<p>^ Isn’t the “better school” statement being quoted about an UG school?</p>
<p>^Yes, but if parents are presented with request to cosign, they might be more postive cosigning for 4 years vs 8 years, especially that the last 4 are usually much more expansive (there are exceptions though).</p>
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<p>Maybe it does matter a little.
My friend’s D who attended an Ivy wanted to take her Organic chem in the summer at her state U because it was cheaper. Her advisor advised against it and told her to take it at her Ivy even at a higher cost.
Result: full rides at 3 med schools.
I was also very surprised that UCSF which is notoriously hard to get in, offered her an admission, even though she is not a California resident.
She ultimately chose Harvard, not full ride but received merit aid.</p>
<p>I guess these little anecdotes don’t get mentioned very often because they happen for the tippy top applicants.</p>
<p>Cbreeze,
With all due respect, many students try to take orgo elsewhere in the summer not becuase it is “cheaper” but because it is “easier” and their grade will not wreck their GPA! If your friend’s dau atttended an ivy, then the tuition was probably charged by semester, not by individual hour. So it would probaly have been “cheaper” to take it during a regular semester at the ivy where it doesnt cost more to take 3 vs 4 classes. Congrats to your friends dau, but I think your friend may be weaving a bit of a tall tale…</p>
<p>jym, I don’t think so, this girl has 2 majors and needed to take courses in the summer in order to finish in 4 years. Plus she was a varsity athlete.</p>
<p>You really think it was the one class you mentioned that made the difference in the acceptances of this ivy double major sudent? Really? This was obviously a bright student who was going to do well and it makes sense to want to keep up a GPA. And of any of the classes that could be selected to be taken over the summer, she happend to pick the one that often trips up students (potentially messes up their GPA)? Really? If so, well, ok then. Obviously it didnt matter as she took it at her ivy and did well. If the ivy was going to accept the credit for the orgo taken elsewhere, it would have been acceptable for med schools.</p>
<p>Why did her advisor tell her NOT to take her course at the easier flagship u if it made no difference at all?
Perhaps the prof knows something more than the rest of us.
Perhaps an A in a public U isn’t looked upon the same as an A at her Ivy, especially in this “make it or break it” course.</p>
<p>All I said cbreeze was that it is common for students to want to take orgo at a school that is less difficult, as it often trips up premed students and messes up their GPA. And the students home school (ie the ivy) has to look at the curriculum/syullabus of the away schools (the state school) class and indicate in advance that they will accept the credit. They do not, however, typically transfer the grade, but only the credit for the class. If your friends dau was aiming for these tippy top med schools, perhaps they (the college advisors) were recommending against this strategy. But the point is that she could have selected another class to take over the summer in order to keep on track and graduate in 4 years. I may not know your particular friend, but I am familiar with this.</p>
<p>As I said (since I am familiar with this) is that it is unlikely that the ivy would transfer the actual grade from the state school, but only show that she had received credit for it taken elsewhere. Yes, as I said that is commonly done, and as you added, consistent with my above post, its probably not the best strategy if she was shooting for those tippy top schools. So I think you are agreeing with me.</p>
<p>I know this strategy well too. I was a biochem major. My H is a physician.</p>
<p>However, I don’t fully agree that medical school admissions are only numbers driven, and it doesn’t matter which school you attend because her prof knew she would get an A in her state U but somehow advised against it if all As were equal in the eyes of the admission committee.
Regular admissions, perhaps, but full rides at 3 schools, I doubt it.</p>
<p>I just want to add that I am happy neither of my children wanted to be in medicine. Medical school admissions is too stressful.</p>
<p>As I said, I am not doubting that it was a better idea to take orgo at her ivy where it would show as having been taken there. I agree with the advice that when aiming for the tippy top med schools, all things considered, this is a better idea (not to take it elsewhere). But I still think your friend may have been twisting things a bit if she said it has something to do with it being “cheaper”, which is what you first claimed in post # 43. That makes no sense.</p>
<p>I too have a STEM background and also have a s who was premed (and took all his premed courses at his home school) before he changed his mind and changed his major to chemE, and had to get special, advanced permission to take a class or 2 in the summer at our home Flagship tech school (while also doing an engineering internship) that would be accepted by his major department and also so that he would be able to graduate in 4 years.</p>
<p>**And as an aside, the 2 classes DS took during the summer at our flagship tech was by no means “cheap”. Cost us $4k and this did not include any housing or meals!! :eek:</p>
<p>For completing the med school app, an A is an A, so one’s SGPA would be the same whether that be the Ivy or the state school or even community college. Most advisors seem to advise to avoid the appearance of trying to dodge the weeder courses by taking them at a location other than your home school.</p>
<p>Adcoms, though, are ‘known’ to look to the strength of a program, so taking important courses other that at your home school could weaken that application.</p>
<p>However, any other course not a pre-med pre-req could certainly have been taken at the local school, my DD had a couple of social sciences taken at the local community college, just to get those requirements done.</p>
<p>I personally have not heard of any one mentioning a “full ride” to medical school (DD is MS2 so I have spent a few years searching CC & SDN); I have heard of ‘unit loans’ at Ivies, I have heard of generous need based aid, I have heard of URM based tuition awards, but there is still the coast of living. I am not sure which category your friend is in, but it is so rare as to be not helpful in terms of advice to the OP. </p>
<p>I know someone currently admitted to numerous med schools who has gotten several nice awards so far, but has not seen the complete package based on both merit and need. Even if that student gets and actual full ride covering both tuition and living expenses, it will be a based on facts which apply to very few students here.</p>