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Posted
5 hours ago, Damor said:

Thanks, y'all!

He will actually get in-state tuition because he's a member of a Native American tribe with historical ties to CO on my wife's side.  We had actually thought that only applied at CSU since it's the land grant university, but it's any CO state school.  Somehow we missed that for the first year his brother was in school at Western.  A niche situation to be sure, but worth pursuing if you think your kid could possibly be eligible.

He wants to go to medical school, so his options for a major are pretty wide open.  My guidance has been to be sure he picks a major he both enjoys and could find an alternate career pathway in if he decides not to go the med school route.  That would probably be biomed engineering (whatever that means) if he goes to Mines.  He wouldn't really be taking advantage of the things they're best at unfortunately, although I keep pointing out to him that he could get a minor in Space Mining.  Chicks would dig that.

I know multiple MDs that pursued engineering degrees at UT.  Two orthopedic surgeons, one a urologist.  Both think it's excellent preparation for a doctor as the practice of evidence-based and other aspects of medicine line up pretty well with engineering analysis and thought.

Chem E tends to line up best with the premed requirements, but probably the newer biomedical degrees also.  Guess it depends on the school.

It is, however, a pretty brutal way to do premed.

Also, it's my opinion that a kid that's not actually interested in some type of engineering probably isn't going to like it or do well, no matter how good their math/science aptitude.  By that I mean has some demonstrated curiosity as to how things work, how they're made, etc.

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Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

I know multiple MDs that pursued engineering degrees at UT.  Two orthopedic surgeons, one a urologist.  Both think it's excellent preparation for a doctor as the practice of evidence-based and other aspects of medicine line up pretty well with engineering analysis and thought.

Chem E tends to line up best with the premed requirements, but probably the newer biomedical degrees also.  Guess it depends on the school.

It is, however, a pretty brutal way to do premed.

Also, it's my opinion that a kid that's not actually interested in some type of engineering probably isn't going to like it or do well, no matter how good their math/science aptitude.  By that I mean has some demonstrated curiosity as to how things work, how they're made, etc.

 

any advantage of going small school and dominating ?

mcneese / lamar / am kingsville / ut rgv, first three are old and established. rgv is booming, doing great work 

 

Edited by tx 3 putt
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

any advantage of going small school and dominating ?

mcneese / lamar / am kingsville / ut rgv, first three are old and established. rgv is booming, doing great work 

 

Anecdote from a former colleague whose kid went to UT.  The kid said that, if he had to do it again, he'd have considered going to a slightly less prestigious university for undergrad, crushed the GPA, and spent more time preparing for the MCAT.  That said, he graduated w/ high honors from UT and went to UT Southwestern before specializing.

EDITED to add: IIRC the med schools are now taking the rigor of the undergrad university into account.  Something like Lamar (~400 nationally) or McNeese (unranked) might lack rigor for serious consideration to a top med school, regardless of GPA.

Edited by boilerhorn
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Posted
4 minutes ago, boilerhorn said:

Anecdote from a former colleague whose kid went to UT.  The kid said that, if he had to do it again, he'd have considered going to a slightly less prestigious university for undergrad, crushed the GPA, and spent more time preparing for the MCAT.  That said, he graduated w/ high honors from UT and went to UT Southwestern before specializing.

Yeah, I think GPA and MCAT are neck and neck for number one considerations.

Rigor of undergrad program and institution are lower priority but not irrelevant.

Posted
8 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Also, it's my opinion that a kid that's not actually interested in some type of engineering probably isn't going to like it or do well, no matter how good their math/science aptitude.  By that I mean has some demonstrated curiosity as to how things work, how they're made, etc.

It's only one data point, but I was set to take a national merit scholarship to study finance at a B1G school.  Fall semester my senior year of HS, my dad (an engineering prof) said to me "you know, you're really good at math and you love music and hifi -- have you considered studying acoustics?"

It had never occurred to me.  I ended up studying mech eng undergrad and then acoustics at UT for grad school (via the mech eng department).  I am so fucking glad I didn't study finance.

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Posted

Great points and discussion, thanks all.

I'm not super in touch with current med school admissions, but agree that what I have generally heard is that it's better to crush your major with eye popping numbers at Reputable State than to "show you can handle a challenge" with a more middling performance in a brutal major at Gunner U .  For all the bullshit about "holistic evaluation," it's still the numbers that get you in the door.

I am involved in the residency process, and aside from idle curiosity, IDGAF where you did undergrad or what your GPA was.  I'll use your major to stereotype your personality.  It's then all about your med school and if you can get some comparative data out of them these days, and at least for now your non P/F USMLE.  For better or worse, medicine is still about playing the long game.

The points about trying to do engineering without the mindset are very helpful, because the best guidance I want to give him as he decides is for him to find a path that is right for him and leads to fulfillment and contentment in the end (see @jimmyjazz above).  If that's in medicine then great (I have my own reservations, cynicism, and concerns beyond the scope of this thread) and I'll be behind him 100%, but having an off-ramp or branch point to find his way is also important, as I've seen too many cases of  "medicine or bust" that end unhappily.

Didn't mean to let that take a negative turn, though, because right now he sees a wide open superhighway in front of him, and I'm excited to give the best guidance I can as he makes his way.  Because as much as we'll miss him, he ain't moving back in.

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Posted
6 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

It's only one data point, but I was set to take a national merit scholarship to study finance at a B1G school.  Fall semester my senior year of HS, my dad (an engineering prof) said to me "you know, you're really good at math and you love music and hifi -- have you considered studying acoustics?"

It had never occurred to me.  I ended up studying mech eng undergrad and then acoustics at UT for grad school (via the mech eng department).  I am so fucking glad I didn't study finance.

I think at one point you challenged me on that notion and it's just like  . . . my opinion, man.  But yeah, I thought your interest in audio reproduction and acoustics was that thing for you.

Posted
12 hours ago, boilerhorn said:

Anecdote from a former colleague whose kid went to UT.  The kid said that, if he had to do it again, he'd have considered going to a slightly less prestigious university for undergrad, crushed the GPA, and spent more time preparing for the MCAT.  That said, he graduated w/ high honors from UT and went to UT Southwestern before specializing.

EDITED to add: IIRC the med schools are now taking the rigor of the undergrad university into account.  Something like Lamar (~400 nationally) or McNeese (unranked) might lack rigor for serious consideration to a top med school, regardless of GPA.

My kid is currently killing it at ou in BioChem GPA wise and is currently drilling for the MCAT. 

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