Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is really pre-health, this is idea. No undergrad tuition!!! Get a super high GPA, lean into whatever health opportunities exist in the area, and set yourself apart. Do well on MCAT and boom. I understand how you feel, but this may be a tremendous opportunity. For a business degree, I would have a different opinion.

This is the big fish/small pond approach. I went to a seminar given by college admissions officers - full disclosure it was a long time ago in a professional capacity -and they endorsed this approach to graduate school admission. If your kid is at the top of their class at ES, and they do great on the MCAT they might have an advantage over a kid who did just ok at Lehigh or Villanova.

Anonymous wrote:OP, I went to a commuter school. Think Mason, only poorer (much poorer). Even in a school like that, we had excellent instruction. Standout undergrads got opportunities in research, which is a requirement for admits to med school. Several of us had publications while we were undergrads.

Many of the kids in the lab where I did my research went on to medical schools. One is prominent in her field, and currently works at Stanford. I also forgot to mention that one of my cousins who went to a different commuter school, is a pediatrician.

Point is that if you have a stand out student, they're almost better off going to a somewhat lesser school where they can avail themselves of opportunities and not have to beat off stiff competition, than going someplace where it's a rat race. I would personally have zero problems sending my child anywhere safe they get a free ride. That 180K can grow a bit more in the next 4 years and she can use it for her grad education. Or if she chooses to go a different route, it will start off her retirement savings.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I went to a commuter school. Think Mason, only poorer (much poorer). Even in a school like that, we had excellent instruction. Standout undergrads got opportunities in research, which is a requirement for admits to med school. Several of us had publications while we were undergrads.

Many of the kids in the lab where I did my research went on to medical schools. One is prominent in her field, and currently works at Stanford. I also forgot to mention that one of my cousins who went to a different commuter school, is a pediatrician.

Point is that if you have a stand out student, they're almost better off going to a somewhat lesser school where they can avail themselves of opportunities and not have to beat off stiff competition, than going someplace where it's a rat race. I would personally have zero problems sending my child anywhere safe they get a free ride. That 180K can grow a bit more in the next 4 years and she can use it for her grad education. Or if she chooses to go a different route, it will start off her retirement savings.

How long ago was this? Do you mind saying the school (or equivalent)?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is really pre-health, this is idea. No undergrad tuition!!! Get a super high GPA, lean into whatever health opportunities exist in the area, and set yourself apart. Do well on MCAT and boom. I understand how you feel, but this may be a tremendous opportunity. For a business degree, I would have a different opinion.

This is the big fish/small pond approach. I went to a seminar given by college admissions officers - full disclosure it was a long time ago in a professional capacity -and they endorsed this approach to graduate school admission. If your kid is at the top of their class at ES, and they do great on the MCAT they might have an advantage over a kid who did just ok at Lehigh or Villanova.

Admittedly, I don't have experience with med schools, but if it's this simple, why doesn't everyone who wants to be a doctor take this approach? It would seem like much more of a sure thing than going to the higher ranked schools for undergrad. That makes me think there's more to it than that?

There's absolutely more to it than that. Because it's BS. There are ALWAYS outliers/exceptions, but as a rule - it pays to get the best education you can. Best professors, best connected prgrams that are well known in the field. This is simply fact. Anecdotes don't really prove anything. You CAN win the lottery, for example, but that doesn't mean you should buy a ticket every day as your retirement plan.

OP - is your dd making this decision because she senses your financial anxiety or has a sense of obligation? My dd chose her first school (and then transferred to a school like Lehigh/villanova) for financial reasons (we found out later) and it wasn't a good fit AT ALL. She admitted after freshman year that she felt guilty (even though we are full pay and never made her feel guilty). I'd be pretty honest about the best fit culturally and academically, socially. If you took money out of it, what would you do?

Does it actually pay? I know many doctors and lawyers, all in similar positions whether they went to regional, no name schools or Ivies.

Anonymous wrote:OP, I went to a commuter school. Think Mason, only poorer (much poorer). Even in a school like that, we had excellent instruction. Standout undergrads got opportunities in research, which is a requirement for admits to med school. Several of us had publications while we were undergrads.

Many of the kids in the lab where I did my research went on to medical schools. One is prominent in her field, and currently works at Stanford. I also forgot to mention that one of my cousins who went to a different commuter school, is a pediatrician.

Point is that if you have a stand out student, they're almost better off going to a somewhat lesser school where they can avail themselves of opportunities and not have to beat off stiff competition, than going someplace where it's a rat race. I would personally have zero problems sending my child anywhere safe they get a free ride. That 180K can grow a bit more in the next 4 years and she can use it for her grad education. Or if she chooses to go a different route, it will start off her retirement savings.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is really pre-health, this is idea. No undergrad tuition!!! Get a super high GPA, lean into whatever health opportunities exist in the area, and set yourself apart. Do well on MCAT and boom. I understand how you feel, but this may be a tremendous opportunity. For a business degree, I would have a different opinion.

This is the big fish/small pond approach. I went to a seminar given by college admissions officers - full disclosure it was a long time ago in a professional capacity -and they endorsed this approach to graduate school admission. If your kid is at the top of their class at ES, and they do great on the MCAT they might have an advantage over a kid who did just ok at Lehigh or Villanova.

Admittedly, I don't have experience with med schools, but if it's this simple, why doesn't everyone who wants to be a doctor take this approach? It would seem like much more of a sure thing than going to the higher ranked schools for undergrad. That makes me think there's more to it than that?

There's absolutely more to it than that. Because it's BS. There are ALWAYS outliers/exceptions, but as a rule - it pays to get the best education you can. Best professors, best connected prgrams that are well known in the field. This is simply fact. Anecdotes don't really prove anything. You CAN win the lottery, for example, but that doesn't mean you should buy a ticket every day as your retirement plan.

OP - is your dd making this decision because she senses your financial anxiety or has a sense of obligation? My dd chose her first school (and then transferred to a school like Lehigh/villanova) for financial reasons (we found out later) and it wasn't a good fit AT ALL. She admitted after freshman year that she felt guilty (even though we are full pay and never made her feel guilty). I'd be pretty honest about the best fit culturally and academically, socially. If you took money out of it, what would you do?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is really pre-health, this is idea. No undergrad tuition!!! Get a super high GPA, lean into whatever health opportunities exist in the area, and set yourself apart. Do well on MCAT and boom. I understand how you feel, but this may be a tremendous opportunity. For a business degree, I would have a different opinion.

This is the big fish/small pond approach. I went to a seminar given by college admissions officers - full disclosure it was a long time ago in a professional capacity -and they endorsed this approach to graduate school admission. If your kid is at the top of their class at ES, and they do great on the MCAT they might have an advantage over a kid who did just ok at Lehigh or Villanova.

Admittedly, I don't have experience with med schools, but if it's this simple, why doesn't everyone who wants to be a doctor take this approach? It would seem like much more of a sure thing than going to the higher ranked schools for undergrad. That makes me think there's more to it than that?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is really pre-health, this is idea. No undergrad tuition!!! Get a super high GPA, lean into whatever health opportunities exist in the area, and set yourself apart. Do well on MCAT and boom. I understand how you feel, but this may be a tremendous opportunity. For a business degree, I would have a different opinion.

This is the big fish/small pond approach. I went to a seminar given by college admissions officers - full disclosure it was a long time ago in a professional capacity -and they endorsed this approach to graduate school admission. If your kid is at the top of their class at ES, and they do great on the MCAT they might have an advantage over a kid who did just ok at Lehigh or Villanova.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If she is really pre-health, this is idea. No undergrad tuition!!! Get a super high GPA, lean into whatever health opportunities exist in the area, and set yourself apart. Do well on MCAT and boom. I understand how you feel, but this may be a tremendous opportunity. For a business degree, I would have a different opinion.

This is the big fish/small pond approach. I went to a seminar given by college admissions officers - full disclosure it was a long time ago in a professional capacity -and they endorsed this approach to graduate school admission. If your kid is at the top of their class at ES, and they do great on the MCAT they might have an advantage over a kid who did just ok at Lehigh or Villanova.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How have you heard from Villanova, Colgate, and Lehigh already? You haven’t.

I don't know why you feel the need to sleuth it out but, for specific reasons, yes, we have. And, no, I'll not be adding any more context as it's not relevant to the question. Sorry.

I’m not sleuthing, but these are schools with ED, in which case you’re bound, or RD, notifying in March or April. If you’re fudging the details and the caliber of schools involved, which you clearly are, the question isn’t very interesting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How have you heard from Villanova, Colgate, and Lehigh already? You haven’t.

I don't know why you feel the need to sleuth it out but, for specific reasons, yes, we have. And, no, I'll not be adding any more context as it's not relevant to the question. Sorry.

I’m not sleuthing, but these are schools with ED, in which case you’re bound, or RD, notifying in March or April. If you’re fudging the details and the caliber of schools involved, which you clearly are, the question isn’t very interesting.