BS/MD combined programs.

[Anonymous]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this programs?

[Anonymous]

Advantage...you apply once and 6 years later, you are an MD.
Disadvantage: You are committing to a place for 6 years.

[Anonymous]

Less stress if you know that this is what you want to do.
vs
Might get into a better college and/or med school OR might feel compelled to follow a career path you chose as a teenager/before college.

Personally, I think that the better college/med school issue isn’t a big one (or can be minimized by looking only at BA/MD programs at good schools). So maybe you go to Northwestern rather than Princeton. Who cares? You certainly aren’t worrying about how where you went to college will affect your grad school apps. And if you can’t get an excellent undergrad education at Northwestern, then you probably wouldn’t have gotten one at Princeton either. And (correct me if I’m wrong), it seems as if where you get your MD matters MUCH less than where you get a JD or a PhD or an MBA.

The “feeling compelled to follow a prematurely chosen career path” downside really depends on the student and on family dynamics. You don’t actually HAVE to go to med school and if you’ve found something you’d rather do, then college has served one of its functions.

I guess it’s a long sentence if you end up hating the University you’ve chosen and/or its environs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Less stress if you know that this is what you want to do.
vs
Might get into a better college and/or med school OR might feel compelled to follow a career path you chose as a teenager/before college.

Personally, I think that the better college/med school issue isn’t a big one (or can be minimized by looking only at BA/MD programs at good schools). So maybe you go to Northwestern rather than Princeton. Who cares? You certainly aren’t worrying about how where you went to college will affect your grad school apps. And if you can’t get an excellent undergrad education at Northwestern, then you probably wouldn’t have gotten one at Princeton either. And (correct me if I’m wrong), it seems as if where you get your MD matters MUCH less than where you get a JD or a PhD or an MBA.

The “feeling compelled to follow a prematurely chosen career path” downside really depends on the student and on family dynamics. You don’t actually HAVE to go to med school and if you’ve found something you’d rather do, then college has served one of its functions.

I guess it’s a long sentence if you end up hating the University you’ve chosen and/or its environs.

Completely true.

[Anonymous]

Advantage: you’re a solid 3-5 years ahead of your peers. Done with residency before you’re 30. Residency won’t conflict with starting a family (a huuuuuuuge issue for women doctors).

Disadvantage: extremely difficult to get into these programs.

[Anonymous]

Not all programs are accelerated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not all programs are accelerated.

Do you know of a good resource that lists out and summarizes the program? My kid may be interested.

I would assume you need to have incredible HS scores to gain admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not all programs are accelerated.

Do you know of a good resource that lists out and summarizes the program? My kid may be interested.

I would assume you need to have incredible HS scores to gain admission.

https://blog.prepscholar.com/ba-md-bs-md-programs-list

[Anonymous]

At age 17/18, you want to lock in your future like that? Don't do that to your kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At age 17/18, you want to lock in your future like that? Don't do that to your kids.

You’re not locked in like the military. They won’t hold you against your will.

[Anonymous]

I always wonder what the rush is??
Like people who push their kids ahead in school. (Those freaks who start college at 12 or 14?)

Life goes by quickly. We learn as we go along. What is the value-added of accelerating it all?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At age 17/18, you want to lock in your future like that? Don't do that to your kids.

You’re not locked in like the military. They won’t hold you against your will.

But parents will

[Anonymous]

Full on adulthood lasts until you die.

Cutting off a year of being in school to get to the next phase, does not seem appealing...to someone looking back on a long life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Full on adulthood lasts until you die.

Cutting off a year of being in school to get to the next phase, does not seem appealing...to someone looking back on a long life.

I dunno — maybe you retire early and get a PhD if school is what you wish you’d had more of. By contrast, another year of school may not have much appeal when you’re just coming off up to 20 consecutive years of schooling (PreK-12 plus BA/MD)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I always wonder what the rush is??
Like people who push their kids ahead in school. (Those freaks who start college at 12 or 14?)

Life goes by quickly. We learn as we go along. What is the value-added of accelerating it all?

Agree with you re starting college at 12-14 (lose both social aspects (age inappropriate) and intellectual ones (by not having experience necessary to understand lots of texts/debates)). Shaving a year off college plus med school doesn’t come with those downsides.