Need some help

College Search & Selection
1

Good evening everybody! First off, I would like to apologize if this is a redundant post, but I am stressing out. I am a rising senior and am currently trying to figure out what to do and where to go for college. I am a NY state resident and plan on getting an MD later in life (I realize that this could very well change once I am in college) or attend grad school. My stats are a 1340 sat (retaking in fall), a 95 unweighted gpa, and 102 weighted gpa. My parents keep discussing debt of school, which has me conflicted about a state vs private school. I am currently looking at:

Boston College
NYU
Fordham
Binghamton University
Geneseo State College
Williams College (SAT is low for here, trying to bring it up)

However. after I did some research about schools, I think I rather go to a liberal arts college vs a research uni. Is this a mistake?

Generally, I wanted to know from a financial standpoint if these private colleges would be helpful for education/grad school. I feel that there is a negative stigma to Geneseo/Bing, as they are state schools and I am worried about this. If anyone has any suggestions for school(s) or any advice at all, it would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long post, just trying to give as much info as possile. Thanks

2

Your SAT will make admission to NYU or BC unlikely. Fordham is a maybe but no slam dunk. I am not familiar with the others but I think you can get to Med school from all sorts of undergrad majors and schools. MD is very $$$. Do not take on debt for undergrad.

3

two quick things.

  1. would a 1450 sat score improve my chances at BC or NYU?
  2. with my current stats, what schools do you recommend?
4

1.) yes, but still not a slam dunk. And not enough to get merit aid which is hard to come by with any stats at those schools.
2.) One you can afford. Your current stats are unlikely to get you merit aid. LACs are generally pricey. Time to have a detailed and honest conversation with your parents.

5

Premed is going to academically very challenging at any good university. Also, other premed students are going to be very strong at any good university, including your very good in-state public schools.

If you look at the stats, the very top schools do get a higher percentage of their graduates into medical schools. However, this is probably IMHO entirely due to the strength of the high school graduates that attend the very top schools. The student who went to Harvard, finished in the bottom half of their class, and did not get into any medical school at all, was probably the #1 or #2 student in their high school. That is how they got into Harvard in the first place. They might have had just as good or a better chance if they had attended their in-state public flagship.

If you want to go to medical school, then there are two BIG things that I think you should take seriously: (i) do not take on debt for undergrad unless you really cannot avoid it at all; (ii) expect premed classes to be very tough at ANY good university; do not take any class for granted if you are a premed student. Of course a third thing is to get lots of experience in a medical situation (such as volunteering at a hospital).

To me this suggests that your in-state public universities are the first place to look. I understand that this does not imply going to the highest ranked university that you can get into. However, at the highest ranked university that you can get into, you are not likely to be in the top 1/2 of the class. Your strong GPA suggests that you can get into a very strong SUNY and still be in the top 1/2 of the incoming students. With premed classes, you will then have to work very hard to stay near the top of the class.

Of course if you decide not to be premed, then avoiding debt will give you more options in terms of what you do after graduating university.

I do not know the SUNYs and CUNYs well enough to know which ones would be best. We live well east of you (and also well north if you are anywhere near NYC).

I might add, I went to a relatively highly ranked graduate school. There were other students who had done their undergrad at a VERY wide range of other schools. A LOT of students had done undergrad at an in-state public university. What they had in common was that they had done very well as an undergrad student.

6

Geneseo is considered a top LAC . Check out their pre-med advising.
University at Buffalo SUNY, Binghamton, Stony Brook- all have opportunities for your pre-med path.
How would you get your health/medical volunteer and shadow hours?
Compare opportunities at each.

There are other threads about SUNY pre-med. an example
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/suny-general/2016484-best-suny-for-premed.html

7

You said you were considering an MD later on but I am wondering if you have considered a DO (Doctor or Osteopathic Medicine) as an alternative. My D has a friend who is going to St Bonaventure because of their direct admit agreement with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. Your stats are more competitive for there, I think, and the cost is less than the private schools you have listed.

About D’s friend - she was a 4.0 UW, 1450 SAT and decided the experience at St Bonaventure with the direct admit made the process of applying to medical school and taking the MCAT unnecessary. She was accepted into both Binghamton and Geneseo but chose this program over both of those. She knew she would have identical career paths and a quality education even though her route was different. Just a thought…

8

I would take NYU, BC and Williams off the list…admission to these schools is unlikely and if you happen to get into NYU it will be very, very expensive. I do not see any chance of admission to BC and Williams. I can’t speak for Fordham.

Geneseo and Binghamton are not safety schools for you…not at all. If you want an LAC then aim for Geneseo. There is nothing negative about SUNY…or any state school. Go there, get a high gpa (you will have to work very hard) and get involved. I would also check out New Paltz.

9

Thank you everyone for your help!

10

No stigma to Geneseo or Bing. Both are excellent schools.
BC will be expensive. Friend with a 3.8 and 1460, accepted to U Penn, was rejected. If you get in, they won’t give much, if any, money.

11

Rejected from BC? Did he end up going to Upenn?

12

[quote]
Generally, I wanted to know from a financial standpoint if these private colleges would be helpful for education/grad school/quote]

No, especially not for med school, but no. NYU is famously stingy with merit aid, and is regularly one of the top 10 most expensive colleges in the US.

In the adult world there is no ‘stigma’. In HS world, where the fancy time is a proxy for saying that you are smart/successful, there can be. But: 10 minutes after you leave HS not so much. And at your 5 year HS reunion, if you are in med school and/or not paying student loans it will be the opposite of stigma- you will be seen as smart and lucky.

The posters above who have pointed out that the pre-med classes will be challenging are right- you will not waltz through at any of the SUNY’s! And, the posters who point out that you want to be at the top of your class are also right, both for grades and for LoRs. Both are crucial for med (or grad) school.

A lot of students don’t realize just how expensive college is, and how many seriously high achieving students are in state schools b/c that is what they can afford. Your parents are right to be talking about debt: before you have even started out on your adult life, debt can limit your choices for decades.

13

@Hollybear19 yes, rejected from BC. Not going to UPenn because she wasn’t given any money. Going to U Del Honors college.

14

How much can your parents pay?

15

they would be comfortable with 30k/year. i understand that some of the top private colleges are between 60k-80k a year, though.

16

not sure if you are familiar enough with SUNYs, but from my current stats, would I be competitive for Bing or Geneseo? Also, out of these two colleges, which would be better suited for premed?

17

Bing and Geneseo would be match schools for you. I would not count them as safeties. Either one would be excellent for premed…but it won’t be a cake walk. I would apply and add another SUNY such as New Paltz.

18

You might also look into SUNY Stony Brook and SUNY Buffalo as more of a safety type school.

19

How much are your parents willing and able to pay? You need a frank answer to not only that question but also need their 2018 income (AGI) as reported to the IRS, and assets as of now including equity of your home in order to get an idea of what colleges will expect you to pay. Those schools that tend to be most generous will want information like that on CSS PROFILE in addition to the basic FAFSA info that you will need to complete in order to get financial aid. At this point, we don’t know, nor do you, what you can afford. Could you pay $75-80k a year for the likes of BC, NYU, Fordham, Williams if you were accepted and not eligible for any financial aid?

Yes, you Are released from your ED commitment if the financial aid package is not enough. But, you do not want to waste your ED card on a school that is clearly not affordable from the get go. You run those NPCs on the school website and see if the results are within striking range. As a general rule, schools are a little bit more generous for ED financial aid applicants just because there is more money availability early in, and because the schools do want to close the deal with ED acceptances. Still, we are talking just a bit of an edge, not huge amounts. You really do not want to start the application season that way. So figure out what schools are even doable financially.

You do not have a safety school. Neither Geneseo nor Binghamton are true safety schools for you. Geneseo’s accept % is high but so are the quality of the applicants there. I’m surprised each year who doesn’t get into Geneseo. It may be an excellent ED school choice for you. Again, with no idea about your financial situation, i hesitate. There is the NYstate Excelsior award that covers SUNY tuition, but the income cap is $125k. There is also the STEM award for those in the top 10% of theIr high school class that pretty much covers SUNY tuition. You have to stick with a designated STEM major, stay/work in NY for 5 years and stick to a bunch of other rules for that award. It can also be applied to private colleges in NY, I believe but the dollar amount is fixed.

I suggest you look for an affordable school that you know will take you as a safety as you look for that ED school. You don’t need an ED school like you can need a true safety

EA available at Albany, Binghamton, University at Buffalo, Cortland, New Paltz, Old Westbury, Oneonta, Oswego, Purchase (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences only), and SUNY Polytechnic Institute among the SUNYs. Some of these can make excellent safety schools for you, and it’s going to be tough to beat the SUNY price, especially if you get one of those SUNY awards I mentioned above. Perhaps one of these schools are within commutable distance. Also, there are quite a few Catholic schools with generous merit that may meet your criteria.

Thought it’s Far less fun and not a bit sexy to discuss safeties rather than ED reaches, they are more critical. Especially if financial restrictions are there

As far as reach schools go, if the NPCs work out with what your parents will pay— if in the NYC commuting distance, if you give up living at school , there is even mote financial leeway. Maybe NYU, more likely Fordham , is affordable that way Hofstra gives out some decent merit money, I know. Manhattan and Manhattanville, the same. Iona too.

I like LACs, and, yes, they are great for premed support. Frankly, IMO, Williams is a lottery ticket for you. Even with your test scores up to your goal. You have nothing going for you in geographics, gender or hooks, and that’s what it takes to get in there —a combo of all three, sometimes, at that test score level. Williams is highly, highly selective. It gives zero merit money, though generous in financial aid. Money aside, Union, Trinity, F&M, are some reaches that ED might clinch. BC just started ED and so it might be a good choice , but it’s tougher for females, and they get more NY applicants than they do from MA! again, , I’m ignoring the financials in recommending these schools

A reach but possible ,yes, I’ve seen it happen, is Cornell—one of the state schools. Human Ecology. . Do the research. ED boost, NY state resident boost and if you study that school V-E-R-Y carefully and can craft your short question and essay answers to show what a great fit and contributor to that school you would be, can get you an accept or a delayed spring or guaranteed transfer option pending a successful freshman year elsewhere. I’ve worked with kids on that app, and have been surprised at the possibilities. It’s not a LAC. And Cornell’s rigor can hurt med school prospects because you HAVE to get a high GPA to have a chance for med school. Though pricier than the SUNYs, there is a deep tuition discount for NY state residents at the 3 land grant colleges at Cornell. If you get the NY state STEM award as well, the cost for tuition is $30k with total cost around $50k before any financial aid as compared to high $70s for the other Cornell schools and for those not NY state residents at the land grant colleges.

I would pair an affordable (running NPCs) high chance favorite school ED with a whole scad of EA safety (and not so safety) schools if I were you. If you have a favorite. Like BC or Williams (though I think too high reach, but that’s giving you the best chance at it) with match Fordham, Binghamton, Albany, Hofstra(if still EA), Buffalo, and then fill the rest with safety EAs as I listed in SUNYs and also some smaller private schools where your stats are at the top echelon. See what pans out. If you are in ED and affordable, game over. if not, you can go over your early results and strategize what to do for RD, or just pick from what accepted you early.

20

I would keep Williams as a reach, if it is one of your dream colleges. The advantage of a small, rich LAC is that you know you’re not going to flunk out. They won’t let you. They have advisers. The professors are there specifically to help mentor you and as a female involved with STEM, they will have your back. It’s certainly worth plugging your parents income figures into their NPC (net price calculator.)

As an alternative, you may want to consider Hamilton College in Clinton (NY); it’s less reachey than Williams but resembles it in certain superficial ways. Plus, they accept a large number of New York State residents.