I am a current High school junior making a college list, and I am trying to figure out which schools I should apply to as “reaches”. I know that for premed, I will probably get a good education and be able to create a good application for med school anywhere, as long as they have research opportunities, clubs, and a hospital nearby. Therefore, I want to apply to reach schools mostly based on fit and other opportunities besides premed. I was wondering what schools I should avoid specifically, because they are bad for premed. I heard some schools have specifically difficult classes or other downsides that make them bad for premedical students (like MIT, or UC Berkeley). Are there any other schools I should avoid completely? These are the current reach schools I am thinking of: Brown, Columbia, Rice, Amherst, UPenn, Johns Hopkins, Tufts, Emory, WashU, Georgetown. I live in Pennsylvania, and it is pretty important to me that I am close to home when I go to college (within 3-6 hours, so driving distance), but not the end of the world. I want to cut my reach schools down to 5, and I guess I’m a fairly chill guy, so I don’t want to go to a school where people are backstabbing each other. Cost is not a problem, and I’m also not too into greek life. Also, I don’t think grade deflation would be a huge problem for me, as I have checked with my parents and they would be okay with me doing a masters program or something to raise my GPA after undergrad, nevertheless, I will still work very hard, I’m not planning on slacking off. Does anybody have any suggestions of schools I should cut from my list, or schools I should avoid when researching?
Colleges that are expensive, because you want to save money and avoid undergraduate debt before $400,000 medical school.
Colleges where expected pre-med extracurriculars (e.g. volunteering or paid work in clinical settings and helping the poor / disadvantaged / underserved) are inaccessible.
Colleges with extensive core or general education requirements in areas where you may have difficulty getting A grades.
Colleges which are unsuitable for whatever you would do in the likely event that you do not get into any medical school.
My parents thankfully have agreed to pay for my undergraduate education, I will probably pay for medical school. Thank you for these suggestions, are there any schools in particular that you believe have these characteristics that I should avoid? Thank you!
If you choose a less expensive undergraduate school than your parent’s budget limit, will they let you use the remainder on medical or other professional school, if you get in?
Probably not. I believe they are planning on retiring after I graduate undergrad, so they’d use the savings they’ve saved up for my undergrad, and add the rest I do not use to their retirement plans. We have checked and even with the most expensive school, they would be able to pay for it fully and still retire comfortably with the plans they have in place. If I go to a cheaper school, they do not believe it will affect their quality of life post retirement, as they also want me to go to the best school that I can. If so I wouldn’t be aiming for really expensive schools, but they have a whole plan in place and told me not to worry about cost.
If you’re smart and work hard, there’s no reason you can’t get a 4.0 college gpa anywhere. However, if you want an easier time or a more collaborative environment, you may want to avoid schools with a large number of pre-med students (e.g. JHU, WashU on your list).
Well…Rice and Wash U are not within your driving radius at all. So you might start by dropping those.
Fact is…the requisite courses for applying to medical school are going to be challenging regardless of where you go to college. So…maybe look other factors like location, size, etc.
Thank you! WashU has seemed like a popular one to cut haha. To be honest, I really only researched it for the prestige and kept it for the dorms, but for a school so far away, I think it needs more pluses to justify applying.
Yeah, I think I will cut WashU. As for Rice, I have family in Texas, so while my parents won’t be thrilled if I do in fact get in and commit there, I think they will come around. Personally, I really love the residential college system and how it is an undergraduate focused school. I also like the prospect of living in Houston, and rice village looks like a nice place to hang out.
State medical schools love state residents. That’s usually your best chance at medical school, especially if your state flagship university has a medical school. Ultimately, it’s going to come down to your GPA and MCAT scores. If you go in-state, your parents might be able to use some of the savings for medical school.
Yeah I know that, but my parents (like a lot of immigrants parents) want me to go to a really prestigious school, even though my states schools are really really good (penn state +upitt). Do you have any tips on how I can convince them haha
I have family in Atlanta and also my school is kind of a feeder to emory haha, so I have a pretty good chance of getting in (everyone who’s gotten a 1450+ at my school has gotten into Emory, and around 20 have applied and gotten in there so I don’t think it’s just by chance) Also, University of Rochester is on my list of match schools! It really is underrated but it’s an amazing school
I get it, I too have an immigrant parent, who also happens to be a doctor. I am not a doctor, but I have thought that if one of my kids wanted to go to medical school, I would think outside of the box. Go to a school where you can get a high gpa, and where it’s as supportive as possible (so maybe a LAC?). Major in something other than biology. (I have a cousin who was a French/theater major, who’s now a top eye surgeon). Really study Organic chemistry ahead of time as it is often a weed out course. A lot of premed dreams die there.
I have no special expertise, so take or leave what I say!
My DD started at Emory pre-med. While she made great friends, the place is not a chill place. My DD is competitive with herself but not with other people. While she got good grades, it killed her life-long desire to go into medicine, and she transferred to a school where she changed her major and direction in life. She’s a senior, and she’s so much happier in a place that fits her personality.
My .02: find a school that fits you, not what you think you need to do. Plenty of doctors come from plenty of schools, not just the top names.
So many similar stories at Cornell when I was there … 30% of the freshman class
start off as pre-meds … maybe 15% of those remain interested in medicine.
Which also argues for a school that would offer other choices as well.
