Advice on where to go

Parents Forum
1

<p>Hi parents! I'm a 17 year-old male of Asian-Indian decent and attend a top public school in subarban Detroit. I applied to 4 schools and was accepted to 3. I'm extremely interested in eventually going to medical school (no one in my family is a medical professional, somehow I'm interested :)) Anyways, the 3 schools I'm considering are:</p>

<p>Wayne State University
Michigan State University
Kalamazoo College</p>

<p>Basically, if anyone here has information/insight into any of these schools it would help in my decision process. I can give some background on my stats if that will help you "get to know me."</p>

<p>SAT: 1340 (690m, 650v)
ACT: 30 (32E, 30M, 29R, 27S)
GPA: 3.43 unweighted/3.83 weighted</p>

<p>Clubs/EC's/Sports:
Project LEAD-4 years
SADD Club-4 years
Literary Club-2 years
Student Congress-1 year (Junior Class Representative)
NHS- 2 years
Medical Club -2 years (President, Founder)
Math Club-4 years
Science Club-1 year
Troy Youth Council-4 years
NYLF Med Participant
JV Tennis-1 year
Varsity Tennis-2 years</p>

<p>Jobs:
Soccer Referee-4 years
Downhill Ski Supervisor-3 years</p>

<p>Community Service:
Beaumont Hospital-204 hours
Downhill Ski Supervisor-45 hours
Library Volunteer-100 hours
Boys and Girls Club-120 hours</p>

<p>I liked all 3 schools when I visited them, which is surprising considering how different they are.<br>
Wayne State University will most likely admit me to their Honors Program and I have a guaranteed $6,000 scholarship (1500 x 4 years), which can increase up to a full tuition scholarship depending on my upcoming interview. I am also eligible for an honors premed program that will give me greater contact with the medical school and area physicians, as well as give greater support and help during the application process. This is the most affordable option of the 3 schools. I would live at home the first year and get an apartment after that. Without any scholarships it will cost about $8,000 per year.</p>

<p>Michigan State University has accepted me to the Lyman Briggs School, a residential living-learning option for science majors (~300 students per year). I can get admitted to the Honors College for my sophomore year if I maintain a 3.5 GPA or higher during the first year. I have not received any scholarships at all from MSU. It will cost about $15,000 per year.</p>

<p>Kalamazoo College hinted at an acceptance in a recent email. They will mail the decision on Feb 15th. The school has a very good "premed program," great labs, excellent study abroad, etc. Their famous "K Plan" helps build well-rounded students and the school is good for med school placement. My only concern is that the school is not as diverse as the others. Out of the ~1300 students, only about 5% are Asian. Students are very open-minded and tolerant however, so that does make the situation better. I am hoping for a large scholarship for this to be a somewhat affordable option. Honors Scholarships are mailed on March 15 and range $3,000-13,000. Without scholarships it will cost about $31,000 per year.</p>

<p>Sorry for such a long post. I'm looking for any advice from parents that know something about these schools, or parents that can give general advice as well. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>I don't know you or your family circumstances so it's hard to say what you should do. However, if it were my son/daughter who was facing this choice, I'd probably urge them to consider Kalamazoo if the money worked out. Kalamazoo is a very unique school and offers lots of opportunities for interesting research, internship and study abroad programs. My second choice would probably be Wayne State - sounds like the honors premed program might offer you some great opportunities. But Michigan State is not a bad choice either. In the end, I suppose you'll do fine at any of these three - just follow your intuition about where you will feel most comfortable and challenged.</p>

3

<p>thanks for the input. You made a good point about "if the money worked out." Kalamazoo is much too expensive without some financial aid (My younger brother is a freshman in high school). I'll see how that works out in a month. I did like K College and my parents did as well when we visited it. Thanks for the advice. I guess that is what I am looking for: "What would you do if it was your son/daughter?"</p>

4

<p>Kalamazoo is a superb place, with higher Ph.D. productivity in the sciences than most of the Ivies. And their study abroad options and requirements are virtually unparalleled.</p>

<p>Unless you have a specialty interest covered by Michigan State or Wayne State, if the money comes through, I'd go to Kalamazoo in a heartbeat.</p>

5

<p>thank you. I forgot to add- one great thing I liked about MSU was that it's a Big Ten School (but my interest in Kalamazoo shows that's not the most important thing). The Lyman Briggs School offers smaller class sizes, more challenging courses, live-in professors/advisors, and most of the classes you take are located in that residence hall. Wayne State is located in Downtown Detroit, and although it is not the most appealing location, it is not that bad. It is in the cultural center and does not seem like the rest of Detroit.</p>