Regarding test scores, you may want to submit your three AP scores. It’s good validation that you can do the work, especially if your high school isn’t well known to the colleges you’re applying.
This should be zero assuming there are schools that will make your parents budget. Say the budget and we can provide. Yes, there are OOS schools cheaper than in state Rutgers.
You don’t need loans - not easy to pay back and you have grad school coming to boot.
Good luck.
The very large majority of students who start university thinking “premed” end up doing something else. However, you do not want finances to be the thing that keeps you from applying to or attending medical school. Absolutely, you need to budget for a full 8 years of university.
If you do end up in any patient-facing role in healthcare, then the ability to speak more than one language fluently will be a plus. One NP I know very well has told me that she thinks that being strong enough in Spanish to treat patients who only speak Spanish has been helpful for every job that she has ever had.
And one of the many reasons that some premed students end up on a different path is that some decide that they would rather go into research. There are of course a lot of career options, and you will be exposed to some of them in university.
I also see volunteer experience in a medical environment, which is very good for someone thinking about premed as a possibility.
Completing four years of the very tough premed courses, and getting medical experience, and studying for the MCAT, and applying to and getting accepted to medical schools, and getting through four years of very tough medical school, adds up to a HUGE amount of effort and a huge commitment of time and energy. I think that giving up on a sport is probably an entirely reasonable and sensible decision to make. We all have only so much energy and only so much effort that we can put into life, and the premed part of life looks like the priority right now. To me this makes a lot of sense.
Given your superb academic results, I am a bit surprised that I do not see any SAT or ACT score in the post. I understand that you are applying to test optional schools. Do you have SAT or ACT scores? Did I just miss this?
Universities at least in my experience do not penalize you for what high school you went to. The state of your high school is not your doing. I do not think that this will hurt you for admissions. Congratulations on doing very well in the high school that you got to attend.
Do be aware that when you get to premed classes in university, your classes will be full of very strong students, many of whom had attended competitive high schools and had needed to develop good study skills. Things like attending every class, sitting near the front, always paying attention, starting homework early, keeping way ahead in all of your homework, keeping a list of what homework you need to get done, and seeking out help early if you are unsure about anything, are skills that you will want to develop in university if you haven’t already needed to do so up to now. I do recall knowing multiple students when I was an undergraduate student, including me, who needed to learn these skills and the earlier that you learn them the better off you will be.
One other thing that I wonder about is whether you should throw in one more application to an “even safer than Rutgers” in-state public university, for example in case it comes in significantly more affordable compared to the schools already on your list. However, if you get into BU ED this point might be moot.
Best wishes. To me it sounds like you are doing well.
oh yeah thats the plan. thanks for the advice!
with all honesty, i did take the SAT, but i took it the start of my junior year while barely studying. I scraped a 1350 and called it a day, but back then, my list was much less competitive. over the past year i refined my list more and final found matches but this summer i had an internship as well as a full time job for all of august (not including volunteering every night from 7-11 pm). i decided to go test optional because i felt as if my applications is decent enough that i dont really need a test score, as much as it would help. I put my focus and energy into my supps and personal essay instead. kinda a screw up on my end but atp what can i do ![]()
You need a test at schools where the majority test. Don’t forget, those that don’t test have a hook - first gen, athlete etc. If you score is below average then you wouldn’t but that is a fine score for many schools and can get you added merit.
That you didn’t build the list with budget in mind (well we don’t know the budget) is what’s scary.
But a 1350 should be submitted at many schools.