BS/MD Results - Fall 2021 cycle

Threebrook
Sun, 16 May 2021 19:50:40 +0000

ANATOMY (MINDSET & MECHANICS) OF BSMD ADMISSION JOURNEY

Who could be a physician? Anyone who can academically obtain a medical degree and pass the USMLE. Who would be the best physician? Someone who has invested time in experiences that demonstrate passion for others and for medicine.

MECHANICS (Total four parts): We created this framework to plan, track, modify and measure/assess it along the way.

Part I Academic Objective Data Plan and Performance
Goal/Requirement Summary: Pursue a challenging course of study in high school. Present academic credentials that would rank among most competitive applicants for admission.

Key Highlights/reflections Part I of Mechanics:

Number one goal shall be maintain all As throughout high-school. Trade-off harder AP class where you may get B or B+ with Honors class with solid A. Be disciplined and don’t be emotional about dropping out of AP class if required.

Move up in Class rank as much as possible . Class Rank 1 and 2 are well respected by ADCOM. Try to stay up in top 1%. These ranks are based on weighted average GPA so build a four year plan with few options and do mathematical computational. Strategy here is a) avoid lower points classes b) Take Honors requisite classes outside school to enroll in AP in Freshman and Sophomore and c) Plan ahead (start 8th summer) – It is challenging to catch-up in Junior and Senior year.

PSAT in 10th grade is extremely valuable and its importance is not well communicated – PSAT is the driver for National Merit Scholarship ranking (Top 7,600 students in the US)

Double digit AP/IB classes demonstrate the rigor of curriculum. No need for community college/university classes if AP/IB offered at the school.

Start ACT/SAT prep early and have them completed with goal of 35/36 ACT and 1570+ SAT targets (top 1% in the nation). It is perfectly ok to take these tests multiple times. Target completion no later than second half of junior year. Our recommendation is to take both and report whichever is the highest. Our Kid reported both as felt SAT is better in ADCOM’s mind.

Part II Subjective (Course of study BSMD) Plan and Performance
Goal/Requirement Summary: Participate in a range of extracurricular activities. Engage in meaningful volunteering and shadowing experiences to gain exposure to medicine. Recognize as a leader in school and community. Demonstrate care and concern for others.

Key Highlights/Reflections Part II of Mechanics

Learn how to prioritize and let things go as there are only so many hours in the day left after having sharpen focus to build compelling academic profile in Part I.

ADOCOM has love for Music, Student Council, School Newspaper, Debate, and Sport. Length and Depth dimension is critical to demonstrate commitment. Minimum 3 years of experience recommended.

Shadowing is not the patient care experience. Even though considered as “Fly on the wall” job shadowing at certain location gives the true exposure to medicine and demanding nature of physician’s career. Avoid Physician parents/relatives and international shadowing - ADCOM discounts this experience and you don’t want to have zero points in this competency. Don’t do shadowing just to check the box, develop relationship with physicians and medical staff – great source to get solid rec letter.

Patient Care: Hospice is the best known patient care experience. Under privileged/Rural medical clinic is the next valuable experience that ADCOM likes. Multi-year experience shows commitment than squeezing more hours in last six months.

Leadership: Three leadership roles demonstrate your team building skills and maturity as a 17-18 year old wanting to become a physician. Additionally, developing, starting and leading a NEW initiative confirms this maturity.

Research: Multiple years of Research at a Medical School is the most valuable. Research publication adds cherry on top and enlighten higher-maturity level for the high-schooler in eyes of med school ADCOM. PI’s letter of rec carries a lot of weight in LOR grading. Cold emailing is the best method we have found for Research opportunity if you don’t have personal/social connection in medical/healthcare community.

LOR: Your personal qualities, characteristics, competencies, and capabilities as a future physician from the perspective of someone who knows you. Strategy is to build the multi-year relationships with professionals in school and outside school (non-relatives) who is willing to vouch for you, and how they experienced yours character. Once ADCOM has reviewed your application (academic & non-academic profile and essays), your virtual image will be created in their head. LOR makes this image of yours three dimensional and adds color & voice to it. Now, ADCOM can see clearly who you are and how you could fit to their college community.

Part III Interview Plan and Performance

Key Highlight/Reflection Part III of Mechanics:
Use the time available in interview to demonstrate your passion for compassion and empathy, your commitment to medicine and why the specific college is fit for you. Make sure to send a thank you email to interview committee members afterwards. During interview, if you can confirm the image that was created in ADCOM’s head through applications and LOR, you won the Jackpot – you have much higher chance of receiving the BSMD admission acceptance.

Part IV Acceptance of Admission and Selection of the college
Keeping in mind the end goal of becoming a Physician, Prioritize top 5-10 parameters/factors that are important to you (THE KID) personally (un-biased and not influenced from anyone else) and order them 1 to N. Compare the final list of choices in your hand. Try to stay away as much as possible from outside influences like US News Ranking. In some situations there is an obvious and clear winner.

Our list included – Institution mission/fit, UG experience, Medical School, Diverse residency match, Access to research funding & facilities, Overall resources, Size/Diversity of the college, Location, Brand, and Cost of attendance.

Key Highlight/Reflection: DO NOT Commit College without visiting both UG and Medical campuses, Conversation with current/prior students & staff and feeling of local environment.

MINDSET

Understand and engrave in your mind that you are signing up for a long process and long program - 3-4 UG + 1-2 Gap year (maybe) + 4 Med + 3-7 Training (11+ years). Your siblings, cousins and friends will be married and settled down and you will be still in training earning barely $5,000 per month (key mindset for some!!). For Parents, financial planning (529, part time to full time job, savings, alternate investment, stock market, rental properties etc.) will be instrumental if you plan to subsidize your kids’ college costs.

If inclined more than 80% using BSMD route, Go all in, Start planning in 8th grade summer. BSMD admission process is open book exam, create a structure and framework (aka GPS) that helps you navigate thru journey.

Self-reflection: Be fair to yourself and have assessment on Demand vs Capacity mapping. This is a great gauge for not to get carried away from surroundings.

Build-in some un-expected and un-planned circumstances in your four years plan which may interfere. COVID, Certain BSMD program cancellations, House Fire, Parents Divorce, Major illness are few examples of uninvited disturbances.

Give it your best - Control what is in your hands. Be disciplined about your goals.

Learn and understand known “biases/limitations” in the BSMD admission – apply to those programs but discount them from your sample size for better outcome and peace of mind. Develop and keep updating your own rankings/groupings based on the fit/match.

Periodically (90 days or at the major event) assess & analyze your plan and review your progress – make necessary tuning/sharpening if required.

Most importantly, be yourself, be healthy and take good self-care.

Decision: CWRU-PPSP BSMD program, one of the most optimum - reputable and friendly academic institutions in the US: Case-Western Reserve University

Declined offer of acceptance:
BSMD Programs – Brown/PLME, GWU/GWU, NJMS (3), RPI/AMC, UMKC and SLU EAP
UG – U PENN, Northwestern/NU, and Rice
Declined offer of interview:
BSMD Programs – Oklahoma MHSP, Stony Brook

Closing:
Case’s well-structured & detailed processes/communications, Welcoming admission committees/staff and Reputable Medical district/resources has gained our kid’s trust over some of the Ivy and top schools/programs.

Fortunate and happy that we had developed and molded the framework that fits our kid and were disciplined to follow thru over past four years. Kid’s energy, passion, commitment and resilience made the process thus far much smoother and more predictable.

Having access to information, knowledge and process are powerful and important. Very happy to have this opportunity to share the model that worked for both of our kids getting placed in well-respected BSMD programs. Parents are not in the healthcare field and didn’t hire external counseling service. Hope this can help you (students and parents) to plan and execute your path to BSMD admission. Wish you all the best!!