Texas Colleges

[LHS Student]

I am planning on graduating my Junior year of high school, next year, and have been talking to my counselor telling her i would like to become a doctor and she is telling me that I should take pre calc. as long as Calculus.
Q1- Do I need to take Calculus in High school? ( I'm not a strong math student)

My parents don't have any money to pay for my college so I'm looking into getting in as little debt as possible for undergrad and also working for scholarships. I might take the community college route for the first two years then transfer to a major university, but
Q2- do i have the option to go to a 4 year university with no parent help, and little scholarships money, Knowing I would have to get loans, and work full time. Is it possible to do so. Im asking because my brother was in the same situation as i am in money wise ( but he also didnt try in college and never went to class and got no scholarships) and had to drop out because he couldnt afford it. He had a school loan he couldn't pay off so he wasnt able to register for the next years classes. Does this sound like my brother just messed up and should of worked more and tried harder or does this happen regaurdless, if you dont have parent help and little to no scholarships? He went to UNT in Texas.

Q3- What are some good Texas State colleges or University's that have a good pre-med program or in general is just a good academic school. ( not looking for good party schools)

Im in the top 5% of my class as of now and have a GPA of 3.9

I know this is scattered, but thanks for your input!

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[FutureCTDoc]

I am planning on graduating my Junior year of high school, next year, and have been talking to my counselor telling her i would like to become a doctor and she is telling me that I should take pre calc. as long as Calculus.
Q1- Do I need to take Calculus in High school? ( I'm not a strong math student)

My parents don't have any money to pay for my college so I'm looking into getting in as little debt as possible for undergrad and also working for scholarships. I might take the community college route for the first two years then transfer to a major university, but
Q2- do i have the option to go to a 4 year university with no parent help, and little scholarships money, Knowing I would have to get loans, and work full time. Is it possible to do so. Im asking because my brother was in the same situation as i am in money wise ( but he also didnt try in college and never went to class and got no scholarships) and had to drop out because he couldnt afford it. He had a school loan he couldn't pay off so he wasnt able to register for the next years classes. Does this sound like my brother just messed up and should of worked more and tried harder or does this happen regaurdless, if you dont have parent help and little to no scholarships? He went to UNT in Texas.

Q3- What are some good Texas State colleges or University's that have a good pre-med program or in general is just a good academic school. ( not looking for good party schools)

Im in the top 5% of my class as of now and have a GPA of 3.9

I know this is scattered, but thanks for your input!

1. Short answer no, long answer if you do take the AP BC Calc and save yourself 8 credits.

2. Yes. Calculate your FAFSA see what your need is. Apply for scholarships go to Fastweb input your info and look for scholarships. Apply broadly and look to apply to schools that are "beneath you". Also state schools are really bad for financial aid. I didn't apply for any excluding merit. My top public, Penn state gave me 3,000 a year off of a 32k tuition plus costs, despite parents being alums and me being accepted to the honors college. I was accepted to Kansas and Kentucky's honors programs and they gave me $0. WVU gave me $0. My homestate institution UConn gave me $0. Every private gave me approximately half tuition. My privates offered from 10,000 to 14,000 per year. So in short money should not be a motivating factor in your decision, just take out the loans.

3. UT-Austin, SMU, Baylor, Texas A & M, Texas Tech. Look for BS/MD or BS/DO programs, the Texas system offers them.

 

[longhorn09]

3. UT for sure! Hook 'em horn!

 

[LHS Student]

FutureCTDoc- Thanks, The whole college process is confusing but Im learning more about it, any way I look at it is taking out loans and being in debt for a while which is no problem if I get an education that would help me for my future job.
Is the AP BC Calc in college or highschool?

longhorn09- UT is the college I have always wanted to go to, but trying to see all my options!

 

[delano2000]

If I am not mistaken, those AP courses may not be transferable towards a professional degree...(don't quote me though).

 

[aggie08]

Q3- What are some good Texas State colleges or University's that have a good pre-med program or in general is just a good academic school. ( not looking for good party schools)

Im in the top 5% of my class as of now and have a GPA of 3.9

I know this is scattered, but thanks for your input!

You're gonna get a lot of bias on this from people who encourage their alma mater, but aside from that the pre-med adviser at A&M (Karen Hudson) is PHENOMENAL. Absolutely amazing.

And I loved going to school there. But seriously, if you want to go to medical school and you're disciplined enough to put in the time to get the grades, Texas A&M is going to offer you a very good set of tools for getting in through the "Office of Professional School Advising" or "OPSA" office and Karen Hudson, in particular. There are also a bajillion student organizations at A&M and most people are highly involved, so you'll have plenty of chances to get your ECs in.

 

[meerkatmd]

1. take calculus. it is easy

2. idk

3. if you want to go premed, go to A&M. seriously. i go to tech and while i have loved every minute of it and all of my classes, it is quite evident from my experiences in interviews and such that the aggies are much better prepared for the application period.

but then again... you would have to be an aggie.....

 

[yanorglu]

I'd definitely go for UT. Austin is probably the only city in Texas I'm not ashamed of having set foot in.

 

[coldkatanagirl]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Rice yet...

 

[tennisball80]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Rice yet...

Rice only admits Asian people.

 

[aggie08]

I'd definitely go for UT. Austin is probably the only city in Texas I'm not ashamed of having set foot in.

Thanks for giving him/her such great advice. Glad you are so helpful with her choice of schools based on pre-med curriculum.

 

[SocialistMD]

If I am not mistaken, those AP courses may not be transferable towards a professional degree...(don't quote me though).

Too late, I did. And you're incorrect- AP credits count towards your med school pre-recs so long as the college you choose accepts them. You are going to have to take Calculus at some point in your educational career; my advice (especially if math isn't your strong suit) would be to take it in high school, where you are in a class of ~20 students and have much more student-teacher interaction than in college where you may be 1 of 300 listening to a grad student with no teaching ability and who has no interest in if you pass or fail.

As far as colleges in Texas are concerned, I think my med school class of ~180 students was represented by well-over 10 Texas schools (Midwestern State, Hardin-Simmons, UT-Austin, TAMU, Texas Tech, Baylor, U of Houston, St. Thomas, Houston Baptist, UTEP, UNT, UT-D, Trinity, Rice, Tarleton State off the top of my head), so you will be capable of getting into medical school from most of them, provided you have the grades and the rest of your application is solid. UT-Austin has (or had, when I was living there) an automatic acceptance policy for anyone in the top 10% of their graduating high school class. Another school to seriously consider is Rice, as their financial aid package is one of the best in the country (and, they have a combined BS/MD program with Baylor).

Something to remember is that a lot of people start out pre-med but have their eyes opened to many different wonderful career options once arriving in college, so don't limit your search to schools with "good pre-med programs," as you may miss out on something better. Also, why graduate a year early? Stay and finish during your actual senior year, enjoy life, take more AP courses (if you want), save money, etc... Burning the candle too bright too early can lead to burnout, and you need to enjoy your youth (this is coming from someone who is, quite possibly, twice your age and wishes he would have listened when he was given that advice by his father when he was your age).

I'd start at a 4-year college if I were you, as transferring from a community college can be tricky and may be more trouble than it's worth. If you have to, I'm sure you can get into med school doing it, but it will unnecessarily increase the amount of work you have to do had you started in a 4-year school. Regarding paying for it, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the number of scholarships that exist and the level of financial aid/tuition reimbursement some schools will offer (esp. Rice), should you qualify based on financial need. The main point is to do the best you can in school, apply for every scholarship you can find and get into a college that meets your academic and financial needs. Best of luck; as a native Texan, I'm already pulling for you. Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions that I can answer.

 

[smq123]

And you're incorrect- AP credits count towards your med school pre-recs so long as the college you choose accepts them.

But some med schools WON'T accept AP credits in lieu of college courses.

I took AP Calc AB and BC in high school, which tested me out of Calc 1 and Calc 2 in undergrad. I figured I wouldn't have to take any calc in college, as a result.

Many med school websites, though, clearly state that that is not acceptable and that you either have to take Calc 3 and Calc 4 (which is what I did) or retake Calc 1 and Calc 2. The policy on what is accepted varies by med school.

 

[SocialistMD]

But some med schools WON'T accept AP credits in lieu of college courses.

The med schools in Texas do, and I can't think of a reason on God's green earth why someone from Texas would want to go to med school elsewhere...

 

[longhorn09]

Rice only admits Asian people.

I like your status quote ~lol

 

[longhorn09]

The med schools in Texas do, and I can't think of a reason on God's green earth why someone from Texas would want to go to med school elsewhere...

Why not?

 

[SocialistMD]

Why not?

While I don't think this is the thread nor the forum for this discussion, why would one leave the state and expect to pay ~$40,000 in tuition alone (not counting fees and living expenses) when s/he could stay and get the same (depending on your criteria) education at good-great schools for less than a quarter of that?

 

[yanorglu]

Thanks for giving him/her such great advice. Glad you are so helpful with her choice of schools based on pre-med curriculum.

No need to be snarky. Then again, I shouldn't have expected any better from an Aggie.

Besides, it fits all his/her criteria. In-state and public, so it's cheap. It's also the flagship in the UT system, so you can be damn sure it has a good pre-med curriculum. Best of all, UT automatically accepts any Texas state residents in the top 10% of their high school class. This should be a no-brainer.

You're probably thinking "Well, TAMU has all that too". But what you're forgetting is that...Austin is a way cooler place to be than College Station.

Also, about Rice, the financial aid might put it on-par with the public schools, but that comes down to individual cases.

 

[longhorn09]

While I don't think this is the thread nor the forum for this discussion, why would one leave the state and expect to pay ~$40,000 in tuition alone (not counting fees and living expenses) when s/he could stay and get the same (depending on your criteria) education at good-great schools for less than a quarter of that?

But hey, not everyone can get into baylor or southwestern.

 

[SocialistMD]

But hey, not everyone can get into baylor or southwestern.

There are other schools in the state from where you can match into whatever specialty or at whatever program you are good enough to get into.

I went to med school (not at either of the above schools) and have classmates +/- 1 year who are orthopods or ophthalmologists trained at MGH (Mass Eye/Ear Infirmary), ENTs trained at Michigan, orthopods and neurosurgeons trained at Vanderbilt, radiologists trained at Wash U and dermatologists trained at Mayo. UTMB has a nice track record of putting people into the integrated plastics spots all over the country. Med school is what you put into it, and I sure do like the fact that my debt load is 4x less than that of my residency classmates.

But, like I said, it all depends on your criteria...

 

[riceman04]

Rice only admits Asian people.

though my name would make most people assume I am asian...ha...but I am NOT

nice one though

 

[pharm B]

Regarding Calculus: If you feel like you're weak in a subject area, take as much of it as you can in high school while it doesn't count. If you make a B in this class, it won't show up on your college transcript. You can try for the AP credit like others are saying OR you can take the class again at the college level. At that point, it should be a little easier for you, since you will have already spent a year learning the material.

I think most state schools would be fine for pre-med studies. UT and A&M obviously are great choices. I would try to get into the main campuses, if only because you'll be immersed in the culture and they'll probably have really strong pre-med student groups. Part of getting in is your transcript, but another significant portion is what else you do outside of school. Don't forget that!