#ba md

[deepestcollectiontalesss]

[mindofamedstudent]

Hi! I'm a high school senior going into a 7-year BS/MD program and I was just wondering if you felt that you were at a disadvantage at any point in med school compared to people that went through the traditional route. Thanks!

Hey. First of all, congrats!! :)

To answer your question, not really. Obviously there are advantages and disadvantages to both. Getting a bachelors degree first gives you the chance to get exposed to some of the harder sciences before being bombarded with all the new subjects in med school. That’s mostly it. When I do feel at a disadvantage, it has more to do with my professors than the program itself.

[wayfaringmd]

Combined BA/BS + MD programs

Hey! So I have some questions about accelerated/combined BA/MD programs. Basically, I’m worried that I would go to the undergrad school (which I don’t really like) and then they wouldn’t accept me into the medical school, so is it even worth applying to the program? Also, planning way ahead, if I were to go to a combined program, is it looked down upon by residency programs that I’d have had all of my education at the same place? Do you know any people who did combined programs? (edited for length) k-m-a-r-i-e

These programs don't make much sense to me. They require you to maintain >3.6 GPA, get a 30+ on the MCAT, volunteer, shadow, and do research, i.e., all the things every other pre-med is trying to do. The thing is, if you do all this, regardless of an accelerated program, you're bound to get into medical school somewhere.

The benefit of these combined programs is that as a pre-med, you know all your stressing and hard work will pay off. You're not gambling, as every other pre-med is. And of course, if you meet all the requirements, you're guaranteed a spot at your top choice school. It's basically the same thing as doing Early Decision applications, which is what I did.

But then there's the scary question: what if your stats don't measure up? In that case, many schools with programs like these just roll you over into the general applicant pool, same as early decision folks who don't get in on the first round. Your guaranteed spot is taken away, but you're still in the running. 

I do know 2 people who got in to a program like this. One realized after her sophomore year that science was not for her (as her science GPA was declining rapidly), and dropped the program in the same way that 90% of people who start out pre-med drop it. Nothing lost, nothing gained.

The other made it through and is now a first year med student. She would have gotten into medical school anyway, regardless of being in the program, because she was a top 2% type student. 

So where does that leave you if you're a student like I was, whose stats may not have been quite good enough for a program like that, but who still made it? It's worth a shot, but it may be less stressful to just gamble like everyone else does. 

As k-m-a-r-i-e pointed out, it kind of hinges on whether you want to go to the same school for 8 years or not. If you don't like the undergrad, I wouldn't waste 4 years there. You'd be better off at a school that you like that has a respectable science program, because you're more likely to do well if you enjoy the place you're in. And if you don't like the undergrad, you probably won't like the medical school either.

Also, you WILL change your mind at some point, even if you say you won't. I was determined to stay the course and not change anything, but I did. I started out undergrad saying there was no way I'd stay another 4 years and go to med school at my school. But I changed my mind (and my major), and I'm glad I did. 

And finally, no, it's not looked down upon by residencies to go to the same place for undergrad and med school. It may help you if you apply to residency programs in the area, because they know you're sort of committed to the area. But it won't hurt you if you apply far away either. It didn't hurt me.