BUMAMS starting Fall 2008

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DrJD said:
I was actually being silly and I meant Loma Linda... haha... long day at work... Yes I'm a Californian... My wife and I will be excited for the opportunity to come back to CA if it presents itself...

DeeZi, have you applied yet or are you waiting to apply until after your first year? How is the program treating you?

How was the move from CA to MA? My wife and I are a little nervous!!! Thanks again!
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Will be applying for the first time this coming June. This is my first year in the program and it's definitely been a challenge. However, in a whole new environment, I've proven to myself that I can handle medical school so if anything, it's a good confidence booster. I'm here because extra-curriculars ruled my undergraduate career and I never committed myself enough to school. But there's little time to have fun in this program. I remind yourself that every day, I'm paying ridiculous tuition and ridiculous housing fees to get good grades.

Going from CA to Boston was exciting at first. The winter came fast and harsh but it was interesting to finally experience seasons. However after going home for winter break and coming back here to single digit temperatures, I can definitely say that I'm a Californian at heart and will do anything to get back there for med school.
 
DeeZi,

Does BU send more students to any medical school in particular? I've read on here that Georgetown feeds most of its SMP students into Drexel, GU, NYMC, etc.

Also, it's really great to see that BU GMS students go on to some California schools as well. For these individuals, was it the program that helped them or were they just decent candidates to start with?

Changing gears a bit, for the curriculum at BU GMS, how are the Medical Microbiology & Immunology or the Virology class? What's the general feedback from students on those classes?

Thanks!

(and also thanks in advance for CoolSpot7Up for posting that list later for us!)
 
ImmunoRocks said:
DeeZi,

Does BU send more students to any medical school in particular? I've read on here that Georgetown feeds most of its SMP students into Drexel, GU, NYMC, etc.

Also, it's really great to see that BU GMS students go on to some California schools as well. For these individuals, was it the program that helped them or were they just decent candidates to start with?

Changing gears a bit, for the curriculum at BU GMS, how are the Medical Microbiology & Immunology or the Virology class? What's the general feedback from students on those classes?

Thanks!

(and also thanks in advance for CoolSpot7Up for posting that list later for us!)
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That I don't know. BU is probably first on that list though. For the Cali students, I know for a fact that this is pretty rare. So I would have to say that they were decent candidates to start with. A lot of students from CA hope that this program can put them into a CA school but a lot of advisors warned us not to get our hopes up.

Immuno begins in May for us. Microbio I can ask someone about and I don't know anyone taking virology.

Most students take physiology, biochemistry, histology, endocrinology, immunology as their medical school classes. Biostats is required if you haven't taken a stats class before. Pharmacology and embryology are also popular.
 
Hi guys,
I started the BUSM MAMS program in 2005 and was lucky enough to be accepted to BUSM as a medical student in 2007. If you have ANY questions about the master's program, where to live in Boston (I definitely could have used some advice on that when I first moved), stats you need to get an interview at BUSM after doing the Master's program, PM me and I'll be happy to answer any questions! Also, there is a class you will need to take called Biostats. I'd be happy to donate my Biostats binder to anyone that wants it - it will help you a lot. Good luck!
 
I was wondering if any previous or current GMS students can talk about any potential clinical volunteering opportunities through the program specifically at BU medical center? I saw in another thread that bat28 mentioned some volunteer section that he had. Is there something like Tufts' Intro to Clinical Practice course at BU?

Additionally, how is the clinical research concentration/program setup at BU? Is it BU professors that are running clinical trials at the medical center in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry in the area or some government-sponsored trials? Does anyone who decided to do clinical research for their lab research have any input or experience with this?

Also, has anyone else looked into the MA/MBA program or have anything to say about it? I'm trying to contact the MBA program in the meantime, and so far I've learned that you definitely need to take the GMAT to apply. =P

Thanks again!
 
going off the last post about clinical research...is it possible to do a chart review study over the summer as your library-based thesis? it would be original research that could be accomplished in one summer.
 
Does anybody know... If you live in a suburb is it a requirement to own an SUV? I'm from CA so my wife and I are wondering if our Honda civic will cut it in a Boston suburb... Thoughts?
 
CoolSpot7Up said:
going off the last post about clinical research...is it possible to do a chart review study over the summer as your library-based thesis? it would be original research that could be accomplished in one summer.
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I don't know anyone that did this- but I know that it is often given as an example by the GMS office and advisors as a potential option. There are basically no limits on what you can do for your thesis as long as you do the required number or pages and have someone from BU's faculty involved.
 
DrJD said:
Does anybody know... If you live in a suburb is it a requirement to own an SUV? I'm from CA so my wife and I are wondering if our Honda civic will cut it in a Boston suburb... Thoughts?
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As far as I know, there is no requirements in the state of Massachusetts for owning an SUV. You can drive whatever kind of car you want. 🙂

By the way, parking at BU is a bit of a challenge. The garage is really expensive and you don't get a discount as a GMS student... You can park in the meters around campus, but since you are in class almost all day- it is really difficult to have to run out to the meters every couple hours. Most people who live further than walking distance to the BU medical campus take buses. If you live near the main BU campus, the "BUS" is always an option. http://www.bu.edu/thebus/
 
ImmunoRocks said:
I was wondering if any previous or current GMS students can talk about any potential clinical volunteering opportunities through the program specifically at BU medical center? I saw in another thread that bat28 mentioned some volunteer section that he had. Is there something like Tufts' Intro to Clinical Practice course at BU?

Additionally, how is the clinical research concentration/program setup at BU? Is it BU professors that are running clinical trials at the medical center in collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry in the area or some government-sponsored trials? Does anyone who decided to do clinical research for their lab research have any input or experience with this?

Also, has anyone else looked into the MA/MBA program or have anything to say about it? I'm trying to contact the MBA program in the meantime, and so far I've learned that you definitely need to take the GMAT to apply. =P

Thanks again!
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There are unfortunately no clinical volunteering opportunities available through the program. The program at Tuft's looks great by the way- but BU doesn't have anything like that. The BMC volunteer page is here: http://bmc.org/volunteerservices/

In general, I think the GMS program advisors recommend getting clinical experience prior to starting the program. You are presumably doing the GMS program to strengthen your application to medical school, so the majority of your free time and energy should (and will) be spent studying. If you need to strengthen your medical school application by adding some clinical experiences, I would suggest doing something this upcoming summer (assuming you enter BU in the fall). If you enjoy it and you want to continue doing it during the school year, go for it! I don't know anyone from GMS who had time to do any clinical work outside the program.. but that doesn't mean nobody did.

I don't know much about the clinical research program or the MBA. Sorry!
 
What is the best month to look for apartments in the Boston area? When is too late? Curious how it works there... Any opinions?
 
Thanks, hcn22, for the info! 🙂

hcn22 said:
There are unfortunately no clinical volunteering opportunities available through the program. The program at Tuft's looks great by the way- but BU doesn't have anything like that. The BMC volunteer page is here: http://bmc.org/volunteerservices/

In general, I think the GMS program advisors recommend getting clinical experience prior to starting the program. You are presumably doing the GMS program to strengthen your application to medical school, so the majority of your free time and energy should (and will) be spent studying. If you need to strengthen your medical school application by adding some clinical experiences, I would suggest doing something this upcoming summer (assuming you enter BU in the fall). If you enjoy it and you want to continue doing it during the school year, go for it! I don't know anyone from GMS who had time to do any clinical work outside the program.. but that doesn't mean nobody did.

I don't know much about the clinical research program or the MBA. Sorry!
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Question... What do you have to accomplish in order to get accepted to Boston's medical school after only one year in the SMP?
 
Hey everyone, I just got the list today in the mail. I scanned it into my computer as a searchable pdf, then just copied and pasted the whole list below, so it took less than 5 minutes to do.

This is the list of all medical schools that students who completed the medical sciences program got accepted to (there is no breakup by year or if they applied during or after the program...it's just a big list of all-time acceptances into medical schools):

Albany Medical School
University of Alabama School of Medicine
University of Arizona College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
Boston University School of Medicine (MD. and M.D./PhD)
University of California, Davis, School of Medicine
University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine
University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine
University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine
Case Western Reserve University of Medicine
University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine
University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine
University of Colorado School of Medicine
University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Cornell University Medical College
Creighton University School of Medicine
Dartmouth Medical School
Drexel School of Medicine, MCP and Hahnemann School of Medicine
Eastern Virginia Medical School of the Medical College of Hampton Roads
Emory University School of Medicine
Finch University of Health Sciences, Chicago Medical School
University of Florida College of Medicine
University of Miami School of Medicine
George Washington University School of Medicine
Georgetown University School of Medicine
University of Hawaii at Manoa, John A. Burns School of Medicine
Harvard Medical School
Howard University College of Medicine
University of Illinois College of Medicine
University of Iowa College of Medicine
Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University
University of Kansas School of Medicine
University of Louisville School of Medicine
Lorna Linda University School of Medicine
Loyola University of Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine
Medical College of Georgia
Medical College of Ohio
Medical College of Wisconsin
Medical University of South Carolina
Meharry Medical College School of Medicine
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
University of Minnesota Medical School - Minneapolis
University of Mississippi School of Medicine
University of Missouri - Columbia School of Medicine
Morehouse School of Medicine
Mount Sinai School of Medicine of the City University of New York
New York Medical College
University of Nebraska College of Medicine
University of Nevada School of Medicine
University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Ohio State University College of Medicine
Medical College of Ohio
Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (MD/PhD Program)
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
Ponce School of Medicine, Puerto Rico
Rush Medical College of Rush University
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
University of Southern California, School of Medicine
State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn, College of Medicine
State University of New York at Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biological Sciences
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine
State University of New York at Stony Brook, School of Medicine Health Sciences Center
State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse, College of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Temple University School of Medicine
University of Texas - Houston Medical School
University of Texas Medical School at San Antonio
Tufts University School of Medicine
Tulane University School of Medicine
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, F. Edward Herbert School of Medicine
University of South Alabama College of Medicine
University of South Dakota School of Medicine
University of South Florida College of Medicine
University of Massachusetts Medical School
University of Maryland School of Medicine
University of Michigan Medical School
University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences
East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine
University of Tennessee, Memphis, College of Medicine
University of Virginia School of Medicine
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
University of Utah School of Medicine
University of Vermont College of Medicine
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
University of Washington School of Medicine
Washington University School of Medicine
Wayne State University School of Medicine
West Virginia University School of Medicine
University of Wisconsin Medical School
 
So coolspot, how is your decision making process going? That is a pretty impressive list of schools!! I am really excited about the Boston program... which way you leaning these days?

Thanks for posting that!
 
Does anyone know if it's explicitly stated somewhere on BU's website or by any of their directors (in any public documents) that individuals who achieve X GPA and have X MCAT score will be given an interview? I know on SDN there's a lot of hearsay about how BU interviews roughly 1/3 of the class and has offered admissions typically to 30 of their GMS students for certain classes. Some numbers that I saw that were thrown around some other threads were GMS GPA 3.5 and at least a MCAT of 30 to be considered for an interview. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks!
 
Anyone know what stats are like for people accepted in to the GMS program?
 
ImmunoRocks said:
Does anyone know if it's explicitly stated somewhere on BU's website or by any of their directors (in any public documents) that individuals who achieve X GPA and have X MCAT score will be given an interview? I know on SDN there's a lot of hearsay about how BU interviews roughly 1/3 of the class and has offered admissions typically to 30 of their GMS students for certain classes. Some numbers that I saw that were thrown around some other threads were GMS GPA 3.5 and at least a MCAT of 30 to be considered for an interview. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks!
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BUSM Admissions doesn't give GMS students a guarantee to interview based on stats (that I know of). However, you must have AT LEAST a 3.5 GPA in the program and 29 MCAT to be even considered for an interview. My guess is that the 30-40 students from each class who matriculate into BUSM have exceeded these minimum requirements and have a good assortment of extracurriculars.
If you have been accepted to next year's program, don't get all caught up in the numbers...yet. Just focus on moving to Boston and get ready to work hard. Know that a large majority of MAMS Program graduates are successful at getting admitted to medical school.
 
Bump! Maybe a mod can combine this thread with the other Boston thread that got started?
 
Hey everyone, this is my first post, but just letting everyone know that I called the admissions office today and Michelle told me that they sent out admission letters yesterday and that I got in!!
 
patesap said:
Hey everyone, this is my first post, but just letting everyone know that I called the admissions office today and Michelle told me that they sent out admission letters yesterday and that I got in!!
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Would you mind sharing your stats? As well as anyone else who got in?
 
w1ll said:
Would you mind sharing your stats? As well as anyone else who got in?
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I was accepted February 29, 2008. My stats are 3.52 BCMP, 3.66 AO, 31P.

I am interested in hearing about what current students had to say about housing... is it worth it to live close to the medical campus or commute a fair distance to school?
 
Yessss! I got a nice big acceptance package from BU in the mail today! What a relief...after being rejected from Cinci and waitlisted at EVMS, Georgetown, and Tufts it's nice to know that I have at least one guaranteed place to go next year. $200 deposit due within 2 weeks of receiving the letter...eek! Good luck to everyone still waiting! Any advice on housing would be really appreciated.
 
Got my acceptance packet today in the mail too. I also would like to hear more about housing and moving suggestions!
 
I just received my acceptance today from Boston U GMS. Still trying to decide what my path should be... I got accepted to the Masters program at Marshall Univ (WV) and was waitlisted for EVMS. Stats: 2.7GPA, 33M MCAT.
Maybe I'll see you all there... How many people are in each class? thanks all!
MQC👍
 
To any of the current/past Boston GMSers, is there an availability of apartments/rooms that come already furnished? I don't have a place of my own right now so I don't have much of anything to fill up an apartment...I'm also coming from the Midwest so if I could refrain from lugging around pieces of furniture to the east coast the better.
 
pianogirl0104 said:
Yessss! I got a nice big acceptance package from BU in the mail today! What a relief...after being rejected from Cinci and waitlisted at EVMS, Georgetown, and Tufts it's nice to know that I have at least one guaranteed place to go next year. $200 deposit due within 2 weeks of receiving the letter...eek! Good luck to everyone still waiting! Any advice on housing would be really appreciated.
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where does it say the deposit is due within two weeks? the letter they sent me doesn't say 2 weeks, just says to inform them "as soon as possible" and include the signed form and check.
 
Yea mine also says "Since our applicant pool far exceeds this number we kindly request that you respond to our offer of admission by return mail within 14 days of receipt of this letter", in the last paragraph of the letter. The bolding is theirs not mine.
I wonder Coolspot, that since you received an acceptance in an earlier cycle it isn't as imperative for you to secure your spot, whereas those of us who get the acceptance in subsequent cycles it is more urgent because of the increase of applications from people who are just finding out that they aren't getting into med school this fall.
Whew, sorry for the super long run-on sentence. But that is my guess why yours does not say that.
 
pianogirl0104 said:
Yessss! I got a nice big acceptance package from BU in the mail today! What a relief...after being rejected from Cinci and waitlisted at EVMS, Georgetown, and Tufts it's nice to know that I have at least one guaranteed place to go next year. $200 deposit due within 2 weeks of receiving the letter...eek! Good luck to everyone still waiting! Any advice on housing would be really appreciated.
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I can DEFINITELY relate to how you're feeling pianogirl! I also got rejected from Cinci but also Georgetown and Loyola (didn't apply to EVMS though) and waitlisted at Drexel. This is a wonderful change of pace from the flood of rejections from those programs and med schools. 🙂

Hope everyone else hears good news soon!!
 
zoonotic said:
Yea mine also says "Since our applicant pool far exceeds this number we kindly request that you respond to our offer of admission by return mail within 14 days of receipt of this letter", in the last paragraph of the letter. The bolding is theirs not mine.
I wonder Coolspot, that since you received an acceptance in an earlier cycle it isn't as imperative for you to secure your spot, whereas those of us who get the acceptance in subsequent cycles it is more urgent because of the increase of applications from people who are just finding out that they aren't getting into med school this fall.
Whew, sorry for the super long run-on sentence. But that is my guess why yours does not say that.
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Oh weird, yeah, mine definitely has no due date on it. I actually haven't submitted my deposit yet. I need to save up some money before I pay it, and since it gave me no date, I figured I'd take my time, haha.
 
CoolSpot7Up said:
Oh weird, yeah, mine definitely has no due date on it. I actually haven't submitted my deposit yet. I need to save up some money before I pay it, and since it gave me no date, I figured I'd take my time, haha.
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So do you think you'll be heading to BU then?
 
For those definitely going to Boston in the fall:

How are you all planning on going about this housing fiasco? I've been going on craigslist and I feel more and more overwhelmed...I am definitely planning to fly out for a quick trip to talk to people in the admin office and check out campus (med center and charles river campus) and Boston in general. Other than that I just assumed that I would make a longer trip maybe in May or June to really tackle the housing beast.

I hope more applicants find out soon! Good luck and I can't wait to meet my future classmates!
 
Anyone know the phone number for the BU MAMS admissions department?




btw, I think the reason everyone calls it MAMS, is because thats what the website says its called.

Welcome from the Chairperson <----BU MAMS website
 
VenusFlyTrap said:
Any pre-dentals get in yet?
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Hey I'm pre-dent too, but i haven't gotten anything back yet. I called them before and they said I was complete on March 24th, but I haven't received anything from them, no e-mail stating I was complete and etc. Don't know, I'm really anxious as I really want to ge into this program!
 
Is anyone still waiting to hear from BU? I was complete sometime in February and still no word!
Thanks!
 
whoiswho said:
Is anyone still waiting to hear from BU? I was complete sometime in February and still no word!
Thanks!
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You might want to call Natasha Hall. My application was complete February 22, and I received my admissions packet on March 29. The decision process is supposed to take 6 weeks. If it takes any longer, you're supposed to contact the office and follow up on it. Also, if you've been accepted into comparably competitive programs, it may work to your advantage to let them know. Good luck.
 
hey guys,

i was just accepted into BU's program and Rosalind Franklin's BMS program but am having difficulty deciding where to go. I intend on applying to medical school this June so that I can enter next Fall. With that in mind do you think BU's MAMS would be a bad choice since they encourage their students to finish the program in 2 years? I know Rosalind Franklin is a high linkage program so all enrolled get a guaranteed interview to their medical school, but I've heard that the school itself is not that great. I have tons of clinical experience including volunteering abroad, but hardly any research experience. Obviously, my stats are not competitive for medical school, so I'm thinking Rosalind Franklin's linkage to their medical school would be a better option for me cuz it would give me at least one sure shot to get in somewhere. I'm still timid though to turn down BU because I know their program is more recognized amongst the US medical schools and I hear that it's a great program in general. My only problem with BU is that I just don't want to graduate from it and then still get no interviews because my MCAT is so low. I know an obvious solution would be to retake my MCAT but I honestly dont think I can get a higher score and thus, don't plan on retaking it. Given all my info, which do you think will be a better option for me? Rosalind Franklin where I'm gonna be guaranteed an interview with my low MCAT (and assuming I don't bomb the interview and get a >3.5 in the BMS program, admittance into their medical school) or BU's MAMS where it's well known but no guarantees, especially for someone with a low MCAT like me? Also, if I do go to BU, do you think if I do really well in the program (ie. >3.6-3.8) medical schools wont weight my MCAT so heavily when considering my application? Sorry my post is so long but I have 2 weeks to respond back to BU and am very conflicted! any advice would be appreciated!!! thanks!
 
I think you should do BU and take the full two years before applying to medical school. This way you can present almost 2full years of medical school grades (hopefully high grades), and undoubtedly your experience in the program plus their advising should help raise your MCAT score. BU has a strong recored of putting students into decent medical schools, so if they've accepted you-- you definetly have the potential to achieve your dreams.
 
mango88 said:
hey guys,

i was just accepted into BU's program and Rosalind Franklin's BMS program but am having difficulty deciding where to go. I intend on applying to medical school this June so that I can enter next Fall. With that in mind do you think BU's MAMS would be a bad choice since they encourage their students to finish the program in 2 years? I know Rosalind Franklin is a high linkage program so all enrolled get a guaranteed interview to their medical school, but I've heard that the school itself is not that great. I'm a horrible test taker with an MCAT of 19Q and then retake of 26S (after studying a lot and taking kaplan). My undergrad GPA is 3.36 and bcpm 3.15. I have tons of clinical experience including volunteering abroad, but hardly any research experience. Obviously, my stats are not competitive for medical school, so I'm thinking Rosalind Franklin's linkage to their medical school would be a better option for me cuz it would give me at least one sure shot to get in somewhere. I'm still timid though to turn down BU because I know their program is more recognized amongst the US medical schools and I hear that it's a great program in general. My only problem with BU is that I just don't want to graduate from it and then still get no interviews because my MCAT is so low. I know an obvious solution would be to retake my MCAT but I honestly dont think I can get a higher score and thus, don't plan on retaking it. Given all my info, which do you think will be a better option for me? Rosalind Franklin where I'm gonna be guaranteed an interview with my low MCAT (and assuming I don't bomb the interview and get a >3.5 in the BMS program, admittance into their medical school) or BU's MAMS where it's well known but no guarantees, especially for someone with a low MCAT like me? Also, if I do go to BU, do you think if I do really well in the program (ie. >3.6-3.8) medical schools wont weight my MCAT so heavily when considering my application? Sorry my post is so long but I have 2 weeks to respond back to BU and am very conflicted! any advice would be appreciated!!! thanks!
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I was in a very similar situation last year. I ended up picking BU over RFU b/c I just heard way too many bad things about RFU's program, such as grade deflation. My scores are also similar to yours and I did not plan on retaking the MCAT b/c I did not think I would do any better. Now that I'm in the second semester at BU, I have decided to give the MCAT another go. Maybe my success in the BU program has given me newfound confidence and all the advisors say that the MCAT will be much easier after going through the rigors of the medical school classes. I can't say that you'll feel the same but just giving you my experience...
 
Hi,
My application was done by mid Feb ... admissions says I'll hear this week. Still waiting to hear from NYMC as well. Stats are Overall: 2.8 Dual degree (Bioengineering, Health and Societies) at UPenn. GRE: 1380 and a 6 in Analytical with a good amount of research experience and ECs. So nervous. 🙁 I got into St. Joseph's MS Biology program in Philly though. Unsure if scoring well in that program will help if I want to apply to medical school. Any thoughts?
 
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