If you want to know who gets into med school, I would recommend that you start here, instead of researching a 10 year old thread (written by a college kid at Cornell who was not even in med school at the time)
https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/
You don’t need to do an appeal to get more loans. Your parents can take out a PLUS loan for the full cost of attendance. IF you got a $5500 loan in your package, that is the max loan that you can take without a co-signer (your parents).
I would recommend that you reach out to @mom2collegekids and @WayOutWestMom who can give you some very good guidance on the med school process.
@mom2collegekids son took the scholarship to UA, got into the med school of his choice and his first choice residency
@sybbie719 THANK YOU, that’s the answer I’ve been trying to get since 11 am. Is there a limit on how much parents can take out in loans? And the admissions flipbook I got mentioned the Cornell Installment Plan, but the portal to get detailed information is locked, do you know anything about how that works?
You may think I was patronizing you, but I was trying to do a reality check so you’d understand how Cornell will look at this whole thing. Sure, ask them…but understand there’s next to zero chance they’d give more aid.
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want to go into global medicine, and being in New York would open the door to far more international connections than being at UT
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???
This is so not true. And who knows where you’d get into med school (could be anywhere in the US)…and who knows where you’d do your residency/fellowship…which would all be prior to any sort of Global Medicine practice.
You can go to any good undergrad in the country…UT is totally fine…excellent in fact.
Please don’t assume that if you went to Cornell that you’d get into its med school or really any NE med school.
As for Plus Loans…your parents can borrow the whole kit and caboodle…but will they? please ask them.
You’d still have $250-300k of med school costs to borrow.
Your father is a doctor, you should know better than this:
After all, your dad went to med school in another country, but practices here…
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And, all the people I know who went to UT ended up staying in Texas for med school, which means they'll most likely end up practicing medicine in Texas, as they'll have already established those connections.
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Yes, some will PURPOSELY stay in Texas for med school because Texas meds are an AWESOME deal for instate. But you’re forgetting that these newly-minted docs still have to do their residencies and possibly fellowships. They could get matched anywhere in the US.
My son went to Alabama for undergrad, then to his first choice UAB med school (instate, cheap) and will be doing his residency in Radiology at the #1 program in the country…Harvard.
So, do you really think that going to undergrad in Texas dooms you to the Lone Star State?
On the link I was sent, the MCAT scores for NY matriculants were higher than those from Texas, even though they had lower GPAs. At UT, it’d be easier to have a high GPA, but I want to be sure that the classes I take will also give me high MCAT scores. Trust me, I have no superstitions that Weill will accept me just because I went to Cornell for my undergrad, I just want to make sure that the classes I take will prepare me well for the MCAT
Nobody can keep you in Texas if you don’t want to be there.
National Residency Match Day was a couple of weeks ago. Yes, some didn’t have outstanding Step scores so that limited their choices…and some of the students are married, with children, and had no intention of venturing more than a 100-300 mile radius so that spouse/children/family wouldn’t be too far away. Those without those attachments interviewed far and wide…and matched all over the country into some of the best programs for their desired specialties.
We will gladly help you with your premed/med school path.
If you truly have an interest in Global Medicine (an admirable, but not great-paying route), then it would be better for you spend minimally for undergrad, so that your parents can help you with med school costs.
Believe me, if you end up having to borrow $400k for a private med school (and no FA for that!), you’ll find that you won’t be able to pursue your life’s passion because that debt will need to get paid…and you’ll have to switch gears to a high-paying specialty…
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the MCAT scores for NY matriculants were higher than those from Texas, even though they had lower GPAs. At UT, it’d be easier to have a high GPA, but I want to be sure that the classes I take will also give me high MCAT scores
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Classes do NOT give you a higher MCAT score…NOT at all. Undergrad classes don’t prepare you for the MCAT. Premed prereqs are just REGULAR classes that other STEM students take. There is nothing special and nothing MCAT about them.
MCAT scores are about the student, not their undergrads.
Where is the source of your claim? Are you comparing the stats for Cornell Med with UTSouthwestern Med??? Please share…I’m certain that you’re not drawing the right conclusion.
I have a Junior at Cornell, don’t waste time appealing with that income.
I am glad that you know that because attending a college that has a professional school, does not make it a lock for you to get in. One of my nieces, went to SUNY Albany and got into Columbia or Cornell.
Just last week there was a report of a student who went to the McCauley’s Honor College at CUNY Brooklyn and got into 11 med schools: Albert Einstein, Columbia, Weill Cornell, Drexel, Hofstra, Howard, Mount Sinai, New York University, SUNYs Downstate and Stony Brook, and Tufts.
https://macaulay.cuny.edu/news-and-events/macaulay-student-accepted-to-11-medical-schools/
It is not where you go, but what you do when you get there.
Thanks so much for the advice, I’ll definitely be taking UT more seriously and I’m visiting Cornell in about two weeks, so I’ll make a final decision after that
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http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/470770-decisions-pre-med-at-cornell-p1.html
I recommend you read that thread,
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and at UT 54% of undergrads get into med school, at Cornell it’s 71% and jumps to 85% for those with a GPA of at least 3.4, so yes, it does matter where I go for undergrad.
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No it doesn’t matter. Cornell’s applicants were stronger students to begin with…from high school. Those same students, if they went to UT instead, would have great success in getting into med schools.
Med school acceptance rates mean NOTHING to you.
And believe me, today a traditional applicant with a 3.4 GPA would have to be hooked to get into a US MD school.
And this is what that person actually said:
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For students with a 3.4 or higher Cornell has an 85% acceptance rate (although they've been telling me this since 2005...I'm sure the numbers change)
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I don’t know what things were like in 2005 (oh my…a lifetime ago in med school app world), but that certainly is NOT true today. In recent years, se’ve seen UChicago grads with 3.5 GPA and strong MCAT scores get NO INTERVIEWS.
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I'm not asking for need-based aid like grants or scholarships, I'm literally just asking how to get more loans, that's why I need advice on the best way to file an appeal
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You don’t need to appeal to get more loans for YOUR parents. You’ve submitted FAFSA…because of that, your parents are free to apply for Plus Loans in a couple of months to cover all of your costs. The FA office doesn’t control that. (There are no more loans for you thru the school besides the $5,500 fed student loan that you may already have)
How much will your parents pay per year??
From Cornell’s premed website…
Med school acceptance rate: " In 2010…, Cornell’s acceptance rate was 67%."
Such old info…but still the rate isn’t impressive.
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Cornell it’s 71% and jumps to 85% for those with a GPA of at least 3.4,
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No…71% with a GPA of 3.4+ were accepted (2013 data which is outdated, as well, since each year becomes more competitive.
Don’t let that fool you. Most of those applicants with a 3.4-3.5 were rejected. The 3.4 that were accepted have some sort of hook/backstory (nontraditional applicant, URM, etc).
I’m sure that those with 3.8-4.0 GPA had nearly 100% acceptance rate as long as they didn’t have a foolish app list or lousy MCAT.
Those with 3.7-3.8 and worthy MCAT probably had a 80% acceptance rate.
It’s misleading for Cornell to report that way. It is easily confuses people into thinking that some with a 3.4 actually has a high chance of admittance to one US MD med school, when really it’s more like 35% with a strong/high MCAT. For those with a borderline MCAT, their chances are about 28%.
And, I don’t see anywhere that Cornell posts what their average MCAT score is. If it were high, I’m sure that they’d have that headlined on their premed stats page.
and where are you seeing the UT stats?
It’s not just the percent that get into med school. How many freshman premeds get weeded out? It’s how many actually make it to the point where the U committee endorses their med school apps. An old study about JHU suggested the med applicant number is a small fraction of those freshmen with dreams. So those percentages are often misleading.
I wonder if Dad is wise to this. For his money, UT may be the better choice, all around. Not just less expensive. If so, even getting FA or suggesting a loan, may not sway him. Were you thinking it could?
I agree global med doesn’t depend on the college. Rather, the global experiences you take on in college and med school, along with your record and stats.
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It’s not just the percent that get into med school. How many freshman premeds get weeded out? It’s how many actually make it to the point where the U committee endorses their med school apps.
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This is sooo true. I remember talking to a high school senior many years ago (class of 2006), when I knew nothing about the med school app process, and he said he was going to XXX university because it had a 90% med school acceptance rate.
He made it sound as if 90% of the freshmen premeds at his future Univ make it to med school!
Little did I know that this particular school weeds heavily, and maybe only 20% of those freshmen premeds ever applied to med school. The school further controlled the situation by refusing to write a Committee Letter for a student that whose stats weren’t high enough.
In the end, this student couldn’t get a CL…so he had to do a SMP. He did finally make it into med school thru the SMP and improving his MCAT and will be graduating with my son in May.
So, don’t put too much into anything schools report that make themselves “look good.”
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An old study about JHU suggested the med applicant number is a small fraction of those freshmen with dreams
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Yes…and even JHU will admit that their med school acceptance numbers aren’t as high as they could be simply because some students ignore JHU’s advice and apply even tho their stats or app list won’t be successful.
This sure has taken a twist. In addition to financing Cornell, the OP is now getting advice about medical school.
Here is my free advice.
- Re: loans. Your parents can take Parent Plus Loans up to the cost of attendance for you. If they find your whole undergrad with loans, that would be $280,000 in loans...which is a HUGE amount of loan debit for undergrad school..lHUGE. I would advise against this...but it's their decision.
Having said that…you are already saying they have a lot of other financial obligations. What makes you feel,that assuming Loans of this magnitude for your undergrad education is a good idea?
- You can get accepted to almost any medical school from just about any undergrad program with a superlative MCAT score, a perfect undergrad GPA, and a great interview. @WayOutWestMom could you explain med school acceptances to this student?
Really, going to Cornell is not going to guarantee your acceptance to medical school.
- If your parents can't pay the full cost for Cornell, you won't be able to attend. You have NO financial burdens or changes to your finances that would make an appeal for more aid a successful one. After tax income innthe $245,000 a year range would completely put you out of the running for need based aid...at every college in this country if you are the only one in your family attending college.
Sure…wrote your appeal. But really…expect the answer to be no, and have your plan B all set to go.
I happen to disagree with you regarding UT. I think it’s a terrific school…and your potential to get accepted to medical school there is just as good as anywhere else.
- If you really think the schools that accepted you won't work...take a gap year. Retool your list to include schools where you can get merit aid.
FA appeals to Ivy League universities rarely succeed as they already have very generous awarding processes. You chances will depend on whether (1) your circumstances have changed materially since you applied; (2) you can convince them that they misunderstood some aspect of your financial situation; or (3) you made an error in your CSS or FAFSA that you want to correct.
Note that what universities determine to be your expected contribution may not be what you think you can or should pay!
I’m inclined to think it’s not that OP’s parents can’t pay, but rather that they don’t want to pay. Recall that OP’s father is an immigrant. That means he didn’t grow up with the brainwashing that it’s perfectly normal to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a college education when a perfectly good one can be had for a mere tens of thousands. This brainwashing is a really powerful force in the US that induces otherwise rational people to shut off their cerebral cortex when it comes to paying for college. The logic seems to be that if DC gets into a USNWR-highly ranked college, ze is going, costs be damned.
Another thing is, income is relative. $245K after taxes may sound like an insane amount to some ppl here, but a doctor is likely to know many people who make quite a bit more. The idea of what is an acceptable house, car, etc. changes. And then if you are from an exceedingly poor country like Cameroon (per capital income a little over $1300), isn’t it likely that a lot of your relatives would look at you as a bank?
So I can see why it could feel like money is tight, and why it’d be prudent to save $50K a year by going to UT over Cornell.
If the parents don’t want to pay…that is fine. If the family feels money is tight…that’s fine. If they have other financial obligations that take all their $20,000 a month or so take home pay…that’s fine. But appealing to Cornell for more aid based on these things isn’t going to get this family anywhere.
The net price calculator on the Cornell website would have been a decent indicator of what Cornell expected the family to pay…full price.
If the family can’t or won’t pay the cost to attend Cornell…then the student needs to choose a less costly school.
And really…the student can get accepted to medical school as a UT graduate. I have two doctors that did their undergrad at UT. They went on to medical school, and fellowships elsewhere.
This kid does NOT have to go to Cornell to get into medical school. Actually, I’ll go a step further than that…going to Cornell will not guarantee acceptance to medical,school at all.