Advice For College Selection

<p>Hey guys, May 1 is almost here, but I am unsure of what I should do for college. I've tried to talk to many of my high school teachers and counselors with mixed opinions, making this even more of a difficult decision. Currently, I have three options I am heavily deciding between. Perhaps this is even more of a difficult decision because I have med school in mind after college. I am planning to major in either Biology or Chemistry also.</p>

<p>As I am technically a junior (I had planned to graduate high school early) I could do PSEO at a local university exclusively next year and potentially accumulate enough credits to knock off a year of college for free. I would also have more time to think about where I want to go to college, though I think I have been given great opportunities now.</p>

<p>My second option is to go to Antioch College. I was admitted and offered a full tuition scholarship as well as a generous grant from the college, potentially making this option the cheapest and perhaps the most practical financially. Because the college stresses their co-op work program, I would work full-time for one quarter and work 10 hours a week when classes are in session. This would allow me to not only have work experience when I apply for jobs or graduate programs, but I should also have saved up a decent sum of money to establish myself after college. One thing I had considered, should I go to Antioch, would be to establish myself out of state prior to attending medical school. I'm not very concerned about their lack of accreditation as I've been told they are on track to regain that soon after their first class graduates. Additionally, their credits would potentially transfer to other Great Lakes College Association colleges. The only thing I am really concerned about is how well I would be prepared for medical school admissions if I went to Antioch, though they require Health Science majors to take the 16 most commonly required classes for medical school, which is something many have expressed doubt over. Also, I have been told that Antioch requirements stack up well against medical school requirements:</p>

<p>General Chemistry 1 and 2, both with lab
General Biology 1 and 2, both with lab
General Physics 1 and 2, both with lab
Math through Calculus 1, plus Statistics; Calculus 2 optional</p>

<p>Genetics and Molecular/Cellular biology, both with lab
Organic Chemistry 1 and 2, both with lab
Anatomy and Physiology, both with lab
Biochemistry
Microbiology with lab</p>

<p>Senior Seminar and Senior Project</p>

<p>My final option would be to go to Wabash College. Though I have been offered great financial aid from Wabash, I would still have to take out some loans. Wabash has a great reputation for medical school acceptance. I like many of the things that Wabash has to offer.</p>

<p>The two schools have very different atmospheres -- Wabash is an all guys school. While I have always seen myself going to a college with girls, I also like the feeling of brotherhood the college seems to radiate. I'm not really partial with which atmosphere I would rather experience, both of them have their ups and downs.</p>

<p>I guess my real question is what do you think I should do? Does it really matter where you did your undergrad at for medical school so long as you meet the prerequisites? At Antioch I would major in Health Sciences which is a basically all of the classes I need for medical school; at Wabash I would likely major/ minor or double major in Chem and Bio. Which one do you think would be best?</p>

<p>Sorry for the long post, I just had to accurately describe the situation and my thoughts on each option.</p>

<p>Thanks,
Neunundneunzig</p>

<p>I also think much of the draw of Antioch is the potential to graduate without debt. At Wabash (and most all other places) I’ll be 34k+ in debt.</p>

<p>I would be concerned about looking at Med School after school with Antioch. It is not yet accredited.</p>

<p>The college isn’t accredited yet, but even if for some reason the college doesn’t get accreditation, the credits would transfer to several colleges much like they were coming from an accredited institution.</p>

<p>You would have to check with each school to see if they would do that.</p>

<p>OP</p>

<p>I’ll admit that I am very cautious by nature, so take my advice with this in mind. </p>

<p>I would not recommend going to a non-accredited school, ESPECIALLY if you want to go to Med school. I’m not saying it won’t work out, but there are too many question marks.</p>