Texas Universities with Best Reputation for Science Majors (Houston, Austin: schools, title)

[UnfairPark]

Originally Posted by EDS_

Baylor offers exceptional amounts of merit scholarship ship money.

That must be one of the reasons so many top students who aren't eligible for need based scholarships and looking for good pre med programs pick Baylor over Rice and UT Austin. Obviously, there is little reason for them to pay full ride at Rice or pay to go to overcrowded campus of UT Austin.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by EDS_

Didn't know UTSW and UTD ended their joint program.

Baylor Univ. and Rice have auto admit programs with BCOM. But that's a total of 10 or 12 slots between the programs. I'm fairly sure A&M has one as well.

This is a program at my High School alma mater, which was (is) a joint venture between Houston Independent School District and Baylor College of Medicine since the early 1970s.

I mean, I wouldn't have qualified for this back in the day while I was a DeBakey student, but smarter people do, LOL.

Houston Premedical Academy / Houston Premedical Academy

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93

This is a program at my High School alma mater, which was (is) a joint venture between Houston Independent School District and Baylor College of Medicine since the early 1970s.

I mean, I wouldn't have qualified for this back in the day while I was a DeBakey student, but smarter people do, LOL.

Houston Premedical Academy / Houston Premedical Academy

Didn't know about that one - looks like a cool program.
I went to Rice for undergrad.......age aside, I guarantee you if I sent my high school resume to Rice admissions today they'd think it was a joke. No way I'd get an interview let alone admitted today.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by UnfairPark

That must be one of the reasons so many top students who aren't eligible for need based scholarships and looking for good pre med programs pick Baylor over Rice and UT Austin. Obviously, there is little reason for them to pay full ride at Rice or pay to go to overcrowded campus of UT Austin.

Well, Rice does not offer much scholarship money because it does not have to. The school's normal pre-medical tracks are tiny. The Rice brand is a big deal to a lot of people. UT while also a strong brand is usually the top producer of medical school admits in the state and one of the top in the country. UT BS bio., like a lot of UT tracks, is very difficult, somewhat cutthroat and old school - kind of a sink or swim sort of thing. Baylor's sciences are kind of in a sweet spot. The school is big enough to have exceptional facilities, the biology building at Baylor is amazing, and has the reputation to attract excellent faculty - real tenured, published active researchers teaching low level bio. classes as an expectation not a oddball novelty for example. And the place is small enough that professors are really involved.

Much like engineering Texas universities offer students looking for pre-medical schooling a number of excellent options. At the end of the day it's about being taught and exposed - making excellent grades in tough environments and boning up for the MCAT.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93

Maybe I'm missing something here, but do people really expect Baylor University to dovetail directly into Baylor College of Medicine? I worked at BCM for several years and my husband went to Med school there. It has been a separate entity from Baylor University for almost 50 years. I don't recall any of my husband's classmates to have been Baylor Undergrads, at least to my knowledge. Many, many students were from out of state. What they did offer was a significantly lower tuition for Texas residents than out of staters, but that was about it.

Is there still some reciprocal relationship between BU and BCM other than perhaps some Board of Regent holdover slots?

My understanding is Baylor University officials have several BCOM board of directors seats. However, since the separation of day to day activities, as you say many years ago, BCOM is not bound to accept any Baylor Univ. students. However, most years BCOM accepts a good number of Baylor Univ. students.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by Prumio

We're talking at least 4+ years down the road here. I know at least one student who got into Southwestern with a 22 MCAT...But STELLAR credentials in other areas, including major research publications. It's the "whole package" that matters. She should do her best now, do her best in college, and do her best on the MCAT.

That sort of thing happens but oddball circumstances do not describe what one should expect.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by EDS_

Didn't know about that one - looks like a cool program.
I went to Rice for undergrad.......age aside, I guarantee you if I sent my high school resume to Rice admissions today they'd think it was a joke. No way I'd get an interview let alone admitted today.

Same here, and that goes for Rice (which I never would have gotten into) as well as A&M and UT (both of which I did get into). Things being what they are today, however, I would not have voluntarily gone to a competitive HS like I did where I squeaked by in the Top quartile.....I would have sought out an average HS and likely easily been in the Top 10%.

Would have been a moot point, though, because there is no way my SAT score would cut it nowadays.

[tcualum]

I wouldn't get into TCU these days either. FYI, TCU and UNT are teaming up to start a medical school in Fort Worth that will supposedly have an emphasis on patient care. UNT has an osteopathic medical school in Fort Worth but the new one will be a traditional program.

[OkieSoonerGuy]

Originally Posted by tcualum

I wouldn't get into TCU these days either. FYI, TCU and UNT are teaming up to start a medical school in Fort Worth that will supposedly have an emphasis on patient care. UNT has an osteopathic medical school in Fort Worth but the new one will be a traditional program.

This is what UNT should have been putting more emphasis on instead of that joke of a law school.

[mSooner]

This is what UNT should have been putting more emphasis on instead of that joke of a law school.

The DO school isn't happy about it for obvious reasons. I also question whether Texas needs yet another medical school given the rapid expansion in recent years.