j814wong

Among the following, which is best for PreMed?
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
University of Maryland - College Park
Boston University
Emory University
George Washington University

What qualifies as best for me.
-Non-hostile and non-cutthroat competition. It does not have to be friendly as long as no one is out to get me or hostile towards competition.
-Moderately rigorous PreMed requirement courses. I don't want the PreMed courses to be too hard overall but I don't want them to be too easy either.
-Supportive and informative Premed advising services.
-Ample research and shadowing opportunities.

ucbalumnus

Do you have cost constraints? Have you checked the net price calculators?

Medical school is expensive, so if money is not effectively unlimited, saving money and avoiding debt in undergraduate may allow you to get through medical school with less debt.

j814wong

I've considered costs. UNC with the Carolina Covenant would be the best deal if I am accepted to UNC and do decide to attend. The second best might be UMaryland - CP with their Maryland Pathways program. Third might be Boston University based on this data. Freshmen Who Received BU Need-Based Scholarships Financial Assistance | Boston University

I'm also applying to Cornell and they have really good financial aid for accepted students.

happymomof1

How good are your stats? Would any of these work for you?

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mom2collegekids

-Moderately rigorous PreMed requirement courses. I don't want the PreMed courses to be too hard overall but I don't want them to be too easy either.


No decent school has "easy" courses that satisfy pre-med req'ts. The Bio, Chem, OChem, and Physics classes are weeder classes at good schools.

Are you instate for UNC-CH?

Are you low income?


I'm also applying to Cornell and they have really good financial aid for accepted students.

Not exactly... Cornell has good FA for those who QUALIFY for the amount of aid that they need. The FA would not be good for those who don't qualify for the amount that they need.



Academic Performance
GPA on 4 scale: 3.79 unweighted

Testing
SAT Math: 710 (Waiting for grades. Expect a improvement.)
SAT Critical Reading: 700 (Waiting for grades. Expect improvement.)
SAT Writing: 770 (Waiting for grades.)


Have you gotten new scores yet?

You have a 1410 Math + CR. Cornell only uses the M+CR.


How much will your family pay each year?

Where have you appled where you know for sure that you will get large merit scholarships?

j814wong

mom2collegekids, I didn't mean easy as in being easy to pass. I should clarify that I meant in terms of grading. Some schools are known for a good deal of grade deflation which could really hurt unless one is consistently at the top of class and that is my concern.

I'm from New York but I know that it is possible for out of state students to qualify for the Carolina Covenant program. Since my grades seem to be above average of accepted students, I hope I'll be able to get in as a Carolina Covenant scholar. It's one of the more desirable colleges after Cornell.

As for Cornell, I'm elligible for the financial aid based on my family income, assets, and other relate information. So I'm confident that if I am accepted, my financial aid from them will be good.

I've gotten my new scores. Math: 740, Reading: 700, Writing: 770. My total is now 2210. My weighted GPA on a 100 scale is 98.63. My school weights very little so even after weighting, the GPA doesn't jump up tremendously. I've also recieved my class rank which is 21 out of a senior class of 958

I've also applied to the state school where I'm sure to get in so if other colleges end up being too exspensive, I have a "last resort" option. I'm sure I'll get a good deal of aid from that school.

j814wong

happymomof1, my unweighted GPA on a 4 scale is 3.79. My weighted GPA on a 100 scale is 98.63. I rank 21 in a class of 958. My SATs superscored are math: 740, reading: 700, Writing: 770.

Thank you for your suggestions but I'm not interested in those colleges.

PackMom

UNC-Chapel Hill is very difficult to get in for out of state students.

halcyontimes

UNC-CH or Emory.

Take GWU off your list. All the other schools you mentioned are great.

kevinc2

I would suggest Emory. You will probably get a lot of excellent research opportunities from Emory Med School, Public Health School, and CDC. Also, you can take advantage of shadowing opportunities from Emory hospital (or any other school on your list with university hospitals except maryland). Avg class size is smaller in Emory as well which would help you get those letters of rec and more supportive faculty.

j814wong

How competitive are the students at Emory? Cutthroat, laid back, or in the middle?

mom2collegekids

Emory's School of Medicine receives over 40 applications for each of its SOM seats. Although you're asking about pre-med, I think that since many/most of their pre-meds would also like to get accepted to the SOM, the atmosphere would be rough as students are all vying for the limited number of A's in the BCMP courses.

Since you're interested in financial aid, have your parents used the Net Price Calculator on Emory's website to see if they would get the aid that they would want?

j814wong

Thanks for the info. Perhaps Emory might be too competitive for me from what I'm reading. When I have the time, I plan on visiting Emory to get a feel for the atmosphere. That may help with my decisions.

I haven't ran the Net Price Calculator yet but I plan to do that as well.

dblazer

I'm not really sure about the pre-med at all the schools, but I would consider taking Boston off the list as it's known for grade deflation.

j814wong

Thanks dblazer. Do you know anything about Boston College's policies?