<p>I am applying to all SUNY schools in NY. However I feel that this would hinder me from getting into med or dental school in the future as most of the SUNY's arent so prestigious. Are there any schools comparable to the SUNYS and even a little better. I am not looking to go to schools with over $25k-$30k tuition as I dont qualify for aid.
So far my SUNY's
Geneseo,Binghamton,Buffalo,Stony Brook, Albany, </p>
<p>I know Buffalo and Stony Brook have their own medical/dental schools, so I would assume going to their undergrad would give a better shot at their grad programs. Also Binghamton and Geneseo I am applying as reach schools as I know they have rigorous, well-known programs. (Applying ED to Geneseo)
However, I want to also throw in a couple of private schools/out of state schools to go per my college apps, but dont know what other schools to apply. Can someone help?</p>
<p>GPA 3.4
SAT-1850 (1220 CR+M)</p>
<p>Decent EC's</p>
<p>Student Pilot (25 logged hours)
60 community service hours at a hospital
400 hours working at a Dental Office (Chairside assisting, and computer related work)
School Sports/Clubs as usual</p>
<p>Not only do you not need a prestigious school to get accepted to med/dental school, but based on your stats, that would be the last thing you should do. Your stats are not strong enough to likely survive with a top GPA at a prestigious school. </p>
<p>You will need a high GPA and strong MCAT for your best chances at MD/Dental school acceptance. You are more likely to get a high GPA when your classmates aren’t all stronger students than you are.</p>
<p>I disagree with mom, and having gone through getting into medical school, I have special insight in to this process. In my case I went to a UC medical school - I interviewed at most of the UC’s and a few east coast schools. UC medical schools are dominated by UC grads (particularly UCLA/UC Berkeley/UCSD, ivy grads and other top schools (Stanford, Caltech, etc.) most of the students from not as top tier schools were disadvantaged minorities. Ditto for the east coast schools. New York is similar to California; you will be competing with ivies and near-ivies. I think it is better to go to a SUNY with a medical school- they do let in a significant # of SUNY grads. Be sure to try and get involved in research and establish connections with faculty at the med school, if possible. If you don’t major in sciences (and you do not need to), you should still try to get involved in some type of research. You need to start strategizing from the get go. You should make getting into a SUNY med school a priority. You will save yourself some $100,000 and change in debt, and be a less bitter, financially strapped physician.</p>
<p>What mom is right about- you need to figure out how to improve your GPA and standardized test scores. Get some help, figure out better test taking strategies. You will need a 3.8-4.0 GPA, and first year chemistry and calculus are hard classes. You need to spend some time over the summer preparing for these classes. You do not want to feel behind during the first week of classes!</p>
<p>I disagree with mom, and having gone through getting into medical school, I have special insight in to this process. In my case I went to a UC medical school - I interviewed at most of the UC’s and a few east coast schools. UC medical schools are dominated by UC grads (particularly UCLA/UC Berkeley/UCSD, ivy grads and other top schools (Stanford, Caltech, etc.) most of the students from not as top tier schools were disadvantaged minorities. Ditto for the east coast schools. New York is similar to California; you will be competing with ivies and near-ivies.</p>
<p>The UCs are a different animal when it comes to med school acceptances. The UC meds are biased towards Calif kids. Some only accept Calif residents…and yes, being from a top school is a help (CSU grads have a harder time…but even UC pre-meds only have about a 50% acceptance rate to a SOM).</p>
<p>The NY SOMs don’t seem to have the same loyalties (which NY residents have complained about in the pre-med forums). </p>
<p>That said, my point about prestigious schools was really about the fact that this student doesn’t have the stats to likely be competitive at an elite school. If the goal is med school, then go to a SUNY where nearly every pre-med isn’t going to be a high-stats kid.</p>
<p>Mom - go easy. This is an area of expertise for me:grad of UC med school, and former clinical faculty at a SUNY. - you are somewhat confused about California and New York state med schools. They are very similar in one regard: state residents make up the vast majority of the students. It is quite different than undergrad- the UC’s are broke and are letting in more non residents who are willing to pay45,000 /year- for undergrad. NOT med school, though. They are not yet selling spots to non resident highest bidders. Exceptions are made for 1) Md-Phd students whose tuition is covered by federal monies; certain academic fellowships/scholarships where the funding does not come from state tax payers.</p>
<p>SUNYmed schools are incredibly competitive because, like CA, NY has a large population = more incredibly qualified applicants - that would be NY residents who have gone to Stanford, Caltech, Tulane, Hopkins, etc. Who will return to NY to get a state-subsidized education. Future med students are quite aware of the need to keep debt low, hence the
increasing competitiveness of the SUNY schools. Dentrix best chance is to go to a SUNY, rather than a third tier school, and get involved in research, reach out and find a mentor, get some hooks. If you go to a lesser school, it will be easier, you won’t pick up good study habits, and get use to extreme competition. The MCAT is about 100 X as hard as the SAT, and if you are chugging along at a lower tier school, getting easy A’s- you will have great trouble with 1) discipline: knowing how to study for the MCAT’s ( ie spending 10 hours/ day on weekends and free days over the course of months) 2)general knowledge base - top undergrad schools expect you to come in prepared and the pace is fast. This is necessary because med school starts of in a very grueling fashion: classes from 8-5 with a one hour lunch break M-F, and at my school we had class on Sat 9-12. Coupled with the need to study 4-5 hours/night to pass (most top med schools are pass/fail but graded on a curve- pass/fail grading has reduced the suicide rate. Didn’t stop a kid a year ahead of me from blowing his brains out. That same year a UCLA med student killed herself in the hospital parking lot, started an IV with potassium= cardiac arrest. Med school is intense, and it is best if you seek an undergrad school that introduces you to that intensity so that
you are ready from day one- your first test will be within 2 weeks of starting classes, and then it’s pretty much tests every 1-2 weeks.</p>
<p>@LottieM, Good information on your post. But you said that in my case SUNY may be the best option, but it wont get you prepared for rigorous grad schools (Dental,Med). I am more focused on even getting into dental/med school coming out of a SUNY, rather than focusing on good study habits. For me a student who gets a 3.5 from harvard, john hopkins, tulane etc, and a student who got a 3.9/4.0 at a SUNY or less prestigious school shows one major thing in common; they’re willing to work hard.</p>
<p>Dentrix- you misunderstand my post. I said better to go to a SUNY than a lesser ranked private school. At a lesser ranked private school, you may not be able to experience the intense competition that will prepare for med school. And given your low GPA and SATs (by premed standards) I would spend quite a deal of time on reflecting on how you can prepare yourself for the very difficult first year premed courses.</p>