I’m not really sure where I should apply. The advice I’m getting is all over the place. I think I want to study biomed or biomed ethics and apply to med school later.
About Me: Top 5% of my class in one of the top 100 high schools in CA, International Baccalaureate, weighted GPA 4.2, unweighted not a lot of ECs apart from marching band, drumline, wind ensemble and orchestra. Multi-racial - asian/caucasian, single-parent household. Founded biomed club, 5 years of French. SAT 1390 - planning to retake but the UCs are now test blind, so my guidance counselor says it’s not necessary. I was ill most of the summer due to complications from Covid, so I’m definitely behind. Are any of these schools a good fit for me?
Schools I 'd like to apply to:
U Michigan
UCLA, UCSD, UCI
Michigan State
Ohio State
Purdue
Cornell
Cal Poly
Affordability is the key factor in this decision, especially if you’re thinking of medical school. You’ve got a ton of affordable in-state options. There’s no need to spend triple the tuition going to a private or out of state university.
Thank you, I appreciate it. I’m from the Midwest and just really want to go back.
UCs might be Test blind, but those other state schools may not be. Also MS, OSU, Purdue do not have much fun aid for OOS. Can you afford them?
Do you have a safety school? CalPoly is competitive in admissions How does your Cal GPA hold up there, and are you going for an impacted major?
How much can your single custodial parent afford to pay per year? Is your other parent alive and able and willing to contribute to your college education? Have you run the Net Price Calculators for the schools you mentioned? These may not be accurate for students whose parents who are divorced, are self-employed, or have atypical assets (such as rental property). If your mother has a low to modest income, you may do better at private schools that meet need for accepted students. However, if the school requires the CSS Profile, it most likely will require your non-custodial parent to complete a form regarding income and assets. If your parents can afford ~$25,000 a year, there are several midwest public flagships that offer good merit aid. Nebraska is one of them.
Are you from the midwest or from California?
If you go to school in the midwest or your parent resides in the midwest, you may or may not qualify for resident funding.
What happens if you can’t afford med school or you can’t get in?
Medical school is self-funded. Each person who makes it into med school has perfect grades, MCAT’s and EC’s such that every student could qualify for a scholarship, but the med schools can’t fund every student. So, funding comes from the Bank of Mom and Dad or from loans. Medical schools cost around $250K. Your parent may not be able to fund that, so you really need to consider the financial aspect of your decisions. You have to go to an undergrad school as cheaply as possible.
I moved to California my sophomore year, but I’m from Ohio originally. I know there are a couple of schools that will offer instate tuition. I’m worried that if I don’t attend a competitive undergrad program I won’t make it into med school.
Fortunately we’re able to afford most of the schools on my list and have money set aside for med school.
I’ve been thinking of OSU or IU as my safety school but my mom thinks it’s silly to pay out of state tuition for undergrad.
It doesn’t matter where you graduate from as long as you have top grades and MCAT scores. Medical schools get applicants from all over the country. Your biggest advantage is your home state anyway, because state medical schools give preference to state residents.
“my mom thinks it’s silly to pay out of state tuition for undergrad”
I agree with your mom. You have a long list of very good public universities in California. Premed classes will be very demanding at UC Riverside or UC Merced or any of the other UCs. There are a lot of universities in the US with very good premed programs.