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!

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.

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.

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

As everyone knows, Wash U's Med School is extremely top-rated (at least on US News). So I know you're all excited to hear that Wash U Med has a BS/MD program with its undergrad, Washington University in St Louis. The program is called University Scholars Program.

Before you get too excited, you should hear about the requirements for matriculation into the med school. A 36 on the MCAT must be achieved. As if that isn't hard or ridiculous enough, a 3.8 GPA also has to be maintained. On top of that, you have to complete another interview with the med school.

When I saw this for the first time, my first thought was "What the heck?" These requirements are too high to be called a BS/MD program. A 36 MCAT and a 3.8 GPA will get you into a great medical school via the normal route. But apparently there are some benefits with this program. You are invited to special lectures and you have a mentor to guide you through during your undergrad years. Also, you could engage in research.

These benefits don't seem that special to me. I don't know what kind of lecture it is, but they probably won't help you on your MCAT or classes. I have a mentor in my BS/MD program too, and we rarely make contact. You could engage in research in any school, not just Wash U.

So the bottom line is this: Unless you are super highly motivated (which I doubt you are if you are reading this), do not apply to this program. Don't even think about it. Besides, from the picture on the website, they only have five spots.

Admission Requirements:
Washington University in St. Louis

• January 15th

No score cutoff, but I'm sure the average is in the 2300s. If you can get into this program, you can probably get into HPME or PLME. Choose smartly.

Baylor College of Medicine

Baylor has several medical programs. I am most familiar with the program with Rice University and Baylor University (not affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine), therefore I will only list these two programs.

The more popular program is the Rice/Baylor program, called the Medical Scholars Program, mainly because it is simply more well known and accepts more students. This program is also very competitive, on par with HPME. It has no MCAT requirements. Great university, cheap and great medical school. What more can you ask for?

The Baylor 2 Medical Track, or the Baylor Squared Program accepts only 4 people per year. There are two interviews required. You have to interview at Baylor University first. Then they select a few for the interview at BCM. In my opinion, do not apply to this program unless you have some serious connections at Baylor University. I went to the interview to find that I was one of the 96 who was also being interviewed. I was not selected for the next interview. Needless to say, I thought something fishy was going on. Why? the interview lasted 10 minutes, but we spent the whole day taking a tour Baylor University. The interview was merely a tool to get students to visit the school. Seriously, if you don't have any interest in attending Baylor unless you get into the program, then don't go to the interview.

Admission Requirements:

Rice University

• Apply by December 1st

There doesn't seem to be any specific requirements. But I can assure you that this program is crazy hard to get into.

Baylor University

• Application for admission to Baylor University must be submitted by the early deadline date of the year of matriculation. (Earlier applications are encouraged and will receive more favorable consideration.);
• Be accepted by Baylor University for admission by January 15;
• Achieve a minimum 1400 SAT (one setting using Verbal and Math) or a minimum 32 ACT score;
• Rank in the top 5% of high school graduating class or possess a minimum 3.7/4.0 GPA.
• This program is open to U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents.

Interesting note: Rice and Baylor had merger talks back in 2009. The talks collapsed in January 2010. After the talks collapsed, Baylor University became the new suitor. The students at BCM, though, seemed to not like the idea very much. Here is their petition. For now, BCM remains a free-standing institution.

University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine

USC offers a 8 year program with its undergrad. The program is designed to enrich, not to accelerate. From what I heard, many people in the program choose to apply out. I don't know why, or whether this is true.

The interview notification comes around late January.

Admission Requirements

University of Southern California

• Apply by December 1st

Interested students should submit a general undergraduate application to USC as well as a separate application to the Bac/M.D. Program. Program applications (available at the web site listed below) and USC general applications must be received by December 1 to be considered for admission the following fall.