Anywhere Else to Visit/Consider?

College Search & Selection
1

Thanks in large part to articles, lists and advice gained here on CC, along with plenty of research and school visits so far, DD has developed a ‘likely to apply’ school list. Currently we have two more schools on the list to visit this summer, with second visits scheduled with three others. Just checking to see one final time if there are any additional schools to take a closer look at for her.

Stats and stuff:

Rising Senior
PA resident

227 PSAT - likely above the NMSF cutoff for PA based on historical trends
2250 SAT -780 M, 740 CR, 730 WR - should confirm for NMF status
ACT being taken this Saturday
GPA - UW 3.97, W 107.7
Class Rank - 1 of 290 as of the end of Junior year, fairly rigorous public HS
3 AP Classes as a soph (all 5’s), 4 AP classes just completed as a junior, 4 AP classes scheduled for senior year

Good and improving EC’s - numerous academic honor societies with two leadership positions, plenty of volunteer hours in a variety of settings including one leadership position via Church Youth Group, founded a Women in STEM club at school this year, will participate in very selective Healthcare Profession Exploration internship program as senior.

Interests are evolving, but likely majors in order of preference are:

Biomedical Engineering - terminal degrees considered PhD, MD or JD.
Pharmacy - schools with PharmD programs or possible PhD as terminal degrees, maybe a JD later
Medical Technology/Clinical Laboratory Sciences - terminal degree for this one would be MD
Wants to minor in History or something similar if she pursues Biomed or MT/CLS

Possible family contribution per year, not counting DD’s own earnings: $10-12,000. Need based aid very unlikely. Would like to minimize or avoid loans altogether, especially if she decides to pursue MD.

School list, with classifications based on likelihood of admission AND very considerable merit aid:

Reaches: (B - Biomed, P - Pharmacy, MT - MT/CLS for possible majors)

Case Western Reserve - B
Georgia Tech - B
Lehigh - B
NC State - B
Duquesne - P

Matches:

Pitt - B, P (in-state)
U of Delaware - B, MT (might be a reach for competitive OOS merit aid)
Drexel - B
Kentucky - P, MT

Safeties:

West Virginia - B, P, MT
NJIT - B

DD has eliminated other in-state publics including Penn State and Temple, has not clicked with any of the OOS Big Ten flagship schools near PA (Rutgers, Maryland, Ohio State). So far not interested in any of the automatic NMF award schools farther away in Alabama, Florida, Texas, etc. GA Tech seems to be her ‘travel’ reach, so to speak. Northeastern and URI and upstate New York area (Rochester/Buffalo/Syracuse) schools fell off her earlier list. Doesn’t lean towards small LACs.

It feels like the list is rounding into final shape before possibly paring it down a bit going forward, so we are at a good stage in the process, but while Summer and the time for one or two more school visits, are there any more schools to consider, preferably in the mid-Atlantic and nearby regions? For Pharmacy we think we have a pretty good handle on the schools that interest her, but Biomed opens up a lot more possibilities. Thanks in advance!!

2

If Rutgers didn’t click maybe TCNJ will. The new STEM center opens when she is a freshman.

Totally different school than Rutgers and value is good for OOS. It is becoming a NJ flagship, if not already.

3

@BatesParent2019 Thank you, TCNJ is a school that has come up in searches, but we haven’t really researched it very well. NJIT and Drexel are the two schools on the list scheduled for visits in August, TCNJ might work into that time period and road trip as well. (-:

BTW, for the initial post we have not visited NC State or Ga Tech so far and likely won’t unless and until she is in an accepted student status simply because of time and distance constraints, though she is still very interested in both.

4

It is well worth a visit. If you have been to Bucknell or Lafayette the appearance and feel are very similar. TCNJ is a flagship like Rutgers but in the LAC style. The new stem center is a $100 million project.

5

That sounds excellent and definitely worth a look. We are not far from Bucknell and know the campus well, and at least I have loved the look of Lafayette from seeing it online and in passing by (admittedly I favor small LACs like the one I attended long ago). DD tends to love new science facilities and a clear commitment by the school to invest in STEM in general. Had a great visit to Delaware over the weekend, a school DD originally didn’t want to visit and she loved the collegiate feel and the new DuPont/Gore science/engineering interdisciplinary building on top of everything else at the UD campus. TCNJ sounds a good bit like that and at this point that is what we are looking for, the undiscovered or not quite obvious gems. The distance from home looks just about right too. Thanks again!

6

Has she visited any of the Great Lakes B1G schools? The University of Michigan is the best state school east of the Mississippi and it offers a very strong BME program. The University of Wisconsin is also excellent and offers a BME.

Obviously, at UM or UW, if she changes her mind, she’ll have plenty of ranked options. UM and UW have a plethora of ranked (top-25) major programs. Academically, they are very strong.

I can’t speak for UM-Ann Arbor, but UW-Madison is a wonderful experience for a young adult to embrace.

If she wants the feel of an elite private education, Northwestern also offers BME. And it’s Northwestern: a beautiful campus in a near-north Chicago suburb. I think she has the stats to have a decent chance at admission. (not sure about merit aid there – sticker is maybe $50k per annum. UW-Madison OOS is around $30k and Michigan is somewhat higher.

Good luck!

7

First school I thought of as I read through your requirements was, indeed, Case Western.

I don’t think it is a reach at all. It is a solid match, and she should get substantial merit aid as well. Not sure if this will drive the net cost down to $10-12K, but she should be a shoo-in with substantial merit. And their BM program is considered to be excellent.

Have you considered a smaller Tech school, like Rose-Hulman? Might be worth considering, if she might like a smaller campus/class sizes. They, too, will likely give Merit, but not as generous as CWRU.

Good luck!

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@prezbucky Big 10 schools simply seem too, well, big for D’s sense of what she wants in a University experience. NC State is the largest of the schools she is looking at and has the advantage of better weather than schools in the Great Lakes region or here nearer to home. I agree, great schools, as is PSU closer to home, but while she isn’t looking at smaller schools necessarily, places the size of Pitt and Delaware seem to appeal to her most, plus she seems to like schools near an urban area, though not necessarily in it.

@ColdinMinny Case is probably her dream school academically, although Pitt is her all around fave at the moment… I went to school in western PA and other than the University Circle area where CWRUand Cleveland Clinic are, am not overly fond of the Cleveland area for a living experience, but it is one of the places where most of the kids live on campus even as upperclassmen. The amount of merit aid is the big thing with CWRU and their hefty price tag. It is one of the places that will be getting a second visit as CWRU makes it very clear that they want a prospective student to show strong interest in their program and she wants to do that in any way she can.

We looked at and liked a smaller school that might be similar to Rose-Hulman in some ways, Shenandoah, for pharmacy, but they have an upper limit on their merit aid that doesn’t fit our search criteria unfortunately, but will check that suggestion out as well.

Thank you both!

9

A younger cousin of mine (female) is at Pitt and will be at least two more years. If your daughter ends up there and wants an early contact/friend, let me know and I’ll try to set it up.

10

I can’t imagine Wisconsin or Michigan being in your price range (10-12K) OOS. So probably good she’s not interested. Will be curious to hear how WVU stacks up–my relatives keep touting their honors program and they seem to have good automatic merit.

11

I really liked WVU when we visited, they are in s major building phase, as was Kentucky, and found it a perfect backup to Pitt for DD. She liked the school, but was not thrilled with Morgantown, though the area right around the school is newer and more to her tastes. She grew up in the burbs, I grew up in a little old coal town so our standards for a city are a little different, lol.

We only saw the Honors dorm from a distance but it is one of the new buildings and sounded great. We also did not tour the new Heakth Sciences Facility, but it looked pretty amazing from the pictures we saw. If D ends up at WVU in th Honors program I think she will have a great experience and would be happy for her to attend there, so it really is a great safety school and has all three majors she is considering, with Biomed just being added to an already strong engineering program.

12

I stumbled across Saint Vincent College in the SuperMatch tool. You have some great schools on the list already but it doesn’t hurt to do some research into this place either. Has pharmacy (https://www.stvincent.edu/academics/pharmacy/) and engineering but not biomedical unfortunately

Also, Stockton University has biomedical engineering, health science, and pharmacy if she’s interested in crossing the Delaware. :stuck_out_tongue:

I’m guessing Chapel Hill is crossed out? Your daughter has amazing stats and could possibly make it into Eshelman.

13

@TheDidactic With D’s opportunity for scholarship money at a number of schools, she is concentrating on those where she can do all six years at the same school and have her merit aid contribute to at least those first two years. So far Pitt seems to offer that, as do Duquesne (possibly for six years), Wilkes and Senandoah, though the last two are less likely to make her final list. We are doubting UK does that and still have to check with WVU on it. Delaware has a pharm transfer program with Thomas Jefferson as well.

Stockton, hmm, I hear they have an incredibly bright and helpful incoming freshman class, so it does have that appeal. (-;

From the Wake, Duke, Chapel Hill and Raleigh area she did indeed narrow her choice down to the Wolfpack, but definitely considered the others. NC State simply seemed the best match for major and possible merit award.

Thanks as always and good luck starting your adventure this fall!!

14

I don’t know what their scholarships are like, but a boy we know is at Butler’s Pharmacy School, and (according to parents, at least) very happy there. It’s a little further away, but not too bad.

15

Drexel has a combined BA/BS/MD and offers full tuition for NMF (probably for 4 years whereas I think the combined med school program is 7 years). Super competitive, but your D’s stats are great. Don’t think they offer Pharmacy and don’t know how good their BME program is as compared to Pitt, but it may be worth a look.

I don’t know much about Stevens in Hoboken but do know two kids headed there this fall for BME.

16

@woogzmama Butler is a really nice school from all that I have read and heard as well, and another school she might like if we lived closer if Cincinnati which we visited. For Pharmacy she seems to have settled on Pitt, Duquesne and WVU, though Kentucky would be near the top of the list if they had a straight 0-6 program, their pharmacy school is incredible, but UK appears to treat all Pharm School as graduate status, not the hybrid some schools do, so it makes the OOS tuition unaffordable if none of her undergrad merit covers those years.

@LuckyCharms913 Drexel is very much on the list, waiting for our visit in August. In addition to the program you mentioned, they also have an accelerated 6 year Biomed BS/JD program, including one co-op, that is very intriguing. They have also shown the most active interest in her in the early going, along with Case, which is a nice feeling for an applicant. D’s only hesitation with Drexel, other than still needing to visit and see how she likes the feel of things, is their use of the quarter system, rather than the semester system. Personally I see some advantages to it, especially in the way of offering more varied experiences and co-op opportunities. I think it is just one of those ‘unknown’ kind of things that makes her a bit wary, which isn’t a bad thing and she will get to discuss it with them later this summer.

Stevens was considered, but the merit possibilities seemed okay, but not great. NJIT offers an auto full ride for NMF, so that is the NJ school she is most focused on now, though the TCNJ suggestion earlier was a good one.

Thanks all!

17

LOL you’re welcome. Always glad to help out! I know you had said you guys were going to look into MCPHS in Boston. It’s right by Northeastern, No PCAT necessary and it takes you through all 6 years with merit as long as GPA is maintained (which I’m sure it will). What did you think of there?

0-6 is a great option but limiting if D is thinking about other plans (BME, clinical lab). For reference, here’s a list of the 0-6 schools in the country from the official AACP:

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences – Boston
Northeastern University
Ohio Northern University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
St. John’s University
St. Louis College of Pharmacy
The University of Findlay
The University of Rhode Island
University of the Sciences

IF D does get into Pitt, I would highly recommend there. It’s a great pharmacy program and it’s in-state…can’t beat it!

18

D was on a Boston kick for a while, almost like everyone has to have a school in Boston/Mass, but I think that has passed, especially after last winter, lol. She is wavering on Pharmacy in part because so much of her exposure and shadowing has been retail where the pharmacists has to spend far too much time trying to slay the insurance company/ coverage dragons and not enough on actual pharmacy or patient interactions. This fall she will get a much closer look at hospital based and specialty pharmacy in the internship program she is in, along with seeing a bunch of other health professions. If she sticks with Pharmacy, Pitt is her clear favorite so far, though Duquesne and WVU remain on the periphery (heading to Duquesne-fest this weekend, woo hoo), so I think she would strongly second your recommendation!

19

,<<<<
2250 SAT -780 M, 740 CR, 730 WR - should confirm for NMF status
<<<

lol…uh yes…she only needs a 1960 to confirm…she’s good to go!


[QUOTE=""]
So far not interested in any of the automatic NMF award schools farther away in Alabama

[/QUOTE]

Have her visit! While Bama doesnt’ have BiomedE (many schools don’t), it has ChemE and some BioMedE classes which are a very good alternative to (and MORE marketable than) BioMedE.

Actually, the major at Bama is called, Chemical & Biological Engineering…and it pretty much includes the premed prereqs except for the newly added psych/sociology.

Bama has a very impressive new Science and Engineering Complex…over 900,000 sq ft of new STEM academic space. it truly is amazing. My son was chemE there and is now a 3rd year med student.

This opens to an aerial view of the new Science and Engineering Complex with the “science quad” and fountain in the center. The fountain is barely visible from that pic.
http://eng.ua.edu/buildings/

The NMF scholarship WITH engineering is impressive. On top the the NMF award, the student also gets 2500 per year. Practically a free ride. Tuition for 5 years, 1 year of housing, and $6000 per year stipend total.

The campus is drop-dead gorgeous, the academics are strong, and the students are friendly…and the weather is mostly sunny blue skies with white puffy clouds. :slight_smile:

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@mom2collegekids When we did look into the Alabama schools she was more interested in UAB than Tuscaloosa based on what we were able to read and research about the two campuses, student profiles, etc. She tends to prefer city-based schools, schools that are centered in large part around a medical center/hospital system, schools/areas that are more moderate to liberal politically and diverse racially and socio-economically, and she almost sees it as a negative if a school is a big football school. Of the Texas NMF schools she is more of a Univ. of Houston girl than a Baylor or UT or A&M girl. Usually we find that she identifies with the slightly smaller, more urban cousin of the State flagship, i.e. Pitt over Penn State, Cincinnati over Ohio State.

Now if her Grandmother (my Mom) were still with us, I am sure D would be getting an earful extolling the virtues of the Crimson Tide and the Texas schools since Grandmom was a huge Bear Bryant and Tom Landry groupie back in her day. (-;

I have been the one urging D to look further south since her hands and feet really don’t like the cold weather at all, but NC State and GA Tech have been about as far as I have been able to convince her to consider. So far, that is. Posts like yours always help the cause. (-: Thanks!