University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine

The UMKC 6 year BA/MD Program is an accelerated program. Students obtain the MD degree in six years. However, this program does require certain sacrifices. Let's talk about the positives first. First, there is no MCAT requirement. And you graduate in six years versus the normal eight.

Now let's talk about the downsides, in my opinion. There are no summers. Once you're in the program, you go to school for six years with no summer breaks. I think this is quite taxing on the human mind. Also, you're taking four years of undergrad classes in two years. This means that your course load is significantly tougher.

There are also concerns about the quality of UMKC as a med school. If you look at the match list, you will see that most students match in primary care. If you are a student aspiring for the field of plastic surgery, then UMKC might not help you achieve that goal. That said, it is still entirely possible. I believe that the outcome of the match depends on the student. The name of the med school plays only a minor part.

This program is the one that gets the most negative vibe among all other programs. People bash it. There are very few positive reactions when you look at CollegeConfidential's thread on UMKC. But I think UMKC is treated unfairly. Many of the negative opinions come from students who have dropped out (the dropout rate is rather high). Looking at the ACT average, I'm not surprised why so many students couldn't handle the program. It's only 30. Other programs easily have averages around 34-35. I was accepted to the program and would have easily gone here if not for acceptance to another program.

So, are you right for this program? Think carefully at what I wrote. Ask yourself, "Can I handle this program? Can I afford it? Can I handle the course load?"

Admission Requirements:
UMKC

• Fully admissible to UMKC (17 core requirements)
• Missouri residents: top 20 percent of class; ACT of 26 or above
• Non-Missouri residents: top 10 percent of class; ACT of 28 or above OR SAT composite of 1200 (critical reading and math)
• Must be U.S. citizens or awarded permanent resident visa status by application deadline
• Students under serious consideration are invited to interview

• Mathematics - four units (unit = one year of high school)
• English - four units
• Science - three units (must include Chemistry and Biology)
• Social Studies - three units
• Foreign Language - two units
• Fine Arts - one unit (visual arts, music, dance, or theater
• Students are encouraged, but not required, to take courses for college credit (AP, IB, dual credit)