<p>Is there a way for me to get information on how good of a reputation some schools have for producing future doctors? I know that Vanderbilt med school has a list of the undergraduate schools that students that were accepted into their med school went to, but the "repeat offenders" on that list seemed to be the ivys and schools of that caliber, plus mainly southern schools (i assume that this was because vanderbilt is in the south.) university of rochester did not make the list. yet, i've heard that the university of rochester has an excellent program for premed students. How would I verify such information? I know that some schools give out percentages of students going off to med schools, but I feel like I can't trust those because they are sometimes inflated. What can I do? Am I approaching this from the wrong angle?
Thanks</p>
<p>Eh... I'd personally advise against ED Rochester unless you are absolutely certain you want to go there (you adore it, you've looked at it and said, "This is the school for me!"). If you feel safer doing this though... I'm not much of a fan for ED, since it's a mixed blessing if you get in, being locked into a school since you might chance your mind somewhere down the line.</p>
<p>I'd say that you are a pretty good match for Rice (as long as you raise your SAT scores) and your description in that big huge paragraph seems to suggest you would like the atmosphere there.</p>
<p>My suggestion would be, do the other schools, but Interim decision Rice and try for its Baylor medical program. It's a combine BS/MD degree, and while it's exceedingly difficult to get into, it doesn't hurt to try. Besides, Rice is well-known for its medical program.</p>
<p>Rice, Vandy, UVA, and Middlebury are reaches.</p>
<p>Rochester is one of those rare schools where going ED does not give you much of a tip. I would opt for RD. There is another possibility with Brandeis. They have an application called "Blue Ribbon". You can call them in the fall and ask if your son qualifies for that. It is not binding but will give you a decision in early February.</p>
<p>a question for all you guys: I took the SATs the first time and got a 1320 on the first two. I took them again and went up in writing, but down in the first two to get a 1250 (i didn't really study) anyway, so my mom got me a tutor, and she wants me to take them one last time in october. i'm wondering if you guys think it's a bad idea to take the SATs 3 times, as in would it look excessive to colleges?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Plainly enough said without getting into the nuance of it all--no.</p>
<p>Retaking it many times doesn't hurt you... unless it squeezes out other parts of you as an applicant, which is the only qualifier to that. Other than that, colleges don't mind how many times you take it, since in some ways, it shows persistance.</p>
<p>ok, great. thanks for the reassurance. I'm looking forward to higher scores:)</p>
<p>Why don't you try the ACT? Some kids do better on that test. A great thing about the ACT is that if you do not list your HS code or send your score to a college, no one sees the score until YOU release it to the particular school. So you can take the test a few times (if you can bear it) and no one has to see the score. My d liked the ACT much better and scored about 130 points higher. For MOST kids, there isn't much of a difference- but for some kids the score difference is considerable.</p>
<p>If you have time to study and prepare, take it again. If you didn't prepare the first two times, you have a good chance of a better score.</p>
<p>I'm a Maryland parent. The guidance counselors at my kid's school say that you can't count on UMCP with an SAT of about 1300. Most do get in with SATs in that range, but a few are turned down.</p>
<p>So don't consider UMCP your safety school, even though you probably will get in. You need one less selective school on your list. In my experience, Maryland students often pick the University of Delaware or Virginia Tech for that purpose. It's often easier to get into those schools from out of state than into UMCP from in state.</p>
<p>ok, thanks for the tip</p>
<p>to resurrect this thread a little 'cause i've got more questions:
I started thinking about bates again, because i've seen on a few webistes that they do a really good job preparing their students for the MCATs. That'd be really cool if that was true. Can anyone verify this? Does anyone know anything about premed at Bates? When I visited their website, their bio program looked very small, with only a few professors. I would tend to think then, that the bio program isn't very strong, but this is not the case, as I've heard Bates is strong in the sciences. Can anyone clarify that for me? Also, while I'm not so sure about doing ED at this point, I know that Bates accepts slightly less than half of its entering class through ED, so I think that's a fairly comforting statistic if I were to apply that way? Yet, Bates is ** expensive! ** My sister's going to RISD this august, certainly not one of the cheaper colleges, and I think my parents woud enjoy being able to eat and clothe themselves for the years that they'll be paying college expenses. Therefore, I ask, does anyone know anything about financial aid at Bates? I'm certainly not in any prime grouping for recieving financial aid. I live comfortably on Long Island. Yet, I know some schools are more comfortable to give out money than others. I read that Bates gives no merit scholarships (is this weird?) or athletic scholarships, but I assumed that was because they're D3. </p>
<p>Phew that was an interesting stream of conciousness. Anyone with thoughts is welcomed and appreciated!
Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>Hi Md- can't give you any info re:Bates. What held true 2 years ago when d # 1 was applying was that U of Rochester and Case Western were pretty generous with merit aid if your stats were high enough. 2 years ago, if you had 1350 on SAT's, you could "expect" getting some merit $ from Rochester. But things have probably changed since then, so I hesitate passing along this info as fact. As you said you were interested in CaseWestern and Rochester, I think you should def. apply to those schools. I also suggest you may want to try the ACT test as some kids really do much better on it than the SAT. George Washington, Boston and U of Miami may be schools that have been associated with decent merit aid too. Good luck.</p>
<p>ok, another question since you guys have always been so helpful:
I always thought that my backup plan from doctor would be a college professor in some bio-related field. Now I'm kind of thinking that I might rather it be my "frontup" plan. I'm really enjoying the research I'm doing at Stony Brook this year, and I'm seriously considering that as a real job option for myself. I haven't done any research in the past about the path it takes to become a professor, and I'm not really sure where to look. Can anyone give me some tips?
Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>Just enjoy the journey. Take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. You don't need a PLAN for your life. Things change- kids grow and develop new interests. That's what life is about. Sometimes you just need to be flexible enough to accept the unexpected. Good luck!!</p>
<p>yeah true.</p>
<p>you will get into rochester RD, if you were only applying ED for the edge and would like to look at more competitive schools, you dont have to apply ED.</p>
<p>Research and academic jobs in Bio are really hard to get. If you want that- you should try to get the MD first and then get a PhD or do research as an MD. The MD will get you further in research. Also, there are research careers in pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and veterinary to consider. Keep an open mind and don't shut off any avenues too early.</p>
<p>thanks onemom, I think that's what I'm gong to do</p>
<p>I checked my SAT II scores today, I got a 680 on Math I and a 660 on Bio. Are these very low for the type of schools I'm looking at?</p>