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There are colleges I am looking at, I am in the military, and only want to do 6-8 credits a semester. I plan on transferring after 1.5 yrs (leave military). I won't give the names away, for bias purposes.
I want to go to medical school. So for the next 2 years, general studies pretty much.
Choice A - Public university
-not high ranking//most resources
-over 1 hour ride to get there *huge negative*
-cheap in general, but because I am in the military, practically free.
-50/50 female/male
Choice B - Private *religious* college
-8 minutes away (huge factor for me since my job will be demanding of my time)
-80% female (I'm in the military, dealing with guys all day gets lame)
-has enough resources based on the website
-may cost an extra 1-2k for me per year (it's the cheapest private school in the state)
-nursing school pretty much here, which is a plus, in case after I'm done, I want to get a sure-thing nursing degree.
- in hindsight, I think I'll be more successful here because of the distance.
I would go with Choice A. Conventional wisdom says that those aiming for medical school should minimize undergraduate costs and debt as much as possible. Also, I've heard that medical school admissions cares primarily about two things: GPA and MCAT scores.
How religious is the religious school? For example, the University of Notre Dame is a "religous" school in that it's affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. There might some requirement that all students or maybe Catholic students take some kind of religion course or two but that's the extent of the "religious" aspect of the education you would get there. Brigham Young University is affiliated with the Mormon church. While Mormonism probably has a stronger influence on BYU than Catholicism has on ND, it wouldn't influence the actual education you would get there. OTOH, attending Podunk Bible College which was run by a Christian denomination that took the story of Genesis literally could leave gaping holes in your scientific education.
If the private school is more like ND or BYU, then go with the private one since it seems that's the one you would really like to attend primarily because of the distance factor. BTW, have you considered doing on-line courses? Those aren't for everybody, but if you like working on your own, they can be a good way to earn credits.
PS. If you can't get into Med School, consider making Pharmacy or Physician's Assistant your second choice rather than nursing.
There are colleges I am looking at, I am in the military, and only want to do 6-8 credits a semester. I plan on transferring after 1.5 yrs (leave military). I won't give the names away, for bias purposes.
I want to go to medical school. So for the next 2 years, general studies pretty much.
Choice A - Public university
-not high ranking//most resources
-over 1 hour ride to get there *huge negative*
-cheap in general, but because I am in the military, practically free.
-50/50 female/male
Choice B - Private *religious* college
-8 minutes away (huge factor for me since my job will be demanding of my time)
-80% female (I'm in the military, dealing with guys all day gets lame)
-has enough resources based on the website
-may cost an extra 1-2k for me per year (it's the cheapest private school in the state)
-nursing school pretty much here, which is a plus, in case after I'm done, I want to get a sure-thing nursing degree. - in hindsight, I think I'll be more successful here because of the distance.
There's random community colleges in between.
That says it all right there. Your goal for getting into Med School is to go where you can get the highest GPA and 2 hours/day in the car is going to seriously cut into your study time and motivation. Check to see if the school is a Yellow Ribbon school too. An extra $8,000 is not going to make a difference overall, especially if that is all you are paying but most private schools are very generous too.
Option B may well count for military/VA funding as well, depending on your situation. I'm in grad school at a Catholic university and both Post-911 GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon program are applicable there.
Which one feels right to you? That makes a big difference in your ability to succeed at college is being where you feel like things click. Sounds like you really lean toward B. And being in the military, that hour drive each way is going to keep you from making some classes because you know there will be plenty of days where you can't get off in time to make the drive.
It's weird, but I do think more competitive colleges prepare you better for the MCAT.
The same way that you will almost never find an engineer from MIT who fails the FE/EIT and the passage rate for the bar at Yale is like close to 100%.
I do think it is a built in advantage of going to a highly ranked or flagship state school. Either that or the academic reputation helps you get in on its own. I cannot say for sure, but every single college in the US has similar numbers of people who have a 3.7+ GPA in Biology, but the ones from the better schools get into medical school at much higher rates.
Option B may well count for military/VA funding as well, depending on your situation. I'm in grad school at a Catholic university and both Post-911 GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon program are applicable there.
Do you qualify for the GI Bill?
I do, but Im not going use it until I go full time (and a way more expensive college) But after a few cost reductions... its going to cost 2-3k out of pocket (which pell grant may cover).
Until then, I need to start hitting my goals with little pebbles. Theres no highly reputable college in that region. Doesnt mean I cant transfer later.
Online college, I'll look into it. But I want to go to a "real" college again.
I made my decision
Choice B....
I sent in applications to both. Choice B contact me personally requesting transcripts in 24 hrs... while Choice A took 2 weeks to tell me in a non personal notification.
That tells me they are serious. (Transcript takes time)
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