Medical schools with early assurance

MtL07 · 02-12-2008, 09:15 PM

Hey guys,

I'm a freshman at Davidson, and I am potentially interested in trying for an early assurance acceptance to a medical school (although I do understand that this would be a couple years down the road and I need to have certain GPA requirements, etc).

I was wondering if we could compile a list of med schools with this program, and maybe the basic requirements for them (although I believe the requirements are very similar). I did some quick searches for such a list but didn't find one - if there is such a list just point me to it.

umardarr · 02-13-2008, 11:35 AM

I don't know of others but the one I got accepted to is:

MedStart At the University of Toledo College of Medicine.

The University of Toledo : MEDStart

Here's the link to the site. It's nice cause you get exempt from taking the MCAT

sciencenerd · 02-13-2008, 12:33 PM

Can you explain about these?

ginnyvere · 02-13-2008, 02:53 PM

Wake Forest Medical School has one:

Wake Forest Early Assurance

Early Assurance programs are medical school programs to which you can apply in (usually) your junior year of college, often without taking the MCAT. They're binding, but you know that you're accepted over a year early.

MtL07 · 02-13-2008, 05:09 PM

Yeah, I knew Wake had one because some students who had recently graduated from Davidson and are now at Wake's MS came for a Q&A and one of them had been accepted through early assurance. (this is what sparked my interest)

But yeah, you usually need around a 3.5 and you apply after sophomore year/ during junior year... so basically you don't have to take the MCAT and have the relief of knowing you're going to med school a year+ early. I'll post schools that I find with this type of program as I keep looking around.

Thanks to the people who have replied.

shades_children · 02-13-2008, 05:16 PM

Mount Sinai has an early acceptance program, but only for humanities majors: Mount Sinai - Humanities and Medicine Early Acceptance Program

curmudgeon · 02-13-2008, 11:29 PM

How many of these open, or in Mt. Sinai's case semi-open, Early Assurance Programs are there? I know there are many "closed" programs , IOW programs only open to undergraduates at selected schools . My D's school has a brand new one this year with GWU. But open to everybody? I didn't know there were more than one or two.

friedrice · 02-14-2008, 12:22 AM

How competitive are these programs? I'll assume they are slightly harder to get into than normal admissions, right?

umardarr · 02-14-2008, 09:50 AM

Usually yes they are a bit more difficult because A) They're only basing you on college grades and SAT/ACT scores B) They are allowing you to skip one of the most important tests for any premedical student as well as allow you to easy up for the last 1.5 years of college.

Also not that many students apply, and out of those that did apply the standards are like so much higher than usual rounds. Like if you have a 3.4 for example you probably won't get in, but with the regular round you definitely have a shot at w/e med school

They need to be absolutely sure you are the candidate they want and are willing to give this opportunity to....especially this early in the process

bluedevilmike · 02-14-2008, 12:22 PM

Again, you have to remember the purpose of these programs. They're bait. They're trying to draw you to a school you wouldn't otherwise be interested in. So they're looking for students who are "overqualified" for their medical school.

So yes, admissions is harder. It has to be. That's the whole point.

shades_children · 02-14-2008, 12:34 PM

Quote:

How competitive are these programs? I'll assume they are slightly harder to get into than normal admissions, right?

I actually suspect it might be slightly easier to get into Sinai through the HuMed program than through regular admissions, but I don't have any statistics to back me up.

Quote:

Again, you have to remember the purpose of these programs. They're bait. They're trying to draw you to a school you wouldn't otherwise be interested in. So they're looking for students who are "overqualified" for their medical school.

Sinai is trying to draw humanities majors to the school, not more "overqualified" science majors. Your statement has a point, but I don't thnk they apply to Sinai's program, specifically.

gd016 · 02-14-2008, 03:58 PM

^ Bait? Solid school like Sinai, ranked 20th by the NIH, already gets plenty of overqualified students, I'm sure, no?

I imagine it's more a Sinai version of Northwestern's HPME or Brown's PLME compensating for not having an own undergrad pool to select from.

norcalguy · 02-14-2008, 04:19 PM

Which is why I don't understand the point of Feinberg or WashU or Mt. Sinai having these advanced acceptance programs. They are already highly selective (3.8, 35 medians) so there's no reason to bait overqualified students. Mt. Sinai as shades noted, seems to have a different mission from the rest since it's actively recruiting humanities majors.

bluedevilmike · 02-14-2008, 04:40 PM

Again, Sinai's program is looking specifically for Humanities majors, which are extremely scarce.

Feinberg and WUSTL have programs meant to bait kids into going there for undergrad, not for the medical school.

norcalguy · 02-14-2008, 04:59 PM

First of all, it should be noted that WashU and Northwestern already have selective undergrads, just a notch below Harvard or Princeton.

Secondly, I would argue (and this is where you and I disagree) that most of these 4.0 HS GPA, 2300 SAT score kids won't become Feinberg/WashU med school quality med school applicants. So, why compromise a high percentage of your medical school spots (in the case of Feinberg, we're talking 40 seats out of 170) only to enhance your undergrad by a small percentage?