Bs/Md program worth it/how hard for UC Medical School

[asapshifty]

Hello,
I am currently a high school senior applying to colleges. I'm applying to a bunch of Bs/Md programs, Ivys, Ucs, and others. I'm trying to decide what path I want to take. Just today, I was invited to interview for Alabama's EMSAP program. I think that this would be a great option, as I would attend undergraduate for free from a NMSF scholarship. One possibility that detracts me from this is the possibility of attending a UC medical school. I realize that the UCs are the top med schools, so realistically, how hard are they to get into?
Academically, I've done well in high school.
UW GPA 4.0 4.5 weighted
35 Act
800 Math Level 2, 790 Biology M
1480/1520 Psat
I understand that this is a complex question to answer, but would I have a very good chance at getting into UC med schools? I guess in essence, I'm asking how realistic is it for me to expect a high GPA and high MCAT score. Do people with strong test scores and GPA from HS, who work hard, struggle in college?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[JLC]

Hello,
I am currently a high school senior applying to colleges. I'm applying to a bunch of Bs/Md programs, Ivys, Ucs, and others. I'm trying to decide what path I want to take. Just today, I was invited to interview for Alabama's EMSAP program. I think that this would be a great option, as I would attend undergraduate for free from a NMSF scholarship. One possibility that detracts me from this is the possibility of attending a UC medical school. I realize that the UCs are the top med schools, so realistically, how hard are they to get into?
Academically, I've done well in high school.
UW GPA 4.0 4.5 weighted
35 Act
800 Math Level 2, 790 Biology M
1480/1520 Psat
I understand that this is a complex question to answer, but would I have a very good chance at getting into UC med schools? I guess in essence, I'm asking how realistic is it for me to expect a high GPA and high MCAT score. Do people with strong test scores and GPA from HS, who work hard, struggle in college?

The most difficult part I believe about getting into the American medical education system, is perseverance. A requirement for a bachelor degree requires you to demonstrate consistent competency and hopefully excellence. You'll realize med school is only the beginning, as you move onto residency and then fellowship where you continue to add evaluations, boards/steps, publications etc to your cv that dictate whether and where you advance to the next level. IMO you've done excellent in high school, I'm certain you can do well in college, but again its really a test of perseverance. IMO, the BS/MD route is not a bad route, I know both excellent and mediocre HS students who choose it for the security. I would honestly advise against it mostly for exactly the reason you're worried about, its one thing to be picking the best college for yourself, and a very different thing to pick the best med school for you. There's almost no negative of getting a bachelors first, you can graduate early if you want (but will be difficult for applying into a top med school) to save time. But you will be able to visit and select to go to any med school you get interviews at which IMO as long as you continue to work hard and do well, means a UC school. Having just gone through fellowship match, where you've gone to medical school is always a strong component of your application.

 

[neoevolution]

I was 99th percentile SAT, bunch of SAT 2s, top 5% GPA, and 5s on APs, and chose BA/MD over UPemn and Hopkins BME. My undergrad GPA was 3.64/3.85 and 40 MCAT, so I could have probably gotten into med school if I had done more ECs, but BU is a solid school and I feel like top 20 are so competitive that I wouldn't be guaranteed to get a better school. And not having the stress of needing super high stats or having to apply was great in undergrad, I got to avoid being a neurotic premed

BU BA/MD is slightly more competitive than the average combined program, but I think median stats were around 3.6 and 32 in undergrad, and that's with the minimums being 3.2 and 30 allowing you to slack a bit. A lot of combined med students could probably get into med school the traditional route. Which tier of school though is hard because of how competitive it all is

 

[piii]

If you're not from California you most likely will never go to a UC med school, no matter how great your stats are. At this point, there's no sense in thinking about it.

 

[libertyyne]

I would go ahead and choose the ba/MD route. Less uncertainty about getting into medical school would make for a more enjoyable UG experience. Plus it gives you the freedom to do meaningful ECS that otherwise would not necessarily check all the boxes for med school admissions. A bird in hand they say.

 

[DoctorCakes]

One of my biggest regrets is not doing a BA/MD program. Most people who are against these argue that your are "tied" down to one med school. In reality, over 50 percent of applicants to MD schools only receive one acceptance so they are actually in less control of their choice in med schools. If the med school is in good location, do the program.

Me and my colleagues had similar high school stats and they really ARE NOT indicative of undergrad success and med school guarantee.

I am not familiar with the program you're asking about but I also would suggest an 8 year program over an accelerated one.

 

[Pusheen]

The UC's are a crapshoot, esp if you're from out of state. I wouldn't turn down the opportunity you have just for a shot in the dark like that. If you really want to live in CA, do residency at one of the UC's.

 

[differentiating]

Looking at the Alabama program, it looks like it's a standard 8-year program - 4 years undergrad, 4 years med school. In that case, I think it's a very good idea to take the program if you get in - if you really do want to get into a UC, you can apply out and see if you get in, as this appears to be a program that allows you to apply out without losing your seat. I did a BS/MD program that was similarly accommodating and applied out (and got into) UCs, so choosing a BS/MD program now isn't necessarily closing that door permanently.

I'd disagree a little with some of the comments here on the feasibility of applying to UCs if you're not a Californian, though - I wouldn't be discouraged from applying, since there are plenty of OOSers in my class and at other UC schools. It's really more a question of where you stand academically after a few years of college, and how well you'd fit in with the schools, neither of which can be predicted from this information with any sort of certainty.

 

[kb1900]

ill be someone who offers opposing advice

i applied to bs/md programs out of high school. got a handful of interviews. i wanted to go to a undergraduate and medical school where i would thrive not just work towards a degree and get it over with. so i decided to go to the traditional route in the end at a quality undergrad that has offered me so much more than what i would've gotten at any of the bs/md undergrads i got into. perhaps if i got into umiami's or bu's combined programs, my decision making would have been different. but i sure as hell didn't want to go to spend 8 years in albany for example.

I would go ahead and choose the ba/MD route. Less uncertainty about getting into medical school would make for a more enjoyable UG experience. Plus it gives you the freedom to do meaningful ECS that otherwise would not necessarily check all the boxes for med school admissions. A bird in hand they say.

while this may be true, 90% of the combined program students i know slack off during undergrad and dont really engage in meaningful activities. the exception is those who plan to apply out of their program anyway. on top of that, some of the programs that offer these combined routes are in terrible locations with limited opportunities and less-than-stellar medical schools.

if i were to do it all over again, i would do the exact same thing. apply broadly to bs/md programs, and carefully weigh the pros and cons of the places you get in. even getting into these combined programs is a crapshoot and you don't want to sell yourself short if you have the confidence to succeed in undergrad.

 

[asapshifty]

thanks for all the responses guys! really appreciate the help. I actually am from California, so thats why the possibility of making it to a UC med school is enticing. ill definitely have to think about this, but first step is actually getting into the program haha. still need to hear from uPitt, Rochester, Case Western, and Temple as well