BS MD Programs That Accept International Students

March 13, 2018August 10, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

It’s pretty difficult for U.S. high school students to be admitted to BS/MD programs (or medical school-from-high school programs). It’s even more competitive and extremely difficult for international students from non-U.S.-based high schools or U.S. based-top boarding schools to be accepted to these programs.

Based on my professional experience as a BS/MD admissions advisor, visiting and touring colleges and talking with admissions officers and administrators, here is a current list of BS/MD programs that will consider reviewing applications of international students:

Boston University Seven-Year Liberal Arts/Medical Education Program
Brown University Program in Liberal Medical Education (PLME)
Case Western Reserve University Pre-Professional Scholars Program in Medicine
New Jersey Institute of Technology/American University of Antigua
New Jersey Institute of Technology/St. George’s University School of Medicine
Northwestern University Honor Program In Medical Education (HPME)
Pennsylvania State University Accelerated Premedical-Medical Program
Rice/Baylor Medical Scholars Program (MSP)
University of Connecticut Special Program in Medicine
University Rochester – Rochester Early Medical Scholars (REMS)
Washington University in St. Louis University Scholars Program in Medicine

Working with international high school students who desire to matriculate to BS/MD programs is a very involved, comprehensive and long-term process. My team and I must clearly understand student goals, continuously help students with their applications and develop successful admissions strategies.

Of course, after this long and arduous admissions process one of the major benefits that I observe with our international BS/MD clients is that in their senior year in high school they (and their parents) are happy to know that they can be called “Dr”. They also know that the next step in their medical career is matching to a U.S. medical residency program!

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. Many of Dr. Lowe’s BS/MD Admissions client are international students want to attend medical school from high school and then entire U.S. medical residency sub-specialties.

Top Colleges Enhance Efforts To Enroll Low-Income Students

March 7, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

As the cost of college continues to rise, college enrollment is becoming out of reach for low-income students. According to the College Board, the average cost of tuition and fees for the 2017–2018 school year was $34,740 at private colleges, $9,970 for state residents at public colleges, and $25,620 for out-of-state residents attending public universities.

Launched in December 2016, the American Talent Initiative (ATI), funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, was founded with a national goal of educating 50,000 additional high-achieving, lower-income students at the 270 colleges and universities with the highest graduation rates by 2025.

Based on the most recent federal data available, there are approximately 430,000 lower-income students enrolled at these 270 institutions. ATI aims to increase and sustain the total number of lower-income students attending these top-performing colleges to about 480,000 by 2025. To reach this ambitious goal, ATI will work to support its members’ work while adding more top-performing colleges to its membership in the coming months and years.

ATI now has 97 member colleges that are taking the steps toward socio-economic diversity in colleges. Each ATI member institution has started to enhance its own efforts to recruit, enroll, and support lower-income students, learn from each other, and contribute to research that will help other colleges and universities effectively serve lower-income students

Educators, college administrators and legislature recognize that America’s top-performing colleges have an important role to play in this effort. Research shows that when high-achieving, lower-income students attend high-performing institutions, they graduate at higher rates, and have a greater chance of attaining leadership positions and other opportunities throughout their lives. Yet in each graduating high school class, there are at least 12,500 lower-income young people with outstanding academic credentials who do not enroll at institutions where they have the greatest likelihood of graduating…

ATI currently represents many of the country’s most elite colleges and universities. To date, all the Ivy League schools are ATI members. Here is a direct effect of ATI: After 28 years without transfer students, Princeton University will begin accepting students from community colleges in fall 2018.

Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe, founder and managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group, provides comprehensive counseling advice, exclusively for admissions to top private schools; Ivy League and highly-selective colleges/universities; BS/MD programs; graduate and medical schools and top visual and performing arts programs. The admissions affiliate: Ivy League Admissions Advisors specializes in admissions to Ivy League and highly selective colleges, Dr. Lowe also specializes in helping students who have been wait-listed, deferred or rejected gain admission into their top-choice schools: College Application Rejected. and student who wish to transfer to another college: College Transfer Admissions Advisors.

Why Your Child Should Apply to an Ivy League College or University?

February 13, 2018February 16, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

I often hear from some parents in my college admissions seminars or who call my firm inquiring about our service: “It doesn’t really matter if you attend an Ivy League school” or “it doesn’t make a difference if you attend an Ivy League school” and finally, “its all about the fit; it doesn’t matter where you go to college”. I even hear from many of my peer independent educational consultants, public high school guidance counselors and private school college counselors (who are not Ivy League undergraduate alumni) that it really doesn’t matter if that a student should applies to the Ivies or attends the Ivies. I even hear from parents whose children have applied to the Ivies (after they have taken 9 AP courses, received tutoring in order to achieve near-perfect SAT scores and written that perceived awesome essay) that it does really matter. Really?

As an Ivy-trained physician-scientist, prior to entering the admissions advisory field 22 years ago, I like to corroborate and validate my professional recommendations and advice with meaningful studies and reports, and real data that have linear correlations.

Year after year, thousands of students apply for coveted spots and are rejected (see my blog on rejection rates). There must be a reason or reasons why each year one reads the following statistic 30,000 students applying for 2,000 spots, or why there is an uptick in the number of international applicants to Ivy Leagues schools.

So let’s review the reasons why your child should apply to the Ivies:

A study in the journal, Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, confirms parental suspicions that the best route to a top job is to attend an Ivy League school. According to Dr. Lauren Rivera, the author of the study, “Elite professional service employers rely more on academic pedigree more than any other factor. Where you went to school rather than what you did there makes the difference”.
PayScale Inc., an online provider of global compensation data, in a survey demonstrated that an Ivy League diploma is still worth its price of admission and tuition. An Ivy League education makes a job candidate stand out, even before a recruiter talks to them! The median starting salary for Ivy Leaguers is 32% higher than that of liberal-arts college graduates and at 10 or more years into graduates’ working lives, the spread is 34%.
“Because of the bitter competition for premium salaries, elite educational credentials are often a precondition for even landing a job interview. With so many applicants for every vacancy, many consulting firms and investment banks, for example, now consider only candidates from a short list of top-ranked schools. Degrees from elite schools clearly open doors. For example, more than 40 percent of the 2007 graduating class at Princeton landed one of the most highly sought prizes: a position in the lucrative financial services industry.” Dr. Robert H. Frank
According to a U.S. Department of Education report, the median annual earnings for an Ivy League graduate 10 years after starting amount to well over $70,000 a year. For graduates of all other schools, the median is around $34,000. But things get really interesting at the top end of the income spectrum. The top 10 percent of Ivy League grads are earning $200,000 or more ten years after starting school. The top earners of other schools, on the other hand, earn $70,000.
Top 20 universities producing billionaires is dominated by blue-chip, elite U.S. institutions. Billionaires are likely to have attended some of the traditionally most prestigious universities. Top universities have become the place where “global players gather”. (Educational insights from an annual profile of the uber-rich – Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census.)
Business Insider’s “The 48 best colleges in the Northeast” – 2015: Of the top 10 colleges, the 8 Ivy League colleges/universities were on the list.
Wall Street Journal article: “In Producing Presidents, Ivies Still Have It”. Ivy League colleges are the top U.S. President-producing schools.
Globally, extreme wealth is closely connected to elite education. “The economic sectors where the very wealthy are most closely connected to elite education are hedge funds, venture capital, the internet, law and finance. Those fields may require greater smarts, better training and stronger elite social connections.” – Wealth X Study
“Elite firms hire from elite universities” from “Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs” by Lauren A. Rivera.
The Economist has established that there is a direct correlation between education, the inheritance of privilege and class. According to an extensive report in The Economist: “For those at the top of the pile, moving straight from the best universities into the best jobs, the potential rewards are greater.”

The next time you are out and about and you see decals that have an Ivy League university, or a parent with sweatshirt that states: ” Ivy League school Mom” ask yourself does it really matter?

2018 Hardest Colleges To Get Into In America

February 2, 2018April 16, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

College admissions decisions will be released in late March through early April. Many top high schools seniors will be disappointed when they check their emails to discover that they will be rejected from the Ivies and highly-selective colleges. Even with having a high GPA, top SAT scores, high grades and a “manufactured” application and personal statement will be rejected from these schools. Year after year, I hear the horror stories from parents whose kids got in nowhere because they thought the college admissions race was just about grades, SAT scores, their perceived ‘unique’ applications, generic essays and perfect connections.

Niche, a company that researches and compiles information on educational institutions released its latest list of the hardest colleges to get into in America. The hardest colleges ranking is based on acceptance (rejection) rates and SAT/ACT test scores using data from the U.S. Department of Education. The rejection rates of these colleges range from 85% to 95%.

Here is a list of the top 25:

Harvard University: 95%
Stanford University: 95%
Yale University: 94%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: 92%
California Institute of Technology: 92%
Princeton University: 93%
University of Chicago: 92%
Columbia University: 93%
Vanderbilt University: 89%
Brown University: 91%
University of Pennsylvania: 91%
Duke University: 88%
Dartmouth College: 88%
Harvey Mudd College: 87%
Pomona College: 91%
Northwestern University: 88%
Rice University: 89%
Johns Hopkins University: 87%
Swarthmore College: 87%
Claremont McKenna College
Washington University in St. Louis: 83%
Cornell University: 87%
Amherst College: 86%
Bowdoin College: 85%
Tufts University: 86%

Ivy League and highly selective colleges use holistic, committee-based and team-based approaches and review processes when evaluating applicants for admission. That means admission to these colleges is not based on a simple formula of grades and test scores. Instead, these colleges consider a variety of factors including but not limited to: the student’s academic record, extracurricular interests, intellectual achievements, character, emotional intelligence and cultural intelligence and personal background to decide who will be rejected or accepted.

Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe, founder and managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group, provides comprehensive counseling advice, exclusively for admissions to top private schools; Ivy League and highly-selective colleges/universities; BS/MD programs; graduate and medical schools and top visual and performing arts programs. He also specializes in helping students who have been wait-listed, deferred or rejected gain admission into their top-choice schools: College Application Rejected. and student who wish to transfer to another college: College Transfer Admissions Advisors.

Do Admissions Officers Consider Diversity In College Admissions?

January 26, 2018January 27, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Diversity in college admissions: Colleges are looking for cultural, intellectual and meta-cognitive diversity in their classes as well as students who can relate to diverse populations. Colleges accept classes not just great students. They are seeking students who understand and appreciate other races cultures and ethnicities. With regard to diversity, admissions committees ask the following questions: Can the applicant co-exist in our diverse community of different students who are global thinkers? Does the applicant profile demonstrate a lack of a diversity experience? Has the applicant meaningfully interacted with people outside of their socio-economic, cultural and ethnic norms? It has been my observation that college admissions officers and deans of admissions behave like forensic investigators; they analyze and assess how, why and when dots are connected.

Colleges want talented, intellectually engaged students who will be meaningful contributing members of a diverse incoming class and future alumni who will be their global ambassadors. They do not seek students who are “unique just like everyone else” in their respective communities. In my experience, applicants who are accepted are those who can standout and lucidly articulate their achievements, goals and personalities and project themselves in a positive light to a committee of six to ten diverse people!

In my firm, which consists of a culturally, ethnically and racially diverse team, we truly appreciate and understand this emphasis, and we innately embrace the meaning and value of standing out and apply it to the competitive admissions process. Our “Diversity Competitive Advantage” translates to successful admissions results for our clients!

College Admissions Tips for Art Students

January 11, 2018January 15, 2018 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

High school students who are interested in arts programs or majoring in art in college must prepare for the college admissions process in the same manner as other college-bound students. However, in addition to grades, GPA, extracirricular activities and college applications, they must develop a professional art portfolio. The art portfolio requirements vary at each college so it is essential to contact each college Art department for these specifications.

Here are several useful tips for college-bound art students:

Have your artwork photographed, videotaped, scanned or graphically converted to display in a professional manner.
Show a range of techniques and mastery in the works you choose.
Choose works that show creative thinking and a unique perspective.
Begin developing your portfolio during your junior year so that you may evaluate what works you already have and plan to create works in areas that you are lacking.
Take your works to a professional for critiquing! An art teacher, local artist, art professor or a current art student may be good sources to give your portfolio a trial run.
Since your art portfolio is a part of your college admissions process, you should consider retaining the services of an admissions advisor who has experience in working with art students and understands the philosophy and academic mission of each of your target colleges.

The Changing Landscape of College Admissions

December 9, 2017December 15, 2017 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

For years, elite colleges have tried to address a proportional decline of students arriving from areas beyond metropolitan and suburban areas. These colleges have been implementing additional measures to address diversity issues on college campuses. Increasingly, private elite colleges are seeking small-town and rural students.

One thing has not changed with regard to college admissions and diversity. Recent studies by the National Center for Education Statistics have shown that even with Affirmative Action policies, Black and Latino students are more underrepresented at these colleges and the percentages of students in these schools have remained flat over the last 35 years. The only increase in percentage of students by race are Asian students.

Research studies have shown admissions biases against rural students with financial needs; and found that leadership roles popular in rural communities, such as 4H clubs, Future Farmers of America and ROTC worked against the students who claimed them on applications. As a result of the decrease in students from low-income and working-class white families from rural areas, colleges are now increasing their admissions effort to recruit these students.

What are some of the elite and selective colleges doing to address these issues? Swarthmore has a created a program called Small Town Swarthmore. Princeton has increased their recruitment efforts through transfer programs from community colleges to help students from rural backgrounds.

Colleges want U.S. geographical diversity, not just students predominantly from metropolitan and suburban areas. As schools implement their plans to increase diversity in their incoming classes based on small town and rural students (as well as Black, Latino and Indigenous students), expect to see a change in demographics on elite college campuses that properly reflects the true diversity throughout the U.S. population.

Dr. Paul Lowe is the managing director of Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group network. He and his team of admissions advisors, through the admissions affiliate, Ivy League Admissions Advisors help students gain admissions to Ivy League and highly selective colleges and universities. Through his admissions affiliate: College Application Rejected, he specializes in helping students who have been rejected, deferred or waitlisted.

Winter College Planning Checklist for High School Juniors – 2017

December 1, 2017December 4, 2017 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

It’s still fall, but it’s not too early for high school juniors to continue (or for some to start seriously planning) for the competitive college admissions process.

There are lots of things to do during the winter months.

Prepare for SAT/ACT.
Consider taking SAT-Subject Tests
Plan to take AP exams in May.
Plan to visit colleges
Refine your choices of colleges by comparing and contrasting schools and attending college fairs.
Review and assess where you stand academically.
Plan your senior schedule based on your current course performance.
Review, assess and take inventory of your accomplishments, activities and work experiences.
Plan your summer activities.

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Dr. Paul Reginald Lowe is the managing director and lead admissions expert at Pinnacle Educational Center Admissions Advisors Group. Dr. Lowe specializes in providing exclusive concierge-type admissions advisory services for U.S. and international families and students who are interested in applying to Ivy League and highly selective colleges and combined BS/MD programs. Dr. Lowe also helps students gain admissions into their top choice private schools and colleges after they have been deferred, wait-listed and rejected.

As an experienced and trusted admissions advisor for over 20 years, Dr. Paul R. Lowe is an active member of the following organizations that uphold the ethical and professional standards and principles of good admission practices in college and independent school counseling: Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC), New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC), New York State Association for College Admissions Counseling (NYSACAC) and International Association for College Admissions Counseling (IACAC).

What College Athletic Coaches Are Looking For When Recruiting (Part 2)

October 25, 2017October 28, 2017 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

Mental Toughness and Sportmanship: Beyond your ability, your academic record and your desire to attend and play, coaches want to know how you carry yourself on the court. Games between evenly matched players often come down to who is mentally the strongest. Coaches want to know how you think during a match and how well you understand the game. They are looking for those with “true grit”. How you respond when you are down in a match or get a bad call is important. Do you lose your temper and focus or are you able to remain calm and adjust your strategy? And while it may be cliche to say so, being able to win and lose with respect for your opponent and the game is very important.
Team Fit: When coaches recruit a player, they are choosing somebody they are going to spend a lot of time with over the next 4 years. They are looking for students who are nice to be with when traveling and eating together as a team.
Reliability: Coaches look for students who are reliable and who are going to do what they are supposed to and someone who is going to show up on time, everyday, where they need to be. Being punctual is essential in all aspects of life and for some coaches this is very important.

7 Huge Mistakes Parents Make in BS/MD Admissions

September 15, 2017September 18, 2017 ~ drpaulloweadmissionsexpert

“Going it alone” in this vast arena of BS/MD admissions can result in mistakes, as applicants are easily blindsided by obstacles and pitfalls that they don’t even know exist. When parents call our office to provide initial information, as I listen to their children’s BS/MD program profile I can almost predict (using trends, predictive analysis and real-time insider perspective of the BS/MD programs) that their child will be REJECTED based on the sameness of their profile. Yet when I explain to parents that their children sound exactly like other applicants they are in total disbelief. I have concluded that the children are merely following the advice of their parents and the parents are making costly mistakes. Try to avoid these common errors:

Parental Hubris: Many parents assume that their skill sets, professional title or socio-economic status and connections can help their children get accepted in the coveted BS/MD spots. This is a huge mistake! Their professional skills sets are helpful in finance, medicine, business, technology or research, but when it comes to BS/MD admissions they should leave it to experts who are involved and understand the ever-changing BS/MD admissions process. The inability to admit that they don’t know what they don’t know could result in REJECTION!
Group Think: Many parents read the same websites, same books, and talk with the same people in their respective communities, personal and professional circles. Most or all of the members of the in-group share an illusion of invulnerability that provides for them some degree of reassurance despite obvious dangers and leads them to become overly-optimistic. Thinking in a group discourages creativity and non-conformity, resulting in everyone appearing the same on paper. It causes them to fail to respond to obvious and clear admissions mine fields. As a group, faulty (and sometime irrational decisions and admissions strategies) are reinforced. The result: increased probability as a group of REJECTION.
Not understanding or accepting demographics: Many of my clients are of Asian descent (Chinese, Indian, Korean, Filipino and Japanese). This population, as a group, has been responsible for an increase in applicants by 30% to BS/MD program. Many parents may not be aware of the increased numbers. Colleges and their BS/MD programs desire classes that are diverse and demographically reflective of the general population. No matter which admissions method is used (team approach, character assessment or holistic approach), schools will not accept more of one demographic just because of an increase in the number of applications. The competition becomes hyper-competitive within a particular demographic.
Procrastination: The BS/MD admissions journey begins in high school freshman year, not during the fall of a student’s senior year. (See: BSMD Programs – Getting In!) From time to time parents will call us regarding a high school senior in September or October of their senior year requesting help for BS/MD programs. It may be difficult to undue mistakes that will result in rejection, although not impossible. But generally, these parents assume that they have done everything right and are calling to see if they can obtain free advice. Unfortunately, as they discuss their child’s achievements I can almost predict their student profile. By procrastinating, they have inadvertently increased the probability of REJECTION.
Misunderstanding Investment vs. Cost: What’s your child’s future worth? According to the US Department of Agriculture, the cost of raising a child for a middle-income family born in 2001-2003 through the age of 18, not including college costs is $224,000 to $227,000 for middle income families and $327,000 to $330,000 for higher incomes. This does not include private school tuition, summer athletic or music camps, or specialized college summer camps. When a parent calls us to ask “the price” of our BS/MD admissions advisory services for the purpose of negotiating for the cheapest rate, we can already predict the probability of REJECTION. Consider the worthy investment in your child’s future.
Seeking Advice from the Wrong Advisor: (a) Guidance counselors – public school guidance counselors only spend 26% of their time on college admissions and the average counselor-to-student ratio is 1:250. Guidance counselors don’t have the expertise in BS/MD program admissions. (b) Advisors who are journalist or writers who never attended medical school nor understand the highly selective process – no expertise in BS/MD program admissions. (c) Advisors who advise part-time – self explanatory. There is a major difference between useful knowledge and information. Parents should hire an advisor who is a full-time admissions advisor who actually visits colleges, BS/MD programs and medical schools, understands BS/MD programs of the various schools, and has insightful knowledge of each program. “If you don’t know where you’re going you’ll end up somewhere else” – Yogi Berra
Parents want the best for their children. They read as much as possible, network with others in schools and educational programs, provide extensive extracurricular educational opportunities for their children, research on the web about BS/MD programs…..but somehow when they are just along the last stretch to the finish line they make egregious, irrevocable and calculated mistakes that cause their children to be rejected. Don’t make these mistakes!

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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.