<p>I think she’d consider a PA program.</p>
<p>Middle son is majoring in neuro or brain & cognitive sciences (hasn’t decided which) at U Rochester, but he and I have discussed the career options… he’s staying on the pre-med path. If he opts for research later and there’s an opportunity, he can change to Plan B. If that doesn’t happen, Plan A is good. (He currently has the grades to make Plan A a decent Plan A. Obviously, we’re keeping in mind the med school acceptance rates and no plans are written in stone.)</p>
<p>If someone were to only plan on neuro or bcs, it could be shaky.</p>
<p>ohmomof2, if you want more information on the governor’s school program, pm me. I’ll share links of her program, but I really don’t want to compromise her privacy by posting publicly.</p>
<p>If she is giving serious consideration to medical school, she should focus on smaller schools that aren’t as prestigious where she can shine as a student and maximize her opportunity to get the highest GPA possible. Hope over to the pre-med board for more details but along with looking at these types of schools, typically good LAC’s, comes a lot of merit aid for high stat students as well as a lot of research opportunities also needed for med school admissions. Same would go if she is considering the PA route.</p>
<p>There are also several schools that have auto-admit programs into their medical schools if you have a qualifying GPA and MCAT score–meaning you don’t have to go through the application process.</p>
<p>In reference to a question above, the Governor’s Schools for Arts, Sciences etc. for top high school students over the summer were eliminated in my state because of budget cuts. One university continues it without state funding, but charges high tuition to attend. Your situation may be similar.</p>
<p>Steve thanks for the tips. I’ll look into the auto-admits. I’ve also looked at 5 year PA programs. I guess there are 6 year BS/MD programs out there too.</p>
<p>Mamaduck I’ve been to the gov school web site, our state, like charlie’s, definitely ended the program :(</p>
<p>That’s sad that the governor’s school program was cut. Ours is during the school year, and D’s program was 4 years long. We live in Virginia.</p>
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<p>I really disagree with this advice if someone is interested in neuro as a potential career. We looked into some smaller schools with it, but the research Us simply offer a ton more opportunities. My guy is handling freshman year at his research U just fine. He didn’t need a smaller LAC to shine.</p>
<p>If interested in neuro, one should really consider wgmcp101’s advice he just gave here (Post #11):</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1417737-pre-med-pitt-vs-juniata.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1417737-pre-med-pitt-vs-juniata.html</a></p>
<p>Neuro at LACs and Research Us are NOT the same.</p>
<p>I honestly don’t know if it’s ok to quote a post from another thread (still on cc), but I’ll try it. Here’s what his post says from the above link:</p>
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<p>Creekland–it really depends on the school, however, if the goal is to get into medical school, the data shows that students have a better chance of getting into medical school coming out of smaller schools. It’s rare for freshmen to get research opportunities at large universities, great that your son did, but that is not the norm. Also, more often than not those classes are taught by TA’s and not actual professors. Sure the course offerings are more limited but then again, that is also what medical school is for. Then there is the very, very good chance that the OP’s child will simply change her mind and want something else.</p>
<p>Hello and thanks for the great thread!</p>
<p>I was sick this week and missed this thread until this morning!! Can I hop in and ask a question? I hope OP doesn’t mind.</p>
<p>DD14 is currently taking a course(forensic science) at a regional state u and plans on taking a course at a local ivy in the spring. Her school will give her AP credit for both. She will not receive college credit. Is there a downside to not receiving college credit? Also, she is not sure which class she will take at the ivy yet. There are so many to choose from. Any advice on which classes are best taken when given the opportunity to do so on a college campus? The forensic science was one that really interested her. But I am wondering how she can optimize her time this spring. I should also add that she is also taking 3 AP classes at her high school this year.</p>
<p>OP DD took alg II in soph year as well as geometry. She is taking 2 math classes this year as well. So maybe your d could double up in her junior year?</p>
<p>There really isn’t a downside to not getting college credits for those classes. If a college accepts AP classes for credit it’s pretty much the same thing. The UP side is that it won’t affect her college GPA if she doesn’t get a top grade. Also, keep in mind that taking an AP class gets you NO credit at any college. It is your score on your TEST that gives you the credit. There is no AP test for Forensic science. Your school may call it an AP course, but it is not a recognized AP class.</p>
<p>My guy is at U Rochester - a research U. All of his classes have been taught by profs with just recitations run by TAs. It’s not that rare for freshmen to get involved with research at schools he checked out (including UR). </p>
<p>Where is your data showing smaller schools do better with med school? I’ve yet to see it and we did extensive research. I saw plenty of high acceptance rates, but when pressed, most schools will admit that they screen applicants. Larger schools do not always do this (some do, some don’t). An applicant has a better chance of getting in at a school who will support anyone wanting to try vs schools who only let “the best” try (to preserve their high rates). What if you aren’t one of their best? Middle and lower range students can get in at times - look at the rates on AAMC here (Table 24):</p>
<p><a href=“https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/[/url]”>https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/</a></p>
<p>Generally, you want a 30 or higher on the MCAT, but stats show you currently have an 8% chance even with an MCAT of 18-20. However, if you aren’t encouraged to apply as a middle or lower range student, your chances are zero. THIS keeps the high acceptance rates high, but it short changes some potential doctors.</p>
<p>The weeder courses take several out of the med school running at ALL types of schools. I’ve seen it happen far more than once. (I work at our local public hs and see many graduates.) </p>
<p>That said, one can get into med school from pretty much anywhere, so it’s best to pick a “best fit.” However, if they are also interested in neuro, pick carefully. The smaller schools do not offer as much toward that field. You could really be hindering yourself. And if the OP’s student wants something else? There tends to be more offerings at larger places. 
My oldest went to a really small college (1000 students) because he wanted something specific they had there (not med school). My concern has always been “what if he changes his mind?” Fortunately, he hasn’t and is happy there as a junior, so his choice seems to have worked for him. We’ll know more next year, of course.</p>
<p>Youngest is likely to go to a small school (neither med school nor neuro bound), so I’m not anti-small schools. Just make sure it’s the right choice for the student. With neuro, it’s not such a great idea. With med school, it just depends on what one wants and whether they think they’ll be “top” or maybe not.</p>
<p>Right SteveMA. She will only get credit for it being an AP class in high school which I guess will give her a bump in her GPA which is nice. </p>
<p>@Steve, any advice on which type of course she should take @ the ivy? Or does it not matter? Which classes impress ad coms more? I know I shouldn’t be thinking in these terms, but lets face it, college admissions is a competitive beast and i want her to look her best on paper. The only classes they are not allowed to take are science classes with a lab attached to it or spanish.</p>
<p>Science and math courses, even for non-STEM kids, always look more impressive—unless they bomb the class and then that is not good for anything :D.</p>
<p>What other AP classes is she taking–official AP classes?</p>
<p>She is currently taking APWH, AP STATS and AP Lang. They are only allowed to take 3 AP’s/year, but then I noticed that a kid who got into Yale this past admission cycle took 4 or 5 in his senior year. She will have to take more next year as she can only go up. So she wll take AP Lit, AP Calc, AP Chem, AP Spanish, AP US History etc. She may also try to squeeze in a college course in the fall of her senior year.</p>
<p>I pushed for her take AP Psy in her soph year b/c freshman year was such a joke. It was a fight, but they finally gave in. She did well in the class and the teacher is tough/one of the best in the school. You work your butt off in his class and she had many sleepless nights doing his work which she(and I) loved. She did extremely well on the exam as well!!</p>
<p>I had my guys take college classes in things not offered otherwise. They both took English (AP is not offered at our school and I did not feel that was as easy of one to self-study like Stats and Psych). Then middle son added Microbio and Public Speaking. The latter was actually an easy course, so maybe not impressive, but quite useful for things like interviews… He felt he did much better at anything related to public speaking after the course. His Microbio prof wrote one of his Letters of Recommendation. Actually, the Public Speaking prof wrote one too.</p>
<p>I’d have her take what she likes and is still academic. Doing well in anything will be helpful - and could produce a nice LOR as a bonus.</p>
<p>NewHavenCTmom-just don’t go overboard thinking EVERY class needs to be an AP class. A lot depends on how they rank at your school but taking 4 or 5 AP classes plus a college level class is VERY difficult and her GPA may suffer as a result. That will have far more negative consequences for admissions vs taking 3 AP classes and the rest honors. No offense but are “many sleepless nights” really something to love? AP Psych is really considered one of the easiest AP classes, even with a tough teacher. Just be careful about overloading her.</p>
<p>^^^ I agree with SteveMA on this one. AP Psych is an easy one relatively and shouldn’t have produced many sleepless nights. It is one my guy self-studied and got a 5 on (though I know teachers can assign a bit more work than necessary making sleepless nights happen). Overloading would not be good for admissions or her personal welfare. If things come easily for her, fine, but if she’s a “normal” high academic kid, it could be too much and do more harm than good. How’s she doing with the three this year?</p>
<p>She is doing fine this year with the 3 AP’s, all of her EC’s, her college class and she is working a part time job. I just think that that particular teacher gave LOTS of work out of the gate last fall and had high expectations. Her frosh year was so easy that it was pathetic so her first AP in soph year was a bit hectic initially. I was happy to see her sweating a little. Nothing wrong with working for that grade… and her exam score made it all worth it. She and another young man(whose father is a Yale prof) were the only one’s to score what they did on the exam. Everyone else scored a 3.</p>