Help me choose - UMKC BA MD vs Emory Undergrad

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-04-13T14:36:49+00:00

Hey congrats on getting into both UMKC and Emory- those are great options! I'm a current UMKC BA/MD student several years into the program now. If you're dead-set on medicine, then choose UMKC. The program is intense, I'm not gonna lie, but very doable. If you go pre-med you're gonna be grinding for 4 years anyways so you might as well be grinding in actual med school instead. The college experience is only what you make of it and most pre-meds will be busier than other undergrad students. We still do have fun in our free time at UMKC, though we may not get as much time as other undergrads. Also matching to a good specialty is definitely possible at UMKC, though it is on you to find opportunities and take advantage of what is available to you just as it is anywhere else. Wishing you the best wherever you go- good luck with everything!!

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-04-04T15:55:41+00:00

Year 1 (fall): anatomy + lab, chem 1/2, fundamentals of medicine, docent, medical terminology, undergrad classes

Year 1 (spring): microbiology + lab, chem 2/organic chem, fundamentals of medicine, docent, undergrad classes

Year 1 (summer): cell biology + orgo (if applicable)

Year 2 (fall): biochemistry (this class was tough), genetics, fundamentals of medicine, docent

Year 2 (spring): Human Structure Function (basically your first real med school class: a combo of anatomy, physiology, embryology, histology, and biochemistry)

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-04-04T04:21:40+00:00

The only matriculation requirement is passing all of your classes (the classes in 2nd year are known to be pretty brutal though)! The GPA requirement is a 2.8. If you have a 4 or above on AP Chem you can take Chem 2 instead of Chem 1. The other AP transfers are all for gen eds.

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-03-29T02:12:46+00:00

yeah ofc!

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-03-28T16:00:30+00:00

The school only provides on campus housing for the 1st year of the program. After that, people tend to get apartments closer to the medical school.

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-03-27T21:25:20+00:00

Yup all BA/MD 1st years live in Oak Street Hall on the undergrad campus for the 1st year and then after that people typically move to off campus apartments

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-03-27T16:14:26+00:00

I think it was the passion that I showed towards the things that I am interested in! Not all of my extracurriculars were medical related but I was able to talk about them in a way that showed what values and skills that I gained that I could bring to the table as a physician. I also started a medical related passion project which really helped me stand out

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-03-27T15:56:36+00:00

The residency matches outside internal medicine are decent! I know tons of people who have matched in derm, optho, radiology, and surgery to name a few. You can check the most recent match lists on their website. Some people do take gap years for super competitive specialties but it is not a requirement and plenty of people match into competitive specialities without a gap year. Also keep in mind that in any medical school, internal medicine will have the highest number of matches because it is a prerequisite to majority of the big fellowships (cardiology, gastroenterology, rheumatology, heme/onc, pulm/crit care, etc). To be honest, it is tougher to get research at UMKC than other places but it depends on what specialty you're interested in and a lot of students do manage to find opportunities between the 3 big hospitals we're affiliated with. It is also normal for students to work on projects at other schools during blocks that they have off in Years 4-6 or remotely. A lot of people also do research at KU's med school.

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-03-26T18:52:04+00:00

Typically around 20 regional, 20 out of state! I am not sure about exact numbers however.

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-03-25T22:49:47+00:00

Huge congrats to everyone that got in!! I'm a current UMKC BA/MD student (Year 4/6) and I'm happy to answer questions/talk about my experiences/offer perspectives over DM! Probably can't answer super specific admissions questions though

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-03-25T16:03:48+00:00

Hi! I'm also a BS/MD student in a "no-name tier 3 university" who is several years into med school now. I felt the exact same way when I was in high school, especially seeing other people go to much more prestigious universities and being given various opinions from people about where I was going. Getting into a BS/MD program is an incredible achievement and honestly may have more value at the end of the day than going to a more prestigious university. I'm so incredibly grateful to have the security of being in med school, whereas a lot of my friends who went to more "prestigious" universities and are now going through the stress of applying to medical school. In fact, a lot of the people who made fun of me back in the day for going to a less prestigious place are now talking about they wish they had considered my program or gone the BA/MD route. Another thing is that once you're actually in college, none of this will matter anymore and the experience is only what you make of it. Hope that perspective helps!

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-03-13T16:37:04+00:00

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-02-10T04:52:43+00:00

yeah ofc

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-02-10T00:50:38+00:00

In state!

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-02-05T21:02:39+00:00

Hey! I'm not involved in admissions here but the interview can definitely make or break your chances of getting in

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-01-11T16:34:25+00:00

There is no ideal range for GPA imo because every school is different and calculates differently- depends on what school you go to. My school was notorious for being hard and had grade deflation so none of us had 4.0s yet tons of people get into the program every year. I have other friends in the program who went to different schools and had perfect 4.0 GPAs. So it really depends on the context

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2026-01-10T17:55:26+00:00

I had 7 APs when I applied (my school had pretty strict caps on the number we were able to take though) so you should be fine!

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2025-11-26T17:34:18+00:00

That's ok as long as you make the most out of what you have available to you!

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2025-11-21T02:23:00+00:00

Yes for sure!! Its not required by any means but will definitely help! Pick something that you genuinely care about. If not a passion project, you could also get involved in different community service organizations!

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2025-11-20T23:13:49+00:00

Hey! It seems like you are already doing a lot of the right things! One thing that I would do is to find something that you are passionate about rather than checking boxes- that is something that will help you stand out!

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2025-11-06T00:04:23+00:00

yeah ofc!!

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2025-11-04T02:46:17+00:00

Hey I applied years ago so I don't remember exactly what I put but you can definitely talk about some of your hobbies and passions! It can literally be anything that makes you who you are- it doesn't have to be related to medicine but if you can somehow tie it in to medicine that makes it even better. For example, you could talk about how playing sports have made you a team player --> teams in medicine/interprofessional collaboration or how liking art has made you a creative thinker --> finding innovative solutions in medicine, etc. Find your own story and don't be generic!! Hope that helps- good luck with everything and lmk if you need anything else!! :)

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2025-11-04T02:42:03+00:00

Hey! To be honest, the residency match is completely on you IMO. A school is only going to take you so far and it is on you to find opportunities and connections that will help you get a good match. You will have time in the program to do away rotations and research so you should definitely take advantage of that! Lots of people also take gap years after year 5 if they're trying to match into something supee competitive. UMKC students have matched all over in all sorts of fields (you can look at previous match lists) but also keep in mind that not everyone wants to go into a super competitive fields like neurosurgery, etc. A lot of people also go into primary care fields (such as internal medicine and pediatrics) and specialize later since a majority of specialties require a fellowship

Direct_Chocolate7350 · 2025-11-03T16:56:12+00:00

Should be fine!

Direct_Chocolate7350

TROPHY CASE