February Medical News

By Brandie Erickson • February 22, 2023 • BS/MD Admissions Consulting Newsletter

With seniors sharing their exciting acceptances and younger students working hard on prestigious summer program applications, this is a busy time for the Moon Prep counselors and students. Interview prep for the top BS/MD, BS/DO programs as well as MMI interviews are also consuming a lot of our time this month. We love seeing our students’ hard work after crafting strong applications and essays pay off. 

Just a reminder: If you (or a student in your house!) have an upcoming BS/MD or BS/DO interview, we would love to help with this essential final step to showcase your dedication to joining the medical field. The Moon Prep team is skilled in assisting students through the interview process, including traditional and MMI interviews. Schedule a call today to get started and be well-prepared. Some students are receiving very tight deadlines for these interviews, some with barely a week to prepare, so be sure your interview skills are sharp with Moon Prep’s assistance! Just a note: for MMI interview prep, most students complete 2-4 sessions before feeling fully prepared, so plan ahead and get started now!

If you have a younger student in the house who has yet to begin summer planning, we recommend getting started immediately before more summer program deadlines pass us by. There are many programs with deadlines at the end of February and the beginning of March, like Stanford’s SHTEM program. This is one of the most popular times for students to sign up to work with a Moon Prep counselor, as summer planning is such an essential step in ensuring students have a solid resume for the application process.

If you want to maximize the upcoming summer for a wow factor on your resume, schedule a call to get our expert advice.

 

News, Dates, and Deadlines

– Bethany College has announced a new guaranteed admissions partnership with the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine for current Bethany students. You can also read more here. 

– March 28-29 brings the 2023 Virtual Medical School Fair hosted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Registration is free, and participants can chat live with medical schools to determine the best fit!

– Construction has begun on the new medical school we shared last year between Wake Forest University and Atrium Health, now named Wake Forest University School of Medicine Charlotte. This first medical school in Charlotte will be open to accepting students in 2024. 

– A new medical school has been announced by the University of Minnesota and CentraCare, located in St. Cloud and focused on rural health. 

– The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) has launched a new website.

 

U.S. Rankings and Medical Schools

Some of the biggest news in college admissions right now is surrounding U.S. News and World Report Best College Rankings, with many colleges taking the lead from Harvard University and removing themselves from U.S. News college rankings. Medical schools also participate in these rankings, but recently over a dozen of the top medical schools are now backing out of the rankings. We are talking about every top program: Harvard, Stanford, Duke, Mt. Sinai, UPenn, Columbia, WashU, Johns Hopkins, UMich, UChicago, and more. These medical schools are taking the lead from the law schools, who began to pull themselves back in the fall. Many schools are actively fighting against the concept of being reduced to a number. Read more on Becker’s Hospital Review and Fierce Healthcare. 

While it is unclear if their ranking system will be reformed and return, this move makes it more clear than ever how important it is to have reliable help when building a college list, when so many families rely on college rankings to determine prestige. Thankfully, the expert Moon Prep counselors are available and ready to help build a college list and make informed suggestions on schools to add or remove from your list. Schedule a complimentary call to hear all the details on how we can enhance your college admissions experience.

 

Accelerated Medical Education

Direct medical programs are often referred to casually as “accelerated programs” due to the unique nature of many programs lasting seven years instead of the traditional eight years that most doctors endure. These true accelerated programs ask students to complete their undergraduate education in three years (or two, in UMKC’s case!), before moving into the four years of medical school. In fact, this is often a request from families when building their college list, a preference for either seven or eight-year programs. However, East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine (QCOM) has a new take on accelerated medical education. They have launched a new program, the Team-based Rural Applied Integrated Learning System, to allow admitted students to complete their MD degree in just three years. This program is specifically focused on those seeking to practice in family medicine, internal medicine, and pediatrics. With this move, QCOM demonstrates its dedication to meeting the increased need for qualified doctors. Read more here.

 

Interview Season!

It is still interview season for the Moon Prep seniors, who are deep into their interview prep for BS/MD and BS/DO programs. Our counselors share their expert advice to help our students feel prepared before they walk in front of an interview panel. It can be very difficult to translate their abilities off the page and make them come alive in person. Whether it is a traditional direct medical interview or a station-based MMI interview, make sure you are prepared! A good place to start is our BS/MD Interview Guide and our book: Moon Prep’s Guide to MMI. Thankfully, our team is available to help you prepare for even the toughest questions and highlight all of your abilities in the right way. 

Most students will need multiple sessions before they feel confident entering the interview, so we recommend starting early – don’t wait!  You deserve to give yourself the best chance for success! Schedule a free call today to sign up before we reach capacity for interview prep.

 

Liberal Arts + Medicine

For students seeking a liberal arts education along with their medical education, Lycoming College in Philadelphia may be the perfect answer. Their new agreement secures three early seats for Lycoming College graduates at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. And while three seats may seem like a very small number, this just speaks to the competitive nature of these direct medical programs. 

Most BS/MD and BS/DO programs have an average of 10-15 seats, with a few outlying programs with significantly more room for incoming students, like Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education. This small margin of success makes it clear: Acceptance to any of these programs is not guaranteed, even for those with high SAT scores or a stacked resume. These programs are more competitive than even the most prestigious Ivy school, which is why we push our students to recognize the value of building a balanced college list to ensure admissions success.

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