whosnisarg

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Hello friends!

I am a high school senior currently applying to colleges. Now, this may be a bit premature (ba-dum), but I just want to close a conflict I have. I know it is tough to believe a 17-year-old, but I feel medicine is my calling and have for some time now. For the record, I have a 1310 SAT, 16 on the essay portion, a unweighted GPA of 3.32 (NYIT only looks at weighted), a weighted GPA of 3.62, and a math/sciences average of a lower B (about 82%).

Both schools will require me to score an "average" score (to be determined) on the MCAT upon my matriculation to medical school.

Montclair (with R-NJMS):
I have been accepted already as a biology major (questions about that to come in a later post) and am awaiting results for their combined BS/MD program with R-NJMS.

Pros:
  • Cheaper (In-State tuition of about $12,000).
  • Close to home (45 minutes).
  • Guaranteed admission into Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (upon meeting requirements).
  • R-NJMS has a better ranking than NYCOM.
  • Lower GPA to maintain (3.2).
  • Could *possibly* gain an MD/MBA upon matriculation (currently emailing admissions to inquire about that).
  • Brand spanking new biology lab!
Cons:
  • R-NJMS is a big medical school!
  • Located in Newark (I know it isn't terrible, but eh)
  • 8 Year Program (possibly 9 with MD/MBA)

NYIT (with NYCOM):

Pros:
  • I've heard of more people who have attended this program.
  • In Old Westbury (school looks nice) and the location is very quiet.
  • Smaller student-to-teacher ratio.
  • No DO/MBA program offered at NYCOM but a DO/MPH is offered.
  • 7 Year Program (8 with DO/MPH)
  • "100% match with residencies" (As quoted from their website so I take it with a grain of salt).
Cons:
  • EXPENSIVE (Tuition out-of-state alone is about $53,000).
  • Higher GPA to maintain (3.5).
  • Lower ranking program (I've heard a lot of negative talk about this program specifically on this forum).
  • DO vs MD (I know I'll get hate for this one, but I've heard/read it's harder to get into a specialty with a DO).
I know this is all speculation, but I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Thank you all in advance for your help. Fingers crossed!

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Montclair + NJMS sounds almost too good to be true, assuming you have those numbers right. I’m familiar with both these programs (by themselves) and they are both excellent. I don’t even know why you’d consider NYIT if this was an option.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with NYIT and their DO program... but the Montclair/NJMS program absolutely destroys it.

On a totally different topic, it’s not that it’s harder to get into specialties as a DO, it’s that it’s harder to get into *certain* specialties.
 
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Montclair + NJMS sounds almost too good to be true, assuming you have those numbers right. I’m familiar with both these programs (by themselves) and they are both excellent. I don’t even know why you’d consider NYIT if this was an option.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with NYIT and their DO program... but the Montclair/NJMS program absolutely destroys it.

On a totally different topic, it’s not that it’s harder to get into specialties as a DO, it’s that it’s harder to get into *certain* specialties.

Thank you for the reply! If I don't get into the Montclair program, would it be a bad idea to just pursue a biology undergrad at Montclair or should I still stick with a program? I know I want to pursue medicine but I've heard a lot of people tell me not to spend too much on my undergrad.
 
Not speaking about the college portion, just focusing on the med schools themselves:

NJMS has a good reputation and to have the option of going home and having that support if needed is priceless. I second @Peach Newport comment about DO folks--while they learn the same stuff as MDs (plus OMM), there is a stigma. The stigma is diminishing, thankfully, but unfortunately they have to perform better on the board exams to compete for the same spots. Perhaps this will not be an issue when you apply to residencies in at least 8 years. That being said, I have friends at NYCOM and they love it. They have a cool curriculum option with small groups that might appeal to you. Try not to listen to any negativity about the DO approach. They is good people.

As far as $$ you will be paying a lot more for NYCOM than you will NJMS. Think of it not just as the "tuition number" on the website...multiply that by 4 (plus ~10k/per year for living expenses). Tuition alone you will be paying at least 50k more for NYCOM by the time you finish med school.

I also want to add that if this joint degree thing does not work out, if you were to go to a college that does not have this sort of agreement, it really doesn't matter where you go as long as you have a solid GPA and MCAT. I wish you the best of luck!
 
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Thank you for the reply! If I don't get into the Montclair program, would it be a bad idea to just pursue a biology undergrad at Montclair or should I still stick with a program? I know I want to pursue medicine but I've heard a lot of people tell me not to spend too much on my undergrad.

Montclair State is a solid program. I know many people who went and got a solid education. It’s not fancy, and if you change your mind about medicine you might have some problems finding good job connections in some fields, but if you’re dead set on medicine then you really can’t go wrong with 4 years at Montclair and an NJ state medical school.
 
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Montclair/NJMS > NYIT/NYCOM

The MD will open doors for that the DO degree unfortunately does not, AND it is cheaper
 
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