State universities are fine for pre-med students. Med school pre-reqs can be taken at just about every 4 year college in the US with exception of art & music conservatories.
I like state universities for pre-meds because they offer a wide range of majors which will allow a student to explore their interests, plus public universities are usually a student’s most cost effective option.
The price of one’s undergrad education is an issue that all hopeful premed must consider since med school is hideously expensive (It’s around $75-100K/year now at many schools and costs are rising at ~5%/year. ) There is little financial aid for med students except for loans, loans and more loans.
TFA is still very competitive. I think only one of every 4 or 5 applicants is accepted.
AmeriCorps is another very good post-graduation service opportunity. There are some medically related positions offered thru AmeriCorps.
One of D2’s BF from HS decided after working for a few years after college that she wanted to do medicine. She did a career changer post-bacc at Bryn Mawr College and then spent a year in AmeriCorps during her glide year where she worked with HIV/AIDs patients doing outreach, education, and assisted getting them enrolled in health insurance programs.