If you're interested in 1-on-1 BS/MD or Ivy League application consulting sessions with me, reach out to pratik.self.improvement@gmail.com for more details.
I have multiple friends who turned down pretty great BS/MD programs for "low tier" state schools (largely because they received full-rides to the state schools) and they're currently interviewing at T5 medical schools right alongside other T5 undergrads. I myself also attend a state school (it is T200 lmao, I get zero prestige points) and I've interviewed at medical programs such as Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Yale, Vanderbilt, NYU, etc. I'm sitting on a couple of T30 acceptances and hopefully I hear some good news in March, when decisions for those above schools come out ^. I have multiple peers at my undergrad who are going through something similar. I won't deny that undergraduate prestige has some role to play in the medical school admissions game, but I really do feel that it doesn't make or break an application. I remember back when I was in high school and stressing out over choosing where to go for undergrad. In hindsight, I think I made the optimal decision in picking my undergrad. Here are a few things to consider when choosing your undergraduate route: 1 - Cost, cost, cost; medical school is tremendously expensive. You will not be making doctor money until, at the minimum, 11 years after undergrad (4 years undergrad + 4 years med + 3+ years residency; and an overwhelming majority of people take longer btw). If you have to choose between an expensive but prestigious school vs a "low tier" school with a full ride, I would recommend taking the full ride and don't look back. 2 - Being a big fish in a small pond. If you are the type of student with the outstanding opportunity to turn down an expensive prestigious program for a full-ride elsewhere, chances are that you will be able to accumulate the type of experiences top medical schools seek in their applicants without any significant issues regardless of what institution you end up at. Ivys give you more opportunities, yes, but there's only so much anyone can do in 4 years - a state school is very likely to provide you all the opportunities a large name school can. The difference is at the top program, you are nobody, whereas in other programs you might end up being one of the best applicants from that institution. Medical school admissions is still largely a numbers game - have a 527 MCAT and a 3.95 GPA with some research, good clinicals, and decent leadership and you'll be outcompeting any Ivy applicant with similar application but lower stats. This might change in the next decade, although I am not sure in which direction (stats vs ECs). On balance, for medical school admissions, stats matter a WHOLE lot more than ECs - and trust me, going to a top undergrad won't really change your stats that much. Sure, GPA deflation exists, but 1) MCAT is much more important for medical school admissions and 2) a student who can get admissions into top programs won't have trouble maintaining a decent GPA even at schools with GPA deflation. 3 - It's not that deep. Prestige, while important, is overrated. The medical school you go to doesn't actually affect remuneration in the grand scheme of things. Consider your goals in medicine; the people that go to T10 medical schools tend to have goals in academic medicine, which doesn't may as much as private practice. Private practice doesn't really care where you went to medical school; residency placement matters much more. After T50, most MD programs will have no trouble placing you into your desired specialty. If your goals are to be a program director at a top hospital in Boston, then going all out for prestige matters. But if your goal is to simply be a clinician, make really good money, and have a life outside of medicine, then prestige will literally make zero difference in the infinite game of your life. The reality is that the medical school admissions process is incredibly long - literally a decade. Medicine might seem super glamorous to you now, but trust me, it becomes just another job after a certain point. Make decisions that hold up to scrutiny 20, 30 years after admissions; don't prioritize your current "itch" to go a prestigious program. Think deeply about it. If you just want to go to Harvard medical school because it is "prestigious", going to Harvard Med might not be an optimal decision for you in the grand scheme of things. For high schoolers reading this: I know what I'm saying might not make that much sense to you now. Just think about it, and don't dismiss this comment as yap, haha!
It would be really cool if you did a Dr. Phil type livestream where kids could 'turn in' their questions/resumes/decision outcomes and you could give them advice. Love your videos!
I have gone the traditional route and not the bs/md program. Honestly, the combined program is less stressful as you just move forward into med school. But, you limit yourself as you may desire to attend a different med program. One side note. I think your putting too much into undergrad prestige. Med school entrance is all based on gpa and mcat. Competing against lower tier students is always best. Undergrad school makes very little difference in med school admissions. I have consulted with a couple firms specializing in admissions. You got great vids. Been watching them to gain insight for my kids.
I went down a traditional path for med school and I can’t imagine a BS/MD program being a good idea for me. Part of the path of growth is having other options and thinking through them.
Hey Pratik, I'd really appreciate your help. I'm in a really odd place in my high school career. I've dreamed of going to an Ivy, especially Harvard, ever since I was a small child. I've put in a lot of work towards my grades, but I'm near the end of my sophomore year and am only now seriously searching for ECs. I have a few issues though. I had a very rough childhood, and I won't go into details, but I ended up missing around 3-4 years of schooling. Despite this I excel in science and English, but I am abysmal at math. I am 16 years old with 23 days of my sophomore year left, but I am only at a 6th grade math level. It's frankly pathetic. I have OCD and ADHD, so this also complicates things. I've been grinding in and out of school to improve my math skills, but I don't think I'm improving fast enough. I take all of my classes in regular education, but I take math in the emotional support room (SPED shed, retard room, backroom, etc...) because of my lack of education in math. I've been doing pre-algebra for most of this year, and my ES teacher is just as inept at math as I am and just gives me worksheets instead of actually teaching me anything. I live in a very rural area called Austin PA. My school has around 200 people and has literally no extracurriculars aside from a handful of sports and Honor Societies. Finding a tutor around here seems impossible, and my school doesn't even offer AP classes. I feel like building an impressive resume is almost impossible out here. Sorry for the pity party, but what I'm really trying to ask is how can I improve my math skills to meet my grade level within a reasonable amount of time? Would it be possible to score an 800 on the SATs by the time I reach my senior year despite my dumb-assery? What do I do for ECs despite my situation? Do I have any chance of attending an Ivy League school or am I doomed to my safeties? I hate to bombard you, but I seriously need guidance. Thanks in advance.
colleges will factor in location and school so idk if you'd have to worry about that (our school doesn't have ap's either, you can try taking clep exams which some colleges will accept, you can also take the ap exams with an online class or even with just the book, although the online class would be easier...this all would still take resources though and money so you don't have to do them although its better to save money for college), for the math problem you can see khan academy courses but idk what to do for live tutoring, you can still get good in the sat if you get books and take the practice tests with that along with khan academy(its also free so that's good)...you can also try taking the act instead since that's more science and english based(i'm not sure tho) and colleges value it the same as sat
you can try starting your own organization / club as an EC. even though there may not be a plethora of existing opportunities, initiative such as this is extremely stand out for an application [I know from experience] Besides that, you definitely can get an 800 on the SAT math. The concepts are not extremely challenging and you can get there with some work and dedication. I empathize with your situation, hope your future turns out well!
Another dub from p. I watched your how to get into a bs/md program vid and your science fair competitions kept coming up. Winning at the international level is very impressive but are there any alternatives that look just as good?
hey!! I had a question about how AP scores play into bsmd admissions. I’m gonna have an IB Diploma and due to family emergencies I could not take ANY of the exams for my classes (my sophomore year) this year. I took one freshman year and got a 5 and planning to take some next year and senior year. If I explain, coupled with IB diploma, how hard is it gonna hurt me?
If you have an IB diploma, you have the IB exams necessary to show that you took college level coursework and the AP Scores are not extremely important for you
I don’t think BS/MD programs are a good idea. Becoming a physician is a life altering decision and a 21 year old something with hardly a work history under their belt shouldn’t be entering med school. This isn’t good for the applicant and their happiness and pursuit of their true life desires (who many people don’t have figured out at 21 having had their head in their books for years), and their future patients.
If you're interested in 1-on-1 BS/MD or Ivy League application consulting sessions with me, reach out to pratik.self.improvement@gmail.com for more details.
I have multiple friends who turned down pretty great BS/MD programs for "low tier" state schools (largely because they received full-rides to the state schools) and they're currently interviewing at T5 medical schools right alongside other T5 undergrads.
I myself also attend a state school (it is T200 lmao, I get zero prestige points) and I've interviewed at medical programs such as Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Yale, Vanderbilt, NYU, etc. I'm sitting on a couple of T30 acceptances and hopefully I hear some good news in March, when decisions for those above schools come out ^. I have multiple peers at my undergrad who are going through something similar.
I won't deny that undergraduate prestige has some role to play in the medical school admissions game, but I really do feel that it doesn't make or break an application. I remember back when I was in high school and stressing out over choosing where to go for undergrad. In hindsight, I think I made the optimal decision in picking my undergrad. Here are a few things to consider when choosing your undergraduate route:
1 - Cost, cost, cost; medical school is tremendously expensive. You will not be making doctor money until, at the minimum, 11 years after undergrad (4 years undergrad + 4 years med + 3+ years residency; and an overwhelming majority of people take longer btw). If you have to choose between an expensive but prestigious school vs a "low tier" school with a full ride, I would recommend taking the full ride and don't look back.
2 - Being a big fish in a small pond. If you are the type of student with the outstanding opportunity to turn down an expensive prestigious program for a full-ride elsewhere, chances are that you will be able to accumulate the type of experiences top medical schools seek in their applicants without any significant issues regardless of what institution you end up at. Ivys give you more opportunities, yes, but there's only so much anyone can do in 4 years - a state school is very likely to provide you all the opportunities a large name school can. The difference is at the top program, you are nobody, whereas in other programs you might end up being one of the best applicants from that institution. Medical school admissions is still largely a numbers game - have a 527 MCAT and a 3.95 GPA with some research, good clinicals, and decent leadership and you'll be outcompeting any Ivy applicant with similar application but lower stats. This might change in the next decade, although I am not sure in which direction (stats vs ECs). On balance, for medical school admissions, stats matter a WHOLE lot more than ECs - and trust me, going to a top undergrad won't really change your stats that much. Sure, GPA deflation exists, but 1) MCAT is much more important for medical school admissions and 2) a student who can get admissions into top programs won't have trouble maintaining a decent GPA even at schools with GPA deflation.
3 - It's not that deep. Prestige, while important, is overrated. The medical school you go to doesn't actually affect remuneration in the grand scheme of things. Consider your goals in medicine; the people that go to T10 medical schools tend to have goals in academic medicine, which doesn't may as much as private practice. Private practice doesn't really care where you went to medical school; residency placement matters much more. After T50, most MD programs will have no trouble placing you into your desired specialty. If your goals are to be a program director at a top hospital in Boston, then going all out for prestige matters. But if your goal is to simply be a clinician, make really good money, and have a life outside of medicine, then prestige will literally make zero difference in the infinite game of your life.
The reality is that the medical school admissions process is incredibly long - literally a decade. Medicine might seem super glamorous to you now, but trust me, it becomes just another job after a certain point. Make decisions that hold up to scrutiny 20, 30 years after admissions; don't prioritize your current "itch" to go a prestigious program. Think deeply about it. If you just want to go to Harvard medical school because it is "prestigious", going to Harvard Med might not be an optimal decision for you in the grand scheme of things.
For high schoolers reading this: I know what I'm saying might not make that much sense to you now. Just think about it, and don't dismiss this comment as yap, haha!
It would be really cool if you did a Dr. Phil type livestream where kids could 'turn in' their questions/resumes/decision outcomes and you could give them advice. Love your videos!
Hey bro love your channel. This channel is saving my high school life. Thank you for all the help.
samwe==😅
I have gone the traditional route and not the bs/md program. Honestly, the combined program is less stressful as you just move forward into med school. But, you limit yourself as you may desire to attend a different med program.
One side note. I think your putting too much into undergrad prestige. Med school entrance is all based on gpa and mcat. Competing against lower tier students is always best. Undergrad school makes very little difference in med school admissions. I have consulted with a couple firms specializing in admissions.
You got great vids. Been watching them to gain insight for my kids.
Could you make a detailed list of your ecs? I would just like to know some more specfic examples of accomplishments, so I know where to shoot. Thanks!
I went down a traditional path for med school and I can’t imagine a BS/MD program being a good idea for me. Part of the path of growth is having other options and thinking through them.
preaching p the goat ❤
Hey Pratik, I'd really appreciate your help.
I'm in a really odd place in my high school career. I've dreamed of going to an Ivy, especially Harvard, ever since I was a small child. I've put in a lot of work towards my grades, but I'm near the end of my sophomore year and am only now seriously searching for ECs. I have a few issues though. I had a very rough childhood, and I won't go into details, but I ended up missing around 3-4 years of schooling. Despite this I excel in science and English, but I am abysmal at math. I am 16 years old with 23 days of my sophomore year left, but I am only at a 6th grade math level. It's frankly pathetic. I have OCD and ADHD, so this also complicates things. I've been grinding in and out of school to improve my math skills, but I don't think I'm improving fast enough. I take all of my classes in regular education, but I take math in the emotional support room (SPED shed, retard room, backroom, etc...) because of my lack of education in math. I've been doing pre-algebra for most of this year, and my ES teacher is just as inept at math as I am and just gives me worksheets instead of actually teaching me anything.
I live in a very rural area called Austin PA. My school has around 200 people and has literally no extracurriculars aside from a handful of sports and Honor Societies. Finding a tutor around here seems impossible, and my school doesn't even offer AP classes. I feel like building an impressive resume is almost impossible out here.
Sorry for the pity party, but what I'm really trying to ask is how can I improve my math skills to meet my grade level within a reasonable amount of time? Would it be possible to score an 800 on the SATs by the time I reach my senior year despite my dumb-assery? What do I do for ECs despite my situation? Do I have any chance of attending an Ivy League school or am I doomed to my safeties? I hate to bombard you, but I seriously need guidance.
Thanks in advance.
colleges will factor in location and school so idk if you'd have to worry about that (our school doesn't have ap's either, you can try taking clep exams which some colleges will accept, you can also take the ap exams with an online class or even with just the book, although the online class would be easier...this all would still take resources though and money so you don't have to do them although its better to save money for college), for the math problem you can see khan academy courses but idk what to do for live tutoring, you can still get good in the sat if you get books and take the practice tests with that along with khan academy(its also free so that's good)...you can also try taking the act instead since that's more science and english based(i'm not sure tho) and colleges value it the same as sat
you can try starting your own organization / club as an EC. even though there may not be a plethora of existing opportunities, initiative such as this is extremely stand out for an application [I know from experience]
Besides that, you definitely can get an 800 on the SAT math. The concepts are not extremely challenging and you can get there with some work and dedication. I empathize with your situation, hope your future turns out well!
Would you elaborate further what you said about John’s Hopkins?
Maybe I am missing something, but most 18-year-olds are not in a position to choose between a BS MD school and a medical school.
Another dub from p. I watched your how to get into a bs/md program vid and your science fair competitions kept coming up. Winning at the international level is very impressive but are there any alternatives that look just as good?
Can you do a dedicated video for BS/DO?
Another great video! EC video plzz!
What would you decide between REMS Scholars ( university of Rochester BS / MD ) and Upenn pre med
I would say REMS. However only do this if you 100% want to be a doctor and stay in Rochester.
Is there a video already with schools that you got accepted into and how you chose?
hey!! I had a question about how AP scores play into bsmd admissions. I’m gonna have an IB Diploma and due to family emergencies I could not take ANY of the exams for my classes (my sophomore year) this year. I took one freshman year and got a 5 and planning to take some next year and senior year. If I explain, coupled with IB diploma, how hard is it gonna hurt me?
If you have an IB diploma, you have the IB exams necessary to show that you took college level coursework and the AP Scores are not extremely important for you
Hey Pratik, how do you feel about early assurance programs?
Can you make extensive video on RSI for international students
not worth it imo you have a better chance to just do med school in your home country and then come to US for residency
goated 🐐
ong
Hey Pratik can you make video on PBL vs LBL
What would you rate a school like Boston University?
what do you think about rems vs umkc LOL
Bs md it is!
I don’t think BS/MD programs are a good idea. Becoming a physician is a life altering decision and a 21 year old something with hardly a work history under their belt shouldn’t be entering med school. This isn’t good for the applicant and their happiness and pursuit of their true life desires (who many people don’t have figured out at 21 having had their head in their books for years), and their future patients.