Good Pre-med colleges for me?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hi guys, I'm currently a senior in high school, and would like to apply to college as a chemistry major, satisfying the premed requirements along the way. I already have a decent list of colleges i'm applying to, but I just wanted to see what other universities you might suggest to me (I'm a Ct resident if that makes any difference)</p>

<p>Academic Stats:
- 3.5 (I know it's not that good, I had 2 C's freshman year <em>facepalm</em>
- 5 AP classes: Chemistry and US HIstory (Junior), Macroeconomics, Physics, and Calc BC (Senior)
-Taken honors versions of a courses whenever available</p>

<p>Standardized Testing:
- 31 ACT (but just took the Sept test and hoping for a 34)
- 700 on Math II and Chemistry (Retaking next month)</p>

<p>EC's:
-100+ Hours Volunteering at Yale New Haven Hospital
-40+ Hours of Shadowing
-Practicing Martial Arts for 13 Years (Started Instructing Youth Students last year)
-5 Years In Pathfinders (Church Group), Captain in 9th grade and Currently a Counselor
-30+ Hours of Volunteering through church (Singing at a local nursing home and Providing food to the homeless)
-4 Years Marching Band (Squad Leader Senior Year)
-4 Years Concert/Symphonic Band
-Wrestling Team for 3 Years (2 JV and 1 Varsity), also placed in Conference Tournament if it makes a difference
-TSA (Technology Students of America) Club for 3 Years
-Stock Market Club for 3 Years
-Computer Club for 2 Years</p>

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<p>Not one word about what you want in college? Large or small? Rural or urban? Where students live on/near campus, or a commuter school? Advising system? Big-time sports program? Good study-abroad program? Type of students that tend to enroll (politically active, laid-back, preppy, outdoorsy, etc)? </p>

<p>IMHO finding a college that is a good fit for you (and affordable) will have more impact on your college and post-college success than someone’s idea of a “good program”. As the excellent Amherst premed guide says

And to beat him to the punch, soon a regular poster will pop up to recommend Holy Cross. Beware of schools that have surprisingly high yields, they get them by aggressively screening their med school applicants to see who gets a good rec letter. Any school can do this and then boast rates in the high 80s or better. </p>

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<p>Thank you so much for response @mikemac . Well in response to your questions, I’d say that I really would like to attend more of a large, suburban/urban school that would provide a lot of opportunities for me to participate in volunteer work/shadowing/internships, especially within hospitals. In addition to this, I’d also like to probably participate in some sort of club sport as well. Right now my favorite colleges are UCONN, UNC, Northeastern, and Johns Hopkins as a reach school. I was just wondering if you could possibly suggest any match schools that have some of the same characteristics as those.</p>

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<p>Also, what do you think are my chances of getting into their combined program in medicine? I know it’s beyond extremely selective, but I’m just looking for realistic opinions haha</p>

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<p>When I read your posts, I thought of Rhodes. </p>

<p>It is a lovely campus, but in Memphis. You should get in. And they are great for Pre-Med, and has connections to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, including summer internship opportunities for college credit.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>I wish I could edit.</p>

<p>Delete the “but”, and use “and” instead. </p>

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<p>Thanks for the recommendation! @ColdinMinny‌ I’ll be sure to check it out :)</p>

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<p>Feel free to comment, guys :slight_smile: I’d aappreciate any input whatsoever haha</p>

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<p>not one word about how you’re going to pay for college? what are your FA needs? have you run the net price calculators? had the talk with your parents yet? are you full pay?</p>

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<p>Well, my parents have saved enough money for me to pay for 4 years of UConn without taking out any loans. I also am not sure how large of an impact this would have on searching for financial aid, but our household income is between $180,000-$200,000 @jkeil911‌ </p>

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<p>And you want it to be a match for your stats. This screams Pittsburgh to me. The hospitals are essentially right on campus, it’s large, and it’s well-known for pre-med. Run their NPC to see how costs would work as you’re a little bit under their general merit aid scores.</p>

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<p>Yep, Pitt sounds good too. You might be able to get in their Honors Program, too. Another sound option.</p>

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<p>Thanks so much for the advice guys. After looking at their website, I’m pretty sure i’m going to apply. Their biomedical buildings are beautiful! lol. On another note though, what do you think are my chances of getting into UCONN’s honor program or their dual med program? If you have any idea that is. I don’t know if this is a good selling point in my app, but I do have over 40 hours of shadowing medical professionals at a hospital and I am also going to shadow a surgeon after I turn 18 and watch him perform a transplant surgery. I know my academic stats are far from competitive, but do you think i have a shot? @creekland and @coldinminny</p>

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<p>the problem with Pitt is the COA. It’s going to be about 14K/yr more than Storrs. I like the school and I think it’s a place to look into, but the residual is hard to swallow, esp. when you’re trying to avoid debt in order to go to med school. My problem with UConn is its remoteness; can you live with Storrs?</p>

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<p>UNC is definitely a reach for you, also. Their acceptance rates for out-of-state students is very low, because they have a statutory mandate to admit at least 82% of their freshman class from within NC. My son had comparable stats to yours, and applied there as his first choice knowing it was a reach. He did not get in. I agree with the suggestion of Pitt. I would add Tulane, Syracuse, U of Miami, NYU, BU, Northeastern, and maybe Emory. </p>

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<p>I don’t mean to diminish your parents’ sacrifices, OP, but how are you planning to pay for anything but Storrs when they’re salaries suggest you won’t get any need-based aid and your grades suggest you won’t get any merit-based aid? You’d do well to find out if they plan to contribute even more resources to your college education before looking beyond UConn.</p>

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<p>You are not going to get any need-based aid. Not with parents’ salaries and not with their savings.</p>

<p>Sounds like they have saved about $25k-30k per year? Is that right. </p>

<p>You need to ask your parents if they are going to rely on the college savings to pay for most/all of college…or if they plan on contributing another $25k+ per year.</p>

<p>If not, then you’ll end up with 3 types of schools…UConn, which is fine…or other schools that will give you enough merit to get costs down to about $25k per year, or schools that don’t cost much more than $25k per year.</p>

<p>3.5 GPA
31 ACT …hoping for a 34, but hey, doesn’t everyone? ;)</p>

<p><<<
Right now my favorite colleges are UCONN, UNC, Northeastern, and Johns Hopkins as a reach school.
<<<</p>

<p>???</p>

<p>JHU is not a good choice for you. You wouldn’t be a strong student and there is a good chance you would get weeded out of premed.</p>

<p>UNC…won’t likely accept you. Will likely be unaffordable unless your parents kick in more money. Won’t get any aid or merit there. IF you are choosing it because of their med school, that isn’t a good reason. UNC-CH SOM accepts FEW OOS students…the ones that are accepted are likely MD/PhD or MD/XX students. </p>

<p>I think you need a new list unless you’re super-fine with going to UConn.</p>

<p>You will not likely get accepted to any BS/MD programs. Your ACT 31 and 3.5 will keep you out. These programs accept students with stats that are so high that it can be argued that the student would make it thru premed, have a strong MCAT, and get accepted anyway. The exceptions are students admitted for “hook” reasons…such as they are from an underprivileged area and they have committed that after they finish their specialties, they will return to their rural or underprivileged areas and practice. </p>

<p>You need to add more schools…however…keep this in mind:</p>

<p>1) The school should be affordable with little or no debt on your part (med school will likely require large loans)</p>

<p>2) YOUR STATS should be within the upper 25% of the school…so you will be a stronger student in the premed classes and will be less likely to get weeded (assuming that you are trying your best). Schools weed…they limit the number of As in the premed prereqs. You want to be one of the ones who gets the A’s.</p>

<p>3) Maybe if you don’t spend all of your college fund, then you can use some towards med school?</p>

<p>4) look for schools that have good advising office and do Committee Letters.</p>

<p>5) look for schools that will give merit for your stats (some schools with competitive aid, but also some with ASSURED large merit for stats.)</p>

<p>Mother of a Med Student.</p>

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<p>I seriously doubt you’ll make it into a dual med program, but you can always try. Just don’t count on it. Those who apply will have as much experience (or more) as you do and higher stats. Nonetheless, you won’t know if you don’t try. There could be something about your app or experience that would stand out - or you could just get lucky. Just realize your odds are slim with your grades and scores as they are.</p>

<p>When looking at (and considering) schools, note whether their hospitals are on campus (or within walking distance) or not. It won’t make a bit of difference as to whether you can get into med school, but it sure makes volunteering and shadowing while in college much easier if you want to do any of this in the school year. My guy also worked in the research area of the hospital of his school (U Rochester) last year. He couldn’t have easily done this if the hospital had been a mile - or more - away.</p>

<p>I fully agree with wanting to be in the top 25% of entering stats if you can. I work in a public high school. Kids who want to go pre-med are most successful when they are in the top 25% of stats of their school of choice. Weeding can be tough! You aren’t guaranteed you’ll make it if you enter in the top 25%, but you’ll have a good foundation compared to your peers. Then you have to do the work.</p>

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<p>Exactly.</p>

<p>One thing that becomes very apparent when reading the premed forums is that VERY OFTEN good students who luckily got into their reach schools where their stats were in the middle quartiles find that their college grades end up not being “med school worthy”. </p>

<p>When I see these GPA-damaged premeds posting, still wondering if there is any hope for med school, I also wonder how they are going to get great LORs when their profs know that they weren’t their top students? When a prof has 50 med school applicants asking for LORs, who do you think are going to get the outstanding LORs? Who do you think are going to get the “he’s okay” LORs?</p>

<p>Med schools do NOT care where you went to college as long as it isn’t some completely unheard of podunk school. You don’t get a nudge for going to UNC or JHU. Med schools aren’t going to say, “well, a 3.4 from JHU is better than a 3.8 from UConn.” NO, med schools won’t do that. So, if you are happy with UConn, then no need to go elsewhere. </p>

<p>However, if you want to “get out of Dodge” then choose an OOS school where you can SHINE and get a top GPA (again, assuming that you will do the work!).</p>

<p>Premed prereqs are not easy at any good school. They all use those classes to weed out all the premeds and STEM students who aren’t strong enough to continue. The goal is to get those kids to change their majors/career paths ASAP before they have wasted too much of their college time. </p>

<p>My own son went to a mid-tier flagship. He had a 2280 SAT and was Sal at his private high school. He still had to work hard to get A’s in his classes, especially both Ochem classes and his engineering classes (he was a ChemEng’g major). </p>

<p>And, it is wrong to think that a school like JHU or UNC will do a better job preparing you for the MCAT. Schools do not prepare students for the MCAT. There is nothing on the MCAT that a regular school doesn’t teach. The MCAT deals with lower division courses of chem, ochem, bio, physics, math, etc. The difficulties faced with the MCAT have to do with a person’s ability to process info and come up with an answer. Those with better critical thinking skills and logic will do better (which is why every premed should also take Philosophy Deductive Logic). </p>

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<p>To add to my previous post, I always ask kids that say they want to be doctors, why an M.D? Not that I know it is wrong for you, it may be the right fit, but have you actually looked into the medical field and considered the alternatives? From the day you start college it will be 11-15 years before you are a practicing doctor, depending on what field you go into. In other words, think back to 1st grade; all those years since then matches the <em>minimum</em> it will take to become a practicing doc!</p>

<p>Its almost a reflex action among HS kids, they think of a career in medicine and its “I’m pre-med!” Doctors are far from the only ones in the health field that help people. Physical therapists, radiology techs, nurses, speech pathologists, to name but just a few. Before you go heavily into debt and commit so many years I suggest you explore the alternatives.</p>