<p>We’ll have to agree to disagree, because that just doesn’t make any sense. (There are literally thousands of high schoolers who would jump at any college with an 85% admit rate, particularly from a school with a mean scores of ~1800/26, and an admit rate of 88%.)</p>
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<p>Chicago, Columbia and Boston College, among others, all have a strong Core curriculum, and have no trouble attracting thousands of applications. (Only the latter has D1 football, btw.)</p>
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<p>What exactly does the latter statement mean? Does the UD Committee ‘weed out’ students ala Holy Cross by refusing to write recommendations for low-stats kids?</p>
<p>Another factor upping acceptance rates is kids going for their DO. Used to be, if you didn’t get in to med school, you enrolled in a Master’s program and kept applying. Now, kids who don’t get in to a school for an MD will often go to school for a DO (usually easier to get accepted, and still makes you a doctor when you’re done). And there’s always been the offshore med schools, seldom do you see a breakout of how many are in US schools vs. in the islands or other countries.</p>
<p>And to not pick only on med school stats, here’s another example of how a school can game a number. Average GPA and SAT scores are a good example. How many schools tell you what students are included in that average - is it an average of students who are ADMITTED or those who ENROLL? Most people probably look at that number and think those scores reflect the student body on campus. However, a school that is often used as a “safety” may report the numbers of students who are ADMITTED. If they’re a safety for lots of kids, they’re admitting significant numbers of high scoring kids who actually end up attending other schools. So the high GPA/SAT numbers may help in rankings, but may not reflect the kids who are actually enrolled in the school.</p>
<p>By “tough weed out,” I mean that the majority of students coming in as “pre-med” will reconsider, and often change to non-science majors, or go into other graduate programs. The grading in the intro courses is hard, so many students see that they aren’t going to make it early on and leave after only a semester or two. I doubt professors would refuse recommendations for a marginal applicant, but the recommendation probably wouldn’t be that great. I think it is more likely that they would strongly advise the student that his/her chances are poor, and that it would be wise to move on to plan B (nursing, PA school, other grad program, etc.)
The students who are admitted to med school from a college with an average ACT score of 26 aren’t the average students. I would bet that most of the medical admits had scores in the 32-36 range. Medical admits would include US DO schools. Some students choose to go to DO schools, even those who could be admitted to MD schools.
Offshore schools are another story. I doubt many colleges would recommend for or advise their graduates to attend those schools. They don’t have a good reputation and their graduates often have a hard time getting into residency programs, passing boards, finding jobs.</p>
<p>geo1113: Sorry I meant that many are based on my state of residence since I’m still on the fence about whether I want to stay in state. Colleges like LMU, USD, and the Mount are ones that I’m considering mainly because they are relatively close to where I live, especially Mount St. Mary’s, which is probably going to end up being a safety school for me.</p>
<p>Sorry, CherryBlossom. I am on the east coast. You are talking about MSM in LA which I don’t know. I was thinking MSM in Maryland. As for USD and LMU, my son had lower grades and scores than you and was accepted to similar schools in the Northeast (based on US News rankings).</p>
<p>A couple of points about a Catholic college experience </p>
<p>–First, be aware that when some people might call a school Catholic in Name Only, it is truly just one persons opinion based on how they approach faith and what they are looking for–theology, service, etc. You need to talk to people who are actually there–several people–and see how Catholic the school feels to them. I have heard that term applied to colleges, and later hear other people say the same school was pivotal in the growth of their faith. </p>
<p>–Second, a non-Catholic school with a particularly active Catholic Center could increase your faith as much or more than a fully Catholic school. They may have a stronger outreach program or adult formation classes because they are trying to make their own place on a campus with a diversity of beliefs. In fact, Georgia Tech has had over 25 men become priests out of their Catholic Center in the last few decades, which is especially surprising for a school that doesnt offer a theology program and is in an historically Protestant area. Certainly there are other colleges with fantastic campus programs that make them worth considering.</p>
<p>@NancyM333 - very true. Elon University is a good example - not located in a hotbed of Catholicism, but given a student population that comes from the NorthEast Catholicism is the majority religion on campus. The Catholic Campus Ministry program there is strong and vibrant, and in fact they recently celebrated the dedication of their own building just for the Newman Center. People in the community often go to mass with the students rather than the local parish because it is such an uplifting experience. In any school, it will be a matter of seeking out those people who are looking for the same experiences you are.</p>
<p>That’s why the Common Data Set is so important. It clearly spells out the reporting requirements (matriculants). Even so, some schools still fudge these numbers (here’s looking at you, U-Miami, with your weighted GPA’s.)</p>
<p>My husband and I both attended and met first week of freshman year at the University of Dayton. He graduated in Computer Science, myself in Social Work - which they no longer have as a major. Excellent school - regret nothing from going there. They also give great merit aid. Well-rounded education - beautiful campus- incredible experience. There are about 8000 students - so it is a good size school. When I saw others mentioning UD - they were talking about Dallas and not University of Dayton. Proud alum</p>
@sasbmar I’d love to hear an update to your post from 2 1/2 years ago! How have your opinions of Notre Dame evolved now that you are a senior? My son has been accepted for the Class of 2020, but he is still considering other elite schools.