Skip to content

Reading Room / Where You Stand

About Dr. Merritt

Getting Started

Where you stand (free) What Is a BS/MD Program? How to Become a Doctor in the U.S. (and Where BS/MD Fits) Are BS/MD Programs Worth It? An Honest Yes-and-No

When BS/MD Is Probably the Wrong Path

A Parent's Primer to BS/MD: What to Reinforce, When to Step Back BS/MD Program Cost: In-State, Out-of-State, and Aid (2026) Protecting a Future Doctor's Mind: Mental Health on the BS/MD Path

Applying

BS/MD Application Timeline

Is It Too Early to Plan for BS/MD in 9th or 10th Grade? How to Prepare for BS/MD in 8th, 9th, and 10th Grade How to Stand Out for BS/MD, by Grade

How to Build a BS/MD School List

In-State vs Out-of-State BS/MD Odds How Should You Build a BS/MD School List? How Many BS/MD Programs Should You Apply To? How Hard Is It to Get Into an Out-of-State BS/MD Program?

Common BS/MD Application Mistakes The BS/MD Interview & MMI Playbook The Fine Print That Can Disqualify You

Should You Take a Guaranteed BS/DO Seat or Wait for MD? Can You Lose Your BS/MD Acceptance? The Requirements to Stay In

Should I Take a Guaranteed BS/MD Seat or Chase a Top College? How to Choose a BS/MD Counselor (Without Getting Burned)

Does Hiring a BS/MD Consultant Make Your Application Stronger? How a 98% BS/MD Acceptance Rate Is Manufactured

Why Do Strong BS/MD Applicants Get Rejected After the Interview?

Standing Out

Why Strong Students Get Rejected from BS/MD Programs

Rejected With a 4.0: The 4 Reasons Strong BS/MD Applicants Get Turned Down How Competitive Are BS/MD Programs? Real Acceptance Rates Impressive vs Credible: Why Strong Students Get Rejected Is My Student Ready for BS/MD? Why Do Students With Perfect Stats Get Rejected? Does a Low GPA or SAT Mean Automatic Rejection?

What BS/MD Programs Actually Want

What BS/MD Admissions Reward What Your "Why Medicine" Answer Needs to Show Do You Need More Extracurriculars, or Deeper Ones? Why Does a Borrowed Why-Medicine Sink an Application?

Does Being a Doctor's Kid Help in BS/MD Admissions? How to Get Into Brown PLME: What Gets a Student In What the BS/MD Forums Get Wrong Data vs Judgment in BS/MD Admissions Three Honest Answers for a Strong BS/MD Applicant Do My Clinical Hours Count?

How to Make the Most of Shadowing (and How to Get In) What Clinical Experience Matters Most? Can You Apply With No Clinical Experience?

Does Research Matter, and What Counts? Why Did a Strong Applicant Get Rejected? Will a Strong Research Profile Get You Into BS/MD?

The Program Directory

BS/DO Programs: The Honest Guide

Once the seat is yours

Thriving in Undergrad Thriving in Med School Residency

Work with Dr. Merritt

For parents reading along

Where You Stand

Dr. Rory Merritt, MD, MEHP

Former Assistant Dean, Brown PLME

Five minutes, honestly answered. You leave with the one thing to work on next, not another guess at your odds.

Know a family who needs this page?

← PreviousAbout Dr. Merritt Next →What Is a BS/MD Program?

Built by

Dr. Rory Merritt, MD, MEHP. Former Assistant Dean, Brown PLME. Practicing physician today.

Every BS/MD truth, in one place, free. Plain writing for the family making this decision, from a physician who has been through it. Truth as care.

Read

The Reading Room
The Program Directory
The Case Files
The Program Guide PDF

Work with me

About Dr. Merritt
The ways I help
The Readiness Review
The Match
Dean's List

For partners

For counselors
For community organizations

Get in touch

rorymerritt@bridge2md.com
Where You Stand (free)

Bridge2MD is Dr. Merritt's independent advisory practice. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Brown University, the Warren Alpert Medical School, or the Program in Liberal Medical Education, where Dr. Merritt previously held administrative roles through 2024. No service can guarantee admission.

© Bridge2MD. Built by Dr. Rory Merritt.