This is the first episode in a miniseries about BS/MD. Two students who have gone through the process, Yash and Shree, know everything that there is to know about BS/MD and host today’s podcast.
It is a seven- or eight-year commitment in which you have a conditional acceptance to medical school straight out of high school. BSMD also gives the freedom to explore other areas besides medicine.
[10:46] Yash’s BS/MD journey.Yash found out about BS/MD programs late, around the summer before senior year. When he started looking into them, he felt confused with all of the information available.
Learning about BS/MD fundamentally changed Yash’s application search and process. He expanded his search outside of his hometown, which was a new concept to him.
[16:23] Choosing a school.Yash and Shree realized the importance of considering both the undergrad school and the med school, and that they didn’t need to apply to them all. Yash ended up applying to five schools, and Shree applied for three. Shree had a strong focus on location when applying, whereas Yash applied only to schools which he believed he would love to attend. Different degrees that schools offer impacted their decisions, too. Yash wanted to branch out and have other experiences, so he only applied for programs which allowed that.
[24:55] Flexibility of BSMDs.You can finish an undergrad degree one year early in some BS/MD programs, allowing you to spend time doing other things. Shree finished early and travelled with his friend before starting med school. Yash chose to use his extra time to get some working experience. Not doing a BS/MD can prove to be a large opportunity cost, because you must apply for an undergrad school and then a go through the med school application cycle years later.
