My dd got into all three schools:
NOVA(dual DO)
UF
UCF Honors
She cant seem to make up her mind about which school she wants to attend. She is very sure she wants to pursue Medicine in the future.
She is leaning towards UF out of her three options because it is ranked higher than the rest.
Any inputs would be appreciated 
Your kid can do the required courses for medical school applicants at any four year college (arts conservatories excluded).
My opinion….the rankings of these programs really shouldn’t be a consideration.
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As @thumper1 said in regard to school name/prestige is less relevant, you need to take classes, get great grades, strong mcat, and more.
I assume UF and UCF Are in state and cheap. NOVA is not …ie it’s private but on a distance from home level.
Obviously Nova is smallest, Jesuit, and furthest from home. Costs matters as med school will be very expensive.
What is the Dual Do - are you saying guaranteed admission to Philly’s Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine ?
All three are solid. One super huge near a major city. . One huge but nothing around it. And one mid size in a very suburban area.
Which is right ?
UF may be. But not for the reason given. There should be a fit reason.
Btw while UF has ascended in rank, historically Nova would be the more prestigious school, whatever that means. If you asked some in the Northeast that would likely be your answer if you used rank or pedigree as criteria, which you shouldn’t. Don’t forget, she needs to spend four years, day after day after day.
You have three solid options. Find the one that fits best.
Good luck.
I think she should go to the school she likes best.
If she is very sure she wants medicine, NOVA sounds like a good option. Can she change her mind if she wants, and would she be happy there?
The other 2 schools are perfectly fine and I would go with fit. She can take prerequisites at both.
There is no reason to focus on ranking. It’s more important that the student maintains high grades and takes advantage of opportunities.
How do we know this? All of these colleges are in Florida.
Were you thinking of Villanova? (Not Jesuit…I believe Augustinian).
I believe the NOVA this student is referring to is in Florida.
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Ohhhhhh. Nova Southeastern. Not Villanova :). Oops.
Well you need to keep a 3.5 and 502 MCAT to get a guarantee of med school. That likely won’t get you in if you go to UF or UCF. So the guarantee is worth investigating if it’s cost affordable and if you can do without major sports, party, etc.
Is this what you need for the NOVA DO program @tsbna? I think that is what you mean.
Really…if that’s what you are suggesting for admission to any medical school…there are NO guarantees.
The NOVA program…my biggest question would be….what IF this student decided NOT to pursue becoming a doctor. How easy is it to switch to something else?
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It seems you need a 3.5 gpa and a minimum mcat of 502 in order to transition into the program…if I understand correctly.
What if you change your mind? I am not a fan of BS/MD or BS/DO - I think 17/18 is too young to make this type of decision, to understand what’s involved, etc.
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Yes to you and @twogirls. No one knows and we all know most will never get there. So I agree it’s a risk. And there are many facets of medical beyond doctor. But note in the first they wrote she is very sure she wants to pursue medicine in the future. I know very well ‘very sure’ means little once you hit those pre reqs but since most don’t sniff med school who want to go, maybe having an assurance is a good thing ? Something for OP to think about. In other words, her odds would be substantially boosted (I think).
Has she visited these schools? I wonder if she would like NOVA if the DO path is removed (changes her mind)? So many HS students say they want medical school…and then reality sets in, premed classes, new interests etc.
NOVA is a great option if she likes it. It’s also a great option if she stays with the DO path.
UF is currently her favorite. She can also go there and see how it goes. She may or may not end up in medical school.
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Look closely at NOVA’s COMLEX pass rate before your daughter commits. It’s been declining over the last couple of years. This is potentially problematic, although the med school has 3-4 years to turn things around before your daughter enrolls.
So she has decided she doesnt want to go to Nova southeastern in South florida because if the DO option were not a thing, she doesn’t see herself at Nova for undergrad.
But she’s still torn between UCF and UF
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Does the honors program at UCF have an edge over not being in the honors program at UF?
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Opportunities wise, does being at either UF or UCF have much difference in research and volunteer opportunities?
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Do med schools prefer one over the other beyond GPA and MCAT score?
Most medical schools don’t care at all where you go to undergrad.
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- I would say Honors is for her meaning if it’s good for her then great. If not that’s ok too. But I wouldn’t say being in Honors in and of itself gives an edge. But if it works for her then it’s great.
You can see the benefits on the link I put below but mainly smaller classes (the ones she takes that are honors) and priority registration. They provide other benefits too.
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If you volunteer, reach out to profs, you can do research.
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No
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You may look into this too at UCF - not sure how you get in.
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UF.
Shands Hospital is down the hill from UF and she can volunteer there, and lots of opportunities to pursue research somewhere on campus.
I’ll PM you more tomorrow.
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Thanks everyone for the help and support.
She ended up picking UF!! Go Gators
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