Toledo MSBS 2021-2022

[thesmilingmedic9]

TL;DR: I do find it irresponsible to advertise a program that increases your chances of getting into medical school (specifically UTCOM) to a vulnerable population such as pre-meds when you yourself do not have a grasp on the admissions process for UTCOM, there are no clear trends of who does and does not get into UTCOM from this program, and most of all, when success in this program does not in any way predict admission. Even when a student has great success in this program on top of a 510+ MCAT, a good uGPA, and good activities. Further, I find it even more irresponsible to have this lack of understanding and to counsel students on what they should do in order to get into medical school, particularly UTCOM. Then for someone in leadership to kinda shrug their shoulders when all of that logic fails and great students don't get in as if they, as a leader, didn't explicitly use this logic to advertise the program and guide them through this year. That feels more than irresponsible to me.

Overall, I feel disappointed in the program leadership, my own outcome, and the outcome of my fellow classmates who were rejected, but I am absolutely elated for my classmates who did get in. It is hard to end a year of achieving a greater understanding of the logic of difficult subjects only to end it with an outcome that does not seem to have any logic. There is, however, absolutely no bitterness on my end towards my classmates who were fortunate enough to get in and I am so excited to see the great things they will accomplish. Do I regret my decision to attend this program? Honestly, no. I don't think so. The program was very hard and I learned a lot. I achieved greater than I ever had in my life in subjects that are really challenging for me, and for that I am proud of myself. I also met some awesome people who I love. Plus, a great performance in this program and a master's degree can't hurt my application, right? I'm just at the point where I am not allowing this program to take anything else from me, especially my positive outlook for the future. Does all of this mean that I would recommend the program after my experience? Probably not in many cases. But ultimately, your decision on whether or not to attend this program all depends on where you feel your application needs improvement and I am happy to help with that decision or with any questions via PM.

As a previous MSBS student, this whole thread makes me very sad. I can't disagree with any of it though - although the situation with my class ended a lot better, before we got accepted, it was very stressful and luckily and situationally due to COVID it worked in our favor. UTCOM is an incredible school with amazing faculty and even more amazing opportunities. It's a very slept-on medical school in terms of how much it offers to students. That being said, the MSBS program needs to change. My heart genuinely hurts for the previous class. The kindness, effort, and overall incredible profiles that the students showed did not in any way match the admission rate. I'm positive about their future and 100% sure they will all end up in medical schools that are well suited to them, but it is sad that UTCOM had missed out on having them attend earlier. In my personal opinion, they should only accept students that truly have a chance of getting in, improve their overall profiles, and give them a standing chance tangential to interviewing the regular candidates. Being a part of MSBS should be more of an advantage than a disadvantage, regardless of a pandemic.

I remember how stressful it was to be in MSBS and how the waiting process was the hardest thing I had to ever go through. I wouldn't wish it on anyone else. I wish the admissions knew this or at least considered this. To those of you who were last year's MSBS students reading this, I hope you know that our class understands and is here as support to you guys. Also know that the MSBS degree is more than just an extra credential - it proves the year of effort and hard work, as well as the mental and physical stress that you had to endure trying to get closer to your goal of medical school. Also remember that medical school is not an end goal, it's just the beginning, and it's okay if it takes a little while longer to get there - that does not define your self worth and what you're capable of achieving. Stay resilient, and stay positive, we're always rooting for you guys.

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