<p>I'm trying to choose between two schools that are polar opposites. I'm choosing between University of Washington - Seattle and Wheaton College - Norton, MA. UW is a huge campus with 30,000 students whereas Wheaton has about 1,500. I'm a Biology major with a pre-med focus and am worried I am going to get lost in the shuffle at UW. Wheaton has a much smaller ratio of faculty to student (10:1). UW is and always has been my number one choice, but Wheaton seems like it'd offer a better education. However, I am hesitant to choose Wheaton because it is a small liberal arts school while UW has one of the best science programs in the country. Does anyone have any advice as to what I should think about when making my decision? Does going to a smaller school guarantee a better education? Which school will best prepare me for applying to med-school?</p>
<p>Probably both can well prepare you for med school.</p>
<p>But, there should be other considerations as well. What kind of campus experience do you want? Are you the more quiet type or are you the type that would like the big rah rah atmosphere of a big school with big sports? </p>
<p>Will either school leave you with debt? If so, how much? Undergrad debt needs to be minimized if considering med school which will require big debt for most med students.</p>
<p>Money isn’t an issue for me right now, honestly. I am not a resident of Washington state, so I will have to pay out of state fees. Both are going to be equally expensive so I’m not going to weigh costs as a factor. I won’t have debt after my undergrad.</p>
<p>I’m having trouble deciding which atmosphere I’d do better in. I could go either way; I like big crowds but at the same time I can be very reserved. I visited UW this past week and really, really loved the campus. I love the city feel that Seattle provides. I think that’s part of the reason that I’m having such a tough time making this choice. </p>
<p>I have heard if I do attend a large, public school like UW, I will just become another statistic. At Wheaton, I think I would definitely build a relationship with my professors. That will be very beneficial when applying to med-school.</p>
<p>*
I have heard if I do attend a large, public school like UW, I will just become another statistic.*</p>
<p>I just don’t think that’s true - especially for students who do well at a big university.</p>
<p>Yesterday, I sat through 3 awards presentations at my kids’ big flagship school. One of the presentations included the awards given by every major within the College of Arts and Sciences (whew, that was the long one!). </p>
<p>Each dept head of the various majors gave out the awards. It was clear that these dept heads knew who these kids were. They mentioned funny stories of past conversations and such. </p>
<p>I think if you just go to class, never say anything, and don’t make any effort (at any school), you can become just a face in the crowd. But, if you make an effort, your profs will know you. </p>
<p>Yesterday, there were also jokes made some profs who are like the “pied piper” - wherever they are, there are trails of student following them. Profs at big schools are often not like profs of my time. My kids have been invited to meals with profs and have been to several profs’ homes for BBQ and holiday parties.</p>
<p>I have to ask you this. It sounds like your parents are paying for your undergrad at a private or OOS public. Will they also pay for med school? I’m curious as to why you’re not going to your own state’s flagship for less money to save money for med school?</p>
<p>I’ve actually done benchmarking at Wheaton and think it’s a great school. It’s not terribly far from Boston, which is very cool. They’ve got a great freshman experience program, and from what I can tell a tight-knit community. The administrators that I know there are great folks.</p>