Wow thank you to everybody in this thread–all the posts have been incredibly informative, and thanks @UWfromCA for all the links!
One thing I heard from a junior at UT though, was to make sure that the out-of state schools are distinctively higher than UT Austin, to justify the cost and distance. UW and all the other state schools sound great, but are they actually better or just on par with UT? I don’t really know so I’m sorry if this is a stupid question.
On par with UT if they are so fortunate.
http://publicuniversityhonors.com/rankings-academic-departments-private-elites-vs-publics/
http://www.stat.tamu.edu/~jnewton/nrc_rankings/nrc1.html#TOP60
Though the quality of the academic programs at schools can certainly vary in relation to the general profiles of their incoming students, you may nonetheless need to look at student profile numbers in order to roughly compare out-of-state options to UT:
http://www.businessinsider.com/the-610-smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9
I had no idea UT Austin would be ranked so high. I guess the only thing now would be having a medical school. (I know UT has a new one, but I think it’s too new to come with the opportunities that other more established medical school would have for pre-meds) @merc81 wait could you explain what you mean by student profile numbers? Do you mean the SAT score column?
@theminkim : For the limited purpose of your question in #20, Yes, that list can be somewhat useful for comparing schools that may be fairly unfamiliar to you (you’ll see that only relatively few public universities report statistically stronger profiles than UT). Then continue your research based on more substantive factors.
If your goal will be to attend medical school, note that you can be successful in this without considering proximity to a medical center as an important factor in selecting your undergraduate college.
Academically highly qualfied undergraduates like you do not lack for brilliant peers, world class professors and instruction in their major(s), or excellent research and professional development opportunities at UT.
And any UT will be more convenient to go to medical school interviews at Texas public medical schools and Baylor (relative bargains among medical schools for Texas residents), compared to a distant out of state college.
Ok, so it’s clear that UT is a great college to go to. I was planning on applying there from the start so no change there. Obviously, it’s more convenient to go to UT (or Rice if I manage to get in). The reasons why I was also considering out of state was for (a) culture (b) weather © school size (UT is massive, I’m not sure how I feel about that) and (d) schools connected with an established med school. However, it seems that there’s no big difference between a school with or without a med school for pre-meds? I’m asking because I’m not sure about this yet.
So I guess if there aren’t any match schools out of state that would be noticeably better than UT, I should start focusing 90% of my attention on UT.
Your opportunity to explore might never be greater than during your college years. Personally, I think you should seriously consider schools beyond your public university provided they offer you attributes not available at UT (such as those related to mentioned factors such as weather, culture and class sizes). If your research leads you back to UT, that would be fine of course.
The reason proximity to a medical center might not be important for you as a pre-med relates to all the normal college stuff you would be doing during the academic year. Internships, research in outside institutions, and other directly medically related activities will often be advisable only during the summer and other extended breaks. LACs, btw, offer some of the best environments for pre-meds in terms of advising and support.
@merc81 oh ok that makes a lot of sense! Thanks for the tip on the LACs. I’ll be re-opening up my search on out of state colleges.
Many people would say that if you think you will have expensive medical school tuition in your future, you should attend the least expensive reasonable undergraduate school you can. Student debt from both undergrad and med school would be crushing
That’s true. I am also applying to UTD because I have a high chance of getting a full ride there. I’m definitely keeping tuition on my mind.
You are an auto admit to UT and in the top 3%. You will get into whatever major you write on your application.
UT has a 40% acceptance rate with ACT spread 26 to 32 for the middle 50%.
Austin had Brackenridge with its residency program before the medical school was there. The Dell school is new, but there is a longer history of medical education (though not from year one) than you realize.
It is also true that you can seek out research and experiences anywhere over your summers as in post 28.
Automatic admission to UT Austin does not mean automatic admission to the more competitive majors, although a Texas student in the high end of the top 7% with high test scores and satisfying any major-specified additional requirements may have a reasonably good chance at even the more competitive majors.
Also, overall admission rate and test score ranges for UT Austin can be very misleading. Automatic admission applicants can consider the school as an admission safety (though cost and major may not be), but other applicants should consider UT Austin a reach.
UT’s looking better and better, thanks for all the advice!
Seconding Macalester (meets all your criteria including snow). Meets need AND has merit scholarships.
Case Western and URochester may be worth looking into. Kind of like Rice but with snow.
(Note: it’s possible Rice may be slightly less selective due to Harvey decreasing application numbers.)
You may also want to check out Pitt. Fun, urban, snowy, not massive, and you might be in line for competitive merit.
I’d recommend you do not lose sight of your high likelihood of acceptance at all but a few of the Country’s colleges, and the opportunities this could represent for you.
NYU and UMichigan might be good matches for you, both academically and based on your stated criteria.
Columbia, Harvard and Yale would fit you as well and would be reaches. Barnard offers access to the resources of Columbia University and would be a match.
As referenced up-thread, purely undergraduate-focused LACs offer great potential for small class sizes and top pre-med guidance, as well as beautifully snowy locations. For variety, you could study off-campus for one or two semesters.
UT would be very strong in your programs of interest, and should be considered as an equal contender to all of the above, but I’d suggest that placing any school as the top contender at this stage might be counterproductive to your interest in finding the best possible fit.
Let us know how your search plays out, @theminkim.
Again, thank you everyone for the advice and information. This thread has been incredibly helpful.
@merc81 I’ll definitely keep those schools in mind! Thanks for reminding me not to put one school at the top of the list. I’ll keep my mind open to any schools.