Stressed!

I am having trouble figuring out what universities I should be considering. Right now I have:

Columbia (QB and <3)
Cornell
U of Rochester
Clarkson
Stony Brook
Brown (QB and <3)
Northwestern (QB and <3)
Union
Amherst (QB)
Hamilton (QB)
Colgate
Tufts (QB)
Bowdoin(QB)
JHU
Dartmouth (QB)
Colby (QB)
Duke (QB)
UPenn (QB)
Yale (QB)
(QB=Questbridge. Some are Questbridge and some I just want to apply to, and some are both)
I know these are all reaches/high reaches/matches/high matches and there are no safeties, and that’s kind of what I need help on because I don’t really know any safety schools with good pre-med track programs. I live in New York so probably most of the SUNYs and probably there are some OOS private schools that could work. These are mostly all financial safeties, too (100% need-based w/o loans) besides Stony Brook/Clarkson. I need some help figuring out if these are good preliminary choices, and what I should add/remove based on my interests. I know I don’t have that many stats yet so it’s hard to figure out, but I just want some suggestions of likely safeties for anyone, considering they’re a high achiever. Keep in mind I want to do pre-med/biomed science/biology/similar majors. thanks!

Without stats it is impossible to categorize colleges.

Ok all I know is that I have a 4.0. Do you know any schools with decent pre-med programs and a high acceptance rate? I’m pretty sure that all the schools on this list are good for premeds.

You’re a rising sophomore. You have two years before you can apply to any of these. Who can know what will change for you or for the schools in two years?

I’m on CC a lot and I see rising freshman/sophomores making threads all the time and people giving them perfectly reasonable answers. Is it impossible to even get suggestions?

Without ACT/SAT scores, yes, it should be impossible. Any suggestions before that point are not fully founded. (Not to mention only having one year of grades out of the at least three you’ll have when you apply.)

Besides, you’re looking for a premed school now, but if you switch what you want to do in the remaining 75% of high school, you’ll need new suggestions. I wanted to be a marine biologist through about sophomore year or so. Doing nothing close to that now.

I have wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember. I don’t think it’s going to change in three years.

Those chancers are likely other high school students who don’t have a clue.

True. Is my list at least reasonable?

Other than having a strong list of QB schools that all have excellent pre-med tracks, no one can provide you any further insight until you have some scores under your belt - keep us posted.

ok, @Chembiodad. Should I just wait until junior year to start planning? Also, I’m taking the PSAT in the fall. Could that help provide a reasonable estimate or not?

With a 4.0 GPA Clarkson is probably a good match.

@taverngirl Thank you. I’m literally in a Clarkson dorm right now lol. I’m at the Young Scholar’s Program.

Anyone? safties?

A standard-issue CC answer regarding “good pre-med schools” would include the follow points about what defines such a school:

a) It is accredited and reasonably reputable. We’re not talking USNWR top 20 here; rather, this category would include, at the very least, all of the 380 or so colleges that Princeton Review includes in its annual guide.

b) It is affordable. Medical school is very expensive. Hence it is prudent to minimize financial outlay for undergraduate study so as to maximize the funding available for medical study. This might mean opting for an in-state public flagship with lower tuition costs, or aiming for a big merit scholarship at a school where your stats are well above average for applicants, or trying to get into an elite school that offers very generous financial aid.

c) It provides you with a reasonable expectation of graduating with a high GPA. Med school isn’t investment banking; “prestige” is not a decisive factor in the admissions process. Instead, this process focuses more on the grades and MCAT scores of applicants. Bear in mind that the more elite the school, the more intense the grade competition will be, especially in courses graded on curves which dictate that only a certain percentage of a class can receive an “A.” (However, this factor is mitigated by local considerations unique to each school, like policies regarding grade inflation: Brown has lots of it, while the UCs and Cornell tend in the opposite direction.)

Bio is bio. You can learn the basics at any school–and the committed instructor at your local community college might well be better at conveying information that the disinterested grad student with an incomprehensible accent who is teaching your course or leading your discussion section at a “big-name” institution. Likewise, you can prep for the MCAT anywhere: buy a study guide, enroll in an online prep course, and have at it.

When you are better positioned to have a sense of what kinds of schools you’ll have a shot at gaining admission to (i.e., when you’ve taken the SATs and you know your junior-year GPA), then your focus should be on “fit” rather than prestige . . . and, given your professional aspirations, the above three considerations will be crucial in your deliberations about fit.

Yes, once you have taken your PSAT’s this Fall, you’ll have a better idea of what is achievable. In the meantime, keep exploring to get a sense as to whether you like big schools vs small schools, urban vs rural schools, and what parts of the country you like best - you can now check off Omaha so you’ll know that Grinnell will feel similar!

Our twin DD’s are both headed to Hamilton (they never intended to go to to the same school) and we couldn’t be happier with the choice each made as it’s a very smart, diverse and caring community with a very passionate alumni, so a big Endowment that’s looking to bring those that share their passion for giving back to the Hill - take a look at these if you have a chance

Hamilton as a Home - https://youtu.be/9mTvXjS8RJU
Hamilton a Promise - https://youtu.be/9MJ9PrxzNEU
Hamilton: The First 200 Years - https://youtu.be/OqpTWexocv4

I appreciate the detailed response, @MrSamford2014.

I’m not just focused on prestige-for example, I’ve spent the last 3 summers on the Clarkson campus-I love it and it’s close to home and I love their honors program and their early college program (BTW can SOMEONE please reply to my thread on it???), and my friend who was valedictorian is going to Stony Brook this fall. She is going into medicine and she’s doing the BS/MD. She has told me about the campus atmosphere, academics, and social scene. U of R also has a BS/MD program I’m interested in, and I went on a tour there and I loved how kind all the people were and the feel of the campus. I like Columbia for a number of reasons. The Core, NYC, the big political scene, etc.

I am going to aim for Merit scholarships, and like you said, the elite schools have excellent financial aid. and I am trying to figure out which state schools would be best. (the closest to a flagship in NYS is the SUNY system, which now has free tuition). I know “bio is bio”, but I also want to go somewhere where I will have good networking and be academically challenged.

I just want to know which schools are typically considered academic/financial safeties that have “good” pre-med programs. (see above criteria)

@futurecollege00, take a look at the attached list of top pre-med feeder schools - https://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/infographics/top-feeders-medical-school

Apologize calling out the wrong Clarkson as it sounds like you are at the one in NY.

If you are looking for strong STEM programs with great merit aid look at U of Rochester and Oberlin.

You can definitely plan for some things early, but without official SAT/ACT scores, it will be hard to “figure out what universities you should be considering.” Please don’t rush in making a college list–those are decisions that should be thought over for a long time.

You can definitely plan for some things early, but without official SAT/ACT scores, it will be hard to “figure out what universities you should be considering.” Please don’t rush in making a college list–those are decisions that should be thought over for a long time.

OK, I apologize. I did mean the one in NY. I am looking at the University of Rochester. Oberlin sounds like a good suggestion.