<p>Nice profile bombingrange. Not many can make it to the ambulance corps, let alone move up.</p>
<p>I find EMS to be very rewarding, and I am really excited to get cleared as an EMT. Why do you say that?</p>
<p>Wait is WashU the one that requires the 36/3.6 cGPA?</p>
<p>Yep, and not only did I not get an interview or any scholarshps, but I got waitlisted there. They played games with their acceptance rate this year.</p>
<p>That’s insane. You are an exceptional student, especially with your 35 on the ACT and your resume. Your 35 on the ACT would place you in the top 25% of scorers in last year’s batch and your EC’s and all are stellar. Seems like their applicant pool was very good this year.</p>
<p>@Bombingrange congrats. Great stats and SUNY Stonybrook is an excellent choice. (med college instate tuition is less than $28K/year!). Best wishes.</p>
<p>@Raycmr I second your comments about RPI-Albany. Albany needs no US News ranking. Every one knows of their outstanding reputation.</p>
<p>WUSTL is 3.8/36.</p>
<p>I believe WUSTL looks for research. The minimum needed might be two years of summer research and some publications/awards.</p>
<p>NU HPME interviewee profile fits the above too.</p>
<p>@texaspg, I am interested in your statement “I believe WUSTL looks for research. The minimum needed might be two years of summer research and some publications/awards.” DS14 does not have any hospital volunteer exp. He has a few shadowing exp and did a science (microbiology/immunology) research project at a university level and won state overall grand award. He is also accepted to a summer research program. He was going to give up on applying to BS/MD programs since he has not done any medical ECs like hospital or ambulance/emergency exp. If he continues with research, could he be a competitive applicant - top grade/test score, good ECs, research, few shadowing exp, NO hospital or other medical ECs.</p>
<p>4beardolls - The cornerstone of BS/MD application revolves around 3 areas - research, volunteering and shadowing. So I would not say just research will get your son in but my view is that’s what it takes to get an interview at these two schools.</p>
<p>One can volunteer pretty easily at most hospitals. It is quite hard to get into EMT services and get certified etc. It takes similar level of dedication as research.</p>
<p>One needs contacts to shadow and some level of persistence to follow up on requests to shadow. If it really becomes too hard, about 3,000 will get one two weeks with NYLF medical programs. </p>
<p>Doing research needs a mentor and contacts. One summer of top notch research still does not cut it based on my D’s experience a couple of years ago at NU HPME or WUSTL. A perfect ACT or SAT score will not get it done either based on another candidate’s exp at WUSTL (they did give a big chunk of scholarship money for undergrad but not the combined interview). A person who got into both last year had two years of research, lots of shadowing (always helps if there is a physician in the family :p), an international award etc. I have been told by HPME grad who was on the selection/interview committee in his final year that the scores get you an app but research gets you an interview.</p>
<p>I have seen the application formats and they seem to show three sections listed. Lacking in one can automatically disqualify your app and so I would make sure there are activities in each section.</p>
<p>@texaspg I think it may be difficult to get into EMS because not many places have a Youth or Junior Corps group like I do. In terms of getting certified, though, anybody over 18 can do that. You can also be a CFR in NY at 16.</p>
<p>@4beardolls I would recommend he spend some time on volunteering, it seems like most applicants to these programs are stronger with research than community service. I was the opposite, and it seemed to work.</p>
<p>bombingrange - After 18 only helps MD applicants. I know some one from NJ who applied couple of years in a row to get into EMS but could not get in. I am certain the combined app could have gotten some mileage if he was successful getting into the program.</p>
<p>Based on my experience with my D’s application this year, I think there is a big element of luck and subjectivity when it comes to application for the combined programs. My D applied to seven programs (including two in-state programs in Texas), had a single sitting SAT score of 2160, SAT II Math 2 (780), Bio (800), and Chem (790), lots of volunteer works more than 400 hours (including volunteer tutoring to at risk high school and college students), raised lots of money for a cancer foundation, more than 200 hours shadowing in clinics and hospital, won a silver medal from the US Congressional Award for Youth, had more than 400 hours college level research, and is doing the last two years of high school taking all dual credit courses (she will have nearly 70 hours of college credits, including organic chemistry, immunology, physics for engineering, Calculus I and II, etc), and with an unweighted GPA of 3.94 from the dual credit courses. Yet, she was only invited for two interviews and got offer from only BU SMED. Yet, she knows of students with lesser stats, volunteer experience and community work who got interviewed by programs she was not invited for interview!</p>
<p>My favorite phrase on this thread: “it’s a crapshoot”.</p>
<p>IMGDAD - Patrick did not mention a sister! Congrats to your D! One is all it takes.</p>
<p>Is she going to BU? </p>
<p>Someone told me UTD program had 34 Asians out of 40 in interview and 30 were girls. I think Texas might be very competitive for combined and girls. I also think Texas schools are fixated on SAT/ACT scores for cut offs.</p>
<p>@Texaspg, yes she is going to BU and is looking forward to it (it’s her first choice), although I would have liked her to be offered a place in the RPI/AMC program. The RPI/AMC program would have been better for her because she aspires to be a physician scientist. She blew the RPI/AMC interview because even though she applied to the Physician Scientist training program, she was interviewed by a pediatrician who dedicated the whole interview to medical ethics (again a reflection of luck and “crapshoot”, to borrow TheBombingRange’s phrase!)</p>
<p>And I had maybe 2 or 3 ethics questions in all of my interviews combined. Many of my interviews were conversations, those were the easier ones.</p>
<p>@texaspg and TheBombingRange, I think it is rather too much to be expecting a student who has just turned 17 years old to be spending nearly one whole hours discussing medical ethics, especially when she wants to be a physician scientist. </p>
<p>Any way, she was also offered a place to do Medicine at St Andrew’s in Scotland and National University of Ireland Galway. Decided to turn down both even though both would have offered a very solid medical training. The reason for turning down St Andrew’s was that the Prince has already been hooked up and so it would be very unlikely that I would get a Prince as the son-in-law anymore!!! :))</p>
<p>@TheBombingRange, texaspg, cc_mom, happy321, patrickstarr Thanks!!</p>
<p>@Ohio my choices are:
-Emory w/ 40k scholarship
-Caldwell/SGU (sgu is an international medical school, so I’m definitely not considering this program)
-USciences/TCMC (not a guaranteed program but a guaranteed interview after completing undergrad)</p>
<p>@Happy321 I’ll post my stats on the results page</p>
<p>I’m either going to attend Emory or USciences/TCMC program. I’d pick USciences/TCMC in a heartbeat if it was a guaranteed program, so I’m kinda in a dilemma. I’m going to speak to the program director and find out a little more about the program and then make a decision. Any advice would be very much appreciated! 
</p>
<p>Also, I’m from Georgia, so Emory’s a lot closer than USciences.</p>
<p>@IMGDAD that’s crazy how she only got 2 interviews considering her stats AND she took classes like organic chem. My stats are similar to hers, in that I did dual enrollment for the 2 years of high school, and I only got 1 interview out of the 16 programs I applied to. I think BS/MD programs don’t like dual enrollment. I’m glad she got BU though, it’s a great program.</p>
<p>@HPMEmom, do you think I should pick the program over Emory, even though the program isn’t guaranteed, and I’ll probably have to go through the process again anyways?</p>
<p>@sanguinee, thank you and I am glad you got an offer. If you are sure you want to be a physician, especially a community-based physician, USciences/TCMC is the obvious choice. I would not worried about whether it is a guaranteed program. You can always use the program as your fall-back. If it is not guaranteed, it would also mean you are not obligated to stay in the program. You can always apply out if you do not like the program or if you decide you do not want to be in a community-based medical program, after you finish your UG and you taken your MCAT.</p>