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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Why all the rushing and pushing? Looking back, as an MD for the past almost 20 years, I am really glad I took time between college and med school to explore other interests, do other things. There is so much burnout in medicine that I am concerned about these young ones putting so much pressure on themselves in high school to get into X college to get into Y med school to get Z residency. Med school and residency were by far the most diverse educational experiences I had with students and residents from a really wide array of education, paths, geographic and ethnic backgrounds. Those who had taken a little time in between had more maturity and perspective and resilience to handle the intensity of med school and residency.[/quote]
Tons of reasons. Not everyone has the luxury financially of taking time off. Some women may want to finish up residency while they’re still in child bearing age. Heck, my husband was 33 when he finished and became staff with a family to support and he didn’t take any time off. [/quote]

The Brown program in some ways protects against burnout. There are a few minimal premed requirements, but undergrads are not required to prepare for the MCAT, pursue research/shadowing, or be a STEM major. All of these choices, if made, are purely student driven. Additionally, many PLME students take a gap year between undergrad and med school to decompress or volunteer during which their spot is saved for them.

Regarding admissions, I would like to emphasize that BS MD programs would like to see shadowing hours. I have research experience (2 publications) and strong extracurriculars. These got me into Yale/Brown. I was not accepted into any BS MD programs (including PLME). I am a singular data point, but I do believe my lack of shadow experience due to Covid was a major factor.

I was lucky enough to be admitted to an ivy with the plans of pursuing an MD-PhD. There is a strong premed cohort on campus and a Dean to advise us, but there are a great number of expectations for grades/classwork/volunteering/shadowing/researching in preparation for applying for med school. If one is not careful, college can become a four year bootcamp for med school applications like high school was in some ways geared towards college applications. I do believe admission to a BSMD program may have made the process less stressful. That said, I am quite grateful for the support and opportunities I have today.[/quote]

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