<p>So I'm a student and I'm trying to decide whether to pick Carleton College or the University of Minnesota (and I realize it is REALLY late to be posting this). I'm interested in Pre-med and I know that Carleton is generally better for pre-med but I'm worried that the University will have more opportunities for research and such. Also, I'm worried about the liberal arts major part because I fear that the any major I take there will be useless to some degree. I pretty much will HAVE to go to med school. Anyway....I love both schools...but personal preference aside, I want to go to the best school and the school that will help me out the most. Any opinions?</p>
<p>As someone not from Minnesota, Carleton seems more academically rigorous and possibly more highly regarded for med school. Obviously this is only my perception and I know UMTC is a great college too, but Carleton seems to appeal to quirkier, more intellectual kids. So best academic school seems to be Carelton, but im not sure which would help you out more. I would look into research opportunities at Carleton. </p>
<p>Carleton offers substantial opportunities for undergraduate research. You shouldn’t have a problem there. Also I don’t understand why you believe you’d be pigeon-holed into medical school from Carleton but not Minnesota (assuming you majored in the same thing). The US economy is incredibly complex. There’re more careers than just a doctor or biologist with a phD. </p>
<p>Thank you for your responses to clarify…at the university, I’m in the college of science and engineering so if my med school plan doesn’t work out, I can easily switch to engineering. I dont have that option at carleton which is why I was a little uneasy. I’m also in honors at the UMN-TC so that made it even harder to decide…but it is true that carleton is better academically and does have good research.</p>
<p>You’re not going to “easily switch to engineering,” unless you have a ton of AP credits or are okay adding an additional year to your studies. Engineering normally requires a pretty rigid, prescribed track, so you really need to start out in engineering if you want to be an engineer. This of course can be problematic where medical school is concerned, because it’s harder to maintain a high GPA in engineering than most liberal arts subjects. Carleton is excellent for math and CS, so maybe that would be worth considering as a compromise. It also has an excellent track record at sending its graduates to grad school. </p>
<p>Is one school more affordable to your family than the other? Med school is very expensive, so money saved as an undergrad might help inform your decision. Good luck!</p>
<p>The cost isn’t a huge issue…I can go to the University of Minnesota for free. Carleton will cost 16000 a year including room and board and everything. My parents are saying that they can cover that for me so I won’t be in any debt. </p>
<p>And I would take a major in Computer Science but I’ve heard that employers don’t want to hire people with a bachelor of arts in computer science…?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about that (Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science). It is very much a “what have you done lately” kind of field. If you get some good internship experience with your degree (which I think you would be able to do from Carleton), you will get a job with a BA in Comp Sci. They want to know what you know and can do, not what your degree is called. </p>
<p>The vibe of the two schools is very, very different. Do you have a preference there? I happen to live in the area, so have spent a lot of time on both campuses. Obviously one is a very large university, and the other is a smaller LAC. </p>
<p>@intparent well I love the tight knit atmosphere of Carleton and I also really like the small classes and the intellectual vibe. Basically, the only thing I dislike about Carleton is that it’s not near a city because I’ve always lived like 15 minutes from Minneapolis. I’m afraid of a lack of opportunities and stuff to do and the lack of sports games and dance teams…It’s just not the enviornment I pictured for my college years. I want to do pre-med and go to med school…so my major isn’t SUPER important to me…I just want to make sure my major will be useful. </p>
<p>The degree title BA versus BS does not matter; it matters how much you know (influenced by which courses you take, sometimes based on what is available). However, you may have to be more aggressive at finding and applying to employers on your own, since big schools tend to be more attractive to visiting employers (e.g. there may be about 140 CS graduates per year at Minnesota, versus about 30 at Carleton).</p>
<p>At Minnesota, check for how easy it is to declare desired majors. At Carleton, check whether the advanced CS courses are offered frequently enough.</p>
Not really. The same set of required courses will be covered at either school. Med schools will care most about GPA and MCAT scores, not where you went to college. Probably the biggest difference is that classes at Carleton - all classes, but especially pre-med and other high-demand classes - will be much smaller. You’d have to think about how much that matters to you.</p>
<p>
Not necessarily. Certainly, a large university like Minnesota will spend much more money on research than a LAC like Carleton will (close to $1B/year v. about $5M/year). That does not necessarily mean there are more (or better) opportunities for undergraduates at Minnesota. If this is an important factor for you, you should investigate listings on the school sites (example: <a href=“Student Research Opportunities”>http://serc.carleton.edu/cismi/researchopps.html</a>). You might want to email department chairs at each school for information about what undergrads in each program have been doing this year. But yes, it’s a little late for that now. </p>
<p>
A CS degree should be very marketable, whether it’s from Minnesota or Carleton (and whether it’s a BS or BA). Carleton/biology v. Minnesota/engineering would be a different matter. </p>
<p>
Northfield isn’t that far from the Twin Cities.
However, if you want a big sports scene, and you are very career-oriented … and given the fact that Minnesota is $16K/y cheaper … it sounds like Minnesota/honors would be the better choice.</p>
<p>I think cost may turn out to be more important than some of your other concerns (about research opportunities, career outcomes, or location). Carleton must be offering a lot of need-based aid. Your parents may be able to cover the $16K family contribution, but then, what about med school? Med school is extremely expensive, with little or no financial aid available other than loans.</p>
<p>Have you visited both schools?
The reason I asked this is because, if you have… this decision should be a lot easier.
CC is one of the top little Ivies with outstanding facilities, opportunities, and overall college experience. UM on the other-hand is a large public research university. Going to UM will not give you the same experience as CC. Large vs small, professors access vs TA’s competition for research and internship due to large student body vs several to choose from etc. Distance is also not a big issue here. You are talking about a college that is about 15 miles from the Twin cities and offers daily bus schedules to its students to and from the TC.
You also mentioned cost. CC is also one of colleges that meets 100% of students demonstrated need, so cost should not that much of an issue at CC except you must have not provided them with a more accurate information during you financial aid/award application.
In general, pre-meds from CC usually apply to IVY’s for graduate schools, and at great numbers. Yes that’s how good the school is when it comes to GREAT feeders for graduate schools. In addition, I would even assume that UM would be interested in a student that attended CC due their extensive curriculum and international reputation. If CC is a better FIT & BALANCE to you, then by all means go there. Remember, not every student thrives in a larger campus setting compared to a smaller personalized on and V-V.
Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>Pretty sure @ucbalumnus was referring to your PARENTS contributing $64,000 to your medical school costs, not UMinn or Carleton making a contribution! </p>
<p>That was the point I was trying to make earlier–any money saved on your undergrad education could be put towards medical school. Do you have any idea how much money has to be earned to net $64,000? If it’s spent on your undergraduate education, are you planning to use loans to finance medical school?</p>
<p>-- Carleton is “better” for pre-med because medical schools acknowledge Carleton’s excellence as a school and realize that Carleton tends to produce hard-working, intelligent students. I’m not saying that UM doesn’t, but Carleton’s reputation of having excellent professors and excellent teaching for undergraduates gives Carleton a boost in the graduate school applying spree. Also, I think UM’s medical school take a lot of Carleton grads…I don’t know the percentage but I think a good number of UM med students are from Carleton.
– You can certainly research at Carleton. Given that all students are undergrads, you won’t be competing with graduate students for positions.
– I don’t think Carleton’s particularly “boring.” I’m from a big city too and I think Carleton certainly provides enough entertainment to keep students busy.</p>
<p>It may actually be easier for you to work on research at Carleton because professors are hired for their ability and desire to involve undergrads in their research. At UofM, they’re hired to do research and publish, not to involve undergrads, and their primary duty is to mentoring grad students. However, with Honors, you may get more opportunities so it may be a wash.</p>
<p>At UofM, most students come from MN (obviously). At Carleton, they come from the whole country.</p>
<p>In my opinion, the biggest advantage of Carleton over the U for a premed is that the premed classes aren’t weed-out. (At large universities, a weed out class is designed for a percentage of the class to fail). They want you to succeed.</p>
<p>Ultimately it depends whether you prioritize being in the cities + big sports over being surrounded by some of the brightest kids in the country all participating in interactive classes.</p>
<p>(As far as I’m concerned, between one of the top 10 colleges in the country and the U, I’d pick Carleton, but ymmv.)</p>
to clarify…at the university, I’m in the college of science and engineering so if my med school plan doesn’t work out, I can easily switch to engineering. I dont have that option at carleton which is why I was a little uneasy. I’m also in honors at the UMN-TC so that made it even harder to decide…but it is true that carleton is better academically and does have good research.</p>