Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Son finally has close to an A average — but he’s a junior. Total GPA will be a 3.4 if we’re lucky, it’s at 3.1 now. SAT around 1350, may go higher. Very smart kid who struggled with ADD. Intellectually, hangs out with smartest kids in his school. Wants to go somewhere for pre-med, ideally within five hours of DC. Thoughts?

OP, is that a weighted or unweighted GPA?

Unweighted. He’s at a private school that does not weight grades.

In that case I might move Pitt from “out of reach” to “reach.” Might have a chance if he can test prep and get that SAT up around 1450. But it’s a very desirable school for east coast kids now and the stats reflect that.

Yep. Pitt is really interesting. Like Tulane and Northeastern, it seems to have decided to make a move. They started working with TJ a few years ago and became TJs safety school. As in, my child’s guidance counselors lists say VCU, GMU and Pitt are safety for “almost every” TJ student. The specifically push Pitt because rolling admissions. Get the app in at the beginning of school. Get your acceptance you can pay for locked in. In 2017, they admitted every single TJ applicant. In 2018, it was 108/110. And across the board, TJ get in get very, very good merit aid and strong Honors College preference. It was the number 4 TJ destination after WM/UVA/VT last year, with 25 kids.

I’m assuming other top HSs are similarly targeted. Pitt is aggressively courting and purchasing the attendance of high stats, high achievement kids. Case Western is a school mentioned on this thread that has done this and had it pay off. It’s interesting to see what schools do to break out of the pack.

And yep. I agree that a 3.4 UW private is light years better than a 3.4 W FCPS. He ought to make a serious effort to raise the SAT score.

It may be impossible for a rising senior who has already tested to get CB accommodations.

Thanks, 10:24 - Do you have any insight into how the kids who ended up at Pitt liked it? He will apply for rolling and his school has a great admit rate there - I just worry it will be too big! No way on accommodations - he never used them when he had them and we let them lapse when he entered high school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - any ideas for mid-sized schools with undergrad student bodies of @ 3500 - 6000? Thanks!

Please buy a Fiske Guide. You will learn far more than crowdsourcing on this board.

UMBC should be on your list BTW. Perhaps GMU as well.

I disagree re Pitt being. Reach. Depends on one’s high school and where, roughly, he ranks (top 25%?

OP back. Funny you should suggest Fiske - a few hours ago I pre-ordered the 2019! Fiske, , which is on sale on Amazon, and will be published in July. Yes, UMBC is on the list. Thanks for your suggestions.

OP you also have to figure out why he score so low on the SAT and then fix that. People who score poorly on the SAT have a hard time on the MCAT as well (as well as LSATs, GMATs, GREs).

^^Forgot to add that if your child goes to a lesser school, he is far more likely to get an academic scholarship, putting you in a better position to help pay for med school so he graduates with low or no debt.

If he is serious about becoming a doctor, there is a case for going to a school that is below his target. A not so appreciated fact of med school applications is that med schools care very little about where the applicant went to college--it is all about grade point average, MCAT scores, and outstanding curriculars.

First, if you are concerned about intellectual stimulation, he can major in something other than the usual bio, biochem pre-med majors. If he majors in something else, he will stand out as an applicant. Think math, physics, philosophy, economics or even history or music. They really like liberal arts majors who do well on the required pre-med courses as it shows a well-rounded individual who likely is more capable of relating to the patient population. Somewhere I read that music majors actually have the highest MCAT scores, although there are of course not many of them.

He will have a better chance of getting into med school straight from college if he is high achieving student in a school with many lesser achieving students. The extracurriculars needed for a successful med school application are staggering. Huge numbers of hours are required for clinical hours (e.g., working at a hospital or clinic), shadowing, research hours, and, separately, community volunteer work. Bonus points if the student also holds down a part-time job.

The trend today is for students to not apply until after they graduate because it is the only way for them to keep their grades up, put in all those hours, and study for the MCAT. If he can do this all of this in his four undergrad years by going to a less academically competitive and stressful school he is a year ahead.

Second, if he goes to a school that has far fewer med school applicants, he will also stand out. Med schools like to have matriculants from the widest variety of schools possible, so if he is applying from a school with few applicants, he will stand out. These schools are far less likely to have a pre-med advisory team, so he will have to do a lot of the direction himself. (Or, if you have the money, you can pay for a med school advisor who will help with advising on the right pre-med classes, service opportunities and the like). Bonus points for a lesser college that tends to serve people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

I recommend this route only if your DS is really committed to med school. If he isn't, he could end up with a not so marketable degree from a lesser school. My late bloomer child took this route at a third tier college (high school record was less than mediocre) and was accepted at seven med schools, including their number one choice.

Anonymous wrote:OP - any ideas for mid-sized schools with undergrad student bodies of @ 3500 - 6000? Thanks!

Op— Private. Pre-med. Test optional. Rigorous. Midsized.

Try Wake Forest. It’s a reach. But if your child doesn’t submit the SATs, applies ED and full pay, and goes to interview (important to them), there is a chance. I’m an alum, BTW, and have several undergrad friends who went to Med school and did really well. Amazing education, but a bit too frat/conservative for me. Your kid will get a better shake from their admissions department than from a place like Pitt or VCU that is plug and chug the numbers.

Also, look at Wooster. Smaller than you want. But, amazing med school admissions.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Son finally has close to an A average — but he’s a junior. Total GPA will be a 3.4 if we’re lucky, it’s at 3.1 now. SAT around 1350, may go higher. Very smart kid who struggled with ADD. Intellectually, hangs out with smartest kids in his school. Wants to go somewhere for pre-med, ideally within five hours of DC. Thoughts?

OP, is that a weighted or unweighted GPA?

Unweighted. He’s at a private school that does not weight grades.

In that case I might move Pitt from “out of reach” to “reach.” Might have a chance if he can test prep and get that SAT up around 1450. But it’s a very desirable school for east coast kids now and the stats reflect that.

Yep. Pitt is really interesting. Like Tulane and Northeastern, it seems to have decided to make a move. They started working with TJ a few years ago and became TJs safety school. As in, my child’s guidance counselors lists say VCU, GMU and Pitt are safety for “almost every” TJ student. The specifically push Pitt because rolling admissions. Get the app in at the beginning of school. Get your acceptance you can pay for locked in. In 2017, they admitted every single TJ applicant. In 2018, it was 108/110. And across the board, TJ get in get very, very good merit aid and strong Honors College preference. It was the number 4 TJ destination after WM/UVA/VT last year, with 25 kids.

I’m assuming other top HSs are similarly targeted. Pitt is aggressively courting and purchasing the attendance of high stats, high achievement kids. Case Western is a school mentioned on this thread that has done this and had it pay off. It’s interesting to see what schools do to break out of the pack.

And yep. I agree that a 3.4 UW private is light years better than a 3.4 W FCPS. He ought to make a serious effort to raise the SAT score.

It may be impossible for a rising senior who has already tested to get CB accommodations.

Anonymous wrote:OP - any ideas for mid-sized schools with undergrad student bodies of @ 3500 - 6000? Thanks!

Please buy a Fiske Guide. You will learn far more than crowdsourcing on this board.

UMBC should be on your list BTW. Perhaps GMU as well.

I disagree re Pitt being. Reach. Depends on one’s high school and where, roughly, he ranks (top 25%?

OP - any ideas for mid-sized schools with undergrad student bodies of @ 3500 - 6000? Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Son finally has close to an A average — but he’s a junior. Total GPA will be a 3.4 if we’re lucky, it’s at 3.1 now. SAT around 1350, may go higher. Very smart kid who struggled with ADD. Intellectually, hangs out with smartest kids in his school. Wants to go somewhere for pre-med, ideally within five hours of DC. Thoughts?

OP, is that a weighted or unweighted GPA?

Unweighted. He’s at a private school that does not weight grades.

In that case I might move Pitt from “out of reach” to “reach.” Might have a chance if he can test prep and get that SAT up around 1450. But it’s a very desirable school for east coast kids now and the stats reflect that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Son finally has close to an A average — but he’s a junior. Total GPA will be a 3.4 if we’re lucky, it’s at 3.1 now. SAT around 1350, may go higher. Very smart kid who struggled with ADD. Intellectually, hangs out with smartest kids in his school. Wants to go somewhere for pre-med, ideally within five hours of DC. Thoughts?

OP, is that a weighted or unweighted GPA?

Unweighted. He’s at a private school that does not weight grades.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pitt and Case aren’t really in reach with those stats. JMU maybe, VCU yes, but would be a reach for the pre-med program.

Not gonna happen for the 7 year med program at VCU, which is very selective. Very possible to to pre-med the old fashioned way.

And wow. Is Pitt really out of reach at 3.4/1350? It’s brutal out there.

Yes.

OP. That’s amazing. Just a year ago Pitt was not a reach!

Anonymous wrote:Have him work on test prep this summer - maybe consider the ACT too - so he can raise his score. Make sure he's getting accommodation for his ADD.

He refused all accommodations. He was service academy bound but once he went off his Rx, grades fell (hence the low GPA).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PreMed or Bio or Chem isn’t easy anywhere and it isn’t low pressure anywhere. Both Pitt and VCU allow you to start Med school there early.

Add CWRU to those listed above.

Realize you need to apply directly to VCU and Pitt’s 7 MD or early admit MD programs, and they are super competitive. My kid is at TJ, which sends kids into direct admit MD programs, including Pitt and VCU, every year and it is much, much, much harder than getting into the underlying school.

Case is also going to be a real reach school with those stats— especially is premed or science, because Case looks at prospective major. Case has become a hot commodity lately, because they give generous merit aid to donut home kids.

OP— your kid doesn’t have the stats of UNC-CH OOS, but East Carolina University has excellent pre-med as well. I’m from NC. It’s definitely the NC State School you want to target, if you look South instead of North.

Otherwise, agree Pitt and VCU are good targets with the stats. In Ohio, Wooster would be a good match. Excellent grad school admissions.

And OP— I wouldn’t worry about your kid being too smart. I’m sure he is smart. But, I think you are discounting how tough the college admissions landscape is. You really want to pull up Naviance and take a look. For reference, I am looking at Case as a target, and VCU and Pitt as safeties for my TJ kid, w/ a 1520 SAT, 800s on the Math and Physics subject test and 4.1W. There are lots of very bright kids attending these schools.

Also, if your kid is a late bloomer Op, have you considered a gap year to give him the extra time to mature and work on executive functioning before starting college? He can fudge with “upward trend” for college admissions, but med school admission is unforgiving. He’ll want to be able to start off on the right foot.

Thanks, 21:13 for the helpful reply. We looked at VCU’s med / honors program last year but he did not pursue the requisite volunteer / shadowing hours. The school did not “feel right.” I completely agree that Case is a reach - not on our radar unless he does very well on next round of SATs. And yes, entire extended family after him to take a gap year, but so far he is unwilling. I will bring it back up after he is accepted somewhere. I think he should work in a hospital for a year! East Carolina fell off our list - will add it back! And re your son, don’t aim too low. Many high stats kids were rejected from safeties this year because schools thought they wpuldm’t attend! It is crazy out there!

Anonymous wrote:Son finally has close to an A average — but he’s a junior. Total GPA will be a 3.4 if we’re lucky, it’s at 3.1 now. SAT around 1350, may go higher. Very smart kid who struggled with ADD. Intellectually, hangs out with smartest kids in his school. Wants to go somewhere for pre-med, ideally within five hours of DC. Thoughts?

OP, is that a weighted or unweighted GPA?