University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

Introduction

The Rochester Early Medical Scholars program is an 8 year BA/BS/MD program. Rochester is a small town in upstate New York. Their medical school has a great reputation. About 10 students are accepted per year. 

Application Requirements:

- No score requirement is listed on their website

- Application deadline is 11/15

Pros

- No MCAT required

- Great medical school

Cons

- Expensive. The listed price tag on their website for undergrad is 78k per year. For undergrad it's 80k.

78k x 4 = 312k for 4 years for undergrad

80k x 4 = 320k for 4 years of med school

Total cost of attendance = 632k 

I'm glad I'm not your parent footing the bill for this. 

- Depressing location

- No accelerated option. Program is 8 years.

How Hard Is It to Get Into REMS Program?

8 out of 10

The small number of applicants accepted (~10) makes this an extraordinarily difficult program to get into. Their website mentions having an 3.95 unweighted GPA as well has being in the top 3% of your high school class. Both of which can be quite difficult if you go to a challenging high school. 

Conclusion

I will say that I did interview at Rochester for my radiology residency back in 2017. Their hospital is brand spanking new. The cost of living was cheap. They have a great reputation. But.... Rochester was cold af. The town feels incredibly depressing during those dark, cold winters. Or maybe I'm just getting old. My goal in high school was to get into ANY BS/MD program. Now I just want to be as comfortable as possible. Lol, oh how quickly things change. I'm sure most of you reading this will have the same fire inside you to go where your destiny takes you.

Prestige Rating

8 out of 10

(below was last edited on 9/9/2011)

Rochester Med has a program with its undergraduate school, University of Rochester. The program is called Rochester Early Medical Scholars (R.E.M.S.).

The program is extremely competitive. About 800 apply each year and only 15 are accepted. Research is strongly emphasized. Students without strong research extracurricular activities generally are not accepted.

Here is some opinion from a REMS student (stats included):

The Rochester Early Medical Scholar's Program is an 8 year guaranteed program. MCATs are not necessary, and you can apply out if you so choose. It offers a lot of flexibility, research opportunities, etc. I honestly think that what deters a lot of people from applying to the program is 1) weather (im from the west coast, so I'll be the first to say it's very different, but it's not actually that big of a deal to me) and 2) that they havent heard about it. I didnt think for a second that id be attending rochester until i visited the campus for interviews and had a great experience, so keep an open mind and ask questions!

SAT: 2350
SAT II: Math II [800], Chemistry [800], Biology (M) [800]
ACT: 35
APs: Chemistry, English Language and Composition, Calculus BC 5
(I also took the AP classes for English Literature and Composition, Spanish, Computer Science, and Statistics my senior year, but not the tests)
GPA : 4.47 weighted, 4.00 unweighted

Extracurriculars:
Founded, elected pres 3 years of a humanitarian relief club
founding officer, elected president of National Honor Society
4 years of tennis
drama club member
~600 hours of volunteer work, some at a hospital, some at a health clinic, some totally unrelated to medicine at various parks and rec events and at the local theatre
research for 1 summer and during most of my senior year

Admission Requirements:
University of Rochester

• Apply by December 1st
• have a 3.95 unweighted GPA in a rigorous college-preparatory curriculum
• rank in the top three percent of their graduating class (if applicable)
• have significant medical experience (shadowing physicians, volunteering at a hospital, working for an ambulance corps/EMT program, participating in premedical summer programs, etc.)
• are also involved in non-medical activities (music, athletics, leadership, debate, etc.)
• perform exceptionally well on standardized tests. Most of our finalists score at least 1450 on the SAT Reasoning Test (out of 1600), or 34 composite on the ACT. (Beginning in 2008-2009, SAT Writing scores will also be taken into account. Strongest consideration will likely be given to students with Writing scores of at least 700.)
• earn scores of 700 or higher on select SAT Subject Tests. Although these exams are not required, REMS applicants are strongly encouraged to take two Subject Tests - one in science (biology or chemistry) and one in mathematics (Math IC or IIC).
• complete coursework at the highest levels available (honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, etc.)
• have experience in medical or scientific research