Your potentially premed kid could have some affordable options as pointed out by many on this thread.
Really, there are affordable options…you just don’t seem to want to consider those for some reason.
Your choice. UMD is a great school. I do hope you find a way for her to live on campus if that happens.
Basically if no choice, DD will go to UMD. We will pay for anything only if school will be worth the money = increases her chance to succeed as premed. I do not believe UMBC is that kind of school. We are not going to just pay for anything. We do not have money for that, plus there is not guarantee she will become a doctor. We will have more than 2 kids in college at the same time and we will not get FA.
Well, may be I am blind. College of Wooster with 40k potential scholarship was the only “affordable” option so far. If DD will get $35K =half tuition in some “good” (small and satisfying our criteria) school, we will consider it. If not, UMD is her only other option…We are OK with such approach.
Why aren’t you considering some of the other suggestions made up stream…where affordability/merit is possible…College of Charleston, U of Delaware, Juniata, Denison.
UMD is fine…it’s a great school. But it would be nice (in my opinion) for your daughter to have choices…more than one…so she can choose.
Nope, she will not be leaving on campus after year one. Almost nobody does. I will not pay for extra rent 40 minutes from home…We have a hospital a around the corner from home, there is no one at UMD. She will be fine. There are plenty of kids who did it (lived at home after year 1) and got to Medical school.
Sorry too many spelling errors, and no way to fix them. I do not have that magic pencil…
@CC_Mike this poster says they don’t have the little pencil to edit their posts…can you help,with that?
The odds of getting $35,000 in merit to the schools on your list are slim (no guarantees). IMO it would be a good idea to apply to some of the schools that were recommended. They are very good schools. As I posted earlier, if she has a safety that is acceptable…she can apply anywhere. But…UMD is very big and you think it will be too competitive.
Do you think Pitt, Tulane, and GW are too big? Expensive (Rochester)? I am confused…since you are looking for small…and low cost.
UMD-BC is nationally known for their STEM curriculum and their work on making sure women in STEM aren’t weeded out. They are well-known for their strength in STEM.
So, yes, it would definitely increase her odds of getting into med school compared to UMD-CP, due to the extra support and care taken against weed-out on top of being very well-respected for STEM.
(BTW, UMD-BC is NOT the University of Baltimore).
If she has to commute, you cut her odds of making it to med school dramatically. It’s not unknown for premeds to have group work/review sessions till midnight every day. It’s really like an intense, full-time job. No time to waste on commuting. That’s time not spent on activities she needs to complete nor on studying for A’s, whereas others will be.
(Students typically move off-campus in student residences near campus, whether at UMD-CP or UMD-BC, although more so at UMD-CP.)
There’s no harm in applying (+ Honors College) and see how it shakes out. If she gets into the Honors College or Scholars at UMD-CP AND into UMD-BC Honors, she’ll have a real choice.
College of Charleston is OOS and far (I get it that there is Honors program and some public schools give some money). U of DE is OOS. I am very sorry, but I do not believe in Honors programs (most classes that are offered through them are not premed anyway). UMD Honors provides useless classes unless you are not in some special programs (just extra classes on top of required). Juniata and Denison will be visited. We will not consider public schools other than the ones on the list. We want small schools, not big schools with Honor programs.
I agree with the commute part for various reasons.
Going to college is an experience in and of itself. If one is living at home, where you go matters less - because it’s like high school. There’s no roommate chats late into the night, no study sessions, less to socialize with because you know less people. Going to college is about far more than going to class.
So you have a 40 minute commute - x 2. Then what if you have a split schedule or someone needs to see you at an off hour. You have parking fees. Gas. You’re likely eating alone, you know no one.
There’s a reason statistics show living on campus provides an overall GPA benefit. Yes, many move off - but there’s also independent living situations on or close to campus.
If my child were to live home, I’d probably suggest a community college.
Not saying that works for the OPs daughter desire of getting to med school.
I’m simply saying that going to college is about so many things. Class is a major reason…but hardly the only reason.
There are many schools where the OP can more than make their $$ work - but there’s a no for everywhere - except Wooster which is back in even though it has rats and bats 
You know what’s small and cheap - Western Carolina.
Thanks. I know what UMD-BC. I know many friends with kids who graduated from there. I also know level of kids who attended and outcome too. I was also on campus there several time ( I actually like campus there much more than UMD _CP).
DD does not want to attend it…
I’m sorry, but the OP has parameters and excuses for most of the suggestions. Your other kid goes to Georgia Tech but your pre med daughter needs to stay close to home or maybe live at home for financial reasons? Your family, your finances.
You have been given many affordable options. Are you open to any of them?
Honors programs aren’t just about the subject content of the classes (although having a more in-depth general bio and more in-depth general chem class, first, wouldn’t be a repeat from CC, and, second would prepare you better for upper-level bio/chem classes). Rather and most importantly, they’re about having small, interactive classes that are taught by a handpicked professor (not a TA) who knows you and will thus be able to write detailed letters of recommendation AND will think of you first when an opportunity shows up in their mailbox. It’s about better advising, because you have two personal advisers instead of a random general adviser for your first two years. It’s access to special programs and opportunities that will make a difference to your resume and help you climb faster than if you didn’t have them.
UMD Scholars may work better than general honors, especially ILS.
https://www.ils.umd.edu/academic-overview
The curriculum is based on “Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians” and is basically what Med Schools want to see from their applicants.
not getting into this program would hinder UMD Med school applicants since they’d be compared to applicants WITH these classes and experiences.
College of Charleston and UDel are good for Jewish life and smaller than UMD-CP but it’s true that if you’re looking at value, Maryland public universities will be better even if these two may be a better fit.
Are you saying UMD-CP full price is your baseline budget, and you’ll only pay more if the college offers added-value?
Tulane probably will leave the list. She will apply to Pitt for sake of applying, there is no way she will get money there. Last year top student got only $15k there. Only if she by chance end up on direct admit program, she would go to Pitt. That is why Pitt is on the list. Same with Tulane and Rochester. Direct admit chance is slim to none. Same with GW. We probably will end up spending $500 on application fees. All of those are reaches. Schools that we really looking at are small vs UMD.
I’d drop all of them unless her test scores are better than 1400. Save the money from the applications for places that truly could end up affordable for you/her.
I think the daughter is applying TO.
Plus not having to write all those supplemental essays (for the colleges that require them).
Direct admit programs are crazy competitive. And schools such as Tulane are difficult even without direct admit.
The most important school is the safety, and your D doesn’t seem to have one that she likes. UMD is too big for her, and too competitive (and big) for you. I think it’s a mistake to omit UMBC.
Actually ILS is Honors not Scholars. I personally know one Scholar who is premed now and is not living on campus (personal choice).
TO… do the direct admits even allow TO? They might - honest question - I don’t know, but the idea of being a doctor and “needing” TO seems to be at odds with each other. Pre-meds, med school students, and even residents + doctors have a lot of tests they need to take to prove themselves.