Quick update: the undergraduate admissions office just told me I wouldn’t be considered for scholarships because not everything was in by the priority deadline. Should I even consider UH now that I won’t be getting money?
Would you consider other Texas schools instead of UH, in the context of their advantages in medical school application interviewing?
For now, keep your applications in, including other Texas schools, and see what you end up with in terms of admission and net price. You have plenty of time to think it through until April.
Did you get everything in by the scholarship deadline at the other Texas schools?
Wait and see till you have your admission decisions.
Well, it seems like the person I talked to was incorrect. I did in fact get a scholarship that brings UH’s COA down to 11k a year.
As for other Texas colleges, I only applied to Rice. The NPC says it would be affordable (~22k/year), so if I get in (and the calculator was accurate about their financial aid) I will be considering Rice as well as UH and Minnesota. Any thoughts?
OP, I’m guessing you are a national merit finalist, so why not Texas A&M? Its much higher ranking than UH.
I think you are making a mistake by not applying to UT D and A&M. But I guess you have your reasons.
I hope you are accepted at Rice. It is a great school.
I was going to apply to UT Austin and A&M, but their deadlines (Dec 1) had passed.
Also, unfortunately I am not NMF so that’s not the case
Some potential bad news regarding OOS tuition for UMN which has been relatively quite low compared to other state flagships. There are serious talks underway to significantly increase tuition for OOS by as much as 15K - this would not likely take effect for for a few years but likely during the time your would attend UMN (there is no tuition freeze for OOS).
@singermom4 I got the Gold National scholarship which reduces OOS tuition to in-state… Would that tuition increase still affect me?
As I understand it, the raise would only affect the students who don’t get that scholarship.
As for Umn v. Rice, I’d go with Rice unless it’s significantly more expensive and/or you really want to discover another state&leave Texas.
Have you looked into the Honors Biomedical Sciences (HBS) program at UH? If you scored above a 1350/1600 on your SAT, then you’re eligible. It’s a fantastic program. Here’s their website: http://www.hbsuh.org/
Why not go to UT Dallas? They have very good programs for fields that… arent humanities, haha. UT Austin is another great choice with a higher ROI I’ve read. Dont apply to Houston if you’re wanting a great education, so many students and alumni agree that the academics were subpar, even in the Honors Program.
@BioBud - no, I have not heard about that program. Thanks for the info, it looks very promising! Do you have any more info about it?
@okon2122 - I’m still considering UT Dallas, I guess. Their deadline is either Feb 1 or March 1 (even for scholarships), so I have some time
My daughter is at Minnesota, and it’s a fantastic university, especially for anyone considering medical school. There is a hospital right on campus where you could start getting experience through volunteering or as a research assistant or whatever. Since it is located in a major metro area with light rail trains to downtown of both Minneapolis and Saint Paul, there are many other possibilities for you to explore science, medicine and life. If you are interested in sports medicine at all, there are opportunities to work with top athletes as well.
The science programs are top-notch, with plenty of opportunities to do research for professors, typically in a paid position or with a research scholarship. The university is a member of the Association of American Universities along with Ivies – members are considered the best research universities in the country, with funding for lots of research (https://www.aau.edu/about/default.aspx?id=16710).
The upcoming tuition increase for OOS will not affect you because of the scholarship that you have. You will also remain a TX resident even while attending there. If you can somehow afford UMN, you should go there. It has the weather and opportunities you are looking for, along with a stellar reputation and alumni base that far exceeds the other options you are considering. You are already admitted there, so why waste time applying anywhere else if you can afford it?
You also sound like you are very eager to challenge yourself by moving away from your home city, which is something my daughter was also ready for (she grew up in Atlanta). This is the time in your life to try out another part of the country, so go for it.
I grew up in Missouri and decided to take scholarships and attend UH. I had a great experience there. Once you graduate college and work a few years, no one cares where you attended undergraduate school. UH also has an honors college with separate housing and classes. You will find peers there… many scholarship recipients and national merit finalists. It’s ultimately your decision, but don’t believe anyone who has such strong negative opinions of the school or the college rating reports that try to tell everyone what the best school in the country is. I’m not saying UH is comparable to MIT engineering, but both schools actually teach out of the same engineering textbooks…
Thank you all for the replies. I am still making up my mind, and probably won’t come anywhere near a decision until late March (when Rice notifies applicants). All of your input is really helpful!!
That being said, does anyone have info about UH’s access to hospitals or clinics? From what I’ve seen, there isn’t much of that on or nearby campus… You’d have to take the metro/shuttle train to the medical center. Am I correct?
Second- any info on UH’s HBS program?
Lastly @mommyrocks - has your daughter at UMN found it easy to get involved in research? And by any chance is she in the Honors program?
In answer to your questions, my daughter is in the Honors program at UMN. As a freshman, she has had so many research opportunities it’s unreal. Right now she is working part-time in a lab for $10 an hour doing research related directly to her major. She also received a research scholarship to conduct a research project of her own choosing, so she is planning that right now with another professor.
Lots of students there do research all four years. The paid positions in labs on campus are usually advertised on the job ads for students. The research scholarships are offered to some freshmen by admissions, but students from freshmen onward can also apply for these. There are also plenty of opportunities in the Twin Cities, depending on your area of study.
My daughter got her job in the lab before she even started at UMN. She applied for the job late spring, so the job was lined up and waiting for her from day one. There were several jobs advertised at that time, because some professors like to hire students to conduct research full-time over the summer. Although my daughter couldn’t start in the summer when they needed her (and they actually hired someone else for that reason), they created a position just for her to start once she got to UMN in the fall. In other words, keep your eyes open for opportunities even before you start college, and don’t be shy about emailing and sending in your resume in response to a job ad, or even if there isn’t a job ad.
@mommyrocks - does your daughter find the honors program to be beneficial? As in, are her classes noticeably smaller and is there more of a sense of community?
Also, I know that a lot of honors students dorm at middlebrook… Any chance your daughter did that and has any input?
My daughter chose not to dorm at Middlebrook because she wanted to be on East Campus. She enjoys the activities that the honors program has and she participated in the honors mentor program. Whether the honors classes help might depend on your major and how many AP credits you have, since it is some of the introductory courses that are often offered in honors. My daughter had 60 AP credits (15 courses) so there are no honors courses that contribute to her major, and she is having to take extra courses just to be in the honors program. She’s decided to take the honors calculus sequence and minor in math just so some of the courses contribute to something. She could also do an “honors contract” for some courses in her major, and do extra work to get honors credit. The classes are certainly smaller, and the honors seminars are on very interesting topics if you have room in your schedule for some electives. The honors students meet with an honors advisor regularly in addition to their major advisor. There are lots of ways to get involved with honors and find that sense of community. My daughter is still figuring out what she has time for and wants to get involved with, but the opportunities are there. I think the students in Middlebrook get more out of the honors program in terms of community.
@mommyrocks - did your daughter find the transition easy or challenging? I’m a bit worried about it all, especially the situation of being an OOS student… Did she find a group easily, etc?