Hello! I am a high school senior and my dream school is BU. I would ED if I knew I could afford it, but since I am unsure I am applying regular decision. I am in top 10%, have a 4.0 GPA, and I have only ever taken honors, AP, and dual enrollment courses all throughout high school. Jr and Sr years were exclusively AP and DE. I am one of the founding members of a female Scouts BSA troop, I have community service hours, and I am in 5 honor societies. I am not the leader of any clubs, however, I have numerous leadership positions in my troop (both girls and boys troops). I am interested in a very specific major that only 5 schools on the east coast offer and BU has an extremely unique program for it (BS in Human Physiology). I also live in NY. What would you say my chances at getting in are? Thank you for reading and any input / advice you may have :).
Forgot to mention: I know what I want to pursue as my profession. I want to be an OB/GYN so I’ll have to go to med school after undergrad. Boston has a lot of hospitals and therefore many great internship opportunities that I would 100% take advantage of. I have a plan for my future and I think BU is a great path toward my dream job. I am also willing to work during school to pay for costs and I am not the type to wish for a lavish lifestyle so budgeting will likely not be an issue for me.
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Run the net price calculator to see an estimated cost. If it works, you can ED. If not, be cognizant that even if you get into BU that you likely can’t go. It’s ok - there’s tons of great colleges that may prove more affordable.
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Med school is another 4 years maybe at $100k a year - so you have to factor that in. You might need to save for med school. Being in Boston doesn’t necessarily get you more opportunities than you can find elsewhere.
Based on what you wrote you have a chance. A test would help but less than 50% of enrollees submitted.
Good luck.
I think you have a chance of being accepted, but keep in mind that the acceptance rate at BU is very very low. And the school is very very expensive.
Have you run the Net Price Calculator to get an estimate of your net costs there? Is that net cost affordable for your family? If you haven’t done this…do it now!
I understand you are thinking about medical school now, but at this point, your goal needs to be getting into an undergrad school where you will be happy, do well, and is affordable.
Medical school in the future will likely be $100,000 a year or more, so please don’t take loans out for undergrad school.
Also, you can major in anything and apply to medical school…as long as you take the required courses for admission to medical school.
So…please don’t feel you need to do this one major…if medical school is your goal.
You are fortunate to have the SUNY schools which are very affordable for instate students. I hope you have those on your application list as well.
I feel I can speak to your question…I have one kid who is a BU grad, and another who is a doctor.
I’m a proud BU parent, but I would not advocate this school if it’s going to mean taking out a lot of loans.
And lastly…you will be doing many different rotations should you get accepted to medical school. It’s very possible you could change your mind about this specialty.
Is your 4.0 unweighted or weighted?
I think that your chances of admissions are pretty good, but it is not a safety. Someone I know with marginally lower stats got in, but it was years ago, it was not affordable, and they went somewhere else (and then somewhat ironically changed their major to something BU does not offer, but it worked out well).
Whether it is worth the price is a much more difficult question. You intend to go to medical school. Most students who start university thinking “premed” and “medical school” end up doing something else. However, you want to keep the option of medical school open, and medical school is expensive. Even doctors do not make enough to make it easy to pay off the cost of just medical school, never mind undergrad. Keeping some college $$ in the bank is a good plan for a premed student.
Also, there are a huge number of universities that are very good for premed students, including many (if not all) of your in-state public universities.
I think that your chances for admissions are pretty good. I also think that you are wise to apply RD. This way you can get offers from multiple universities before you decide where to go.
And to me it looks like you are doing very well.
the price/cost issue mentioned by others (esp. in context of planning to go to med school) is very important but wanted to add that BU has a reputation for grade deflation esp. in STEM and so the impact on your GPA as you apply to med school (which is one of the key factors for med school admissions) should not be taken lightly. i think the general mantra for those planning on med school is to find the lowest cost way to get a high GPA, strong MCAT scores, and relevant ECs/research/ internships/work experience. BU may be problematic on the first two factors (cost and GPA). Having said that, if you are one of the fortunate to get a high GPA at BU, it might stand out better in a sea of grade-inflated competitors, but hard to bank on that before you go.
You sound like a great applicant! Test score? Finances? Because a high score would definitely help. And if you’re one of the many in the middle class, economically, it’s quite likely that they won’t offer you enough financial aid to make it possible. Working one’s way through college, especially private college, is just not feasible.
unweighted
Thank you! I ran the net price calculator and the EFC was around 17k. Which is a lot. And I would not take out a loan for my undergrad if possible since med school is so expensive. But if I worked while going to school, do you think I’d be able to pay my loans? Would any scholarships I get go towards the EFC or something else? Ultimately, I will go wherever is most feasible, money wise, but I would prefer to go to BU. I will also be applying to the Trustee scholarship so hopefully the outcome is positive. Thank you for your help! 
Thank you for replying! I will be applying to a ton of SUNY and CUNY schools as well as other out of state schools that offer a combined BS/MD program that way I won’t have to go through applying to medical school. I will go wherever is best for me, costwise, since I do not want to be taking out loans, especially for undergrad. I’ve seen just how predatory banks can be when it comes to student loans so I will try my best to avoid it for the time being. I applied for the Trustee Scholarship at BU, which is kind of my last hope to actually attend. The net cost estimator said the EFC would be ~17k for BU which is still an enormous amount of money. Would any scholarship money I get go towards the EFC? Because if so, that would be a game changer. I still don’t have the best grasp on how scholarships work to be honest, because I have seen some people say colleges just absorb the money and give a student the same or higher EFC. Thanks again!
Thank you!! I’ve kind of been accepting that BU won’t be the best decision for me, financially. Which really sucks lol. But tis life. I also have the option of going to school instate for two years then transferring, but I do not know how this would affect my GPA, if at all. I have also started looking at colleges with BS/MD programs, however, those are even more competitive. I have heard of a few cases of people who had to drop out of BU because it was just so expensive. I will apply to the Trustee Scholarship and I think that might be my only option to actually attend. Thanks again
Thank you for replying! I have heard about the grade deflation, which is particularly prevalent for science majors at BU, but I did see that medical schools take this into account when they are reviewing an application from a BU alum? I have no idea how true this is though. I have slowly been accepting that BU just won’t be the move for me which is really sad, but there are still so many more options out there so I know I shouldn’t limit myself. Thanks again!
I used the net price estimator, which I know isn’t the most accurate, but the EFC came out to around 17k. Would it be possible to get my EFC covered by scholarships? I would also be willing to work during school, but for what reasons are you suggesting against it? Time for studying and socializing would be cut down yes, but are there any other factors? I have started accepting that BU is likely not the best move for me financially, so I have been looking at alternative pathways such as SUNY / CUNY schools then transferring after two years as well as combined BS/MD programs.
Thank you for replying!
You may a bit grace w/r/t your GPA at BU’s own med school because adcomms are familiar with undergrad grading policies, but you won’t get any special consideration for any alleged “grade deflation” at any other med school. There are simply too many undergrads in the US for adcomms to be familiar with all of them.
(BTW, ask any pre-med and they’ll tell you all about the horrible grade deflation at their undergrad… The point is pre-med classes are tough and there are many smart, high achieving, well prepared students in them. Not everyone will get an A.)
Would it be possible to get my EFC covered by scholarships?
Not with need-based aid. Also, most colleges will subtract any merit aid you received from your need-based aid.
I would also be willing to work during school, but for what reasons are you suggesting against it?
I would suggest that you work no more than 10 hours/week and not work at all (if possible) during your first semester. You need to see how time-consuming college work is (and don’t forget that science labs take up a lot of time).You need to be sure that you can balance your coursework, ECs and a job and still earn the As you need for a med school application.
Med schools are looking for well-rounded, interesting individuals with strong academics and excellent people skills. You need socializing time in your schedule–just for your own mental health if for no other reason.
BS/MD programs–
There is a whole sub-forum devoted to BS/MD/DO discussions
BS/MD/DO programs tend to offer very little FA because of the carrot they offer to students --i.e. guaranteed med school admission.
(Though, research BS/MD/DO programs carefully many do not guarantee admission—only an interview with the med school at the end of junior year.)
There will be very little or no FA for med school. Most med students finance their degrees though loans, loans and more loans. For this reason, pre-meds are strongly advised to minimize any borrowing to pay for undergrad.
Not usually. If you receive outside scholarships, for example, that amount would reduce your financial need, and therefore any need based aid you get would be reduced. If a college has calculated that your family can pay $17,000 a year, they will be expected to pay that amount somehow in the vast majority of cases.
Isn’t that a tuition and fees only scholarship? You would still have the costs of room and board, books, and any personal expenses. Do you have the money to cover that?
Please don’t just apply to BS/MD programs. Those are more competitve for admissions than most elite colleges.
Did I miss your SAT or ACT score?
Why do you think you need to transfer after two years? You can take the required courses for medical school admissions at any SUNY or CUNY (are you eligible for the honors college there). There is no need to transfer…at all.
This probably isn’t a prudent pathway unless you are attending a CC and need to transfer after 2 years.
You will need 3 strong LORs from your professors to apply for med school. Developing a relationship with professors to get good letter takes time. If you plan to matriculate directly into med school from undergrad, that leave you just a semester and half at your new college before you’ll be asking for letters.
Other issues may include, losing credits when you transfer (very common), differences in course sequencing (again very common), finding a lab research position as a junior, and getting support from the health profession advising office (which will write the LOR for your med school application). HP offices typically require student to have completed 2 full years of classes to get a LOR. This means you won’t be eligible to get your letter until the fall after you graduate–too late to apply for med school that year.