In theory, maybe. My family has assets (including land ownership and several properties) and my parents have previously mentioned selling some of them to help cover tuition costs if needed. However, I neither expect nor want them to do that - I have a younger brother who will begin college the year I graduate from undergrad. Our current plan is for my parents to cover my undergrad in full while I work jobs and land paid internships to save for med school. They’ll contribute as much as they reasonably can toward my med school tuition, and I’ll be responsible for the remainder. I’ll graduate with debt for sure, but the return on investment will be worth it. Hopefully I will pay off tuition in 5-7 years, assuming I follow a strict repayment plan to limit interest and such.
This is all assuming I go to Emory, as it’s the only school I would pay 95k per year for. Otherwise, I’ll lean towards merit scholarships (hopefully at CWRU).
There have been recent changes to the limits for educational loans. I believe the amount is now limited to $200k. When medical school can often cost upwards of $100k/year, that means that there is nearly $200k of med school cost that you and your family would need to find a means of funding. Additionally, I believe that the interest will start accruing immediately and not just upon graduation. I will tag people who are better-informed than myself on the subject.
What is it that you like about Emory? And if it’s the only school that you/your family would be willing to pay $95k/year for, then I’d recommend eliminating Boston College and Northwestern from your list (as well as eliminating nearly all of the low and lower probability schools from consideration that I mentioned, with the possible exceptions of Case Western and Tulane).
Run the numbers on how realistic it is to save up for medical school costs as a new BA/BS graduate. Also run the numbers of how you will pay off medical school debt on a psychiatrist’s pay (psychiatrist is not one of the more highly paid medical specialties).
Consider also that, as a Texas resident, the cost of a Texas public university for undergraduate plus a Texas public medical school would be about as much as attending Emory for undergraduate. If your parents will fund that amount, consider how much more professional and personal freedom you will have as a new physician out of medical school and residency who does not have to chase money every time due to the debt burden.
Is this during undergrad and/or gap years? Either way, I would be careful not to over estimate how much you can realistically save (relative to costs).
All med schooll loans–both federal student AND private loans (which you’ll need since med school costs can run considerably higher than $50K/year) --start accruing interest the day the loan is disbursed.
Unless you start paying off the the interest immediately, the interest will accrue and capitalize. (Roll over to become part of the loan base so that you’ll be paying interest on the loan plus all unpaid interest on the loan going forward.) It quite common to double the base amount of a med school loan by the end of residency if you opt to defer the beginning of loan repayment until residency is completed. ( IOW, during deferment you won’t be required to make loan payments, but interest will continue to accumulate and capitalize.)
The biggest private lender for med school—Sallie Mae only allows 4 years of loan deferment for residency. 4 years is long enough to complete a psychiatry residency but will not allow you to enroll in any fellowship program should you want to get further credentials or sub specialize. (Ex. child & adolescent psych, addiction medicine, geriatric psych, forensic psych, consultation -liaison psych, brain injury medicine or hospice/palliative care medicine.)
Most pre-med typical jobs do not pay much more than minimum wage. Don’t over-estimate how much money you’ll be making.
Several things jump out in your post. The one that concerns me a bit:
My understanding is that anorexia is at least partly stress related. My understanding also is that fully recovering from it is not easy (I do know someone who appears to be 100% recovered from it, but this may be a bit unusual).
No one needs to take 17 AP classes. Whether this is the right thing for you is something that you might want to think about (you might still be able to switch to a few easier classes for next year). However, medical school and becoming a psychiatrist is a long and demanding path, and you need to take it as a marathon and not a sprint. Learn to take things at your own pace. Learn to find things to NOT do. No one can do everything. Many highly successful people have needed to learn to take time off from time to time, and have needed to learn to pace themselves.
At some level getting accepted to a highly ranked university such as Emory might be similar. For some of us it might be on the path to becoming an MD and then a psychiatrist. However, it is definitely not necessary to attend a highly ranked undergraduate university nor to take 17 AP classes in high school on the way to becoming a psychiatrist.
This is a very reasonable and very worthwhile goal.
However, from the time that you arrive in university until you graduate with an MD and they call you “Doctor”, is 8 full years of university. Then there is another 4 years of psychiatric residency (if I remember this correctly).
Medical school is expensive. It is way easier to save money on the cost of the first four years (undergrad) rather than during the last four years (medical school).
“unweighted 4.0”, 17 AP’s, and “top 20%” to me seems like a strange combination. 17 AP’s is a LOT, I might think “no one should do this”, and it is hard to imagine a school where 20% of the student body pulls this off.
Regardless, I think that Emory is a reach. I also think that it is not clear that your chances of making it to medical school will change at all regardless of whether you attend Emory, or TAMU, or any of the other schools that you mentioned above, or a different in-state public university. There are a lot of universities that are very good for psychology – it is a common major. There are a lot of universities that are very good for premed students – it is a common intention.
Of the universities that you mentioned in your original post, I do not see any safety. I see a list of very good highly ranked schools. Really you can get a bachelor’s degree at any one of a huge list of schools and still be on-track for medical school, if that turns out to be the right path for you.
For right now, I think that the number one job is to focus on your health, and I think that finding ways to reduce stress is part of this. This might very well involve finding things that you really do not need to do.
In terms of becoming a doctor, you can be on track to do this at any one of at least a couple of hundred different colleges and universities, and you really do not need to focus on highly ranked schools. Instead finding an affordable school where you will feel comfortable as a student is important.
And life is not a race, we are not all in a hurry to get to the end of it. If you want or need to take some time off that is entirely okay as well.
And regarding the cost of medical school, I think that unless your parents can afford something in excess of $800,000 per child for education you should be planning to save money on your undergraduate education, with the intent of saving money to use for medical school. The most effective way to save money on your undergraduate education is likely to be finding a school that is less expensive, either because it is an in-state public university or because of merit aid (or need based aid, but that does not appear to apply to you, nor to many very strong students who I know).
I think, of all students who come to this board, this student shouldn’t worry too much about med school costs since her family has assets&income. So I think we can set aside the matter of medical school costs in this case, since her parents sound able and willing to cover all costs linked to education.
@xjswx : your ECs are fine and your academics excellent. Your issue will be class rank, only to the extent it would bar you from the top Texas public universities but your school should be able to give you advice on those public universities that can be considered targets and safeties.
Your challenge will be building a good list of targets and likelies that you like.
Trinity, Rice… Should definitely be on your list imho, try to go and visit if you can, official visits to get on their mailing list. Same thing if you like Emory (definitely get on their mailing list, click on what they send, try to go&visit if you can.)
Unfortunately, my school is very very competitive and notorious for 1) an extremely toxic student body that is completely focused on maxing out their course load + gpa 2) several students per year (upwards of 20) going to HYPSM + Caltech
Would you say that my ECs are the main problems for Emory? I’m weirdly attached to the school, but if I do end up at a public state uni, I’d be fine with it in the end I think.
Yes, the universities I listed were really shots in the dark. I kind of just wanted to see how likely I was to gain admission to one of them. My college list on CommonApp is a lot more diverse and curated by my college admissions counselor.
Your ability to present yourself and write compelling essays will make the difference. You clearly have a very demanding schedule, a strong academic background, and interesting ECs. Do NOT do what your cut throat classmates down whatever that is, don’t follow their pack so to speak… make yourself different. Rice might think, “ok, 2 from this school plus that original one”.
Is Rice a slam dunk? No, but you already knew that.
It’s not an auto reject/an impossibility imho so if you like it after visiting keep in mind they introduced ED2 last year (and if you’re not admitted ED2 they may review your app for RD. I’m assuming Emory= ED1.)
Would you/your family be willing to pay $95k/year for Rice? If not, I would not apply as I think that receiving any merit aid from them would be highly unlikely.
Are you willing to share what those other colleges are? Also, can you comment on what it is that you particularly like about Emory?
If you are going to make decisions based on a belief, you need to ask why. Have you talked with your guidance counselor to get a professional opinion about your prospects of getting into Rice, based on the school’s experience with other students in the past?
Rice is obviously a highly rejective school because they have way more applicants than they have spots - including interest from internationals, who are about 13% of the enrollment. We may see interest in coming to America dropping off, which would open up some spots. So, it’s easy to look at a place that is rejective and think you have no chance. I have 2 grandkids who have attended Rice. One graduated 2 years ago and the other is there now. At first glance, they weren’t both automatic admits. This experience has led me to believe that Rice does a deep dive into the holistic assessment, looking beyond just the numbers. You have a great story to tell and aspirations to help others. That alone is compelling.
My two grandkids came from a high school much like yours, i.e. lots of high achievers, very competitive, many Ivy League and similar every year. So, Rice seems to value taking applicants from that kind of background, which is the same kind of background as yours. These are among the things that Rice says are very important to them in assessing applicants for admissions:
Rigor of secondary school curriculum - You have that in spades.
*Academic GPA * - You have a 4.0 UW. You can’t do much better than that. Character/Personal Qualities - Your story speaks to this in a compelling way. Recommendations - I think that these should speak to the just above. That’s the schools best access to information related to character & personal qualities - and your essays.
I am not saying that you should assume that you will be accepted at Rice. No one can assume that at a school which only accepts 8% of its applicants. But I also think that you can’t assume you will be rejected. You are a very strong candidate anywhere. I am saying that Ruce is worth an application on your part not only because you are a strong candidate but also because it has a lot to offer you. I second the recommendation of others that you would be well advised to apply there.
Congrats on your outstanding achievements, especially overcoming your health challenges.
You are a strong applicant and have received lots of great advice here.
I’m weighing in only to say that I think the responses here have significantly underestimated your chance of acceptance at UT.
Psychology is in the College of Liberal Arts, which is among the easiest admits (along with School of Education). While overall admission stats suggest that UT is a reach for anyone outside of auto admit, the actual experience of students at many highly competitive schools in state suggests otherwise.
OP attends a highly competitive in state school. My kids have attended 3 different highly competitive in state schools where more than 1/3 of the graduating class is admitted to UT each year. Students at all 3 of these schools with OPs stats would be likely admits to CLA. Even though psychology is a competitive major in CLA, OPs stats and ECs would still make admission likely or low target if her HS is of similar caliber to the schools I’m familiar with.
Not putting this out there to be argumentative with the other commenters. I just think it’s worth understanding that UT admission is not always a reach outside of auto admit, if you have strong stats and attend a competitive in state school and apply to CLA or other slightly “easier” UT schools.
It can be tough for a young person to avoid being drawn into this. We really put way, way too much stress on our high school students in the US. You do not need to play this game, but I understand that it is hard not to get swept up in it.
I think that your ECs are excellent, although it is a long list and again I would encourage you to focus on what you want to do, and not feel that you need to do so much.
I will admit that I have known or had the good fortune to meet a lot of very smart people, and they vary a lot in terms of how much activity is right for them. Some very smart people want to be continuously active with a wide range of activities. Some very smart people need to take time off occasionally, or even relatively frequently. We each are different, and we just need to figure out what is right for us personally.
Regardless, you have shown a long term commitment to dance. You have significant accomplishments with music. I can imagine you playing piano for my elderly grandmother – she would have loved it (she lived a long life and had a good life but is long gone now). Tutoring is good. Working with both elderly patients and kids and collaborating on something related to blood disorders are all good for someone interested in medicine.
Regarding your need to quit dance, I have known a few people who needed to quit either dance or track for sort of nagging health reasons. None was a serious as heart failure. The person I know who appears to have fully recovered from anorexia had to quit long distance running due to health reasons, but now is doing very well and last week I got a photo of her carrying a horse (of course it is usually the other way around – it was a small horse).
Part of the trick is to understand that you do not need to do so much, and you do need to find what is the right level of stress and activity for you.
But in terms of application to Emory my main concern is just that Emory has a 10% acceptance rate. It is a reach for everyone.
And you definitely should not feel that you need to attend a highly ranked university to get into a very good medical school. The students in highly ranked medical schools, and highly ranked PhD programs, and other very good graduate programs, come from a huge range of undergraduate colleges and universities. The best bet is to attend an undergraduate school that is a good fit for you, while making sure that you will be able to afford medical school if you get to that point.
As a 100% safety school, look into Central Texas A&M - you will start as a Sophomore with that many AP, and can transfer after a year to tons of other places, e.g., Texas A&M has about a 60% transfer acceptance rate, but with your resume, I suspect you should have no problems.
If you wanted to try something a bit off the usual path, you likely could, with your current AP, skip year 12, enrol as a sophomore at Central Texas A&M, then transfer. Many don’t know this, but in the US, the Department of Education accepts completing sophomore year, an associate’s degree, etc., as having a high school diploma, so you still effectively graduate HS but have a two-year head start - becoming a doctor is a long, hard haul as it is, reducing the time will help in reaching your goal sooner at less cost. Plus of course no worries about admission essays and other hoopla.
I’m tagging @WayOutWestMom for her opinion here. But I will give mine. Enrolling in medical school at a younger age is not an advantage. In addition, any student thinking about medical school should be doing volunteer work, shadowing, and working some kind of patient facing job/volunteer as a college student. Cramming that into less time really isn’t optimal.
And regarding admissions essays and hoopla, this student will most definitely need to do these when applying to medical school.
AND it is preferable for a medical school applicant to take the required courses for medical school admissions at the four year college where they get their bachelors. It’s fine to take general education courses at a different college or community college…but not really the required courses for medical school applicant.
@bhobba are you saying this student should aim to graduated from undergrad in less than three years, and apply to medical school to start the fall after undergrad graduation?
Generally speaking, you should think of med school as a marathon, not a sprint. The goal isn’t to start out the fastest and be quick to a close finish line, but rather consider the long road ahead and pace yourself because that will greatly increase of making it to the end.
I am simply saying if you have 60 credits, you only need an extra 60 credits, not 120, to graduate and apply to medical school, saving time and money. It’s similar to Running Start programs.
It’s different because Med schools want to see classes from a 4-year college (although students can have a few CC gen ed credits). In addition, they really don’t want young applicants. Most successful Med school applicants take 1-2 glide years (meaning they spend 4 years in college then 1-2 years in research and/or clinical roles while applying to med school). The typical applicant is 24.
Running Start can be used for advanced HS work but then you can use the advanced placement to take more advanced classes, become fluent in a foreign language, get a CNA/EMT certification if you haven’t started on it, research&write a thesis etc.
Rice might think, “ok, 2 from this school plus that original one”.