Help-Combined/Accelerated Programs

[patelakshar]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hey...I'm a sophomore in High School and I most definitely want to become a physician...I am trying to scope out the different schools that have combined or accelerated programs that could get me to my future quicker or with more certainty...I have a 4.04 GPA and hope to have a 4.74 GPA at the end of my senior year...I have also received a 30 on the ACT...I plan to have taken 17 semesters of AP Credit (Including AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Hist, AP Eng, Anatomy & Physiology etc...). I have shadowed an ICU Nurse...and plan to volunteer during the summers...I will be part of NHS and I am part of a socio-religious program through which I do community service. I also participate in clubs such as SCI-O, Scholars Bowl, NFL (DB8 & 4n6)...

To all you people that have been accepted to, applied to, or know anything about Combined/Accelerated Programs here are my questions:

What programs are there? How long? Good or Bad?
What should I do to help me get in to one of these programs?

Any other suggestions or comments....

I greatly appreciate all of you for your kindness and generosity.

Thanks,
Akshar
[email protected]

 

[Gleevec]

Originally posted by patelakshar
Hey...I'm a sophomore in High School and I most definitely want to become a physician...I am trying to scope out the different schools that have combined or accelerated programs that could get me to my future quicker or with more certainty...I have a 4.04 GPA and hope to have a 4.74 GPA at the end of my senior year...I have also received a 30 on the ACT...I plan to have taken 17 semesters of AP Credit (Including AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Hist, AP Eng, Anatomy & Physiology etc...). I have shadowed an ICU Nurse...and plan to volunteer during the summers...I will be part of NHS and I am part of a socio-religious program through which I do community service. I also participate in clubs such as SCI-O, Scholars Bowl, NFL (DB8 & 4n6)...

To all you people that have been accepted to, applied to, or know anything about Combined/Accelerated Programs here are my questions:

What programs are there? How long? Good or Bad?
What should I do to help me get in to one of these programs?

Any other suggestions or comments....

I greatly appreciate all of you for your kindness and generosity.

Thanks,
Akshar
[email protected]

I thought there is SAT requirement for these programs. Not sure though.

 

[Random Access]

Startin' early much, bud? 🙂 Chill and enjoy high school a little bit too while you're thinking about this.

I guess the more well-known B/MD programs are USC and Brown (8 year) and Northwestern (6 year). I can't think of any others off the top of my head, but there definitely are a few. And some schools will even do uber-early admissions (sophomore year?) to their med school if you go to undergrad (Vandy comes to mind).

Take the SAT at some point junior year. East Coast schools tend to like that more than the ACT. Keep up the extracurriculars. They will help a fair amount. You're frickin' way ahead on AP classes for a sophomore.

I'd say you're doing well in terms of non-scores stuff, just relax, get good grades, and do well on the SATs and you should have a good chance. These programs also interview, but you have plenty of time until that happens.

 

[Gleevec]

Originally posted by Random Access
Startin' early much, bud? 🙂 Chill and enjoy high school a little bit too while you're thinking about this.

I guess the more well-known B/MD programs are USC and Brown (8 year) and Northwestern (6 year). I can't think of any others off the top of my head, but there definitely are a few. And some schools will even do uber-early admissions (sophomore year?) to their med school if you go to undergrad (Vandy comes to mind).

Take the SAT at some point junior year. East Coast schools tend to like that more than the ACT. Keep up the extracurriculars. They will help a fair amount. You're frickin' way ahead on AP classes for a sophomore.

I'd say you're doing well in terms of non-scores stuff, just relax, get good grades, and do well on the SATs and you should have a good chance. These programs also interview, but you have plenty of time until that happens.

He says he PLANS to take that many APs. He hasnt yet.

But yeah, take the SAT and look through the MSAR and work from them. Your ECs seem solid.

 

[IlianaSedai]

I think you don't need to work this hard on it during your sophomore year... nor, for that matter, during your junior or senior year of high school. Don't kill yourself on the APs and whatnot-- people get in fine without taking 17 of them. 😉

Here's the last thread on this topic, hope it helps!

http://www.studentdoctor.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=55039

 

[MedApp2003]

i know that there are advantages to combined programs (i.e. having a more relaxed time in college and not having to take the mcats) but these programs always seemed a little strange to me. mostly because they seem a little overly cautious. it is so competitive to get into these programs, that if your are a good enough student in high school and a good enough test taker (as evidenced by the sat) to get into these programs, then you are probably a good enough student to go to a very prestigous undergrad school, rock your classes, ace the mcats and have many choices as to where to attend medical school. and the medical schools that these programs are associated with are okay, but they aren't the best of the best, and they aren't even state schools, so they are very expensive. i think rice/baylor is the only real exception to this.

plus, who knows if you will absolutely fall in love with your archeology class or psychology. i know a LOT of people in college who came in dead set to go to medical school, but then found another passion they never even knew was out there.

just my $.02, but why not just go to college?

 

[Random Access]

Originally posted by MedApp2003
plus, who knows if you will absolutely fall in love with your archeology class or psychology. i know a LOT of people in college who came in dead set to go to medical school, but then found another passion they never even knew was out there.

just my $.02, but why not just go to college?

I'm going to second this opinion. I'm sort of glad I didn't get into PLME (even if there was a 95% chance that I wouldn't have accepted the offer). My significant other did get into PLME and got into another 8 year program, but she decided not to go to either. Lucky for me. 🙂

I think you can have a wider and more full experience just by going to college and then going through the med school application process. And yeah, you might decide that medicine isn't for you.

Also remember that lots of people try to get out of their 8 year programs and go to med school elsewhere anyway (particularly some of those USC kids). You might decide that 8 years in one place is too much. Or you might decide after 4 years in one place that you just don't like it.

 

[NatW]

I believe the University of Missouri in Kansas City has a program like you are describing. Obvioulsy it is a state school. I do not know what the residency requirements are. I think they mostly take Missourians.

Natalie

 

[choker]

there are a few, rarely advertised and super competitive BA/MD programs for top 30 schools. as of 4 years ago, they include:
-NYU (7 years) (NYU also has another 7 year program with Sarah Lawrence)
-Michigan (but i think they discontinued this)
-Northwestern (7 years)
-Pitt (no one knew about this one, but it does exist for 1-2/year)
-Mount Sinai (they have an early admit program with a handful of colleges during sophomore year)
-Rice/Baylor

i am sure that there are more.

anyway, they DO exist at the better schools, but the problem is that most students in these programs bust their asses anyway and take the MCAT and do all the activities just to see if they can get in anywhere else.

 

[Naphtali]

I considered a BA/MD program while I was in high school: Lehigh has one in connection with Drexel SofM. In the end, I decided it was too expensive and too limiting. I never applied.

And I'm glad I didn't. While an undergrad, I realized I wanted to go into more of a research career track. I'm now applying to MD/PhD programs. (*keeping my fingers crossed*) I'm much happier doing things the way I am now. Unless you ABSOLUTELY sure (and it's hard to be at your age), I'd say just go to college, and take it from there. If you're smart enough to get into a BA/MD program (sounds like it), you're probably smart enough to get into med school anyway.

A WORD TO THE WISE: Lots of med schools don't take AP credits for pre-med reqs. (Intro bio, gen chem, ect.) Take them if you'd like (it'll help you rock those classes as an undergrad), but don't count on being able get out of them later.

-Naphtali

 

[canadagirl]

Out of curiosity ... what the heck is a 4.74 GPA ? Is it, like, the more courses you take the more your GPA goes up? Isn't there a ceiling? I thought normally GPA was an average of grades on courses, where each grade is between 0 and 4....

 

[Random Access]

Originally posted by canadagirl
Out of curiosity ... what the heck is a 4.74 GPA ? Is it, like, the more courses you take the more your GPA goes up? Isn't there a ceiling? I thought normally GPA was an average of grades on courses, where each grade is between 0 and 4....

My high school gave +1.0 for an AP class and +0.5 for an honors class. Most of the high schools around here give +2 and +1 respectively though.

 

[indianboy]

Highschools have weighted GPA's for AP courses, do give them the leg up over 'honors courses' etc... when they are ranked. BA/MD courses are great when you get out of highschool and you feel like you're the bomb cause you're already in, and your freshman classmates are still scrambling about what this whole pre-med thing means. It technically would allow you to take 'more interesting' or 'more challenging' courses without worrying about grades, but you think its great because it means more partying, and slacking for 4 years, because you're greatest academic triumph was highschool. It goes really well for the next couple years, and you feel sorry for the poor schlobs who have to take all these 'pre-med' classes seriously and have to engage in the 'pre-med' mentality ... and even worse, they actually have to do well on the MCAT!😱 But then you realize in your junior or senior year, that many of your classmates that worked hard, and still had fun, are going to great schools, and cool new places, and are on the top of their game, while your potential to do the same has diminished through hardcore slacking, but unfortunately, you ambition to be the best hasn't. It kinda irks you that you're going to be in the same place for 3-4 more years, while everyone has choices, even though they aren't as smart as they think they are [sic]. Instead of coming into medschool with cool experiences and insights to share and some maturity to boot ... at least you're didn't have to deal with that 'applying nonsense'.

Hope that Helps

PShankOut

 

[shake well]

i feel like you are a bright and intelligent person....from my experience participating in these programs I realized one thing and that was that I took advantage of the program and compromised my own intelligence...this may not apply to you but for me I started aiming for the minimum requirements rather than the best I could possibly do....although I got out of the program and am in medical school now (without the program)....i really feel like I cheated myself...just my thoughts (i hope that makes sense 🙂 )

 

[surg]

I have to stand up for these programs. Having graduated from a school that had one as well as serving on the program's steering committee, I can say that in our program (a 7yr/8yr program with "guaranteed admission" based on hitting minimum standards), the student's grades in medical school were no different on average than the "standard" pre-meds. Surveys of the program students demonstrated a higher satisfaction with the University than our standard students. This was particularly true for our women students. Finally, for the record, students that were interested, often did indeed study abroad, and all that wanted to end up MD/PhD were successful in doing so.

BA/MD programs are not for everyone. True, some people sink towards the minimum, but the vast majority of the participants continue to lead their schools in extra curricular activities, challenge themselves in class, etc. The onus is truly on the admissions committee to find the latter type of student as compared to the former. A poor selection leads to a poor program. Each program is different from others in structure, community, etc. so research each program carefully. Do they limit your choices? Probably. IMHO, I would not to a program that winnowed their students down aggressively (e.g. UCR/UCLA) as you have a high chance of ended up at an undergrad that you wouldn't have chosen otherwise (unless you had desperately wanted to go to Riverside for some reason). Nor would I choose a program with a low tier undergrad followed by a low tier med school, unless saving years/money are really important to you. As others have said, most people who can enter a BA/MD program who apply themselves can get into a medical school somewhere. On the other hand I've seen a number of people who said "I would never had done one of _those_ programs, I'll do better on my own" who ended up struggling to get into a top tier (or sometimes any) medical school after going to Harvard for undergrad instead. In our case, we paired a top 25 undergrad with a top 10 med school (based on USNWR rankings for what they are worth) and I think that made a big difference in the success of our program.

Finally, be warned, at some schools, you will often hear a lot of negativity from others who are not in the program. Some of this is true criticism of the program, some is resentment for those that didn't suffer in the same way they did. Medicine is full of rites of passage, and those that survive them often look askance at those who didn't. (Not altogether unlike the work hours debate going on now at the residency level)