IVY vs JHU ( Full Scholarship) vs BSMD

[BiomedEngineerMD]

New to MD world and Request Feedback

Plan to be MD and Confused and seeking help:

1) JHU- Full scholarship ( eliminates all other UGs such as GT/Rice/Berkeley/CMU/NW etc.), Harvey Mudd/GT/NYU BME also full ride.
2) Narrowed IVYs to Columbia/UPENN (Reject from Brown BSMD PLEM and waitlist Harvard, also waitlist Caltech)
3) Narrowed BSMD to Stony Brook ( SBU 4+4) or UAlbany-Upstate medical college ( UG full scholarship both place and instate). Can easily finish UG in 3 if needed.

Oscillating and confused between JHU full schol, Columbia/UPENN and SBU BS- MD. Money wise both JHU ( and Harvey Mudd/NYU/GT) and SBU are attractive and SBU guarantees MD. However, SBU and UAlbany are NY state avg. UG schools and no match to JHU or IVYs.

Plan Biomedical/Chemical Engineering in UG and accepted to BME/Engineering schools at all above and others. Is BME/ChE right choice for UG or move to Neuroscience/Biology as perhaps more easy than Engineering for better GPA for MD.

So for MD
1) BSMD or regular and which better SBU or Upstate
2) JHU ( or Harvey or NYU/HM or other) full schol or IVY ( financial package still not available) assuming 30-50K delta
3) Which IVY? Columbia or UPENN ( BME or pure science) if MD end goal- Should Princeton or Cornell or Dartmouth be even considered ( offers from them but heard P and C are grade deflatory schools not sure on Columbia or UPENN) if end goal is MD?

Too many headaches to deal with and head spins!!

Thanks for help.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Lexdiamondz]

Hopkins for free gives you options outside of medicine if you decide in 2 years you dont want to do this

 

[ingobingo]

New to MD world and Request Feedback

Plan to be MD and Confused and seeking help:

1) JHU- Full scholarship ( eliminates all other UGs)
2) Narrowed IVYs to Columbia/UPENN (Reject from Brown BSMD PLEM and waitlist Harvard, also waitlist Caltech)
3) Narrowed BSMD to Stony Brook ( SBU 4+4) or UAlbany-Upstate medical college ( UG full scholarship both place and instate). Can easily finish UG in 3 if needed.

Oscillating and confused between JHU full schol, Columbia/UPENN and SBU BS- MD. Money wise both JHU and SBU are attractive and SBU guarantees MD. However, SBU and UAlbany are NY state avg. UG schools and no match to JHU or IVYs.

Plan Biomedical/Chemical Engineering in UG and accepted to BME/Engineering schools at all above and others. Is BME/ChE right choice for UG or move to Neuroscience/Biology as perhaps more easy than Engineering for better GPA for MD.

So for MD
1) BSMD or regular and which better SBU or Upstate
2) JHU full schol or IVY ( financial package still not available) assuming 30-50K delta
3) Which IVY? Columbia or UPENN ( BME or pure science) if MD end goal- Should Princeton or Cornell or Dartmouth be even considered if end goal is MD?

Too many headaches to deal with and head spins!!

Thanks for help.

I don't recommend the BS/MD route since the fact that you got into some amazing schools indicates that you are intelligent enough/capable of working hard enough to apply the regular route (I have a laundry list of reasons to not go with the BS/MD route but that's besides the point). Hopkins/Columbia/Penn are great schools for premed (with amazing scientific research opportunties in close proximity), but if you want to keep options open to pursuits outside of medicine (which I personally recommend), I'd narrow it down to Columbia/Penn.

Above all, do what you love and interests you, but keep in mind that GPA (both cumulative and science GPA) does matter for med school so play it by ear if you find yourself struggling in a particular major in college.

 

[pazzer2]

Depends on how confident that you'll apply to med school in 4 years from now. Most people starting off as premed end up changing their minds in college.

If chances are > 60% then I'd go with BSMD program. Getting into med school is not going to be easier in future, will be harder. If not then go for Upenn or Columbia or JHU - whichever is cheaper. Getting an MD from Stony Brook vs Upstate will not matter in the least. You'll still be able to get decent residency positions from either.

For engineering/STEM fields you'll most certainly need an additional degree beyond bachelors. So keep your undergrad bill as low as possible. Med school is expensive, so a state school is cheaper.

 

[Lucca]

Don’t do BS/MD, it’s a terrible deal. Other than that minimize your debt. Eliminate any option that isn’t a full ride. The schools you are considering are all prestigious enough to ensure you will be employed somewhere as long as you are a decent UG. Pick based on where you see yourself the most happy, don’t really consider med school all that much, that will work itself out if you work for it.

 

[Goro]

New to MD world and Request Feedback

Plan to be MD and Confused and seeking help:

1) JHU- Full scholarship ( eliminates all other UGs such as GT/Rice/Berkeley/CMU/NW etc.), Harvey Mudd/GT BME also full ride.
2) Narrowed IVYs to Columbia/UPENN (Reject from Brown BSMD PLEM and waitlist Harvard, also waitlist Caltech)
3) Narrowed BSMD to Stony Brook ( SBU 4+4) or UAlbany-Upstate medical college ( UG full scholarship both place and instate). Can easily finish UG in 3 if needed.

Oscillating and confused between JHU full schol, Columbia/UPENN and SBU BS- MD. Money wise both JHU ( and Harvey Mudd) and SBU are attractive and SBU guarantees MD. However, SBU and UAlbany are NY state avg. UG schools and no match to JHU or IVYs.

Plan Biomedical/Chemical Engineering in UG and accepted to BME/Engineering schools at all above and others. Is BME/ChE right choice for UG or move to Neuroscience/Biology as perhaps more easy than Engineering for better GPA for MD.

So for MD
1) BSMD or regular and which better SBU or Upstate
2) JHU ( or Harvey or other) full schol or IVY ( financial package still not available) assuming 30-50K delta
3) Which IVY? Columbia or UPENN ( BME or pure science) if MD end goal- Should Princeton or Cornell or Dartmouth be even considered ( offers from them but heard P and C are grade deflatory schools not sure on Columbia or UPENN) if end goal is MD?

Too many headaches to deal with and head spins!!

Thanks for help.

Always go for the full ride

 

[charactercomic2]

JHU debt free will open up a LOT of doors, no matter what path you decide to take later down the road

 

[proudofmykids]

Any of your multiple full scholarship choices should be what you choose!!!!
None of them will hold you back to get into a great med school. Just make sure you sustain your grades.

 

[Test Boy]

New to MD world and Request Feedback

Plan to be MD and Confused and seeking help:

1) JHU- Full scholarship ( eliminates all other UGs such as GT/Rice/Berkeley/CMU/NW etc.), Harvey Mudd/GT/NYU BME also full ride.
2) Narrowed IVYs to Columbia/UPENN (Reject from Brown BSMD PLEM and waitlist Harvard, also waitlist Caltech)
3) Narrowed BSMD to Stony Brook ( SBU 4+4) or UAlbany-Upstate medical college ( UG full scholarship both place and instate). Can easily finish UG in 3 if needed.

Oscillating and confused between JHU full schol, Columbia/UPENN and SBU BS- MD. Money wise both JHU ( and Harvey Mudd/NYU/GT) and SBU are attractive and SBU guarantees MD. However, SBU and UAlbany are NY state avg. UG schools and no match to JHU or IVYs.

Plan Biomedical/Chemical Engineering in UG and accepted to BME/Engineering schools at all above and others. Is BME/ChE right choice for UG or move to Neuroscience/Biology as perhaps more easy than Engineering for better GPA for MD.

So for MD
1) BSMD or regular and which better SBU or Upstate
2) JHU ( or Harvey or NYU/HM or other) full schol or IVY ( financial package still not available) assuming 30-50K delta
3) Which IVY? Columbia or UPENN ( BME or pure science) if MD end goal- Should Princeton or Cornell or Dartmouth be even considered ( offers from them but heard P and C are grade deflatory schools not sure on Columbia or UPENN) if end goal is MD?

Too many headaches to deal with and head spins!!

Thanks for help.

I heard that Johns Hopkins has significant grade deflation there so you should consider that. If you wanna go to med school, you probably need like a 3.7 and that won’t be easy at all if you go to JH.

 

[BiomedEngineerMD]

I heard that Johns Hopkins has significant grade deflation there so you should consider that. If you wanna go to med school, you probably need like a 3.7 and that won’t be easy at all if you go to JH.

How about Columbia or PENN for deflation? Which is better?

JHU is attractive because of full schol. Think everyone is a premed and JHU think is premed powerhouse!

Also is BME/ChE ( is broad ChE better than narrow BME? ) ok ( more competition in Engg.) or go with Biology/NeuroScience etc. BS major if goal is MD.

 

[Test Boy]

How about Columbia or PENN for deflation? Which is better?

JHU is attractive because of full schol. Think everyone is a premed and JHU think is premed powerhouse!

Also is BME/ChE ( is broad ChE better than narrow BME? ) ok ( more competition in Engg.) or go with Biology/NeuroScience etc. BS major if goal is MD.

I heard Columbia might have grade deflation too. I don’t know about Penn. However, JH is known for grade deflation and it’s pretty cutthroat there cause there’s so many premeds there.

 

[KnightDoc]

I heard Columbia might have grade deflation too. I don’t know about Penn. However, JH is known for grade deflation and it’s pretty cutthroat there cause there’s so many premeds there.

Are you suggesting that JHU students have a hard time getting into med school due to grade deflation? I heard about deflation (everyone has!), but also heard that JHU is a premed powerhouse, and the school does WAAAY above average placing its students in med school.

Grade deflation is NOT a reason to turn down a full ride from such a well regarded school. Do you honestly think premeds know more about UGs than adcoms, and that adjustments to expectations are not made to account for things like this at schools like JHU??? They are -- just take a look at the GPAs of people admitted from schools like JHU and compare them to averages at a typical state school.

 

[Test Boy]

Are you suggesting that JHU students have a hard time getting into med school due to grade deflation? I heard about deflation (everyone has!), but also heard that JHU is a premed powerhouse, and the school does WAAAY above average placing its students in med school.

Grade deflation is NOT a reason to turn down a full ride from such a well regarded school. Do you honestly think premeds know more about UGs than adcoms, and that adjustments to expectations are not made to account for things like this at schools like JHU??? They are -- just take a look at the GPAs of people admitted from schools like JHU and compare them to averages at a typical state school.

Not sure, is it possible that the JH premeds that apply and get in are the ones with a realistic chances? The ones with GPAs like 3.2 or so already weeded themselves out so they’re not included in the statistics?

 

[KnightDoc]

Not sure, is it possible that the JH premeds that apply and get in are the ones with a realistic chances? The ones with GPAs like 3.2 or so already weeded themselves out so they’re not included in the statistics?

Not really. Of course, many people are weeded out every year at every school. But JHU has a very highly regarded program, with very highly talented students. Its grade deflation is reflected in the relatively lower GPAs of its successful applicants, NOT in the fact that a higher portion of their premeds are weeded out as compared to peer institutions.

Yes, 3.2s are weeded out everywhere. The fact is, JHU has way more successful 3.5 applicants than other schools. This is the evidence that med schools recognize a 3.5 at JHU might be the equivalent of a 3.7 or 3.8 elsewhere, due to grade deflation. Med schools that know what they are doing (all of them!), make the adjustment, rather than taking a lower percent of JHU premeds than Rice or Vandy or Penn or wherever.

 

[Test Boy]

Not really. Of course, many people are weeded out every year at every school. But JHU has a very highly regarded program, with very highly talented students. Its grade deflation is reflected in the relatively lower GPAs of its successful applicants, NOT in the fact that a higher portion of their premeds are weeded out as compared to peer institutions.

Do you know how much lower their GPAs are? They got accepted probably cause they scored higher on the MCATs. I remember some (a few?)meds schools give students from schools like JH an extra 0.1 or 0.2 for their GPA to make up for the grade deflation.

 

[BiomedEngineerMD]

Not really. Of course, many people are weeded out every year at every school. But JHU has a very highly regarded program, with very highly talented students. Its grade deflation is reflected in the relatively lower GPAs of its successful applicants, NOT in the fact that a higher portion of their premeds are weeded out as compared to peer institutions.

Yes, 3.2s are weeded out everywhere. The fact is, JHU has way more successful 3.5 applicants than other schools. This is the evidence that med schools recognize a 3.5 at JHU might be the equivalent of a 3.7 or 3.8 elsewhere, due to grade deflation. Med schools that know what they are doing (all of them!), make the adjustment, rather than taking a lower percent of JHU premeds than Rice or Vandy or Penn or wherever.

So it seems with full schol, JHU over IVY is a better way to go if MD is the goal. GPA could be high or low at JHU or Columbia.

How about guaranteed BS- MD at SBU? Guaranted spot allows you to explore anything you love and SBU is also resonably Ok in Biology/Neuro/Computational and many related stuffs ( again many premeds but under pressure to make to med school). Obviously you sacrifice JHU/Columbia quality or network for guaranted spot at avg. UG and med school.

 

[KnightDoc]

Do you know how much lower their GPAs are? They got accepted probably cause they scored higher on the MCATs. I remember some (a few?)meds schools give students from schools like JH an extra 0.1 or 0.2 for their GPA to make up for the grade deflation.

There are no precise numbers because there is no "official" published policy, but this is exactly what I'm talking about. Sure, they score high on the MCAT, because they are great candidates from great schools. But, there are also great candidates from not so great schools who also have high MCATs, yet don't receive the same consideration.

It's not as simple as an extra 0.1 or 0.2. It's just an acknowledgement that grades at places like JHU and WashU trend lower than at peer schools, and candidates are viewed through that lens, so, at the end of the day, a 3.5 at a good school known to inflate is just viewed differently than the same GPA at a school like JHU.

Remember, clusters of candidates from a given school with the same stats tend to apply to same group of schools. WashU had 363 applicants last year. Vanderbilt - 283. Duke - 310. JHU - 455. And so on. Many adcoms see the same 100+ of these people, and they know exactly how a 3.5 at a grade deflated school compares relative to other candidates at that school. The same applies at a grade inflated school.

Remember, adcoms at all of the top schools have hundreds of applicants from each of these UGs in front of them each and every cycle. Comparisons are easy, and adcoms know relative values of GPAs. JHU applicants are compared to other JHU applicants, not to applicants at a grade inflated school.

 

[Doctoscope]

Go JHU simply for the free tuition. You never know if you actually want to do medicine after taking some of the prereqs, and you might fall in love with another field while exploring your interests. This gives you zero financial burden to actually see what you like to study.

 

[Test Boy]

There are no precise numbers because there is no "official" published policy, but this is exactly what I'm talking about. Sure, they score high on the MCAT, because they are great candidates from great schools. But, there are also great candidates from not so great schools who also have high MCATs, yet don't receive the same consideration.

It's not as simple as an extra 0.1 or 0.2. It's just an acknowledgement that grades at places like JHU and WashU trend lower than at peer schools, and candidates are viewed through that lens, so, at the end of the day, a 3.5 at a good school known to inflate is just viewed differently than the same GPA at a school like JHU.

Remember, clusters of candidates from a given school with the same stats tend to apply to same group of schools. WashU had 363 applicants last year. Vanderbilt - 283. Duke - 310. JHU - 455. And so on. Many adcoms see the same 100+ of these people, and they know exactly how a 3.5 at a grade deflated school compares relative to other candidates at that school. The same applies at a grade inflated school.

Remember, adcoms at all of the top schools have hundreds of applicants from each of these UGs in front of them each and every cycle. Comparisons are easy, and adcoms know relative values of GPAs. JHU applicants are compared to other JHU applicants, not to applicants at a grade inflated school.

Yes, this is probably true for some or most med schools in regards to how they handle grade deflation. However, I suspect that there are still some schools that will automatically weed you out with a GPA cutoff (ie, 3.5) even if you went to MIT and majored in computer engineering and got a 3.49.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Yes, this is probably true for some or most med schools in regards to how they handle grade deflation. However, I suspect that there are still some schools that will automatically weed you out with a GPA cutoff (ie, 3.5) even if you went to MIT and majored in computer engineering and got a 3.49.

It appears most schools will use GPA and MCAT filters for first few few rounds of interviews and then look at the others.

 

[KnightDoc]

Yes, this is probably true for some or most med schools in regards to how they handle grade deflation. However, I suspect that there are still some schools that will automatically weed you out with a GPA cutoff (ie, 3.5) even if you went to MIT and majored in computer engineering and got a 3.49.

If you say so. 3.7 is the average, so I don't think anyone is being weeded out at 3.5. MIT is not a great example since it only had 73 med school applicants last year. I also don't really know whether it inflates or deflates. That said, I'm still pretty sure auto screens don't kick in at 3.49 anywhere, although there is no way to know for sure without knowing what the range of a school's GPA is (not just the 10%-ile, if it is above 3.50).

I'm also pretty sure adcoms know what grades represent at the prestigious UGs, and they are not screening out awesome candidates from those schools if the school happens to deflate grades. 3.1 isn't so awesome anywhere. The same can't be said for 3.49.

 

[BiomedEngineerMD]

Yes, this is probably true for some or most med schools in regards to how they handle grade deflation. However, I suspect that there are still some schools that will automatically weed you out with a GPA cutoff (ie, 3.5) even if you went to MIT and majored in computer engineering and got a 3.49.

So Caltech/Harvey Mudd should not be considered if MD is the goal? Waitlist Caltech ( also Harvard WL) and full tuition at HM.

 

[4pf]

Hopkins, wouldn't have to think too hard about this one

 

[Test Boy]

If you say so. 3.7 is the average, so I don't think anyone is being weeded out at 3.5. MIT is not a great example since it only had 73 med school applicants last year. I also don't really know whether it inflates or deflates. That said, I'm still pretty sure auto screens don't kick in at 3.49 anywhere, although there is no way to know for sure without knowing what the range of a school's GPA is (not just the 10%-ile, if it is above 3.50).

I'm also pretty sure adcoms know what grades represent at the prestigious UGs, and they are not screening out awesome candidates from those schools if the school happens to deflate grades. 3.1 isn't so awesome anywhere. The same can't be said for 3.49.

I suspect that a 3.49 will get you automatically weeded out at some schools cause they get so many applicants. No proof, just a hunch.

 

[Test Boy]

So Caltech/Harvey Mudd should not be considered if MD is the goal? Waitlist Caltech ( also Harvard WL) and full tuition at HM.

I dunno. Caltech is another school that is notorious for tough grading but Harvard is just the opposite. I would probably go to Harvard if you are 100% you want medicine. If not 100%, all schools you mentioned will be good for your career.

 

[KnightDoc]

I suspect that a 3.49 will get you automatically weeded out at some schools cause they get so many applicants. No proof, just a hunch.

I agree, other than with the phrase "automatically." I'm sure Penn or WashU would have little interest in an applicant from Podunk U with a 3.49. I have a strong feeling that same applicant from JHU or MIT would get a looksee before a decision was made. That's what an allowance for applicants from a grade deflated prestigious school entails

I can't imagine any top school would take a hard automatic pass on someone with a relatively decent GPA from a great school that deflates because they are too busy to do their jobs. They wouldn't be a top school for long if they were actually accepting weaker candidates with higher inflated GPAs, while not even considering stronger candidates, due to an auto screen set at such a high level.

 

[Detailsmatter]

I think Hopkins for the full ride. I think that's a pretty straightforward decision. I think the major is a bit more complicated. Unless you really love the engineering I would strongly consider switching simply because of GPA issues. While obviously BME would be way more marketable than bio if you end up not deciding to medicine it could hurt your GPA potentially. I think I would do bio or even something easier while I knockout the prereqs the first two years and then if I wanna do medicine I would just stay the course and if I realized medicine isn't for me I would try to switch to engineering. idk the logistics of that switch being possible but I would definitely explore that before committing to a very difficult major

 

[Konigstiger]

On the subject of JHU, do not expect the name to help you with getting into a medical school. I had a decent GPA from there and got zero MD interviews; your MCAT score matters a lot more than your school name does, and I have literally had former medical school admissions committee members tell me that they would weigh a 3.7 from JHU less than a 3.9 from a random state school.

I can also tell you that the courses/atmosphere are very competitive and there were definitely a couple times where I felt like there was grade deflation going on (though I can't confirm this)... But still, if you don't have to pay any tuition, then it's worth considering. A lot of premeds from JHU do end up at top-tier medical schools, though that's more due to the fact that they've been training for medical school for years beforehand rather than JHU boosting their applications.

 

[Bbbbbbb1]

If you’re still considering Columbia, just wanted to add that it definitely isn’t easy at least for engineering. We definitely do not have inflation and some of my classes have been curved down

 

[Banco]

JHU Full ride or Stony Brook 4+4.

I'd pick one from those 2, as Stony Brook is actually a great medical school with a strong hospital system and overall good university. JHU full ride is also fantastic, though keep in mind it's a known grade deflating school and you're going into engineering. That being said, it's an amazing program and can open up more doors for you if you're not 100% set on medicine.


Also, got damn, you must have a monster undergrad application ...

 

[wondervisions]

Take the money fool

 

[BiomedEngineerMD]

If you’re still considering Columbia, just wanted to add that it definitely isn’t easy at least for engineering. We definitely do not have inflation and some of my classes have been curved down

Considering Columbia over Penn BME - Main reason being have been at campus in their Science Honors program for past few years. Also love NYC. Not sure in grade defaltion in BME either at Columbia or Penn. Also not sure which one is better if go IVY route.

JHU full is enticing and so is SBU BSMD ( or UAlbany- Upstate) MD security. Upstate med college summer programs at hospital is a must whereas at SBU, you try to find it. Can finish UG in 3 yrs easily and prefer SBU to UAlbany although SBU it is full tuition ( need to pay 10K for living) whereas Albany is mostly full 25K paid.

All confused.

 

[proudofmykids]

Considering Columbia over Penn BME - Main reason being have been at campus in their Science Honors program for past few years. Also love NYC. Not sure in grade defaltion in BME either at Columbia or Penn. Also not sure which one is better if go IVY route.

JHU full is enticing and so is SBU BSMD ( or UAlbany- Upstate) MD security. Upstate med college summer programs at hospital is a must whereas at SBU, you try to find it. Can finish UG in 3 yrs easily and prefer SBU to UAlbany although SBU it is full tuition ( need to pay 10K for living) whereas Albany is mostly full 25K paid.

All confused.

You don’t seem to be hearing all the consistent recommendations in this thread....

 

[BiomedEngineerMD]

You don’t seem to be hearing all the consistent recommendations in this thread....

Think most seem to indicate JHU and moving towards that - Visiting both JHU and Penn campus next week.

Want to ensure moving in right dirction as more the choices more is headace and IVY charm rules in high school ( think they have done good marketing). Also SBU an average school frees of worrying about MD to explore things that are passionate whereas at JHU/Columbia/Penn, there could be added stress to perform well to ensure high GPA in addition to having to go through the MD application process- Think risk may be worth the rewards. JHU full is surely enticing.

Just want to ensure not missing something and have considered everything- New to MD world!!

 

[proudofmykids]

Yes,there is a lot to be said to eliminating the entire pressure of putting together the whole gpa, MCAT, ECs, applications and interview trail to get to an MD acceptance.

I do suggest you look at the details for the Stony Brook BSMD program and see what All their requirements are with respect to requiring gpa, MCAT, volunteering/service hours etc. IMHO, once a BSMD program requires a certain MCAT score which intern requires proper committed studying, a lot of the allure disappears ie 505 much easier than 515. Similarly for the required gpa; a 3.5/3.6 is a lot easier to obtain than a 3.8/3.9.

 

[wondervisions]

It would be insane to turn down a full ride at Hopkins for Penn just because Penn is an Ivy. I truly don't understand why Penn is still on the table.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Don't know your stats, but must be quite impressive. Then, I hate to say this, but I will ASSUME you will be able to maintain a high GPA in Bio engineering, a very competitive undergrad major. My friend was a Family Doc, and read a book on Differential Equations while his family was vacationing with ours. I thought he was reading a Tom Clancey novel. He indicated he had never taken the course and if he took the final and got an A, he could place out of the course. He did, and went on to get his masters in bio engineering and worked on the Penn State Heart. You will need to be this kind of candidate, and your acceptances leads me to believe you are. For me, it's JHU all the way. I mean, can you really do significantly better at any of the other schools? One thing. If you know a leader in your area of interest, say Artificial Pancreas, or Robotic Limbs, at one of these centers, that may be a reason to attend there. That said, a 400k free medical education ANYWHERE is hard to turn down, let alone from Hopkins, Congrats on having such a sweet headache to have to make such choices. Good luck and best wishes.

 

[BiomedEngineerMD]

Yes,there is a lot to be said to eliminating the entire pressure of putting together the whole gpa, MCAT, ECs, applications and interview trail to get to an MD acceptance.

I do suggest you look at the details for the Stony Brook BSMD program and see what All their requirements are with respect to requiring gpa, MCAT, volunteering/service hours etc. IMHO, once a BSMD program requires a certain MCAT score which intern requires proper committed studying, a lot of the allure disappears ie 505 much easier than 515. Similarly for the required gpa; a 3.5/3.6 is a lot easier to obtain than a 3.8/3.9.

SBU BSMD requirement is 3.4 GPA and 75% MCAT - Think thats it. Upstate Medical college is no MCAT and 3.5 GPA and perhaps few hours of research etc. ( Have 2 publications in prestigious journals so research in UG should be piece of cake- hope so!). Guaranteed helps in pressure off at the cost of avg. UG and Med School ( no need for applications etc. at BS end). JHU full schol UG is enticing but need to go through the process again with both rewards and risks.

 

[BiomedEngineerMD]

Don't know your stats, but must be quite impressive. Then, I hate to say this, but I will ASSUME you will be able to maintain a high GPA in Bio engineering, a very competitive undergrad major. My friend was a Family Doc, and read a book on Differential Equations while his family was vacationing with ours. I thought he was reading a Tom Clancey novel. He indicated he had never taken the course and if he took the final and got an A, he could place out of the course. He did, and went on to get his masters in bio engineering and worked on the Penn State Heart. You will need to be this kind of candidate, and your acceptances leads me to believe you are. For me, it's JHU all the way. I mean, can you really do significantly better at any of the other schools? One thing. If you know a leader in your area of interest, say Artificial Pancreas, or Robotic Limbs, at one of these centers, that may be a reason to attend there. That said, a 400k free medical education ANYWHERE is hard to turn down, let alone from Hopkins, Congrats on having such a sweet headache to have to make such choices. Good luck and best wishes.

JHU UG is full schol not medical school. At the end of UG, have to go through usual MD process.

SBU BS-MD guaranted eliminates that. SBU UG is also full schol and in state but avg UG and med school.

Admission in Engineering- BME or ChE.

And IVY adds to confusion- So confused!

 

[PapaGuava]

Thread moved to hSDN.

 

[proudofmykids]

JHU UG is full schol not medical school. At the end of UG, have to go through usual MD process.

SBU BS-MD guaranted eliminates that. SBU UG is also full schol and in state but avg UG and med school.

Admission in Engineering- BME or ChE.

And IVY adds to confusion- So confused!

Ivy’s should even factor in anymore.
Relaxed GPA and ECs like at SBU really let’s you relax and enjoy UG a lot more. Unless there is a decent possibility of not doing MD, I’d say do SBU BSMD.
By the way, 75%ile MCAT is a lot less than SBU med school 90%ile avg admission.

 

[notApenguin]

JHU and your other top UG options will be high risk/high reward. If you excel there, you’ll have a great shot at a top tier medical school. Having just gone through residency application season from a low/mid-tier USMD I can definitely say that school prestige matters a ton for the super competitive specialties (surgical subspecialties, derm, IR). If you’re already dead set on surgery or something then this option becomes considerably more attractive.

Stony brook and Albany are solid med schools but they may hold you back from matching at a top tier program for the super competitive specialties (you should still be able to match somewhere though, home program most likely). But if you end up doing any other specialty stony brook/albany won’t hold you back from matching a top tier program assuming you have good stats and a good app. Also, I think getting accepted into any USMD can’t be taken for granted. I know several people that turned down BSMD programs to attend elite undergrads only to go to medical schools of similar prestige as their original BSMD offer. At my low-mid tier usmd there are tons of people from top tier universities and this is true for most other average usmd schools. Needing to maintain only a 3.4 gpa and get a ~508 on the mcat is super doable and should be a sure bet for you. If you already have a good idea that you don’t want to do surgery or derm or if you don’t care where you go to residency then I would say that this is the more attractive option.

Personally I would lean towards the BSMD option. Getting into med school is a huge pain in the ass and from what I’ve seen where you go for UG and what you major in doesn’t really matter a whole lot. Unless you absolutely need to do ortho at HSS or optho at MEEI l’d take the sure bet and go to stonybrook/albany.

 

[BiomedEngineerMD]

JHU and your other top UG options will be high risk/high reward. If you excel there, you’ll have a great shot at a top tier medical school. Having just gone through residency application season from a low/mid-tier USMD I can definitely say that school prestige matters a ton for the super competitive specialties (surgical subspecialties, derm, IR). If you’re already dead set on surgery or something then this option becomes considerably more attractive.

Stony brook and Albany are solid med schools but they may hold you back from matching at a top tier program for the super competitive specialties (you should still be able to match somewhere though, home program most likely). But if you end up doing any other specialty stony brook/albany won’t hold you back from matching a top tier program assuming you have good stats and a good app. Also, I think getting accepted into any USMD can’t be taken for granted. I know several people that turned down BSMD programs to attend elite undergrads only to go to medical schools of similar prestige as their original BSMD offer. At my low-mid tier usmd there are tons of people from top tier universities and this is true for most other average usmd schools. Needing to maintain only a 3.4 gpa and get a ~508 on the mcat is super doable and should be a sure bet for you. If you already have a good idea that you don’t want to do surgery or derm or if you don’t care where you go to residency then I would say that this is the more attractive option.

Personally I would lean towards the BSMD option. Getting into med school is a huge pain in the ass and from what I’ve seen where you go for UG and what you major in doesn’t really matter a whole lot. Unless you absolutely need to do ortho at HSS or optho at MEEI l’d take the sure bet and go to stonybrook/albany.

So you think just go with SBU BSMD.

Think JHU full schol eliminates IVYs - JHU is close to IVYs ( Columbia/Penn in prestige!) but perhaps $$ wins. So eliminate IVYs for JHU?

Any more tips?

How about SBU BS MD vs UAlbany-Upstate Medical College- $$ wise perhaps 5-6K more to pay at SBU vs UAlbany ( mostly tuition paid and UAlbany added 5-6K more scholarship for living expense)

 

[Test Boy]

So you think just go with SBU BSMD.

Think JHU full schol eliminates IVYs - JHU is close to IVYs ( Columbia/Penn in prestige!) but perhaps $$ wins. So eliminate IVYs for JHU?

Any more tips?

How about SBU BS MD vs UAlbany-Upstate Medical College- $$ wise perhaps 5-6K more to pay at SBU vs UAlbany ( mostly tuition paid and UAlbany added 5-6K more scholarship for living expense)

Go to bsmd (sb better than Albany/upstate i feel) if you want less stress in the next 4 years. If you are super smart and supermotivated, go to JH or one of the ivys and if you do really really well, you can get into a higher ranking school than sb. If you falter in college, you might end up in a substantially worse situation. You need to decide for yourself.

 

[BiomedEngineerMD]

Go to bsmd (sb better than Albany/upstate i feel) if you want less stress in the next 4 years. If you are super smart and supermotivated, go to JH or one of the ivys and if you do really really well, you can get into a higher ranking school than sb. If you falter in college, you might end up in a substantially worse situation. You need to decide for yourself.

If options are JHU ( full scholarship) vs. IVYs Columbia or UPenn ( even which IVys is also confusion as money not known- Prefer Columbia over Upenn if IVYs- not sure is Columbia better than UPenn?), is JHU better way to go ( JHU is still not IVY)

 

[Test Boy]

If options are JHU ( full scholarship) vs. IVYs Columbia or UPenn ( even which IVys is also confusion as money not known- Prefer Columbia over Upenn if IVYs- not sure is Columbia better than UPenn?), is JHU better way to go ( JHU is still not IVY)

Columbia and UPenn are pretty much the same. If it comes down to those 2, I would personally choose UPenn just cause there’s less grade deflation there and also cause Columbia seems more snobby to me. I also don’t like the neighborhood it’s in but that’s just me. I might just go with JH (if it’s between those ivy’s and JH) cause of the money saved even though JH is probably more cutthroat than those 2. But in your position, most likely I go with sb. At the end, the undergrad don’t mean much. The only exception I can think of is if you’re gunning for a very competitive speciality at a very desirable residency, then maybe if you go to a more prestigious med school than sb then it might be useful (but I doubt you know at this point). But to get to that point, need to do super well at a prestigious college and ace the mcats (both uncertain at this point). If you are ambitious and are very confident you are that good, then I can see you going that route (Ivy or JH undergrad).

 

[wondervisions]

You would be a fool to pay money to go to an Ivy vs a full ride at Hopkins.

 

[BiomedEngineerMD]

Columbia and UPenn are pretty much the same. If it comes down to those 2, I would personally choose UPenn just cause there’s less grade deflation there and also cause Columbia seems more snobby to me. I also don’t like the neighborhood it’s in but that’s just me. I might just go with JH (if it’s between those ivy’s and JH) cause of the money saved even though JH is probably more cutthroat than those 2. But in your position, most likely I go with sb. At the end, the undergrad don’t mean much. The only exception I can think of is if you’re gunning for a very competitive speciality at a very desirable residency, then maybe if you go to a more prestigious med school than sb then it might be useful (but I doubt you know at this point). But to get to that point, need to do super well at a prestigious college and ace the mcats (both uncertain at this point). If you are ambitious and are very confident you are that good, then I can see you going that route (Ivy or JH undergrad).

Thanks- How about SBU BS MD vs. UAlbany UG- Upstate medical college . UG is instate and UAlbany giving about 6-7K more than SBU UG. Think SBU is better bio/BME UG school compare to UAlbany and perhaps SB med school also better. The only part seems about 6-8K hit - Is it worth taking the hit for SB med school and also UG?

 

[Test Boy]

Thanks- How about SBU BS MD vs. UAlbany UG- Upstate medical college . UG is instate and UAlbany giving about 6-7K more than SBU UG. Think SBU is better bio/BME UG school compare to UAlbany and perhaps SB med school also better. The only part seems about 6-8K hit - Is it worth taking the hit for SB med school and also UG?

6-7k more is nothing in the grand scheme of things. I feel that sb has a better rep overall but if your overall goal is just to be a clinician then it doesn’t matter. Even the bio engineering part doesn’t matter much unless you plan to do something with that degree later on like invent some device or doing some research. I would go to sb over Albany if the choice was mine. The 7k difference is worth it i think.

 

[BiomedEngineerMD]

6-7k more is nothing in the grand scheme of things. I feel that sb has a better rep overall but if your overall goal is just to be a clinician then it doesn’t matter. Even the bio engineering part doesn’t matter much unless you plan to do something with that degree later on like invent some device or doing some research. I would go to sb over Albany if the choice was mine. The 7k difference is worth it i think.

Thx- For BSMD, SB is better.

Now need to figure out JHU vs. Columbia or Penn. JHU scholarship is from engineering school so plan to do chemical or biomedical ( BME is top notch whereas chemical and biomolecular is less ranked but ChE is broadef branch). Not sure they will pay if try to move to Biology/neuroscience - so think ChE might be safe bet as premed with full scholarship ( have offers from BME rank 2-5- GT, Rice, Duke etc.).

Both Penn and Columbia BME dont rank but IVY charm- am awaiting if they give $$ and have provided JHU scholarship letter. Lets see.

Is JHU as prestigious as IVY? Penn seems more premed or BME oriented compared to Columbia but I live 1-2 hr drive from Columbia. So unless Penn offers more $$ or is better program, perhaps better with Columbia - Not sure.

Too many variables and all confused. Some times SB looks good and at other JHU and other IVY. Perhaps IVY should be removed as full schol at JHU and perhaps as prestigious as IVY. Again not sure.