Best LACs for pre med?

[sciencestudent]

What are the best LACs for pre med?

[mikemac]

There is also an excellent online handbook at Amherst I recommend to get an understanding of the process and what really matters

Amherst College has no magic touch that automatically elevates a student’s chances of entering medical school simply by virtue of the student’s coming to Amherst; no college or university has that kind of magic touch. What does elevate a student’s chances is to go to an institution (1) that energizes and challenges that particular student academically, while providing good teaching and academic support so the student can meet the challenge satisfactorily; and (2) that provides opportunities for accomplishment and leadership in extracurricular areas. Of course the student must take advantage of these educational and extracurricular opportunities - in the end it’s the student’s accomplishments that count, not the name of the institution.
[Amherst College Guide for Premedical Students](https://www.amherst.edu/campuslife/careers/act/gradstudy/health/guide)

[happy1]

Any LAC that has a good science department should be fine.

[N_s_Mom]

The Amherst guide is a great resource! But most of the top 30 or so LACs will give you a strong enough science background for med school, have decent premed advising, premed clubs and the usual opportunities for medical volunteering and research. You aren’t trying to choose a school that will tee you up for a Phd in a natural science, where the depth and breadth of the course offerings and the faculty’s research interests matter.

I would say the highest priority for any serious pre-med is to find a school where you won’t have to go into debt because medical school is extremely expensive. The second priority is finding a LAC where the fit is good - one that will bring out the best in you as a student and personally. Fit at a small school matters for everyone, but it matters even more for pre-meds. That’s because easily 75% of the people who started out saying they were pre-med, aren’t by the time they graduate. (S says 100 students showed up to the pre-med info session his freshman year at his LAC but only 20 actually applied by the time he got to senior year. And this is school that doesn’t weed or use a forced curve.) You want to make sure you’ve picked a school that works for you overall.

[ScaredNJDad]

On the east coast, the schools that are mentioned frequently are Colgate, Bucknell, Bates, Amherst, Holy Cross, Lehigh and Muhlenberg. This is in no particular order.

What would set schools apart would be relationships with medical schools, supportive advisory throughout the four years and a reputation for strong curriculum.

[Pinnum]

The best LAC for gaining admission to Med School is the LAC where you will be comfortable and get a good education. You will need to work hard and be fully integrated into the campus community.

There isn’t a best school for pre-med but there may be a best school for you to prepare yourself for admissions for med-school. It is about finding your match.

[ucbalumnus]

You want:

• Low cost to save money and avoid debt before expensive medical school.
• Good education, particularly in pre-med subjects and your chosen major.
• Access to expected pre-med extracurriculars.
• High grade inflation relative to the school's selectivity.

[ClassicRockerDad]

At one point about 4 years ago, my D2 was interested in medicine and was looking at that same question.

For each college, under the “Majors and learning environment tab”, under “Where Students Go”, they used to report the fraction of students that went on to study health professions. It seems to be malfunctioning now.

From my recollection, some exceptional schools for premed beyond JHU and WUSTL were
Brandeis and Ursinus. Though Brandeis is a university it is smaller than some LACs. In particular it’s smaller than Oberlin and Wesleyan in terms of undergrads.