Facing a dilemma... IV or public

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello!</p>

<p>I am a senior at a high school in Minnesota (graduating class of 2010). I have been working on my college applications throughout this summer, and am having difficulty trying to decide on which colleges I should apply to... I assume that these kind of question is asked quite often, and I understand that there are no such schools that are 'perfect for pre-med majors'... but please read!
I am very, very interested in becoming a psychiatrist. Helping people has always been one of my most 'feeling accomplished' activity, and I also find psychology fascinating. I had discovered the world of psychiatry recently, and realized that the occupation is very fitting for my personality and is a perfect chance for me to pursue my hope to serve for the betterment of others.</p>

<p>As a senior at my high school, I will be part of the Post Second Education Option program at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. This is a program dedicated for high school juniors and seniors who are interested (and are qualified) to take the college level courses at the university to challenge themselves with more opportunities. I have decided to take couple pre-med requirement courses to start off with my dream of becoming a psychiatrist.</p>

<p>When it came down to choosing colleges to apply to, I found myself facing a dilemma...
there are two choices for me to choose from when thinking of where to go. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>Since I will have two years worth of the required credits for pre-med at the U of M (university credits as a PSEO student combined with the credits from AP tests), I will be allowed to graduate from the University of Minnesota a year or possibly two years early... then, I will apply to a medical school (I am thinking of Johns Hopkins, Washington University in St. Louis, etc.)
The bright side of this option is that:
a. I will graduate a year or two early to save money
b. If I do NOT decide to graduate early, I can take an advantage of my opportunity to do study abroad/take more advanced courses/possibly triple major (since I will be done with most of the basic requirements by the end of my sophomore year at the university)
c. I would probably be accepted into the Honors Program
The down side of this option is that:
a. I will not be attending a so-called 'higher level elite university' such as Duke, University of Chicago, Northwestern, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>I will apply to every other colleges, enroll in a higher ranked university than U of M, graduate in four years, and apply for medical schools.
The bright side of this option is that:
a. Since it is a more 'recognized,' 'highly ranked' university, it may possibly increase my chance of getting in to a medical school
The down side of this option is that:
a. I will be paying very high tuitions for four years.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Those two are my options so far as far as my future plan goes... but I have heard these informations to take in consideration:
1. Which undergraduate school you went to does matter when applying to top tier medical schools... but this is not always the case as many students graduating from decent public schools also do get accepted into those elite schools; what made them stand out, we don't know.
2. Going to graduate the undergrad school a year early has no impact on the application what so ever. While it does show some initiative, it also means you are coming into medical school 1 year less mature compared to most college grads. So I would consider study abroad in this case.</p>

<p>Those are the two options I have as far as my future plan goes... but I have heard these informations to take in consideration:
1. Which undergraduate school you went to does matter when applying to top tier medical schools... but this is not always the case as many students graduating from decent public schools also do get accepted into those elite schools; what made them stand out, we don't know.
2. Going to graduate the undergrad school a year early has no impact on the application what so ever. While it does show some initiative, it also means you are coming into medical school 1 year less mature compared to most college grads. So I would consider study abroad in this case.</p>

<p>I know that a high GPA and a high score on MCAT are the two most important part of your application when applying for a medical school... and this is another reason why I am so attracted to this 'going to the U of M' idea because going there will allow me to keep at least 3.8+ GPA and very good class rank with Honors. (and I hopefully do very well on the MCAT)</p>

<p>So the question I want to ask would be the following:
1. Is it a better idea for me to go to the University of Minnesota, or other schools
2. Does the U of M have good pre-med program? </p>

<p>PLEASE let me know what you think.... THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!</p>

<p>:)
Thank you for your advice in advance.... and have a nice day!</p>

2

<p>You can get a perfectly fine education at U of M, so don’t worry about this. It is a well-respected institution with a good pre-med program. For specifics about their placement rates, ask the pre-med advisors. They keep records of where their students go for Med school.</p>

<p>In the decision-making process, one very important factor is COST. Since you are planning on medical school, followed by several years of specialist training, you probably want to hold down the expense of your undergraduate education. There are lots of working physicians out there who are still up to their eyeballs in educational debt when their kids are applying to college. I don’t think you want to find yourself in that situation! Sit your parents down with some of the financial aid calculators, and find out what your Expected Family Contribution will be based on the FAFSA and CSS methodologies. Talk with your parents about just exactly how much money is available for your education, and where it will be coming from. Talk about how much debt they are willing for you to take on for your undergraduate degree, and about how much money they expect you to be able to make in the summers or during the school years. [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org/]FinAid”>http://www.finaid.org/)
[College</a> Calculators - savings calculators - college costs, loans](<a href=“http://www.collegeboard.com/student/pay/add-it-up/401.html]College”>How Much Will College Cost – BigFuture | College Board)
[Project</a> on Student Debt: Home](<a href=“http://projectonstudentdebt.org/]Project”>http://projectonstudentdebt.org/)</p>

<p>You also may want to take a look at the Med School admissions forums. Click on Discussion Home in the upper-left of this screen and then scroll down.</p>

<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>

3

<p>A lot just depends on what’s affordable for your family. If you can afford the best schools with no family suffering I’d consider them. Or if you qualify for a lot of need based aid, especially at no loan schools, they can end up being cheaper than your state school.</p>

4

<p>If you can afford the application fees (and if you can’t, you can get a waiver), apply to U of M and other ‘highly ranked’ schools. Once you actually get your decisions, you can make the decision.</p>

<p>Now for my opinion:</p>

<p>I think you should go for U of M. Going to a highly ranked university for premed doesn’t make it easier - you have other obstacles ahead of you. ‘Elite’ universities usually try to limit the number of premed applicants in their school. Couple that with a lot of other qualified and competitive students and you’re in for some fierce, fierce competition. </p>

<p>With U of M, you’ll be done with many of your premed courses, which means you’ll have more time to focus on the MCAT. Also, as you said, you can use that time to take more complicated courses. Since premed is so competitive, that will distinguish you somewhat. You also have lots of time for research - you can also research abroad. And while you’re doing all of this, you’re also saving money.</p>

<p>Of course, you know whats best for you, but thats just my 2 cents.</p>

5

<p>"Elite’ universities usually try to limit the number of premed applicants in their school. Couple that with a lot of other qualified and competitive students and you’re in for some fierce, fierce competition. "</p>

<p>Being from the Midwest actually would be a help in applying to places like Ivies. You have nothing to lose by applying if such schools interest you.</p>

6

<p>IF you are fortunate enough to go to HYPS, you go, especially since the “I can’t afford it” excuse will no longer work with them.</p>

<p>You have to be just short of God, a wonderful liar/cheater/backstabber, or just straight-up lucky to go there, though.</p>

<p>So please, if you like UM-TC, go there. It’s a wonderful school with limitless opportunities and a wonderful reputation. Otherwise, get yo’self some safeties, pick a broad (keep a limit on it, though) selection of highly selective schools that actually align with your interests, and go from there. Work to their quirks and standards, show interest, and be yourself. </p>

<p>I guarantee you that if you take these steps first, you won’t regret it.</p>

7

<p>Oh, I meant once someone actually gets accepted and is a student at that college. For example, if I’m a premed student at Columbia, the university might try to discourage me from applying to med schools if I’m not deemed a competitive enough applicant so that other applicants deemed more competitive have more of a shot.</p>

8

<p>If you’re not competitive, you just won’t get into that particular med school. It is always in the best interests of the schools for you to get into the grad schools of your choice so I’m sure HYP or Columbia wouldn’t try to hinder you in that regard and probably has resources to help you actually.</p>

9

<p>Thank you, everyone for the fast replies!
I will take all of your comments in consideration :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Again, thanks.</p>

10

<p>At most large state schools they “weed”, meaning that a significant percentage of pre meds will flunk out of one or more of the needed courses before it’s time to apply to med school. Most private college do not weed.</p>

11

<p>University of Minnesota is considered one of the largest state universities, no?</p>