[MattMD]

I'm a high school senior thinking about where I'm going to go. My #1 school is Miami, #2 is Georgetown, and #3 & #4 are Maryland and Alabama. I'm sure I can get into Miami and Maryland and Bama are my affordable backup schools. I want to major in Economics and eventually go to Medical or Dental School.

Where did/do you go? Would you go there again?

[NemesisX]

Awesome. I'm a senior at UT Austin double majoring in Chemical Engineering/Neuroscience and I'm headed off to medical school once I graduate.

Economics is a fine discipline to study, but I wouldn't recommend only majoring in Economics if you plan to go to medical school.

On the other hand, I wouldn't recommend only majoring in a biological discipline either in case medical school doesn't work out (and this includes simply realizing that you don't want to become a doctor midway through your studies). That was my rationale for choosing ChemE/Neuroscience. I've got a strong foundation in the biological sciences for medical school, but I also had an engineering degree to fall back on.

Anyways, whatever you choose, you should definitely look to apply to undergraduate programs that have a strong reputation. UT Austin's undergraduate ChemE program is ranked 4th in the nation which is great (http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandre...orate-chemical). Reputation and prestige aren't everything, but I'm sure it didn't hurt when applying to medical school. Not all GPAs are considered equal to an admissions committee. Having a strong GPA in a major from a prestigious institution is definitely looked upon favorably.

Here are some undergraduate rankings for various business-related disciplines that might interest you -

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandre...kings/business

U.S. News isn't the end-all-be-all for rankings, but it's definitely one of the more popular ones.

But like I said, definitely consider a double major (or perhaps a minor in some biological science if applicable). I love that you want to study economics, but I just think the typical pre-med program isn't rigorous enough to truly prepare you for the first 2 years of medical school. The additional expertise you'll gain from majoring in biology or biochemistry should serve you well. I know there are a few physicians on this website so hopefully they can chime in.

Aim high and apply broadly. Good luck!

[MattMD]

Thanks for the info and advice! UT Austin is a great school, hope you like it there.

I want to major in Econ because of the great job prospects and I find it interesting. I'm not going to pay all that money to major solely in biology and have no contingency plan if I don't go to med/dental school. With Econ I could go get an MBA and become a financial advisor or something if it doesn't work out.

I could look into something like a major in Econ and a double major or minor in biochem/bio. I would agree that only the basic prerequisites probably don't prepare you as well as they should. Gotta ace those USMLEs! I'll definitely be sure to take upper level science classes with my Econ major, I'll take some summer classes if I have to in order to graduate on time.

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by MattMD

Thanks for the info and advice! UT Austin is a great school, hope you like it there.

I want to major in Econ because of the great job prospects and I find it interesting. I'm not going to pay all that money to major solely in biology and have no contingency plan if I don't go to med/dental school. With Econ I could go get an MBA and become a financial advisor or something if it doesn't work out.

I could look into something like a major in Econ and a double major or minor in biochem/bio. I would agree that only the basic prerequisites probably don't prepare you as well as they should. Gotta ace those USMLEs! I'll definitely be sure to take upper level science classes with my Econ major, I'll take some summer classes if I have to in order to graduate on time.

Yeah I completely agree. I think this is a great idea.

And your post reminded me - one other option is to simply load up on extra upper level biology courses during your junior and senior years. You don't have to double major per se. Because biology and economics don't have a lot of overlap, double majoring in economics/biology might not be feasible.

Personally I was lucky because chemical engineering requires quite a bit of biology/biochemistry/chemistry so there was a decent amount of overlap and certain classes counted towards both degrees.

But if I had a choice between Biology or Economics, I'd choose economics for the reasons you mentioned.

It looks like you have a solid plan lined up. Good luck and feel free to ask anything if you need more advice!

[Mr Tonka]

Orlando School of Long Haul Trucking.

If i could do it a again i would go to the Atlanta School of Hauling.

[gatorfast]

I would also think about what you want to get out of your college experience. Are sports important to you? What about being in a big city vs a college town? I can tell you this - Miami will definitely not give you the type of experience you would get at a school like Alabama. I'm talking about Greek life, college town feel, football game days, etc. That type of experience just isn't the same at a Miami.

I went to UF (which I imagine would be similar to Alabama in terms of the things I mentioned) and would do it again in a heart beat.

[ToothDoc]

I went to the University of Chicago and majored in biology. Then worked, research, got married, etc. (3 years), took some classes meanwhile to keep my mind going at University of Illinois at Chicago along with some community colleges like Moraine Valley and College of Lake County. I think I might have taken another class at another community college but I forget... Then I went to Tufts University school of dental medicine. I wanted to do an additional 6 years for oral surgery and get my MD also, but wife wouldn't allow it. I'd be 35 if I did all that. In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't spend more years and more money specializing.

[MattMD]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

I would also think about what you want to get out of your college experience. Are sports important to you? What about being in a big city vs a college town? I can tell you this - Miami will definitely not give you the type of experience you would get at a school like Alabama. I'm talking about Greek life, college town feel, football game days, etc. That type of experience just isn't the same at a Miami.

I went to UF (which I imagine would be similar to Alabama in terms of the things I mentioned) and would do it again in a heart beat.

I'd like to have a medium-sized, well-maintained campus with mostly small class sizes. 7-10,000 undergrads is ideal. Alabama and MD interest me because of the cheap cost and honor's colleges. I want to be in a nice place weather-wise. Ideally, it should be near an urban center with things to do off-campus. D1 sports in football or basketball are a must and I'd like a place with great school spirit. I'm not that interested in greek life but there should definitely be some partying.

Visited Miami and loved it, the only thing that turns me off is the cost.

[DougLikesBMW]

I went to Texas A&M's Mays Business School for a bachelor's in business management.

I thought they were going to teach me how to run my own business, nope...just how to be an HR scrub at a large corporation. I took what very few entrepreneurial courses they had available, but largely university was a waste of time (and money) for what I am doing right now, which is starting my own business and taking a women's shoe innovation from concept to reality. I can't fail because I don't want to have to fall back on my degree doing some 9-5 job that I loathe.

[direwolfM3]

Originally Posted by MattMD

I'm a high school senior thinking about where I'm going to go. My #1 school is Miami, #2 is Georgetown, and #3 & #4 are Maryland and Alabama. I'm sure I can get into Miami and Maryland and Bama are my affordable backup schools. I want to major in Economics and eventually go to Medical or Dental School.

Where did/do you go? Would you go there again?

My only advice would be that if you plan on going to medical school, try to save money by going to a good in-state school for undergrad. Especially, if your like most people and will primarily depend on loans. The cost of med school continues to go up while doctors are making less. Low interest loans are pretty much non existent now. My cousin, who just finished dental school has $500k in loans!! A friend of mine who just finished a residency in anesthesiology has a MINIMUM loan payment of $3000 per month!

As far as what to major in, be careful to not to try to do to much. Only you know how much you can handle. If you double major or choose a difficult major and it effects your GPA, med school admission won't that easy.

[boostedTIAG335]

My friend graduated with a degree in econ from a school ranked higher than all of those you listed. He also graduated from a school that has one of the best MBA programs in the country. It's been over a year now and he's still unemployed.

Go to med school.

[1fastdoc]

Originally Posted by direwolfM3

My only advice would be that if you plan on going to medical school, try to save money by going to a good in-state school for undergrad. Especially, if your like most people and will primarily depend on loans. The cost of med school continues to go up while doctors are making less. Low interest loans are pretty much non existent now. My cousin, who just finished dental school has $500k in loans!! A friend of mine who just finished a residency in anesthesiology has a MINIMUM loan payment of $3000 per month!

As far as what to major in, be careful to not to try to do to much. Only you know how much you can handle. If you double major or choose a difficult major and it effects your GPA, med school admission won't that easy.

Advice worth considering. I'm 3 years into practice and still over $200k in debt. I went into med school with 20k in my pocket too.

Undergrad: UW Seattle, BS Biochemistry
Med School: Albany Medical College
Residency: Wake Forest

I agree with an Econ major (or similar). The Bio and Chem classes can be taken separately and as long as you have them, nobody will care if it wasn't your major. In fact, it can make you a more rounded candidate. Besides, Pchem was NOT good for my GPA. Got a 27 on the final and I think I had the 2nd or 3rd highest score.

[MattMD]

Thanks for the input guys!

My family has an income of $300k /yr, so I'm not sure if I'll be bogged down in loans. I'm pretty sure they will pay my undergrad wherever I go. I'd like to save them money if I can though because med school is very expensive. At Alabama I am looking at a 2/3rds tuition scholarship and a full tuition scholarship if I raise my CR+M SAT score by 60 points. At Miami I might be looking at $5-20,000 in merit, especially if I raise my CR+M by 60 points.

Do you guys have any input on the med/dental school ROTC programs? My dad was Air Force ROTC for his engineering degree and always brings it up for med/dental school for me. I think as a doctor (Surgeon, ideally) I could pay the loans off quicker in practice than having to get paid a government check for 4 years. I know the matching system is different and my a chosen specialty may not be available. 4 years in the reserves after also concerns me because what if I have a practice? I couldn't just leave if the arguers in Washington go to war with someone. However, as a dentist, it makes way more sense.

[Foxrus14]

Undergrad - Penn State
Masters - Penn State

[lsmkr01]

PITT - BS in Mechanical Engineering

Their medical and dental schools are really good too. UPMC is on campus and the city in general has tons of hospitals.

[PSUSMU]

B.S. - Penn State
M.S. - SMU

[MidwestGolfBum]

Undergrad - UW - Madison
Masters - UW - Madison

[KwlAznKid]

Undergrad: University of California, San Diego - Econ
Graduate: currently applying

I agree with whoever said not to do just econ if you plan on going to med school, I have a friend who did that and is having a very tough time understanding the bio technicality stuff because she didn't get much exposure to that in undergrad

[Litos]

i went to the Marines......

college sucks.....

[MShao825]

Undergrad - University of Maryland (Go Terps!)
MBA - NYU Stern

[KwlAznKid]

Originally Posted by MShao825

Undergrad - University of Maryland (Go Terps!)
MBA - NYU Stern

[1fastdoc]

Originally Posted by MattMD

Thanks for the input guys!

My family has an income of $300k /yr, so I'm not sure if I'll be bogged down in loans. I'm pretty sure they will pay my undergrad wherever I go. I'd like to save them money if I can though because med school is very expensive. At Alabama I am looking at a 2/3rds tuition scholarship and a full tuition scholarship if I raise my CR+M SAT score by 60 points. At Miami I might be looking at $5-20,000 in merit, especially if I raise my CR+M by 60 points.

Do you guys have any input on the med/dental school ROTC programs? My dad was Air Force ROTC for his engineering degree and always brings it up for med/dental school for me. I think as a doctor (Surgeon, ideally) I could pay the loans off quicker in practice than having to get paid a government check for 4 years. I know the matching system is different and my a chosen specialty may not be available. 4 years in the reserves after also concerns me because what if I have a practice? I couldn't just leave if the arguers in Washington go to war with someone. However, as a dentist, it makes way more sense.

Comparison for you:

A friend and I went through UW undergrad together. Both of us were prior service enlisted. He went to USUHS while I went to a private med school. He got paid over 40k annually while I paid 40k annually and lived on 8k alternative loans to eat.

After graduation he did his medicine residency followed by a GI fellowship. Now he is paying back his 4 or 6 years or whatever it is while working in Western WA. He makes around $200k last I heard. The GI partners I have make double that. If Uncle Sam wants him to go to Afghanistan, he's going to Afghanistan.

I graduated a quarter million in debt but it's at 2.25% so I'm in no hurry to pay it back. I'll be debt free when I'm 67 but at that age, a hundred thou might by a Prius. I'm an ENT and jobs are relatively abundant. I make double what he does. He's still technically ahead of me financially and we'll probably end up even down the road but I have my freedom. I have great issues with getting blown up by some suicidal asshole and our war on terror is far from over. Freedom trumps the money for me. Besides, if you get some help with tuition it will be even less of an issue for you.

And regarding the post about the person struggling through the bio stuff in med school: most struggle. You cover more info in the first year of med school than you'll cover in undergrad. As long as you get the prereq's, which include biochemistry, you should do fine. Getting a Chem degree will help a little with the first year stuff but that's it.