Columbia vs Penn State-Jefferson 7 year PMM BS/MD Medical Program

[bookshelf607]

Hey everyone! I’m a high school senior and I’d really appreciate some advice. I want to go to medical school and become a doctor.

I need help deciding between my two top options: Columbia University (CC) and a 7 year med program between Penn State University and Sidney Kimmel Medical College (Jefferson). The conditions of the program are that I maintain a 3.5 GPA (in science and overall, each semester), and the current MCAT requirement is a minimum composite score of 504 with no less than a 126 on any subsection (~64th percentile). Note: I’m not concerned with the financial side of this decision. The cost of each option does not matter to me or my parents. We are focused on which path is better for my ultimate goal of becoming a strong doctor (being competitive for strong residencies and fellowships) and having a successful career .


A little bit about me, I was in the top 1% of my class, my standardized test scores are very strong, and I’ll be finishing HS with over 10 APs taken.


I’m worried about being able to balance a high gpa and strong extracurriculars as a premed at Columbia.

Is a 3.5-3.6 science/overall doable?

What is the grading like at Columbia (for premed, science, and overall)? What is the distribution of As and Bs generally like in premed? Will I often be against a tough curve or will I be able to earn good grades with focus and hard work? I will likely be majoring in some sort of biological sciences.


Another thing, I’ve seen statistics showing a very high percentage of graduating Columbia premeds getting into medical school. However, does anyone have an idea of how often premeds get weeded out of the premed track/what is a better percent estimate of the likelihood that a day 1 freshman in CC will make it to medical school?


Would anyone have an idea of how often Columbia premeds get into mid/top tier med schools compared to low tier schools?


I’m concerned about the stress and being able to manage my time. I also don’t want to take more than 1 gap year after a 4 year Undergrad to get into med school. So, my general question is how manageable/doable is premed at Columbia with the aim of being a strong applicant for med school in the hopes of not needing more than one gap year? At the same time, I’d like to hear opinions on going through the Penn State-Jefferson route. I’d also like to hear thoughts on how each path would affect my career trajectory as a doctor. Any input would be appreciated! Thanks!

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[878956]

If this was me, I'd go for the guarantee program. You never know what can happen after you finish your undergraduate degree. You could do really bad (requiring extra years of work to craft a good application) or really good (propping you for top tier universities). I don't have personal experience with either program but I live in New York and have some friends who were pre-med at Columbia. Needless to say, they weren't the happiest about their experiences at Columbia.

 

[mmmcdowe]

I am not a big fan of the combined programs. There is no such thing as a guarantee first of all, but the biggest factor is that you might change your mind. The real question in your mind should be if you would be better off at Penn State vs Columbia in terms of your happiness, what you are trying to get out of college, and the opportunities available to you rather than where can I get the best scores/grades/app. Seeing your undergraduate experience as a stepping stone rather than a major, formative part of your life is not something I would advise. The reality is if you can meet the requirements to attend Jefferson then you would be able to get into equivalent or better schools anyways at Columbia or Penn State. Columbia pre-meds get into top programs more than Penn State pre-meds, but you have to take that with a grain of salt. Is it because those at Columbia are on average greater achievers? Is it because weaker applicants as you say are weeded out? Hard to say for sure but the Columbia name has value in any field that you might end up in and I think it have to be taken into account. I went to Arizona State for college and I don't regret it because it was what I needed at the time and ultimately I went to Columbia for medical school, of which about half my class were Ivy Leaguers. Personal achievement outweighs pedigree but unquestionably my attending Columbia even for medical school opened doors that would otherwise have not been open. You should set yourself in a position that gives you as many doors to walk through as possible, rather than putting everything on the gamble that your only possible future is in medicine. That doesn't necessarily mean you should go to the most prestigious school you can, like I said for me ASU was the right choice at the time and it gave me the doors I needed to get where I wanted to go. Think carefully which place has the doors you want for the next 3-4 years.

 

[PhillyPhilosopher]

What did you ultimately decide?