The BS/MD Case Files
What would a committee say about this application?
Real BS/MD applications and the questions families ask, examined the way a committee would, by a physician and former Assistant Dean in Brown's PLME. Names and details are changed. The full cases are deep teardowns. Office Hours are short, straight answers.
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Have your own BS/MD situation?
Send it. If it is a question many families are wrestling with, it gets answered here, on the record, with names and details changed. A straight answer, not a sales call.
Ask Dr. Merritt a questionFull case files
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No. 01
The buried lead
Do I need more extracurriculars for BS/MD, or deeper ones?
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No. 02
Chasing the number
Does a low GPA or SAT mean an automatic BS/MD rejection?
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No. 03
Future scientist, not yet future physician
If my research record is national-level, isn't that enough for a BS/MD program?
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No. 04
How to build the list
How do we build a BS/MD list that fits, not just the famous names?
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No. 05
The strong file the interview sank
Why does a strong BS/MD applicant get rejected after every interview?
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No. 06
The over-coached applicant
Does hiring a top BS/MD consultant make my application stronger?
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No. 07
When a no is not a verdict
What does a no from a BS/MD program say about my chances at medicine?
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No. 08
The out-of-state long shot
How hard is it to get into a BS/MD program out of state?
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No. 09
How many programs is too many
How many BS/MD programs should I apply to?
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No. 10
The stats trap
Why do students with a 4.0 and a 1500-plus get rejected from BS/MD programs?
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No. 11
Why the kid who loves drawing blood beats the better resume
Does my student need more shadowing hours, or something different?
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No. 12
Zero clinical is the real gap
Can I apply to BS/MD with no clinical experience?
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No. 13
What even counts as research
How much research do I need for BS/MD, and does what I have even count?
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No. 14
When the why is borrowed
What if my reason for wanting medicine sounds borrowed?
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No. 15
When the fine print changes the decision
Should I take the guaranteed seat now, or hold out for MD?
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No. 16
The parent who started early
Are we already behind if we haven't started building the BS/MD application?
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Office Hours: quick answers
A physician's second opinion on the real application, not the resume.
The Second Opinion applies this lens to your student's actual file: what is already credible, what a committee may question, and what to change while there is still time to act on it. For students building toward BS/MD and for seniors applying this cycle. $1,295, a written report and a live debrief with Dr. Merritt.