BS/MD

Advantages of BS/MD: You're into med school right out of high school.

Disadvantages: 1) You're only in if you keep your grades up to their standards. Run into a trouble class and your GPA drops, you're gone. 2)They usually decide the classes for you in college, which in my opinion takes away the whole point of college. Not all schools do this, but some do. 3) What if end up not wanting to go into medicine? Then what? I'm not trying to discourage you, but it happens, and you worked so hard for nothing. 4) You will absolutely, positively, have no life.

But you're in 10th grade, it's way to early to even be thinking about this. There are no special things you should do to get into one of these programs. Volunteering and sports are looked at the same by colleges. DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY. I can't stress that enough. Even in college. That's why my friends who are in the BS/MD program don't recommend it. They were jealous of the fun I was having in college while they were buried in the library at midnight Saturday night, every Saturday night. You're only 18-22 years old and in college once, enjoy it. It was the best four years of my life, and I still got into med school. Med school will always be there, the opportunity to take time out and be a big brother/sister for kids will not. The opportunity of seeing the #1 basketball team in the country get demolished by your school will not. The opportunity to do a keg stand with 100 people rooting you on will not.

But that's just what I think. I'm sure many peeps would disagree.

DaNugget

 

Yes, I agree that BS/MD programs are not good programs. Usually they only accept exceptional students that would probably have no problem getting into medical school anyways so it doesn't offer any advantage on that front. And oftentimes the programs will kick students out of their program every year so even getting into one isn't guaranteed admission into medical school. Most of these programs are being run by mediocre private schools that charge an arm and a leg for tuition in medical school, that's one of the reasons that I think that they have these programs, these medical schools have trouble attracting qualified students to their program because of their cost so they get them to sign a contract before the enter college. It's not that difficult to get into medical school, if you are good enough to get into a BS/MD program, and you are really dedicated towards getting into medical school, you will almost definitely make it into medical school. And after you graduate, you can visit different medical schools and find one that you really like as opposed to one that just happens to have this program. For more information on these programs and medical school admissions I would recommend purchasing a book, you can search amazon.com for medical school admissions or go to your local bookstore or library and that should give you a head start on the admissions process.

 

It seems like the people who responded above clearly aren't in BS/MD programs. I'm in my 6th year of one at Brown and I absolutely love it. Many of the things they said above are pretty true of 6 or 7 year BS/MD programs, but are absolutely not true of 8 year programs. I majored in whatever I wanted to, took the classes I wanted to (except for premed classes that everyone takes), studied abroad my junior year, took no MCAT's, and only had to maintain a B average. BA/MD programs are a wonderful opportunity. Definitely weigh the pros and cons of doing a 6 or 7 yr program, but I can't think of any good reason not to do an 8 yr. Don't do anything special to get into one though. Just work hard, show an interest in medicine, and if you're still interested in a few years, apply. Good luck.

 

Just to reinforce what JANPLME said, I'm also part of the Brown program. Every BS/MD program is different. If you're interested in them, research each one individually. They differ in the # of years, flexibility, the courses you take, and the minimum requirements to stay in. But I also agree with the poster who said it isway too soon to start thinking about these programs. Just concentrate on enjoying high school and keep your grades up. Start asking around about BS/MD programs in the summer after junior year or so. You'll have plenty of time.

 

hi, i'm going to be SENIOR next year in high school...and i'm wondering if there are any benefits in getting into one of these BS/MD programs...i mean..if i can get into one..and i can get the certain GPA to stay in it...doesnt that mean i can most likely get into another med school....probably better? and what about financial aid? just because you're guaranteed admission into the med school...does that mean that you get alot of money to go there.....unless money isn't a big deal..which for me it is...i don't really see the benefit of going into one of those programs..except i guess you dont have to take the MCAT...but come on..the MCAT can't be that bad....i remember when i was in middle school..and the high schoolers made calculas and physics and the SATs sound like hell...now im doing them..and they aren't that bad..sometimes they're even fun...i looked forward to physics.....all responses would be greatly appreciated.

"In the midst of adversity, lies opportunity." -Einstein

"If you're gonna fall, fall on your back, because if you can look up, you can get up." -Les Brown

"I learn by Osmosis." -Garfield

 

By Popular demand, here is a book on just BS/MD programs.
www.acceleratedmed.com

From High School to Med. School

Enjoy!
Just to comment on the previous posts. The latter posts have some more credibility than the previous ones because they are from people in programs. Usually, people not in programs look down upon these combined degree programs for whatever reason (jealousy, misinformation, lack of knowledge, etc.).

Not all combined degree programs are the same. The first couple of posters are right in that some programs attract students to come to a less than stellar university and are very tough to get through. However, there are several programs that cater to the needs of the students and make sure that they do have "a life." And I don't think people would call Brown, Northwestern, Penn State, Rice, Case Western, Boston U, Lehigh, Villanova, and a bunch of others mediocre schools.

Getting into medical school today is very difficult. To be offered such an option early on is a great opportunity. There ARE things that you can do in high school to increase your chances of being accepted. They are scoring high on the SATs, engaging in certain extra curricular activities, and participating in medically related events/programs, etc. Visit www.acceleratedmed.com.

take care

 

Well being that I went through this decision all too recently I will share my thoughts with you. Up till now the talk has been strictly academic. I'd like to point out the social aspect of this decision. Are you sure that this is where you want to spend your next 8 years. Many things can happen to you in the course of your ungraduate experience. The questions that came to mind were whether I would want to move closer to family for med school, If needed to go to a state med. school for the financial benefit, and what if I found a significant other that I would want to be near during med school. I've known people who've had to deal with all these questions and I wasn't ready to close the door to any of these questions. Now while you can transfer out of the program, how will your grades be. A previous poster pointed out that the gpa requirements are lower and you also might not have the extra-curriculars to be a competitive applicant. Now I felt that if so many of my friends could take the traditional path than so could I. For me it boiled down to whether I wanted the safety of being garuanteed med school or taking a chance and hoping things woujld work out better. I took the chance. However if I do change my mind than there is a program at my school that allows me to apply after my sophomore year. There's nothing like hedging your bets.

 

Here's my experience from the B/MD program at USC. First, being in the program takes almost all of the pressure off of pre-med years. This type of program attracts talented students, who work together because of the program. USC likes to accept well-rounded applicants with extra-curricular interests, such as playing an instrument or sport. In fact, to make us "well-rounded individuals" USC encourages us NOT to major in a science field.

We have no obligation to stay at USC for med school, and only about one-third of the students will stay. Last year, grads were accepted into Harvard and UCSF among other schools. Therefore, there tend to be two types of students in the program--those who slack right above the 3.5 min gpa requirement and decide off the bat to stay in the program, and those who end up with top grades and apply out.

Good luck with your decision.

 

Hi - i felt obligated to post a response since i am part of a Combined-degree (Bachelor's and MD) program. I disagree with many of the disadvantages that others have posted. First of all, yes, you have to maintain a certain GPA and perhaps get a certain minimum MCAT score, but fulfilling these two very straightforward obligations is a lot easier than the juggling act most pre-meds have to perform to have a stellar resume/application. and besides, these minimum GPA and MCAT scores are usually so low that the people who get into the programs don't even have to sweat it!!

Secondly, many (if not most) programs give you lots of room for electives and even encourage you to try new things. having a (pretty much) guaranteed seat in medicine made me more willing to take new classes that i might not get the best grade in. and you can major in a science OR non-science subject, in many programs.

Third, in my opinion, students in BS-MD or BA-MD programs work a LOT LESS than regular pre-medders. We don't have the pressure of getting stellar grades, a top MCAT score, doing hundreds of hours at the lab or volunteering. We can do these things, but if we do, its only because we want to - not because we need it for a resume.

Finally - in most programs i know, students can "apply out" to other med schools their senior year of undergrad if they want (although its definitely not encouraged) and they can switch their minds completely and go to law school or business or whatever. they can't make you go to their med school, at least not where i go. i know people in my program who applied to harvard, yale etc
and others who dropped out so they could joing law school, social work etc.

so my advice is to look at each program individually and go for it cuz these programs can save you a LOT of stress.

 

And you'll find that it depends what kind of student you were before you enter college, that determines how much you work. You can either just slide on by and realize that you're going to be killed in medical school, or you can keep the work ethic that got you into the BA/MD program in the first place. I know that in Northwestern Med, HPMErs get as many awards as the non-HPMErs. Believe me, you'll work the way you want to, and if you made it far enough to get in, you're going to keep going like that.

 

The MCATs are most definitely not calc or physics or the SATs, I promise you. It's nice having your hand held in high school isn't it? Enjoy it. There is a reason peeps shell out 1200 bones and sacrifice a sememster of college over some stupid test.

Nugget

 

The MCAT (and Step 1 of Boards) is a completely different ballgame. Don't forget... at every step of the way you're in a even more elite coterie of highly intelligent, ambitious people. You'll find that anyone in medical school found the SATs were a breeze but stressed over MCATs - not necessarily because the material was more difficult, but because the stakes were much higher and competition much greater.

 

Eyedea,

You are getting very conflicting opinions here because this is a mixed forum. What I find is:

<B>'Traditional' pre-meds have nothing good to say about BA/MD programs.</B>

and

<B>BA/MD students mostly LOVE their programs.</B>

Traditionals cannot see the point and get contentious about it, and sometimes there is resentment about this issue. Students in the programs seem to have a great experience if it's not a super-competitive (i.e. "Look to your left... Look to your right... in three weeks, one of you will no longer be here!") type of "weeding-out" program.

Applying to medical school is a lot of work, and can get stressful at times. Some BA/MD programs have the advantage of saving you some of that work (not all of them-- research the proggies one by one). A traditional pre-med student does not have that experience, so s/he cannot completely understand what might be some of the advantages of not doing some of the work s/he has already done. A BA/MD student does not have the experience of doing the work, so in his/her view, the work may seem worse than what it really is.

But this is a mostly traditional pre-med forum, so if you get a few overwhelmingly negative responses, hope this helps you to step back and see where those responses are coming from. For whatever college you're applying, to, <I>ask the students who GO to that college</I>, not the students who decided not to go, didn't get in, or go to a rival college!

 

ummm guys?
this thread is so old the OP is probably dead
but anyway - hasnt anybody ever noticed that almost non of these BA/MD programs are from good schools?
its one thing to overemphasize rankings - but honestly Brown's med school couldnt fight its way out of a wet paper bag.
i just dont understand why a bright HS student would sell herself short.. are these programs free? cuz if you're actually paying them for med school too that SUCKS.

 

I am graduating medical school in 2003, and I was in a B.A./M.D. program at a small private liberal arts college. As far as I recall, the GPA req't was 3.2 with a B in every science course. There was no MCAT minimum (I made certain of this!), but everyone in the program had to take it for statistical purposes.

I was allowed to major in any subject, I just needed to take the req'd premed courses like orgo, chem, physics, and labs. I came in with some credit so my summers were free and I never carried more than 16 credits a semester. My program was flexible, one student failed a course, but the program gave him another semester to bring his grades up.

I could have stayed a fourth year and applied to another medical school if I wanted to (and lost the guaranteed admission). I think this was a great program because there was a way out. Since I had taken all the regular premed prereq's, I was either guaranteed of an admission to the state school or I could have applied (if I wanted to) out and done the regular route. I know a guy who did stay the fourth year and then got into another school closer to his home in another state.

One girl from my school was also in the 7 year program and her MCAT score was so high that the medical school gave her a full tuition scholarship, so she did not lose out on that even though she was going to go to that particular med school anyway.

The important things I looked for in a program were:
1. no MCAT minimum, easy GPA's to maintain so I could take a variety of liberal arts courses
2. ability to major in any subject
3. flexibility in case I did not do well during a semester (ie not kicked out on my butt)
4. ability to apply out and leave med school
5. an undergraduate and medical school environment that was comfortable for me. (I had time to join a competitive sports team that I may not have had time for if I was doing the regular premed route).

I am very happy with my decision to do a combined medical program. I was able to take courses that interested me (ie Sociology of Gender roles), play sports for fun, and had the option of doing research (which I chose not to do since there was no research req't). I was more carefree than many of my regular premed friends, and quite a few of them ended up at the same medical school I was guaranteed to go to anyway.

The program is not for everyone, but it was perfect for me.

I am open for questions. PM me.

 

I am a fourth year in UMKC's six year BA/MD program. If anyone is interested in the program, feel free to email me at [email protected] and I will tell you my opinion about it. I looked at that one website mentioned above and I personally think that UMKC is underrated - I think it is an excellent program if you know you want to do medicine and especially are from Missouri or have parents who pay Missouri taxes. Even if you are out of state, the program draws so many applicants from out of state and at least 15-20 people in each class are out of state that it is highly recognized as an excellent program. Just email me at the link above and I will tell more details about the program (even those of you who have looked at the medical school) from a student's perspective.

 

I am also a UMKC med student. I am in my first year. There are pros and cons to the program. One of the things that I love is that we are gaining clinical experience almost from the moment you set your foot on campus. This year I got to spend a few hours a week at the local children's hospital during a docent time. My docent group is already excellent at taking and presenting histories and we are only 19. We do have to maintain a GPA of a 3.0 in your science classes. The program is pretty structured in the science classes, but you take any social sciences or humanties course that you wish. I am taking Intro to Acting along with my science classes this semester. I am very happy with my decsion so far and I think that if you really want to go into medicine you probably would too.

 

fyi.. if neither one of your parents is a physician.. don't even bother applying to USC B/MD program.. over 90 percent of the B/MD individuals have at least one parent as a physician..

 

so is it really harder for applicants who dont have parents in the medical field? maybe its becuz most of the applicants have parents who are in the medical field. i checked the app and couldnt find any questions about what the applicants parents' occupations were, so how would they know? i know some USC BA/MD ppl are on here, so i'm hopin for feedback