Students who aspire to be medical doctors one
day have a particularly difficult decision to face in relation to college admissions:
whether to apply to a school with an early decision (ED) plan, or to consider a
Bachelor of Science/Doctor of Medicine (BS/MD) program.
Early Decision Plans
Early decision plans can be beneficial to
students who have carefully considered their college options, and have clearly
landed on one school as their top pick. An early decision plan is binding for
the student; if a student applies ED and is accepted, he or she must attend
that college.
BS/MD Programs
Students who are interested in pursuing a BS/MD
typically split their college lists between schools with traditional pre-med
programs, and schools that offer BS/MD tracks. A BS/MD is a combined program in
which students earn a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree and then proceed
immediately into a medical program to earn a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree.
BS/MD students commit to attending their specific school and its accompanying
medical program for undergraduate and medical school, or to finishing their
undergraduate degrees and earning their MDs at a network school as part of
their combined program. The major benefit a BS/MD is that, providing they meet
their program’s requirements, students can begin their college study knowing
that they have already been accepted into medical school. This means that they
can skip the strenuous medical school admissions process upon completing their
undergraduate degrees; they are already in. As such, BS/MD programs are
designed for highly motivated students who have considered all of their
options, and have decided that becoming a doctor is what they really want to
do.
Overall,
while it has its benefits, applying ED locks you into a position where you
won’t be able to see the full picture. If the school you’re applying to is
definitely the one you want to attend, then there’s all the more reason to
celebrate if you get accepted early. But if you’re unsure of what you want, are
considering a BS/MD, or simply want to weigh all of your options, it may be
worth the risk of skipping ED and applying regular decision.
For more details about MBBS course, visit
MBBS Admissions
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