I would worry about other things. A 2060 SAT does not indicate a strong likelihood of med school. Certainly, that might not reflect his best effort, I understand.

IU might be the perfect school - if he can handle a big school - for getting the necessary pre-reqs out of the way.

Purdue with their emphasis on engineering will tend to weed-out students in calc & chemistry - unnecessarily. I would go with IU.

Anonymous wrote:For med school, your grades (especially science GPA) and MCATs matter most, followed by volunteer and research experience which can be a tie breaker. It doesn't really matter where you go to undergrad.

A bit of an overstatement.

Let me put it this way: a great MCAT score may compensate for an undergrad at a middling college. But going to one of the better regarded school and doing well there is likely to compensate for a less than great MCAT score.

I'm going to guess OP left out a word and meant to say, "not the worst school in the Big 10".

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are considering it for our DS because the in-state tuition (we moved to Indianapolis just as DS started high school) would make it easy and he wants to be a doctor, and Purdue has a good pre-med program. However, I wonder if we're not shortchanging his future. DH and I can't afford to pay out of state and we have one more child to pay for (our DD is 15). But DS has a 3.43 GPA and 2060 SAT and doesn't want to-retake it, and decent ECs, so I don't think DS has a chance at a much better school.

All I've heard from Purdue is that it is a decent engineering school, though not the best, and it's the worst school in the Big Ten. IU is more of a liberal arts school. I'm just worried that I'm not picking the best options for my son.

what the ?

-boilermaker

Worse than Maryland and Rutgers?

For med school, your grades (especially science GPA) and MCATs matter most, followed by volunteer and research experience which can be a tie breaker. It doesn't really matter where you go to undergrad.

Anonymous wrote:
All I've heard from Purdue is that it is a decent engineering school

So the top ten are now considered only "decent engineering schools"? Making MIT as "decent" of an engineering school as Purdue is, got it.

OP must have gotten all of her information from an IU grad...

You realize that Purdue Engineering is notoriously difficult, has zero grade inflation and a harsh grading curve, and one of its Thermodynamics classes is regularly listed as one of the hardest college classes in the country?

"Decent engineering school." Holy, crap, op, please educate yourself a little.

Purdue is one of the top 20 public schools in the country.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are considering it for our DS because the in-state tuition (we moved to Indianapolis just as DS started high school) would make it easy and he wants to be a doctor, and Purdue has a good pre-med program. However, I wonder if we're not shortchanging his future. DH and I can't afford to pay out of state and we have one more child to pay for (our DD is 15). But DS has a 3.43 GPA and 2060 SAT and doesn't want to-retake it, and decent ECs, so I don't think DS has a chance at a much better school.

All I've heard from Purdue is that it is a decent engineering school, though not the best, and it's the worst school in the Big Ten. IU is more of a liberal arts school. I'm just worried that I'm not picking the best options for my son.

what the ?

-boilermaker

Exactly. I can't quit rolling my eyes at op.

Anonymous wrote:We are considering it for our DS because the in-state tuition (we moved to Indianapolis just as DS started high school) would make it easy and he wants to be a doctor, and Purdue has a good pre-med program. However, I wonder if we're not shortchanging his future. DH and I can't afford to pay out of state and we have one more child to pay for (our DD is 15). But DS has a 3.43 GPA and 2060 SAT and doesn't want to-retake it, and decent ECs, so I don't think DS has a chance at a much better school.

All I've heard from Purdue is that it is a decent engineering school, though not the best, and it's the worst school in the Big Ten. IU is more of a liberal arts school. I'm just worried that I'm not picking the best options for my son.

what the ?

-boilermaker

IU might be the better choice, as it is strong in the liberal arts and has a med school.

I honestly think your son would do just fine there.

--Hoosier native

We are considering it for our DS because the in-state tuition (we moved to Indianapolis just as DS started high school) would make it easy and he wants to be a doctor, and Purdue has a good pre-med program. However, I wonder if we're not shortchanging his future. DH and I can't afford to pay out of state and we have one more child to pay for (our DD is 15). But DS has a 3.43 GPA and 2060 SAT and doesn't want to-retake it, and decent ECs, so I don't think DS has a chance at a much better school.

All I've heard from Purdue is that it is a decent engineering school, though not the best, and it's the worst school in the Big Ten. IU is more of a liberal arts school. I'm just worried that I'm not picking the best options for my son.