@GoodDoctor that’s great for your son. I was only asking because I, and many other applicants, were not as fortunate this year with the undergrad admissions even though we were qualified.
Does anyone know when the Hofstra program decisions come out? did they say before Apr. 1?
@danceprincess124 congrats! I am in the same boat as you. Do you go to drexel or villanova or maybe other combine program? Are you going to join the open day for drexel on april 11 or 19th if you choose to join drexel?
Mailed acceptance to Villanova/Drexel!!
=D> congrats!
Got Drexel/Drexel and Villanova/Drexel…@Jmarkel, regarding Hofstra , I think they called the students personally to congratulate, although we did not get the call but one of my acquaintances did that was a week ago.
@ARG123 thanks!! i got it snail mail
@QQQ1997 i’m not sure yet at all. the only programs i’m still waiting on are RPI and Brown PLME (which is so unlikely) but i think i would rather go to RPI than the others. Out of Drexel and Villanova though, I would probably rather pick Villanova because I liked it a lot better. And I think I’m going to Villanova Accepted Students Weekend on the 17th and 18th, and then Drexel Accepted Students on the 19th, but I’m not positive yet if that’s what I’m doing.
@VD2015 @mdiqbal71 congrats on the acceptances guys!!! 
Accepted to nova drexel!! Hope to see some of you there next year 
@ARG123 congrats!! are you definitely going?
@danceprincess124 tnx for the reply. drexel has full scholarship. it is very hard to not think about it money wise. I guess you must know about the full scholarship, right?
@QQQ1997 is that for anyone in the program? because i only got half scholarship from them. which is still more than nova so yeah, that’s a big factor to consider!
@Abc2020 Can you please post your test scores and extracurriculars for us? Also, what was the interview process like when applying to the fame program? Is it true they place priority on San Antonio residents?
@angstelation @Gigantor
Can you please post your stats and extracurriculars for us? What was the interview process like when applying to the fame program? Is it true they place priority on San Antonio residents?
Hey guys! This is for future applicants to BS/ MD programs. I had good grades throughout all of high school but they weren’t phenomenal. If I could change ANYTHING it would be that I worked harder for my grades. Don’t underestimate the importance of being in the top 2-5 % of your grade. Be honest with yourself. If you aren’t working as hard as you can for your grades, work harder.
With that said, grades will only help you pass the first hurdle, getting an interview. At the interview, you can’t just sit and talk about how good your grades are because EVERYONE has the grades. The interview is where the doctors get to see how passionate you are about the medical field. At my at DCM interview, I was surrounded by candidates who all had better grades than me. I have no doubt that I was at the bottom of the pack and maybe just barely got an interview. I know my interviewer saw my dedication to the medical field through not my grades, but my reasoning for wanting to pursue medicine, my research, my ECs, and my ability to convey all of this to him. If you kill the interview, you’re in (especially if you can talk in depth about MEANINGFUL research you’re a part of).
I am beyond excited to go to Nova- Drexel. This was my top program and I feel blessed to get in. Still, if I had payed more attention to my grades, I’m sure I would have been a much stronger candidate for this program and others. Sorry for the long post but I had to say this
Totally agree.
In case any future applicants are reading, this is the key – " Don’t underestimate the importance of being in the top 2-5 % of your grade."
My son tried to apply to Northwestern HPME, here is his stats:
ACT 35, SAT2: chem 800, bio 780, math2 800. NMF.
6AP (including cal bc, chem, bio, stat, …), all A’s, and all 5’s
Taking 3 AP’s at senior year (others are all required courses).
17 college credits (5 courses), all A’s
I know HPME (or BS/MD in general) is very competitive. But HPME did not even want to give him the application form. Yes, you are reading it right. Rejected, even before reading his application.
The only problem I can think of is his unweighted gpa 3.8 (all honors and AP, except US history and other required courses like health). His school does not rank. You may think that 3.8 is just so so. But consider this: 21% of the 500+ seniors in his school are National Merit Semi-finalist. He may not be in top 10%. But does that make him less competitive, compared to the top 1% in other school?
If you know HPME, you know that the numbers above are the only factors whether you will get the applications form. I can not think of any reason for his disqualification other than his gpa.
So now you know the advantage of being the big frog in a small pond.
Good luck!
@happy001 - Does he have research? I know of people who got into HPME with a few Bs (surprised me) but they had great research credentials on paper.
It is also a question of how many others from his school applied and got apps. If they have a comparison to make with a bunch of other applicants from his school with better grades and similar credentials, the lower GPA can become the issue.
@texaspg -
When you request the application form for HPME, you only fill out a very simple form with those numbers. No need (and no place) to mention EC, awards, volunteer …
That’s what surprised me. He was rejected with those numbers alone.
For the record, he has done research at Stanford, published a paper, won gold medals at national and state levels, volunteering 500+ hours (including hospital) …
I think you are right - he needs to compared with his peers at the same school. So again, the advantage to be a big frog in a small pond.
@Happy001 NU HPME admission people do see information you put on UG application through Common Application. They know your son’s information than just the grades. It is true that they don’t want kids from the same high school. If it makes you to feel better, I know not all kids are happy in NU HPME. I work at NU (but not for NU HPME).
@happy001 - The school sounds very competitive if they have 21% national merit semi finalists. We have to remember the national average is closer to 0.5% which means the school has a large concentration of high achievers.
It has been a while since I saw the HPME request form and it currently does not seem to be open but I am under the impression you can provide some additional info. I know of at least one person who couldn’t have gone past screening if that was not the case.
I think it matters how many others submitted and what their credentials are and which ones did get the application. If there are 100 national merit qualifiers at this school and 20 applied for an app, they have to draw the line somewhere.
GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE WAITING ON BROWN PLME TODAY! I hope you all get good news and we will be PLME’s together in the fall!