<p>thanks & that is why people need to apply more schools so can compare the FA package? Normally high ranked medical school give better FA? </p>
<p>Some schools give need based aid, but be prepared to provide parent info. There are some merit aid offers, but is’s not the majority of the class, it is a way to bring in some special students…special being defined by each school.</p>
<p>Big: Yes, of D’s acceptances, there are big differences between the FA packages. $100,000 difference over 4 years. </p>
<p>many thanks! The FA(not the merit scholarship) from medical school is loan and need to pay back after graduate or like grant and no need to pay back?</p>
<p>Some med schools have need based scholarships. They are grants. No need to pay back.</p>
<p>Many thanks & each medical school has the FA info on web site? Or we have to apply many medical school and find out around this time?</p>
<p>I am reading previous post, what is MSTP school? Also where we can find out which medical school give merit scholarship? many thanks! </p>
<p>All done with Second Looks and barring any major surprises with the FA packages, D2 has made her final decision.</p>
<p>Congratulations to everyone! =D> </p>
<p>@big</p>
<p>You won’t find FA info on med school websites. They just don’t post that kind of information. Unlike undergrad there is no such thing as guaranteed-for-stats merit awards for med school.</p>
<p>(The closest equivalent would be HSPS --which aren’t really scholarships in the sense of being awarded based on merit, but rather are loan repayment programs for medical personnel who are willing to serve as primary care providers in federally designated medically underserved areas for a specific period of time, usually 5 years.)</p>
<p>Generally speaking, most financial aid for medical school will be federal loans, particularly at state medical schools. Unless you are an extraordinary applicant who is bringing something unique to the school, don’t expect large merit from a public med school. (A couple of thousand $$ merit is the best most students can hope for.) </p>
<p>Private medical schools cost more and may offer some partial merit awards for exceptional applicants. Private med schools may offer some institutional loans with favorable interest rates and repayment options to go along with your federal loans. (Pretty much every med school expects all matriculants to take out full federal med student loans of $40,500/year before they will offer you additional need-based aid.)</p>
<p>Be aware that some OOS public med schools and all private med schools will require parental (and spousal, if you’re married) financial information–even if you are an older, independent student who has not been a dependent for years. Private/OOS public medical schools will assign a expected family contribution based on family financial info even if your family will not contribute towards your medical school costs. </p>
<p>You will need to apply to many medical schools (15-20 is pretty average) not so much to find out what your FA looks like but more to assure that you will garner some interviews and have at least one acceptance come May 15. Most med school applicants do not receive multiple admission offers. (This bunch on CC is pretty unusual in that sense….)</p>
<p>Really? Seems like most of those on MDapplicants have multiple acceptances, but they may all be outliers.</p>
<p>Self reported data and selection bias at MDApplicants. Both make it an unreliable source.</p>
<p>Likely true. I wonder if there’s any data showing the number of acceptances applicants get measured by the two objective data points of GPA/MCAT score and by number of applications sent. </p>
<p>Here’s another one I’ve been wondering about. Have any medical schools ever done a study on whether their criteria for acceptance is the best for determining success in medical school. I think the only way to do this would be for medical schools to compare those accepted in the first round with those accepted off the wait list. Do those who were ‘second choice’ the wait list people perform at a lower level than those accepted in the first round? </p>
<p>The whole system seems so random. One would think that a school based on science would have some scientific evidentiary basis to back up their selection methods. </p>
<p>But how would one define “success”? The students who score high on USMLE? In classroom grades? Number of Honors in clinical rotations? How many go on to fulfill the mission of the school? (IOW, how many go into primary care if that’s the school’s mission?) Who become compassionate and skilled clinicians? Too many variables and the definition of “success” would likely be different at every school. (Med schools are truly not one size fits all. They have different missions and different goals.)</p>
<p>I know the system seems random from the outside, but I have to trust that those on the inside, on the adcomm, know what they’re looking for in a candidate for their school. </p>
<p>Keep in mind, that adcomms have said over and over that students on the wait list are no less qualified than students who are accepted outright. It’s just that the adcomm is trying to build a balanced, diverse class and so may have some slight preferences for the qualities/diversity that the initially accepted students bring to the school.</p>
<p>Also keep in mind, any number of adcomms have said that basically anyone with a MCAT 26 or higher and 3.2 sGPA is fully capable of passing med school and the boards. (And if you look at the historical data, you’ll see those used to be the typical stats for a matriculating student.) It’s just that there are so many fully qualified applicants that med schools can now be picky. </p>
<p>Any of those variables would be interesting to study. Since they can’t have a cohort of those accepted versus those not accepted, the only cohort is accepted first versus accepted off the waitlist. USMLE scores, grades, clinical evaluations, drop-outs, for starters. It seems like some analysis should be done to see if the selection methods and criteria are correlative with the results. Just wonderin’. </p>
<p>DS has made his decision. Congrats to all who have, and sending good vibes to those who are still deciding. Now to book reservation for white coat ceremony.;;)</p>
<p>My deadline was yesterday and it was very difficult selecting between the final two. They were very much equal in every respect. I finally chose the one that would make trips home easier. 
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<p>Congrats Plum. Doesnt seem you resorted to the darts throwing…lol</p>
<p>^ Thanks, and congrats to your S. I decided that a more rational approach was best. ;)) I did try the “flip a coin and see how it feels test”, but it didn’t work. It feels good to have this behind me although the note I received from the exec director of the school I didn’t choose left me teary eyed. Why do these people have to be sooo nice? =(( </p>
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<p>Your technique is flawed. This technique requires one to flip once and validate the answer another 99 times. :D</p>
<p>Congrats to Learninginprog’s son and Plum.</p>