Chances: Stony Brook BA/MD

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stonyalltheway

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I really want to know if I can get into Stony Brook's BA/MD program. I would really appreciate it if anyone could give me advice. I am a junior in high school. I was born and raised in Long Islan, NY, but I moved to Saudi Arabia two years ago because of my dad's job. I'll be moving back to go to university and Stony Brook's BA/MD program is my top choice.

SAT I: 1890
Math I: 690
Biology M: 690
GPA: 4.2 out of 4.3

Courses Enrolled in Now:
  • IB Math SL
  • IB Biology HL
  • IB Chemistry HL
  • College Prep Physics
  • IB English SL
  • IB History SL
Extracurriculars: Aspiring Doctors Club, Model United Nations, National Honor Society, Saudi-American Dialogues, Nominated to attend National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine (NYLFM), Global Youth Leadership Forum (GYLC), Internship at hospital in Saudi Arabia.
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Do you have a score of 1350 on the critical reading and math components of the SAT I? (the answer to this is important)
 
I have a 1240 right now, but I'm taking the SAT for the second time on June 4...hopefully, I can hit 1350. If I don't get a 1350, do u think it's pointless for me to apply?
 
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SBU's BA/MD is pretty tough. I'll agree with Gigantron here and say you definitely need a higher test score... Are you doing the full IB Diploma? You only have two HL courses, and you need at least three to be eligible for the IBD.

And not to be negative, but NYLF and GYLC are for profit companies... Putting them down as awards won't get you anywhere. You should definitely try to increase your extra curricular activity level and see if you can join some clubs at your school.

You may or may not be at an advantage for being an international applicant, so I'd look into that.
 
I just finished up my Kaplan SAT prep Course, and I'm taking the SAT again.

If my score doesn't go up, would I be able to get into NYIT's BS/DO program?

Right now, with my 1240, Stony's med program looks like a reach. Could I get into Stony Brook University with my scores, and then just do pre-med?
 
You'll have a better chance at NYIT's BS/DO program with your current score. Also, have you considered applying to other BS/MD or BS/DO programs aside from Stony and NYIT?
 
stonyalltheway said:
I just finished up my Kaplan SAT prep Course, and I'm taking the SAT again.

If my score doesn't go up, would I be able to get into NYIT's BS/DO program?

Right now, with my 1240, Stony's med program looks like a reach. Could I get into Stony Brook University with my scores, and then just do pre-med?
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Regarding NYIT's BS/DO... I hate to bash a program, but save your time, money and frustration and do not apply. I visited the campus, went on the tour and attended the information session and I thought I had it made. Admission was easy, GPA requirement was relatively low and the MCAT was reasonable... Plus I am in state (Long Islander) so I had a good shot at a hefty scholarship. I then talked to a few people in the BS/DO program (Facebook page from a few different class years). Not only did they tell me they hated the program and it was unfair, but they were all at other schools! Most of them transferred to Binghamton, Stony Brook or Albany to do a regular pre-med track.

If you're going to apply to a BS/DO with those stats, try Gannon/PCOM or Gannon/LECOM. Much better programs (I applied and got into PCOM with a decent scholarship package with a 1290 SAT/29 ACT) and the requirements are very reasonable. PCOM's program makes you maintain a 3.3 I believe and a 21 MCAT (very very reasonable), plus PCOM is one of the best DO schools on the east coast.

Another suggestion I have is the Sophie Davis Program. Not really up to date with a lot of the information, so check the link, but I believe it's a full tuition grant for any NY residents (may be a problem if you're OOS now), and you have a chance to go to some really great medical schools (NYU, Dartmouth, Downstate etc...).

Try broadening your range for BS/MD and BS/DO programs... There are a lot out there.

With a 1240, you may be able get into Stony Brook University's regular biology program. Check CollegeBoard's averages, but take it with a grain of salt as you take advanced classes and you're an international applicant.

stonyalltheway said:
I'm not doing full diploma, I'm doing 5 certificates...
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Okay. Is there anyway to add an HL or no? An IBD looks very good on an application.
 
JChait said:
Regarding NYIT's BS/DO... I hate to bash a program, but save your time, money and frustration and do not apply. I visited the campus, went on the tour and attended the information session and I thought I had it made. Admission was easy, GPA requirement was relatively low and the MCAT was reasonable... Plus I am in state (Long Islander) so I had a good shot at a hefty scholarship. I then talked to a few people in the BS/DO program (Facebook page from a few different class years). Not only did they tell me they hated the program and it was unfair, but they were all at other schools! Most of them transferred to Binghamton, Stony Brook or Albany to do a regular pre-med track.
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Wow, there's a person in my school that's going to attend NYIT's BS/DO program. He's extremely bright too. I hope this doesn't happen to him. 😵

Another suggestion I have is the Sophie Davis Program. Not really up to date with a lot of the information, so check the link, but I believe it's a full tuition grant for any NY residents (may be a problem if you're OOS now), and you have a chance to go to some really great medical schools (NYU, Dartmouth, Downstate etc...).
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I applied to this program and was rejected immediately (it's mega-competitive, and they don't look at OOS applications at all). However, I know that by going in this program you agree to either serve 2 years as a PCP in an underserved area, or pay 75,000 USD to the city and enter the normal matching process. It's still a great program though and I really wish I could've had a chance to at least interview. Also, I believe Dartmouth isn't part of the list of possible medical schools anymore.



Also, OP, here's a list of other BS/MD and BS/DO programs:
http://www.minimedicalschool.com/BacPrograms.html
 
Gigantron said:
Wow, there's a person in my school that's going to attend NYIT's BS/DO program. He's extremely bright too. I hope this doesn't happen to him. 😵
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Yup. PM me if you want the details. I can copy and paste the Facebook messages the former alumni sent me.
 
Not to troll or be a prick or anything, but why do people act like IB is that much harder than AP? Not that anyone here is doing that, but I always see people in real life/ on facebook complaining about IB as if AP is a joke compared to HL courses.
 
airjordan23 said:
Not to troll or be a prick or anything, but why do people act like IB is that much harder than AP? Not that anyone here is doing that, but I always see people in real life/ on facebook complaining about IB as if AP is a joke compared to HL courses.
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Because it's true.
 
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airjordan23 said:
Not to troll or be a prick or anything, but why do people act like IB is that much harder than AP? Not that anyone here is doing that, but I always see people in real life/ on facebook complaining about IB as if AP is a joke compared to HL courses.
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I took both IB and AP courses, and I believe they were both easy and difficult in their own respects. Most IB students complain about HL courses due to the fact that they are two years in length and the exam encompasses material from both of those years. I ended up taking four HL courses instead of the regular three, and studying/doing internal assessment assignments for those courses were not fun especially due to the fact that they were all to be taken/were due in the same time frame.

A lot of people make IB out to way harder than it is, but that's usually because their school did not prepare them for such an increase in workload, material difficulty and required study time.
 
yo, my school doesnt prepare me for ****. IB is tough here because of the work load and the bad teachers. They aren't even qualified to teach IB. and the IBD comes with a lot of other crap, like TOK, Extended Essay, and CAS hours. Most people that have taken it say it hasnt even prepared them for university, but just caused them extra stress. I purposely did HL sciences because I want to go into the science field, I found it useless to do HL English or a course like that. On top of that, I wanted to keep my GPA up. To answer your question, I can't add another HL.

Anyways, yea, so I'm hoping to get into Stony's pre-med program at this point, because my dream of getting into Stony's med program has been crushed.

Thank you JChait...I'l definitely look into the programs you mentioned.
 
Do you still have like 5 months before you apply? Study over summer and break the 1350 requirement. You can always try BS/MD program like Geneseo and Penn State. BTW, I am pretty sure Stony Brook does not have a pre-med major.
 
I'm pretty sure Stony brook has a pre-med major...a couple of distant family friends are doing pre-med at Stony.

Yea, I'm actually taking the SAT this June 4. I just finished a Kaplan live online course, so hopefully, my score will go up.

I'll look into Geneseo and Penn state
 
Geneseo and New Paltz are also affiliated with NYCOM, and I believe they have the same stats when it comes to admission requirements and the required grades/MCAT you must maintain. Way better choice in my opinion, as they are both solid SUNY schools (cheap tuition!) and you won't get screwed like many students do at NYIT.

You still have a ton of options... Study hard, do your research and get some good extra curriculars done for your resume this summer. A good tip for these combined programs is to apply early. The seats are on a first come, first serve basis, so bookmark each of the websites, create a calendar and submit applications as soon as possible.
 
stonyalltheway said:
Anyways, yea, so I'm hoping to get into Stony's pre-med program at this point, because my dream of getting into Stony's med program has been crushed.
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You'll definitely get into Stony's regular pre-med program. Don't worry about that.

As for the bolded, this is what people told me last year, but I didn't give up. My scores were a little lower than yours and I still got into a BS/MD program, though I wish I had the motivation to study and get a better score on the ACT =\. Study, study and study for your next SAT session. Make sure you're ready to ram it in the a**.

If you don't do as well as you would've liked, take it again in September. If you don't do well on that sitting, take it again in October. Same thing applies to the November test or even the December test (Maybe Dec. would be cutting it a little too close, but still). If you look at the link I provided earlier in this thread, you'll see that they take applications until Jan. 15 the latest. DO NOT GIVE UP!

And, in the case where you can't break the 1350 requirement, apply to other BS/MD and BS/DO programs. You have some options even with a 1240.
 
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Gigantron said:
You'll definitely get into Stony's regular pre-med program. Don't worry about that.
As for the bolded, this is what people told me last year, but I didn't give up. My scores were a little lower than yours and I still got into a BS/MD program, though I wish I had the motivation to study and get a better score on the ACT =\.
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Which BS/MD program did you get into?

Thanks for the advice 🙂 I hope the Kaplan SAT prep course that I took for the past couple of months pays off...I'm taking the June 4 SAT.
 
If you don't obtain the required SAT score, don't even apply. They will not even take you into consideration.

I do not recommend BS/DO programs at all. Do you really want to lock yourself into a DO school? There's nothing necessarily wrong with DO schools, but I think that you should not limit yourself to a DO school, or even an MD school for that matter, unless you are one hundred percent sure you want to attend that particular school.

Work hard. Enjoy your undergrad. Then apply the regular via the regular route. Good luck!
 
baconator10 said:
If you don't obtain the required SAT score, don't even apply. They will not even take you into consideration.
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I have to agree here. The scores posted on the websites are bare minimums -- the cutoffs. Unless you have a drop dead amazing application, they aren't really going to consider the minimum score. Kind of like medical schools say the minimum MCAT is 27 but then they only invite individuals to interviews with a 30 or higher (just random numbers I plugged in). It gets them a free application fee in their pockets and takes about thirty seconds of their (well, the underpaid admission committee member's) time to deny.

baconator10 said:
I do not recommend BS/DO programs at all. Do you really want to lock yourself into a DO school? There's nothing necessarily wrong with DO schools, but I think that you should not limit yourself to a DO school, or even an MD school for that matter, unless you are one hundred percent sure you want to attend that particular school.

Work hard. Enjoy your undergrad. Then apply the regular via the regular route. Good luck!
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I have to partially disagree with you. I say, if an individual has serious interest in medicine and has a lot of clinical exposure, they should feel free to apply to non-binding programs, whether they be allopathic or osteopathic. This allows security and peace of mind, but usually at these programs, the undergraduate institution is not of the same rigor as they would be used to going the "traditional route". Not only do they basically have a guaranteed seat in medical school, but they have an equal opportunity to apply out and they will probably have a higher GPA at such an institution rather than a regular four year university they would've been admitted to.

That's just my $0.02, and I will admit I am biased as I am in a non-binding BS/DO program and enrolled for just the above reasoning.
 
View attachment Dual Degree Spread.xlsx

I just remembered I made this sheet for my guidance counselor when I was applying to programs. Disregards MSU-COM, as they do not offer the dual degree program anymore. Those stats are as of ~October of 2010, so they should be somewhat accurate. I'd still go back and double check if you're serious about applying.

Also, the "GPA requirement" was a translation from a 4.0 scale to a 100 scale, as my high school ran on a 100 point scale... Take those numbers with a grain of salt as well.
 
stonyalltheway said:
I'm pretty sure Stony brook has a pre-med major...a couple of distant family friends are doing pre-med at Stony.

Yea, I'm actually taking the SAT this June 4. I just finished a Kaplan live online course, so hopefully, my score will go up.

I'll look into Geneseo and Penn state
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I graduated from Stony Brook. You can call yourself Pre-med in Stony Brook, but you are still required to choose a regular major 🙄
 
Yeah, at no school will there be a major entitled "pre-medical". Often, schools have pre-med tracks which often fall under the basic requirements of the biology, chemistry, physics or biochemistry majors. All you need is eight credits in each of the four sciences, calculus and english. Some schools either require biochemistry, microbiology, genetics or some other courses.
 
airjordan23 said:
Not to troll or be a prick or anything, but why do people act like IB is that much harder than AP? Not that anyone here is doing that, but I always see people in real life/ on facebook complaining about IB as if AP is a joke compared to HL courses.
Click to expand...

So is IB more of a "coast" program? I'm from the Midwest, and I've never heard of the program until I joined the forum.
 
Gamma Knife said:
So is IB more of a "coast" program? I'm from the Midwest, and I've never heard of the program until I joined the forum.
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No. IB: International Baccalaureate is a program in which selected schools are allowed to teach the IB curriculum. There are about 3000 IB schools around the world, and the program consists of 6 classes, each from a different subject area that a student must take (science, social science, math, first language, a foreign language and an art). Also, there is a required epistemology course, 150 hours of community service and a 4000 word research paper. All of the aforementioned are required for the "diploma", but a student can take any of them "a la carte" style.

The IB only allows high ranking public schools and private schools to apply for membership, and the IB committee comes to the school, and if they deem it fit, teachers are trained and the school is put into a two or three year trial phase where the IB closely monitors the progress.

Tl;dr: pretentious program with lots of requirements.
 
Gamma Knife said:
Hmm... I see. So it's a resume booster?
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Not everything is a résumé booster, my friend. After a while, if you don't find actual interest in something, it won't even be worth the time to put on a résumé. I took IB to be prepared and to challenge myself... Plus the coursework was more interesting than the lower level classes which studied middle school caliber literature and even less challenging sciences.

The work was hard, long and tough (TWSS) but it was damn rewarding and not only I am proud that I made it through without dropping out, but I feel very prepared for college classes to come.
 
I was accepted into Stony Brook's BA/MD (Scholars for Medicine program) this past cycle. The required stats that they list on the website are baseline. I talked to an admissions counselor late last year and he said that the stats of people who get called for an interview are usually much higher than the minimum threshold. Your GPA looks great, but the SAT falls below what this program is looking for. Since you have the whole summer ahead of you, I suggest you religiously take practice tests from the Collegeboard Blue Book and study vocab. There are a ton of lists out there, but I suggest the Direct Hits series. If you can raise that SAT, you certainly are competitive score-wise.

I honestly think that the required essay for the program holds a great deal of weight, since the people who apply have great numbers in general. A stellar essay will elevate your application from the pile. After the interview, the committee over at the med school considers everything again, including GPA, SAT, essay, interview, EC's, when making a final decision.

Overall, this is certainly a tough BA/MD to gain acceptance to because they accept very few. It was hard to turn it down in April for a different program, but I wish you the best of luck!
 
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manu101 said:
I was accepted into Stony Brook's BA/MD (Scholars for Medicine program) this past cycle. The required stats that they list on the website are baseline. I talked to an admissions counselor late last year and he said that the stats of people who get called for an interview are usually much higher than the minimum threshold. Your GPA looks great, but the SAT falls below what this program is looking for. Since you have the whole summer ahead of you, I suggest you religiously take practice tests from the Collegeboard Blue Book and study vocab. There are a ton of lists out there, but I suggest the Direct Hits series. If you can raise that SAT, you certainly are competitive score-wise.

I honestly think that the required essay for the program holds a great deal of weight, since the people who apply have great numbers in general. A stellar essay will elevate your application from the pile. After the interview, the committee over at the med school considers everything again, including GPA, SAT, essay, interview, EC's, when making a final decision.

Overall, this is certainly a tough BA/MD to gain acceptance to because they accept very few. It was hard to turn it down in April for a different program, but I wish you the best of luck!
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I understand that you have been accepted into the SBU program. What were your stats like? SAT score? GPA?
 
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