BU MAMS 2011-2012 Thread

[xwreckless]

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Please feel free to correct me, if I am wrong. But isn't UPenn Specialized Studies part of their post-bacc programs? Thus, technically speaking, it is different from BUMAMS, which is a Masters program. And if you have taken most if not all pre-reqs for med school, programs as such would actually discourage individuals to apply, unless your undergraduate science GPA needs to be improved and can be improved by taking upper classes. I received two Bachelor's in Biology and Psychology and a Master's in Biology. My original plan was to get a job in Boston and go to HES HCP(similar to UPenn post-bacc, except more affordable and flexible in good ways) at nights. I contacted the director (Dr. Fixsen) and Mr. Owen with my CV and my background story. Both of them strongly discouraged me to apply for the program as I would gain very minimal benefit from the program. And they were very nice and honest about how I should go for SMP (and thus, I started to look and really liked BUMAMS only and contacted Drs. Offner and Davies with my story and they encouraged me to apply for the program and I would be a strong candidate). Although you may not have as many science classes as I do, if you took more than pre-reqs for med school, the UPENN program may not find you as attractive as others. I would strongly suggest you to contact the director and admission officers via e-mail and/or phone and talk to them about you and how the program would benefit you in your case. Most of the times, individuals with such positions are very honest and helpful. And if they are not willing to encourage/discourage, be honest, and listen to you, they will probably remain that way throughout the program and your med school application process. And I believe no one should be treated that way after a year or two hard work and dedication and loads of money.

p.s. Because I was in contact with Dr. Offner and throughout the whole application process I remained cordial and respectful, I believe I was able to hear about my acceptance much faster than others (even before the official letter, phone call from Michelle, and an e-mail from Michelle). And I felt special!

And I believe UPenn post-bacc program is highly regarded and attractive, especially with its linkage agreements. However, I wouldn't consider the program to be better than BU MAMS. BU MAMS is a very reputable Master's program, too.

Let me start off by saying that Ive only had limited experience to back up my opinions on BU vs UPenn.

I attended an online seminar hosted by Davies. I was quite impressed by both the comprehensiveness of the topics covered as well as the questions asked by my peers online. The same could not be said for UPenn's orientation type thing. I drove 300 miles to Upenn from school and was quite disappointed to find that their orientation did not cover much more that was available online, and that the people in the orientation asked questions that were easily answered with quick research into their program.

With that being said, after the orientation type meeting at Upenn (which has not accepted me yet), I went up to talk to the coordinator, who had some title ( i forgot if she was an admissions or program director). While she did answer my questions, (I told her my stats: 3.26 cGPA. 3.16 sGPA, 33Q MCAT and asked if this program was a good fit for me), I didnt feel very "good" about anything. She did tell me that other people who were applying had similar qualifications as I did.

I found it pretty weird that Upenn's real life seminar was not as satisfying as BU's online seminar..

Also, I do know that Upenn's SS program is a postbac, and that BU MAMS gives you a master's degree. Wouldnt the SS program increase your sGPA also? Don't both fall under the category of academic enhancers?

I would also like to add the for UPenn's SS program, it's linkages are actually quite disappointing. PCOM and UMDNJ are the only ones available for SS students, and I read on the forum the UMDNJ has alot of fine print that disqualifies many students.

Thank you for reading this very long and questionably comprehensible post.

 

[marspotter]

Let me start off by saying that Ive only had limited experience to back up my opinions on BU vs UPenn.

I attended an online seminar hosted by Davies. I was quite impressed by both the comprehensiveness of the topics covered as well as the questions asked by my peers online. The same could not be said for UPenn's orientation type thing. I drove 300 miles to Upenn from school and was quite disappointed to find that their orientation did not cover much more that was available online, and that the people in the orientation asked questions that were easily answered with quick research into their program.

With that being said, after the orientation type meeting at Upenn (which has not accepted me yet), I went up to talk to the coordinator, who had some title ( i forgot if she was an admissions or program director). While she did answer my questions, (I told her my stats: 3.26 cGPA. 3.16 sGPA, 33Q MCAT and asked if this program was a good fit for me), I didnt feel very "good" about anything. She did tell me that other people who were applying had similar qualifications as I did.

I found it pretty weird that Upenn's real life seminar was not as satisfying as BU's online seminar..

Also, I do know that Upenn's SS program is a postbac, and that BU MAMS gives you a master's degree. Wouldnt the SS program increase your sGPA also? Don't both fall under the category of academic enhancers?

I would also like to add the for UPenn's SS program, it's linkages are actually quite disappointing. PCOM and UMDNJ are the only ones available for SS students, and I read on the forum the UMDNJ has alot of fine print that disqualifies many students.

Thank you for reading this very long and questionably comprehensible post.

As you mentioned, you may be a good candidate for UPenn program as well. However, you also mentioned that you did not feel 'good' after the seminar. Would such faculty/staff be supportive and helpful throughout the school year and the application process? I wouldn't know, but people that I spoke with at BU MAMS have been very nice, informative, and honest so far. And I feel awesome that I will be taking classes with their support.

I believe post-bacc GPAs are calculated separately from uGPA for AMCAS purpose. And I'm not sure if sGPA would increase from post-bacc classes. Someone jump on this, please.

Both BU MAMS and UPenn SS are considered academic record enhancers. And because BU MAMS is a reputable well-structured Master's program with 1 or 2 yrs options, it is also appealing to those that have been out of school for couple of years while working or with advanced degrees.

And as for the linkage agreements, I am not familiar with UPenn's policy. Thus, I can't really comment other than the fact that the program has some linkages while BU MAMS don't. 😎

 

[xwreckless]

As you mentioned, you may be a good candidate for UPenn program as well. However, you also mentioned that you did not feel 'good' after the seminar. Would such faculty/staff be supportive and helpful throughout the school year and the application process? I wouldn't know, but people that I spoke with at BU MAMS have been very nice, informative, and honest so far. And I feel awesome that I will be taking classes with their support.

I believe post-bacc GPAs are calculated separately from uGPA for AMCAS purpose. And I'm not sure if sGPA would increase from post-bacc classes. Someone jump on this, please.

Both BU MAMS and UPenn SS are considered academic record enhancers. And because BU MAMS is a reputable well-structured Master's program with 1 or 2 yrs options, it is also appealing to those that have been out of school for couple of years while working or with advanced degrees.

And as for the linkage agreements, I am not familiar with UPenn's policy. Thus, I can't really comment other than the fact that the program has some linkages while BU MAMS don't. 😎

UPenn's linkages for SS are pretty useless in my opinion. You would probably be better off at EVMS if you wanted to go directly into med school.

UPenn's classes are also almost all at night. I was quite surprised and even a bit unhappy to hear this, but it seems that this is also geared toward "those out of school/working/advanced degrees".

I also want to know how the postbac GPA will be factored into an AAMC application. is there a section for post undergrad GPA? if so I guess thats where it will go.

Do you know if I would be able to meet with a faculty when I go to BU to visit? I will find out monday when I call them but just wondering for now.

 

[xwreckless]

Postbac GPAs have a separate column under senior year. But additionally they get averaged into the overall average for ugrad.

Each level of ugrad classes (frosh, soph, junior, senior year), postbac if u have that. They are listed each as a row with the overall gpa of each of these years for AO (all other GPA), BCPM (sci and math gpa), and overall GPA
Then after all this is listed the last row will have cummulative of all ugrad coursework including postbac.

Grad GPA is listed below that as separate and not averaged into ugrad GPAs.

Also before they list all these averages and stuff and the actual GPA they have all the courses and grades you entered listed on amcas. so not only do med schools see ur averages, but they see each individual grade and class and what not.

Does BU MAMS go into Grad GPA or ugrad?

 

[redsquareblack]

Does BU MAMS go into Grad GPA or ugrad?

Goes into grad. I get pretty frustrated about the degree to which uGPA overshadows almost everything a person might have accomplished after college.

 

[xwreckless]

Goes into grad. I get pretty frustrated about the degree to which uGPA overshadows almost everything a person might have accomplished after college.

Doesnt make too much sense to me either. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[xwreckless]

Well here's the thing. SMP is just ONE year of classes not 2 or 3 where you show a trend of classes.

So how does anyone expect 1 year to overshadow everything you've done in 4 years or more???

I got 2 interviews after doing 2 different grad programs and that was cuz it showed a trend. This is why a lot depends on the trends you display in your last few years of ugrad or a postbac before doing an SMP as much as it does on the SMP itself.

that makes more sense since you put it that way. which two grad programs did you do? how old are you if you dont mind?

 

[marspotter]

does BU send you an application complete email after all your materials have been sent in?

Yes, you will receive an e-mail from either Michelle Hall and/or Natasha Hall. It may take couple of days for your application to be processed, but if it has been more than a week, I would call them and ask nicely. 😎

 

[RogueUnicorn]

i was speaking to the director today, she is very excited about you new kids, way more than my year, presumably.. sniff...

 

[alcanrui]

Some people have PM'd me about meeting up and/or how to find apartments, so I'm gonna type out a short blurb to help people out:

1) Meeting up

I'm available for a few time slots during the week (on any given week) since I live in the area, but weekend dates are pretty firm as mentioned in an earlier post. 🙂 Please PM me at least 48 hours before you want to meet up to set up a time/date!

2) Housing

James Court and Harrison Court are the 2 closest buildings to BUMC. 601 Albany is the next "luxury" type building nearby. All three of these options are pretty pricey, but with a roommate it can be a reasonable sacrifice for the year.

You can probably find some other apartments nearby in the South End at around the same price or higher (closer to Back Bay/Tufts Med) and lower (closer to Roxbury). With some luck, it might be possible to find one through Craigslist, but another option is to find a good honest realtor who may have a wider selection and can help you pick & choose amenities. For instance, those of you unfamiliar with New England winters may also accidentally sign a lease for an apartment heated by oil, or electric, instead of gas. That'll cost you upwards of $300 extra per month during the winter instead of $60, which is not fun to find out during November. 👎

There's a ton of bad realtors on Craiglist who have old listings and/or fake ones - if you need a few names, PM me for a few of the honest ones I've met through some (ridic and not so ridic) Craigslist ads/calling around Boston.

Again, this is solely my opinion so take it with a grain of salt. YMMV, so feel free to chip in! 🙂

 

[xwreckless]

Some people have PM'd me about meeting up and/or how to find apartments, so I'm gonna type out a short blurb to help people out:

1) Meeting up

I'm available for a few time slots during the week (on any given week) since I live in the area, but weekend dates are pretty firm as mentioned in an earlier post. 🙂 Please PM me at least 48 hours before you want to meet up to set up a time/date!

2) Housing

James Court and Harrison Court are the 2 closest buildings to BUMC. 601 Albany is the next "luxury" type building nearby. All three of these options are pretty pricey, but with a roommate it can be a reasonable sacrifice for the year.

You can probably find some other apartments nearby in the South End at around the same price or higher (closer to Back Bay/Tufts Med) and lower (closer to Roxbury). With some luck, it might be possible to find one through Craigslist, but another option is to find a good honest realtor who may have a wider selection and can help you pick & choose amenities. For instance, those of you unfamiliar with New England winters may also accidentally sign a lease for an apartment heated by oil, or electric, instead of gas. That'll cost you upwards of $300 extra per month during the winter instead of $60, which is not fun to find out during November. 👎

There's a ton of bad realtors on Craiglist who have old listings and/or fake ones - if you need a few names, PM me for a few of the honest ones I've met through some (ridic and not so ridic) Craigslist ads/calling around Boston.

Again, this is solely my opinion so take it with a grain of salt. YMMV, so feel free to chip in! 🙂

Thanks for the informative post.

Does anyone have advice in regards to choosing between UPenn SSP and BU MAMS? My stats are 3.26 cpga, 3.16 sgpa amd 33Q MCAT. I asked the same question in the Upenn thread.

 

[IntelInside]

LOL come on now bleargh. I'm sure they get excited every year for the students to start.

Y so negative guju?

I will also offer to meet up with students as alcan is doing since his/her spots are limited.

 

[alcanrui]

I will also offer to meet up with students as alcan is doing since his/her spots are limited.

Thanks for helping out, IntelInside. 👍 Doing a juggling act right now with the seminar class, gotta catch up on readings! Helps to have another GMS'er sharing the duty of imparting wisdom, lol 🙂 And I'm female btw.

 

[alcanrui]

Thanks for the informative post.

Does anyone have advice in regards to choosing between UPenn SSP and BU MAMS? My stats are 3.26 cpga, 3.16 sgpa amd 33Q MCAT. I asked the same question in the Upenn thread.

My 2 cents from reading your posts is that you're pretty much set on BU MAMS and just looking for someone to stand up for U Penn to see if there's any redeeming qualities that might have gotten overlooked.

Your stats are about where my classmates are at, ideal for SMP programs. And my strong word of advice on your question would be: Don't base your SMP program choice on your stats alone. You should read last year's thread on MAMS to get an idea of the class style, advising, grading, and opportunities (dual degree, research, etc.) to see if you'll thrive in the environment. 'Cause me telling you so-and-so got a 4.0 in XYZ program isn't really helpful if your study habits and idea of a good study place are veryvery different. Figure out if the school has the right fit for you, and how you're going to use the SMP's resources to get there. You should go to any SMP program with the attitude of "I'm going to study my butt off to get a 4.0" but also be aware of how supportive the program itself is, 'cause that can really affect your actual performance.

With that said, last year with other acceptances, I chose BU MAMS.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[marspotter]

i was speaking to the director today, she is very excited about you new kids, way more than my year, presumably.. sniff...

we are the love child! Don't worry, you will be loved by the dean of your med school. 😍😍

 

[Crisco]

Very true, also UPenn SSP is a program focused on students who took a lesser amount of sciences than your average premed. From what I know, it goes into your undergrad GPA and will generally not help you if you already have a large number of science classes.

And like always, I would like to emphasize it will not be easy in any SMP.

My 2 cents from reading your posts is that you're pretty much set on BU MAMS and just looking for someone to stand up for U Penn to see if there's any redeeming qualities that might have gotten overlooked.

 

[zapatos2]

A long time reader of sdn forums but never posted anything. I got into BU woot!! And will most likely be going here. The BU forums from the past two years were so amazing, thanks to everyone who posted on that (and still posting on this one)! I have a few questions about finding a place to live, hoping someone can offer insight.

For those who have lived in allston or brighton/know of people who did it, hour commute with public transportation really? Did those people regret living so far even though the rent was cheaper? Spending two hours commuting just seems like a major waste of time. But to live closer is so expensive lots of $$.

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[RokKidA]

Congrats.

Previous MAMS students have said that although living close to campus costs a lot of $, it is worth it since traffic around Boston is usually bad due to the large amount of construction that goes on.

 

[IntelInside]

A long time reader of sdn forums but never posted anything. I got into BU woot!! And will most likely be going here. The BU forums from the past two years were so amazing, thanks to everyone who posted on that (and still posting on this one)! I have a few questions about finding a place to live, hoping someone can offer insight.

For those who have lived in allston or brighton/know of people who did it, hour commute with public transportation really? Did those people regret living so far even though the rent was cheaper? Spending two hours commuting just seems like a major waste of time. But to live closer is so expensive lots of $$.

Thanks everyone for your help.

Congrats Zapatos. In regards to living in Allston/Brighton it isnt a 2 hour commute to school (possibly, although doubtfull, in total going back and forth). I live by fenway and I take the BU shuttle and I get there in around 15-20 min depending on traffic and the first stop for the BU Shuttle is by Agganis arena. So you could take the Green line T to Agganis then pick up the shuttle there. I would say it might take you 30-40 min if you time everything correctly. I am however next year moving closer to BUMC as a lot of my friends are closer to there and it is more convenient

Oh for future reference to all incoming students. It is possible to download the lectures and watch them at 1.5x speed as I just found out (a month before finishing 😡). To do this you click on the audio link for a lecture (not the video) and change the .mp3 ending to .flv and you can watch it in VLC player. This can definately help you in freeing up time if you are worried about time management. But be keep in mind that if you are doing this you wont be able to ask questions (as you will not be in class). I wouldnt recommend this for everyone only a couple of individuals who can grasp the material rather quickly and thoroughly.

 

[marspotter]

I am however next year moving closer to BUMC as a lot of my friends are closer to there and it is more convenient

I was thinking about living closer to the main campus, primarily due to the "college" vibe (and of course, the rec center.. I'm a social dork) I go bouldering at times and I wanted to be in the rock climbing classes and kayaking classes.. 😡 Perhaps, it's not a good idea..

Oh for future reference to all incoming students. It is possible to download the lectures and watch them at 1.5x speed as I just found out (a month before finishing 😡). To do this you click on the audio link for a lecture (not the video) and change the .mp3 ending to .flv and you can watch it in VLC player. This can definately help you in freeing up time if you are worried about time management. But be keep in mind that if you are doing this you wont be able to ask questions (as you will not be in class). I wouldnt recommend this for everyone only a couple of individuals who can grasp the material rather quickly and thoroughly.

👍 Thank you for the useful info, IntelInside!

 

[zapatos2]

Thanks for the info Intel. Whats the rent like around fenway? Anything that's remotely close or in the south-end area seems to run 1,000+. Are there a lot of people that opt to live in Brighton/Allston or do the majority of MAMS students choose to live closer to the Med School? Thanks again!

 

[IntelInside]

Technically I am in Brookline and my rent for a 1 bedroom apt is 1400. Most of my good friends live around BUMC and I am fairly sure the majority of the rest of the class does as well (as I dont see many on the shuttle)

 

[zapatos2]

aw, ok.

I guess it will go something like this:
Hello bank, more money please. ::holds out bowl::

 

[Imagoober]

Hi,

I'm a current MAMS student as well who should be studying, but instead is thinking about applications (less than 2 months away) and MCATs (less than 3 months away) that are coming up. For the people from CA or know of people from CA that have applied, what are the chances of getting into any of the UCs for medical school with less than a 3.0 GPA? It seems slim to none, so I don't want to waste my time and money applying to schools that I have no shot at (probably every UC school 🙁 ). I went to a UC and have taken the MCAT twice - 25S, 27S, and am registered for July 6th, 2011 for hopefully the final time. Any advice pertaining to applications for poor sub-3.0 students is very much appreciated. Also, I'm willing to give tours of BU (med campus and main campus if interested) and provide any advice for MAMS hopefuls. I have gained a lot of useful information from previous MAMS students on SDN and would like to give back when the madness is over...

 

[IntelInside]

aw, ok.

I guess it will go something like this:
Hello bank, more money please. ::holds out bowl::

HAHAHAHA. Mind you I am spending a lot but I chose to not have a room mate my first year. It was a personal preference. I do know some of my friends however who have room mates that are spending only $900

Hi,

I'm a current MAMS student as well who should be studying, but instead is thinking about applications (less than 2 months away) and MCATs (less than 3 months away) that are coming up. For the people from CA or know of people from CA that have applied, what are the chances of getting into any of the UCs for medical school with less than a 3.0 GPA? It seems slim to none, so I don't want to waste my time and money applying to schools that I have no shot at (probably every UC school 🙁 ). I went to a UC and have taken the MCAT twice - 25S, 27S, and am registered for July 6th, 2011 for hopefully the final time. Any advice pertaining to applications for poor sub-3.0 students is very much appreciated. Also, I'm willing to give tours of BU (med campus and main campus if interested) and provide any advice for MAMS hopefuls. I have gained a lot of useful information from previous MAMS students on SDN and would like to give back when the madness is over...

Probably not good as they are extremely competative (take what I say with a grain of salt as I am not from CA just know ppl who are in those schools). A good GPA in the MAMS program can help offset it but since it goes into the grad category I wouldnt think it would be of that much help unless its above >3.7 and you rock the MCAT.

 

[Crisco]

For the people from CA or know of people from CA that have applied, what are the chances of getting into any of the UCs for medical school with less than a 3.0 GPA?

Pretty much impossible. Basically, my recommendation to anyone coming from california is to not expect to go back to a UC for medical school. To put it into perspective, my MCAT is in the upper 30's and my GPA in MAMS is above a 3.9 and I was told I would most likely not get into a UC, with the exception of MAYBE davis

 

[xwreckless]

I was thinking about living closer to the main campus, primarily due to the "college" vibe (and of course, the rec center.. I'm a social dork) I go bouldering at times and I wanted to be in the rock climbing classes and kayaking classes.. 😡 Perhaps, it's not a good idea..



👍 Thank you for the useful info, IntelInside!

They have rock climbing classes and kayaking classes at BU???? *slaps down deposit asap

 

[IntelInside]

They have rock climbing classes and kayaking classes at BU???? *slaps down deposit asap

Yea I actually have my sailing license and went sailing a couple of times along the Charles river. AWESOME!!!!

 

[xwreckless]

Yea I actually have my sailing license and went sailing a couple of times along the Charles river. AWESOME!!!!

you learned to sail while rock climbing the kayak course? lol. these extraclasses sound awesome. any info on how to sign up?

 

[marspotter]

They have rock climbing classes and kayaking classes at BU???? *slaps down deposit asap

Hell YAHH, Buddy! You, me, genius!! (sorry.. I love that USPS commercial..)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5akqzv5qSfE&feature=player_embedded

 

[marspotter]

you learned to sail while rock climbing the kayak course? lol. these extraclasses sound awesome. any info on how to sign up?

http://www.bu.edu/fitrec/programs/index.shtml

Is it wrong that I am as excited (if not, more excited) about the rec center as the BU MAMS?

 

[marspotter]

I guess it will go something like this:
Hello bank, more money please. ::holds out bowl::

Don't worry.. I'll be right next to you holding my bowl out..

 

[Rainingstairs]

Hi!

I was wondering, I am planning on sitting the GRE this April 19th. Is it too late to apply to this program?

 

[Imagoober]

I applied in July last year and am finishing up the program in a month, so the answer is no it's not too late. But you shouldn't wait too long, since admissions are rolling and they have begun accepting students already.

 

[Rainingstairs]

I applied in July last year and am finishing up the program in a month, so the answer is no it's not too late. But you shouldn't wait too long, since admissions are rolling and they have begun accepting students already.

Do you mind me asking your stats?

 

[Rainingstairs]

I applied in may 2009 and got in in June 4th 2009 exactly about a month later when I applied to BU MAMS as well. I had a 3.8 grad GPA from another MS program at USF COM in molecular medicine and 29Q MCAT at the time but my ugrad GPA was very very low.

Getting into the program doesn't necessarily mean even with a 4.0 in the program and 35+ MCAT that you'll get into BU though for med school. It just means you'll have a shot somewhere for med school if you apply to the right places.

Thanks Guju! Ya I heard not many actually get into BU after the program but they have a 70% acceptance rate into med school, in general, which I'd be more than happy with!

I just live in Boston at the mo and it seems to be the best program for me in many ways.

I know the min. for GRE scores is 70% but is it like MCAT scores? Where you surely won't get in with the minimum?

I have a lot of research (clinical and lab), charity, shadowing, and maybe a publication in the works, under my belt...

GPA is a 3.4.
GRE---tbd

 

[Rainingstairs]

No if you get a decent GRE you should be fine.

You also have a lot of good stuff so it seems you should be fine esp. with that ugrad GPA. With that ugrad GPA if you can pull a 32+ on the MCAt when you eventually take it and a 3.7+ in GMS maybe even 3.5+ in GMS you would probably get an interview at BU because your ugrad is strong. But are you in ugrad in Boston? Just curious cuz you mentioned being in boston.


You should be fine though.

I'm actually not an undergrad at Boston--I went to UCLA and got a BA then I went to USF (I see you're there?) and got a BS. I had a 3.4 at UCLA and pretty much maintained it at USF through the Sciences so, I don't know how strong my GPA will be to BU.

 

[Imagoober]

I think you're GPA is good maybe even a bit on the high side compared to most BU MAMS students. I had a 3.0/27S and from a UC as well, but I've heard of people in my program with below 3.0 uGPA's that worked their butts off, did very well in the program, and are now in medical school somewhere. It really depends on how well you do in the program at BU, final MCAT score, letters of rec, etc.

 

[RokKidA]

Is anyone going to be signing up for the upcoming BU MAMS Webinar info session on 4/27? I hope there's not too much rehashing of info already on their website.




Edit: 100th post!! Woo hoo, lol!

 

[RokKidA]

I'm not sure if it's something brand new that they are offering. I found it on their website, which I believe has been recently revamped since previous years. (it was probably just hard to find on the old website) They give info about the program and then there is a Q and A afterwards.

I think it's a good idea to check out. They're held a few times a year (i think the next one after april is in late may) and offer seperate dates for those that want to learn about the oral health track.

 

[bigloley]

I'm excited for BU MAMS, but the class size bothers me, 180 students?!? According to their website they said 70% of MAMS graduates go onto medical school - which is significantly less than their pre 2000 numbers, when over 85% of the class went on to medical school.

What do the 30%, which is about 50 students, do if they can't get into medical school? I'm concerned that this number is so high.

 

[cloverpie]

Does anyone know how many spots are still open? I'm submitting my app tonight...*fingers crossed* Good luck to all!

 

[Crisco]

I'm excited for BU MAMS, but the class size bothers me, 180 students?!? According to their website they said 70% of MAMS graduates go onto medical school - which is significantly less than their pre 2000 numbers, when over 85% of the class went on to medical school.

What do the 30%, which is about 50 students, do if they can't get into medical school? I'm concerned that this number is so high.

As Guju says, the reality is that a class, being a class, will show a distribution of students that include those who are successful and those who are unsuccessful in the program. Not everyone who goes into the program magically does well for a variety of reasons. Therefore, in some sense the fact that only 30% of the graduates, generally all of which have uncompetitively low GPA, DIDN'T get into medical school is actualy a very low number.

 

[bigloley]

What I'm concerned about was that as of 2000, 552/661 of BU MAMS students were accepted at an MD school, good for ~ 85%.

Now as the class size has swelled that number has gone down to 70%:

from website:
How many students from the Medical Sciences Program matriculate into medical school?

Of the graduates who apply to a medical school, 70% are admitted into medical schools in the U.S.; approximately 20-25 students are accepted into Boston University School of Medicine each year. Most of the graduates who do not apply to medical school continue their careers in other medical science professions.

This of course could of course mean that other people have gone on to pursue other careers after the program, but it seems more likely that since the class size is larger, more people "fall through the cracks".

I will most likely be attending this program next year and of course I am planning to do my best. My concern is that since the program seemingly gets larger and larger each year, the quality and individual attention of the program will decline as well. I come from a very large school (500 people in a bio class) and I would rather not deal with huge classes with very little individual attention (though of course that is inevitable with most med schools).

Have you guys felt that the program is too large/impersonal at times? Or does the scheduling allow for good class sizes and interaction with professors and teachers?

Thanks for all your help

 

[Crisco]

What I'm concerned about was that as of 2000, 552/661 of BU MAMS students were accepted at an MD school, good for ~ 85%.

Now as the class size has swelled that number has gone down to 70%

Let me try and break your concerns down for you in a realistic analogy. I'm using made up numbers.

Let's say I accept the top 50 most qualified student each year and you see that 85% of them get into medical school. Let's now say that I expanded the program to have top 150 students. Do you think 85% of the students will still get into medical school?

No. Why not?
Because the 50th most qualified student will on average be vastly more capable or more qualified than the 150th student. So as you accept more students, you are accepting students who are -at least on paper - less and less qualified.

In fact, if we go the other extreme and say they only accept the 20 most qualified students, what do you think the % will be?
I'd say 95% or 100% will get into medical school, and they would have gotten in whether the class was 20, 50, 100, 150, or 1000. It is not that the effectiveness of the program is dropping, it is that the program is taking more risks by giving opportunities to as widely reasonable of a distribution of students as possible. Because if they didn't, I, nor you, nor most of us would even get a chance at the program. But what is a side effect of that? There will always be a greater probability that an unsuccessful student might also get in.

You can accept little and have very high acceptance rate or accept a lot and inevitably see a drop in the acceptance rate.

:
Most of the graduates who do not apply to medical school continue their careers in other medical science professions.

This could of course mean that other people have gone on to pursue other careers after the program, but it seems more likely that since the class size is larger, more people "fall through the cracks".

Guju answered it quite well 🙂

My concern is that since the program seemingly gets larger and larger each year, the quality and individual attention of the program will decline as well.

Program has been the same size for quite a few years now I believe. The quality of the program is improving, not declining. Very wonderful changes (or perhaps "adjustments" are more accurate) are made every year based on the comments & feedback from the previous years, and this will also apply to your incoming class as well. Personally, some of the changes that are being implemented next year for the curriculum are very exciting in a good way. As far as individual attention goes, each student is assigned to an advisor with something like 10-12 other students. Also, you are more than welcome to talk to any professor at any given point and meeting them is really not a problem even during exams. The professors/faculty is quite possibly the strongest point of this program. They are absolutely amazing – all of them. I can't emphasize enough the care and personality they add to the program. The way I'd sum it up is – the GMS program was the first time I sat down for a science class and actually loved learning.

Oh, by the way, if people haven't gotten the point yet, the program is very difficult. Well, pretty much every SMP is. Med students need a 75% to "pass" the class. You need a 92% in the exact same class because you need an "A".

Here's another way to put it. Out of let's say ~130 students taking physiology in my year (1 year ago now), only 20 of us got a solid "A". The class is not curved or weighted or anything. It's based on your performance alone. It's just that challenging. If you get an A-, you're already at a 3.7 for that class. If you get A- in every class, your GPA would be a 3.7. If you get an A in a class, chances are you were probably one of the top ~15% of that class. To get a 3.85, you need to get A- in half the classes and then land somewhere in the top 15% in the other half. How many 3.8+ students do you think there are in a given year? I don't know the number, but much less than you think.
Study accordingly!

 

[bigloley]

That you both crisco and gujudoc for your responses.

More or less I was concerned about the services and attention devoted to students because the program was too large. My fears have been alleviated 🙂

It's the same as any SMP, you reap what you sow. I'm also surprised about the students who don't care and don't study for the SMP, do they not realize that this is a final resort and doing poorly will effectively eliminate any chance they have of a US MD?

Regardless, I will go in expecting to work by butt off.

Thanks again for your replies

 

[Crisco]

That you both crisco and gujudoc for your responses.

More or less I was concerned about the services and attention devoted to students because the program was too large. My fears have been alleviated 🙂

It's the same as any SMP, you reap what you sow. I'm also surprised about the students who don't care and don't study for the SMP, do they not realize that this is a final resort and doing poorly will effectively eliminate any chance they have of a US MD?

Regardless, I will go in expecting to work by butt off.

Thanks again for your replies

no problem! as to why people would not care, there's a lot of reasons. Some students come to these programs because their parents make them, for example. in such a case, it wouldn't be surprising they don't try their hardest.

 

[doctorx119]

just out of curiosity, has anyone ever heard of people getting rejected by the BU MAMS program? I have yet to find any from these forums...

 

[RokKidA]

No, I think either you are accepted or placed on the BU MAMS waitlist. I also have never heard of BU flat out rejecting an applicant. Then again, maybe they just don't post their rejection on SDN...

 

[RokKidA]

Hmm..I'm not too sure but if I had to guess I would say that since the BU adcom meet on a weekly basis to review applications, they must accept the one's who they feel who they feel meet the minimum criteria (GPA of 3.0/MCAT scores ~25/good LOR/EC) while placing the other applicants in a waitlist pile. Thus, there are more people in the waitlist earlier in the application year.

Those in the waitlist are reviewed again in each adcom meeting and are weighed against the new applications that are received. This continues until all the seats are filled and there are no spots left.

As to why you were accepted vs. waitlisted, they must have felt that you were a more competitive applicant than those previously waitlisted that you were compared against.