I am planning on becoming a doctor, and it’s not likely that I will change my mind about my career choice. I’d like to apply to BSMD programs as to take away the stress of medical school applications that I’ve heard of.
I wanted to ask about good colleges (anywhere in US is fine- but East Coast preferred) to apply to with my background that would be good for a pre-med student. Ideally, I’d want to be in a BSMD program, however, I’m not sure if I’d be competitive enough in regards to my extracurriculars. Are there any good BSMD programs I should apply to? Or any college suggestions?
My information is as follows:
*Current 11th Grade High School Student attending a top 30 High School in North Carolina, not a legacy, US
I intend to major in Biology- I am personally interested in Neuroscience, however, I don’t think I have good extracurriculars to make myself competitive to apply as a neuroscience major (If that’s how majors work…)
*Rank 2 of 494
*4.0/4.0 UW GPA, 4.62/5.0 W GPA
*1520 SAT (790 Math, 720 R/W) ~plan to take again for better R/W score
Coursework (I only included AP & significant honors classes, however, I am taking courses at my community college for my Associates Degree as well):
9th-11th: AP Biology, AP Computer Science A, AP Psychology, AP Environmental Science, AP Language and Composition, AP Statistics, AP US History, AP Comparative Government, AP World History, AP US Government, Health Science I & Health Science II (Medical Terminology Classes at Community College), Spanish (took three levels: 1, 2, and 3 - might take AP Spanish next year)
12th Grade(planning on taking): AP Physics, AP Chemistry, AP Calc AB, Geology at Community College, Calculus 2 at Community College, etc.
Awards
One of 3 students nominated by the school for a prestigious $5,000 scholarship
Gold President’s Volunteer Service Award for more than 100 hours each year (2018-Present)
HOSA Regional Finalist (2022, 2023)
HOSA Top 10 at State Competition (2022)
Third Degree Level 2 Black Belt in Taekwondo (doing taekwondo since 2017)
*Certifications:
CPR + BLS, Stop the Bleed, Microsoft Excel Expert
Extracurriculars:
Associates Degree Expected by High School Graduation (2025)
Currently working towards my Nursing assistant certificate
Founder & President of Women in STEM Club (2021-Present)
Martial Arts Instructor (2022-Present)
Volunteer at Family Medicine Clinic (Jan 2024 to Present)
Hospital Volunteer (Summer of 2024)
Community Center Volunteer (2017-Present)
HOSA (2021-Present)
**In consideration for North Carolina’s Governor’s School for Natural Sciences
Committee Chair for School’s Key Club (Member since 2021)
Student Ambassador (2022 to Present)
National Math Honor Society, National Psychology Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society Member
I’m not too worried about the cost, as I plan on applying to scholarships, and would like to keep my options open.
*I’m definitely applying to NCSU, UNC Chapel Hill & Duke, but besides that I’m not too sure what else to apply to
Here is a list of BA/BS->MD programs. However, none are in North Carolina (where in-state public medical school may be significantly less expensive than other medical schools).
There is also a small number of BA/BS->DO programs, but none of those are in North Carolina.
These combined programs typically do require maintaining a high college GPA and often getting a high MCAT score, although they would bypass the application and interview process if you do pass these and other technical requirements. Getting admitted to any of them should be considered “reach”.
Because most aspiring physicians do not get admitted to any medical school, be sure to consider what your alternative plans may be.
I appreciate the list! I don’t mind going to a college outside of NC. I’d definitely want to become a doctor, and as backup for not getting into a medical school in the US I’d plan on taking a gap year to gain further experience & then apply to Caribbean medical schools. I’ve talked to a couple of doctors who’ve taken that route and have been successful when they came back to the states, but hopefully I won’t need to take that route .
Of the list, do you have any recommendations when it comes to choosing which bsmd program to apply to? Should I simply try to apply for what seems to be the “least competitive” ones?
Do you know what your total budget is? Do you know what you can afford to spend in total over 8 years before taking on debt? Medical school is expensive.
I like the fact that you will be applying to NCSU and UNC-CH in-state (with excellent stats). These are excellent universities, have very good premed programs, and can prepare you very well for the MCAT and for medical school at a cost that is likely to be much lower compared to most other options.
And it sounds like you are doing very well up to now. Your stats are great. The fact that you already have some medical experience is also very good.
Also, be wary of BSMD programs with very high requirements to proceed to the MD part and/or at colleges you wouldn’t consider if not for the BSMD. A couple private colleges really seem to use a bait-n-switch system to hook high achieving students but don’t deliver anything the students wouldn’t have had at another college.
Most scholarships come from the colleges themselves. External scholarships are typically small and since they reduce your need the university may cut your aid by the same amount as the external scholarship.
Run the NPC on UNC-CH, Davidson, and any BSMD. Are all results affordable out of pocket (from savings/income)?
Also, we have an area for medical school students and the multiple degree programs. If you look and post there, there are some folks with some knowledge of BS/MD and BS/DO programs.
BS/MD programs are highly competitive for admission. More competitive than many elite college admissions. You have a good GPA/test scores and ECs, but there are no guarantees in these programs.
You have a great HS record and will be a competitive candidate at many schools. That being said, BSMD programs are incredibly selective so you’ll need some “regular” college programs to apply to as well - at many levels of selectivity. Also, please get a firm budget # from your parents. There is no sense applying to schools that you will not be able to afford - private scholarships are not likely to be sufficient to cover much of the costs and many aren’t renewable (and sometimes schools count them against institutional aid). Best of luck.
Here’s my advice about BSMDs…just don’t! NEVER make a decision like that based on a dream coming out of high school. Chances are, you’ll regret it. Of all of the bright “premed” hopefuls coming out of high school, very few actually decide to go to medical school. As students mature and explore, they find where their real passions are.
My best advice, find a good affordable school that happens to be a good fit, and go there. Take it one step at a time. Enjoy school, have fun. Explore your passions with an open mind. If medicine is right for you, go for it!
As a bs/md parent, I think you are in a very good position to apply to bs/md programs. You could strengthen your commitment by starting an online medical research project and continuing it during the summer. You could also start some work as a nursing assistant. It is always cheaper to apply in state. Hope this helps
The general recommendation for students who do not get a med school acceptance on their first try is to take a year off from applying to “fix” any deficiencies in your application, then try again, applying more widely and including DO programs on your application list.
Caribbean med school are only advised for US applicants who have had 3 failed rounds of med school applications.
The landscape for IMGs (international medical grads) has changed considerably since the doctors you spoke to went there. Caribbean med schools have a well deserved reputation for accepting many, many more students than they have clinical rotation spots for, then failing students until they have reduced the enrollment to the number of clinical slots they have. The fail out rates at these schools are quite high (think 30-50%). If you graduate from a foreign med school, you’ll still need a US medical residency to get a medical license. Only 2/3rds of US citizen IMGs matched into residency this year.
This is the path that my son-in-law took: He applied to 9 (I think) medical schools the first time around, with 8 rejections and got waitlisted for his state’s flagship medical school (he didn’t get off that waitlist). He then worked for an extra year assisting in a medical research lab, and retook the MCAT, boosting his score a bit; he also broadened his next application pool to about 40 medical schools. The results of these efforts were acceptances to multiple medical schools.
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