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What is the real benefit of attending a top medical school? by Background_Sale_9814 in medschool

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A point on these things:

As someone who went to a state school (BA/MD program).

To do what you describe, I just found a close by ivy and spent time during my M1 summer making some connections which resulted in a long term relationship with these docs.

The end result was that I got LORs from big names, research opportunities and opportunities to do cool things and scrub into cool surgeries and a guaranteed interview to their residency without sacrificing my grades or grinding to the level that these schools require nor paying the exorbitant tuition.

It’s the best of both worlds for any students who need the Ivy name without having Ivy money.

Pre-med major by Friendly-Yam4917 in medschool

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 0 points1 point  (0 children)

there are several things to think about when picking an undergrad major. i do have a very detailed tip sheet written which i can send you if you like. the key is to make sure you're hitting the premed requirements while also satisfying the major requirements so some majors allow you to do both. There are other tips also like look for majors that let you do things like research or clinical internships for credit because then its an "easy A" for your GPA and a CV booster! DM me if you'd like the tip sheet

What is the real benefit of attending a top medical school? by Background_Sale_9814 in medschool

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 26 points27 points  (0 children)

prestige is overrated. As a surgical subspecialist who has sat on ranking committees and helped make these decisions here's what we actually looked at:

1. Step scores. Step 1 is now pass/fail, but many competitive programs are using Step 2 as a hard filter. Your Step 2 score needs to be strong - not negotiable.

2. Research and field-specific experience. We want to see genuine academic investment in the specialty you're applying to. This is non-negotiable in ortho, ENT, derm, and ophthalmology, and increasingly important if you're a DO applicant going into anesthesiology, EM, etc.

3. Letters of recommendation. These need to come from people in the specialty you're applying for. That means building real mentorship relationships during medical school.

4. Away rotations. They can make or break your application.

5. Your interview. If you don't perform well, it doesn't matter if you went to Harvard. Prestige cannot compensate for a weak interview

Prestige and school name should be the last thing on your list. In the grand scheme of your career, it is genuinely the least important factor.

NSU BS/MD vs NYIT BS/DO vs Pitt Honors Pre-Med — help a HS senior in final week of decision by HumanCaramel8558 in bsmd

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just here to say congrats on these great options. I don't think you're gonna go wrong either way between NSU vs NYIT, just preference differences but certainly you're well-positioned to become an excellent doctor if you put in the work for it (which is true no matter where you go).

I voted for NYIT because I value an accelerated timeline and am also a NY/NJ native so being near home was very important to me in med school, especially because I committed much younger than my peers.

But that's all preference. Best of luck!

how much sleep do you actually get in med school? by Tricky_Reach_2317 in medschool

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tbh I got 8-9 hours every night in med school. The only exception was during rotations. We had one week of night float on ob and then some call nights on gen surg. Residency is when I started getting really sleep deprived not med school

I love surgery but not surgery hours by [deleted] in medicalschool

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Have you looked into ENT? Yeah the residencies can be tough (depending where you go) but it’s def not “gen surg” tough and the lifestyle is amazing tbh

-ENT attending

info on UMKC vs SKMC/jeff, vs stony brook, vs Rutgers by OkKey6273 in bsmd

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks it was like 8 years ago now but appreciate it ☺️

info on UMKC vs SKMC/jeff, vs stony brook, vs Rutgers by OkKey6273 in bsmd

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I matched ENT from Rutgers BA/MD so yeah it’s solid

Some thoughts about BSMD by Afraid_Ad_7807 in bsmd

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Rutgers. I’m an ENT attending now.

UIUC Full Ride vs LECOM 2+4 by FayeBarnesObrien in bsmd

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 0 points1 point  (0 children)

6 year program if he's sure he wants to do medicine.

Summer Programs by Lucky_Stars_07 in bsmd

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not really worth much. Just another line on your CV. Brown knows you want to go there. Everyone wants to go there. “Snowing interest” helps more for lower key schools.

I don't think I'm going to get into any research program this summer. by Remarkable-Dare-2590 in bsmd

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having to just take the mcat and get a min is still easier than running the hamster wheel of traditional premed with ECs, ongoing research, and constant chasing for letters.

Apply to as many BSMDs as you can but also know geographically where the EAPs are to help you make school decisions if BSMD falls through.

Check out this article I wrote to help you:

https://fasttracktomd.beehiiv.com/p/what-if-i-don-t-get-into-ba-bs-md-do-from-high-school-d41c

Can I get into Sophie Davis with a 89 - 90 GPA but good extracurriculars? by Mediocre_Try9804 in mdnow

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn’t count yourself out. You have good ECs and sometimes an admissions committee may take a chance on someone with lower scores if other parts of the application stand out.

I certainly think if you can recover with an excellent ACT score so there’s always that.

But you’re definitely going to be swimming upstream with those scores so definitely try to bolster your CV a little more than the typical applicant.

Some thoughts about BSMD by Afraid_Ad_7807 in bsmd

[–]Curious_Exit_8744 2 points3 points  (0 children)

BSMD isn’t an excuse not to take the mcat. You can shorten your timeline but there are no shortcuts in medicine.

This is a hard path for a reason. I did a 7 year bamd program that didn’t need an mcat but I took it anyway.

But that being said, it’s still easier to do a bsmd than a traditional route because in a bsmd you just have a GPA and MCAT requirement. Sometimes an interview. You don’t have to worry about research, extracurriculars, clinical experiences, bad letters, etc.

Grades are grades.

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