College comparison [Drexel vs Penn State for pre-med]

MYOS1634
Mon, 01 Apr 2024 12:03:03 +0000

eagerparent4:

Biology.
I want to do a qualitative assessment first…keeping finances aside

Biology has extremely low ROI so plan to add a statistics or data science minor, and you simply can’t avoid costs when evaluating both.
Or, beside bio/stats, you could switch to the College of Liberal Arts for the Biological Anthropology major and join the Paterno Fellows cohort (the honors seminar will be harder but also more supportive and engaging, which results in good grades.)
University Park has better research opportunities but you’d have to prove yourself your 1st year.
Drexel will help you find co-ops but it’s likely the Bio+stats that helps, not just Bio (there aren’t enough jobs for all the Bio grads in the 1st place so for college students who haven’t taken any advanced class yet… check with Drexel for specific positions their bio majors got in the past 2 years.)
Neither will be nurturing but if you got into University Park yes a 3.4 GPA student is highly likely to be weeded out 1st semester - if you got into Altoona, Harrisburg, or Behrend you stand a chance. Drexel is typically expensive and doesn’t meet need whereas minimizing debt (keeping ir under 27k for 4 years if possible) is a must for med school.
That’s why net cost
(scholarships fees room board)- (grants, scholarships) =$…
Is so important.
Do you qualify for Pell? For PHEAA?
That being said, most students who plan to apply to med school never do, as they either find a more interesting career, pivot to a post BA program for BSN or another health profession, or are weeded out, and of those who do make it, 60% don’t get into a single med school.
So, remove med school from the equation: among all your acceptances that you can afford without parental loans, which universities do you prefer ?
(If you can’t afford any without parental loans, time to send an application to Juniata, because their specialty is getting serious B+ students to Health professions, keeping your fingers crossed they’ll accept to review it that late in the game and still have FA.).