Medical School Spots/ Advise on Decision

Mm dad. We do agree. That's why my original post didn't mention merit scholarships. I mentioned that later relating to public and more general schools.

Not to side track the thread, but it is important to know that there is money out there to go to school. Even for the ivy's. But any offers the op currently has in front of them now, won't necessarily still be there in 2 years. So if they have a free ride offer for undergrad school, in a track that will help them get to med school, assuming they do their part with grades, mcat, etc. then I highly recommend they take the offer.

Getting through med school is a long journey. It takes a lot. Not just in undergrad studies. Working in the healthcare industry currently and having undergrad pretty much guaranteed by his plan B school in a medical program, all but guarantees them med school. They can't even come close to that level of assurance from the academy.
 
[QUOTE="Christcorp, post: 424234, member: 1353]"Working in the healthcare industry currently and having undergrad pretty much guaranteed by his plan B school in a medical program, all but guarantees them med school. They can't even come close to that level of assurance from the academy.[/QUOTE]

I've heard of these fast track approaches from various spots that show near 100% success. More often than not when you dig into the numbers, it's because the school weeds out the non-performers along the way. So by the time they apply to med school, nearly 100% get though. Imagine that!!! Maybe not the OP's situation but that would be something I would not take at face value. It's well known that some med schools are extremely biased towards their own and / or their own state. They may want to fill in their slots with their own UG. So then what caliber is the school? If the OP struggles in one of the few weeder courses, fast track or not, it may not be happening. There are a lot of vet, dentist, pharma, and MD biology majors that fell short and work in a lab versus making their dreams come true.

Where you get into med school is related the quality of the UG program. So the decisions build on each other starting at the UG level. We all know that not all UG schools are created equal; even the ones that give out a lot of tuition. Allow me to brag for USAFA.... MANY doors will open if you do well on your MCAT and GPA when you attend USAFA.

So if I was the OP's Dad giving my HS student advice, my knee jerk advice would be to take the current plan B path. But it would depend on the caliber of the University, the brain power of my kid, etc. If you have a little genius with great communication skills, you are going to be in that 2% group at USAFA. But there are lot's of variables here that are unknown.

For instance we live in MN which has an impressive medical school AND quality UG programs. That would be harder to turn down. Maybe not so much in Alabama.

But barring this new MCAT test, going to UG at the UofMN and doing well pretty much means the UofMN is going to take you. A 4.0 and a 34 on your MCAT at the UofMN or other great state schools does not mean you will get an interview at any tier 1 school. But I bet you would with those numbers coming from USAFA. If you have good communication skills, I bet you would get into a top tier program (Mayo, John Hopkins, Harvard, etc with those stats).

As a side note, I don't care where my dentist went to college. But I do look at where my doctor went to med school. Just being a doctor might not be enough for the OP. Maybe she should dream of a higher goal?
 
Last edited:
Estherjp21,
Thanks for sharing about how you got involved in research. Wow... you have accomplished much. Sounds like whatever path you choose, you will succeed. Perhaps if you have a faith that guides you, you may take some time to prayerfully consider your choices.
 
Usually, after a certain number of posts, you are able to PM. I'm not sure how many you have to post before you can send a private message.
 
estherjp21 said:
I can't seem to figure out how to PM on here? I went to the private conversations tab but I couldn't figure out how to start one. Haha I'm terribly sorry
Click to expand...
Usually, after a certain number of posts, you are able to PM. I'm not sure how many you have to post before you can send a private message.
 
MN-Dad-2016 said:
But barring this new MCAT test, going to UG at the UofMN and doing well pretty much means the UofMN is going to take you. A 4.0 and a 34 on your MCAT at the UofMN or other great state schools does not mean you will get an interview at any tier 1 school. But I bet you would with those numbers coming from USAFA. If you have good communication skills, I bet you would get into a top tier program (Mayo, John Hopkins, Harvard, etc with those stats).
Click to expand...

This is a good point I didn't really ponder as I was reading the thread. A strong MCAT+GPA AND and relatively rounded experience as a cadet does open many doors. At the time I was applying to med schools at USAFA, I had a 3.8 GPA and a 32T MCAT (I add the T for writing as I think that really set me apart). I got an interview at Harvard Med with those stats. Though I had a fellow Biochem friend who had a 37 MCAT and a ~3.7 GPA who did not get an interview at Harvard (he went to UVA and is doing his residency in general surgery these days). In my class, about a third to a half of med school selects went to pretty mediocre DO programs, a third went to USUHS, and the rest went to good to great medical schools (I'd say my friend who went to UVA did the best). When I interviewed at Harvard, I stayed with a 2007 grad that was in Harvard Med and enjoyed a fun dinner that night with him and a 2006 grad who was also finishing up at Harvard Med. Highly successful candidates do get into top-tier schools from USAFA. And some don't, but the opportunity is there.

I also agree with MN-Dad, the particulars of the program the OP was offered would be crucial to making the trade-off choice.
 
The OP's school is smart because they waved some incredible opportunities in front of their best HS students. Our flagship has done the same things. They don't want their best going elsewhere especially since they have the home state advantage. To the OP: be smart. Motivate your home state university to fight for you even if you know you want them. In other words, keep your card close to your chest. Let them know you need more info from them because you are still exploring the other opportunities. Do it softly without even hinting of a demand. Explore those other opportunities as well so you can articulate what they are. Softly educating the decision makers will translate to more money, honors slots, calls from the dean etc . It's all part of negotiating process that most people ignore but they will fight for you and that means visibility and extras. Remember: You have an offer (USAFA) that pays you. The President of the USA may be handing you your diploma. There are scholars programs inside of USAFA that allow you to really stretch yourself which will open up even more doors. At the risk of sounding over confident, your state school doesn't have this caliber of instruction. But State schools don't like losing their best and brightest. Negotiating skills / strategies are a potent skill set in life. My advice is ride it out and keep on exploring your options.

But since I don't know you personally, your State school, your standardized test scores, how naturally good you are at math and science, I could never give you hard advice. You have to fill in those blanks. But I do wish you the very best in your choices. What a great problem to have!
 
Last edited:
MN-Dad-2016 said:
To the OP: be smart. Motivate your home state university to fight for you even if you know you want them. In other words, keep your card close to your chest. Let them know you need more info from them because you are still exploring the other opportunities. Do it softly without even hinting of a demand. Explore those other opportunities as well so you can articulate what they are. Softly educating the decision makers will translate to more money, honors slots, calls from the dean etc . It's all part of negotiating process that most people ignore but they will fight for you and that means visibility and extras.
Click to expand...

Ah... the art of negotiating.... a skill set that all leaders need to learn. Recently I learned a LOT about the art of negotiating and military strategy from an unlikely source; The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared. The adventures of centurion Allan Karlsson is a humorous trip through history and a chance to meet many world leaders "behind the scenes." While it is fiction, (so don't get hung up on 100% accuracy or you will blow a gasket), Allan's ability to negotiate in a VERY tight spot just kept me laughing throughout the book. It's a best seller book and a movie will be released in the States soon. Every so often I like to quote some of the lines out of the book... such as "My last name is Dollars.... and my first name is 100,000...." ;)

May you negotiate your college career well! And have some fun in the meantime!
 
So, it sounds like if you primarily want to be a doctor, then your Plan B is a no brainer. If you primarily want to be an AF officer, then USAFA.

That said, the Air Force would love you if you finish medical school with no debt and still want to join. You can always commission after you have your medical degree. I know, I know, force reduction and all that, but something tells me that the AF will always be willing to take a highly-skilled professional that they don't have to train.
 
A quick update:

The research fellowship I received was from a private foundation, sponsoring me to do research at this university but did not come directly from the university. I have to give them a decision by Sunday

However, this University has definitely gone out of their way to make me feel important. Although this school is not "ivy league" or incredibly high ranked, this medical program is exceptional and I have the benefit of having the medical campus incorporated into the undergraduate campus, with many of my classes actually taking place in the College of Medicine building.

At this point, I can't imagine myself serving in any capacity beyond medicine or perhaps astronautical engineering, but I think that's because I haven't had much experience in other areas. Medicine has been my goal for a very long time. Even if I choose my plan B school, I plan to serve in the future, hopefully after I receive my medical degree.
 
MN-Dad-2016 said:
As a side note, I don't care where my dentist went to college. But I do look at where my doctor went to med school.
Click to expand...

I'm going to give everyone free insider information. Don't bother looking where your doctor went to medical school. You want to see where they did their residency and if applicable their fellowship. Also you want to know for that particular specialty the top programs. So, for example you see a doctor trained at Harvard...wow, you think. BUT you are being biased by your understanding of the undergrad reputation. So for ophthalmology Harvard is actually not that great, but Univ of Iowa and one in Miami are actually much better programs.

By looking at the top residency you know you got the top medical students out of the top schools at those places, meanwhile the top med schools can still put out lesser candidates.

Just a little insider tip
 
You can always get the best of both worlds, as I was lucky enough to do. I was down to the final signature for AFROTC and at the last minute chose to go "Plan B" and follow the medical route. I really really wanted to be a pilot, but I also wanted to be a doctor. I chose the doctor route through my state university. I paid for medical school myself to keep my own options open. During Residency training I joined the Air National Guard as a Flight Surgeon. 7-8 weeks of additional aerospace medicine training that I was able to use my residency's elective training time for. Graduated from my residency training, making my own decisions on where/how I wanted to practice medicine, have had an amazing adventure with the ANG with deployments and trips all over the world, amazing flying experiences and memories, worked with some of the greatest soldiers and airman... It was a great path for me, and I promise you the ANG is always hungry for talented young flight surgeons.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top