Chance me/Match me, DC student dreaming of medical school [3.96 GPA, 34 ACT, 1490 PSAT]

Chance Me / Match Me
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Can someone look at my list, see if I’ve chanced it correctly? Also, I’d love other suggestions for schools that might be a fit, especially schools with a lot of merit aid.

My ideal school is an urban school with a medical school, midsized to large, lots of school spirit and a basketball team I can cheer for.

Demographics

  • US citizen
  • Washington DC (so no instate options)
  • Public IB program

Cost Constraints / Budget
I will have about $400K - $450K, but want to save as much as possible for medical school. I’d like to consider pediatric primary care as a speciality, so a large amount of debt would be problematic.

Intended Major(s)
Maybe public health? Otherwise undecided

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

  • Unweighted HS GPA: 3.96/4.0
  • Class Rank: HS does not rank, but I’m near the top
  • ACT/SAT Scores: PSAT 1490, ACT 34, took the SAT yesterday for the first time

List your HS coursework

IB English HL
IB Math Analysis HL
IB Biology HL
IB Spanish HL
IB Chemistry SL
IB World History SL
IB Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay

Extracurriculars

JV (1 year) and Varsity (3 years) basketball, team captain
JV (2 years) Volleyball
Club Basketball (2 years)
School choir
Church Choir
Private music lessons
Multiple musicals
Rescue squad volunteer (2 years)
EMT (getting certified this summer)
Volunteer at clinic for low income, predominantly Latino families
Server at restaurant

Essays/LORs/Other
I think these will be strong.

Schools

  • Assured (100% chance of admission and affordability):
    VCU

  • Extremely Likely:
    Temple

  • Likely:
    Pittsburgh
    Drexel
    Minnesota
    Stony Brook
    Rutgers

  • Toss-up:
    UConn
    UMD - College Park
    Syracuse

  • Lower Probability:
    University of Rochester
    Case Western
    University of Miami

  • Low Probability:
    Tulane
    Boston University
    Northeastern
    Emory
    Georgia Tech
    Vanderbilt
    Penn (Is it worth full tuition in mysituation?)
    Yale (Is it worth full tuition in my situation?)

Tiny chance

Combined BS/MD programs at any of the above schools that have them

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Given that you have $400-500K saved and such great stats, I’d first suggest UAB - it will be cheaper than VCU OOS or Temple. And it’s got top notch medical facilities.

Direct costs are under $29K a year (tuition, room, and board). Merit will be $22.5K a year - so you’re under $8K. And it’s urban.

The second school I might look at is College of Charleston. It’s not cheap - but if you apply for the Charleston Fellows program, my daughter has tuition waived. Still it might be $20K or so to live and there’s no assurance you’d get a full waiver. It’s a subset within Honors. That you help at the clinic for low incomes - you can also apply to be a Ketner Scholar I think. My daughter is one too and started a club for refugees - and there can be some tie ins there. Now Charleston doesn’t have a med school, but MUSC is literally right next door and there’s crossover.

Charleston had great hoops - but the coach left to Louisville - another reasonably priced school just South of a really fantastic downtown - but focus on the ultimate goal, not hoops although Louisville is now in great shape :slight_smile:

To me, UAB makes more sense, given what you described, then anything on your list. Charleston is sort of a “realistic” home run opportunity for you than say a Vandy full tuition scholarship.

There’s no question that many of the other names you mention are bigger - but if you want to save for med school, they don’t work.

Pitt is over $50K a year. UMN is $40K so cost wise better. Arizona is another that can work like UMN. Stony Brook might be cheaper - not sure - but will be very regional.

UCONN (rural) and UMD (short of Banneker Key) will be expensive. And your lower probability schools will likely be pricey as will your low possibility.

You ask about Penn and Yale - perhaps yes if you don’t end up in med school. Otherwise, I’d say no - not even close.

Now Vandy and maybe add a WUSTL, while hail mary’s - you could earn a full tuition scholarship at each - they’d be better options than the Boston schools - WUSTL is not as urban - but close to a lot of things.

It really comes down to - do you truly mean this and want to focus on this - than UAB is a home run and you can be one and done !! It’s has top flight med school facilities.

“I will have about $400K - $450K, but want to save as much as possible for medical school.”

You have a great profile and can go a lot of ways - but you really have to decide if you seek cost or a name. Your MCAT and what you do on campus and off campus (shadowing) will be what gets you to med school, not the school name. The other thing to consider - just because your school does or doesn’t have the med school also does not necessarily give you a better or worse path. People find whys to shadow, etc. - even if in summer.

Best of luck.

PS - one last thought - how about a DO school. You could become a pediatrician that way and then go to a LECOM partner school like Rhodes - @momsearcheng says you can get in under $40K a year. It’s urban. You have St. Judes right there (not sure if any partnering). This way you’ve got a certain path - apply to med school but if it doesn’t work out, you go DO.

I put the LECOM list below. Interesting, UAB is on it - so double win. You might look at Rollins, U Tampa, SUNY Bing (not urban enough - but neither would Stony Brook be), and W Chester PA would be inexpensive.

Best of luck.

College of Charleston | Charleston Fellows

Ketner Emerging Leaders Scholarship Fund - Cougar Scholarship Award System

LECOM-AFFILIATED-COLLEGES-AND-UNIVERSITIES-2-16-24-2.pdf

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There is a BS->MD program in your back yard: https://medicine.howard.edu/sites/medicine.howard.edu/files/2023-04/BSMD%202023%20Information%20Sheet_revNov2022.pdf

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That has to be the worst list of basketball schools I’ve seen anyone put together in a long time. :wink:

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I was thinking that - but other than Rochester, Case and Emory - they all have “potential” including the Ivies…as would UAB, Charleston (which lost Pat Kelsey) and Louisville - three I mentioned with Louisville being the best but of course was a dumpster fire last year.

But yeah.

And there is precedent for choosing schools based on hoops. Without question, I attended Syracuse in large part due to Pearl Washington…stupid in hindsight.

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UConn is most definitely not located in an urban area.

And why do you need a medical school affiliated with your undergrad school? Many medical school applicants come from colleges that don’t have a medical school.

This is a good idea as medical school will likely be $100,000 a year or more.

Have you looked at University of New Mexico? It will be a place where you will get some merit aid, and there are hospitals near enough. And it’s urban.

Now, my opinion…I would take medical school out of your equation for now. You need an undergrad school where you will be happy to be for four years, and that’s really it. Get the best grades you can get.

You can take the required courses for medical school applicants at just about every four year college in this country…arts conservatories excluded.

Many medical school applicants do shadowing during the summer or during a gap year or two after undergrad.

You will need to volunteer with underserved folks, but any urban area will have numerous opportunities to do so.

@WayOutWestMom likely can add to this.

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Loved The Peal. Especially that half court shot in he put in against BC.

I thought that our OP had described Georgetown to a T.

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U of South Carolina would be a great fit!

It is urban
Has a med school
HUGE school spirit
Phenomenal basketball with numerous womens championships
Will give merit (in your case probability lots of merit)

Has an accelerted BS/MD program

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Honestly, I didn’t realize U of SC had a med school. I thought it was just MUSC.

Yep, U of SC can come in under $40K a year - and potentially to $30K.

Not UAB money $8K - but a phenomenal school (and Honors College). And a much bigger sports experience with really strong woman’s hoops.

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Here is a link to a complete list of all BS-MD programs. Some of them will surprise you, such as small liberal arts colleges, Union College and Siena College in New York’s capital region:

https://blog.college vine.com/a-complete-list-of-all-bs-md-programs

For some reason this site won’t let me post the link, but you can get it if you type it into your browser and eliminate the space between college and vine.

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UNM is urban, not far from downtown Albuquerque, though ABQ is not a huge city. (Pop. ~600K) There is a nice campus town area just east of the main campus along Central Ave. with lots of coffeeshops, casual & a few upscale restaurants, breweries, boutique clothing, high end resale, organic foods & groceries, imported goods, an independent theater, etc.

UNM’s med school and hospital is right across the street from the main campus. (Just like it is at the University of Rochester, but UNM is a whole lots less expensive than UR. Less expensive than VCU too. UR is almost $90K/year; VCU OOS is $40K; UNM with guaranteed merit is under $25K.)

UNM’s Children’s Hospital is less than 1/4 from main campus (walking distance, though there is a campus shuttle that will take you there) and it hosts 14 unique pediatric specialty programs.

Your Spanish language skills and experience working with Latino families will be very valuable in Albuquerque.

Another perk… if you graduate from UNM, you automatically get in-state preference at the med school. It’s a new policy that was implemented just this year. UNM is one of the most affordable med schools in the US. UNM SOM instate tuition is just $15k/year; OOS is $44K. A bargain.

As for basketball—Go Lobos! Lobo Men’s Basketball is ranked #1 in the Mountain West Conference right now and has a real chance to go the NCAAs. The Pit is a great basketball stadium and has hosted the NCAA finals and NCAA regional finals in the past.

At URochester (one of my daughters went there) sports just aren’t a thing on campus. When she was there, the hottest sports ticket was for… men’s squash. Really. Only a few students went to the football or basketball games. Mostly it was townies.

Scholarship at UNM–

LUE + (Lobo Undergrad Exchange Plus) is guaranteed merit for 3.0 HS GPA. Gets you instate tuition rates.
Also the Amigo Scholarship – a 3.5 GPA and 23ACT (1130 SAT) OR 3.0 GPA & 26 ACT (1240 SAT) also gets you instate tuition plus an annual stipend.

You will be automatically awarded these scholarships once you apply. There is no additional application required.

The Regents Scholarship is a competitive scholarship and is a true free full ride–you get full tuition & fees paid, plus free housing and meals for 4 years. Regent Scholars have automatic admission to the Honors Program, plus special housing in their own dorm, special seminars staring freshman year, personal mentoring from faculty, early access to research positions, and other perks.

Minimum requirements:
Valedictorian or ACT composite score of 31 or higher (or SAT equivalent)

and
A cumulative sixth (6th) semester grade point average of 3.9 or higher

and
Submit a complete scholarship application by December 1st
Apply for Admission to the University of New Mexico
Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident

The following will also be taken into consideration:

  • National Scholarship Recognition, e.g.: National Merit Finalist, National Hispanic
    Scholar, National Achievement Scholar
  • Enriched college preparatory course work

This a is a competitive program. Only 15 scholarships are awarded each year–but your CV is certainly competitive for it. The Regents requires a separate application

About the Regents Scholars Program

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AMCAS complete listing of BA/MD programs

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Gatech is the worst option for premed. It is engineering school. Why premed there? Do you want lower GPA and OOS tuition?

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I can’t speak to the level of basketball at these schools, but based on your description (and desire for potentially significant merit aid and/or low cost), these are some schools that came to mind:

  • U. of Alabama - Birmingham (already mentioned)
  • U. of Central Florida (Orlando)
  • U. of South Florida (Tampa)
  • Loyola Chicago
  • U. of Louisville (already mentioned)
  • U. of Minnesota - Twin Cities
  • Saint Louis
  • Creighton
  • U. of New Mexico (already mentioned)
  • SUNY Albany
  • U. at Buffalo
  • U. of Cincinnati
  • Ohio State
  • Temple (on your list)
  • U. of South Carolina (already mentioned)
  • U. of Houston
  • Texas Christian

And if you eliminate the need for a school to have its own medical school, the first school that came to mind is Marquette (in Milwaukee and lots of basketball fandom), though Butler (Indianapolis) would be another to consider, though it’s not as urban of a campus as Marquette.

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I know it’s not a great basketball list, but I’d pick urban, or strong premed, or merit aid over basketball. It might be why UConn is on the list even though it isn’t urban.

I love Georgetown. I just don’t know if I can justify the cost. I can sorty of convince myself that the name on a diploma from Yale or Penn might be worth it, but Gtown would be harder.

I also have a lot of love for Howard. One of my parents is an alum there, so I’ve spent a lot of time on campus. I just don’t know that it’s for me. It might just be that it wouldn’t feel like leaving the nest. I might apply.

I will take GaTech off. Do people have thoughts on whether the rest of my list is correct as far as chances?

I am surprised people seem to think I wouldn’t get much aid at VCU or Temple. I know a lot of people who have gotten money there.

I will look at the options that other people have suggested. I particularly like the USC suggestion. My preference is to be driving distance from home.

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You can subjectively decide what’s urban (GW) or not (American), BU or Brandeis, etc.

You can subjectively quantify merit aid - but that’s not really what you seek. You seek low cost. For example, W Carolina may not have merit aid but it’s $20K all in.

But how do you define - is strong in pre med?

You can take pre med classes pretty much at any four year school.

You can definitely get low cost and urban (as I showed below, UAB will be $8K a year) - and some examples are above. Whether or not they are strong in pre med is likely based on the students attending vs. the school itself. Top kids perform well - whether at Georgetown or Georgia Southern. It’s just that more top kids go to Georgetown - so the #s look better.

Good luck.

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I mostly agree with your list and have bolded the schools that I changed (I moved them into likelier categories than they were originally).

In terms of whether Penn or Yale are worth it for full tuition in your situation, how sure are you of going to med school? The more certain you are, the less worth it those schools are (to my mind) when finances are an issue for full pay families.

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To be clear, American is urban enough for me (it’s not a fit for other reasons). I’m not saying that I need the school to be like Temple or GWU where you walk off the campus and are in a downtown area. I want to have regular opportunities, such as volunteering, or a part time job, where I am in urban settings. American is an easy bike or subway ride to lots of places that I could work or volunteer.

So, if a school is similar to American in setting, feel free to suggest it.

How do I define strong in premed? Reputation for good teaching in biology and chem. Good pre-med advising. Opportunities for volunteering, shadowing, research etc . . . that are accessible from campus. Not a school where classes are hard to get into because of crowding, so that people get closed out and need to take 5 years etc . . .

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I am sure enough that I don’t want to choose a school I will regret if I still want medical school when I graduate.

I’ve wanted to go to medical school for a long time, and I’ve really loved my experiences volunteering and shadowing. Is it possible I’ll either find out the path is too hard, or discover something I love even more? Sure. But at this point I’m planning on applying to medical school.

I guess my concern is that I hear that most schools have “weed out” courses with ridiculously low average grades, while the top schools give kids enough support that they all leave with A’s and B’s. It seems to me that with a higher GPA, and the Penn name on my diploma, I might find it easier to get into med school. Choosing Temple over Penn to save money for med school only makes sense if I end up getting into med school.

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In this case, I recommend “rural” Va Tech - why? You can shadow on campus. Plenty immediately off campus - but not cheap.

I think the list I sent b4 with UAB leading the charge is on point.

And potentially checking out LECOM schools like Rhodes.

I think Pitt, UMD, Rochester, Case Western Miami, Tulane, BU, Northeastern Emory, Vandy, Penn, & Yale won’t come in at a comparative cost.

I think most any school will have you covered in bio and chem. Good rep doesn’t necessarily equate to good teaching - there are good and not good profs anywhere.

But UAB is urban, great merit, and a world leading hospital - whether or not UGs can take advantage I don’t know.

But you’d have to research that anywhere.

UMN will be cheaper than most on your list - but again, does having a medical school give you opportunities at that school?

All these schools are good - but all are different.

I don’t agree choosing Temple over Penn is wrong - especially if you major in bio or chem. If it’s a $250K difference, and you’re likely going to grad school of some sort of low wage job, why is Penn better? But let’s see if you even get in there.

But it’s a trade off you’d have to decide up front given the finance differential.

If you’re concerned with weed out, check out the LECOM list I sent - which includes Rhodes, UAB, and more.

It’s in essence, an assurance of med school in a DO program, provided you meet the minimum standards.

Posting again for you to see.

You can still apply to med school while having this as a back stop.

PS - if your concern is simply about getting off campus for a job and other things, check out the McCullough program at Alabama and the LLC for health professionals at FSU - both great schools with low cost - Bama $20K or so for you and FSU low 20s to low 40s .

LECOM-AFFILIATED-COLLEGES-AND-UNIVERSITIES-2-16-24-2.pdf

Program Description – McCollough Scholars