New Paltz/NYCOM 7 Year BS/DO V. Regular Undergrad at Vassar

[suprememuse]

I was recently accepted into NYITCOM's 7 year program in which i would spend three years a as a undergrad at SUNY New Paltz and then take the MCAT and only be guaranteed matriculation into NYITCOM if i achieve the median MCAT score of the previous entering class and pass the interview.

On the other hand Vassar is a very prestigious college and if I do regular undergrad there and apply out to medical schools I could probably get into NYITCOM anyways. Vassar also offers more opportunities such as undergraduate research. My dilemma is that if I do the NYITCOM program I wont be able to apply out to other better medical schools because I do not get my BS until after my first year at NYITCOM.

If I go to Vassar chances are that I may get into better medical school but it would take me 8 years instead of 7 to become a doctor. I also am unsure if I would be able to get into the type of residency i want as a graduate of NYITCOM. In the fture i do want to become either a pediatric cardiologist or oncologist.

I haven't heard the best things about NYITCOM. Does anyone have any suggestions or any experience with the NYITCOM direct program?

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[giguerex35]

N=1 but I know a girl who went into the program and transferred schools because she was miserable there. Ended up getting into other med schools as well. If you do well it won’t matter where you go and chances are if you meet any schools median mcat you’ll be considered so do with that what you will

 

[Osminog]

Enroll in the seven-year program, and use the guaranteed matriculation as a backup.

If you get a 3.7+ GPA and 509+ MCAT, then abandon the contract -- i.e., do the fourth year at New Paltz and apply to MD schools.

If you get a 3.5-3.6 GPA and a 504-508 MCAT, then stick with the contract and go to NYITCOM a year early.

(Side question: Is money a factor? Vassar is extremely expensive.)

 

[suprememuse]

Enroll in the seven-year program, and use the guaranteed matriculation as a backup.

If you get a 3.7+ GPA and 509+ MCAT, then abandon the contract -- i.e., do the fourth year at New Paltz and apply to MD schools.

If you get a 3.5-3.6 GPA and a 504-508 MCAT, then stick with the contract and go to NYITCOM a year early.

(Side question: Is money a factor? Vassar is extremely expensive.)

Money is not a factor at all. The cost of attendance for me at Vassar would be about 10,000 and at New Paltz it would be 7-8 thousand. The only thing I’m afraid of is not getting into the residency I want. Otherwise I like the Osteopathic philosophy and approach. Does where you go for undergrad matter to the medical school ? I know Vassar is well respected and prestigious but New Paltz, not so much. Vassar also gives plenty of opportunities for research and I’m unsure if that would be possible at New Paltz. Vassar is also much more smaller which means smaller class sizes and more indivudual attention.

 

[suprememuse]

N=1 but I know a girl who went into the program and transferred schools because she was miserable there. Ended up getting into other med schools as well. If you do well it won’t matter where you go and chances are if you meet any schools median mcat you’ll be considered so do with that what you will

So medical schools don’t care where you go for your undergrad? I’m just fearful of the possibility that I may not get into medical school because it does get harder and harder to get into as the years pass. The only thing that makes me iffy about the New Paltz program is the fact that I may not get to practice the type of specialty I want. Ovvilusly it is easy to get into a pediatric residency but it is the pediatric oncology or pediatric cardiology fellowship I am worried about.

 

[Osminog]

Money is not a factor at all. The cost of attendance for me at Vassar would be about 10,000 and at New Paltz it would be 7-8 thousand. The only thing I’m afraid of is not getting into the residency I want. Otherwise I like the Osteopathic philosophy and approach. Does where you go for undergrad matter to the medical school ? I know Vassar is well respected and prestigious but New Paltz, not so much. Vassar also gives plenty of opportunities for research and I’m unsure if that would be possible at New Paltz. Vassar is also much more smaller which means smaller class sizes and more indivudual attention.

Honestly, since money is a total non-issue, just go to Vassar. Do well there and apply MD.

I'm a New Yorker, and I know for a fact that New Paltz is weak in the sciences and has a lot of low-quality, underachieving students. You're only going to college once, so you should choose a college you'd feel good about attending... especially since finances aren't a factor. (That being said, Vassar has a lot of attention-seeking hipsters and snobby rich kids... but perhaps that's up your alley.)

Also, committing yourself to DO would limit your options. Most med students ultimately choose different specialties from the ones they had in mind prior to medical school. Sure, you'll have to wait eight years instead of seven to become a doctor... but as an MD student, you'll at least have all of your options open.

EDIT: I'd also like to add that I had three classmates in college who declined acceptances to 7-year BS/DO linkage programs with NYITCOM. One attends a T20 MD, one attends an in-state MD, and one decided against medicine altogether and is pursuing a PhD at HYPS. They arguably all surpassed the outcomes they could've expected had they chosen to do the DO linkage program. (My alma mater was not quite as good as Vassar, but still better than New Paltz, Geneseo, Old Westbury, etc.)

 

[Adrenaline Junky]

Enroll in the seven-year program, and use the guaranteed matriculation as a backup.

If you get a 3.7+ GPA and 509+ MCAT, then abandon the contract -- i.e., do the fourth year at New Paltz and apply to MD schools.

If you get a 3.5-3.6 GPA and a 504-508 MCAT, then stick with the contract and go to NYITCOM a year early.

(Side question: Is money a factor? Vassar is extremely expensive.)

NYCOM is binding I believe meaning he cannot apply out if he maintains the GPA and MCAT. I was going to apply to NYCOM in this upcoming cycle but hours of research yielded a bad attrition rate and tough program requirements for a DO program. Additionally, students usually do not like the program from who I have spoken to. Since its not a bs/md id go undergrad

 

[Osminog]

NYCOM is binding I believe meaning he cannot apply out if he maintains the GPA and MCAT. I was going to apply to NYCOM in this upcoming cycle but hours of research yielded a bad attrition rate and tough program requirements for a DO program. Additionally, students usually do not like the program from who I have spoken to. Since its not a bs/md id go undergrad

Pretty sure it's not binding and that you can opt out of the program at any time in order to apply to other schools.

 

[Adrenaline Junky]

Pretty sure it's not binding and that you can opt out of the program at any time in order to apply to other schools.

In that case go with the program

 

[Osminog]

In that case go with the program

Considering finances aren't an issue, Vassar (T15 liberal arts) >>> New Paltz (random low-quality regional state school).

 

[Adrenaline Junky]

Considering finances aren't an issue, Vassar (T15 liberal arts) >>> New Paltz (random low-quality regional state school).

Still you could score well and achieve good stats for MD schools, then apply out and always have the fallback. I do see your point however but I believe it comes down to preference and confidence, if you are confident in your ability to get in in 4 years, go vassar.