Ok, so I am not exactly fresh out of high school, I spent 4 years in the military and am now a disabled veteran, however I would like to get into the medical field and have been extensively researching B.S./M.D. programs. I would love to get excepted into one of these in order to get myself on track as I have put alot of time into thinking about this and decided it is where I would like to go with my life. My grades in High School weren't spectacular as there was alot of stuff going on at that time(but that's a discussion for another day). I guess what I am getting at is what advice can anyone give me to help with this. Would taking the SAT help (obviously I would need to score appropriately)? Also it seems kind of hard to find general information on these programs other than specifics for the schools, any idea's on that?
Not sure where to start
- Thread starter mcvet84
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First off, your sacrifice is greatly appreciated. Thanks for saving the country. 👍
You might consider reading this thread for some pointers: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=551279
I'm not an expert on this subject by any means, but I believe BS/MD programs will primarily look at your high school grades. You'll also need to take the ACT or SAT (taking both would probably make life easier in the long run). If you haven't already, you should probably get some medically-relevant experience. Volunteer in a hospital, shadow some doctors, and/or get a job as some kind of tech (lab, ER, radiology, etc.). Something like that would indicate that you at least sort of know what you're getting yourself into.
You can find very general, superficial information about BS/MD programs in the MSAR: https://services.aamc.org/Publicati...ion=Product.displayForm&prd_id=226&prv_id=276
You might consider reading this thread for some pointers: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=551279
I'm not an expert on this subject by any means, but I believe BS/MD programs will primarily look at your high school grades. You'll also need to take the ACT or SAT (taking both would probably make life easier in the long run). If you haven't already, you should probably get some medically-relevant experience. Volunteer in a hospital, shadow some doctors, and/or get a job as some kind of tech (lab, ER, radiology, etc.). Something like that would indicate that you at least sort of know what you're getting yourself into.
You can find very general, superficial information about BS/MD programs in the MSAR: https://services.aamc.org/Publicati...ion=Product.displayForm&prd_id=226&prv_id=276
Thanks, I ordered the MSAR the other night and can't wait to receive it. I'm just nervous as I said, I've really pu tmy mind to it and decided this is the route I want to take. I am starting to look around at hospitals in the are to see if I could shadow a doctor around or something like that, however, while in the military I was what we called a "combat lifesaver" and did administer IV's and other general knowledge to act as a first responder (somewhat like an EMT). Do you think that would help as well as it shows a general knowledge and the whole work well under pressure thing? Yeah I have alot of questions and will probably be picking everybody's brain that I can because I would like to begin the application process for the next academic year and just really would like to get everything in order as soon as possible, just not sure where to start.
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Absolutely. That's probably all you need to do, actually. Most of your competition will only have limited candystriping and shadowing experience. Doing the real thing for the military will definitely make you stand out.
Teaching hospitals are excellent places to look for shadowing opportunities. All of the ones I went to will arrange appointments if you go to HR and ask around.
Another question I have now after doing some more research is that some of the requirements for these programs is being in the top 10% of your graduating class, now as stated before High School was kind of shakey for me, do you think that if I score high enough on the SAT's this could show my commitment and possible wave that requirement? This is my biggest concern that my high school record is gonna haunt me and bar me from doing what has become my dream.
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It has less to do with requirements and more a matter of weeding down applicants. BS/MD programs all have an enormous number of applicants who already possess exceptional GPA/SAT scores (literally 4.0 gpa with SAT's in the 2100+ range). They are going to pick the cream of the crop. Be objective. If you were in charge of admissions of one of these programs, how would you view your application in comparison to theirs?
So that's the bad news. Here's the good news. You can still certainly achieve your ULTIMATE goal of becoming a doctor. Your best bet at this time would be to simply go to college and start there. Most medical students came from that route anyhow. Traditional-track medical schools don't really care about your academic performance prior to college. So that means once you enter college, your academic record is effectively wiped clean and you start from scratch again.
So in summary...
1. Go to college.
2. Get an excellent undergrad GPA.
3. Continue to volunteer at hospitals and other places.
4. Perform well on the MCAT (medical school version of the SAT).
5. Continue to ask for advice all along the way (from school counselors, studentdoctor.net, etc).
Do all that, and you shouldn't have much difficulty obtaining acceptance to a great medical school.
Good luck.
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I second going this route. A BS/MD program will pretty much only shave a year off your education anyway. You should certainly try for the bs/md program, but it wouldn't be the worst thing if you end up not getting accepted, you'll just have to stay in school for an extra year.
Best of luck 🙂
Thanks for all the help, and after some consideration I guess one extra year wouldn't be all that bad. Though I am going to apply to 3 schools for the BS/MD program and see what happens, there is no harm in trying. The worst that could happen is that I am not accepted after all, in which case I'll go the traditional route. Once again thanks for the help, I'll let everyone know how it goes.
