DS got into his reach school, we're happy, but also very nervous

<p>DS is not a talented kid, but is a hard working person. After he got into his safe school in EA, which was alright with his parents, he said he wants to try some prestige colleges in RD. He applied five top 20 universities, 2 accepted, 1 WL, 2 rejected. After visited campus, he decided to go to a reach school instead of safe school. He said he enjoys the intelligent atmosphere. Well, we respected his decision, but we are starting to worry about his college academic life. We aren't worried about he whether or not he can graduate in 4 years because graduation requirements are very low (C- and P/F), but he'd like to do pre-med.</p>

<p>Please give some advice, how can a small fish swim in a big pond? thanks. </p>

<p>Isnt it too late to change anything at this point?</p>

<p>However, if he’s premed and his stats arent in the top 25% of the school, he is going to have a much more difficult time getting the A’s needed for med school. His premed classmates would be stronger and likely grabbing the limited number of A’s.</p>

<p>He may end up with a decent GPA, but to get a med-school worthy GPA, he may have a harder time.</p>

<p>that said, getting a med-school-worthy GPA at any good school is a challenge…however, there will be less ACT 34+ students in the classes. </p>

<p>how strong a student is he at this reach school? what quartile does he fall in?</p>

<p>Pre-med just means taking a prescribed set of courses that medical schools require. In a case like his, he should start out slowly and take courses that are not so challenging, keep the schedule light and build up gradually and find a major that he enjoys that hopefully he can do the school work well. Grades count very heavily for medical school. </p>

<p>I don’t know how common this is, but a friend’s D did her undergrad at Duke and was planning on med school but Duke refused to give her a recommendation. Don’t know if that was based on her GPA - but I assume it must have something to do with it. . She was devastated - then someone recommended she go for her Masters and apply from there. IIRC, she went to Columbia and did a Master’s in Public Health, then applied to med school and she just finished med school at a big midwest state school. </p>

<p>^ ^</p>

<p>Good points by cptofthehouse.</p>

<p>He should also make it a point to be alert to any potential issues with academics, Professors, etc and be proactive in dealing with them as soon as they come up as early in the term as possible. </p>

<p>Also, take advantage of Professor office hours to get to know Profs and ask for clarification/advice/know Profs as people, tutoring resources, making it a point to start long-term assignments early rather than procrastinating to the last minute. </p>

<p>If he only starts realizing he has academic problems just before midterms or worse, right before finals…he’s waited too long. </p>

<p>I am a little confused by the OP’s conclusion that her son “is not a talented kid.” Most of the very selective colleges shy away from applicants whose high school achievement is built solely on hard work. I would guess that the son’s application (and recommendations) showed the admissions committee enough for them to conclude that there was a fair amount of talent there, too. </p>

<p>A little talent with a lot of hard work is a very successful combination. I wouldn’t write off the kid’s chances of doing very well in a college pre-med curriculum if he stays focused and stays within himself. </p>

<p>Who does well in college and who doesn’t is often surprising. A little bit of insecurity about his “talent” can produce a really successful college student.</p>

<p>I think that the admissions committees at top-20 colleges have gotten quite good at predicting who from a wealth of qualified candidates will be able to thrive at their schools. And not one, but two of them see your son as someone who they want in their freshman class. My guess is that he will do just fine as long as he is proactive and make use of all the resources available to him. Congrats to him and you, too. </p>

<p>As already mentioned, it is strategic for pre-med students to go where they can get the highest GPA’s. </p>

<p>So many 18 year olds think they want to be pre-med, and then they get to college and change their minds. Ironically, some of the top schools have the most grade inflation and GPA protection.</p>

<p>My oldest attended a very tough academic school which was a reach for admission given her stats. However they were very generous with financial aid.
They give few A’s, but she didn’t have any trouble being admitted to the graduate program she wanted.</p>

<p>I really don’t think top schools accept many kids (especially RD) that they aren’t convinced are perfectly capable of the work. The most selective schools with one or two exceptions also appear to have more grade inflation than average. My kid who is at a reach school is getting pretty much exactly the same grades in college - a mix of B’s and A’s. Well he had a couple of C+ in first year Arabic, but had an A last semester. </p>

<p>I think you can overthink the premed thing. Half the kids who go off to college thinking they’ll be pre-med don’t stick with it. And it’s not just because they don’t get the grades, it’s because they discover a world of things out there that are more interesting. </p>

<p>Like JHS, I’ve seen the kids who are bit worried about not sailing through college are the ones who end up really succeeding.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Or put off by the work environment/lifestyle when volunteering in hospitals or talking/shadowing actual doctors. </p>

<p>Funny part about having 3 medical interns/residents as post-college roommates…their working hours and lifestyle was a good confirmation that I made the right decision in not pursuing medicine. :)</p>

<p>You can major in anything and then go to medical school. Most schools I know don’t even have a “premed” major.</p>

<p>Sometimes wanting to be an MD is just a sign of lack of sophistication or maturity, honestly. It is hard for kids to imagine the options out there until they have more experience. </p>

<p>He made his decision to be around challenging and stimulating company (not that that company is only available at top colleges) and you can admire and support that: sounds like he has earned it!</p>

<p>I agree that selective colleges only admit students that they feel will be successful. The GPA for med-school is a separate issue, that I will leave to the experts, but I agree with @compmom that career choices evolve over a period of time and many kids who say the want to be a doctor (or lawyer) end up going in another direction.</p>

<p>I think what your son can do right now is take a proactive approach to his education. If he knows he has weak areas he might take a pre-college course over the summer. He should research and take good advantage of the academic help facilities that the college offers – like the writing center, tutoring, study groups, personal assistance from professors. </p>

<p>Access to these types of services varies from school to school, but most selectives are set up to help their students succeed. If his choice is a big university, it may take more assertiveness on his part to get extra help if he needs it, but help is no doubt available, even if he has to aggressively seek it.</p>

<p>My son attended an academically rigorous school that was a reach for him. His first year was rough but as he moved deeper into his major he adjusted and graduated with a respectable GPA. He didn’t go into medicine, but did well in graduate school acceptances. He would tell you that choosing to stretch his intellectual and academic comfort level was the right decision.</p>

<p>I feel exactly like Momrath, especially her last line.
when the dust settled, I was worried when son chose an academically tough school. Fortunately, the first 2 terms were P/F. While his background was weaker than many of his classmates, he did manage to stretch and learn, & graduated with honors.</p>

<p>His roommate came in pre-med, but shifted to engineering. </p>

<p>Pragmatic advice for GPA protection at selective, competitive schools: don’t take academic risks. Only take classes in things he knows he’s good at. Repeat intro-level science courses for which one might have received AP credit. Don’t place up if he can avoid it. Tick off the pre-req boxes in the easiest way possible, not the hardest.</p>

<p>Whether this defensive approach yields a better education is highly debatable, but it does increase the chances of a high overall GPA for med school, especially if you are in competition for high grades with very talented peers. While one can always find examples of brilliant polymaths who earned As effortlessly in all kinds of disciplines, the reality for most is that getting into med school requires some, shall we say, strategizing. It may not even work, in which case there can be no regrets for roads not taken, disciplines not explored. Many students decide that they’d rather risk than strategize. </p>

<p>I am with those that think he has the potential to do very well. Not sure why you, OP, suggest he is not talented, but maybe you are comparing him to what you hear about other kids, or your other children. But clearly he had the scores and grades to be admitted to a 2 reach schools. Good luck to him.</p>

<p>Agree that while we parents worry, think on the bright side- and CONGRATS on the acceptances. They obviously see potential in him,.
And shame on Duke- that’s outrageous.</p>

<p>I agree with others…for pre-med, retake Biology and Chemistry even if you have gotten a good AP score. It will strengthen your foundation and increase chance of a good grade.
Don’t take too many courses a semester.
Don’t take too many hard (lab) courses a semester.
Take advantage of professor office hours and tutoring/writing lab services early. </p>

<p>His hard working personality will help him keep up with work.</p>

<p>

In another thread you mentioned your son having an A- average while taking a large number of APs and 2 community college courses (A’s in both). This sounds like good grades while taking a very rigorous course schedule, so I’m not sure why you are worried about struggling in college.</p>

<p>In another thread you mentioned Brown as a reach. If that’s the reach college, it has a good history with pre-med admissions for well below average GPAs, which may relate to their grade inflation. In 2007, the mean GPA at Brown was 3.61. If grade inflation continued at it’s current pace since then, the mean GPA would be ~3.7 today. The acceptance rate to med school for Brown students among MD Applicants members by GPA is below. Note that there is little difference in med school acceptance rate for GPAs above and below the mean Brown GPA of 3.6/3.7 . The mean GPA of students accepted to med school was nearly identical to the mean GPA of the overall class in this sample. </p>

<p>3.75 - 4.0 – 77%
3.5 - 3.75 – 80%
3.25 - 3.5 – 70%
Below 3.25 – No applicants</p>

<p>Brown says their overall med school admission rate is 82%, which is a bit higher the numbers above. I’m not certain whether they restrict less qualified students from applying, in an effort to boost their stats. The lack of less than 3.25 GPA applicants may relate to such policies, or it also could relate to there simply not being many sub 3.25 GPA students, with a ~3.7 GPA average across all students.</p>