/cool stuff before she has to dive into medical school for 4 years, residency for 3-5 years.

Am I begging you to give your daughter the opportunity to focus in solely on undergraduate coursework? Yes I am. I'm in medical school now after taking the MCAT, but I can tell you right now that so many friends of mine did not matriculate to medical school from my BS/DO because the MCAT was just too burdensome to handle while trying to maintain a B+/A-/A in undergrad coursework. A lot of them just burned out in the end and had to spend an extra few years getting back up.

Thank you so much for the detailed answer. I appreciate your time!