That program is very competitive- congratulations! If she decides she wants a different major after a year she can always transfer. Also, If she wants a more traditional college experience I agree with everyone else go to UVA over UNC.
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Both of her brothers went to W&M and she wants to go somewhere different. She really didnât like the vibe at UVA unfortunately.
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Thank you
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She felt UVA was really cliquish and she has friends there who are not happy.
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Thanks so much
Thank you very much
Thanks - saving money is always preferred but I want her to be happy and thrive.
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@strudeldoodle , post your question here
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The difference in prestige between VCU and UNC-CH is minimal. I would save your money and go for VCU. If she decides to change out of pre-med, she can do fine with a VCU degree.
Show her the compounded interest if you were to put that tuition into investments for 4 years. Back of the envelope (7% interest) is well over $200K. This is a lot of money that can be spent on future things.
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Are you instate for VCU? The only knock I have is that that their med school tuition is too high for non-residents so whatever you save for undergrad should actually be saved to be used for OOS tuition at 60k.
Several of our friends kids from Houston have attended VCU. One of them is graduating now and starting their residency. Another one graduated early and went to Baylor and is currently in Ortho residency. I assume their undergraduate is training them well in order for this person to have been able to get into Baylor and also do well there to get into a tough residency.
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Fit is important and UNC-CH and VCU are very different. VCU doesnât have a traditional campus and there are buildings spread around the city. That could be a big deal to some people⊠$200K and a risk of not getting into med school big deal? Not in my mind, but Iâm not the one going to college or paying for it⊠
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WellâŠif the student is instate for UVA and WM, then they would be instate for all VA public universities.
@texaspg the OP posted that upstream. Student was also accepted at UVA and WM.
I thought I posted thisâŠbut I would have this student visit UVA againâŠhow does she for sure know that there are no cliques at UNC CH. these are both great and large flagship universities where any student should be able to find their tribe.
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Thanks, missed the part about getting into UVA and W&M as instate since they were never stated as options under consideration.
I am not sure UNC is considered higher than UVA prestigewise to pay OOS tuition there. I know a freshman attending from Houston because their cost was lower than UT due to several scholarships and the added research opportunities given to them as a premed before starting school. It may be worth if predefined research opportunities are part of the admission for a premed.
It is a good idea to attend a flagship type school if there is a possibility to change mind in terms of doing something other than medicine.
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Yes, we are in-state.
We are visiting UVA again this weekend.
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If she still doesnât love UVA, I would see if sheâll consider W&M before choosing UNC. Are her brothers still there? If not, it may feel different on campus now that they are gone. Kids who donât vibe with UVA often love W&M.
My D21 thought she wanted to differentiate from her sister at W&M. We visited when her sister was not on campus and she was like, âI canât deny that this is a great fit.â The two have had very different experiences there, but both are thriving.
I also love Richmond, but havenât visited VCU. I think your daughterâs dilemma is a good one to have!
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This. Iâve said this before in other threads on the subject but I personally know three academically outstanding UNC undergrads (all in-state) who are now in various stages of med school & residency. Not one of them were able to get directly into medical school from undergrad without doing additional years of research and/or post-undergrad degrees in related fields. One did get into UNCâs medical school after a couple of years in a post-undergrad program at another university. It doesnât appear that UNC undergrad had any more pull than doing the additional programs, research and clinical hours. Also in the group of these doctors is an outlier who went to UGA for undergrad. Her med school/residency journey was the same as the UNC grads.
UNC certainly has the public U prestige but itâs not the be-all-end-all. For OOS cost, I wouldnât choose it over the opportunity at VCU. As tsbna said, itâs not worth the additional cost just to be a Tar Heel.
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I donât understand the push for UVA or W&L. If your daughter is truly interested in medical school and has a scholarship to VCU, then the cost savings at VCU offset any perceived âprestigeâ from other schools. For example, my wife went to the University of Memphis for undergrad (ever heard of it?). She also went to medical school and has practiced for over two decades. The name on the degree is not what matters. It is what you do with it that does.
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UNC all the way! When I was in high school, I was 95% sure I wanted to be a doctor also. Then I went to college and took biology. At 17, theyâre still kids and they donât know what they want yet. Guaranteed acceptance is good, but chances are, sheâll probably major in business, or even computer science. As far as the âweed outâ classes, sheâs going to find that at every university. In fact, âweed-outâ courses are your friend. Theyâre the kind of courses that stretch you to really understand the material.
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