Angeline is headed to Siena College to participate in its eight-year B.A./M.D. program with Albany Medical College. Raghavi will be studying in the seven-year B.S./M.D. program at University of Albany with SUNY Upstate Medical University.

As explained by Mrs. Melissa O’Sullivan, IHA director of college counseling, admission to B.A./M.D. and B.S./M.D. programs is “rather intense and extremely competitive, as you have to achieve relatively perfect scores and grades to even be considered.” Students are required to interview with a committee, submit an application, and write multiple essays. After applying in November, they then usually have to wait until April before finding out if they are admitted, so it can be quite the roller coaster ride. “Admit rates to these programs are typically less than two percent, as most schools only have a handful of seats,” Mrs. O’Sullivan explained. Successful participation in these programs means a guarantee to medical school, and no need to take the MCAT.

For Angeline, Siena’s Science, Humanities, and Medicine B.A./M.D. program has been at the top of her list since she began the application process. She said a major reason for wanting to partake is its heavy commitment to prepare doctors for not only a future in medicine, but also “a lifetime of service to others.” The program offers “many opportunities for students to continue serving and volunteering to help others from and near the Siena campus, something I love to do,” Angeline said. “Following my junior year at Siena, I will also be able to partake in its Summer of Service program, where I go to a country abroad as a volunteer. All of these factors and so many more are why I love this program so much.”

While she has not made her final decision on a specialty, Angeline is leaning toward hospital medicine/becoming a hospitalist. “As soon as I received the email regarding my acceptance, I ran to tell my whole family who were as ecstatic as I was!” Angeline remembered. “I am so excited to join the Siena family and am very grateful for this opportunity. I cannot wait to make so many new lifelong friends this fall!”

Raghavi will be majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology at University of Albany and hopes to be a surgeon. Her program means guaranteed admission to SUNY Upstate Medical University, as long as she keeps a 3.5 G.P.A. Raghavi said she was “relieved and excited because the program will allow me to relax a little during my undergrad years, explore interests outside of medicine, and focus more on preparing for medical school and gaining experience that interests me rather than having to struggle to get into medical school.” She said she is really looking forward to meeting new people and experiencing new things.

Mrs. O’Sullivan said she is not only tremendously proud, but also incredibly impressed by both Angeline and Raghavi for “their tireless dedication to their studies to pursue this lifelong goal. They are outstanding students, excelling in both academics and extracurricular activities, but, most importantly, they possess the stamina needed to complete these programs,” she said. “I have no doubt they will both continue on to be extremely successful doctors.”