<p>I’m not trolling, I just have a ton of anxiety about this matter.</p>
<p>^You began a thread asking what to do if you didn’t get into your ideal schools. Did you expect the response to be “Don’t worry, OstPruessen, you will get into every one of them and more at a price you can afford.”?? </p>
<p>People are offering you ideas on the question you asked. They amount to:</p>
<p>“Add more safety schools just in case. Many of your schools are reaches - not just for you but for most students. Even if you are admitted they might cost more than you want to spend.” </p>
<p>“Don’t think that the 20 schools you have listed are the only places in the country you can get the education you think you want.”</p>
<p>But, in the spirit of keeping you alive - Don’t worry, OstPruessen, you will get into at least some of the schools you have listed. So stop worrying about something that won’t happen.</p>
<p>Hmm, I am a nurse in Texas and work with some brilliant and nationally renown physicians who attended some of the “lesser” schools you mentioned-and even some who attended universities which didn’t even come close to making your “lesser” list.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This is some of the best advice I have ever seen on CC.</p>
<p>I don’t know if this is part of your syndrome, but there are thousands of colleges in this country. Surely there are quite a few that you would be happy at. Fixating on a handful of schools is always a poor idea, no matter what your stats and accomplishments are. You seem to have already decided that no schools other than the handful you already like will be good for you. That isn’t true.</p>
<p>Although I think you may have been being sarcastic, I do appreciate it. That’s kinda what I wanted to know. Just that I will in all likely hood get accepted to at least some of the schools I plan to apply to. I can take criticism but it helps to mix some good news in there as well. I don’t expect to get into all of the schools I’m applying to, and especially not the Ivies just due to how many applicants they get, but I would like to think that I could realistically hope on getting in to a Tulane, Trinity, Southwestern or Rice.</p>
<p>You don’t want to go to UT - yet it has the BEST support for students going into medicine here locally?</p>
<p>Strange.</p>
<p>Well, no matter. As someone else has posted, in Texas, there’s the top 1%, the top 8%, the top 10%, and then everyone else.</p>
<p>If you’re top 8% or top 10% - the public school scene in Texas is your oyster. You can go anywhere you want. No UT? Have you looked at A & M? UT-Southwestern in Dallas is one you mentioned, I think - that’s a good one, and they have several Bachelor Degree programs - you might could go directly there? Most kids in SE Texas would give their right arm to go to UT or A & M. Really try hard to get over this idea that it’s either elite private school or suicide.</p>
<p>There probably are places I don’t know about that I could enjoy going to, but the problem is that it’s way too late now to start investigating and seeing if some school that’s out of state or far away might be suitable and then take the gamble of applying there without ever having visited. I’m sorry if I seem paranoid about this but I had a really bad situation with my peers at the first private school I went to and would rather not repeat that experience. To be honest, I was harassed and singled out both because of my beliefs and that I often have a monotone, idiosycratic speech pattern associated with Asperger’s Syndrome. I still have not recovered much of my self-esteem since then.</p>
<p>I did not mention UT-Southwestern in Dallas. I was refering to Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX. It’s not that UT is a bad school, it’s a great school, but I just don’t believe it’s the right fit for me. I really am reserved and shy for the most part, probably in part because of my status as an Aspie, but also because I have had a lot of bad experiences with my peers as a whole and would rather just keep to a close group of friends.</p>
<p>OP,
you have a lot of thinking to do.</p>
<ol>
<li> With family income of $350,000, you will not get financial aid. Depending upon where you apply (upon whether the schools you apply to offer merit money, and where you fall in their applicant pools) you may–or may not-- get some merit $$$.</li>
</ol>
<p>So you need to discuss financial parameters with your family. This should inform your application process.</p>
<ol>
<li> Your grades and your scores are good. You know that. You also know there are others whose are better than yours. So what?</li>
</ol>
<p>There are a lot of options between Ivy and working as a ditchdigger. Pick up a college guide and read through the descriptions of schools-- to narrow it down, pick a size of student body and start there. There are a lot of excellent schools out there with acceptance rates of more than 10% that still offer excellent educations with talented students.</p>
<p>A few ideas for you to look at : Rhodes, University of Denver, Saint Louis University–all smaller schools, all excellent, all with excellent pre-med.</p>
<p>Crossposted. Sorry, OP</p>
<p>Ah, okay. Well you mentioned Southwestern - was that UT-Southwestern or Southwestern University (Methodist)? It wouldn’t take much to really research these places online and take a couple of weeks to have a look around. </p>
<p>You’re an automatic admit for A & M - can’t hurt to apply and use as a safety. If you need a smaller school, there are plenty of those too!</p>
<p>Cross-posted:</p>
<p>“I did not mention UT-Southwestern in Dallas. I was refering to Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX. It’s not that UT is a bad school, it’s a great school, but I just don’t believe it’s the right fit for me. I really am reserved and shy for the most part, probably in part because of my status as an Aspie, but also because I have had a lot of bad experiences with my peers as a whole and would rather just keep to a close group of friends.”</p>
<p>Ok, OP. Are your parents anxious to keep you kind of close?</p>
<p>Hendrix in Arkansas or Centenary College of Louisiana are solid, private, affordable (relatively speaking) , not too far from home and very understanding of students with Aspergers…also open-minded regarding diverse belief systems.</p>
<p>I’ve visited Southwestern Univ. and I enjoyed it, enjoyed Rice as well. Not so much with UT. My parents are kinda anxious to keep me close to home because in a way I think they doubt me because of my diagnosis. As to the person and kelijake who suggested DU, Rhodes, Hendrix, Centenary and SLU, thank you. Those actually fit the profile of what I’m leaning towards well (Small, liberal arts school ideally under 10,000 students)</p>
<p>I have to tell you, as a parent - it’s probably not that they “doubt you”, but more that they LOVE you and are just good, concerned parents! 
</p>
<p>My oldest wasn’t on the spectrum, but had some challenges of her own. It was a blessing having her close by and knowing that if she needed us we could be there in a hurry. Even if it was just to talk face to face and take her out to dinner!</p>
<p>ANY college kid is going to experience new challenges, and MANY parents are very anxious about them being too far away. It’s pretty natural no matter what.</p>
<p>My other two kids don’t have the same challenges as the oldest - but I intend to keep them close by too! ;)</p>
<p>Glad you got some possible alternatives.</p>
<p>Good luck, OP!</p>
<p>I think you will get into Tulane, Trinity, and Southwestern, no problem. I think if you go ED, you have a great chance of getting into Rice.</p>
<p>You will not knw for sure before you start attending any way. It is simply not possbile to know for sure if place will fit you very well. It is better to have an attitude that will allow you to adjust to any place in a best possible way. Anyway, it looks like way too much thinking based on insufficient amount of information. Just go to some reasonable UG that welcomes you in the best way and do your best adjusting to your new surroundings…and, yes, sometime it does not work out, so you transfer. What such a big deal? Why to be so deep into thinking why and why not? You should enjoy your application process, look forward to your new life, right now you seem to be stressing yourself without a valid reason.</p>
<p>From your political leanings, you might be more comfortable at Southwestern than at most of the others on your list in Texas. Your SAT scores will qualify you for easy admission, and at least half tuition scholarship. Your cost of attendance will be lower than $35k at that school.</p>
<p>Not sure about your odds at Rice.</p>
<p>And FWIW, you will find tough classes and smart people at virtually any college in Texas. Don’t get hung up on prestige or reputation. Make A’s and get into Med School then actually learn something.</p>
<p>“you will find tough classes and smart people at virtually any college in Texas” -
-you will find tough classes and smart people at virtually any college in USA, including CCs</p>
<p>Oopsy, did not see this : "Don’t get hung up on prestige or reputation. Make A’s and get into Med School then actually learn something. "
-It does not matter, you want to go for prestige, go for it, it is your personal preference…but keep in mind it has no consequences on Med. School admission. If you want to mention prestigious name attached to your for the rest of your life, then honor your desire. If you want to be accepted to Med. School, then your goal is entirely different. You will have to have very haigh college GPA=3.6+, decent MCAT score preferrably 31+, all kind of Medically related EC’s and maybe show some interest in un-related to Medicine area (optional, but helps at interviews), and have sociable personality, studying in your room most of the time will not be a good idea, got to be engaged and grow as a person in UG. All above has absolutely nothing to do with the name of your UG. I am a parent of second year Medical student and just repeated what many others like me have stated in many Meidical School related threads.</p>