Any schools you'd recommend for me?

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hi,
I'm currently in Canada but am 100% set on attending school back in the states. I will be a Canadian Citizen when I apply, hopefully US Greencard holder too, but unsure. I'm a rising junior, so I thought I might as well start soon. Also- Money isn't a factor for me and my parents right now- I'm just looking for schools that I could check out when I visit my friends this summer.</p>

<p>Stats: 4.0 at current school with hardest courseload, 3.85 at old school, unfortunately, there were many personal problems within my family. SAT without any studying: 2190, I did some studying and a few practice tests and I'm scoring in the 2300s. It's still pretty different from the actual thing though, but I believe if I continue working at it, I will improve my score significantly. Recs should be good. </p>

<p>ECs: State awards in business, writing, regional awards at MUN. Qualified for debate provincials, silver medal at city speech tournament. Silver at national science fair. Multiple basic science research internships. Accepted to selective science research program that may result in a publication. I will be starting a few clubs at my HS that I am genuinely interested in and would like students to participate in. 200+ hours of volunteering.</p>

<p>Criteria: Strong undergraduate research presence, not really interested in Greek, not in love with big cities, friendly and intellectual student population. I don't want a really big undergrad population either. Good premed advising.</p>

<p>PS. One of my friends recommended I look at Caltech, but I'm afraid the heavy physics curriculum might drop my GPA. Does anyone have any info about this?</p>

<p>Thanks! :D</p>

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<p>err, a day has gone by, so I guess it’s appropriate to bump this. Any feedback would be very much appreciated! :smiley: :D</p>

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<p>“Strong undergraduate research presence, not really interested in Greek, not in love with big cities, friendly and intellectual student population. I don’t want a really big undergrad population either. Good premed advising.”</p>

<p>Take a look at the top LACs (liberal arts colleges). They are usually small (under 2,500 students), little or no Greek presence, small classes taught entirely by profs who, since you will get to know them well, are in a good position to write letters of recommendation for med or other grad schools. Research opportunities tend to be more limited - but you won’t be working for a grad student, as is usually the case at the larger schools, where profs have a full ‘portfolio’ of research underway with their grad students in the lead. While some of these schools are urban, many are located in nice college towns and most have decent undergrad pre-med advising - although if you are Canadian, you might want to consider attending med school in Canada where the cost is significantly less.</p>

<p>Where to start? USNWR has a ranking of LACs. I don’t buy into the ranking system, but you can assume that the top 50 (to pick a random number) will all provide you will a solid education and sufficient prep for the MCAT.</p>

<p>As for Caltech, it’s a great school, but you have to be certain that you want to spend 4 years surrounded by people who are dedicated to STEM subjects rather than the wider range you will find at most LACs and universities.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the recommendation! I think I will definitely take a look at some LACs- I think they would give me a good environment to explore my interests a bit. </p>

<p>My only concern about research is that I’m not sure how new or cutting edge it is. I feel like that at smaller schools, research funds would be harder to come by. Additionally, the fields I’m interested in/have already worked in are: cancer biology, immunology and bioinformatics, and it seems that most major research in those areas is conducted at universities with medical schools, which LACs don’t have. </p>

<p>Do you think smaller universities like University of Rochester and perhaps Rice might be good for me? It seems like they both have major research centers and a pretty flexible curriculum.
For reaches, I am currently thinking Caltech, Harvard, Yale, MIT (typical CC list :stuck_out_tongue: ). I might have a chance to visit New England while I visit my friends, so I was hoping to perhaps stop by there.</p>

<p>Are there any colleges similar to those (but obviously less reachy) that you think might suit me? Someone suggested Vanderbilt to me, but I think it has a very strong Greek life.</p>

<p>Thanks again for everything. :slight_smile: :smiley: Any other advice would be also very much appreciated too!</p>

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<p>Michigan. It’s way too big for you but it fits the criteria for location (ann arbor is the ultimate college town), research, a prestigious med school. And, if you live in Ontario it isn’t that far from home.</p>

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<p>“My only concern about research is that I’m not sure how new or cutting edge it is. I feel like that at smaller schools, research funds would be harder to come by.”</p>

<p>Whether this matters or not depends on your medical career goals. If you are aiming for a career in academic medicine and medical research, then yes, getting involved with cutting edge research as an undergrad might be helpful - and this is only a maybe. But most people who apply to medical school want to be doctors (take care of patients) and even most research-oriented medical schools do not expect you to be doing cutting edge research and getting published with your cancer break-throughs at age 22. They just want to know that you like research, have hands on lab experience, understand the process, and can read newly published research with a critical eye.</p>

<p>And some LACs have a lot of funds for undergrad research - you just have to seek them out. Grinnell, which I know best, is one such LAC.</p>

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<p>Ah, I see what you mean about med school applications and the experience aspect.</p>

<p>It’s just that I’ve been heavily immersed in scientific research for most of my high school life and I genuinely love it. The using of prior knowledge to develop experiments to test different variables, using different model systems… It’s just so much fun! :smiley: </p>

<p>I don’t want to just go to a lab and work on a project that I have no interest in just for the heck of it. I like research because it’s interesting and has potential to change lives- it’s more than just a helpful EC for me, I think. </p>

<p>And for future goals: I’m really interested in MD PhD programs and definitely want to go into academic medicine and work on translational research. I think being all out clinical would be kind of dull for me (no disrespect to those who love it, I just think I’d get bored).</p>

<p>@bimhop, I will definitely check out Michigan. My only concern again is the size, so I was wondering if you knew any schools similar to it but smaller? </p>

<p>That’s actually why someone recommended Caltech to me, because they ‘treat undergrads like grad students’ and ‘grad students like junior faculty’, haha.</p>

<p>But I’ve heard really good things about LACs in terms of educational quality, so I will definitely look at them. Someone recommended me Carleton along with Grinnell, so I will research them a bit.</p>

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<p>Harvey Mudd, along with Caltech. Both great small schools with research, both will lower your GPA. </p>

<p>Case Western, Rose Hulman</p>

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<p>^ GPA is important to me, but I honestly think (though my parents probably won’t be too happy about this) that I wouldn’t be unhappy doing just a PhD if MD/PhD or even plain old research MD doesn’t work out. </p>

<p>I did some research on Caltech and I think I sort of love it now (at least on paper). The core looks very difficult, but my current physics and calculus teacher has made me really enjoy the subjects, more than I ever did before, so…eh. I’ve heard great things about Harvey Mudd and will research it next. I hear that HM is similar to Caltech in it’s dedication to science, but the atmosphere is more relaxed. Is that correct, or was the person I was talking to totally off?</p>

<p>I ran a CC supermatch search today and got these schools:</p>

<p>Claremount McKenna College
Williams
Rice
Middlebury
Bowdoin
Harvey Mudd
Haverford
Duke
WUSTL
Brandeis
University of Rochester</p>

<p>I excluded HYCM because I’ll apply there for sure. Do you guys have any opinions on those schools with my interests in mind? I know HM, Rice and UR are all pretty good for science. </p>

<p>I’m not really looking for safeties in the states because I think if I’m a decent candidate for top schools (which I hope to be), it is likely that I can get into most universities I apply to in Canada and have a far lower CoA and scholarships. </p>

<p>Canadian Schools I’m looking at:

  • UBC, McGill, Waterloo, Queens and UofT.</p>
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<p>Case Western would be a good low match/safety for you, it has a lot of your criteria and is a great school.</p>

<p>Also take a look at Stanford. It some sort of optional LAC type undergrad cluster - I’m not what what it’s called. And obviously research and STEM there are amazing.</p>

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<p>Also look at Johns Hopkins University, huge on research and known for being a pre-med powerhouse. Def. less on the reachy side than your top but still very solid. Btw Duke is pretty greeky though it’s great for pre-med/research.</p>

<p>Schools like MIT, CalTech aren’t the best ideas if you’re looking for pre-med success because of the courses’ effect on gpa.</p>

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<p>

My son (currently happy at Mudd, also accepted to Caltech) didn’t get an uptight vibe from Caltech, but he preferred Mudd for the quality of teaching and the dedication to undergrad students. Yes, both are extremely strong science schools.</p>

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<p>Thank you all for your help and suggestions!</p>

<p>HM is definitely on my list for visits then!
I don’t want to apply to JHU because I hear the atmosphere (at least for Premeds) is really cutthroat and I don’t think I could bear that. I’m a pretty friendly, easygoing person and nonstop competition just bothers me.</p>

<p>I was just wondering if you guys have any opinions on my reach schools in terms of undergrad research? Harvard, Yale, MIT? Obviously Caltech is great, but I haven’t heard much about research at the other 3.</p>

<p>Oh and Re: Duke, I might still apply due to the research opps, but I’m not much of a partier. I don’t drink or do drugs and am not planning to do so due to some very sad family reasons, so I’m not really interested in schools with reputations for partying.</p>

<p>All opinions/suggestions are welcomed and appreciated! :D</p>

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<p>You can’t rule out a school because of a “party reputation.” At every school there will be kids who party and kids who don’t. You will find your people. MIT, HYP, Stanford, etc. all have partying.</p>

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<p>If you are visiting New England, check out Tufts. I would also suggest B.U. and Northeastern, but they might be bigger than what you want and are also in a big city.
I think you will find more choices for research-oriented schools if you ease up your restrictions on size and location. JHU for example is in the city…</p>

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<p>Definitely keep URochester on your list. Spend the night and talk with students who are currently doing research. That’s a big thing that sold my guy - that and the “research culture” where the vast majority of the undergrads are doing research (77% on the last stat I saw). He felt he found his niche there. Since you’re considering pre-med, the fact that their hospital is literally across the street (and undergrads can do research there too) is a nice bonus. At many schools it’s across town - not so easy for quick access. With your stats and research experience, you could be a good contender for one of their top merit aid awards. I know you said money isn’t a consideration, but IMO, it never hurts. My guy stayed with at least one student who had turned down a top Ivy due to the research offered, available, and accessible at URochester. He had no regrets.</p>

<p>And… if music interests you at all, music lessons are free for students - Eastman is right down the street, but many lessons are on campus. It has my guy planning on taking his violin with him (no plans to major or minor - just love of playing). He might join one of their musical clubs. He’s already planning on joining their chess club. There’s a lot to consider to see if it interests you, but based upon what you’ve written with research & pre-med, at least check them out.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the responses!</p>

<p>@alwaysleah, I get your point; I just don’t want to go to a school that’s predominantly partying because that would make me feel rather uncomfortable and awkward. Of course, people will party anywhere, anytime, I just don’t want to go to a school where kids go to party not to learn. </p>

<p>@Beantowngirl, you have a point there. I just like nature a lot and am not in love with the traffic/long commute times that come with big cities. I recently moved to a relatively big city and the worst part of it for me is just the commuting- it’s more than half an hour to get to school (in sparse traffic)! (which is difficult by my standards…haha if you live in Boston or NYC or Delhi I’m sure that’s child’s play). My friend’s sister and his cousin go to BU and NEU respectively, so I’ll be sure to ask him about those two places.</p>

<p>That being said, if there were zero restrictions besides research culture, non total cutthroat environment and non all out partying, would you have any schools in mind besides the ones I have (HYSCM, UR, Duke, CMK, HM)? Thank you so much!</p>

<p>@Creekland I am actually very, very well acquainted with the URMC and Strong Memorial Hospital in many ways, not all of them good ;). I am well aware of the research that they do there and actually know a few of the Profs; they do quite a bit of HIV and cancer work which I find very interesting.
However, I don’t really know much about the undergrad life besides the REMS program and the fact that the curriculum is flexible. Somehow though, from your description and campus reports I’ve read, I think I would like it. As of now, it’s on my 100% will apply list.</p>

<p>Alas, I wish I had visited when I had the chance :frowning: , especially since the campus was all of a five minute walk away. I like the city too- it’s pretty much the perfect size and while downtown is a bit sketchy, the suburbs are really nice. I would love to work at the URMC as a faculty member later in my career.</p>

<p>I guess one problem with UR also is that although my parents also like the city a lot, they are prestige focused and want me to have the most opportunities for success which they think I will be more likely to find at tippy top colleges, so I dunno how supportive they will be if I choose to attend it. </p>

<p>Thank you all so much for your help; all opinions/suggestions are welcomed/highly appreciated! :D</p>

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<p>I guess a bump is appropriate?</p>