I plan on majoring in biology (or something along that subject area) and then entering medical school. However, I am having a tough time deciding which undergraduate institution to attend. I want to go to a school that is prestigious enough to reflect positively for medical school (although I know GPA and the MCAT are most important). I also do not want to attend a school that deflates grades or is unbearably challenging – I want to be challenged but also be able to maintain a solid GPA. Also, I would like some sort of research programs/opportunities in the area or at the school, too.
I am considering:
Boston University
Pepperdine University
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Southern California
Can I get a ranking of some sort for these four schools in regard to premed?
Should I just go to the school that puts me in the least amount of debt?
Do all these schools carry the same weight as premedical institutions?
@mom2collegekids If my stats are well above average for a school like Pepperdine, won’t the financial offerings be enough to attend without major debt afterwards? And why just CA schools?
<<<
If my stats are well above average for a school like Pepperdine, won’t the financial offerings be enough to attend without major debt afterwards?
<<<
?? Financial aid is based on need, not “above average stats”. And FA often includes some loans.
And many schools do NOT meet need.
How could we possibly know if you’d receive enough aid that the remaining amount would be low enough for your parents to agree to pay?
What if Pepperdine determined that your family should pay $40k per year, but your family will only pay $20k??
How much will your family pay each year?
[QUOTE=""]
And why just CA schools?<<<
[/QUOTE]
Because Calif schools already have way too many premeds. There are only negatives to attending a Calif undergrad as a premed.
I like to agree with @mom2collegekids by emphasizing that med school will be expensive, so you want to pick a more cost effective school. Although, you are headed in the right direction by picking private institutions because they will offer more individualized education and probably better access to research opportunities.
As the others have said, prestige of UG is not really a factor in med school admissions (with a bit of an exception for the very tippy top applying to the tippy top). None of those 4 schools will give you any sort of prestige edge for med school. In fact, none of the 4 will give you any prestige edge with med schools over your very own UNH. The core pre-med courses are pretty standardized across the accredited universities, so any solid school will give you enough to succeed.
If you are counting on merit aid be sure that the school will let you stack financial and merit aid- some schools will reduce your financial aid by the amount of your merit aid.
You haven’t given any stats, but say that you are ‘well above average’ for Pepperdine. You want to be far above that average to get into UNC OOS- they have a hard 18% cap, and with their generous finaid, there is a lot of competition for that 18% (which includes recruited athletes). The admitted student data is wildly misleading for an OOS student.
I’m guessing your stats are indeed well above that average, given that you say you are also applying to Harvard! And as @Gumbymom has already told you that finaid for OOS in CA is gone, and you are keeping UCLA and UCB, I’m guessing that you figure you are in the top 1% of applicants, which would make you a contender for a Regent’s Scholarship. But if you are serious about going to med school, listen to @mom2collegekids is the maven of med school on CC, and knows the CA system inside out: pre-med in CA is the hard way to do it.
Also, if you are at that level, follow the money: there will be a lot of very fine colleges and universities that would love to have you, where you will be a star, get lots of opportunities, and graduate debt-free.
@richiet28 Have you been accepted to these schools yet? I’m not sure why you are deciding which one is best already unless you have been accepted. You mentioned your stats in another thread and in that thread advice was given not to apply to California schools unless finances are not an issue. Your stats (listed in that thread) will not get you substantial merit at the above mentioned schools (ACT is low for merit).
I appreciate all the advice on this. My original question, however, had nothing to do with finances - just the opportunities at the listed schools for premeds. Thank you, though, because I didn’t realize how little prestige at an undergrad institution mattered, and I didn’t think through the financial issues at the California schools. I am applying to a handful of other schools, too, so as @suzyQ7 said, I should just wait to hear where I get in and what the financial scenarios are and then decide.
Nonetheless, are there any other less selective schools in the Boston area that would offer me some sort of merit? Growing up in NH, UNH Durham doesn’t appeal to me much. I would like to be a little farther from home.