UT Austin (Forty Acres) or Baylor BS/MD

Hey everyone! I’m lucky to have been accepted into these schools. I want to pursue a career in medicine, and I’m upper middle class, so I won’t be going into any debt, and my parents will be able to pay for my cost of attendance at any school I go to. That being said, I have a couple of options. I’m also looking to go to a T20 medical school and become a surgeon. Possibly down the line, I’m eager to do biotech/startups as well. I’ve also been accepted to both Stanford and Harvard, but I’ve narrowed it down to UT Austin and Baylor BS/MD. I want to choose the best option overall.

UT Austin - Forty Acres full ride merit scholarship program. Through a close-knit community of students and faculty, unique research and service projects, and other academic enrichment opportunities, I’ll have the opportunity to build the experiences and skills to compete with the best students in the world. My yearly scholarship will cover my full cost of attendance PLUS an additional one-time allocation of $20,000 to support research, study abroad and other academic pursuits. There’s no doubt that through this program, I’ll have the financial, academic, and personalized mentorship resources needed to place in a top graduate/professional school, and be competitive for post-graduate scholarships. With my cohort, I will also get numerous travel/cultural/enrichment opportunities and retreats for fellowship, fun, and intellectual exploration. I’ll have a personal mentor who will guide me in creating my path through college and an alumni network that will be with me every step along the way, even beyond college. In the past, students in this program have went on to receive full-tuition scholarships to medical schools. At UT, I’m majoring in Neuroscience and been accepted into Dean’s Scholars honors program (natural sciences research) and the Plan II honors program (multidisciplinary, I can pursue almost any course of study I want in the liberal arts). I can also take certificates in any other field of study.

Baylor - 26k per year undergrad, Baylor2Baylor Medical Track Program (BS/MD) + 10k/year medical school scholarship. This program offers guaranteed (conditional) acceptance to Baylor College of Medicine, a top 22 med school. I’ll be a Science Research Fellows major/program, the most selective major at Baylor of only 10 high school students each year selected, with some of the top undergraduate researchers in the nation. Some benefits are:

Individualized help for graduate and medical school admissions as well as top scholarships (Goldwater, Marshall, Fulbright)

1-1 Mentoring with professors and past or current fellows for guidance on classes, career goals, and ways to further your education

Priority Registration for Classes

The ability to choose which science courses you take / Reduced core curriculum

Being part of a close-knit group of top scholars that support each other

This major prepares students to immerse themselves in research on their favorite science field while giving them the freedom to explore other fields of study. SRF students are expected to join a research lab at the start of their sophomore year. This major also drops many of the core classes to allow you to focus on working in a lab at a post-graduate level throughout college. At Baylor, I can also get minors in Neuroscience, and Leadership in Medicine, which are only available to students in the Honors College. In my fourth year, I’ll also have time to get an MBA in Healthcare. Many of the major and minor requirements are cut out, which reduces a huge amount of college workload. Due to my acceptance into the BSMD and the Honors College, I’ll also have automatic placement into multiple enriching research internships, hospital internships, and internships working with senior executives in healthcare.

I know this was a long post, and I’m sure I couldn’t go wrong with any of these but any advice would be much appreciated.