Undergrad truths?

[drechie]

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Hi Everyone.

I just graduated from HS last year at a very rigorous nation known school. My GPA was a bit higher than a 3.5 and my SAT were on the lower scale of about 1600. I deferred from College of the Holy Cross and am spending this year volunteering with AmeriCorps. I aspire to become a medical physician and am now reconsidering my college plans.

So I'm really tossed up what to do. HC is a fairly prestigious school - I'm just not sure if i will "succeed" here. I did not receive any aid. I will probably only be able to pay about 25k in cash each year. Tuition is in the 50ks. I'm really concerned that perhaps it may not worth buying such an expensive education where the workload is extremely rigorous (almost in the lines of MIT, UCHICAGO - see princeton's review's students who can't keep their books closed).

One of our local, state colleges - Bridgewater State College seems - to me atleast - to give top students a "padded" GPA. Since its a small school, I will be able to have a lot of research opportunities ( I know for certain ). Also, I would be debt free. And I would definitely be in the top 5% of students - in rank.

At Bridgewater, I could be in the upper echelon, have research opportunities, be debt free, and feel confident that I would have a shot at Medical School.

WHat do you all think? I feel as if most SDNF users on believe "the school" you go to doesn't matter. However, I find that everyone who I speak to doesn't entirely agree, and dissuades from a lower tier state college.

I really hope to get into TOUR COM in Harlem, if that means anything at all.


Thanks

 

[MilkmanAl]

Personally, I think I'd go to Bridgewater and kick butt. $50k per year for undergrad is simply absurd. You might have access to professors with better connections at Holy Cross, but organic chemistry doesn't change by school, if you get my meaning. There's no question that certain schools will test you more rigorously over certain material than others and thus will force you to learn it more thoroughly, but you can voluntarily put in that extra effort if you like. A 4.0 at an easier school looks better than a 3.5 at a demanding school every time. Grab an MCAT review book your first year and make sure you're getting a firm grasp of everything you'll need to know.

As long as you'll be happy at either place, I don't think there's any question you should set yourself up for debt-free success at Bridgewater.

 

[RySerr21]

Your school doesnt matter in the sense if you do really well at ANY school in the U.S. you will have a good shot of being accepted. On the flip side, don't expect to get any leeway or forgiveness if you have a poor GPA from a "top" school. The adcoms won't care at all b/c there will be plenty of people from your school applying that DO have really high GPAs. In your situation it only makes sense to go to the school that will get you out debt free and that you feel you will succeed at. And even tho it is likely you will do well at bridgewater, I wouldnt be so cocky. College is going to be tough and its quite a transition. Dont ever understimate the intelligence of your classmates, it doesnt matter what school you go to.

Touro-NY is a brand new school and they are just getting in the swing of things. I dont know what their average MCAT/GPA stats look like, but if its near the average for all DO schools it will be like a 3.45/26...so keep that in mind. If you can get at or above those scores and partiicpate in ECs throughout college and show an interest in the osteopathic professin (ie shadow a DO and get a LOR, you have plenty of time to get that done seeing as you wont be appling for 4 years and you already know you want to go DO).

 

[drechie]

thanks for everyone's responses. I really appreciate them. Anyone else?

 

[Schlockinz]

50K for undergrad is absurd.

You're looking at going into med-school. How much debt do you want to accumulate before you get a job? I had to forfeit the idea of going to a more prestigious undergrad b/c I knew that I couldn't afford it, that and something unexpected might happen. What if you drop out of school and now have 150K in loans lurking around the corner.

Go to a public school, or a school that you get funding to go to. If you're able to make above a 3.5 there with your BPCM curricula, and do well on the MCAT, then you will likely succeed.

FWIW, I took on an ungodly major as far as pre-med goes. I got a 3.2 and applied MSTP, still waiting to hear, but the pre-med committee and myself are fairly confidfent that I will at least get into one MD program, and potentially some of the MSTPs. I'm thankful for everything that I learned as an undergrad, and I've learned a whole lot, but that number is low, and its hard to get to the level to explain it.

 

[Dr Lyss]

Well I guess I could offer the other perspective. I just graduated from an expensive private school and am now starting to pay back that horrendous sum. Yes it was a lot of money & maybe I should have sacrificed my enjoyment and gone to school for free BUT I don't regret it because my school was right for me. You only get one chance to do undergrad and I'd rather pay the money than be miserable for 4 years but debt free. So I think money is def important but it shouldn't be the defining reason for choosing a school. It is more important that you have the resources & support you need to succeed & mature.

That being said, OP it seems like Holy Cross isn't doing it for you. If you feel that you would be happier at your local school than go for it BUT I also sense that one of the reasons you like this school is because you feel like you won't have as much competition and a better shot at a good gpa. The only danger to this is down the road. When you are applying to schools you will have no choice but to compete with everyone else, especially on the MCAT. This happened to a close friend of mine who had a 4.0 GPA at his local school but couldn't hack it when it came time to do the MCAT and apply because he was so used to being the best at his school. Just something to look out for in the future. Best of luck

 

[mmagnett]

The research experience you have at a small school is going to be much different than the research experience you have at a very large school; and if you're interested in that kind of thing make sure that wherever you end up is well funded.

I am a big fan of large state schools because (a) they're fun (b) I went to one, and (c) you can find your niche, no matter what your niche is. [fyi im sure private schools are this way too, but I've never experienced a private school..but I can speak for my Big 10 school, which was really really awesome]

Lastly, if you study hard you're going to do well in college. Being in the top 5% doesn't say much if the top 50% has a 4.0. Go somewhere challenging, that won't put you in too much debt (med school costs an ARM AND A LEG) and where you'll be able to grow as a person -- nobody on SDN can answer this question for you but its definatly good to ask people who have already been there! 🙂

 

[MilkmanAl]

Yes it was a lot of money & maybe I should have sacrificed my enjoyment and gone to school for free BUT I don't regret it because BC was right for me.

The problem with college is that it's basically impossible to say that with any authority. You may have enjoyed your time at BC, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't have liked going somewhere else far more. You have to make a fairly uneducated decision about which program you want and then go there. You don't get to experience anything else.

You only get one chance to do undergrad and I'd rather pay the money than be miserable for 4 years but debt free

Fortunately, that's not the case here. The choice is between happy and free and slightly happier and expensive as hell.

money is def important but it shouldn't be the defining reason for choosing a school.

It can sure as hell be the defining reason for choosing against a school, though. Let's assume the OP follows through with his plan of paying the maximum he can manage of $25k each year to Holy Cross. The current Stafford loan interest rate is 8.5%. Neglecting the interest accrued during his 4 years of undergrad, he will have $100k in debt by the time he's done. Compound the interest over the minimum 7 years it'll take him to be a practicing physician, and that's an extra $177k he'll owe for undergrad alone. If something goes wrong and he can't pay that $25k a year, he'll owe a whopping $354k in addition to his med school loans. I can guarantee you that is not worthwhile.

I'm also an advocate of state schools, for the record. They're cheap and tend to have opportunities in just about every area you could possibly be interested in.

 

[kate414]

From what I keep hearing all over these forums--an A is an A is an A. Go to bridgewater and kick some *****. Get straight A's and you will definitely get into med school!!!

 

[Dr Lyss]

The problem with college is that it's basically impossible to say that with any authority. You may have enjoyed your time at BC, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't have liked going somewhere else far more. You have to make a fairly uneducated decision about which program you want and then go there. You don't get to experience anything else.

Very true. I guess I'm thinking more about people who have that "dream school" and then complain and whine for 4 years because they didn't go for whatever reason.

It can sure as hell be the defining reason for choosing against a school, though. Let's assume the OP follows through with his plan of paying the maximum he can manage of $25k each year to Holy Cross. The current Stafford loan interest rate is 8.5%. Neglecting the interest accrued during his 4 years of undergrad, he will have $100k in debt by the time he's done. Compound the interest over the minimum 7 years it'll take him to be a practicing physician, and that's an extra $177k he'll owe for undergrad alone. If something goes wrong and he can't pay that $25k a year, he'll owe a whopping $354k in addition to his med school loans. I can guarantee you that is not worthwhile.

I'm also an advocate of state schools, for the record. They're cheap and tend to have opportunities in just about every area you could possibly be interested in.

True again. Med school is crazy expensive and if you know grad school of any nature is in your future you need to be fiscally responsible. Your on the money MilkmanAl 😀

 

[GZA]

From what I keep hearing all over these forums--an A is an A is an A. Go to bridgewater and kick some *****. Get straight A's and you will definitely get into med school!!!

I don't agree with this statement in both a personal sense and from the perspective of med school adcoms. It is well established that prereqs at a community college are certainly a negative. I will not make a case further other than to say this can be extended. It is not to say that you cannot have much success anywhere: you certainly can. However if an adcom is shuffling through the countless applications they certainly must, name recognition is bound to have some sort of an effect. Going to an ivy (or the like) is not going to be the essence of any application to medical school but I would not dismiss it as immaterial. It is not.

For the OP: 50 thousand per year in undergrad is foolish. Holy Cross won't turn many heads, so to speak, anyway. Yet the decision is highly personal: you will have to spend the next four years, or so, wherever you decide.