Looking for more Likely School Selections [3.95 GPA, 1490 SAT, pre-med or other pre-health]

College Search & Lists
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They’re not the same - one is at South Beach and one in in gritty Winston (or right outside) - but my point was both are loaded with wealthy families - moreso than other higher echelon schools. But both also are loaded with regular, studious kids.

Given what you’ve written, I’d say Richmond is a likely, not just a target. I know where you are going with acceptance rate so it should be a reach but but you’re full pay, not business and from CA. I still don’t think it’s the right fit though. But I think it’s likely..just my opinion.

Miami of Ohio is more like W&M - I’m talking, it’s that LAC feel even though it’s not an LAC. UVA is more leafy, more isolated - it’s in Charlottesville but there’s not a lot around there - and because the sororities are in the dorms, greek life is a bit muted. That’s where I made the comparison - the UVA layout is just different than other flagships - so that’s where I feel it’s more UVA like (really W&M like) than a UMD, UF, UGA or even a UNC which it’s often compared with. That’s where I was making the comparison…size, environment, etc.

It doesn’t have to be - there’s a zillion schools they can get into.

That’s why I noted more likelies like Furman - that are safe - but where kids who don’t get into schools like Duke/Wake go to.

Or even a school like Tulsa - where 25%+ of the class (at least two years ago) was NMSF or NMF - so loaded with smart kids and historically a fallback for Rice/SMU.

Mercer is another to look at - a Wake fall back. But it’s baptist if that’s an issue.

You asked for likelies so…

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But there will be students there nit from your school, or even state.

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23

I agree with your statement. Academically your student has a similar profile to many of the students accepted to Tulane but without going ED, it’s a reach with much lower odds of acceptance. You mention wealth culture attached to UMiami. Tulane certainly falls into this category as well!

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Honestly have never heard of Furman, so I’m off to research it. Sounds like it might be a good option from what you have said. Will look at Tulsa too. Thank you for your suggestions, suggestions are helpful and the whole point of the post.

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I know wealth culture is pretty subjective, but to us Tulane felt gritty and Miami felt glitzy. I may be biased against Miami based on who I know who attends there vs who I know who attends other schools on this list.

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True. I guess we were just worried that might collectively be the kind of student the school attracts. Or maybe just from our school.

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You would have normally been rightish with Tulane, but I am betting on their trend toward “less ED.”

My daughter went there 4 years and never partied on a yacht. That is reserved for the top 1% so who cares what they do.

I think Richmond is also in the right spot. My lists will always compromise ED vs, not - your call on how you want to handle.

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This likely means larger schools like state flagship level schools, where, even if the average student is not the desired type, the subset of other students who are of the desired type is significant enough to keep your specific student satisfied.

An example would be Arizona State University, where the assured admission criteria are right on the web site and which your student probably fulfills, but is large enough that there should be plenty of academically-focused students there.

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I understand your point about “wealth culture”. And I think you are smart to avoid the overt “we party on yachts” schools.

Just want to make a point about Richmond and med school acceptance rates- do NOT fall into the trap of thinking that the “acceptance rate” reflects anything at all having to do with the college fostering (or impeding) their student success at getting into med schools.

A school which grades organic chemistry on a very hard curve is going to have a higher med school acceptance rate. Why? Because all the kids (which are most of them, statistically) who get B minus, C’s and below on Organic Chemistry get counseled OUT of med school early on. A school which includes Caribbean med schools in their stats will show a higher rate. Etc.

There are numerous ways to game the stats. Every week we read on CC “My kid can’t go to JHU or Yale because she wants to be a doctor and it’s too hard to get into med school from those schools”. Sure- Yogi Berra logic. That doesn’t mean your kid needs to be at JHU or Yale– just that every college can prepare a properly motivated kid with strong study habits for medical school.

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Definitely add UGA. My daughter likes a lot of the same schools and UGA has ended up being a top choice if she doesn’t get into UVA. We had a wonderful tour there and really liked the area. And the school spirit is huge! It would be a great target school and they do have an honors college. Maybe also add Emory? It would be a reach though and doesn’t have the same school spirit, but does have greek life and top notch academics. I think if not ED-ing to Tulane, it is a hard reach. Did they at least apply EA? My child also decided not to do TCU or SMU for similar reasons.

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MyDD is a Santa Clara graduate (2010). If you have specific questions about SCU, I can try to answer them.

My kid was a double major…bioengineering and biology.

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Old wealth versus new wealth. :slight_smile:

In all seriousness - the wealth is there though in S23’s experience it tends to be less obvious. Your Gritty V Glitzy could be ascribed to New Orleans V Miami in general.

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I just read your quote that @Mjkacmom responded to.

I think, taking a snippet of your school (which sounds like high net worth families) and applying that broad brush to the entire university - is unfair. Yes, some kids are born with silver spoons in their mouths and some colleges want those kids. In this case, you are seeking safeties - so while it appears you aspire to those top schools, you have to understand statistically, a safety isn’t going to live up with the perception in your mind. They are safeties for a reason.

Yes, some schools, including the Ivies, want wealth - and they have slackers there. I’ll never forget in my MBA - we were crushed academically and yet my Cornell undergrad roomie was at Wharton - and most of their time was spent job searching, not in class, not the rigor.

My son, who had similar stats to yours except in math (few are MVC), was extremely well challenged at Alabama…but was in engineering. There’s a stud student who was recently on here, went for NMF…and was struggling in Chem I think it was. My daughter at College of Charleston, in her Honors and non-Honors, was challenged. And the Fellows program came with enrichment. So again, broad brush that’s not necessarily true but may be true in the sphere of what you seen.

So even at schools that you might consider lesser overall doesn’t mean they don’t have challenge. Selectivity doesn’t = academic rigor at college.

A lot of that is major based and ones aptitude to the major. My daughter, in Poli Sci and International Studies - that’s her jam - but she’d have quit school if she had a STEM major. Just not her aptitude. My son is opposite - he did the Honors College for better scheduling but he’s STEM based - and dropped Honors his last sememster because he wasn’t interested in the Humanity options.

Given your son is pre-med, the where literally doesn’t matter - he could even go to a school like Colorado School of Mines (think of the sunshine :slight_smile: - it’s an engineering school so they have kids who bust tail - but they have D2 sports - so there would be spirit. It’s safe for your student. They have a Biochem major and Bio minor.

In some ways, at least how you’re describing him, forgetting the schools he’s looking at, he seems, perhaps, more LAC suited. Of course most of them are in cold, but an Occidental for example. Or in the South Central, in addition to Trinity in San Antonio, a Hendrix, etc.

Anyway - good luck in the pursuit.

But he’ll truly have many options that he shouldn’t have to settle - and no matter where he goes, there will be all levels of students - not just academically but from a taking their studies seriously POV.

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Hope you do not mind an honest observation -

  1. You are a full-pay family who opened with cost not being a factor, including for grad or med school.
  2. Student is exceptional with A-/A and high SAT’s.
  3. Student prefers warmer climate schools.
  4. Loves UVA.
  5. Science track with med-school aspirations maybe.

Now for the part you might like less -

  1. Student wants safe schools that are not like TCU and SMU, because feels the people are not academic enough.
  2. You are questioning whether your student can pull Richmond and Tulane because you are likely use to people afraid of being wrong in a 50/50 category… means 1/2 and that will be the answer.
  3. And you believe stereotypes, which often have only “an ounce” of truth in them.
  4. Your student/you seem to fall into the “never like your safe school” category.

You have a great list and you are done IMO. There are no schools safer than Richmond that you will like IMO.

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35

I just realized your student is a junior, so not currently applying. If UVA stays the first choice, then I would recommend ED.

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36

if anyone thinks Tulane kids are a gritty bunch, and not that the city is gritty - I would be surprised. I agree that must mean what was meant.

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Thank you for your opinion. I would counter your point #4 in the second category that my kid VERY much liked Santa Clara and with an acceptance rate just under 50%, is significantly safer in my opinion than Richmond. However likely it may be, no school is a guarantee, so we need more than one and I will be taking the advice of other people in this thread and looking into their suggestions, some of which I had previously never heard of.

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City and campus. Not near as well kept as we expected. The students were lovely (the few we met).

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Probably a hair, but closer than you think. Your student should get into Richmond regardless of what you believe. Send the results in a year and tell me how I did.

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This is the current plan. We’ll see what/if anything changes in the next 10 months.