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@Lebron
70 answers, 108 votes
 • 4 years ago •
Admissions Advice

Bs-md program

I've always wanted to become a doctor and know for sure that I want to pursue medicine. I want to apply to bs-md programs, however, I dont really have any medical or health related activities. I was planning to do some volunteer at a hospital this summer, but that got canceled due to covid. I have done some work for the red cross and their blood drives. Would my lack of medical related extracurriculars prevent me from getting into these programs and should I even still apply? Thanks.

BS-MD
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@galphonse
24 answers, 47 votes
 • 4 years ago

From what I've read, the most competitive applicants for these programs have the following:

- at least 60 hours of volunteering at a hospital or some medical place

- at least 40 hours of working on research with a scientist

-at least 20 hours of shadowing doctors

- 2+ years of HOSA with leadership under their belt

The thing with BS/MD programs is that they only want to admit students who are absolutely POSITIVE they want to pursue medicine. They want to make sure students don't quit along the way. The way to do that is by countless hours of shadowing, volunteering, and researching. In order to be seriously considered you have to be sure. But even then, amongst those applicants, it's still pretty tough. By not having any medical-related extracurriculars is an early knockout for these programs. However, if you're sure that you want to be a doctor, I think you should apply. In order to differentiate yourself, maybe have a stand out factor. For example, maybe start a virtual medical club at your school or start a blog talking about healthcare or PPE. Or start a COVID initiative. Just know it's not too late and that anything is possible. If you really want to be a doctor and apply to the BS/MD program, do it. Good luck! :)

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@DebaterMAX4 years ago

Also the least competitive BSMD program I know of is Missouri Kansas City with only a 9% admit rate. That’s about UPenn’s entire acceptance rate. And Rices only picks 2 per year. So I’d say no your profile isn’t strong enough. That’s without knowing anything else you told me. Hope this helps.

[🎤 AUTHOR]@Lebron4 years ago

Well, I'm in the top 3% of my class, take a rigorous course load,, have a 1500+ SAT score, hold some leadership positions, and have done extensive volunteer work. I do believe that I have a good shot at some top tier schools. I'm just not sure if having medical related activities is crucial to getting into bs-md programs.

@DebaterMAX4 years ago

Academics alone will not get you into bs md. You need some sort of medical expierence as galaphonse said.

@galphonse4 years ago

I would say it is crucial; I'm interested in attending a BS/MD program as well, but all the trends I've seen show that the few students that have gotten have done research have gotten past the interview stage. If you want to see some students that got in and got interviews and even some that didn't, go to this link: https://talk.collegeconfidential.com/multiple-degree-programs/2143599-official-thread-for-2020-bsmd-applicants.html

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