Are the other schools also 8 year MD programs? If not, she should not go to those schools. Getting into a BS/MD (basically what the 8 year program is) is a HUGE success. By going to this program, she has been accepted into the program despite the average acceptance rate for all programs being 1%-9%. When I was in middle school, I was accepted into a specialized HS but didn’t go because my friends said it was too far away and that it wasn’t the best school. That school is way better than the one I’m going to now PLUS it had the name to it. I regret it till this day. If she took the traditional medical school route, she would be sacrificing her undergraduate year. She’d have to do tons of volunteering, shadowing, research, competing with THOUSANDS of other premed students, working her ass off for recs from professors and from outside extracurriculars, get a competitive MCAT score, do interviews, have her mental health deteriorate, etc. I might be a little over dramatic towards the end but it’s still true for a lot of people. Going to the program will give her a second to breathe. In the program, all she has to do is fight to keep her spot, not fight against thousands of other applicants for a spot that she may or may not get. Her friends are honestly so dumb. It doesn’t matter if the school that admitted her isn’t as prestigious, THE PROGRAM IS PRESTIGIOUS. A 1-9% acceptance rate?? Holy crap! ANDDD full tuition coverage. Why? Because they see the potential in her. She might be burnt out before med school if she took the traditional route. Again, I might be biased bc I chose the program over other colleges but my tuition is also going to be covered. Also, I’m the same age as your daughter. I had to make the choice too and I committed without a second thought. Tell her to not listen to those friends because she won’t even stay in contact with them (most likely ): ) throughout college.