<p>Bump 
Any more ideas about full ride programs?</p>
<p>I can tell you that the Belk Scholars program at Davidson College is incredibly competitive. While you have great stats, the Belk Scholars I know have very robust applications, not just stats-wise but EC-wise and personality-wise. These are kids that turn down Ivy League schools for Davidson. I think itās definitely prestigious, though there are a limited number of Belk Scholars anyways. Prestige also matters less than you would expect when it comes to med school, though the student body as a whole does very well getting into good med schools. I still suggest you apply/get nominated by your school. </p>
<p>You can look at Belk Scholarship information here: <a href=āMeet The Belk Scholars | Davidsonā>http://www.davidson.edu/admission-and-financial-aid/john-belk-scholarship/belk-scholars</a></p>
<p>Some similarly highly-competitive scholarships at great schools:
Danforth Scholars at Wash U (<a href=āhttp://admissions.wustl.edu/scholarships-financial-aid/Freshman-Academic-Scholarship-Fellowship-Programs/Pages/The-Danforth-Scholars-Program.aspxā>http://admissions.wustl.edu/scholarships-financial-aid/Freshman-Academic-Scholarship-Fellowship-Programs/Pages/The-Danforth-Scholars-Program.aspx</a>)</p>
<p>Robertson Scholars at Duke/UNC-Chapel Hill (<a href=āhttp://ousf.duke.edu/robertson-scholars-programā>http://ousf.duke.edu/robertson-scholars-program</a>)</p>
<p>Johnson Scholars at Washington and Lee (<a href=āThe Johnson Scholarship | Washington and Leeā>The Johnson Scholarship | Washington and Lee)</p>
<p>Just remember, many of the students that receive these scholarships also receive acceptances from Ivy League colleges because for those top students, the allure of a full ride at a great school is pretty hard to resist. </p>
<p>If youāre willing to look at the University of Miami, they give fairly good merit scholarships but (imo), itās a step down from the schools above: <a href=āUndergraduate Admission | University of Miamiā>Undergraduate Admission | University of Miami;
<p>Thank you so much @IAmNotBenjiā ! What part of my application should I consider improving to be competitive for these scholarships? Iāve already done the SAT thrice and finally attained a 2290 on the third try, so I canāt take it again :P</p>
<p>I think the most important aspects are probably the more subjective areas, especially essays, interviews, and your ECs. You look like you have really good ECs, so I think if you develop essays that showcase your strength of character, you could be in the running for a few of these scholarships. You donāt need to worry about the SATs as much; one of my friends whose a Belk has a score within the 2100s. Itās more about being a person that can bring their own individuality and enrich the college campus with what they do. </p>
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<p>i dont know what you mean by no name school. If you mean a small questionable private (or some lowly directional state) that no one has heard of, I will say that that can be an issue for any med school. I really wasnt talking about those.</p>
<p>The OP seems focused on top schools with highly competitive large merit, and it sounds like he thinks that if he grabs merit from a mid tier that his chances for an ivy med would be dashed.</p>
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<p>always wanted to go to an Ivy for med school, but Iām also open to in-state schools too.
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<p>good. be open to any med school. med school is med school. You dont learn your specialty then. that is what residencies are forā¦which you would be doing somewhere elseā¦depends on where you are matched.</p>
<p>You offer sound, practical advice @mom2collegekidsā. Any medical school is really a blessing in these competitive times. And thank you @IAmNotBenjiā, Iāll try to showcase those achievements in my essays.</p>
<p>^^^^</p>
<p>Seriously. Attending any US MD med school is a blessing. Yesterday I had lunch with my son who just completed his first year of med schoolā¦huge test last Fridayā¦I think he slept all weekend and woke up for lunch on Mondayā¦lol.</p>
<p>Anyway, two years ago he went thru the med school app process (seriously, the family feels like it is going thru since it is so stressfulā¦I broke down in tears when he got his first acceptance.) </p>
<p>When you apply, hopefully you will be applying to several SOMs that you will be willing to attend. If you are lucky to get an acceptance (or more), you will be so happy even if it isnāt your top choice. </p>
<p>But seriously, you are probably enthralled with the idea of a Harvard Med (or similar) because of how it sounds, once you are a MD, no one pays attention to any of that. </p>
<p>If you were going for MD/PhD, then there are a number of SOMs to focus on, but that is a different story. </p>
<p>What is your home state?</p>
<p>Thanks @mom2collegekidsā. Iām from Texas.</p>
<p>Also, which medical school does your son attend?</p>
<p>Hey, what about the rankings of bs/md programs such as HPME and PLME too? XD</p>
<p>Davidson is a great school but in your original post you said you disliked small schools and itās pretty small: only about 1750 students. </p>
<p>Hmm, where would rank Davidson on the list @julesegrā ? </p>
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<p>Might be a good thing, since Texas public medical schools (and private Baylor) are relatively inexpensive for Texas residents (tuition and fees < $21,000, a bargain compared to typical tuition and fees > $50,000).
<a href=āhttps://services.aamc.org/tsfreports/select.cfm?year_of_study=2014ā>https://services.aamc.org/tsfreports/select.cfm?year_of_study=2014</a></p>
<p>This web page has some information about Texas residency:
<a href=āhttps://www.tmdsas.com/medical/residency.htmlā>https://www.tmdsas.com/medical/residency.html</a></p>
<p>Thank you everybody, especially @ucbalumnusā!</p>
<p>Wait, why do Texan med schools cost so little compared to the others?</p>
<p>If you are a TX resident you would be in-state with lower rates.</p>
<p>Sorry Iām so late, just saw this. Iām pretty sure Texas has lower in state rates than other states though.</p>
<p>FWIW, UT (Austin) has the Forty Acres Scholars program.</p>
<p>Ha! Thatās SUPER hard to get.</p>