Totally agree!
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Let me break bad news for you. All kids will be smart in premed classes after the very first weed out class. And smart kids are also in Washington and Jefferson.
I would like to see a school that will give away even B in Org Chem without working very hard.
I have heard from DD’s HS Chem teacher that when her daughter was taking Org Chem in our local (technically very good) Community College she barely survived with mom tutoring her…
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FWIW. The median number of med schools a successful applicant applied to was 18 in 2023. Applying to 40 is difficult due to secondary fatigue and there is a strong diminishing return effect with more than 25 applications.
Also FWW, the media age of matriculating students in 2023 was…23. SO not as old as many posters (including me!) thought it was.
Data from Matriculating Student Questionnaire.
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Still…one gap year won’t make a difference.
@WayOutWestMom is there any data regarding the %age of students applying directly out of undergrad vs gap year kids?
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Historically, the average age of a medical student would be considered about 22 years old. But according to the annual Matriculating Student Questionnaire from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), nearly 70 percent of students who began their medical studies in 2021 were 23 or older.
48% took 1-2 gap years. Only 21% matriculated directly from undergrad.
During that gap years , the most common answers for what did you do were: worked at another career, worked/volunteered in research, worked to improve finances, helped to fulfill family obligations and earned a graduate degree.
(NOTE: having a graduate degree does NOT improve one’s odds of gaining a medical school acceptance since with a very limited exception for SMP programs, grad degrees or grades are not considered by med school admissions.)
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He does not have to apply as a junior. He can take a gap year and apply while doing other things.
UNC will have more smart kids than UofSC, so we assume the GPA will be easy in UofSC , all these are just assumptions
And they aren’t necessarily accurate assumptions. The students taking the required courses for medical school admissions will be smart, very smart…at any college and that includes these two. Let’s just say, courses like OChem do not typically attract kids who aren’t smart.
Your kid will find smart kids at both places. PLUS there are perks to being a Scholar at USC, including working with a cohort of very smart students.
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My advice is to take a step back and give your child time to decide on their school. I would let them know that you will support their decision, whatever it is.
If they choose FAU because they really want to attend, that’s on them and you will support that decision.
If they choose UNC or SC, please let them know that you will support their decision…whatever it is…medical school or not. If they really want medical school (or any other career) they will do whatever it takes to get there. Trust that that will happen…including applying to 20 + schools.
Your child has been very successful so far. There is no reason to believe that will stop.
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I’m guessing OPs child was admitted as a medical scholar to FAU Wilkes, which is a tiny school (600 students) in a planned community in Jupiter, Florida -NOT on the main FAU campus oŕ near it. It’s a really niche school, even more so than Olin or CMU which have a larger student body and easy access to a big city.
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This, 
. It’s normal for parents to worry but this sounds like a child who knows what they’re doing and has been raised not to waste opportunities. Among all would-be premeds, they’re as well set up as any other if not more (yes, including ORM kids). 
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Yes this FAU Wilkes Honors College at Jupiter and very tiny school.
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I would not want my child to attend a school he/she did not like. The assured acceptance to med school would not be worth it…at all. Would your child be motivated if unhappy?
When I was in college I had a friend who hated the school. It started out fine, but by her sophomore year she was miserable. She would not get out of bed, would not go out with friends etc. Well…she transferred to a school she loved …and became a totally different person.
You have a smart kid who will succeed wherever they go. Choosing a school they do not like is an unnecessary obstacle.
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