Which BS/DO program do I choose and why? PLEASE HELP!

Discover Your Odds of Getting into Medical School
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
F

FuturePharm21

Full Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2007
Messages
955
Reaction score
2
Which BS/DO program do I choose?

HI all, i am a senior who applied to BS/MD and BS/DO programs. I got rejected to all BS/MD programs, some I had an interview, but did not get accepted because there's like 5-10 seats. I got accepted to following BS/DO programs and need help deciding...

I applied to 7 year BS/DO programs in order to avoid the medical school admission process. These programs reserve a seat in the medical school for high school students as long as the maintain a certain college undergrad. GPA and get a specific minimum MCAT score. (If you knew about the program, sorry for all that, but some people don't know about these programs since I think they are relatively new.)

1) These are the programs I have been accepted to and which do you think I should go to and why?

**The main question is what should I consider in choosing one of these programs- tuition, location or difficulty like MCAT score-is what I am worried about, or reputation of DO school

Gannon University in Erie, PA agreement with PCOM in Philadelphia, PA
Requirements: 21 MCAT score overall, 7 in subsections and 3.2 overall GPA-
must get grades of A-C

Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, FL agreement with NSU-COM in same place
Requirements: 24 MCAT score overall, 8 in subsections and 3.3 overall GPA-
must get grades of A-C+

Utica College in New York with agreement with LECOM in Erie, PA or UNECOM in Maine
Requirements: 20 MCAT score overall, 3.0-3.2 overall GPA

NYIT in agreement with NYCOM
Requirements: 26 MCAT score overall, 3.3-3.5 overall GPA

THE NYIT Program I'm probably not going to because I have heard bad things about it including difficult coursework, bad professors, and hard requirements, I hear they take 70 applicants, but many drop out or get asked to change programs.

The Utica one I don't like because the schools arent that good, but I AM TRYING TO PICK BETWEEN GANNON AND NOVA....

(2 words hit my mind: dreary erie, anyone care to elaborate or is this false crap found online, but PCOM is reputable, and Nova is just, u know, beautiful...)

Most of the costs of the school end up being the same if I calculate scholarships, so please talk about other stuff to make me A CONFUSED SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL- DECIDE LOL!!!

Thanks so much,
FutureDr08
(Ignore the FuturePharm21, it's my brother)
Members don't see this ad.
 
None of them.

Go to college, work your *** off, and see where you are.

Don't lock yourself into one place, because trust me, as a senior in high school you have no idea where you want to go. As a senior in college I still wasn't sure and had some tough decisions.

Don't pigeon-hole yourself, it seems like you are on top of your game enough to get into medical school in a few years, and you may regret being stuck in one place when you really could have gone somewhere else.
 
Yeah, what's the deal, are your parents nickel & diming your education? This is a ridiculous decision that you shouldn't have to make.

If you were in my family we'd all be BEGGING you not to do this kind of program. Even if you're dead set on being a doctor, this program means you have to be dead set on one particular med school. Horrible plan.

Ideally you'd go become a mature, experienced adult before you think about entering medical school. Your parents' money is in the way of this happening.

I never listened to anybody when I was ~18, but best of luck to you anyway.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I think you are better off going to college, majoring in something non-science, and getting into a post-bacc with a consort program. Then you can accomplish your goal of avoiding the general application procees, but still have some flexibility. You have no idea what you priorities will be in 4 years. You might regret the going to the medical school that you thought was so fantastic.
 
ok first of all, this is not my parent's decision at all, this is my decision

second of all, I understand how many people say that you go to college and do the traditional way, BUT HOWEVER I DISAGREE FOR SEVERAL REASONS

A) I have career shadowed DO's multiple times for the last 2 years.
B) I visited Midwestern CCOM on a field trip.
C) Why should I take a risk and be apply to medical school and be one of the millions rejected???
D) My grades/ACT were borderline for these programs, the only way I got in was I had good interviews

Okay, so I appreciate advice regarding the programs, and am sorry if I offended someone who goes to a school, but everyone is biased and I kind of have my heart set on a 7 year program..

Please no more mean comments, but comments that will help, what has happened to this world?
 
WTF is wrong with everyone in this forum lately. I'm glad it wasn't like this when I was a premed.

If this individual knows they want to be a physician, so be it. Who the **** are you guys to tell this person what to do?

PCOM vs. NSU would easily be PCOM for me. Better rep, better rotations, better medical city, period.

PCOM has to be good. It's survived over a hundred years in a city with four powerhouse medical schools as competition.

With reference to the joint programs, I'd make the decision based upon the connected med school rather than the university you'll be attending, and I would discourage you to not do the program and to consider doing the traditional route if you have any reservations whatsoever. I would not take back my Penn State years for ANYTHING.
 
For real, why wouldn't anyone choose a combined BS/DO or MD program? Especially when there is so much competition for med schools. Why in the world would you not take advantage of such a program when you can go directly and save A LOT of stress which is one of the main reasons people do it. College is overated anyway, lots of bs classes to take and money poorly spent on classes that have zero interest to you.

I say either PCOM or NYCOM...but NYCOM because of the location, living in NY would be awesome!
 
MaximusD said:
If this individual knows they want to be a physician, so be it. Who the **** are you guys to tell this person what to do?

PCOM vs. NSU would easily be PCOM for me. Better rep, better rotations, better medical city, period.

With reference to the joint programs, I'd make the decision based upon the connected med school rather than the university you'll be attending, and I would discourage you to not do the program and to consider doing the traditional route if you have any reservations whatsoever. I would not take back my Penn State years for ANYTHING.
Click to expand...

They asked for opinions, that's who I am to tell them what to do. The op does seem to know they want to be a physician, so it doesn't seem to me like getting into med school in four years would be such a stretch. I didn't get a "I don't know what I want to do, maybe DO is for me" vibe, so I didn't think being forced to go to one school over another was a great option.

Since the op seems set on doing this, I agree with you for the rest. PCOM has a great reputation, and when you apply to residencies where you went to med school will matter a lot more than were you went to undergrad (although neither accounts for a whole lot in residency placement).
 
First, the idea of a consort post-bacc program after college serves alot of the same purposes as a BA/DO, so don't completely disregard that as a crappy idea.

If you are set on the combined program, where do you want to live? What kind of doc you think you might want to be? Do you want a school with a set rotation site, or a place with more 4th year flexibiity? Do any of the schools have affiliations with residency programs you're interested in? Which school seemed to have the best environment for you? Does certain weather affect you greatly?These are important questions.
 
I read someone here recommended this kid to do a post-bac...

Why waste a good 20k-40k in possible loans?

Education ain't cheap ya know (unless mommy and daddy like to use toilet paper dollars)
 
crazy4clana said:
For real, why wouldn't anyone choose a combined BS/DO or MD program? Especially when there is so much competition for med schools. Why in the world would you not take advantage of such a program when you can go directly and save A LOT of stress which is one of the main reasons people do it. College is overated anyway, lots of bs classes to take and money poorly spent on classes that have zero interest to you.

I say either PCOM or NYCOM...but NYCOM because of the location, living in NY would be awesome!
Click to expand...

Awesomely expensive :laugh:
 
If you are absolutely sure, go with the one that will be the cheapest as well as the lowest minimum requirements. Because afterall, the point of getting a sure spot is to not deal with stress in your BS portion of the studies. If you still have to maintain a 3.5 and must get a 26, then it's just not a guaranteed program because you would get in with those stats anyways. This doesn't necessarily means that you don't put genuine effort in your studies but so you could have low stress through your undergrad, some thing you have mentioned in your post.
 
okay to clear up a few things:

*I'm 90% sure I'm doing a BS/DO program, because the colleges allow students to change their mind and do something else if I dont like it and I ca apply to other medical schools too, and why not because I will go there knowing I have a reserved seat

**tuition-wise all the schools will equal out due to scholarships and loans, i've done the calculating, except PCOM is slightly more expensive... but it doesn't matter if I count travel costs (I live in Chicago)

***I'm worried about the MCAT requirement...I want to go Nova, it's like paradise for 7 years, BUT PCOM is highly-reputable but Gannon is a Catholic university, which I dont mind, but I've heard it's in "Dreary Erie", which might be entire false, because I read it online...But then Gannon only requires a 21 MCAT compared to Nova's 24 MCAT, and I'm nervous about that...(I got a 27 ACT working my butt off...which is why I don't want to do the traditional stressful route, another reason to say the least, but I do know college will be challenging)

****I'm most likely visiting the schools to decide,

but your input, advice, suggestions are strongly appreciated,

thanks so much!
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Catholic Universities are fine, I go to one and am not Catholic. They are good about holistic teaching and catering to well-rounded students.
 
FuturePharm21 said:
But then Gannon only requires a 21 MCAT compared to Nova's 24 MCAT, and I'm nervous about that...
Click to expand...

I don't mean to be disrespectful, but if you don't think you can pull a 24 on the MCAT (which last I heard was the national average) then start looking for another hobby.
 
If you would think you'd be happiest at Nova and that it would be paradise for you to go there then go to Nova. Don't sweat the MCAT 24 too much. I guess you must be a decent standardized test taker if your SAT was good enough to get you into a combined program, and if you combine this test-taking ability with studying hard for your MCAT I am sure you will pull it off. So if you love Nova go for it.

My 2 cents 🙂
 
FuturePharm21 said:
But then Gannon only requires a 21 MCAT compared to Nova's 24 MCAT, and I'm nervous about that...(I got a 27 ACT working my butt off...which is why I don't want to do the traditional stressful route, another reason to say the least, but I do know college will be challenging)
Click to expand...

The text I highlighted should not factor into your decision. If you were able to get a 27 on the ACT, then you'll do fine on the MCAT. Also, if you're strong in verbal, I suspect you would score 24+ if you took the MCAT tomorrow. Point? Go where you want to go; don't worry about not meeting said requirements. You'll meet them. It sounds like you want to go to Nova, so that's where I'd go if I were you. GL 👍
 
FuturePharm21 said:
Which BS/DO program do I choose?


Utica College in New York with agreement with LECOM in Erie, PA or UNECOM in Maine
Requirements: 20 MCAT score overall, 3.0-3.2 overall GPA


The Utica one I don't like because the schools arent that good, but I AM TRYING TO PICK BETWEEN GANNON AND NOVA....
Click to expand...

since when are they bad schools? Have you actually looked at match lists and spoken with students/residents/doctors from these schools?
 
FuturePharm21 said:
okay to clear up a few things:

*I'm 90% sure I'm doing a BS/DO program, because the colleges allow students to change their mind and do something else if I dont like it and I ca apply to other medical schools too, and why not because I will go there knowing I have a reserved seat
Click to expand...

Just do it! What kind of Dr. do you want to be? NSU requires more rural medicine type things than the other schools you have down.. if you go to Utica would you be able to go to LECOM in Bradenton if you wish, since you commented on Floridas beauty? besides, Im going to LECOM Bradenton.. lol.
 
first of all I only said Utica's programs are weaker because that's what I read online, so sorry if anyone goes there, then you can give me honest information, I'm not visiting schools until end of March, my Spring break, so I am truly sorry if I offended anyone because those schools might be great and I don't know it

The Utica/LECOM program refers to the campus in Erie, not Bradenton, lol I wish, but I would assume both schools are same except location wise

I am still undecided between NOVA/PCOM, if anyone knows where I can find residency/match placement info, please provide a link, because all I find is MCAT averages, which is good info, but I need the residency info to decide...because I know some schools have like 87% average of people getting top 3 matches (it's a med school in my home state), while I Know that is rather high, I want to know about PCOM/NOVA, please help if you can

as always thanks and your input is greatly appreciated
 
Did you apply to any other colleges besides the ones you mentioned?

My opinion is that BS/DO programs aren't worth it, especially if you can get into a more prestigious college for your bachelor's degree. The major hurdle is the MCAT, and if you weren't sleeping through college and are a decent test-taker, you should do well. The national average on the MCAT is 24--the fact that one of the combined programs you listed let people into the osteopathic school with an MCAT of 20 (!!) is something I find scary for the profession. It also speaks volumes about the quality of education, and the students, at the undergraduate program.

I've said this before in previous posts on this subject, and I'll say it again: College should be about getting a quality education and not just a stepping-stone to medical school. If you have a decent undergraduate GPA and better than average MCAT scores, you'll have a great shot at most DO programs.

You also mentioned that you definitely want to be a DO. To be blunt, if you're just coming out of high school, I think you aren't at a stage in your life where you can make a decision like that. But, if you're convinced by the 3rd year of college, then more power to you.

Good luck to you. 👍
 
FuturePharm21 said:
Which BS/DO program do I choose?

HI all, i am a senior who applied to BS/MD and BS/DO programs. I got rejected to all BS/MD programs, some I had an interview, but did not get accepted because there's like 5-10 seats. I got accepted to following BS/DO programs and need help deciding...

I applied to 7 year BS/DO programs in order to avoid the medical school admission process. These programs reserve a seat in the medical school for high school students as long as the maintain a certain college undergrad. GPA and get a specific minimum MCAT score. (If you knew about the program, sorry for all that, but some people don't know about these programs since I think they are relatively new.)

1) These are the programs I have been accepted to and which do you think I should go to and why?

**The main question is what should I consider in choosing one of these programs- tuition, location or difficulty like MCAT score-is what I am worried about, or reputation of DO school

Gannon University in Erie, PA agreement with PCOM in Philadelphia, PA
Requirements: 21 MCAT score overall, 7 in subsections and 3.2 overall GPA-
must get grades of A-C

Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, FL agreement with NSU-COM in same place
Requirements: 24 MCAT score overall, 8 in subsections and 3.3 overall GPA-
must get grades of A-C+

Utica College in New York with agreement with LECOM in Erie, PA or UNECOM in Maine
Requirements: 20 MCAT score overall, 3.0-3.2 overall GPA

NYIT in agreement with NYCOM
Requirements: 26 MCAT score overall, 3.3-3.5 overall GPA

THE NYIT Program I'm probably not going to because I have heard bad things about it including difficult coursework, bad professors, and hard requirements, I hear they take 70 applicants, but many drop out or get asked to change programs.

The Utica one I don't like because the schools arent that good, but I AM TRYING TO PICK BETWEEN GANNON AND NOVA....

(2 words hit my mind: dreary erie, anyone care to elaborate or is this false crap found online, but PCOM is reputable, and Nova is just, u know, beautiful...)

Most of the costs of the school end up being the same if I calculate scholarships, so please talk about other stuff to make me A CONFUSED SENIOR IN HIGH SCHOOL- DECIDE LOL!!!

Thanks so much,
FutureDr08
(Ignore the FuturePharm21, it's my brother)
Click to expand...


I was in one..and i had my regrets. Coming off high school you sort of think you have it all figured out but trust me its better to keep all options open. If it helps you..i felt like these programs are there to brainwash you. The biggest advantage i had over non bs/do students was that i had the opportunity to shadow doctors, i had lectures by doctors, and i even took part of a didactic session. Eventually it really built my resume but you could do all of that yourself and can ask your school to let you sit in on the lectures..they will let you do it! Enjoy college and do your best..by the time you are ready to graduate so many opportunities will come striking your door. Also don't rush the medical school process..its not how fast you get there, its how prepared you are when you get there!! Medicine is a 24/7 job.
 
I'm excited for next fall 2008, it's gonna be an adventure in Ft. Lauderdale, FLORIDA!! yay all I'm hoping for is there's not that many brutal hurricanes in the next 7 years, fingers crossed

I am visiting the breathtaking campus this July!


thanks to all that helped me decide, although I feel kinda bad not choosing Gannon/PCOM-PCOM IS SO GOOD, but NOVA-is where I think I will have more fun and be more happy, i mean come on Dreary Erie?
 
Seriously. I was accepted to Erie and Bradenton campuses of LECOM and I was like.. ok. Erie is WAY closer.. but there is NO WAY I want to live a winter there.. Chicago is bad enough.
 
yeah especially this winter Chicago had 50 inches of snow, next year will be paradise, the weather will be great, hopefully, there wont be many hurricanes/trop storms...
 
Colbert said:
None of them.

Go to college, work your *** off, and see where you are.

Don't lock yourself into one place, because trust me, as a senior in high school you have no idea where you want to go. As a senior in college I still wasn't sure and had some tough decisions.

Don't pigeon-hole yourself, it seems like you are on top of your game enough to get into medical school in a few years, and you may regret being stuck in one place when you really could have gone somewhere else.
Click to expand...

quoted for truth
 
thats just bad advice, I have talked to many premed students and they all say that doing a direct program that is pretty flexible (can apply out and study whatever) with requirements is a better bet that taking a risky chance and not doing a program because then if your GPA/MCAT is low, you are screwed

some people tend to give bad advice and steer people the wrong way...
 
FuturePharm21 said:
thats just bad advice, I have talked to many premed students and they all say that doing a direct program that is pretty flexible (can apply out and study whatever) with requirements is a better bet that taking a risky chance and not doing a program because then if your GPA/MCAT is low, you are screwed

some people tend to give bad advice and steer people the wrong way...
Click to expand...

FuturePharm21, I've noticed a common annoying aspect about most of your posts here. You ask for advice, get that advice (often from people much farther along in their careers than you) and then choose to not accept it because it doesn't match your worldview.

In other words, you aren't really looking for advice, you're looking for affirmation. You've clearly made your decision- you'd rather trade the chance to study at a more highly-regarded academic institution in a non-combined program for the security of a combined program at a lesser school. It's not necessarily the wrong choice, but there are valid reasons one could decide against it. If you aren't prepared to accept that, you should stop posting requests for "advice" and just admit you're insecure and looking for a pat on the back.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

P
DO influences HELP
Replies
5
Views
905
Goro
Goro
L
DO schools that don't mind online/CC classes? Please help
Replies
2
Views
886
Nontrad_FL_LGBT
N
W
WAMC and should I consider DO?
Replies
18
Views
3K
Mr.Smile12
Mr.Smile12
premed1234543212
DO Application Timeline
Replies
4
Views
428
DrFutureDO
DrFutureDO
boredbanana
The why DO question
Replies
1
Views
1K
ablanco
ablanco
Top