High School Junior Wanting to Get into BS/MD program

[Ro2Steez]

Hello. I am looking for advice for my application holistically and specifically (gpa, sat, ec's, etc) so to help better my chances at a bs/md program.

Info:
Bay Area Arab Highschool Junior
3.85 GPA UW 4.2 W
(HS offers only honors, no ap exams or courses)
1500 SAT
MultiVar + Linear Algebra + DFQ at CC
Highest rigor classes at school possible for someone interested in medicine

In school:
affinityy group at school
mental health club,
section editor for newspaper,
VP of admissions


Out of school:
Cardiology Shadower (shadowed interventional cardiologist, cardiac echos, )

Intern for City Council member and drug usage/addiction, homelessness, and commercial jobs in oakland.
Legislative Ambassador for American Cancer Society

Schizophrenia Blog + current research on glutamate dysregulation for scz patients

Nationally ranked taekwondo athlete

25 hours volunteering for muslim nonprofits and communities

150 hours TA volunteering for UC berkeley program for advanced chem + Alg2/Trig

Homeless Shelter Volunteering (50 hours)

AP Bio, AP Chem at john hopkin program


Awards:

Taekwondo medal + championships

PVSA

Scholarship for my research on scz





I need some help in finding some good summer programs that could boost my chances. i plan to go to an international med trip, but nothing else planned. I also just need tips on my app. thanks.

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[Mr.Smile12]

Welcome to the forums, and thanks for sharing.

For BS/MD programs, talk with the admissions recruiters at the schools where you intend to apply. There's never a guarantee you would get considered for BS/MD as the criteria different among undergrad programs. But you want to know from your high school counselor which universities know your high school well. Where have many of your high school alumni gone for college and participate in a BS/MD track?

Your background will also be important, especially if you have ever had challenging situations to your family life or have been in a tenuous situation with your family finances. There is a great need to help those from low socioeconomic circumstances.

Shore up your science and math rigor if you can. We want to make sure you don't fall off the freshman GPA cliff.

 

[deleted1212018]

Hi! I'm currently a student in the BS/MD application process whose had both siblings, friends, and relatives attend such programs, so I'll try to provide some quality advice.

#1) Clinical Experience
While most BS/MD programs nowadays are looking for applicants who have interests outside of medicine (i.e. environmental science, racial justice), they still REALLY want clinical experience. This includes not just shadowing (although that's great-definitely keep it up!), but volunteering at community health centers, hospitals, and clinics. Although your cardiology shadowing is very good, I would definitely recommend you to get in at least 150-200 clinical volunteering hours from now through the summer. For your reference, one BS/MD program states on their website that applicants accepted into the program (around ~30) had an average of 450 hours of clinical service.

#2) Theme
As I mentioned before, most BS/MD programs aren't just looking for an applicant's interest in medicine; they're looking for an applicant who has a niche interest that they want to tie into medicine. Examples include: AI + healthcare access, public policy + healthcare reform, etc. For that reason, based on your extracurriculars and interests, try to come up with a specific theme that fits with your application. Your essays, future volunteer work, letters of recommendation, and interviews should revolve around that specific theme and how it ties into your pursuit of medicine. THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!

In regards to specifically tips for your statistics and ECs:

• GPA: This is a pretty solid GPA! Does your school provide class ranking or percentile? That can better help gauge your academic standpoint.
• SAT: This is also a good SAT! I would recommend (ONLY IF YOU HAVE THE TIME) maybe trying to get it to a 1530 or above to get to the level of other competitive applicants. However, I've heard of some getting into BS/MDs with a 1490, so don't stress too much about this.
• Community Service: Please rack up more hours! This is so important in the BS/MD admissions cycle; although your volunteer work for muslim nonprofits, UC Berkeley's Advanced Chem program, and the homeless shelter is good, you need alot more hours to be competitive. Make sure to get those hours before the start of the application cycle!
• Leadership Activities: I didn't really notice any, and I highly recommend you to get some. This is SO IMPORTANT for BS/MDs; many seek to admit applicants who are leaders of clubs, non-profit organizations, and national organizations.
• Awards: These are good! Try to aim for getting "commended scholar", "semifinalist", or "finalist" for the National Merit Scholarship so that you can add that as well.

These are some good summer programs that you should apply to based on your overall profile:

1. NJIT's High School STEM Summer Research Program
2. Monmouth School of Science's Summer Research Program
3. Stony Brook's Simons Summer Research Program
4. Hofstra's Summer Science Research Program

PM me if you need any more advice. Best of luck!