Did you get any indication of which colleges would approve the waiver and which would not? (Probably no indication…)
Perhaps rank Chicago first (no NCP information needed) and Vanderbilt second (“Vanderbilt does not automatically require or send a non-custodial application. There may be times when we will request information and documentation from your non-custodial parent. We will send the appropriate forms if this is deemed necessary.”) due to the NCP waiver uncertainty at the other schools.
However, Chicago’s extensive core curriculum means that there is less avoiding potentially difficult courses that you may not get an A in, compared to open curriculum Brown and Amherst, or others with limited general education requirements.
@MYOS1634 Yes I am considering Duke for Pre-Med, but honestly I do not think I will be happy with the environment at these Southern Schools like Duke, Vanderbilt, and even a place like Notre Dame (which I know is in Michigan)
Would getting matched to WUSTL through Questbridge for Pre-Med really be bad enough to take it off? It was really a top pick between WUSTL and NU for places I hope I can make. Maybe I could apply to WUSTL through a different major like neuroscience?
@OHMomof2 Yes it is a definite safety. I’ve checked with my counselor and website to make sure I’d be eligible, which is why I was feeling a little more bold with the rankings.
@ucbalumnus I believe all the Universities I submitted my NCP waiver sent me an email saying it was approved. Princeton, Yale, and UPenn were ones I clearly remember and they sent a direct email and wasn’t lile a status/phone call thing.
If he is premed he’s going to have to take certain challenging courses, open curriculum or no.
But a key element for pre-meds is being able to balance your schedule - and at some colleges, such as UChicago, it’s not possible.
Indiana, but whatever 
Plus UIUC did accept you last year ? (but hkim, being DACA, didn’t qualify for UIUC Promise so it was unaffordable).
I agree that you have to think about pre-med and the grind that it can be at many schools…seriously consider how adding in a heavy core curriculum (e.g., U Chicago and Columbia) may impact your ability to get a high GPA and get enough hours of ECs in, not to mention your quality of life and overall college experience. I agree with myos on WashU being relatively undesirable for pre-meds.
Yes, at any school you want potential for clinical experience be it job or volunteer work …and you can do that at most of the QB schools. Research is relatively less important than patient facing experience, but with that said you can do interesting science research at ANY QB partner school as well.
I know that some will agree and some disagree, but IMO the LACs are kinder environments for pre-meds. If you are thinking environmental, why not Bowdoin, Colby, Wesleyan? All have EXCELLENT pre-health advising too.
I would keep Amherst and Brown on the list. Consider Tufts as well, good environmental, and an early assurance med school program (Bowdoin and Colby are the two other QB partner schools in Tufts early assurance program). At Vassar you would be advantaged as an Asian male.
I know you said you didn’t like Lake Forest College on your visit, but don’t throw out all LACs based on one visit—I assure you that at any QB partner LAC you will find like-minded serious STEM and pre-med students.
Thank you everyone for the extremely helpful and thought out responses. I still have until October 10th, and even then, I might not become a finalist so anything is still in the air.
Let us now what you decide to do with your rankings. Lots of us have been rooting for you for a long time. Whatever school is fortunate enough to enroll you as a student will be very lucky…
Many of the selective LACs have strong science programs and a good record of sending students to med schools. If you do keep some on your list, consider Vassar as you would have a higher chance of acceptance being male.
HKimPOSSIBLE . I’m the parent of a pre-med sophomore at WashU and I would definitely recommend WashU as a premed destination. Yes its hard, but if you get into WashU you can handle it and get the kind of results that will get you into the Med schools you’re looking for in your future. So far my daughters grades wouldn’t rule her out of any Med school and I wouldn’t say she isn’t alone in that situation by any means. If you are willing to put the work in your grades will be good. Outside of grades and workload, we have been amazed by the opportunities for research and the opportunities available to students at WashU hospital and St Louis Children’s Hospital. The Med prep classes (Med prep 1 and 2),1 credit classes for pre-meds, have been a incredibly useful class for my daughter who wasn’t 100% set on Med school prior. You get lectures from Doctors at WashU hospital and Med students, as well as a good feel for what the med school journey will be like. In the second Med prep class you’ll get plenty of opportunity to shadow at the hospital. In addition the pre health program really has a lot off support for the kids over their the undergraduate years. You have a Pre Health advisor, a major advisor and a 4 year advisor all their to help you get to where you want to go. Take a look at the pre health WashU website and it will give you a great outline of what they offer and the med school admission results.
One last thing. The students really help each other out. The WashU story of being a collaborative student body is truly real!
Feel free to reach out
IMO, LACs tend to have the more nurturing environment for pre meds. Some of those schools on OP’s list make me raise my eyebrows. An issue OP has right now is a rather low UW GPA due to having taken some very rigorous courses, along with a non 4.0 freshman year.
As a QB finalist, those QB schools will be more forgiving of that GPA than they would be had he applied straight up through regular channels. No such leeway for medical school. I seriously do not recommend Columbia or UCh if someone is truly intent on medical school and wants that to be the true prize and to maximize chances of getting it. I know too many top students who stumbled in college with a difficult course load at a rigorous school and that ended Med school aspirations. Those little known LACs are often the best route into medical school
If I were you, I would take the scholarship at UIUC. Everything else is just a “maybe-maybe not.” Being a DACA kid means that there are going to be a lot of question marks with financial aid, especially with being able to get student loans through FAFSA. I wouldn’t take a gamble on your future for the sake of prestige. If you run into financial aid problems, you’ll be stuck without a college to go to at all.
If you decide medicine, it makes no difference where you go to school, because medical schools look at grades and MCAT scores. Medical school is also ridiculously expensive, and you need to keep the student debt at a minimum. Having a full ride scholarship puts you at a major advantage.
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Agreed! UIUC is my safety, and I am no longer a DACA, but a U.S. Green Card holder 
Frankly, I would not obsess over which of the QB schools is “best” for a medical school aspirant. They are all great schools and all send students to medical school. You don’t have to have a heavy science background. Of course, you CAN choose to take a ton of science classes, but you don’t have to. You can take the minimum coursework required for med school entrance and major in classics or music. Just get all As (or almost all As) and KILL IT on your MCAT.