<p>Hey guys! I'm a junior, and I'm currently struggling with identifying schools that will be best for me. I have a 2200 SAT and 4.0 UW GPA. The problem is that I will not receive need-based aid, so I need to apply to schools that are known for giving lots of merit aid (and not just small sums - I'm talking full tuition). I should be National Merit, so I'll more than likely have the full ride to Alabama and big scholarships from Auburn, Kentucky, etc. However, I intend to go pre-med, and it is very important that the ugrad that I attend has some level of prestige that can give me an upper hand in the medical school admissions process. I'm currently considering (in addition to Bama) Pitt, Case Western, Northeastern, Boston U, UMiami, Duke, and Vanderbilt. I'm open to additional suggestions --- location isn't an issue. If you could also give me an idea of my chances for merit aid at these schools, that would be very much appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>Fordham in NY gives merit money to very well qualified candidates.</p>
<p>Well with your grades and SAT score you have to count scholarships as well as merit so dont just count on merit</p>
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<p>Chatter on the pre-med forum seems to indicate the undergrad school prestige likely matters a lot less for medical school admissions than for jobs like finance and management consulting, although the higher prestige schools tend to have more of the top students who can handle the pre-med courses and get high GPAs, and have higher grade inflation.</p>
<p>@ucbalmunus I’ve read a lot about the impact of ugrad prestige on med school admissions, and I am not entirely certain what to believe. I know I will be capable of putting in the hard work necessary to get to med school. I just don’t want to be disadvantaged in applying—it seems obvious that med schools would prefer ivy grads over state school grads if they were of equal qualification.</p>
<p>A couple of the LACs my dd looked at gave her nice merit aid with stats like yours - muhlenberg and Ursinus. They both also have guaranteed med school admission slots for a couple of lucky admits per year. </p>
<p>I bet other schools have similar programs tied with med schools and may also offer merit. If you really want merit, you might need to drop down on your prestige scale a bit so your stats stand out.</p>
<p>USC and (rather further down the prestige scale, and so rather lower on the competitiveness front) UOklahoma have $ for NMFs. (USC can be very generous, but it is competitive).</p>
<p>University of Virginia (UVA) is one of the top state schools in the country. I’d consider applying there. Maybe Georgetown too, but unfortunately they don’t use the commonapp so it’s a bit of a hassle to apply there.</p>
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<li>The Gracken</li>
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<p>UVA only has 35 Jefferson Scholarships/year and they are extremely competitive. The rest of their aid is FA.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the responses. I’ve looked into UVA, but their limited merit aid is incredibly competitive and my stats don’t stand out. I’ve also looked into USC, and even though they give a half tuition scholarship for NMF, that still leaves a lot of money left to be paid…</p>
<p>if nmf…you could also look at uab in birmingham alabama for premed… very strong for sciences, home of the med school. different vibe than ua… strong research opportunities, 6 hospitals surround the campus, alot of opportunities for shadowing etc.</p>
<p>nmf gives full tuition and housing</p>
<p>If you are open to considering LACs, take a look at Rhodes in Memphis. The pre-med program has a strong reputation, includes unique characteristics such as an established relationship with close-by St. Jude’s Hospital and offers plenty of opportunities for internships and research. Your stats should put you in the running for Rhodes’ generous merit scholarships which go all the way up to full-ride. The campus is beautiful, by the way.</p>
<p>Holy Cross has a great pre-med program.</p>
<p>Following on what Parent100 said, I encourage you to take a serious look at LACs. They have a very good track record at getting their students into doctoral programs, including med school. </p>
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<p>[Why</a> I Like Liberal Arts Colleges to Prepare for Medical School - College Admissions Counseling](<a href=“http://www.collegeadmissionspartners.com/college-admissions-counseling/liberal-arts-colleges-medical-school/]Why”>Why I Like Liberal Arts Colleges to Prepare for Medical School - BS/MD Admissions by College Admissions Partners)</p>
<p>where exactly is this college?</p>
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<li>Holy Cross grants very few merit scholarships (< 10/year)</li>
<li>Many private LACs outside the Northeast do grant merit scholarships, but the average grants are more like $10K-$15K, not “full ride”. The OP might have a shot at full tuition or more at some of these schools, but probably not at the most prestigious/selective ones. Full ride to Rhodes? Maybe.</li>
<li>Even the most prestigious med schools accept applicants from many, many schools you’ve probably never heard of. Google for Harvard Med’s entering class profile. GPA and MCAT scores seem to be the most important factors by far in med school admissions.</li>
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<p>Thank you for all of the responses! I’ve considered liberal arts schools, but I don’t like the breadth of the curriculum. They emphasize the need to explore all subjects, but I’m not interested in the arts. I’d rather attend a school with relaxed core requirements (or none at all).</p>
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Perhaps you should reconsider once you do some research into what a liberal arts school actually is. </p>
<p>A college’s status as a LAC or university says nothing about its graduation requirements. Universities on your list like Duke and Miami have distribution requirements, whereas some LACs have either no graduation requirements (e.g. Smith and Amherst) or exceedingly few (e.g. Hamilton, Grinnell, Kalamazoo).</p>
<p>I understand that, but the general aim of most liberal arts colleges is to expose students to a wide range of subjects. I’m a very science and math oriented person, so I don’t exactly like the liberal arts philosophy. I can deal with distribution requirements that have some flexibility and options, but I’ve been avoiding most liberal arts schools because of their educational philosophy.</p>
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<p>Functionally, LACs main distinction is having a smaller, more intimate experience (classroom or otherwise). The range of subjects and courses is often significantly less than at a big university (simply because the LAC is smaller). Breadth requirements vary all over the place at both LACs and big universities.</p>
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<p>Science and math are components of the liberal arts, just like humanities and social studies.</p>
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<p>Some obviously tech oriented schools like MIT and Harvey Mudd (which is considered a LAC) have extensive humanities and social studies breadth requirements, while other not really tech oriented schools like Brown and Amherst have no breadth requirements at all. LAC versus big university is not really an accurate way to determine what a school’s breadth requirements are – you’ll have to look at the actual breadth requirements at each school.</p>
<p>However, if you do want to major in science and math, be careful to check the offerings in those subjects at each school – many small schools (LACs or otherwise) have limited offerings in science and math.</p>