Help with Safety School(s)

Parents Forum
1

My daughter is a senior and we have visited quite a few colleges so far and a few more planned in the next month. She is interested in something along the lines of Bio Major with plans for Med School.

Stats:
1400 SAT, took Subject tests and not happy with them and hopes to not submit if not required, taking SAT again with Essay in October so could possibly change.

4.7 Weighted GPA, unsure on 4.0 scale but only 1 A- of all her classes to date for AP Stats.

In total will have taken 7 APs, 3 right now. Got 5 on AP Stats and a few 4s, not sure on what classes.

Received University of Rochester Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award & Harvard Book Award
Class is not ranked but pretty sure she is 1st or 2nd and fairly competitive public school in Massachusetts.

Extra Curricular:
President of National Honor Society & Best Buddies
Member of a bunch of other clubs and in drama and a capella
hundreds of hours of community service ranging from food banks, community gardens, church service projects ect. Think documents is around 200+ hrs but doesn’t get forms for half of it I would suspect.
Works school year babysitting and summer worked at thrift store and house painting
Did internship at local college last summer with hands on lab work for research project

Right now the schools still in consideration I would range in the possible to reach category and only 1 as safety but not sure she really would be happy with that school so doesn’t make a great safety school in that aspect.

Safety: ACHPS

Possible: University of Rochester, Bates, Colby, Brandeis

Reach: University of Rochester REMS, Amherst, Brown, Dartmouth

Of the reach schools she probably will only apply to the REMS program and one other after her visit to Dartmouth. If she doesn’t make the cut for REMS she can be considered for regular decision and should have a good chance but afraid it might affect potential aid as they stressed during the info session applying as early as possible for regular decision to get as much merit based aid as possible.

So think we are good on her middle range ones, can narrow down the reach ones, but need some help on other safety schools with a solid biology and science department with good stats for getting into medical schools. Hoping to not include public colleges as cost will be an issue, our estimated family contribution is around 4-5k at most of these schools and UMass Amherst came in around 20k / year in loans.

2

OP- what is ACHPS?

And regardless of your EFC- what can you actually afford per year in terms of cash outlay?

And where do you live geographically- and are any colleges within commuting distance?

And exactly what are the scores she’s not happy with?

Did you look at Case, Miami (Ohio), Smith, Mt Holyoke?

3

ACHPS - Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Science, small program with limited majors but has good premed track.

Probably can afford helping in the 5-10k range per year at most. We live near Worcester but she is hoping for a complete college experience and not commute unless really necessary. Brown and Brandies are easily commutable if tight on funds for upper years.

Scores she is not happy with are Math 2 subject and Biology subject test, I don’t know what they are but she wasn’t happy with them. Brown, Dartmouth, and Rochester REMS program all recommend but don’t require subject tests. As reach ones think if they are actually as low as she is letting on might be best to no submit them vs submit a low test, but unsure.

Also she wants no religious affiliation and wants coed campus or would have looked at Smith and Mt Holyoke.

4

Are net price calculators at these schools saying that’s what you’d pay if she gets in?

5

Any chance she is willing to retake the SAT? Or has she taken the ACT?

University of Rochester sounds like a good match school.

Honestly…she can major in biology and apply to medical school from just about any college in the country.

You say you can pay $5k to $10k…but what is your actual net cost at these schools? Have you done the net price calculators? Do they give you affordable net costs?

Has she looked at any of the public universities in Massachusetts? UMAss might not be affordable…but some of the others might be.

Also, she could attend University of Maine Orono at a very reduced cost for OOS students. I don’t know if they offer merit on top of that.

6

Sorry for confusion, net price calculator is in the 4-5k range at these schools so all affordable. Could stretch a bit more but UMass is 20k and would require loans to do. With med school as her plan looking to get the first 4 done with little to no loans if possible.

Will look at some of the other state schools to see how those numbers run. U Maine might ne worth running the numbers on but typically the out of network program requires your home state to not offer the program you want. I used this for construction management at UMaine as Massachusetts state schools didn’t have that program at the time.

7

OK, then meet-full-need schools should be on the table. There are 66 according to USNews today - have you gone down that list for somewhat less selective options than Dartmouth, Amherst etc?

https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2017-09-21/colleges-that-claim-to-meet-full-financial-need

8

https://go.umaine.edu/apply/scholarships/flagship-match/

And this…

http://time.com/money/4147557/university-of-maine-in-state-tuition-deal/

Not sure which applies now. These are available regardless of the student’s major…and that major can be offered in your home state. That is not a criteria for this tuition deal.

Bates, Colby, Brandeis, Rochester, Amherst, Brown and Dartmouth…all pledge to meet the full need of all accepted students…so your net costs likely reflect that. BUT she has to get admitted. I think Rochester and Brandeis might be her best admissions shot. In my opinion, the others are reaches. Their acceptance rates are just too low to be a slam dunk for ANY student…and at this point, your daughter’s SAT score needs to bump up, in my opinion, to be a competitive applicant for these schools.

But you just have to apply…and see.

Does your net cost at that Albany school come in at your price point? That school does NOT guarantee to meet full need.

What about UMAss Dartmouth, or Bridgewater! Do they give merit aid to instate students? Their cost of attendance is more modest that UMass.

If you contribute $5000 and she takes the Direct Loan of $5500 AND she works also…she might be able to cover room and board someplace…if she can get a full tuition scholarship.

9

Thanks for the links and advice, if her October SAT improves the reaches are closer and matches more possible. Will look at some more options and consider some state schools. Albany net price calculator was also in range with no loans but since price is a big point she’s not looking to do any early decisions and decide on full packages.

10

Were you guys surprised by her scores or does she have a history of not doing as well as she hopes/expects on tests?

11

I wouldn’t say surprised, super proud of her for what she got but she can prob get higher for what she knows. She works a ton for her grades and is a perfectionist and puts in the time an effort to do well in her classes. However on standardized tests with a time limit being a perfectionist can cost you.

Even with her current score she can make it to considered and has a very unique story that will help her a lot.

With that said mostly looking for a safety school that has the best package possible. The more I read the more acphs sounds like an option she might need to put some more thought too. Probably pick one of the state schools as well once we research it a bit more.

12

<<< Could stretch a bit more but UMass is 20k and would require loans to do. With med school as her plan looking to get the first 4 done with little to no loans if possible.>>>

Wise to not want any loans if med school is the goal. Med school is crazy expensive.

What about some LACs that would be generous with aid?

Does she have a non-custodial parent?

13

@skateguy50 She can receive full tuition and fees in Umass Boston.Umass have good options for premedics.
They will open dorms in 2018.

Good luck

14

@skateguy50 University of Maine will offer MA (and a few other NE states and I believe NY/NJ) students to pay only up to what their own in-state tuition is if it is more and Maine IS tuition if their state tuition is less. Does not matter what their major is. This is a relatively new program started a few years ago as a way to attract more students.

15

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/2019976-2017-list-of-meet-full-need-colleges-there-are-66.html#latest

Look at the link in the first post on this thread. It lists all of the schools that guarantee to meet full need for all.

16

Thanks for the great ideas, I’m a UMaine Alumni and it was a much more narrow program when I used it, was set at 1.5xs instate tuition, matching what it would be in Mass is about that amount but also no longer specific to a few programs. We are visiting Colby next weekend but spending the night so gonna at least walk through the campus on Sunday and show her around while up there. I was non traditional student living in family housing with mostly grad students and professors so don’t know the dorms and such that well but I’m sure its changed a bit since 2000.

17

University of Toledo Bacc2MD program tends to fund its students very well so they will be able to afford to move on into med school. http://www.utoledo.edu/offices/studentservices/preprofessional/Baccalaureate_MD_Program.html
OOS tuition is very reasonable and auto merit aid for OOS is very generous
http://www.utoledo.edu/admission/freshman/tuition/2018-tuition.html
http://www.utoledo.edu/admission/freshman/scholarships/2018/out-of-state.html

18

UMaine deal allows for in-state rate for the flagship so that would be Umass Amerhst in OP’s case right? COA is probably $25k?

19

Run the NPC on Dickinson, Muhlenberg, Denison; Davidson, Rhodes, and Sewanee (if she’s willing to travel to the South); Grinnell, St Olaf, and Macalester (if she’s willing to travel to the Midwest).
A possible “cheap” safety may be Truman State, look it up (starting costs are low and they offer generous scholarships).

20

Ursinus has very good merit and seems to be strong in sciences/premed track.