You and your parents are putting a lot of restrictions on the college choice. Better than average college, within commuting distance, that gives lots of need based or merit aid, that allows freshmen to commute, good for premed.
Which schools are affiliated with hospitals or near hospitals? That might be an important factor too.
Are you catholic? Would your parents let you live at a catholic college?
Also I don’t know what you mean by “American culture”. America is a melting pot of nations, people have immigrated from lots of countries and I’m sure people have brought their culture and belief with them.
Do your parents have a stereotypical view of the American college student? Do they think they just want to party?
There are tons of serious students out there. And having a challenging major should also preclude that.
^^^^
I had the same thought. If he is Catholic, and parents would approve of living at a Catholic univ, then he should apply to Loyola Maryland. It meets need, and likely wants more Hispanic males.
Holy Cross would also be good because it meets need.
Many Catholic univs still follow the “boys can’t be in girls dorms overnight” rules (and reverse).
If you want a good pre-med option, and you want to live at home, and you don’t care about the time of day the classes are scheduled, check out Harvard Extension. This would be a step up from community college courses, but not hideously more expensive. You would graduate with a general degree in liberal arts, you can work or volunteer as much as fits around the class schedule. Their pre-med program (in particular their post-Bac pre-med) is very good.
Harvard Extension could still cost this student a lot more than a school that gives full FA. Only fed aid is available.
@gleeguy Do you know what your family’s EFC is? Are your parents self-employed? own a business?