Clark University vs Oberlin College (for a pre-med student)

College Search & Selection
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Hello everyone, I am an accepted student to Clark University and Oberlin College, and I am currently having a lot of trouble deciding between which of the two schools to attend.

On a rankings standpoint, I understand that Oberlin is superior to Clark. It is hard to rank the schools together because Oberlin is a college and Clark is a university, but I saw on US News and World Report that Oberlin is the 23rd best liberal arts school in the country while Clark is ranked 75th on the list for national universities. On the Forbes Top College list, Oberlin placed 46 (above both Vanderbilt and Johns Hopkins, shockingly) while Clark placed 163, which is a much larger difference (though I question the legitimacy of the list based on Oberlin placing above both of those two esteemed universities). However, on Niche Oberlin and Clark were extremely comparable, with Oberlin placing only two spots higher than Clark.

I had the chance to visit Clark last week, and loved the school. The students were extremely friendly, the programs seemed fabulous, and overall I could picture myself there. I was able to speak to a student who was pursuing pre-med and he told me great things about the program and that the Pre-Med advisor was phenomenal and would make sure I was always on track for the MCAT and Medical School Applications. I didn’t have the chance to visit Oberlin, unfortunately, but the campus looks beautiful and I’ve heard nothing but great things about the programs there as well. What concerns me about Oberlin, however, is that I heard only 25% of the students there take science courses. I know that it is both a school and a conservatory, so I am slightly worried that there is not as strong an emphasis on the sciences as at Clark, where fields like Biology and Biochemistry are very popular (though not nearly as popular as phycology).

I have had many talks with my parents, and my Mom (who is a doctor) told me that for getting into Medical School, the school I go to for undergraduate studies is not very important so long as I maintain a high GPA and do well on the MCAT. Based on this, I am trying to overlook statistics such as rankings and acceptance rates, and focus on whether or not I would be happy at the school. Oberlin is very far away from my hometown of Falmouth, MA, and I would preferably like to stay closer to home, so Clark has a huge advantage there (plus my dad would be able to see my baseball games!). However, if Oberlin is such a better school, I would definitely be willing to go there. Clark is also significantly cheaper than Oberlin however, and I would like to save money for Medical School!

My question is this: is Oberlin such a better school than Clark that it would drastically affect my chances of getting into med school? Or, can I achieve the same amount of success and get into a medical school such as Johns Hopkins or Harvard Medical School regardless of where I go?

Thank you so much!!

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This is a tough question as which school you go to is less of a factor in getting into great med schools than factors such as what your grades are and how well you do on the MCATs. That said, if two applicants were equal in every way except school the one who went to Oberlin would have an advantage. It’s true that you can get into top medical schools from any undergraduate school, but it’s easier to get in if you went to Oberlin than Clark.

Clark is a great school and if it’s going to save you a lot of money and it’s closer I would choose it. If, however, your only goal is getting into the highest ranked medical school the Oberlin is the way to go.

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I would have a look at the pre-med advising at Oberlin and see if it compares to what you’ve heard about the advising at Clark. My experience is that the potential med student who is well advised and begins class selection with med school in mind from freshman year on, has a much greater advantage.

As you probably know from high school, all advising is not created equally.
If the Clark pre-med advisor is good, that could mean more for you than any perceived or published rankings.
What is more important are the costs, since med school will be expensive. Are they comparably priced?

I agree that Clark is a great school and it seems as if the only thing holding you back is what other people might think somewhere down the line about the rank/reputation of your undergrad degree.
If your GPA and MCAT are high enough, then it doesn’t much matter if you’re coming from Podunk U or a school in the top 50. My experience is that there may be some prejudice toward those from IVY schools, but since none of those are on the table here, I say go with your gut.
Your post shows that you favor Clark – so go with Clark.

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@mbm2000 , I would listen to your mom. If you loved Clark, go there and do well. Good grades and the MCAT are what count. Clark is a wonderful school and so is Oberlin, but I can’t believe that ranking is that important to get into med school. In fact, Clark jumped something like 23 places in the College Niche rankings, and is now in the top 100. Their studetns are happy.

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Thank you all so much for your responses! Hop, I definitely loved Clark but Oberlin also seems like a school that I would love and be very happy at. I also am a musician, and being able to be apart of some of the ensembles and even take lessons through the conservatory is a huge plus.

With regards to Oberlin’s pre-med advisor, I haven’t been able to find anything on that person in particular but I know from doing some research that Oberlin has an extremely high turnout of PhD’s. It would definitely be an excellent option for pre-med.

The two schools, in answer to your question, are not comparably priced. Overall, Clark would cost me $11,000 cheaper every year and this is one of the main reasons, along with how close it is, why I am leaning towards Clark.

Overall I can definitely see myself at Clark and loving the school. My biggest fear is that I will be missing out on better campus life, more musical opportunites, and most importantly a more esteemed pre-med and Biochemistry program if I choose not to go there, but if I can get into any medical school from Clark than those factors wouldn’t be a huge loss.

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Really sorry, meant to post that in a reply message!

Hop, I definitely loved Clark but Oberlin also seems like a school that I would love and be very happy at. I also am a musician, and being able to be apart of some of the ensembles and even take lessons through the conservatory is a huge plus.

With regards to Oberlin’s pre-med advisor, I haven’t been able to find anything on that person in particular but I know from doing some research that Oberlin has an extremely high turnout of PhD’s. It would definitely be an excellent option for pre-med.

The two schools, in answer to your question, are not comparably priced. Overall, Clark would cost me $11,000 cheaper every year and this is one of the main reasons, along with how close it is, why I am leaning towards Clark.

Overall I can definitely see myself at Clark and loving the school. My biggest fear is that I will be missing out on better campus life, more musical opportunites, and most importantly a more esteemed pre-med and Biochemistry program if I choose not to go there, but if I can get into any medical school from Clark than those factors wouldn’t be a huge loss.

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Thank you so much, they are really similar on Niche and that made me feel really happy about Clark! I am still figuring it out but based on what you all have said and my parents have said Clark seels like the best option.

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Hurry up and deposit then! Clock is ticking:-)

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They are both great schools! Given that med school is in your future, and Clark will probably save you 50K over 4 years, I’d opt for Clark. Also there are lots of professional opportunities at Worcester and numerous other colleges and universities in the area. There may be reciprocal enrollment privileges with some of them, I’m not sure.

I researched Clark as a possibility for my daughter and it checked many of her boxes, although unfortunately it didn’t offer a major she was seeking. It looks like a vibrant, diverse community!

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I can’t believe I just saw this, and I am sad I didn’t answer for you sooner. I went to Clark, and I studied Biochemistry apart of the pre-medical track. I have to say I had a great experience, but my opportunities were certainly limited because of the small size of my school. There were at any given point only so many research positions viable for undergraduates, it was rare to get into a lab for any of my friends of myself before Junior year. The pre-medical advisement barley exists at the school, not because the man who runs it is not good at his job, it is just that there is only one man. With limited hours. The classes, and the class quality was over all good, but there was a lot of exchange in teachers which means that my major class (BIOCHEMISTRY) was taught by an adjunct professor. There were lots of issues like this in major classes, physics as well. The information I learned the years I took the classes was inconsistent with my friends who took it a year before and a year after.

I have a lot of friends who went to Oberlin, and I often wondered what would have happened if I had gone there. I cannot say much about it, but Oberlin did seem to be a bit more of a party school than Clark. Well, different types of parties anyways.

In summary, as a pre-medical student at Clark, I would have gone somewhere else if I had the chance to go back in time.

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@human_futuredr. What are you doing now? Are you in med school? Or doing a post-bacc? Or what?