As an admissions advisor, I have been successfully helping high school students get accepted to BS/MD programs for over 20 years. Year after year, nervous parents call or e-mail us wanting to know what’s needed for their children to be accepted. The parents have planned ahead since as far back as middle school (and sometimes even elementary school), reading books, visiting websites, and even e-mailing multiple consultants (including yours truly) to see if they can obtain an ounce of free advice to help their children.
Getting in is not just about:
- Having a high GPA.
- Loading up on many AP classes.
- Getting high SAT or ACT scores.
- Taking advice from your high school or college counselor.
- Reading “How To” books or guides on BS MD programs.
- Shadowing doctors.
- Starting a philanthropic club or foundation.
There is much more involved in this competitive process.
Firstly, schools want to know, through your essay and recommendations, that you truly desire to be a doctor. After all, these are very competitive programs and coveted spots. From my discussions with admissions officers at several of these programs, they can decipher within the first paragraph of the “Why doctor?” essay who does not belong in their program – REJECTION!
Secondly, they certainly will not accept students who sound just like everyone else. They accept students who stand out and who are unique. That’s easier said than done when the students and their parents are reading the same material and making the same assumptions to “game” the admissions process. If parents are all reading the same material, Goggling the same sites, relying on the same resources, they will certainly all sound the same. When they call our office, parents ( and their children’s profile sound exactly the same. As “contrarian admissions specialist”, through hours of talking with my client, I discover and identify some unusual characteristic that will set my client apart from that sameness and get them accepted into BS/MD programs.
Thirdly, BS/MD program admissions officers read between the lines. After all, they are experts in selectivity! And in many instances, they may use the team-based approach in reviewing applications. Ninety-five percent of the applicants are academically qualified. So the real questions become: Who is the applicant? What makes them different? What’s the applicant’s character? How do they think? How will they contribute to our college and our program? When my team and I work with our clients, we spend hours reviewing their character and answering the above questions so that they are accepted!
So if your child has great SAT/ACT scores, high GPA, lot’s of AP classes, plays violin, piano, flute; was a member of the local and regional youth orchestra, member of the school marching band or jazz band, received science awards, has an art portfolio, plays tennis, lacrosse, soccer, badminton and was on the swim team, volunteers to help the poor, has an EMT certification, shadowed doctor, authored a paper and started a non-profit, they sound just like every other applicant who is applying to BS/MD programs.
What I do is help our BS/MD program clients find and express their unique qualities in a positive light to insure that they stand out and get ACCEPTED!
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Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group network. He and his team of admissions advisors, through the admissions affiliate, BS/MD Admissions Advisors, help high school students get accepted to BS/MD programs.
Dr. Paul Lowe - Admissions Expert 