You should be very proud of your accomplishments so far. Any school would be lucky to have you.
Many high school students aiming for medical school think that T20 undergrad schools and/or BSMD programs must be “the best” way to go because they are the hardest to get into. But many of us parents on CC who are doctors (and I am one) hold a very different view. We know from our experience in medical school that the strongest medical students come from a whole range of undergrad institutions. For example, the very top student in my medical school class went to a local non-selective school affiliated with her church. We also know from experience in the working world that our very best medical colleagues come from a wide range of medical schools; the smartest doctor I ever met attended medical school at a small branch campus medical school in a Midwestern state. (Incidentally, the converse is also true; a couple of the weakest doctors I know attended medical school as Case. Probably just a coincidence but it goes to show you that fancy names are no guarantee.)
So, anyway, from this real life perspective, I am just as excited about the possibility of you attending KU as attending Case BSMD. From my perspective, all your hard work in high school is something you have already cashed-in on, because the knowledge and experience you gained will always stay with you and will serve you well in your future life.
I will admit that I have wondered about the same thing regarding my daughter who is pursuing a PhD in a biomedical field. This is however the right path for her.
At some point we need to do what is right for us and trust that it will work out. However, here I might be suffering from “survivor’s bias” in the sense that I did what was right for me and it did work out, but I might have just been lucky.
When I go to the doctor I generally do not ask and do not know where they got their MD. As others have said admissions to any MD or DO program is a good admissions. However it is true that you can get a bachelor’s degree pretty nearly anywhere and have at least a chance for admissions to a very good MD program (and in the US the words “very good” are redundant when applied to “MD program”).
I have heard multiple cases of exams in premed classes where the class average was in the 40’s or 50’s in a class of very strong premed students. A 75 on the toughest exams can be very hard to get, but might very well be an A. I saw the same thing in a master’s degree program in a sub-field of applied mathematics.
The effort that you have put in throughout high school will be very important to prepare you for these tough exams and these tough classes regardless of which university you attend for undergraduate studies. If you get merit aid, then the effort that you put in throughout high school will also help you to get your education while reducing the total cost between now and the time that they call you “doctor”.
And the University of Kansas has a very good MD program.
And best wishes and good luck with this. I expect that you will do very well. This is however a marathon and not a sprint, so to the extent that it is possible try to relax and avoid stressing yourself out, and take this one day at a time. You will get there, where “there” might or might not be what you are currently expecting, but is likely to be right for you.
I really appreciate you sharing some of your own experiences in the healthcare field with individuals from diverse backgrounds. I think I just need to acclimate myself to realize that this year isn’t truly defining what I’ll be. Hearing stuff like this helps a lot.
I absolutely agree, applying 20+ colleges really takes a toll on the quality of your apps. That was also a deciding factor in me applying “moderately”.
when I am researching new potential providers or specialist, I do actually look at their resumes online where they went to school where they did their internship/residency, etc. And some of them have their diplomas on their wall. Not many of these days, but some.
Do you have a preference for what medical school and residency place they did, and how strong of a preference is it compared to other preferences you may have in selecting a provider?
I was surprised just the other day that one of my specialists (when you get my age, you have more than one) prominently displayed his BA from a T20 university but that I had to hunt through several other framed certificates and degrees to figure out where he went to medical school. Yeah, I had nothing else better to do while he was waiting on another patient.
