You know you want to become a doctor, or at least think you do. Perhaps science is your favorite subject or you just really enjoy serving others. These are great attributes to have as you pursue medicine, but is it the top quality you should have?

Becoming a doctor is unique because it does not mean much in terms of what you'll be doing on a day to day basis. In other words, you can be a surgeon who is almost always in the operating room or you can be a pediatrician, working closely with a number of patients in clinic. You could also be a radiologist who has perhaps even less patient contact but enjoys reading and deciphering imaging scans to help diagnose a patient. 

The one thing that does tie all of these professions, however, is humanism. Those that are humanistic strive to provide compassionate patient care. They are selfless, humble, and compassionate. The desire to serve is innate within them. This quality - "humanistic" - is inherent in those that want to successfully make it through medical school and training, and a rewarding career in medicine.

On an aside - we recently launched a brand new, 2018 eBook available for instant download! We go into more insight on the various qualities one should have when they are pursuing a career in medicine, and more importantly for us, a BS/MD program. Hope you enjoy!

With the close of applications is the opening up interview season!

Best of luck with all those interviewing! It's important to practice practice practice before a real interview. Practice with a friend, family, or another medical student. 

If you can't, I'd highly recommend doing a mock interview session with a coaching company because they are familiar with the process and can give you some really useful feedback. I'd highly recommend www.bsmdcoach.com as it is affordable and run by a BS/MD student who knows the ins and outs of interviews. Don't feel the need to spend thousands of dollars on an interview, and if you do feel the need to, make sure you first try a more affordable (and reasonably priced) coaching service.

Just like you would never go to competition without proper practice/coaching, the same applies for BS/MD interviews! Give them a call!

Program lists have been updated for the next cycle (2016-17)!

Application season has started up again, and the first applications are typically due as early as November 1st.

One of the questions asked often is, should I apply, even though my SAT/GPA/etc is a bit low.

My answer is either one of the two:
1) if you meet the minimum criteria that the program states you must meet, then go for it!
2) if you are below the historical average (in terms of GPA/SATs) the program typically accepts, and the program does not have a minimum requirement, then it depends.

If you know you want to pursue a career in medicine, I'd apply. Not only would I apply for the direct BS/MD programs, but I'd apply to some regular programs that are strong in Pre-medical education, or any school you've been dreaming to attend.

The reason is, you don't lose anything in applying (except some money and some time). It's better to try and be rejected than to not try and to never know if you would've made it. The reward of potentially getting accepted into these programs (as such, into medical school!!!) is a big deal! Apply apply apply!!!

Just wanted to say that we had some fantastic questions come in from many students, and I encourage you all to keep asking. Good luck to everyone that is going through the process of interviewing still!

Don't forget, smile! 😃

Haven't had a chance to modify the tables yet, but check out some more programs that are available!

1) Read section on "For high school seniors": http://www.upstate.edu/com/admissions/options/


2) https://www.drexelmed.edu/Home/Admissions/MDProgram/AcceleratedandEarlyAssuranceLinkagePrograms.aspx


3) http://www.utsystem.edu/initiatives/time/pilot-partnerships.htm

As some of the webpages have not been built yet, contact the schools directly to find out more about the UT Houston 7 Year BS/MD program as well as the other individual BS/MD programs!

Hope this helps!

Hey Everyone,

A few of you have emailed me to ask what kind of questions are asked of these programs and how to answer them. While I do have a list I'm compiling (you can message me if you'd like a sneak peek), just generally speaking, the BA-BS/MD interview is designed to understand who you are as an applicant.

There are many different styles of interviews, from standard Q&A to Multiple-Mini Interview (MMI). The most common is the former, but you'll be interviewing with undergrad admissions as well as admission committee from the medical school. They want to see your maturity and hear about how you are passionate about medicine. Don't forget, they also want to see your overall well-roundedness.

Hope this helps a little bit! As always, message me (directmedprograms@gmail.com) with any questions and I'll get back to you ASAP! :)

Happy Holidays!

Rohit

I know a lot of you may have gotten invitations for BS/MD interviews so I'm letting you know that we're compiling some useful information for you. I know you're looking for guidance about direct bs/md interview questions Expect to see some information on this page within the next 48 hours :)

In the meantime, contact me with any questions you may have, and I'll get back to you ASAP!

Rohit

Combined BS/MD program applicants fall into a variety of categories: 
1) Students that KNOW they want to become a doctor 
2) Students that are fairly sure they want to be a doctor, but aren't entirely sure
3) Students who have no idea, and are just applying as a backup. 

Good news: If you're the 1st or 2nd kind of applicant, you're set to go! However, if you're the 3rd kind of applicant, you should consider spending more time looking at alternative programs. BS/MD  programs are designed to ensure they are accepting the most committed students.

Before getting all your applications ready, make sure Medicine is the field you want to get into. Sure, you may be only 16 or 17, so how can anyone expect you to know what you want to do for the rest of your life? This is the tricky part.

When it comes to choosing medicine, direct BS/MD applicants are asked to make a pretty serious commitment (probably the ONLY real commitment they've ever made in their lives). Combined BS/MD programs want to see this commitment to medicine through your essays and your interviews.

Your job through your time at high school is to find out if this is what you really want to do, so that when it is time to apply, you can prove to the BS-BA/MD admissions committee why you want to pursue a career in medicine. Even if you're 100% sure already, you still need to be able to show the admissions committee that you've explored the field (through shadowing, volunteering, etc) and because of this, you know you want to be a physician.

For some percentage of applicants, you may not ever know with 100% certainty that you want to be a physician. Even during medical school, you may question your choice and your heart may waiver. But know that you're about to enter a remarkable profession where you're saving lives every day. When you start forgetting, shadowing and volunteering will enable you to see what you will be spending the majority of your life doing. 


Synopsis: Make sure you are doing something you love.


Rohit

Application season is well underway! You're sending in your SAT scores, running around for last-minute recommendation letters, and perfecting your essays. We know the chaos that surrounds the entire process...

In the midst of this madness, its easy to miss a thing here or there. We would definitely recommend using checklists for this entire process, as it can ensure you're fulfilling BS-MD Program Application requirements and gives you a little peace of mind. 

Also, don't forget to periodically contact the school after sending your transcripts, recommendation letters, SAT scores, etc. to ensure they've received it. If you've sent it, more than likely they have received it, but complications and mix-ups happen, and you don't want to be denied an interview just because they don't have the recommendation letter you sent in on file. 

There's beauty in the BS/MD Program chaos, so keep your eyes focused on the road ahead and your head high!

Rohit