<p>Back to the drawing board( it is what it is) we will be concentrating on state schools and some private colleges.
We want to be smart about it and maximized my daughter chances for the best college.</p>
<p>^Sorry to hear that, but the good news is that there is still a long time left in the admissions process.</p>
<p>Just my opinion, but I think that rather than trying to figure out which would be the best school to get her into med school down the road, instead concentrate on finding a college where she can be happy and thrive, one that will suit her academic and social needs and that you can afford.</p>
<p>From the information you’ve given so far, it seems like you should be looking at: </p>
<p>CA publics
WUE schools
Privates where her stats place her in the tip top of the applicant pool so that she is in range for merit aid. Check for those schools that have merit designated for URM candidates, these are often schools that have a more difficult time recruiting minority applicants due to location.</p>
<p>CJ:</p>
<p>sorry, I didn’t think of it before, but your D might consider the ACT. Some kids just do better on one test or the other. ACT is more straightforward than SAT, but speed is at a premium.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>^Yes, my D. did better in ACT, than SAT and we know the reason. The science section is for slower readers with very high comprehension, just like my D. This section is a chance to compensate for low Reading section score.
There is a good student/college match for every single one of them, though, and score has very little to do with it. Trying to get thru locked door might be a waste of time while there are plenty of wide opened that will present you with opportunities way beyond your expectations. Worthwhile to research instead of focusing on bringing that score up.
Best wishes!</p>
<p>To the OP: To my knowledge, merit scholarships are quite small(not more than a few thousand dollars) at all of the UC’s and Cal States. Consider adding some privates that are known for good merit scholarships–such as USC, or Tulane. </p>
<p>BTW–I know that UC-Riverside can be a GPA-killer for pre-meds. Check out the grade-deflation noted on gradeinflation.com.</p>
<p>^Unfortunately her test scores are not going to be competitive for merit at USC, and likely not Tulane either.</p>
<p>I know that UC-Riverside can be a GPA-killer for pre-meds.</p>
<p>I think all the Calif publics can be GPA-killers for pre-meds. :(</p>
<p>With a M+CR in the 1000 range, merit scholarships are not likely at any good schools.</p>
<p>The family needs to determine how much they can pay each year and find schools that are within that budget and will accept her. </p>
<p>Alabama is the highest ranked school (#75) that I know will accept her - if she applies soon. Bama is lenient early in the app season). If she were to apply now, she’d have her acceptance within a couple of weeks after transcripts/scores are sent. </p>
<p>Grading is reasonable, but all pre-med pre-reqs will be challenging at any good school. None are a cakewalk.</p>
<p>Bama has a brand new science complex (over 600,000 square feet of new science buildings - with 200,000 more being added within 18 months). </p>
<p>Here’s a picture of Phase II of the new science complex (there are 4 phases…3 are now complete…the 3rd phase has just been completed…the 4th completes June 2013)
[Earmark</a> loss won’t halt construction | TuscaloosaNews.com](<a href=“http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20110116/NEWS/110119728]Earmark”>http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20110116/NEWS/110119728) </p>
<p>For an out-of-state student, tuition is about $21k, regular dorms are about $5k, meal plans vary by choice, so an OOS student could attend for about $32k for tuition, room, board, books, misc.</p>
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<p>Not really. MCB, one of the more popular premed majors at Cal, has a mean gpa of 3.4, significantly higher than the mean gpa of the school. Heck, that gpa is even higher than some Lit majors.</p>
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<p>For the average Riverside student, yes, bcos R awards less A’s overall and particularly n the sciences relative to other higher ranked schools. Riverside accept 2000 students with below a 3.0 hs gpa (uw). Approximately 25% of the admittees to R had a <1500 SAT. Only 30 students (out of 4200) matriculated with a SAT score of 2100+. If a typical (high achieving) premed can’t set a curve in Riverside…</p>
<p>But anyone with Cal/UCLA numbers, which would earn a Regents at R, can cruise thru R (or Merced).</p>
<p>*But anyone with Cal/UCLA numbers, which would earn a Regents at R, can cruise thru R (or Merced). *</p>
<p>true…but we’re discussing THIS student who doesn’t have Cal/UCLA numbers. I think this student would have a hard time getting the GPA needed at any UC. She seems to have some test-taking challenges or her high school has serious grade-inflation. </p>
<p>I have a relative at UCLA who wants to be a doctor, but is having to reconsider based on his GPA. He had a 4.4 GPA from a strong private high school and a 2100 SAT. His GPA in college is about a 3.5 cum/3.4 science which isn’t great when you’d be in the mega-competition for a med school seat. I do think he would have had a better GPA at non-UC.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t use the mean GPA of a MCB major at Cal as some kind of example because that’s a self-selecting group of high stats kids to begin with. </p>
<p>Since this student has an interest in the medical field, I think she should go to a school that she could start in pre-med, and if that proves to be too challenging, then she could switch to nursing or similar.</p>
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This is an interesting point if such a major really has more high stats kids. DS was in a similar major at another school. We kind of know his rank in his graduating class, but do not know his rank in his major. However, there appear to be more PBKs from his major year after year, but I do not know whether their mean GPA is indeed higher. Some students from his school posted (here) in the past that more than 80% from that major are premeds and the premed drop out rate seems to be not very high.</p>
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<p>Yeah I’ve read that ‘argument’ on Cal’s web page but to me, it makes no statistical or logical sense. Unlike some majors at the UCs where you have to apply in – Haas for example – anyone with a C average can major in MCB. Thus, it makes perfect sense that Haas students will have a 3.6+ upon graduation bcos it takes a 3.6+ to transfer into the b-school as a Junior. </p>
<p>The fact is that MCB gives out more A’s than some other departments at Cal, including science departments – even more than the Philosophy department. If all of the so-called “weaker” students majored in regular bio or some other STEM field, word would quickly get around and then the top premeds in MCB (aka “high stat kids”) would quickly flood that department to compete against the ‘lower stat kids’ for even more A’s. Why would they stay in MCB to only have to fight the curve with other "high stat kids’?</p>
<p>ALL majors self-select. But, that doesn’t explain why MCB has a higher mean gpa than say, Philosophy. </p>
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<p>Entirely possible, but it would depend on the non-UC. :)</p>
<p>Competition is quietly brutal at grade-inflated Stanford, for example. Other top schools of that caliber are 99% really, really bright kids. Dropping down a notch, USC has plenty of gunners (courtesy of the NMSF scholarships). Thus, gotta pick your poison!</p>
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I think you have a good point here. Premeds are the group of students who pay more attention to “grade efficiency” tricks (less academic work while keeping medical school worthy GPAs) so that they can afford more time than their competitors to build up their ECs.</p>
<p>Another similar myth that has been romored is that psychology or some soft version of neuroscience are “good” for premeds (in the sense of “gaming the system – i.e., less academic work, better grades.”)</p>
<p>^^It only makes sense. Who doesn’t ask their buddies on campus which classes the D1 athletes, particularly the money sports – football, basketball and hockey – are taking? :)</p>
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<p>At my D’s school, Neuro has the highest number of requirements than any other major. The difference between neuro at her school and a bio major is only a couple of classes.</p>
<p>Sure, psych is a social science, but so is sociology, anthrology and all of the other ‘ologies’. Personally, I found “theories” about learning extremely boring…</p>
<p>I think it is important that your daughter choose a college/University that "fits’ her best and that you can afford it. I would not pick a school for a pre med reason as a large majority of those who start College as pre med do not end up as medical students. I assume when you say that you do not qualify for financial aid that you understand that the yearly costs of a UC will be around 30K or more and that a Private institution will probably cost 50K+? Your daughter’s GPA is decent if it represents a rigorous level of courses (AP’s) but is not stellar. The SAT score is an average score. Subject test scores? Colleges such as UCLA, Boston College and North Carolina are not likely to be options. Merit money requires the student to be in the top 25% or more of the applicant class so if such money is important you should be looking at colleges where your daughter fits that demographic.<br>
The California state schools are not good with merit. I would look at some smaller private colleges. If you are in SOCAL I would look at schools such as Whittier. UCR and the Cal States are reasonable places out of your list for your daughter to apply to.<br>
To answer your original question I would probably pick BC out of your list of schools if money was no object and I wanted to go to medical school.</p>
<p>Nobody majors in something to get a high GPA for Med. School or anything else. They choose major because of interest and they change it becasue they either discover that they were incorrect in initial understanding of what this major is or because they cannot handle challenges.<br>
Low college GPA is not what you want no matter what the goal. But if the major is tough, but you like it anyway, then just try harder. No UG major requires genius, average person should be fine although sometime efforts are required to be above average.</p>
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<p>Miami, I’m sure you didn’t mean to make this exclusive, as no student ever. :)</p>
<p>The simple fact is there ARE students who choose a major for maximizing gpa – that is particularly true for law schools which is ~50% gpa (and ~50% lsat). Prelaws at Cal Berkeley are foolish to choose philosophy where the mean gpa is a <3.3 when they could major in Poli Sci with a mean gpa of ~3.6. (But while majoring in poli sci, they can still take Philosophy courses, however, preferably P/F, so as not to kill their gpa.)</p>
<p>I don’t think a 3.5 from UCLA needs to reconsider med school. Depending on his year in school, if he is a junior, then make some changes and kick up the grades senior year, that can bump him 0.1 or 0.2. In either case, CA schools are crazy competitive and have very high numbers, but schools across the county take CA kids, apply early & broadly, with a strong MCAT & the usual profile, there is no reason he cannot find an OOS school (likely private) to fulfill his dream.</p>
<p>BlueBayou’s quote from another thread…</p>
<p>*UC advising is horrible. Other publics maybe/probably are much better. *</p>
<p>I agree. And with the unimpressive med school acceptance rate, no Committee Letters, and often harsh grading, I would not suggest that this student go to a UC.</p>
<p>"The simple fact is there ARE students who choose a major for maximizing gpa "</p>
<p>-I have never heard this. how you can tolerate and even get a high GPA in something that you hate? what you are going to do with it if you do not get into Med. School? What a miserable way to spend 4 years of college.</p>
<p>^^A major selected for maximizing a GPA isn’t always something one hates; it might be something one is Ok with but not in love with. Something one neither likes nor hates. Kinda meh. The lesser of evils. And so forth.</p>
<p>I can see this happening. There are many kids who have a wide range of interests. They’re just as interested in subject C as subject R. Major can be a merely a matter of convenience.</p>
<p>I majored in something as an undergrad that I was not passionate about. I majored in it because I thought it was a moderately interesting field but mostly because it came very easily to me. Got exceptional grades without a lot of effort. Went on to get a MA in the same field because it was easy, but quit short of completing my PhD when I realized if I finished my doc that I was going to actually have to work in this field for the rest of my life and didn’t want to.</p>