Questions about BA/MD programs...

[Charles Murphy]

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Hey

I am a high school senior interested in medicine. I found out about certain programs which basically allow students to get accepted to med school early. Most programs require some cumulative GPA to be kept and/or an MCAT score to be achieved. Their purpose is to allow students to explore interests/passions/classes they may not have taken had they gone the regular route since they'd have been focused on getting the best grades (after all, isn't that what pre-meds are known for? )

In any case, these programs are EXTREMELY competitive. Even more competitive than getting into the Ivies. Somehow, I got lucky and was recently offered interviews at two schools I applied to: University of Pittsburgh and Michigan State University. These schools offer acceptance to their respective med schools: U Pitt SOM and MSU CHM. Basically, I am really new to interviews, obviously, since I am still in HS. I just wanted to know if I could get some advice/tips/anything I can do to prepare for interviews?

Also, mentioning any questions interviewers typically ask would be very helpful as well. I really appreciate any help you guys can give me! I hope my strong motivation and passion for medicine can help me become the physician I have dreamed of becoming. Thank you.

 

[contulusa]

Hey Charles,

BA/MD, BS/MD programs are really great if you know medicine is your calling(it was for me). I am in an 8 year combined program. I needed to keep 3.4 science GPA and 3.5 overall GPA and a 27 MCAT and you are guaranteed a spot. Those are average to below average stats for entering me school...but the part I loved about the combined program was that it allowed me to major in whatever I wanted and still feel confident that I was going to attend a medical school. Many other pre-meds at my school did biology or chemistry and are freaking out about getting in. I am getting a BA while most of my friends are getting BS. My thing is why not study something your interested in that you will never again have a chance to study (I don't mean plant morphology either)... They had pretty standard interview questions...but mostly they want to see if you are mature enough. They are really taking a large gamble on you. Based on ACT/SAT they believe you can handle med school. One thing that is really important in your interview is to be able to talk clearly and effectively. The initial screening for those type of programs is high school GPA/act/sat/class rank. Many asians...mostly indians (i can knock on them because i am one) have way above normal stats but can't speak worth a damn in an interview...(most of those get weeded out at the interview). Another thing the interviewers ask you about is what books you have read (might want to brush up on your latest books you've read)...leadership activities were also brought up by interviewers. The most important may have been your volunteering in hospitals. They want to see if you have been exposed to medicine.(tell them a memorable experience you had at the hospital/or clinic)

I am sure you'll do fine..good luck

 

[Wake2Wake7]

2 schools that I can think of off the top of my head to check out are Albany Med and Miami.

Find a copy of the MSAR (search google or amazon) and look up the combined BS/MD programs (there's a whole section on it).

Good luck!

 

[potato51]

sorry, double post

 

[potato51]

Rice University/Baylor College of Medicine in Houston has a program, but it's highly selective for Texans. I believe only 2 of 15 accepted students in 2004 were non-Texans.

Albany Medical College has up to 50(?) slots in its entering class reserved per year for students of guaranteed admissions programs such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Siena College.

 

[Charles Murphy]

Hey thanks guys for the information. I applied to quite a few this year for several reasons:

1) Competition to get into med school the regular route is insane!
2) I am interested, like contulusa, in studying something I LIKE, not something that will impress med school adcoms.
3) I wanted to avoid the MCAT if possible...mainly because I hear how difficult it is and how stressed out regular pre-meds are. My brother tried to get into med school, but now is reapplying after taking a year off. That was something I wanted to avoid.

I applied to the Rice/Baylor prog too, and heard its not based on quotas for instate students. Its around 50 percent Texans, 50 percent OOS. Def. a competitive program to get into though. And yes I am Indian as well haha...95 percent of ppl who apply are. Contulusa, if you have some time I'd love to ask you some questions about med school and interviews privately. PM me when you get a chance. (I'll give you my IM screenname.) Thanks!

 

[badlydrawnvik]

i was in the lehigh/drexel program, but dropped it to apply to other medical schools. the experience i had interviewing for the BA/MD was very different from interviewing directly for medical school. when you're in high school they really just want to make sure you're mature and know what you're getting into while medical school interviews are much more in-depth and difficult, in my opinion. just be honest and speak well and i think you will be fine.

 

[Depakote]

I joined a 6 year BA/MD program in 2000.

It was terrible.

The program cut far too many pre-medical requisites to accellerate the curriculum. Also, some of the classes were abreviated (orgo 1 and 2 in one semester, and a similar biochem experience). Finally, they experimented with the curriculum about a year after I got there in order to fight low USMLE scores. The only good point was the fact that we got to start seeing patients in the first week.

The program was so lacking in the first 2 years, I had such a poor base in the basic sciences I knew I wouldn't make it in the remaining 4.

I left, got a post-baccalaureate pre-med certificate and now I'm applying in my second round b/c I had so few interviews last year (previous matriculation, August MCAT). I do think I have fair chances this year, but still, I would have been in med school by now if I hadn't done the BA/MD program.

Just keep this in mind if you're looking at any sort of accellerated program.

 

[DrBowtie]

Hey thanks guys for the information. I applied to quite a few this year for several reasons:

1) Competition to get into med school the regular route is insane!
2) I am interested, like contulusa, in studying something I LIKE, not something that will impress med school adcoms.
3) I wanted to avoid the MCAT if possible...mainly because I hear how difficult it is and how stressed out regular pre-meds are. My brother tried to get into med school, but now is reapplying after taking a year off. That was something I wanted to avoid.

1) I would venture to say it is harder to get into a combined program than it is to get in the regular route.
2) You can study what you want, Diversity is appreciated.
3) MCAT is an obstacle and a right of passage.

 

[badlydrawnvik]

1) I would venture to say it is harder to get into a combined program than it is to get in the regular route.
2) You can study what you want, Diversity is appreciated.
3) MCAT is an obstacle and a right of passage.

true statements. taking the mcat and doing well because you worked hard and had to makes you feel alot more involved in the process and more like you really earned your place.

 

[Charles Murphy]

I agree with both of you when you said that the MCAT is a rite of passage and something that is good for people to work hard at. Yet, if I can, I would like to avoid HAVING to take it. If I was accepted to a program, I could always take the test later on and see how I do on it (after having prepared of course!). I'm sure there is no shortage of tests or standardized tests to take on the route towards becoming a doctor. What's one less test? I mean, after the MCAT there are those USMLEs, then the Boards. I don't think students in the programs lose out by not having to take it mainly because the majority are so good at taking tests/really smart that they would have aced the MCATs or done really well on them.

I think I know the 6 year prog you are referring to, Depakote (UMKC?) and have heard mixed reviews about it. I didn't apply but yeah thanks for the information.
To all, thank you for your insights. It will no doubt be helpful this year. If anyone has anything else, please let me know! Thank you.

 

[bon_vivant]

I actually applied to a bunch of BA/MD programs, got into two of them, and turned them both down to go to a liberal arts school (I'm in the process of applying to med school as a traditional applicant right now). Although I realize that having a guarenteed seat in med school is nice, I just didnt like the programs themselves.
- I knew from the beginning that I wanted to major in a field in the humanities, so the concept of the compressed, prereq-only curriculum of the six year programs bothered me. Even though one of the programs I got into was a 7-8 year deal where you got to major in whatever you wanted...the school's program in my field of interest was crap.
- For most programs, youre still required to take the MCAT, and get a particular threshold score in order to matriculate to the med school. At many schools, that minimum score is very comprable to what traditional applicants to that school are applying with anyways.
- A lot of these programs are rather notorious for producing med students who routinely finish towards the bottom of their class.
- Plus, if youre capable of getting in to one of these programs out of high school, chances are you'll make competitive applicant out of college too, assuming your work ethic doesnt totally collapse during undergrad.
Ultimately, it really comes down to whether you think such a program would be right for you. I know some people who are totally happy with their experiences in these programs...and some people who absolutely hated them and urged me to go elsewhere.

Just out of curiosity, which programs are you applying to?

 

[gostudy]

Hey

I am a high school senior interested in medicine. I found out about certain programs which basically allow students to get accepted to med school early. Most programs require some cumulative GPA to be kept and/or an MCAT score to be achieved. Their purpose is to allow students to explore interests/passions/classes they may not have taken had they gone the regular route since they'd have been focused on getting the best grades (after all, isn't that what pre-meds are known for? )

In any case, these programs are EXTREMELY competitive. Even more competitive than getting into the Ivies. Somehow, I got lucky and was recently offered interviews at two schools I applied to: University of Pittsburgh and Michigan State University. These schools offer acceptance to their respective med schools: U Pitt SOM and MSU CHM. Basically, I am really new to interviews, obviously, since I am still in HS. I just wanted to know if I could get some advice/tips/anything I can do to prepare for interviews?

Also, mentioning any questions interviewers typically ask would be very helpful as well. I really appreciate any help you guys can give me! I hope my strong motivation and passion for medicine can help me become the physician I have dreamed of becoming. Thank you.

CHAHLAAY MURFAAAY!!!

DAHKNESS EVERYBODY DAHKNESS!!!

 

[Charles Murphy]

Lol. Nice picture, gostudy...and for recognizing my handle.

I actually applied to a bunch of BA/MD programs, got into two of them, and turned them both down to go to a liberal arts school (I'm in the process of applying to med school as a traditional applicant right now). Although I realize that having a guarenteed seat in med school is nice, I just didnt like the programs themselves.
- I knew from the beginning that I wanted to major in a field in the humanities, so the concept of the compressed, prereq-only curriculum of the six year programs bothered me. Even though one of the programs I got into was a 7-8 year deal where you got to major in whatever you wanted...the school's program in my field of interest was crap.
- For most programs, youre still required to take the MCAT, and get a particular threshold score in order to matriculate to the med school. At many schools, that minimum score is very comprable to what traditional applicants to that school are applying with anyways.
- A lot of these programs are rather notorious for producing med students who routinely finish towards the bottom of their class.
- Plus, if youre capable of getting in to one of these programs out of high school, chances are you'll make competitive applicant out of college too, assuming your work ethic doesnt totally collapse during undergrad.
Ultimately, it really comes down to whether you think such a program would be right for you. I know some people who are totally happy with their experiences in these programs...and some people who absolutely hated them and urged me to go elsewhere.

Just out of curiosity, which programs are you applying to?

I agree with a lot of what you say, but I think you're referring to those 6 year programs which aren't good. There are some very good programs with a long track record of producing GREAT doctors who graduate near the top. Places like NEOUCOM or UMKC aren't the best, IMHO, cuz they condense your college years into 2 years. That isn't good for future med students to prepare.

The schools I am applying to are difficult to get into but are some of the best in the nation. They include Northwestern HPME, Rice/Baylor, U Rochester REMS, and UPitt Guaranteed Admissions. Those schools are all in the top 30 for med school research wise. I agree though when you said a program's affiliate school may not be strong in the area of your interest. By all means, take the traditional route and go where you'll be happiest. However, the schools I chose are strong in my area of interest. I think traditional students don't have a really strong/clear impression of these programs. They are fantastic if you know you want to do medicine early on. There are some schools to avoid/programs to avoid, but I think the majority are quite good.

 

[Jaykms]

Combined programs are great because you know you've got a spot in the medical college. You don't have to worry about ECs, interviews, etc after you get into the program.