University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Guaranteed Admission Program (GAP) hasn't changed much. They have upped their score requirement to 1490 for SAT and 34 for ACT. Have to maintain a GPA of 3.75 (<-- this is no easy feat) in college. MCAT needs to be taken but score is only used for "advising" purposes, whatever that means (sounds shady). 

This was one of the schools that gave me a full tuition for their undergrad. Alas, I was not even given a chance for interview at their med school.

Their requirements

Applying for the Guaranteed Admission Program

Applying for the GAP is a multi-step process.  To be considered, applicants must submit a completed undergraduate application for admission on or before November 1 (applicants must be a US Citizen, Lawful Permanent Resident (not pending or conditional) or have Asylee Status. International students as well as applicants to the regional campuses of the University of Pittsburgh are not eligible for this program).  An applicant must indicate an interest in Pre-Medicine or Bioengineering on their undergraduate admissions application. Also, applicants must earn the highest grade point average available at your high school in the context of a curriculum showing the greatest academic rigor possible.  In addition, achieve a minimum SAT score of 1490 (combined Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math) or 34 ACT composite score. Due to the University expanding the Fall 2021 test-optional policy, the MCAT will be required prior to matriculation to the medical school only for test-optional candidates entering Pitt as first-year guaranteed admits in 2021.  However, the earned score will only be used for advising purposes following matriculation to medical school. The MCAT requirement does not apply to students admitted with SAT/ACT scores. 

After the initial review described above, students selected to continue in the process will be notified by the School of Medicine of their eligibility to apply for the Medicine GAP. Those selected will be asked to submit a supplemental application in support of their candidacy. The supplemental application will be reviewed by the School of Medicine’s Admission Committee. Selected students will be invited for an interview in the School of Medicine in March (no one is admitted to the medical school without an interview).

Selection for the interview is based on:

• Academic performance
• Medically related experiences
• Research Experience, if available
• Community Service
• Two letters of recommendation (1 from either a school counselor or and teacher and the other from a person who knows the applicant through their participation in the activities above)
• An essay

Requirements

If accepted into the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Guaranteed Admission Program, students must:

• Maintain an overall GPA of 3.75 with a Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics  (BCPM) GPA of 3.75 as an undergraduate
• Complete the undergraduate degree within four years
• Continue to gain medically related experiences* during their undergraduate years
• Seek research opportunities in a medically related field
• Seek opportunities for community service 
• Meet with the Director of the Guaranteed Admit program once every semester to discuss their progress in terms of medically related activities, research and community service.
• Meet with the University Pre-Medical Advisor at the start of each semester in order to confirm that they are fulfilling the academic pre-requisites for admission to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.   In addition, students will be given information regarding various research** and volunteering opportunities.
• Provide the Office of Admissions with an official transcript at the completion of their junior year

Please keep in mind, students must also meet with the advisor who was assigned to them by the University of Pittsburgh at matriculation.

*Students need to be HIPAA certified before they can be permitted to volunteer in any UPMC-affiliated hospital. The certification can be done online by:

• Visiting http://cme.hs.pitt.edu
• Clicking on “Internet Based Studies in Education and Research” and then
• Clicking on “HIPAA Privacy Awareness for Faculty, Students, Health Professionals and Trainees.”

**For those interested in Neuroscience Research visit the website of The Center for Neuroscience for the University of Pittsburgh.

(below was last edited on 8/28/2011)

UPitt Med has a program with its undergrad, University of Pittsburgh. The program is called Guaranteed Admission Program (GAP). There are many GAP programs, including medicine, dental, nursing, law, engineering, business, just to name a few. Pitt Med is a really great med school according to US News. Therefore its program is tougher to get in compared to others. The undergrad will give you at least a full tuition scholarship if you meet the criteria to apply to this program (actually, I think you need SAT score of around 1500). Therefore this program is one of the best deals out there.

Specialty: Orthopaedic Surgery

Orthopaedic (or Orthopedic) surgery is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. The most common cases you would probably know associated with what orthopaedic surgeons perform are knee and shoulder arthroscopy, carpel tunnel release, or knee replacements. But the type of surgeries you are likely to perform is dependent on the subspecialty field you go into. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors, and congenital disorders.

Jefferson Medical College

Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University is affiliated with Penn State University at University Park.The program is unique in that it's one of the few six year programs in existence. However, they also give students the option to do a seven year route as well (3+4). Students spend at least one summer at Penn State during the two years of their undergrad years.

Specialty: Pediatrics

Pediatrics is a very common specialty and also the reason why many people want to become a doctor. People out there who love kids, love working with kids, and love simply getting a chance to help them would find this specialty very worth-while and rewarding. While there is the obvious purpose and incentive of working with little ones, what does becoming a pediatrician really mean?

Brown University Alpert Medical School

The PLME program is one of the most competitive BA/MD programs in the country. This program offers admission to both Brown University and Alpert Medical School. Unlike other programs, PLME does not restrict applications based on standardized test scores or state residency. It also does not require an interview. Admission to the program therefore relies heavily on the essays and extracurriculars of the applicant. Standardized testing scores still matter, but I don't believe they play as much an important as they do in other programs. According to the PLME website, the average SAT score is 2215, a competitive score normally but mediocre among medical programs. Therefore I deduce that students admitted must have done some extraordinary activities or written some heart-wrenching essays.

University of California, San Diego School of Medicine

UC San Diego School of Medicine (UCSD SOM) has a full eight year BA/BS/MD program in conjunction with UCSD or Caltech, called the Medical Scholars Program. This is a highly selective program. For the UCSD undergraduate, this program is available only to California residents. For the Caltech undergraduate, you just have to be a US citizen or permanent resident. But just as a heads up, don't think that this narrows the pool size down, or changes any probabilities in your favor. This is not an easy program to get into.

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

HPME is one of the most competitive programs out there. It's not hard to see why. Feinberg is a great medical school. And so is Northwestern University. The program has no MCAT requirements. It is an accelerated 7 years program. I know you're all peeing your pants and awestruck at the greatness of this program. Well, good luck at getting in.

BA/MD Reflection

I find this former student's reflection very insightful. I hope this post is useful for your future endeavors.

"Hello!
It has been several years since I visited this site. I was prompted to do so after a family friend requested some advice regarding BA/MD programs.
So, as you can search and find out, I started the BA/MD program at Rutgers-UMDNJ in 2005. I had a difficult time choosing between HPME and Rutgers. Now, it’s been six years and I hope to reflect upon my decision and its outcomes. I feel this is necessary as many posters here are curious about BA/MD programs, but there is no real authority on this site. Having just graduated medical school (6 years since high school), I hope to offer my experience as a guide to making your decision.

Muscle Anatomy of the Mink

Just thought I would share some of the videos I took during class (Vertebrate Biology). This class is excruciatingly painful.....

Application Preparation

Hello there! I hope that school researching is coming along well for all of you! Spend time this summer to really look into potential schools you have serious considerations about. There are plenty of resources here on this website on earlier posts about specific schools and their respective BA/BS/MD programs. We will probably be digging those out for you soon.

For the mean time, here is a good article on tips for writing applications (it's for a cover letter in the professional world, but it works the same).

Visit www.stevepavlina.com for more articles about personal development. Enjoy!

New Author!

Hello there! I am a newly added author to this website. I am currently in the same BA/BS/MD program as Prestige Obsessed and also the same year as him (we are both stuck in summer school right now). I am helping him add more information and keep this site as up to date as possible. I will also post my stats in the "About Me" page. Let me know if you have any questions!

Cheers, and happy school hunting!

- Prestige Pursuit

Break

Well, I finished my last final last week. After that I went back home. Tomorrow I will be flying back to Philly for summer classes. I hope everyone is enjoying his or her break. For me, one week is enough break for me. I don't think I can stand being at home not doing anything productive for three months, which is why I chose to take summer classes.

Evolution and College Admissions

I am currently studying for my evolution midterm. This a random post so that I can procrastinate studying.

Anyway, I saw in the news that record numbers of prospective students are being waitlisted. I feel like I see the same news every year. To tie this in with evolution- high school seniors have to evolve to better survive the jungles of college admissions. Natural selection sucks right?

I think Lamarck's theory has some truth to it. Legacies of Ivies usually go to the same college, right?

Lol, I just realized how stupid this sounds. But this is just an update to let you know that I still check this blog regularly. So feel free to post comments or questions.

Update

It's been a long time since I last posted. I would post if I have a lot of free time. But I don't Being in a BS/MD program means you are essentially taking all the same premed coursework (which is still very difficult), except that you don't have to apply to med schools again. The biology courses at my school are very difficult because there is so much information to absorb. Be forewarned: Do not take college lightly just because you're in a program.

How are the interviews going?