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Hey guys. I am currently trying to finalize my undergrad college decisions. I have received several acceptances to fairly decent universities (UCF, UNF, UPitt, VTech, PennSt), but have been unable to make a choice. Pitt, Penn State, and Virginia Tech are obviously far superior academically than UCF, and UNF, but because they are out of state forme, they would force me to take on 40-100k in undergrad debt, since my family cannot help me with the costs of tuition. Unfortunately, I was denied admission into UF which would've made this decision much easier, so I am forced to choose between some less than ideal options:
Option 1: attend UCF or UNF for free, possibly make money.
Option 2: take lots of debt at an OOS school.
Option 3: take a year off and reapply to UF, and a couple out of state schools with guaranteed merit aid (that I was not able to apply to this year). ( I have a 2130 SAT but I pretty much missed all of my scholarship deadlines and I only had a 1990 for my UF Application). If I take time off, I will be able to apply for merit scholarships and take a GAP year with some family friends in India.
Option 4: go to UCF and then transfer to a better State school. Maybe UF? Downside is that UF only accepts Junior Transfers and I am worried that I will be unable to develop quality relationships with professors for Recs and Research.
Option 1 seems like the easiest, most straight forward option, but I am worried that UCF and UNF might limit my med school prospects. I'm not saying this to brag, because I am well aware that medicine is an EXTREMELY competitive field and consists of a majority of brilliant people, but I don’t believe that my undergrad acceptances accurately represent my academic abilities. You don’t have to take my word for it, but if you assume that I am telling the truth, and I am able to earn a 3.8-4.0 GPA in Neuroscience or BioChem and get a competitive (35+) MCAT, and substantial research and volunteering, will I be at a disadvantage for top tier medical schools due to my undergrad institution? I read "undergrad institution is irrelevant" all the time, but I'm assuming that this is only a general trend and doesn’t apply to the top tier med schools (maybe I’m wrong). What do you guys think?
UNF and UCF both offer pretty good research opps. If I attend UNF, I can work at the MAYO Clinic in Jacksonville, and if I attend UCF, I could work at Sanford Burnham. So, I don’t think I have to worry about not being able to get involved in ECs.
What do you guys think? Should I take a GAP year and then reapply to better undergrad schools? Should I take the debt? Or, Should I attend UNF/UCF and if so, which one would you suggest? If you have any knowledge of the Med Schools that UNF/UCF students have gotten into, I'd appreciate it. Thanks for your help.
Option 1: attend UCF or UNF for free, possibly make money.
Option 2: take lots of debt at an OOS school.
Option 3: take a year off and reapply to UF, and a couple out of state schools with guaranteed merit aid (that I was not able to apply to this year). ( I have a 2130 SAT but I pretty much missed all of my scholarship deadlines and I only had a 1990 for my UF Application). If I take time off, I will be able to apply for merit scholarships and take a GAP year with some family friends in India.
Option 4: go to UCF and then transfer to a better State school. Maybe UF? Downside is that UF only accepts Junior Transfers and I am worried that I will be unable to develop quality relationships with professors for Recs and Research.
Option 1 seems like the easiest, most straight forward option, but I am worried that UCF and UNF might limit my med school prospects. I'm not saying this to brag, because I am well aware that medicine is an EXTREMELY competitive field and consists of a majority of brilliant people, but I don’t believe that my undergrad acceptances accurately represent my academic abilities. You don’t have to take my word for it, but if you assume that I am telling the truth, and I am able to earn a 3.8-4.0 GPA in Neuroscience or BioChem and get a competitive (35+) MCAT, and substantial research and volunteering, will I be at a disadvantage for top tier medical schools due to my undergrad institution? I read "undergrad institution is irrelevant" all the time, but I'm assuming that this is only a general trend and doesn’t apply to the top tier med schools (maybe I’m wrong). What do you guys think?
UNF and UCF both offer pretty good research opps. If I attend UNF, I can work at the MAYO Clinic in Jacksonville, and if I attend UCF, I could work at Sanford Burnham. So, I don’t think I have to worry about not being able to get involved in ECs.
What do you guys think? Should I take a GAP year and then reapply to better undergrad schools? Should I take the debt? Or, Should I attend UNF/UCF and if so, which one would you suggest? If you have any knowledge of the Med Schools that UNF/UCF students have gotten into, I'd appreciate it. Thanks for your help.