Help me with the accelerated BS/BA/MD and BS/BA/DO programs please?

[thepocatomyhontas]

Basic Information:
-Female
-Indian citizenship/US Permanent Resident
-Skipped a grade (2nd)
-Plan to become a pediatric oncologist
Academics
-Class Rank: 10/175
-GPA: (not sure how to convert to 4.0 scale)
-Academic Weighted GPA: 98.44
-Principal's List every marking period (all As)
-Academic Award every year
-2 National Awards (Presidential Gold Award and Academic Excellence for Medical Research)
-John's Hopkins University Award for Academics with Distinction in Mathematics
Test Scores
-SAT Combined: 2310
-SAT Writing: 780
-SAT Math: 790
-SAT Reading: 740
-PSAT: 199
-SAT II Math Level 2: 800
-SAT II Biology: 700
-AP Biology: 3
-AP Physics B: 3
-AP Calculus AB: 3
-AP Human Geography: 5 (self study)
-AP Environmental Science: 4 (self study)
-AP Scholar with Distinction
-Expect National AP Scholar for senior year
(Not worried about AP scores. I don't care if I have to take the classes again. I was too focused on SAT scores to study for APs. I only really studied the night before.)
Extracurriculars:
-Academic Challenge Captain (4 years)
-Odyssey of the Mind (World Finalists and State Finalists) (3 years)
-Soccer (4 years)
-Varsity Track (4 years)
-Math Club Founder and President (3 years)
-Students Against Destructive Decisions (4 years)
-Garnet and Gold Volunteer (50+ hours) around the community
-NHS President (2 years)
-Multicultural Student Union (2 years)
-Chess Club
-Girl Talk Leader (2 years)
-Volunteer at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (500 hours) since April
-Relay for Life Chairperson
-Volunteer at a private daycare (1000+ hours) for past 4 years
-Volunteer at a store (1000+ hours) for past 5 years
-Over 1000 hrs. of volunteer service each year
Recommendations
-One of my AP teachers is a former UPenn student and she will give me a fabulous recommendation.
-My guidance counselor will give me a pretty good one, too.
-One of my science AP teachers will give me a really good letter of rec and she got accepted to UPenn but when to a sister Ivy.
-I have a teacher that has won several national awards that will definitely give me a "to die for" letter of rec.
Essay
-I have some really great stories about my experience in the rehabilitation/physical therapy gym that have made people cry and never forget. I'm sure I could utilize these experiences to write a very good college essay.
I am currently an incoming senior in HS and I really want to become a doctor. I know I have enough passion and determination, but I don't know if my grades and scores are good enough to get into these accelerated programs. I want to know if I could get into any 6 or 7 yr programs to become a doctor (Penn State U-Thomas Jefferson MC, Rutgers U-NJMS, U Albany, The College of New Jersey-NJMS, Brown U, DrewU-NJMS, Rutgers U-Rowan U, ). If you guys need any more information please let me know. Thank you so much!

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[globaldreamer]

Hi
During the 2010 admissions cycle
I got accepted into:
1. Penn State-Jefferson
2. Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education (B.S./M.D.)
I got interviews to:
1. Siena-Albany MC
2. NEOUCOM (didn't go because of snowstorm delaying flight)

For Penn State here's what they do: (almost everyone gets an interview)
- your app is given to the interviewer at least two weeks in advance.
- they go through them with a fine-tooth comb
- they interview
- out of the interviews, they present each case to the committee. Thus in your best interest to be able to distill your app down to three key points.
- they want certain answers: why you want to be in an accelerated program specifically, why you want to be a doctor + are you sure you want to be a doctor?
- the above questions are not only answered but proven.

other tips (from my interviewer)
- They look at everyone the same once they got the interview. It's all about the interview. (feedback I got from all schools)
- I forgot the prompts, but I do remember he asked what was my weakness.
*I learned yes they are probably the only US program in the country to accept international students (i.e. Canadians)
(all of the above penn state info was said to me almost verbatim by my interviewer)

Your stats are better than mine. I think you can at least get a secondary to Feinberg (Northwestern's BS/MD), my roommate (from Sophie) had your stats for the 2011 cycle and got in. I do know a Brown PLME kid who got in ED who broke his school's drought. He had way fewer awards than you. ><
So that is evidence that I'll say you have a pretty good shot at BS/MD's.

Some goodies:
6 year programs:
1. Penn State (best one imo)
2. University of Missouri Kansas City (people seem to be miserable here evidenced in multiple SDN posts. I avoided)
3. Howard University (couldn't apply cuz site never told me how)
4. NEOUCOM (great for rural/community med!!!)

7 year programs:
1. Northwestern
2. VCU (very accommodating)

8 year programs:
1. Rochester (great research thing going on here and pretty highly ranked)
2. Case Western

From someone who's been there and done that:
1. Make sure you really really really want to be a doctor. For the program I had chosen the"out" sucks you get some of your freshman courses back but that's it. Always check your out options. You never really know how you'll feel/do.
2. If you're not sure make sure the affiliated undergrad is somewhere you'd be happy with regardless because internal transfers are easy.
3. Try to stay there and feel the environment. Make sure it's right for you. Find out all the in's and out's. People will outright tell you not to come if the majority are not happy. If there's no active alumni group (people who love the school) take that as a HUGE red flag.
For me that meant that I had to be ready to be a fully-functioning graduate student at age 20, be willing to compromise my human development for school, not have a rigorous enough science education (school was too fast for a lot of indepth learning), nor a liberal arts one (my specific program was really only 1.5 years of undergrad), and compromise my need to dabble in different things first.
4. What are your list of pros and cons per school? Don't just take something because they throw a lot of money at you (my case) If you don't think carefully about the worst and best scenarios, you might end up wasting a lot of time and money.
5. Does this fit your career goals?
6. (From my cousin, a gen surg PGY3) He said it's really really important to go to a top 50 medical school because residency directors understand how difficult those programs are and are more likely to take those candidates. So check that out too if you think that's important.
7. Make sure it's actually a guaranteed seat. Please please do not come to my school.

Lastly I feel like BS/MD's well at least my school only flies well with certain type of people.
- Ultra-stressful environment. We are put into medical school courses where we are steamrollered, meaning studying every day all the time minus sleep and meals. Working out usually means on equipment with tablet thing watching a podcast or reading.
- Therefore despite the above described pain you need to be willing to live like that for at least the next 8 years. It requires sacrifice of not only just sleep or academics or social life at the expensive of the other, but also may dig into your relationships with significant others, your parents (they still don't get it), your non-medical school friends (how you tell them yet again how you can't hang out because you have an exam. Some classes have an exam every 10 days). You have to be single-minded and really persistent. I never got over the quality of life plummeting. It was not humane for me.
- Not taking the MCAT doesn't necessarily justify the above. The stress is different. For me we were put into graduate school, and not emotionally mature even when we had become MS3 (a complaint the program you go to might or might not receive too).
- Try to live on campus. You need it to grow emotionally and become an independent adult.
- Lastly passing is hard. Idk about you, but it was something I had to get used to. Despite that you have to learn how to compartmentalize and keep rolling with the punches. It's not something I can really describe because you can't fathom it atm, but it's like living like a junior in high school, but you have a quiz every lecture or every other one; with exams every week or every other week, and for me a national exam at the end (where you get steamrolled nationally) + a final. You live like that every single class.
- Breaks may or may not exist. Don't expect them to. Even if you do you may have to retake the final because you failed.
- If you read all of the above and still feel like you want to be a doctor it doesn't mean that it's for you. Take good hard look at what your specific needs are at 17 and how you want to spend your time learning to become a functioning adult. If you ignore those needs it'll come back to bite you (for me I couldn't function in school anymore).
- If you're still sure that this way is the best way, talk to your doctor friend and try to go through a checklist to see if it is your best option.

Any questions PM me (i hope it forwards to my email).

 

[thepocatomyhontas]

Hi
During the 2010 admissions cycle
I got accepted into:
1. Penn State-Jefferson
2. Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education (B.S./M.D.)
I got interviews to:
1. Siena-Albany MC
2. NEOUCOM (didn't go because of snowstorm delaying flight)

For Penn State here's what they do: (almost everyone gets an interview)
- your app is given to the interviewer at least two weeks in advance.
- they go through them with a fine-tooth comb
- they interview
- out of the interviews, they present each case to the committee. Thus in your best interest to be able to distill your app down to three key points.
- they want certain answers: why you want to be in an accelerated program specifically, why you want to be a doctor + are you sure you want to be a doctor?
- the above questions are not only answered but proven.

other tips (from my interviewer)
- They look at everyone the same once they got the interview. It's all about the interview. (feedback I got from all schools)
- I forgot the prompts, but I do remember he asked what was my weakness.
*I learned yes they are probably the only US program in the country to accept international students (i.e. Canadians)
(all of the above penn state info was said to me almost verbatim by my interviewer)

Your stats are better than mine. I think you can at least get a secondary to Feinberg (Northwestern's BS/MD), my roommate (from Sophie) had your stats for the 2011 cycle and got in. I do know a Brown PLME kid who got in ED who broke his school's drought. He had way fewer awards than you. ><
So that is evidence that I'll say you have a pretty good shot at BS/MD's.

Some goodies:
6 year programs:
1. Penn State (best one imo)
2. University of Missouri Kansas City (people seem to be miserable here evidenced in multiple SDN posts. I avoided)
3. Howard University (couldn't apply cuz site never told me how)
4. NEOUCOM (great for rural/community med!!!)

7 year programs:
1. Northwestern
2. VCU (very accommodating)

8 year programs:
1. Rochester (great research thing going on here and pretty highly ranked)
2. Case Western

From someone who's been there and done that:
1. Make sure you really really really want to be a doctor. For the program I had chosen the"out" sucks you get some of your freshman courses back but that's it. Always check your out options. You never really know how you'll feel/do.
2. If you're not sure make sure the affiliated undergrad is somewhere you'd be happy with regardless because internal transfers are easy.
3. Try to stay there and feel the environment. Make sure it's right for you. Find out all the in's and out's. People will outright tell you not to come if the majority are not happy. If there's no active alumni group (people who love the school) take that as a HUGE red flag.
For me that meant that I had to be ready to be a fully-functioning graduate student at age 20, be willing to compromise my human development for school, not have a rigorous enough science education (school was too fast for a lot of indepth learning), nor a liberal arts one (my specific program was really only 1.5 years of undergrad), and compromise my need to dabble in different things first.
4. What are your list of pros and cons per school? Don't just take something because they throw a lot of money at you (my case) If you don't think carefully about the worst and best scenarios, you might end up wasting a lot of time and money.
5. Does this fit your career goals?
6. (From my cousin, a gen surg PGY3) He said it's really really important to go to a top 50 medical school because residency directors understand how difficult those programs are and are more likely to take those candidates. So check that out too if you think that's important.
7. Make sure it's actually a guaranteed seat. Please please do not come to my school.

Lastly I feel like BS/MD's well at least my school only flies well with certain type of people.
- Ultra-stressful environment. We are put into medical school courses where we are steamrollered, meaning studying every day all the time minus sleep and meals. Working out usually means on equipment with tablet thing watching a podcast or reading.
- Therefore despite the above described pain you need to be willing to live like that for at least the next 8 years. It requires sacrifice of not only just sleep or academics or social life at the expensive of the other, but also may dig into your relationships with significant others, your parents (they still don't get it), your non-medical school friends (how you tell them yet again how you can't hang out because you have an exam. Some classes have an exam every 10 days). You have to be single-minded and really persistent. I never got over the quality of life plummeting. It was not humane for me.
- Not taking the MCAT doesn't necessarily justify the above. The stress is different. For me we were put into graduate school, and not emotionally mature even when we had become MS3 (a complaint the program you go to might or might not receive too).
- Try to live on campus. You need it to grow emotionally and become an independent adult.
- Lastly passing is hard. Idk about you, but it was something I had to get used to. Despite that you have to learn how to compartmentalize and keep rolling with the punches. It's not something I can really describe because you can't fathom it atm, but it's like living like a junior in high school, but you have a quiz every lecture or every other one; with exams every week or every other week, and for me a national exam at the end (where you get steamrolled nationally) + a final. You live like that every single class.
- Breaks may or may not exist. Don't expect them to. Even if you do you may have to retake the final because you failed.
- If you read all of the above and still feel like you want to be a doctor it doesn't mean that it's for you. Take good hard look at what your specific needs are at 17 and how you want to spend your time learning to become a functioning adult. If you ignore those needs it'll come back to bite you (for me I couldn't function in school anymore).
- If you're still sure that this way is the best way, talk to your doctor friend and try to go through a checklist to see if it is your best option.

Any questions PM me (i hope it forwards to my email).

Wow! I did not expect anyone to write such a good response. No one on CC ever answers me lol. Thank you so much for everything! I don't know where to begin. But I do want to start off by saying that I can't see myself being anything other than a doctor. And I am willing to work as much as I need to, in order to become a pediatric oncologist. I know for a fact that I'm not a quitter, so if I get into a program I work my hardest until I'm done. So I think that the rigor of the program shouldn't affect me too much, because I'm willing to give up everything to become a doctor by the age of 23 or 24. I want to help as many people as possible and I can't do that if I'm spending extra time in school. And I will definitely PM you, so watch your email. Once again, thank you so so much!

 

[Shreyasthegreat]

I think you have a very good chance at most, if not all medical programs.

I am currently attending one, and was accepted to URochester REMS, TCNJ/NJMS, Albany/AMC. I had also applied to Brown PLME, but was wait listed. Other acceptances: UPenn, Dartmouth, Cornell, Vanderbilt

Please PM me if you have any questions, I can go into more specifics about where I go and interview tips over PM

 

[Shreyasthegreat]

Also, to provide a contrast to the previous post, the medical program I am in is not stressful at all. You just have to maintain a certain GPA and that's it. I am much less stressed than my pre-med peers.

 

[thepocatomyhontas]

@Shreyasthegreat I will definitely PM you. Thanks so much!

 

[feli_owl]

I am in a BS/MD program as well, but not one you named. I love it; even though it is accelerated, I don't feel too stressed and I can relax come MCAT time. You can PM me too if you would like

 

[bonedoc82]

Good luck to everyone!

Georgetown Medicine (M.D.) Alumni
Orthopaedic Surgery Resident
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[thepocatomyhontas]

@feli_owl Thanks so much I will!