Chance and Match me plz (rewritten) [PA, pre-med, 3.8UW/4.2W, 1510, PSAT 1490 possible NMSF, <$60k]

Chance Me / Match Me
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103

Right now my updated list is:

  • Penn State
  • Drexel (applying to their BSMD)
  • Pitt (applying to their BSMD as well as honors college)
  • Case Western (applying to their BSMD)
  • Emory (applying to merit scholarships)
  • Vanderbilt (applying to merit scholarships)
  • Rice (applying to merit scholarships)
  • WashU (applying to merit scholarships)

I understand that my reaches are very tough to get into and that even if I get in, I may not be able to afford it. However, I do want to apply just to see what options I have. I also have a spreadsheet of all of their deadlines and types of admissions as well as cost (tuition + housing and fees, how much merit scholarship they give on average to students without need, what percent of students without need get merit scholarships, etc.)

I am predicting that I will most likely end up at Pitt but hoping to end up at one of my reaches even if they may not be the most realistic.

104

As long as you are ok as a Pitt student - regular - meaning sans Honors. You’ll be fine.

And if you wanted to pivot last minute, even at this time of year, there will still be affordable schools taking apps.

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105

I think that this is a good list, and a better list compared to what you had at the beginning of this thread.

Your current list has three very good safeties, two of which are public in-state schools, and at least one of which is private but in-state with possible merit aid (obviously the BSMD part is not a safety, but I am assuming that they might reject you for BSMD and accept you for a bachelor’s degree). You have reaches which at least might provide merit aid, although I think that they are reaches both for admissions and for aid. Any university on this list can prepare you very well to apply to medical schools, and can alternately prepare you for a wide range of alternate careers if you decide not to pursue an MD or DO degree.

If you get into one of your reaches but with no merit aid, then please remember that you need to budget for a full 8 years of university, the last 4 years will be expensive, and you can get to medical school from your affordable safeties. I doubt that your chances of ending up in a very good MD or DO program will vary in any significant way regardless of which of these very good schools you end up attending, and the budget will matter.

I think that you are doing well, and I am still just slightly jealous of your excellent SAT score. Best wishes with this.

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