Suggestions for a rising high school senior who wants to become a genetics engineer

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I am asking the collective wisdom of the parents here for some help about possible schools for D1. She is interested in a biology major and is interested in becoming a genetics engineer.</p>

<p>Her stats are: 3.84 weight GPA, 4.59 weighted
SATs: 640 CR, 680 Math, 800 WR (1320 combined) - she is not inclined to retake.
High school coursework: will have 6 APs by the end of her high school career and the rest are Honors</p>

<p>Extracurricular activities include 4 years as a violinist in her high school's three orchestras (she is in the highest level orchestra this coming fall) and she served as concertmistress in the second level orchestra last year. She has also been a member of her school's color guard for 3 years.</p>

<p>Honors: Nominated for the Maryland Distinguished Scholar program. Also AP Scholar.</p>

<p>Internship - she is interning in a biochemistry lab at a federal agency this summer, learning to amplify RNA and using a thermal cycler.</p>

<hr>

<p>We are Maryland residents and D1 is inclined to attend a school located no more than 6 hours by car from home. I think that eliminates schools not on the East Coast.</p>

<p>D1 is a quiet, reserved girl, who will probably bloom at a school that provides a lot of nurturing and collaboration. She would also like a school with good school spirit. Being able to walk into a college town would be a plus.</p>

<p>We will need substantial merit aid as our EFC is about $50K. We are comfortable with paying $20-25K per year. </p>

<p>Currently her list includes: UMD at College Park, UMD at Baltimore County, Juniata, Goucher, Bryn Mawr, St. Mary's College of Maryland. We are visiting the University of Pittsburgh in August. The University of Delaware is also a possibility.</p>

<p>Her GC has said most of the above schools are either safeties or targets. Does it makes sense to look at any reach schools, given our financial constraints?</p>

<p>I took a look at Lehigh, which appears to offer a good undergraduate program in biological sciences and good facilities for genetics studies, but am really unsure if we could qualify for financial aid there. The common data set on financial aid at Lehigh was not exactly reassuring.</p>

<p>There has to be a school with a great biological science program that would offer merit aid for fine violinists who aspires to become geneticists, but I don't know where they are. Neither DH or I have science backgrounds.</p>

2

<p>My nephew (from the MD area too) got a great scholarship to Rice (I think both need and merit figured into the package, but wouldn’t swear to it.) It was further away than he thought he wanted to go, but flights to Houston are so easy from the DC area it seems closer. He majored in bioengineering there and at least everything I heard about him doing involved genetics.</p>

3

<p>Tulane, also further than you say your d wants to go, gives wonderful merit aid. My d’s stats are a little lower than yours and she received merit aid at just over half tuition. Their application is free and is a non binding early action. </p>

<p>I would suggest that you have your d consider appling, and apply early, even if she insists she doesn’t want to go there. Just because she applies and gets accepted doesn’t mean she has to go there, though the money they give may help in the decision making. I have heard that the earlier applying (in Sept/Oct) students generally get more acceptance letters.</p>

4

<p>Biology, biochemistry, and chemistry majors face poor job and career prospects due to the huge number of them competing for a small number of available jobs.</p>

<p>Chemical and biomolecular engineering may be a safer major – it allows for seeking other types of chemical engineering jobs if the desired ones in genetic engineering are too hard to get.</p>

5

<p>Also a little further away (but a short plane hop) is Case Western in Cleveland. They give $17.5-20K merit awards, good biology, strong engineering, and across the street from the Cleveland Institute of Music (think Cleveland Symphony) and the Cleveland Clinic. And if you’re going to Pitt, also look at Carnegie-Mellon.</p>

6

<p>

Case Western is in Cleveland - actually, on the eastern edge of the city of Cleveland, so closer to the east. It is 4 hours and 15 minutes from Cleveland to Cumberland, Maryland; 5 hours and 10 minutes from Cleveland to Hagerstown, Maryland. 5 hours and 33 minutes to Frederick, Maryland. These are MapQuest times, which my husband and daughter easily beat with a wee bit of extra speed on long stretches of freeway.</p>

<p>Case Western would be a great option to consider and may very well be within your 6-hour range. :)</p>

7

<p>Another vote for Case Western. My friend Ds both did undergrad engineering and then off to Ivies for grad school for both of them. Case is not a party school and I’ve heard the kids described as “band kid normal” and I’ve heard “not preppy not non-conformist” which is probably another way of describing band kid normal I guess. The arts in Cleveland are strong and easily accessible.</p>

8

<p>Hello everyone -</p>

<p>Thank you so much for the suggestions! </p>

<p>We have actually thought about Case Western, but Ohio feels like a long way to our daughter…</p>

<p>Carnegie Mellon sounds like a possibility, but it is definitely a reach school for her. Does it make sense for D1 apply early decision to CMU if we would need financial aid? </p>

<p>Thanks again to all who have responded!</p>

9

<p>is alabama too far? UAB (Birmingham not Tuscaloosa) has the only biomedical engineering program in this state.</p>

<p>cost for oos student is extremely reasonable:First-Year Freshman Out-of-State
Tuition and Fees* $14,256
Books and Supplies** $1000
Meal Plan $450 - $3,894
Total $15,706 - $19,150
Residence Hall (Blazer/Camp Hall)*** $5,200
Grand Total $20,906 - $24,350</p>

<p>they also have merit scholarships for oos: (and if NMF… full ride)</p>

<p>To be eligible for academic scholarships at UAB, students must be admitted by December 1. New freshmen are automatically considered for all university-wide academic scholarships upon admission to UAB. All scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis as funds are available, and are renewable for four years.
Blazer Elite Scholarship
$10,000
Based on academic achievement (28-36 ACT and at least 3.0 GPA)
Blazer Gold Scholarship
$7,500
Based on academic achievement (26-27 ACT and at least 3.0 GPA)
Blazer Pride Scholarship
$5,000
Based on academic achievement (24-25 ACT and at least 3.0 GPA)
Students receiving UAB merit-based scholarships are required to live on campus for their first year of enrollment. (Don’t roll your eyes. Have you seen UAB student housing? Nice. Very.)
To view equivalent SAT test scores (critical reading + math only), please refer to the ACT-SAT Concordance.</p>

<p>with her SAT she qualifies for the blazer elite…therefore your cost per year would be 10K to 14K total!!</p>

<p>they have an incredible sci/tech honors program which has the student involved in research from freshman year. Sci tech acceptance also will cover phd at uab.</p>

<p>if you are looking at Pitt, then an urban campus isnt out of the question?? UAB is in downtown birmingham among about 7 hospitals. It is a tier 1 school.</p>

<p>[UAB</a> - We’re No. 1 (Rankings)](<a href=“Error 404 | Not Found”>Error 404 | Not Found)</p>

<p>Our science and medical programs are awesome.
UAB is nationally ranked among the top 20 in total federal research funding in key areas of health sciences, receiving more than $433 million dollars in funding.
In March of 2010, The Scientist magazine ranked UAB 24th on among its Best Places to Work for Postdoctoral Fellows, up from its 56th in 2008.
And in 2008, The Scientist ranked us among their Top 5 Best Places to Work in Academia.
As of 2009, the Carnegie Foundation classifies UAB as an institution of “very high research activity"—the only university in Alabama to receive that classification, and one of only 96 public and private universities in the entire nation.
The Section on Statistical Genetics (SSG) in the School of Public Health’s Department of Biostatistics is one of the largest in the U.S.
The School of Health Professions is first in the nation in research funding from the National Institutes of Health, holding first or second place for 26 consecutive years.
The UAB Medical Scientist Training Program has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1992.</p>

<p>feel free to pm me if you have any questions. UAB isnt talked about much on cc…but imo it should be</p>