Great school but probably won’t come in at your price point. Most aid is need based.
Adding…we toured there and my kid felt it was way too conservative for her tastes. Also, the school isn’t actually in Richmond…so if you are thinking your kid would be able to go into that city often…probably a car would be needed.
The U of Richmond is a very good school with a gorgeous campus. My D could not get out of there fast enough- definitely not for her. I don’t think Richmond will be affordable for this student.
The OP mentioned that her D might have a hard time keeping a high gpa at UMD- that seems to be why she isn’t happy using this school as a safety. It will definitely not be any easier at Rochester, Tulane, or many of the other schools on this list.
Thanks again. Looks like Richmond is going to be visited soon.
By the way, just got off the phone with a friend. Her child got to several medical schools recently (public and private) with non-repeated APs in any areas! Child never retook any Physics, Calc, intro Bio and Chem. They went directly to transcript for Bio major. So I think we will stay with our plan. If it is possible with APs it is definitely possible with CC credits. DD will have to take many many Bio and Chem classes. MCAT, GPA and service will have to prove her abilities.
College credits are different than AP credits. But you seem to have your plan. So there you go.
I think affordability will be your main issue with some of these schools.
I think the consensus among the experienced posters is that CC classes are different than AP classes when it comes to medical school admissions. There may be more pitfalls and potential problems with CC classes than AP classes.
It doesn’t seem fair, and it doesn’t seem intuitive, but that is what the experienced posters are saying.
Med schools do not ask for- and do not see- HS AP classes.
Med schools DO ask for- and DO see- all community college classes. You seem to be missing this important point.
I am very confused by what you wrote.
I feel as though you are approaching this from the wrong angle. Find an affordable school that your daughter likes. THAT is your most pressing issue right now.
I am not sure why you are visiting Richmond instead of a school that will meet your budget. This is not a safety for your D. A school that is not a safety is not giving her merit money.
And its acceptance rate is about 20 percent. Not a safety academically either.
Students get merit from safeties, not matches, not reaches. Yes, you can get some merit from some matches, but not enough to bring it down to $35,000, unless maybe a 4.0/36, refusing Ivy admission.
They also seem to have Chinese, and some German.
Agree!!!
The OP says she needs money, yet has a list of schools where money is very unlikely. She should be adding financial and academic safeties.
The OP says she is concerned about maintaining a high gpa at UMD, yet seems to want a school where the kids have higher scores, a higher rank etc than her daughter. The competition at these schools will be fierce. This confuses me too.
OP – in terms of affordability, I am still confused by what you have (and haven’t) posted.
Half off tuition for merit vs minimum 20k merit is what you have posted. But…if you are looking at expensive schools, half off tuition and/or 20k merit may still not bring you to a price point that works.
Are you going to qualify for any need-based financial aid at the more expensive schools? If so, you need to know that if you do qualify for need-based aid and your daughter also gets a merit scholarship, they tend not to “stack” the merit scholarship with the need-based aid. The best you can hope for, for most colleges, is that they will use the merit awards as 1) a credit against federal student loans (5500-7500 a year, based on her year in college) and 2) against the student work-study or summer earnings requirement. The rest of the merit aid will simply result in less need-based financial aid.
Sadly, I am confused by many of the OP’s posts, because their postings/thoughts on merit money, GPA, and CC credits don’t seem to mesh with the collective wisdom on this site.
My first concern came up when they posted an expected SAT score of 1400 for their daughter, but with no data to back that up – not even a practice test at home. And although TO is currently available at many schools this year (and may be next year as well), posting a wishful-thinking SAT score, and/or using it as a basis to help determine a child’s academic fit and expected future academic performance, concerns me. And I think that this type of thinking is being evidenced in the rest of the OP’s posts as well.
I hope they work it out, and that the daughter has some good options when she is a senior. Fortunatley, there is a lot of time between now and then, and hopefully they will figure out a good plan.
I’m under the impression this student will be a transfer student due to CC credits and UMD and VCU are auto-admits which I assume will be affordable.
If those are affordable, auto-admit safeties that are acceptable for attending, then they can look wherever they want to at additional schools. Those schools will either accept or not and will be affordable or not. There’s no harm in trying any more than any other reach school for a student (reach academically or affordably).
Then they’ll just see what med schools think of the CC to 4 year route for this student. They genuinely didn’t know when they started. They have time to take additional classes at the 4 year (esp with the major chosen). It’s not a “game over” situation even though it’s not what our school recommends (due to previous experience) for pre-med wannabies where we are.
Anyone reading can also decide for themselves what they want to do in order to try their best to be in the majority when it comes to medical school acceptances down the road. 40.8% who apply get accepted somewhere. 59.2% do not (as of the last stats AAMC has on their site).
Office of Undergraduate Admissions | Transfer Applicants says that applicants should apply as transfers after completing 12 semester hours of college courses (not including AP or IB credit) after high school graduation.
VCU’s web site does not clearly state the exact definition of who should apply as transfer and who should apply as frosh.
Guaranteed transfer admission may also have specific transfer preparation course requirements.
I don’t think the OP wants her D to attend UMD - she thinks that maintaining a high gpa will be too difficult and will destroy med school chances.
Meanwhile…the OP created a list of schools that has very very strong students, and maintaining a high gpa will be equally as difficult as UMD. Plus…the schools cost too much money.
The OP doesn’t seem to want a school where her D is near the top- she seems to think the academics will be watered down too much. That is false. Several state schools have been recommended but the OP doesn’t seem interested.
Rochester…Tulane etc are on this list. Why isn’t the OP concerned about cost and gpa? Ivy caliber kids apply to these schools all the time…and there will be no merit.
And round and round we go….
I wonder if the OP read your Rochester posts? They were excellent.
Perhaps I should have just stuck with auto-admits instead of saying transfer student. I’m unclear how many years they expect to be in the 4 year school after 2 years of CC.
I agree TBH, but there’s no real reason to go round and round. Schools have been mentioned. Med school “best odds” have been mentioned. The OP (and anyone) can take what they want from the thread and dismiss the rest, just like any other thread out there.
If anyone out there has more schools they think the OP should have on their list to consider, there’s still that opportunity, of course.
Please consider taking the very wise and accurate advice upthread with all of the links on what actual med schools say about CC classes as pre-med requirements: CC classes are not the same as APs per med school admissions. Your friend did not have to repeat APs (neither did I! I did take many upper level chem& bio classes, math beyond calc, etc, which is why I did not have any “repeats”, just in case future pre-meds or premed parents need clarification) but CC courses are considered differently by med schools, as has already been explained.
If possible, can you have your D take AP classes as a senior, instead of CC? It is likely better rigor for college admissions as well as avoids more CC credits that could be an issue later on, IF she gets to the level of applying to medical school.
DD will not be transfer student. County promotes CC classes. There are numerous programs by the county to even get Associate degree while in HS. You still will be not a transfer student after that. Actually quite a few students do it. DD is not doing it. She is doing something like Early College programs. Those programs are extremely popular in many parts of the country now.
There are numerous programs by the county to even get Associate degree while in HS. You still will be not a transfer student after that. Actually quite a few students do it. DD is not doing it. She is doing something like Early College programs.
I think you have it wrong. Early college programs are dual/concurrent HS/CC enrollment that lead to earning a associate’s degree while still in high school. Which is NOT what your daughter is doing. She’s merely taking a few college level classes while still in high school. Something that is also very common.
But you’re right these early college programs are offered in many states. Still doesn’t make them a good idea for a pre-med, though.
And I haven’t read the whole thread, but have you considered UMB?
Small enrollment (only about 7500 students), in-state and offers a very strong STEM program.
UMB shares its campus with UMSOM.