CA is the worst state for a pre-med to be a resident of. Large population; not enough med school seats.
CA produced over 6200 med school applicants in the last cycle. Only 16% of the those 6200+ matriculated at a CA med school (public or private). Another 25% matriculated at an OOS med school, but most CA applicants (59% or 3652) were not accepted into ANY med school.
That’s 59% of students who were SUCCESSFULL in their premed programs and managed to escape the weedout process.
That"s why your odds of admissions to med schools are better if you can find an affordable college in another state.
I’m quite sure @MYOS1634 was not presuming the student would get instate tuition at a public medical school in another state.
BUT some medical schools do consider “ties” to the area when admission is considered. If this student goes to an undergrad school in another state, perhaps he would be able to demonstrate he intends to stay in this other state. This is especially true for some DO schools who are hoping to fill primary care positions in the underserved areas near where they are located.
BUT let’s get back to the subject here. We don’t know how this student completed the net price calculators. Were the out of country assets and home included? If not…the NPC results clearly are NOT accurate…at all.
People have mentioned various schools and “increasing test scores”. It’s already late Nov, probably too late to get a Dec seat. So would these schools give merit based on tests taken in the new year?
What if you got in? If you did, you couldn’t go there anyway. If I have $20k to buy a car, it’s best to test drive cars in that price range. If I start going to Porsche dealerships, I’m not helping myself at all.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with applying to the “affordable” schools in post #16 as long as you’re realistic and keep your budget in mind. Try not to fall in love with any and know in the end they may just be too expensive, but it seems to me they’re all close enough to what your parents say they can afford that they’re worth an application. One or two may surprise you by being more generous than you expect.
In my experience college costs are like home buying. Parents who say they can afford X can often kick in X+ when the final results roll in. Whether or not it’s prudent is another question.
Cost is a precondition before you even start applying to schools. If you can’t afford to go there, then simply scratch the school off the list. There is no “unaffordable” school to apply to.