@Smilescreen Make sure to understand the process to qualify for National Merit Scholarship by NMSC. Though PSAT is the key first step, ensure if there is a need or not to take SAT or not. In case if SAT is needed, then don’t hesitate because many schools give merit aid including OU where my DD got free tuition as a NMS scholar.
Starting for class of 2020, ACT can be used to confirm PSAT score.
https://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/blog/2018/11/13/act-will-be-accepted-for-national-merit-scholarship-confirmation-in-2020/
@OldSchoolMD - Congrats !!
@Smilescreen @8thgradekid @OldSchoolMD @GoldenRock
Agree with @OldSchoolMD, except for may be UPitt, ACT of 35.5 or 36 is NOT going be viewed differently.
Agree with @elgordito, starting 2020, ACT can be substitute for SAT.
Here is the link to official FAQs:
https://www.nationalmerit.org/s/1758/interior.aspx?sid=1758&gid=2&pgid=434
@NoviceDad @ @OldSchoolMD @GoldenRock @elgordito
Thank you all for your input. She originally planned to take SAT after she finished her ACT. She received a letter from ACT about the same, and she dropped her idea for then. We canceled the test and we still have few more months to reschedule it or we loose that money. She took her Math2 subject test in Dec but we had to pay since they can’t transfer the amount we payed for SAT towards subject tests.
How do you rank top six BS MD programs?
@smilescreen - SAT allowed us to switch from Subject test to SAT two years back. But they charge some fee.
@trustybsms Who ever sends you acceptances and release your stress and pressure :))))) kidding let’s wait for Novicedad’s response.
Well @trustybsms the thing is a lot of the really good programs are also in-state only… like UIUC.
@GreenPoison Not sure if you’re still active…but I was browsing last year’s results thread and noticed that my situation right now is pretty similar to yours last year. Can you please PM me so that I can ask about your interview experiences? Thanks so much!
@trustybsms
As I mentioned in my earlier post, that was my last post (on this thread) regarding relative quality of medical school programs.
You are free to chose whatever approach/ methodology that you feel comfortable with.
Different methodologies give different rankings / relative quality order.
My approach on this topic well known on this forum.
Looking for advice from the wealth of experts here - we are planning the summer for my Junior son and need some input. He will be doing research for 8 weeks starting the Monday after school finishes (full time 8 hrs a day) and he will need to block out the 2 weeks before school reopens in Sept for Varsity soccer training (this again is intense with 2hrs morning and 2 hrs evening everyday). This leaves him with only 1 week gap between the 2 events. My question is should he do a medical mission trip overseas (he has not done any overseas medical trips) or spend that week shadowing doctors and adding medically related community hours? Thanks in advance for your inputs.
@brown2024 Spend a week shadowing doctors and community service.
@brown2024, medical schools no longer value one week overseas medical trips. They are treated as medical tourism with kids doing things not allowed in US.
@brown2024 - Find community service locally and do it for extended period, even 4,5 hours per week is more than enough.
@brown2024
Shadow physicians.
If possible, continue doing it during the school year as well.
Agree with @srk2017
Assume you meant to say UIC GPPA, not UIUC.
You don’t need more than 40-60 hours of shadowing.
@srk2017 - would you expand on “…kids doing things not allowed in US.”?
@brown2024 - if only a week, I would go with shadowing or volunteer/community services.
thank you all for your valuable input