Does it benefit a doctor's child who's destined to become an MD to pay $$$ for Hopkins or Wash U?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
In-laws, wife works part-time, husband is an MD. A super genuine and good family. They are upper middle class but I don't know if they're "rich." He's a first generation MD.
Their kids are great students and obsessed with becoming doctors like dad. It's obvious they are one of those families that somehow grooms their kids to become doctors. The oldest is a senior and has a free 100% full scholarship on the table to a regional hometown private college where they live (not DMV). Mom shared the other few colleges the oldest is applying to are Wash U, Hopkins, and Vanderbilt. I'm just wondering the analysis $75K x 4 = $300K for undergrad vs. literally $0? I safely assume the teen will have a far better chance at a near 4.0 GPA at the regional college. That said, of course the competitiveness, experiences, and the all new friend group (and potential spouse, if we're being frank) you meet at a place like Wash U has value, too – but how much (extra) value? |
Anonymous
| It is not your family, so it is not your business. |
Anonymous
|
Why not apply to a GAP (Guaranteed Admissions Program)? Pitt, VCU, etc. are ones around here, not sure where your in-laws live.
https://www.directmedprograms.com/programs.html After seeing what my close relative went through during the admissions process from undergrad, GAP is the way to go. |
Anonymous
My husband is a doctor and would be SO HAPPY if his kids wanted to continue in his footsteps - but they don't seem to want to  . We're foreigners and not familiar with the medical school admission process in this country, though, beyond the fact that unlike in our home country, you don't start medical studies right out of high school. My question would be: will this student be at a disadvantage compared to his peers from an academic rigor or medical school admission standpoint, if his undergrad is at a no-name college?
|
Anonymous
| For undergrad? No. Where you attend undergrad doesn't have much to do with getting into medical school. Focus on doing well in courses, MCAT, and getting additional research/clinical experience. |
Anonymous
| Pick the full scholarship school without question. It will be more likely to be a supportive environment, and not having debt is a great start. I have a relative that made this choice and is very happy. |
Anonymous
|
If you look at admissions data for Wash U Medical School, there's surprisingly few students coming from Wash U undergrad.
That said, Wash U is doing a great job of recruiting students from low-income households (e.g. flying them out for a visit for free) and offering them generous aid |
Anonymous
I don't know why you'd look at Wash U Medical School. Because when you look at Wash U's undergrads, something like 25 to 30% of each class applies to medical school. This is AAMC publicly avail data. It's pretty insane. If they're not going to Wash U Medical School it's probably just because they don't want to spend 8 years in St. Louis. |
Anonymous
Yet Wash U, Hopkins and Vandy are full of smart pre-med kids whose parents eagerly pay the $300,000 to send them there. Why? Please don't say it's only status. It's clearly more than that. |
Anonymous
The analysis is wrong. If they are middle class - they are not paying $75K for Wash U. Per US News: "The average need-based scholarship or grant awarded to first-year students at Washington University in St. Louis was $54,138." Wash U is skewed wealthy - so if they really are upper middle class, I would expect that student would receive somewhere in the $50K package of aid. I am not dismissing the estimated $25K for Wash U vs free. But the cost of $100K (and I assume they have saved something for college) vs $300K is materially different |
Anonymous
| Undergrad college doesn’t really matter, but I would look into how many students from that college go on to medical school. Yes, the student needs a high GPA, but the MCAT score is very important and it is science heavy. What is the teaching quality of the small town school? Is the student prepared? As an aside, there are some colleges that have a medical school advisory panel that determines who they will write recommendations for med school. |
Anonymous
| An upper middle class DOCTOR is not "middle class." |
Anonymous
|
I recently read that many people in this position (parent doctor, kid wants to be a doctor) are choosing state schools because their EFC makes them full-pay, but they want to save money for medical school.
It's just a matter of what experience the kids wants and what they can afford. My whole family are doctors so I know very firsthand that doctor does not equal rich. |
Anonymous
| name brand. T20 name brand to be specific. |
Anonymous
| Rich don’t budget shop college. Kids go where ever they want. |