This student doesn’t seem to want to go that far from NYC.
Maybe but Atlanta or Houston or St. Louis- really no difference.
But the student specifically highlighted JHU and Yale (which I took to be the favorites). And while Emory makes sense from a financial POV and was mentioned, Rice wouldn’t due to its price differential ($20K vs. 2/3) to JHU which the student highlighted as a top choice.
Bottom line - OP only list four potential - and Rice was not one. It was simply noted along with others as also got in. So I believe OP just wants guidance on only Emory, JHU, WUSTL and Yale.
Thats a shame. It’s a much better fit, with similarities to Yale with its residential colleges and the medical opportunities with the many hospitals right across the street, than some of the other listed schools and with its scholarship to boot. It’s an easy flight to Hobby or Bush. WashU is also a flight away and it seems to still be on the list.
6 Likes
I was also wondering about the ability of this especially strong student t be able to find a peer group at the Oxford campus. I was assuming that others of similar academic strength would have been offered and accepted a similar merit program and the OP would find their peers there…but I did wonder.
1 Like
I think concern over finding a peer group at Oxford is valid, but peer group in a social sense. Academically the Oxford students are no slouches!
5 Likes
So this year, just looking at direct charges, net of scholarships, it appears the OP’s COAs would be:
Rice $61,899
WUSTL $23,144 (-$38,755)
Since the Rice offer is apparently a flat $20K/year, and the Ervin at WUSTL is full tuition, that gap would probably grow some over time. Roughly speaking, over four years it could be around $160K.
I like Rice and the residential college system at Rice, but WUSTL is great too, actually has a top research medical school, and even has a residential college system of its own for the first couple years.
So I can see why the OP would not consider Rice competitive given the large difference in cost.
3 Likes
Agree that washU is a better financial choice, but was simply addressing that distance doesn’t seem to be the primary focus if washU is in the mix. But the OP said it felt too homogeneous so is a lower priority. Doubt they would feel that way at Rice. And if finances are a focus, given a reported Premed desire, Rice would be a better choice over Yale. Yale is of course wonderful, and if money is no object, it’s a great choice. My sibling went there and then to med school many moons ago. But if the OP doesn’t want to be full pay, Rice might be a better “contender” on the list.
1 Like
Obviously it is up to the OP, but as I understood their decision matrix, Yale was #1 (at least originally) in preference, but also #4 (last) in cost. Hopkins was then #2 in preference, #3 in cost. WUSTL was–maybe, not sure–#3 in preference, #2 in cost. And then Emory (given Oxford) was #4–maybe–in preference, but #1 in cost.
Rice was then more expensive than all three of Hopkins, WUSTL, and Emory. So, the OP would not only have to prefer Rice to WUSTL and Emory, but also to Hopkins, since Rice would be more expensive than Hopkins. And I gather the OP preferred Hopkins.
So I think that is what really struck off Rice–it was what I would call dominated by Hopkins, as the OP ranked Hopkins higher than Rice on both dimensions.
1 Like
Got it. Was simply saying it’s a thought if they wanted something similar to Yale but less expensive. Emory is clearly the financial winner if they are ok with the 2 years at Oxford, and that’s a big “if”. And sounds like they already crossed off WashU given the homogeneous feel.
The OP might actually be a good candidate for the A v B technique. Emory versus WUSTL? Winner versus Hopkins? Winner versus Yale?
Could be clarifying.
5 Likes
Good idea!
This isn’t universally true.
Mostly grades are taken at face value. (IOW, no one is adding or subtracting points on the applicant evaluation rubric for attending school X .)
No leeway is given for “tough” majors like engineering, physics or mathematics either.
BTW, every student thinks their undergrad has grade deflation because pre-med classes are tough classes where not everyone gets an A.
3 Likes
Should the OP want to consider this aspect, JHU’s student profile is very strong. This site, for example, assigns JHU a “selectivity rank” of 8th nationally:
1 Like
True, here’s my 2 cents. As a parent of a college bound daughter, we can afford lots of luxuries. $400,000 for a bachelors degree is not one of them, even if we could afford full pay. That would represent a poor value for the money when it’s just as easy/hard to get into medical school from a good public university or scholarship. That’s why I recommended to the OP JHU. It’s a top “premed” option where money is saved for medical school.
3 Likes
delete
Do any of these schools offer a direct admit program from pre med to med school? Don’t shoot me bc I haven’t researched this but I remember back in the day that NYU had a 6 year program. I’ve heard Case W also has this program - I know a kid who backed out of Duke for this - and Wake F has some sort of option similar. I asked this question at a JH admission event and was told no. (but the answer was provided by a student who spoke at the event).
Circumventing the application process to med school would be extremely appealing to me …
Oxford where OP would spend 2 years is rural and small.
1 Like
I like the A vs B method.
Things to weigh for Yale:
As a parent of a recent Yale grad you also can not discount the doors opened and opportunities afforded by Yale. Plus there does not seem to be anything equal to the Yale residential college system.
I think it will come down to where the OP thinks they fit academically, socially, and surroundings
I also agree with Blossom while it might not be your advice to go to the more expensive option you should consider it when giving advice since it is a possibility for the OP.
1 Like
Guaranteed just because you attend undergrad there? No.
There are a number of BS/MD combined programs.
Most people either prefer not to be restricted and/or didn’t have the stats to get in. But yes, that is available.