Chance Me/Match Me for Gov major (Grade 12, 3.81 GPA, 1500 'superscore' SAT, VA resident) [prefer <$60k]

Chance Me / Match Me
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It is going to be hard to narrow down this list until you use the NPC with your parents and establish a budget.

I think you are going to be full pay at Rutgers. Is that ok? Keep in mind that medical school is very, very expensive.

There was a time not too long ago when UNC met full need for all OOS students. It seems that now they are meeting need for some, but not all, OOS students. This is a big change.

You really need to use the NPCs in order to determine if an application is warranted. You are lucky to have such great options in your state.

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As a general comment, science curricula in chemistry and biology do not commonly spend much time on medicine. While it would be suitable for you to study the sciences, you may encounter more health-and-society oriented courses in a field like sociology.

Regarding college selection, if you would like to pursue as many of your interests as possible, consider schools with open curricula. Hamilton, in particular, may be worth researching. Among its programs that could align with your interests, Hamilton offers a minor in Jurisprudence, Law, and Justice Studies and a term-length program in Washington, D.C., with associated internships.

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Yes it is! Direct admission.

As for the cost, a huge huge gap in applying so far is I have virtually no access to financial info about my family besides number of properites, annual income, etc. I imagine that $60K is not a hard limit, but I wouldn’t know until I could run the NPC, which I simply can’t based on the info I have.

For the state schools, I do agree with you and that’s why over half my list is exclusively Virginia schools or close by. However, I really like the thought of going out of state as well since I wanted to experience living elsewhere. I’m on the fence about CNU because it doesn’t seem like their school is centered much around either of the degrees I want to pursue, and JMU is just a hard no. I couldn’t see myself being happy with their campus and I don’t want to waste time applying.

For med school, I removed that from my second post because I don’t want to say I’m pre-medicine when in reality, I’m not 100% firm on whether or not I even want to be a doctor. All I know is I really like health sciences, chemistry, and biology, and I would like to formally pursue those in some way. I know the costs and risks associated with medical school and I won’t be throwing money out the window or anything just in case, but I don’t want to make it seem like I’ve already committed.

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I know. This might be strange but I’m more interested in humanities and the sciences as separate disciplines, and I’m not even sure if I want to pursue medical school anymore, which is why I’m a bit annoyed this got looped in with my earlier thread. I left pre-med out on the new post on purpose.

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Tbh I’d absolutely dread staying in NoVA for college, so as of right now, that’s my last option. My family is okay with me going to UVA for all 4 years if I even get in, but to give a rough idea, the school I’m aiming to go to for all of undergrad is William and Mary over all else. I’m a huge fan of everything I’ve heard from them so far.

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Also, can I hear some more that you think would be worth the cost? You mentioned there would be a lot.

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It appears you have expressed a greater interest in social sciences (e.g., the study of government) than in humanities.

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Well, I guess that’s why I’m looking at schools that’re more flexible in terms of classes and majors anyway lol.

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You just confirmed why you should drop all the larger out-of-state public universities. NoVA & even UVa for all 4 years are your dead-last in-state options. Why include schools like Purdue & Rutgers? You should apply to William & Mary ED-I or ED-II plus some of the LACs you are considering.

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I’m holding back on applying ED to anything until I can get finances sorted. I’ve gotten very little communication from my family in terms of money so I wouldn’t want to make a decision like that with such little info.

In retrospect, Rutgers is very likely a school I’ll be crossing off. I was recommended it by a counselor as an easy target, but like I mentioned in my post, the fact that I was waiting for financial aid has delayed my college search process a lot. I don’t know some of the schools I have in my second list extensively.

Purdue stuck out to me because they have a much larger variety of science-related (and especially human physiology-specific) majors that seemed very appealing to me, but it’s not confirmed on my list either.

Also, I apologize if I misphrased anything, but I don’t want to go to NoVA CC lol, so the CC is my last option. I’d be ecstatic to go to UVA for all 4 years.

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Parents, not students, ideally will run the NPC - because you don’t know about every nook and cranny of their situation - assets and more - and many parents don’t want their kids to know.

Close by isn’t in state - from a cost POV.

btw - one of CNU’s highlights is government - and if you look at the curriculum for health studies, you’ll see that will fit too. I put below. The description they give doesn’t but the curriculum does. Look at the core and electives.

One other low cost option. Virginia partakes in the ACM - Academic Common Market - so certain majors at OOS schools can be had at the in state price.

It’s not quite government but would something like Intelligence & Security Studies interest. Coastal Carolina has it in the program.

ETSU has public health included.

There’s a host of majors but those might “fit” and give you more options in case W&M doesn’t happen, etc.

Not in the program but Salisbury would be $30K-ish.

One last thought - what about UVA wise with the UVA transfer option they have?

Anyway, best of luck but given you haven’t discussed with your parents, you need to do that b4 a list. - so don’t imagine if $60K is a hard limit - find out or if that’s even beyond what they want to pay.

You have the stats to go much lower - both in and out of state - at name brand schools too!!!

Health Studies | Christopher Newport University

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The title says pre med. Maybe someone can edit it for you. @momofboiler1 or @DramaMama2021 ??

But govt with Public Health will still likely require grad school of some sort.

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You have a problem! You and your family need to have a serious discussion about college budget ASAP. How much they are willing to spend in year one & project out how much they are willing to spend for four or possibly five or even six years? Tomorrow is October 1st. You cannot afford to wait six months crossing your fingers until April 1st to begin discussions about budget when reviewing multiple financial aid offers. You & your parents must plan ahead!

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Done.

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I’m definitely aware of that (and kind of freaking out over it lol), the problem is my dad controls all the expenses in my house, but he also hasn’t spoken to me in months. I’m going to try and get something worked out this week when we’re all free, if not sooner.

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There are of course a lot of options in this area.

When you or I go to the hospital, of the many medical professionals we see, most are not doctors. There is a huge range. At one point after getting an MRI I happened to be going up the elevator with the guy who had run the MRI machine and we chatted about why he took this path (this was about the same time that my biology major daughter decided medical school was not the right path for her, which did not take her very long). The length of time it takes to become an MD and get through residency was one issue for the MRI guy, along with the cost. Similarly in the hospital they do lab tests and in some cases get back the results in an hour, implying that the people doing the lab work are there somewhere in the same hospital. I am pretty sure that they are not doctors either (and neither are the people who draw blood).

Of course there is a huge range of other options, and a lot of them are working somewhere other than in the hospital.

That same daughter when she got into a lab in university discovered that this was the right place for her. She ended up with a bachelor’s degree in biology, but with a very large amount of experience in a lab. This experience was critical to getting a good job quickly after graduation. I have consistently heard that it is very hard for someone with a bachelor’s degree in biology to get a job, but apparently it is possible at least if you are very experienced in specific types of lab work. At one point while working in a lab, she was working with chemists. They would create synthetic organic chemicals that were hoped to have some specific qualities, and then she would test them with actual cells to see whether the chemicals did what was intended. The chemists were using some software which somehow helped them design chemicals (I do not understand how this works). Presumably someone wrote that software, and hopefully they knew something about chemistry. There are a lot of people involved in these things one way or another, and a corresponding large range of possible careers.

There are lots of options. Some of these (quite a few of these) require some sort of graduate degree and some of which do not.

When you get to university, you will be exposed to a lot of options. At a very wide range of universities there will for example be quite a few different types of research being done. You can try to get involved in something and see what you think. Then try something different. I would expect that some students who are undecided about medical school might try some medical shadowing, and also get involved in some lab research. Then they can decide whether one of these paths is right for them or if they want to look for something else.

I think that this is wise. There is a lot to be said for getting your acceptances in hand with financial details clarified, narrow your choice down to a short list of affordable schools with the offer in hand and knowing what it will cost, and then deciding where to go (with or without a few trips to visit schools that are at or near the top of the list).

In most cases I am not a fan of ED. The exception is where there is one school that is clearly your top choice that you know will be affordable.

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It’s not a question of worth the cost but it was a question of hitting your budget.

Worth the cost is in the eye of the beholder.

I , for one, felt Miami of Ohio - is like a larger W&M - and easier to get into - so that will crush the budget.

But for LACs - you need to go down in selectivity but it doesn’t mean they’re not great. Furman is wealthy and aggressive. Rhodes too. Kalamazoo has the K plan so more flexibility academically. In Ohio, Wooster will likely be lower cost than Oberlin.

St. Mary’s of Maryland has a public policy degree although I don’t see health related courses but you might ask. Their sociology program has some.

I noted College of Charleston - if you get in Honors, you can get money. If you get into the Fellows like my daughter - they sent us a check every semester - it’d be awesome for your majors. At full pop, it’s not good and with merit it easily makes budget but it’s the home run that would crush it.

Brandeis has a Health: Science, Society, and Policy Program but may not be cheaper than the others but has great merit.

Allegheny is big merit - has a Global Health Studies you can combine with poli sci.

Dickinson has health studies you can combine, Susquehanna gets very aggressive and has a healthcare curriculum but it might be less policy.

Really, most LACs under #50 are going to be aggressive. They need you more than you need them and you have $$ so. Rollins College gets aggressive - they have BPH and Poli Sci. Ogelthorpe in Atlanta has Public Health as, it looks like a 2nd major and you can take classes at Emory, Ga Tech, etc. It will match UVA tuition for you.

Two big schools - UNCC and ECU. Why do I mention them? UNCC has the Levine Scholarship - think of a less competitive Johnson at W&L. East Carolina has the Brinkley Lane.

So that’s some thoughts - but the lower you go down in rank/selectivity, the lower you’ll go down in cost - generally.

Hope that helps.

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I am hoping that you’ll be able to initiate a discussion with him tomorrow. I assume that you are the first-born or perhaps an only child; your parents likely haven’t dealt with applying to college or the financial aid process before. Application deadlines are fast approaching! FAFSA® online application for 2027-28 is now available.

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I think William and Mary should be on your list. An OOS school with an LAC feel and lower costs than many others is SUNY Geneseo, if upstate NY works for you.

Keep in mind that even if you do not apply to medical school, you will likely have to attend some type of graduate school given your interests.

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List is good overal. Move Oberlin to reach and Florida to lower prob. Move Georgetown to Low prob.@maijem11 is right about seriously considering W&M or UVA ED.