If you’re considering applying to competitive BS/MD, you may find yourself wondering: is working with a consultant worth it? While I have built my entire business on BS/MD Consulting, my answer isn’t as simple as saying “Yes, it’s absolutely worth it!”. The answer depends on several factors. Here are some of the things to consider when considering working with a BS/MD consultant.
If you want to work with Application Architect on BS/MD applications or premed planning, click the link here to get started.
Credentials Matter
Although there are a plethora of BS/MD counselors to choose from, not all of them are worth working with. Before branching off on my own to start Application Architect, I used to work for a larger consulting company. What I’ve realized about working there is that not all counselors are created equal. Even on social media, many people who claim to be experts are actually students college students in a BS/MD program. They may understand what worked for their specific application, but simply getting in doesn’t constitute expertise unless they have consistently worked on applications that have garnered BS/MD and Ivy League acceptances.
Consulting is essentially a form of mentorship. Your mentor should be someone who not only inspires you, but also can help get you to where you want to go. One of the things I’ve always found interesting was counselors without a healthcare background guiding students on Why Medicine essays. As a physician, the essays I reviewed were often polished and well written. However, students rarely portrayed a solid understanding of why the student needs to go into medicine. Without personal experience in the medical field or an understanding of what being a doctor is like, it is very difficult for these consultants to actually help their students convey a strong argument.
Medical students who have a couple of years of medical school under their belt can get great resources. However, BS/MD students who have not yet entered medical school may not have as robust of an understanding of the healthcare system. Of course, they’ve successfully made it into the program, but have yet to undergo the training to become a doctor. Even as a premed with several research internships and hundreds of clinical hours under my belt, I still had a shallow understanding compared to what I know now as a physician. Be skeptical in your search for a consultant. I’ve seen plenty of times where professional medical school consultants or medical students provide advice that has negatively impacted students’ applications.
BS/MD Consulting Expectations
It can be helpful to have someone guide you through the process of selecting the schools that fit your profile and framing your application in the best light possible. But, a misconception that I often see (and get asked) is if consulting will get them into a BS/MD or Ivy League.
If you’ve ever met me on an introductory call, you’ll likely have heard me say that I don’t work with every student who contacts me. When I started Application Architect, I was very adamant about this policy because there are so many companies that convince students that they can make their BS/MD or Ivy League dreams happen. Unfortunately, many companies which are in the business of getting as many students to sign with them utilize fear mongering tactics, claiming that students absolutely need consulting or relinquish their dreams of BS/MD or top premed programs. This simply is not true. Without the proper stats and application, “the perfect personal statement” will overcome those barriers (unless, of course, it was to explain unexpected life events).
For higher chances at admission to a competitive program like Penn State BS/MD or Case Western BS/MD, I suggest families to rigorously plan out resume-building activities and connect with a good consultant at an appropriate time. Typically sophomore year and junior year is early enough to reach out for consulting (my personal philosophy is for freshmen to enjoy being a kid just a while longer). This helps students avoid trying to rush to do passion projects, research, or gain volunteer hours last minute in their senior year. Early coaching and planning can help prepare students for success in the long run.
With that said, if you don’t have the right application as a high school student, it doesn’t mean you can’t become a physician. Consulting can still be helpful to try to gain admission to a strong premedical program. Careful planning during the undergrad years, in addition to rigorous studying, can still lead you on the path to someday becoming a doctor. While not getting into a BS/MD can seem discouraging, I always encourage students that if medicine is truly their path, they will find their way into medical school— some paths just look a bit different.
Finding The Right Fit
This point is extremely important for me, as I built Application Architect on the philosophy of only working with students who were the right fit for me. Having worked with a larger company that was focused on having a large cohort of students, I was often given students who didn’t actually have a passion for medicine and did not know why they wanted to be a doctor. With the rigorous training and accompanying stress of pursuing a career in medicine, it’s really difficult for me to endorse pursuing the healthcare field if you’re not truly passionate about it. Taking care of patients is a huge privilege, but it is also a lot of responsibility. I’ve always maintained that at a high school level, it’s okay for students to not know why they want to be a doctor— you’re not expected to. These students should also be focusing on the premed path and gaining more experiences to help them commit to a career in medicine.
Implementing this new philosophy has completely changed how I mentor my own students at Application Architect. I genuinely enjoy working with the students I’ve taken on because they share my passion for medicine. Rather than forcing a narrative about “Why Medicine” or their understanding of healthcare, we are able to thoughtfully brainstorm and edit their essays to clearly convey their passions. From an admissions perspective, it becomes clear when a student is not passionate about their work, which ultimately can hurt their application. I firmly believe that the right consultant is one that is equally as excited about the student’s application and has a vision for what their application would look like as a whole. This is an important question to ask your consultant in an intro meeting.
Another question to ask is how many students the consultant has. If a consultant only has a handful of students, they are more likely to provide personalized attention. This is especially helpful for brainstorming, essays, and interviews, as the consultant can help you curate your answers to better highlight your strengths.
Bottom line: Find someone who cares about you as a person, not just someone who’s willing to take your money!
Best Way To Utilize BS/MD Consulting
My opinion on BS/MD consulting is that not everyone needs one. I think BS/MD consulting often gets mistaken for checking an essay’s grammar or style, or just reviewing questions for BS/MD interview prep. While a consultant should absolutely be able to help with those needs, it isn’t the best way to utilize their services.
My most successful students have been the ones who have established close relationships with me. This allowed me to know their resume, life experiences, interests, passions, hobbies, and personality inside and out. Crafting a strong application requires a consultant to understand your strengths and weaknesses, as well as how to formally present them. Those who brainstormed early allowed us time to tease out meaningful or interesting stories that they wouldn’t have otherwise shared. Strong essays don’t come from editing sentence structure— it comes from content. These relationships do take time to build so I always recommend establishing with a consultant by the spring semester of junior year.
Considerations for Interview Prep
For BS/MD interview prep, a great interview coach isn’t just someone who can provide a mock interview– anyone (friends, family, current BS/MD students) can all do this. In fact, I’ve had many students prep with other medical students before but still fail my mock interviews. Arguably, arguably challenge my students more than the average interview coach. However, I rarely hear that students were surprised or unable to answer questions in their interviews. It’s important for an interview coach can help you frame your answers, teaches you to interpret any questions, and understands what admissions is looking for. Many of the students I work with have parents or family friends who are physicians. Yet, few feel confident to host these mock interviews, which is why they reach out to me. They understand that having experience in the field is not the same as knowing the BS/MD admissions process.
Final Thoughts
Finding the right BS/MD counselor is not as simple as finding one online. Your BS/MD consultant should have robust experience with applications and interviews, and be able to tailor their methods to your specific needs. It is important to ask specific questions about their experiences and identify what they envision for your application. Lastly, your counselor should be someone that you connect with based on their philosophy and goals, as it will shape your application strategy and execution.
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