HAS ANYONE HEARD THIS PROGRAM??

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

It's based in NYC and it is called The Sophie Davis Program. I can really use some insight on this.

Thanks!

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[WedgeDawg]

http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/sophiedavis/

Hope this gives you some insight!

 

[johnnytest]

It's an accelerated BA/MD program. You are at CCNY for 5 years then you move onto a medical school for the last two years and so you get your MD in 7 years. Pretty soon though, CCNY will have its own medical school through Sophie Davis.

It's very competitive to get into. Like other accelerated programs you don't have to take the MCAT. Some drawbacks are that since it's accelerated you won't be able to go through as much as a traditional med school which can affect how you do on step 1. Also, the program tends to weed students out early on. The program's credits do not transfer to pre-med courses. So if you are a 4th year student and you fail and get kicked out of the program then you basically have to start over because the chem and orgo you took as a sophie davis student do not count as CCNY/CUNY course credit. Not sure if it would count at other universities either. You can only match into 6 medical schools from what I remember. The most prestigious being NYU. You are not guaranteed a spot in medical school as a 5th year student as medical school admissions is becoming increasingly competitive, the schools that you can match into have steadily been decreasing the number of seats available to sophie davis students. If you don't match as a 5th year student you can still get "delayed", which basically means you won't start the same year but the following year. Drawback to that is delayed students take up spots for the next class.

You save a ton of money as CCNY is a public school and for most students are debt free after the 5 years. PM if you have more questions.

EDIT: You are also committing to serve underserved communities as a primary care physician for at least two years. If you decide later on not to do this you agree to pay ~$75K.

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

Oh wow! Thanks. I have been looking at the website practically all day yesterday and today. That is sad to hear that it doesn't allow you to keep your credits. I am nervous about trying to apply and also, I heard about this fast track program. Any insight?

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

It's an accelerated BA/MD program. You are at CCNY for 5 years then you move onto a medical school for the last two years and so you get your MD in 7 years. Pretty soon though, CCNY will have its own medical school through Sophie Davis.

It's very competitive to get into. Like other accelerated programs you don't have to take the MCAT. Some drawbacks are that since it's accelerated you won't be able to go through as much as a traditional med school which can affect how you do on step 1. Also, the program tends to weed students out early on. The program's credits do not transfer to pre-med courses. So if you are a 4th year student and you fail and get kicked out of the program then you basically have to start over because the chem and orgo you took as a sophie davis student do not count as CCNY/CUNY course credit. Not sure if it would count at other universities either. You can only match into 6 medical schools from what I remember. The most prestigious being NYU. You are not guaranteed a spot in medical school as a 5th year student as medical school admissions is becoming increasingly competitive, the schools that you can match into have steadily been decreasing the number of seats available to sophie davis students. If you don't match as a 5th year student you can still get "delayed", which basically means you won't start the same year but the following year. Drawback to that is delayed students take up spots for the next class.

You save a ton of money as CCNY is a public school and for most students are debt free after the 5 years. PM if you have more questions.

EDIT: You are also committing to serve underserved communities as a primary care physician for at least two years. If you decide later on not to do this you agree to pay ~$75K.

What do you mean by not being able to go through as much as traditional med school?

 

[Akech]

I actually interviewed for this program a few years ago. Didn't get in, but I learned a bit about it from talking with the students/faculty while I was going through the interview process, as well as from a friend of mine that's currently attending.

First and foremost, this is a program that is for the most part geared towards minorities who want to go into primary care. You enter into an agreement with City College that you'll spend two years as a primary care physician, again geared towards working in inner city hospitals. I believe they actually raised the 'buyout' to over $100k fairly recently.

The courseload, as expected from an accelerated program, is rough. One thing that detracted me a lot from the program is that a passing grade for your science courses is a B instead of a C; this puts more strain on what is already a fairly fast paced schedule, especially on someone attending straight out of high school. General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry are both condensed into a single semester. Keep in mind that you're going to be matched up with a ton of bright students too. Most of the other students that I talked to while waiting for my interview had applied to the Ivies and other schools in the top 20 as well, and seeing as they were in the interview they must have had the stats to back it up. You'll be competing with the same students to match into the medical schools, and everyone is going to want to put NYU as their first (I swear to god they had Dartmouth too, when I applied).

This is just an anecdote and not really related to the academics of the school itself, but my friend hates the atmosphere around Sophie Davis. The school itself is not in the best parts of Harlem, and apparently St. George's Terrace, which is where the dormitories are located, is pretty sketchy. He also mentioned that the gunner mentality in the students is very common, which I think has to do with everyone wanting to match into the best of the limited choices of medical schools that you have.

I know a lot of my post seems to be painting Sophie Davis in a negative light, but there are definite upsides. Obviously you'll be getting your MD in 7 years if you stick with the program. The tuition is far cheaper than the conventional undergrad -> med school route, and there's ample opportunity to perform research while you're there. You also don't have to undergo the stress of taking the MCAT and applying to medical school/interviewing to get in. In the end, it's up to you to weigh what you believe is valuable to you and decide whether the program is worth it or not. But I would take care to be very, very sure that this is what you want to do, and even then there's no guarantee that you won't change your mind later.

 

[northernlights15]

Apparently they're opening their own medical school soon (?).

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

Apparently they're opening their own medical school soon (?).

So, I also heard.

 

[johnnytest]

What do you mean by not being able to go through as much as traditional med school?

For example, you will go through anatomy in half a semester, whereas some med schools go through it in a full semester.

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

I actually interviewed for this program a few years ago. Didn't get in, but I learned a bit about it from talking with the students/faculty while I was going through the interview process, as well as from a friend of mine that's currently attending.

First and foremost, this is a program that is for the most part geared towards minorities who want to go into primary care. You enter into an agreement with City College that you'll spend two years as a primary care physician, again geared towards working in inner city hospitals. I believe they actually raised the 'buyout' to over $100k fairly recently.

The courseload, as expected from an accelerated program, is rough. One thing that detracted me a lot from the program is that a passing grade for your science courses is a B instead of a C; this puts more strain on what is already a fairly fast paced schedule, especially on someone attending straight out of high school. General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry are both condensed into a single semester. Keep in mind that you're going to be matched up with a ton of bright students too. Most of the other students that I talked to while waiting for my interview had applied to the Ivies and other schools in the top 20 as well, and seeing as they were in the interview they must have had the stats to back it up. You'll be competing with the same students to match into the medical schools, and everyone is going to want to put NYU as their first (I swear to god they had Dartmouth too, when I applied).

This is just an anecdote and not really related to the academics of the school itself, but my friend hates the atmosphere around Sophie Davis. The school itself is not in the best parts of Harlem, and apparently St. George's Terrace, which is where the dormitories are located, is pretty sketchy. He also mentioned that the gunner mentality in the students is very common, which I think has to do with everyone wanting to match into the best of the limited choices of medical schools that you have.

I know a lot of my post seems to be painting Sophie Davis in a negative light, but there are definite upsides. Obviously you'll be getting your MD in 7 years if you stick with the program. The tuition is far cheaper than the conventional undergrad -> med school route, and there's ample opportunity to perform research while you're there. You also don't have to undergo the stress of taking the MCAT and applying to medical school/interviewing to get in. In the end, it's up to you to weigh what you believe is valuable to you and decide whether the program is worth it or not. But I would take care to be very, very sure that this is what you want to do, and even then there's no guarantee that you won't change your mind later.

Oh wow. I am officially scared. I was told to check it this program out from my daughters ped. I am a woman of colour -- so, I am glad they have programs like this geared to people of colour. Also, that area of Harlem is "Janky" I have my own, so it's more so of the commuting would be an issue.

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

For example, you will go through anatomy in half a semester, whereas some med schools go through it in a full semester.

Yikes, I am starting to think maybe this isn't for me. I am slow learner.

 

[RedPhys]

(I swear to god they had Dartmouth too, when I applied).

Well, they recently got rid of it, so that's why you don't see it anymore. From Wikipedia,

Contracts with Dartmouth Medical School and Stony Brook School of Medicine recently expired due to financial considerations.

 

[johnnytest]

I actually interviewed for this program a few years ago. Didn't get in, but I learned a bit about it from talking with the students/faculty while I was going through the interview process, as well as from a friend of mine that's currently attending.

First and foremost, this is a program that is for the most part geared towards minorities who want to go into primary care. You enter into an agreement with City College that you'll spend two years as a primary care physician, again geared towards working in inner city hospitals. I believe they actually raised the 'buyout' to over $100k fairly recently.

The courseload, as expected from an accelerated program, is rough. One thing that detracted me a lot from the program is that a passing grade for your science courses is a B instead of a C; this puts more strain on what is already a fairly fast paced schedule, especially on someone attending straight out of high school. General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry are both condensed into a single semester. Keep in mind that you're going to be matched up with a ton of bright students too. Most of the other students that I talked to while waiting for my interview had applied to the Ivies and other schools in the top 20 as well, and seeing as they were in the interview they must have had the stats to back it up. You'll be competing with the same students to match into the medical schools, and everyone is going to want to put NYU as their first (I swear to god they had Dartmouth too, when I applied).

This is just an anecdote and not really related to the academics of the school itself, but my friend hates the atmosphere around Sophie Davis. The school itself is not in the best parts of Harlem, and apparently St. George's Terrace, which is where the dormitories are located, is pretty sketchy. He also mentioned that the gunner mentality in the students is very common, which I think has to do with everyone wanting to match into the best of the limited choices of medical schools that you have.

I know a lot of my post seems to be painting Sophie Davis in a negative light, but there are definite upsides. Obviously you'll be getting your MD in 7 years if you stick with the program. The tuition is far cheaper than the conventional undergrad -> med school route, and there's ample opportunity to perform research while you're there. You also don't have to undergo the stress of taking the MCAT and applying to medical school/interviewing to get in. In the end, it's up to you to weigh what you believe is valuable to you and decide whether the program is worth it or not. But I would take care to be very, very sure that this is what you want to do, and even then there's no guarantee that you won't change your mind later.

Akech pretty much hit it on the spot. I just want to add on a little bit more.

You will take Gen chem which is the first "Weed" out course. You basically take a year of chem in one semester. Next you take a year of orgo in one semester. Generally, less people fail orgo then gen chem for w/e reason. The first cut is the greatest and then it gets "better". The applicant pool for admissions to sophie is strong but once you start classes you will find there is a normal curve. You have your A+ students, average students, and students where you will go wth are they still doing here (no joke). But, because to pass you need a B there is the gunner mentality because you do receive grades from B- to A. They used to have Dartmouth but they dropped out like 2 years ago.

Harlem is not the best place to be around but you are safe within the main campus. I agree the walk to the dorms is not friendly but you can take a shuttle bus there.

Overall, sophie davis is a coin flip. Turns out very well for some and very bad for others. Most are still waiting for the coin to stop spinning. Can't hurt to apply and then you can weigh your options after you find out more about the school.

 

[johnnytest]

Yikes, I am starting to think maybe this isn't for me. I am slow learner.

You might be surprised at what you can do because by anatomy you will have been used to the accelerated pace but anatomy is typically the first med school course you take so it's still a whole new ball game. The good thing is every one will be in the same boat and you will have upper-years give you a lot of advice. Bad thing is all the advice can be overwhelming and you have little time to experiment different study methods and since the grading is not P/F you don't have much room for error unfort.

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

Thanks everyone. I know my campus now has FastTrak courses, I am still very early in my studies. I am going to try one of those courses at my current school. I am hoping this won't deter me. I know that, I already have tutors that are willing to help me and more. So, I will use all my strength to stay above.

Thank you for all of the honest support and answers. I think I will apply and give it a go.