You might have area bias. I’ve found that there are some on CC who think that they school they attend or that their kids attend are better than maybe a consensus would indicate.
My kid is undergrad so not looking at grad programs at this moment. There are lots.
We’ve kicked the tires on reputation for both Emory and UM and you know I don’t see that much difference. UM seems to be strong in every category while Emory seems to have some stronger programs. We haven’t found the weak ones but we haven’t really looked either.
It’s great that you like UM/U of M, Umich etc. but I see them as fairly equal. My kids leaning away from U Mich as its pretty cold. Shouldn’t be a consideration but it is. Also some programs don’t have lots of internationals. And my kid likes being with people from many places.
Hope you land well, whatever you chose.
I have to ask the same questions that others have hinted at:
What is your total budget for a full 8 years of university without taking on any debt at all?
What would each university cost you?
How much debt just for the first four years (through getting a bachelor’s degree) would you need to take on for each university?
For medical school you MUST take the cost into consideration unless you have parents who can afford to pay something like $700,000 over eight years without taking on any debt at all. I do not know very many parents who are in that position.
I have a couple of kids and one of mine wants to go to med school. Even without debt one thing that has to be considered in our family is, what if one kid goes to med school and the other doesn’t. Who pays for med school? The parents? The kid? Is the amount taken out of the estate? How?
Debt is one of those things you don’t think about until you have it, then it’s all you can think about. These schools are not drastically different. If it were my kid, I’d say take the cheapest one.
Yes, this is a big issue. I wonder what Solomon would do if he were around today with two or more children, one of which was studying in an MD or DVM program.
I currently have an “adult child” in a DVM program. This has the same financial issue as medical school, but worse. It is worse of course because veterinarians do not make as much as doctors.
I have been inclined not to spend more to help one child than we could afford to spend to help our other child without seriously impacting our retirement funds. However, I could see that this would be a very tough decision if you could only afford to put one child through medical school.
I guess that we each try our best to figure out what is fair.
And yes, I suppose that my earlier post is missing another question for the parents: Given whatever you intend to do to help with the cost of medical school, can you also afford do to the same for any additional children?
From my daughter who applied to medical school.
Could you please tell which medical schools require 7-8 LOR…since some experienced folks with med school applications have never seen this number required.
It’s all over the place; Harvard, for example, will accept up to 6 letters from each applicant.
It isn’t a “myth”; research experience definitely is a plus in any medical school application.
All 3 schools are excellent. I think you need to choose based on cost and fit, and keep in mind that your interests and priorities can change and you may decide not to apply to med school.
In the meantime, cost should factor in if medical school is a possibility.
Some med schools will allow up to 7-8 LORs. However, per the MSAR, no school requires that number.
And of those required LOR…there are some specific requirements from the medical schools. Some require LOR only from academic teachers. Some for academic teachers in required courses for admission. DO schools require a letter from a practicing physician, usually a DO.
IOW, the schools want quality vs quantity in these letters.
Seriously, all three schools you listed will get your student where they want to go provided they do the hard work of making themselves an attractive applicant.
Pick the school that offer the best combination of fit, affordability and opportunities.
The number accepted and requires are different things.