BS MD or Pre-Med track

[Roentgen]

@logosoverpathsm, to answer your questions:

I have looked through various BS/MD threads, and all of them recommend extensive volunteering, medical exposure, and research. How would one go about doing these things given the volunteering age requirements in most hospitals and labs?

How do you even begin finding a research position if you have only taken, say, introductory high school chemistry and biology?

So, for research, often times colleges & universities & even medical schools take part in STEM research opportunities that serve as a good jump off point for those interested in medicine, usually in the summer. That’s a good way to network your way in to participate in a scientifically related and/or medically related research project.

For healthcare volunteering, I would start with private practices of physcians and work your way up to hospitals, and if you can, hospitals in academic medical centers that have an attached medical school, so you can see rotating medical students and residents.

In what year of high school is it absolutely crucial to begin volunteering and researching, and what if one can’t go around the age requirements?

My guess is the usual age to be allowed to do volunteering/research is what, 15/16? That’s perfectly fine. You definitely don’t have to be doing stuff like that as a freshman 14 year old. So it’s not crucial to do it a specific year, necessarily. You’ll have to deal with the logistics that are available in your area regarding the minimum age that a hospital volunteer must be. You can also participate in healthcare activities that might not be hospital related but are peripherally related-- fundraising for cancer research, working at a blood bank, etc.

What would you recommend to get into BS/MD programs?

See my post above, there are books that go into great detail the areas of the application to buff up on: grades/class rank, healthcare volunteeering experiences (including but not limited to physician shadowing), research, school extracurriculars, honors/awards, etc. There is no set formula, but the more competitive ones tend to want some type of research participation as well as having participated in healthcare volunteering activities.

What ACT/SAT score is desirable?

I would aim for as high as you can, but I think an SAT of 2100 and higher is a good goal. Some programs are more competitive and selective and thus can demand higher standardized test scores, but if you look on websites, you’ll see the average accepted or matriculant SAT or ACT score.

What classes are most important (AP Chemistry, AP Biology, Physics, AP Calculus, etc., etc.)

I would say to try to take the most rigorous and challenging coursework that is available at your high school and still do well academically, esp. in the sciences and math.

A good reason to take AP Chemistry, AP Biology, and AP Physics, etc. is that they serve as a good way to expose you to the material in premedical coursework. So if you end up doing the traditional route, you’re retreading the same water, except this time for college credit and a grade. It is not a requirement to have all of them completed before you graduate high school, although I did, in case I ended up doing the traditional route, which I would have been perfectly fine with. Most students take about 2 – one AP science in junior year and one AP science in senior year.