RPI-Albany Medical College 7-Year BS/MD Program vs Rice Pre-Med (High School Senior)

[dazzlingcomet]

Super tough situation. Both cost the same, affordable as well. Please consider that I am from Portland, OR on the West Coast.

The RPI/Albany Med program is 7-years (3 years undergrad, 4 years medical school) and has no MCAT requirement + 3.5 minimum GPA during undergrad. Albany Med is a good medical school but not outstanding in research output, ranking, reputation, etc. The program, however, is a guarantee medical school admission. Albany Med also has good match placement results.

Rice, on the other hand, is an incredibly strong pre-med program and will help me get a shot at top medical schools (UT Southwestern, Baylor, and Ivies/Hopkins, etc.). However, there will be a grind and I might need to take a gap year (personally don't want to).

I'm not sure if medical school prestige matters in the long run - I'm sure it has an impact regardless. What do you recommend for me regarding which program to choose? I'm confident I want to pursue medicine but I know the social life/college experience at RPI/AMC won't be as amazing as Rice. However, it is what I make of it - I am willing to put in what it takes to make my experience worthy. Thank you!

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[tyke on a bike]

I would take the no-MCAT USMD acceptance and run. Reading what you've written, there are a lot of positives to do so:

1. not only do you avoid any potential for a gap year (which is becoming very common nowadays), you also get an MD in 7 years versus the traditional 8.
2. There's no MCAT requirement. The MCAT is a major barrier for applying and even with 95th+ percentile you're not guaranteed admission. You will avoid all the immense stress that comes with preparing for that mammoth.
3. As you've gotten into a BS/MD program I can predict you'll perform well in undergrad, so the 3.5 gpa requirement will be doable
4. Albany's match list is good, with many students getting into competitive specialties. I wouldn't try to read to much into it.
5. You'll be a part of a close-knit group and I'm sure that you'll be supported well by faculty as the program is quite established.
6. It looks like the program is geared to becoming a 'physician-scientist' where they promote medical research

You will avoid a lot of stress and toxicity that accompanies the life of a premed. Although I am sure Rice's premed track is decent, nothing there is guaranteed. You'll have to work tirelessly to get good grades in class, retain the info in preparation for taking months to study for the MCAT (and if you don't you'll have to re-study), perhaps need to retake the MCAT, all while doing clinical, volunteering, and research activities. You'll need to write good application essays and get excellent letters of recommendation. You can do all that exceptionally well and still not get in. So you'll take a gap year. Maybe another. Not saying there's anything wrong with doing so, but if you could avoid it, why wouldn't you? There's a reason why med school applicants generally apply to 20+ schools because they are trying to get accepted anywhere.

Bonus: Because research output carries onto residency applications, you can focus a lot of your undergrad on getting publications (while traditional premeds at Rice would juggle clinical, volunteering, research, high GPA, MCAT prep). Research output can help you a lot with competitive residency programs.

 

[ClashRoyaleKing]

Take the MD acceptance! However, I am curious whether these tracks do not require clinical experience, shadowing, or nonclinical volunteering? I feel like valuable information can be learned through these avenues.

 

[xUnrevealed]

I'm less inclined to simply take the BS/MD and run. For one, do you want to go back to Portland? Going to Rice increases your chances of getting into OHSU or matching in the PNW vs. Albany Med. Albany Med also probably has good match results, but probably in the Northeast - is that what you want? Second, on what grounds are you positive that you don't want to take a gap year? I, for one, felt the same way, but now appreciate that I did take two gap years (although this is for MD-PhD). Third, while the guaranteed MD acceptance is great, do you feel like you might feel regret regarding "what could have been?" What if you take an engineering course at Rice and it turns out that you like it? Med student switch speciality interests all the time, so it's not unreasonable to suggest that your interests might as well, and Rice provides that flexibility to make a more informed decision. Lastly, are you okay not getting into a more "prestigious" med school? While MCAT, grades, etc., are the more important factors, prestige of the undergrad can be a "make or break" factor under certain situations.

Overall, I think the BS/MD route is great and provides you a sense of security and confidence (which is important), but I also think the choice needs to be slightly more informed. I don't mean to be a hater here; a BS/MD is a great opportunity, and if you feel reasonably confident about that choice, I'd take it.

 

[ll275]

Take the USMD acceptance!! You will see throughout your undergrad years how much of a win for you it’ll be to not have to stress about clinical hours, shadowing, research, GPA, LOR, and MCAT!! Most of all, the biggest win will be not having to “compete” among other neurotic pre-meds (look at /premed reddit if you want a taste). Congratulations!