URGENT: Tough College Choice To Make

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Dreaming big

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I am in a bit of a bind: I have been accepted into the Union G-med program (8 years, MD/MBA) as well as a lesser know U near my house.

Union is 3 hrs away, and is 50k a year
AMC (attached to union for med school part) is 50k a year
U close to home is free with laptop

I don't know which way to go, my parents will pay a good chunk of the 400k tuition, but is it worth it to drop the guaranteed spot in med school? the U close to my house is St. Johns/

What should I decide? are there any early assurance programs from st johns that I could enroll in to avoid the MCAT?

what would you do? Please let me know!!! This is urgent...
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Wow, 50k a year for 8 years is a ton. I dunno, man, I think I'd opt for a cheap, large state school and excel there, but applying to med school really is a HUGE pain. I guess if the 'rents are willing to drop the cash for you and you're sure you want to do medicine, go ahead and do the MD/MBA/BS program.

I'm not familiar with any linkage programs out of St. John's.
 
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Apparently, the MCAT is not required to attend the medical school as long as you maintain a 3.4 GPA.
http://www.union.edu/Academics/LIM/Program/index.php

Do you want to pay 200k for the next 4 years just because you don't want to take the MCAT ?

3.4 is an average GPA to enter a medical school.

This is your life. Now, you can make the decision.
 
My general belief is that if you are intelligent enough to get into a combined program, you are intelligent enough to get into med school if you put the work in. If you are doubting doing the joint program one bit, don't do it.
 
If your talking about St.Johns In Jamaica/Queens, New York, then i doubt they have a program that is early assurance guaranteed. The only thing they have is a guaranteed pharm.D program. This is a tough choice...but the thing is...i would probably go with Union only because St.Johns Tuition is going to be around 30k+....if you think about it like that the 50 you spend at union is only 50 because of room and board.

Also if its guaranteed, you know you can keep that 3.4 GPA, and there is nothing else that can stop you from getting into med school...and its 100% what you want to do, then i think thats the best choice. It depends on how comfortable you will be though living away from home most of the time for 8 years, and other things to consider. Take whatever anyone has to say on here as just ideas, the real decision should be a well thoughout convo with your parents, and call the school and talk with people who are in the program, about to graduate, and see if you can possible find some that have already graduated.

I wouldnt worry so much about the money in your position. You havent listed scholarships so ill just assume its full price at both schools. Eventually when you plan on going to med school, you will have to take out a loan anyways (or you might in undergrad)...so the money is going out of your parents pocket no matter what. Also i guess in the long run, you will save a lot of money because you wont be taking the mcat, prepcourses, buying books, and applying to a variety of medical schools, which as you know can be costly.

Good luck in your decision.
 
in the long run, you will save a lot of money because you wont be taking the mcat, prepcourses, buying books, and applying to a variety of medical schools, which as you know can be costly.
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How do you figure? All of that combined won't run you more than $15000 even if you apply to and interview at a ton of schools. That's less than the difference between one year in the combined program and one at St. John's.
 
Thanks for the responses. First off, it is St. Johns in Queens, but I have a full tuition scholarship.

I was looking at these two programs, which are early assurance and that I don't need to take the MCATs

Suny Buffalo and Suny upstate
 
Maygyver said:
My general belief is that if you are intelligent enough to get into a combined program, you are intelligent enough to get into med school if you put the work in. If you are doubting doing the joint program one bit, don't do it.
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I agree with this 100%

...and you could probably even get into a better MD program then the one you have been pre-accepted into
 
Well, dude, I'd find it really, really difficult to give up a free education, even if it means doing all the EC's and other garbaqge that applying to med school entails. $200k is a whole hell of a lot of money to give up.
 
Take the 8 year program. If you really want to be a doctor, it's the safest route.
 
Dude, totally take the full ride. An assurance isn't worth being unhappy for 8 years.
 
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Thanks for the replies again!

I am sure I would enjoy Union a lot, it would be a "full" college experience. However, I would feel really guilty to make my parents life difficult just so I could avoid the mcat. I'm not sure its that hard, I am a good test taker. I got a 2190 SAT and a 34 ACT, so I am a good test taker. I think I am leaning towards St. Johns. Even w/o the early assurance, I *think* I could get into a regular med school

@ Milkman, that's what I am thinking, but...
 
Yeah, definitely a tough call when you have the bird in your hand, but I'd have to take the money. There's also a chance you'll pull a scholarship when you go to med school and/or get into a cheaper school you prefer.
 
What do you mean by "good chunk" ? Because even if they can give you $100,000, that means you still have to pay off $300,000, when you could be going to undergrad for free and have the chance to get in better school, and possibly get scholarships as well.

EDIT: Well, MilkmanAl said basically everything I was going to.
 
I know someone who was in a similar position, and opted for the more expensive, secure route. To be honest, that route fits the mindset of those set on the security prevalent in the medical field. However, I suggest you go for the cheaper route, as the school is still quite good and this way you have three years to decide if medicine is really something you wish to do. Did I mention it's cheaper?
 
Go the traditional route at the institution giving you a full ride. You'll probably have the best 4 years of your life.
 
JimmerJammerMrK said:
Go the traditional route at the institution giving you a full ride. You'll probably have the best 4 years of your life.
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Well, to be fair, it sounds like the Union thing would be more fun. He'd get to have the "full" college experience, living in a dorm and being away from home, his gpa would just have to be a pretty doable 3.4 (instead of the 3.7 you SHOULD have in order to feel safe about your chances at getting into med school nowadays- I think the average is a 3.6) which would allow for a great social life, and while the other premeds are freaking out about the MCAT, he could just sit pretty and know he's going to med school for sure. Sounds a lot more chill and fun to me. However, I can also see why you'd follow the money. I personally wouldn't, though. An amazing college experience is something you take with you forever, and when med school starts you just don't have the same luxuries anymore. I'd enjoy those 4 years as much as possible, and it sounds the Union route would allow for more enjoyment.
 
ButImLETired said:
Well, to be fair, it sounds like the Union thing would be more fun. He'd get to have the "full" college experience, living in a dorm and being away from home, his gpa would just have to be a pretty doable 3.4 (instead of the 3.7 you SHOULD have in order to feel safe about your chances at getting into med school nowadays- I think the average is a 3.6) which would allow for a great social life, and while the other premeds are freaking out about the MCAT, he could just sit pretty and know he's going to med school for sure. Sounds a lot more chill and fun to me. However, I can also see why you'd follow the money. I personally wouldn't, though. An amazing college experience is something you take with you forever, and when med school starts you just don't have the same luxuries anymore. I'd enjoy those 4 years as much as possible, and it sounds the Union route would allow for more enjoyment.
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I agree with what your saying, but I feel guilty about take this much money from my parents so I can enjoy a full college experience. I found out about scholarships today from Union, so lets see how that goes.


Anyone know of any other early assurance programs that you can apply to from any program?
 
ButImLETired said:
Well, to be fair, it sounds like the Union thing would be more fun. He'd get to have the "full" college experience, living in a dorm and being away from home, his gpa would just have to be a pretty doable 3.4 (instead of the 3.7 you SHOULD have in order to feel safe about your chances at getting into med school nowadays- I think the average is a 3.6) which would allow for a great social life, and while the other premeds are freaking out about the MCAT, he could just sit pretty and know he's going to med school for sure. Sounds a lot more chill and fun to me. However, I can also see why you'd follow the money. I personally wouldn't, though. An amazing college experience is something you take with you forever, and when med school starts you just don't have the same luxuries anymore. I'd enjoy those 4 years as much as possible, and it sounds the Union route would allow for more enjoyment.
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I don't know, IMO working hard but balancing other things makes you who you are. I just took the MCAT and will be applying this cycle; it's really an exciting time. I don't think I'd give it up (along with all of the other traditional college experiences) just because I could get a guaranteed spot. This is all not even considering the fact that it's way cheaper.
 
I'm sorry, did you say that applying to med school (and doing all the things necessary to make yourself competitive) is exciting? What planet are you living on? That crap is drudgery at its worst. "Sorry, I can't go out. I need to maintain my 3.7." "I'm spending this month studying so I can score in the 30's on the MCAT." "Sure, I'll change that bed." "I'll gladly take that patient to orthopedics." "Wow, signing away hundreds of dollars to AMCAS sure is awesome!" All of these are the sounds of the ideal college experience, to be sure.
 
JimmerJammerMrK said:
I don't know, IMO working hard but balancing other things makes you who you are. I just took the MCAT and will be applying this cycle; it's really an exciting time. I don't think I'd give it up (along with all of the other traditional college experiences) just because I could get a guaranteed spot. This is all not even considering the fact that it's way cheaper.
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Er...I'm not gonna lie, that sounds sort of absurd. You might change your mind when you're actually going through the process, but I assure you, the most positive feeling I've heard about the med school app process has been "Meh, whatever, it's over". There is very little entertainment value and no educational value (unless you count getting a good dose of humility and realizing how unfair the world is). Experiencing it right alongside your friends isn't really all it's cracked up to be either, cause suddenly, you're in competition, whether you like it or not. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed interviewing (to an extent- by the third, you're sick of flying all over the place and hearing how friendly and noncompetitive the student body is), and there are few things that feel as good as your first acceptance, but as a whole, the application process, well, sucks. A lot. I mean, if you enjoy it, awesome, but you're in the EXTREME minority so to say that the OP would is really just kinda crazy.
 
Thanks for the input guys! I am 85% set on the Local U.

I plan on applying for the Humed program from Mount Sinai, anyone have any tips how to increase my chances of getting in?

Also, how doable is it to tkae:
semester 1: Bio 1, lab, Honors Chem 1, lab plus 2 electives?
Semester 2: Bio 2, lab, honors chem 2, lab, plus 2 electives?

finally, does honors make any difference to med schools and such?
 
semester 1: Bio 1, lab, Honors Chem 1, lab plus 2 electives?
Semester 2: Bio 2, lab, honors chem 2, lab, plus 2 electives?
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These are fairly light semesters, in my opinion. You'll do great.

finally, does honors make any difference to med schools and such?
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Nope.

I'm not familiar with Sinai's Humed program, so I can't really comment on that.
 
Dreaming big said:
I am in a bit of a bind: I have been accepted into the Union G-med program (8 years, MD/MBA) as well as a lesser know U near my house.

Union is 3 hrs away, and is 50k a year
AMC (attached to union for med school part) is 50k a year
U close to home is free with laptop

I don't know which way to go, my parents will pay a good chunk of the 400k tuition, but is it worth it to drop the guaranteed spot in med school? the U close to my house is St. Johns/

What should I decide? are there any early assurance programs from st johns that I could enroll in to avoid the MCAT?

what would you do? Please let me know!!! This is urgent...
Click to expand...

Since my parents are paying for my UG and I am paying for whatever the hell I want to do after that (med school, grad school),

I would go to Saint John's.

I live in NJ so I'm by you. Honestly, it is a giant pain in the ass trying to get into medical school. But it is an even BIGGER pain in the ass paying all that off.

You mentioned your parents are paying for most of it. To be honest, I would never want my parents spending nearly 400k on me.


50 grand a year for college is such a waste of money. Save it for med school/grad school.

Make your parents happy and go to Saint John's.

That is my 0.02.

The choice is yours.
 
MilkmanAl said:
Yeah, definitely a tough call when you have the bird in your hand, but I'd have to take the money. There's also a chance you'll pull a scholarship when you go to med school and/or get into a cheaper school you prefer.
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:thumbup:

NY has a TON of great medical schools.

Take the $ and do what you need to do to get in.
 
I actually interviewed at AMC for internship and I came away somewhat less than impressed. More importantly, a fellow interview candidate from AMC gave me thumbs down for the program and somewhat regrets going to medical school there.

That all said... if you're ok with living in Albany, I would still take the 8 year deal. :cool::thumbup: Getting stressed over acing the MCATs sucks. Applying to medical school REALLY sucks. Every passing year, medical school continues to get harder and harder to gain admission into. Who knows how insane the application landscape will be like in 4 years? Get into the program and be among those rare med students that actually gets to have an enjoyable college experience.

I know the tuition is insane, but at least you're also getting an MBA with it. And frankly, it isn't much more expensive than a couple other BA/MD programs I've heard of.
 
You could consider a military scholarship.

The Army/Navy/Air Force should be willing to pay for all 4 years of college (ROTC) plus 4 years of medical school (HPSP) if you're willing to serve for 8 years active duty upon finishing residency (and I think you could pursue any residency you like without adding any more payback years).

For someone as young as you'd be, I totally think that would be worth considering.
 
Terpskins99 said:
You could consider a military scholarship.

The Army/Navy/Air Force should be willing to pay for all 4 years of college (ROTC) plus 4 years of medical school (HPSP) if you're willing to serve for 8 years active duty upon finishing residency (and I think you could pursue any residency you like without adding any more payback years).

For someone as young as you'd be, I totally think that would be worth considering.
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the military doesn't have to say yes to whichever residency you want, though.
 
jurassicpark said:
the military doesn't have to say yes to whichever residency you want, though.
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Umm, not true. You may apply for a competitive specialty and not get in, but that has nothing to do with getting permission from the military.

The military cannot force you into any residency you do not want.

If you don't match into the specialty of your choice, you have the option to pursue a general medical officer tour instead (which can be as short as 1 year or as long as the full payback period... its up to you) and re-apply for the same specialty again during the following application season.

Now, I'm not in the military and I am basing my comments solely upon what I have heard from military physicians and fellow med students in the military.
 
ButImLETired said:
Er...I'm not gonna lie, that sounds sort of absurd. You might change your mind when you're actually going through the process, but I assure you, the most positive feeling I've heard about the med school app process has been "Meh, whatever, it's over". There is very little entertainment value and no educational value (unless you count getting a good dose of humility and realizing how unfair the world is). Experiencing it right alongside your friends isn't really all it's cracked up to be either, cause suddenly, you're in competition, whether you like it or not. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed interviewing (to an extent- by the third, you're sick of flying all over the place and hearing how friendly and noncompetitive the student body is), and there are few things that feel as good as your first acceptance, but as a whole, the application process, well, sucks. A lot. I mean, if you enjoy it, awesome, but you're in the EXTREME minority so to say that the OP would is really just kinda crazy.
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Not necessarily the application process only, but traditional college life in general.

It's cool if you disagree, no biggie.
 
You'd rather work hard and have your schedule jam packed with activities and studying than be leisurely? Yeah, that totally makes sense. A typical pre-med's college life is anything but "traditional."
 
Well in college you can pick 2 out of three:

1. Good grades
2. A social life
3. Enough sleep

If you want a more "traditional" college experience, just forgo #3 and take some Adderall and energy drinks.
 
st. johns doesn't have a ratemyprofessor page....is there another website for info like that?
 
MilkmanAl said:
You'd rather work hard and have your schedule jam packed with activities and studying than be leisurely? Yeah, that totally makes sense. A typical pre-med's college life is anything but "traditional."
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I guess so. My schedule was jam packed and I studied leisurely. I don't see why a student can't be pre-med and have the typical college experience. Those two things are not mutually exclusive.
 
Actually, they pretty much are for most people. I'm not saying that's a function of the curriculum rather than the people, but pre-meds have a reputation for being socially inactive and constantly busy for a reason.

edit: Also, you're neglecting the fact that having to do a bunch of extracurricular activities immediately takes you out of the "typical college experience" category. Most people aren't essentially forced into volunteer and other positions, and most people don't have relentless schedules.
 
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MilkmanAl said:
Actually, they pretty much are for most people. I'm not saying that's a function of the curriculum rather than the people, but pre-meds have a reputation for being socially inactive and constantly busy for a reason.

edit: Also, you're neglecting the fact that having to do a bunch of extracurricular activities immediately takes you out of the "typical college experience" category. Most people aren't essentially forced into volunteer and other positions, and most people don't have relentless schedules.
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Eh, whatever you say. That hasn't been my experience.
 
Is there any negative to taking all easy teachers and getting a 4.0 in college? Any downside?
 
Eh, whatever you say. That hasn't been my experience.
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It wasn't my experience either, but that's what the vast majority of people go through. I also mostly avoided doing any extracurriculars during the year, so I had more free time than most. Keep in mind that most people don't actually enjoy have a jammed schedule. If you do, good for you, but that's stress that most of us would rather not endure.

Is there any negative to taking all easy teachers and getting a 4.0 in college? Any downside?
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Not really. It might make you have to study a little more for the MCAT if they're teaching your science courses, but that's a reasonable sacrifice.
 
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