How "good" is your university? (HS student, help!)

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>Hey! I'm a high school senior trying to put together a college list. I'm also an international student, which means I know only a handful of good colleges I could apply to. *Where are you college students studying? What do you think about the premed opportunities there? E.g. science courses, professors, research opportunities, scholarships, etc. *</p>

<p>Here are some extra info:</p>

<p>Intended major: Biochemistry or Neuroscience (what's yours? I'd love to know)
SAT score: 1920
Preference: Midwest/west coast. Suburban/rural. Liberal-ish. </p>

<p>Any input's appreciated. Feel free to comment on any aspects of this post (including my gramma/spelling).</p>

2

<p>The University of Minnesota Morris is an excellent university if you are self-motivated. The university is pretty liberal and is in a very conservative, small town.</p>

<p>It doesn’t have out of state tuition, has some decent automatic scholarships based on high school academics, has a tuition waiver if you can prove that you have Native American heritage, and the science program is awesome. I was a biochemistry major. With that plus my pre-pharmacy requirements I was about three classes away from double majoring in chem and bio, but I still made it out in four years no problem (and got accepted to every pharmacy school I applied to). They don’t have neuroscience as a degree. Since it’s a small school, there’s little room for specialization within your major :-/ </p>

<p>However, its opportunities for internships and medical-related jobs are next to nothing (tiny, tiny, super tiny town). There’s a local PA who absolutely LOVES having students shadow with him though and he’ll let you do anything that you can legally do and the hospital lets students shadow as well. </p>

<p>It’s a small university in a small town, but there’s tons to do. UMM constantly has activities going on on campus, the students organize university-wide and city-wide games, concerts galore, over 100 clubs (including a pre-professional club), and I could go on and on.</p>

<p>If you have questions or want more details regarding UMM, feel free to PM me. I loved it and will miss it dearly, but I will also tell you things I did not like about it or that I think it lacks in (<em>cough</em>noshopping<em>cough</em>)</p>

3

<p>Personally, I feel like Washington University in St. Louis is definitely a school you should consider. It has a great premed program, and offers plenty of research opportunities. I’m hoping to major in biology myself.</p>

4

<p>@ranza003: Hahaa, thanks! I’ll definitely do some research on UMM.</p>

<p>@Ryan: Yup, I’m looking into applying to Wash U! Though might be a bit of a reach…</p>

5

<p>You do realize that it is extremely difficult for an int’l to get accepted to a US med school. Were you planning to go to med school here?</p>

<p>What is your budget for undergrad?</p>

6

<p>@mom2collegekids: Yes, I realized. I’ve been discouraged from doing the traditional medical route in the US again and again. And now I’m worried I won’t make it to med school.</p>

<p>Around $50,000-ish, I guess.</p>

7

<p>1920 SAT is not going to be competitive for Wash U, sorry to say.</p>

8

<p>Around $50,000-ish, I guess.</p>

<p>Are you saying that your family will pay $50k per year? or are you saying $50k total for all 4 years?</p>

<p>And when you say, “I guess”…does that mean that you haven’t asked your parents? If so, then ask them so that you know what you’re dealing with.</p>

9

<p>As an international, your opportunities for scholarship are low with a 1920. You will need a much higher score to be competitive for most merit money because such scholarships are extremely competitive. There are less than a handful of US colleges that are both need-blind in admissions and that meet full financial need. Such colleges are the most competitive in the US and unlikely with your numbers.</p>

10

<p>@mom2collegekids: They seem ambivalent about how much they want to spend for my undergraduate studies. I’ll get a straight answer from them today. </p>

<p>@bluebayou: I realized. My chances are extremely unlikely. Should I even bother going to the US? Medical schools in the US is known to be much better than those in my country. And I don’t want to go to the UK, or Canada, or Australia. Anyway, with my stats, where should I aim (college)? </p>

<p>My dilemma: I go to an Int’l School with classes all in English. So my native language is not strong enough to compete with med students here. My only option is going abroad.</p>

11

<p>Well, until you get a clear answer for how much your parents will pay for BOTH undergrad and med school, it’s hard to make recommendations. (you’ll need family funding for BOTH…since you won’t qualify for med school loans HERE). </p>

<p>Intended major: Biochemistry or Neuroscience (what’s yours? I’d love to know)
SAT score: 1920
Preference: Midwest/west coast. Suburban/rural. Liberal-ish. </p>

<p>I would keep an open mind on major, geography, and political slant if money is going to be an issue. Most campuses are liberal to moderate (even the so-called conservative ones tend to be moderate…except for bible/religious schools). </p>

<p>Your current stats are fine for many mid-tier schools. </p>

<p>Majors like neuroscience, which aren’t found on every campus, will limit your choices…and are NOT necessary for undergrad at all as a pre-med student. Biochem or some other major will serve you well for pre-med. </p>

<p>Once you find out how much your parents will pay, then you’ll need to subtract about $5k of that for “travel, personal expenses, etc”…and then you’ll know how much you can spend for tuition, room, board, fees, books, etc. Int’l students need to show that they are fully funded before a visa is offered.</p>

<p>There are many mid-tier publics that are fine for pre-med and they will cost about $30k+ per year (plus travel, personal expenses, etc.)</p>

<p>What is your Math +CR score?</p>

<p>Are you going to test again?</p>

<p>What is your GPA?</p>

<p>If you end up with a strong M+CR score, some schools may give you a merit scholarship.</p>