<p>Please recommend all types of schools for me (safety, match, reach):</p>
<p>-31 ACT (retaking in Dec for 32+)
-3.8 UW, 4.6 W
-10 AP & IB classes
-plethora of awards, extracurriculars, leadership, volunteering (trust me)
-thinking biology/pre-med with research opps
-medium sized school
-well known school
-good city surroundings</p>
<p>Try using the college selection engine available from the main CC page.</p>
<p>Any financial constraints or regional preferences?</p>
<p>How much will your family pay?</p>
<p>What is your home state?</p>
<p>thinking biology/pre-med with research opps</p>
<p>What will you do with a bio degree if you dont’ go to med school?</p>
<p>I see that you’re considering Cal. A UC is one of the last places I would choose for premed…especially as an OOS student.</p>
<p>No regional preference (except no harsh climate). Ideally would like to have low debt graduating from undergrad, but that’ll come into play in the spring, not now. Possibly thinking pre-med. If not, then biomedical engineering or biological research (I’m really not too sure yet…these are just a few of my interests). And mom2collegekids…why do you say that? Please elaborate!</p>
<p>Well, how much can you afford to pay each year? You need to have the financial talk with your parents NOW so there are no unpleasant surprises come spring. Especially since as a pre-med, it is best to minimize your debt and save for med school.</p>
<p>collegepanics, please help us out here. You’re asking strangers to do a lot of heavy lifting for you. give us some guidance to limit our work and demonstrate our efforts will be appreciated.</p>
<p>I’d like to graduate with less than 20K debt, if that helps? We could probably pay like 20-30K per year but we’re mostly depending on the financial aid that colleges will provide (again, won’t come into play until spring, now necessarily now). How do schools like Northwestern, Vanderbilt, or even Brown sound? Financially and prospects of getting in? Too “reachy?”</p>
<p>[Wilkes</a> University - Wilkes Homepage](<a href=“http://www.wilkes.edu/]Wilkes”>http://www.wilkes.edu/)
as a safety</p>
<p>-31 ACT (retaking in Dec for 32+)
-3.8 UW, 4.6 W
-10 AP & IB classes</p>
<p>Your stats are low for Brown, Vandy, and Brown. Not likely going to be accepted. Your chances would increase if you got a 33+, but still reaches.</p>
<p>You need to have your parents run the Net Price Calculators on schools’ websites. You may find out that you don’t qualify for aid…or you may find out that you don’t qualify for much. Your parents may be expected to pay a lot more than they can afford.</p>
<p>YOU NEED SAFETIES…schools that you know FOR SURE will give you enough merit for your stats.</p>
<p>If your parents can pay about $25k per year (plus or minus) then choose some safeties where you know FOR SURE will give you enough merit that your family’s contribution will be more than enough (maybe even less).</p>
<p>If you want to go to med school, then you should avoid debt as an undergrad.</p>
<p>And mom2collegekids…why do you say that? Please elaborate!</p>
<p>The Calif schools, UCs in particular, have WAY TOO MANY premeds. It is super-highly competitive. There aren’t enough med school seats there. The acceptance rate into med school is low. </p>
<p>The UCs also have poor med school advising and don’t do Committee Letters.</p>
<p>There are FEW good reasons for any OOS student to do premed at a UC. Maybe NO good reasons. Seriously. The UCs are where too many premed dreams go to die.</p>
<p>depending on the financial aid that colleges will provide (again, won’t come into play until spring, not necessarily now</p>
<p>Sure it’s necessary now. Do you want to have a handful of unaffordable acceptances next spring? Do you know how many kids, EVERY SPRING, post that they have no affordable acceptances? </p>
<p>Chances are, schools will determine that your parents will have to pay more, maybe much more, than they can pay. This happens every year.</p>
<p>Now is the time to lock in a few schools that you know FOR SURE that you have all costs covered. Then if the other schools also work out, then super.</p>
<p>Have your parents SAID that they’ll pay $20k-30k per year? or is that your best guess?</p>
<p>mom2collegekids: Thanks very, very much. I’m applying to a state school (with an acceptance rate of 73%) as my safety. I really, really, really hope that I’ll earn a 33+ on my ACT. And thanks for the financial consideration…I’ll go research where I’m eligible before I’m surprised in the spring…seriously, thanks for that.</p>
<p>And, hmm…I was about to submit my UC apps tonight but you’re making me reconsider…</p>
<p>Which match schools would you recommend? Rice? Emory? U Virginia/Rochester/Michigan? </p>
<p>Thanks for all the help. :)</p>
<p>Med schools do not care about the USNews rank of undergraduate schools when admitting applicants.</p>
<p>I’m sure that they put some weight to the undergrad’s reputation for GPA inflation/deflation purposes.</p>
<p>What makes you so sure?</p>
<p>They’ll realize a 3.9 at Harvard is more meaningful than a 4.0 at an “easy” state school, for example…</p>
<p>The consensus seems to be that your undergraduate college matters very little for med school admissions purposes. What you do at your college matters far more. Some related threads in the pre-med forum: </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1122176-bluedevilmikes-ten-step-guide-picking-premed-school.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1122176-bluedevilmikes-ten-step-guide-picking-premed-school.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/197765-so-your-undergrad-college-doesnt-even-matter.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/197765-so-your-undergrad-college-doesnt-even-matter.html</a></p>
<p>A 3.9 from Harvard and a 4.0 from a state school will both get in if they’re solid in other areas. A 3.0 from UVA won’t get in, but a 3.7 from an average state school will if they have equal ECs and test scores. Do you think you’ll get a 3.6+ at these top schools? If so, feel free to go to them. If not, the name won’t make up for a lower GPA compared to an average school.</p>
<p>Regardless of which school, the students going to med school are at the top of their respective schools. It’s best to go somewhere where you’re above average going in if you want to go to med school.</p>