The son of a friend here in India has applied to undergrad in the US with the final goal of medical school. (He has gone through a horrible experience with med school admissions here in India…what a nightmare!)
He has been accepted to Case Western, University of South Florida, and Ohio (not sure whether Ohio State or U of Ohio.)
The family is trying to decide between Case Western and USF.
Cost to family for tuition as Case Western would be $40,000 per year. At USF $20,000.
As USF he has been admitted to an Honors College 7 year Medical School program.
My gut says go to the cheaper program with the Honors College and 7 year program.
In 2015-16, USF supplied 366, as compared to the OSU which supplied 461, and I can’t find Case (likely due to it’s much smaller enrollment) or U of Ohio on the list.
The take away is that USF would be a fine, low cost option for pre-med. Other than that, you may want to check out the USF forum, for more insight into the school.
In the US, medical schools are relatively “flat” in terms of prestige. They teach a standardized curriculum and the medical community does not salivate over people who went to Harvard or JHU med and spit at people who went to “lesser” med schools - it just doesn’t matter all that much in that world. If his goal is to be a practicing physician, it doesn’t matter at all. He won’t get a penny more for having gone to Harvard Med and his everyday life of treating patients will look the same.
All this is a long winded way of saying - if he is sure he wants to be a doctor and if $ is a concern, a 7 year med is a fantastic option. It will reduce a lot of stress since he won’t have to worry about getting into med school.
If this student is sure he wants to be a doctor…that 7 year…direct admit medical school is what he should do. It is VERY difficult for international students to gain acceptance to U.S. medical schools…and it sounds like this would guarantee his medical school acceptance. Right?
Another vote for the 7 year program. Just be sure to understand upfront what/if any requirements need to be met in order to stay in the program (eg. minimum GPA etc.).
@Pizzagirl Since admissions to USF’s medical school isn’t automatic in the 7 year program (you have to meet all of the targets, including an interview), I decided to answer the question in a more general fashion. I would think any med school applicant should apply to multiple schools, even in the 7 year program.
With that being said, it is a great path to med school.
Oh my gosh do USF!!! If the goal is med school, you are farther along the path of getting into med school at a 7 year program. You have to keep up GPA and what not…but you have to do that anyway for med school!
