You may have made the decision to apply to BS/MD programs. However, you’re still not entirely clear on the differences among the various programs, or where to even find that information. For more factors to consider for college and BS/MD programs, read our blog post on How to Build a College List. Conversely, you might have made your college list, but are not sure how to approach the elusive, “Why BSMD?” and “Why this college / medical school” questions in essays and interviews.
This blog post is intended to help students facing either of these challenges. It will share the top factors to consider in extensive detail when you’re trying to research BS/MD programs.
Factors to Look for when Researching BS/MD Programs
Factor #1: Learn about both the undergraduate institution and the medical school
Students applying to BS/MD programs are applying to both the undergraduate institution and the medical school. It is important to do extensive research into both the college and the medical school. Interviewers may ask specifically, “Why this undergraduate institution?”, “Why BSMD?”, and “Why this medical school?” separately and you’ll need to be able to thoroughly describe how you see yourself engaging with both communities, and what you appreciate about them.
Even if questions are not separated in an essay or interview, highlighting opportunities in both institutions shows you’ve done your homework and know why the program is a great fit throughout the years you’ll spend in it.
You should be able to speak to the academic opportunities that interest you, and extra-curricular activities, including programs unique to the institution.
For academics on the undergraduate level, think about:
- A specific major. Why are you interested in this major? What does this institution offer that is unique and exciting, and will the major allow you to grow in your academic pursuit of that subject’s study?
- Specific classes or special academic programs (e.g. Kaplan Scholars, Brady Scholars at Northwestern). Which do you want to pursue? How will those help you grow? Articulate those in your essays and interviews.
For academics on the medical school level, think about:
- The Preclinical Curriculum: The preclinical curriculum is almost identical for all students. Almost all medical schools now have early patient exposure even during the first two years (preclinical curriculum). The key here is to determine which aspects of the curriculum are unique to the medical school and interesting to you. For instance, Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine focuses greatly on Feinberg’s Education-Centered-Medical Home (ECMH) clinic program that allows students to see patients the same longitudinal, primary care clinic all four years of medical school. Feinberg also emphasizes their summer research program (the Area of Scholarly Concentration), and has a Medical Decision Making curriculum “thread” that deepens students’ knowledge on how to analyze the scientific literature to inform patient care decisions. These are only a few of many examples of programs unique to Feinberg. Pinpointing which are most compelling, and why. Think about which curriculum elements will help you personally and professionally grow.
- The Clinical Environment: Consider the rankings of the hospitals you might be rotating at. Is the medical school’s women’s hospital particularly strong? If so, this is an asset of the institution you can highlight. Why does this matter? You’ll get to learn from the best in the field for a specific area, because you will have the opportunity to see complex and rare cases. Plus, you will work with physician leaders in that specialty of medicine.
- Elective Coursework: Sometimes, medical schools will have electives or some degree of flexibility/choice in their preclinical curriculum. This is certainly true of the clinical rotation curriculum. Thinking about which electives appeal to you, and why is important as well. Global health rotations (and associated funding) fall under this category.
For extracurriculars at both the college and medical school, think about:
- Extracurriculars (including research): On the undergraduate and medical school level, you can often examine a list of extra-curriculars and pick a few that seem the most interesting to you, and you could see yourself playing a leadership role in. Think about what research you might want to do at the undergraduate or medical school level. You often want to pick a medical school PI who you could see yourself working with longitudinally.
- Other Programs: Look at special institutions or hubs (e.g. The Garage at Northwestern – Innovation & Entrepreneurship Space or the Brown public health concentration). See what they offer, and whether that might interest you.
- Special BS/MD specific or undergraduate/medical school funding or offices: Sometimes, BS/MD programs will offer grants for research to students. Undergraduate and medical school programs, also, similarly provide very unique funding opportunities (e.g. the undergraduate language grant at Northwestern, SIGP for unpaid internship compensation at Northwestern), or programs (e.g. dedicated fellowship office at Northwestern). Finding these programs shows you’ve really done your homework and identified very specific ways you’ll take advantage of the unique opportunities at this institution.
Where to find information:
You can find a lot of information on the internet. Here are some specific places to find detailed information about each college, medical school, and BS/MD program.
The BS/MD Website
- The main website for the BS/MD program and associated sub-links – if there are links for current students, try and click on all of those.
- BS/MD student profiles
Undergraduate
- Admissions website
- Course Catalog (very key!)
- Department Website (for majors, fields of interest)
- Special academic programs
- Special institutions or hubs
- Office of Undergraduate Research
- Office of Fellowships
- Student organizations page (there is usually a list of programs; you can search this on Google, or try and find the link through the school websites)
- Specific research labs you might be interested in engaging with
- Pages for college majors/minors
- Specific college department websites
Medical School
- Admissions website
- Curriculum page of website
- Current student pages
- Student organizations page
- Faculty profiles and research lab pages of potential research mentors you’d like to work with
- Research program webpages
- The Medical School news page / website
- Funding opportunities on medical school website
- Global health institutions, programs (if applicable)
- Specific department within the hospital (e.g. Emergency Medicine department homepage; OB/GYN department homepage)
Factor #2: Think about what you would actually do as a student there
BS/MD programs and colleges want applicants to share activities they would actually be interested in doing when they come to campus. If you choose programs you think admissions officers want you to say, it will only be at a disservice to you. Your ingenuity will come out in your essays and interviews.
What to think about:
- Think about what you’ve done in high school. What are your interests and passions? Do you still want to pursue those in college? Try and find extracurricular programs that align with those. In your why this BS/MD, or why “X college,” you want to give admissions officers a sense that you’ve had a proven track record of interest in a particular activity, because it makes them more likely to believe you will pursue it in the future.
- Think about new things you’d like to explore in college. It’s ok if you do not have a track record of demonstrated interest in that area; you want to then convey why this is a new interest, and what you will gain from this experience personally and professionally.
- Think about how you might contribute to an activity. Suppose you’re interested in a “Meals on Wheels” program at a BS/MD, that many medical students engage with. How will you change, improve, and overall contribute to this program? Admissions officers are looking for leaders that add value to their institution, and leverage their unique strengths and skill sets on campus (undergraduate, medical school, or both).
Factor #3: Find current student perspectives
Current students at either the undergraduate institution, medical school, or ideally the BS/MD program you’re interested in, are the best positioned to share the unique facets of each part of their program.
The best way to reach out to current students include:
- Attending school tours – these are typically organized by each university’s admissions office
- Alums from your high school
- Older cousins and family friends
- Older friends at university from clubs and sports teams
However, if you do not have personal access to current students, you still have the ability to get the current student perspective.
Where to find information:
- Student Profiles: Some programs will give examples of students in the program, why they chose it, what research they are engaged in, etc. Read those to get a sense of the program. You can also reference specific things current students are doing that you would be interested in (e.g. certain research projects).
- The Medical School News Page: The medical school news page will highlight meaningful student work, which will again give you a sense of the special programs and opportunities students have taken advantage.
- The Undergraduate Newspaper: This gives current students’ take on current events and happenings on campus.
- LinkedIn: If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can see if you can connect with a current Send them a message, and ask if you can ask a few questions about their experiences. BS/MD students are well-connected with one another, so if you are able to find and speak to one, they may have friends or other colleagues they can refer you to who are at other BS/MD programs.
How to Answer "Why BSMD?"
Now, you have to put it together. Many of the BSMD program supplemental essays will have questions like, “Why BSMD?” or “Why do you want to attend this BSMD program?”
The key is specificity.
Take all the research you have done from above and discuss the specific elements of the university, medical school, and BS/MD program that excite you! Don’t think about what the college admissions officer wants to hear. From our Cracking BS MD Admissions team’s experience, the best essays are those when students choose opportunities that most align with their interests.
You can read a sample essay of “Why this medical school” to see how specific your responses should be.
Helpful Why BSMD Resources
As you learn more about college majors, BSMD program requirements, and medical school opportunities, these other blog posts will be helpful as you apply to colleges!