Good Target Schools with Good Pre-Med Programs

College Search & Selection
1

Hi so I’m currently a senior in high school that needs to figure out where to apply. I’ll give all my info below and please help me choose a variety of target schools for me (or safety) that I can get into based on my info. Thank you I need a lot of help.

Unweighted GPA: around a 95%
Highest SAT: 1390
ACT: unknown yet

IB Diploma Program Candidate
NHS
French NHS
Drama Club (VP)
School Dramas/Musicals
French Club
Social Awareness Club (PR)
Students Against Destructive Decisions Club (PR)
A good amount of community service

Let me know if any other info is important to help me :confused:

(Looking for a school in the NE of the US but flexible to farther schools, wants an urban area or close to a city, a big school, good game days and not boring in general lol, good pre-med program, has majors like biology, neuroscience, and chemistry, and generally a good school but not necessarily too selective)

2

College budget? Home State? Pre-med is an intention, not a major so what do you plan to study?

3

I live in NY and as of now I plan to major in Biology. I believe I am low-income so financial aid is a possible and I’m unsure of a budget yet.

4

I am also interested in psychology and neuroscience.

5

What state are you from? Both UMass Amherst and UVM have very good pre-med programs, and both are probably safeties with your stats. I suppose that UMass misses out on the “close to a city” criteria.

If you are premed then there are several things that come up in the many threads on the same subject: (i) Budget for 8 years and try to avoid debt for undergrad; (ii) You want a school with a good premed program but where you can get a strong GPA and be in the top 1/2 (if not top 1/4) of your class, and premed will be academically demanding at any good school; (iii) The majority of students who start off in premed end up changing their mind before they graduate undergrad, and the a significant number of students that do get to applying to medical school don’t get in anywhere. Therefore, you need a plan B.

6

“I live in NY” and “I am low-income”

Some of the SUNY’s would be very good choices and probably very affordable with your stats. I have to defer to others regarding which ones.

7

Thank you so much. I haven’t looked into those schools yet but I will make sure to. The information about pre-med was also very helpful… but scary LOL.

8

and I live in New York

9

SUNY Binghamton, Geneseo, and Stony Brook would be good choices. If you apply to SUNY Buffalo (UB) you may make honors and receive some merit.

10

To expand on the plan B - Biology is not a good major since there’s not much you can do with it outside med school. As well, ime, biology majors are all trying for med school and working really hard for a high GPA, which makes it harder for any individual biology major to get a high GPA. Choose a major that will give you opportunities outside of med school and that preferably doesn’t have a lot of super-smart people working for high GPAs.

11

Being low income, be sure to apply to your better SUNYs. With TAP grants, Pell grants, and other aid, you’ll be better covered. Your SAT is lowish for other schools that might give you enough aid, since I’m guessing that your family can’t contribute much or anything. What are they saying?

If you really want to become a doctor and it’s not just some romantic fancy, then go to a good SUNY, perhaps one that would give merit as well as the mentioned grants. I think Buffalo gives merit and maybe some others do too. @sybbie719 do you know which SUNYs would give merit for the OPs stats?

Preparing for med school means getting a top GPA and a strong MCAT, as well as participating in medically related ECs, shadowing and research.


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Looking for a school in the NE of the US but flexible to farther schools,

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As a low income student, I wouldn’t target schools that are too far away. Funding rarely includes much or anything that covers distance transportation costs and that’s often a huge hurdle for low income students and families.

12

What constitutes low income?
Does your family income make you EOP/SEEK/ or HEOP eligible

See income guidelines here

https://www.mmm.edu/offices/higher-education-opportunity-program/eligibility-requirements/

You will not be academically eligible for EOP/SEEK, but you will be financially eligible and probably academically eligible for HEOP schools

Run the net price calculators at schools that you are interested in attending

Also run the TAP estimator to see how much NYS aid you are eligible for

https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/financial-aid/types-of-financial-aid/grants/estimate-your-tap-award/tap-award-estimator.html

Are you in NYC, Long Island or Upstate?

If you are in NYC, you definitely need to apply to CUNY so that you could have a financially feasible option.
I would even recommend tossing a application at the Sophie Davis @ Hunter College (it will be a reach because you are right below the midpoints of 1400 and 95 GPA, but it could be part of your 6 school CUNY application along with tossing an application to Macauley honors).

Remember, pre-med is an intention, not a major. pretty much every school has a pre-med advisor and you do not have to major in biology to go into medicine.

You should definitely toss applications at SUNY (if you are fee waiver, EOP eligible, you will get 4 free applications through the SUNY portal)

Your scores are right on the edge for honors colleges at SUNY

https://www.suny.edu/attend/academics/honors-programs/

If you are a young woman, you should definitely toss an application at Barnard, because you are in the range.

Also don’t sleep on the Womens colleges- Smith and Mount Holyoke where you will be a match for admission, they meet 100% demonstrated need, are part of the 4 college consortium. Toss an application at Wellesley and Bryn Mawr.

If you are HEOP eligible, I would recommend checking out and tossing applications for HEOP programs at Columbia, Cornell, NYU, Fordham (they will not pay for dorms if you are in NYC), Hamilton, Colgate, Skidmore and a host of other HEOP schools.

hope this helps

13

I live on Long Island and all I know about my financial situation is that my mother makes less than $65,000 a year.

14

While your mom makes less than $65k, how many people are in your family.

Please click the link i provided for HEOP. Look at the number of people in household and annual income. for $65k there must be 7 people in your household in order for you to be HEOP eligible.

Is your dad also being supported by your mom’s $65k?
for schools that give the most generous need based aid, the college will ask for the income and assets for both of your parents. if your parents are divorced and either has remarried, then your stepparent’s income/assets will be calculated as part of your EFC.

Right now, based on what you have presented, if it is just you and your mom on this $65k, you will not be Pell eligible. You will get some TAP, and can apply for the Excelsior scholarship to get free tuition at SUNY. With your $5500 loan and your mom paying the balance, you can dorm at SUNY. If you take the excelsior scholarship, you must work in NYS. How much did your mom say that she can pay?

Run the net price calculator for all of the private schools mentioned. If you know your dad’s salary, run the net price calculator 2x, once with your mom’s income, and again with your dad’s income.