My oldest is having a difficult time choosing between two good but different options: Purdue and Centre College
She plans to major in Biology with a pre-med track. She is a strong student (7th of 800+, 12 APs, 35 ACT) and can see benefits at both. She applied and was accepted to Davidson, College of Wooster and IU honors but has narrowed it down to these two.
Both are in budget but Purdue is about $10K/year cheaper which would help with potential med school costs down the road. (She plans to take 4 years at both regardless of the potential opportunity to finish quicker at Purdue with AP credits.) She received merit money at both but was wait-listed for Purdue Honors and did not make it as a Brown Fellowship finalist at Centre.
We have visited Purdue twice and Centre once (with another visit planned next weekend). Purdue is an hour away and Centre is 3.5 hrs so both are drive-able.
Purdue will have more research opportunities, particularly during the school year. The Biology department appears to have some good profs that aren’t just research focused. Early classes will be huge and she’ll have to be proactive to get the opportunities and get to know the professors. She can do it, but it is perhaps not 100% natural for her to reach out like that.
Centre is much smaller obviously with class size following. Interaction with professors will be easier and the instruction presumably better (more emphasis on teaching versus research). High success rates and happy alumni.
She plans to minor in French and/or Spanish and plans to study abroad. Centre really encourages that but Purdue’s program is growing and it is likewise encouraged (stipends available to back that up).
So, it’s obviously her (individual) decision. Large school with more opportunities or small school with more individual attention and instruction.
Thoughts? Questions to ask ourselves or the school? Other things to consider?
According to the Perdue website, only about 30% of their undergrads have engaged in research. When there are grad students present, most often, (not in all schools), the research is open to them before undergrads. I would check into Centre’s ability to offer research and internship possibilities.
That’s not the impression we’ve gotten during our visits to Purdue. Those that seek it out can find the opportunities (i.e. the vast majority of those 70% not doing research aren’t looking for it). Those opportunities will require an active search though–nothing will be handed out.
We do plan to pursue that line of questioning at Centre this next weekend though. Thanks.
why not Davidson? It’s an excellent school and markedly better than Centre
Not $150K-$190K better IMO
bumping – any other thoughts?
You can make a case for either, academically. What about campus/culture/activities? Completely different schools. What does she prefer? What is her personality?
It won’t really matter for pre-med. Undergraduates don’t need the best research facilities and cutting-edge projects - they need professors who are engaged in research and willing to mentor them and teach them the ropes. Either Centre or Purdue will be totally fine for that. So Purdue may numerically have more opportunities, but they also have more students, and it’s not necessarily true that the quality of those opportunities will be better on the undergrad level.
For context, I did research at a small LAC and then went onto a health-related PhD program directly after undergrad. There are lots of professors at small LACs who love and are passionate about research but also passionate about training undergraduates in research. That’s why they go to teach at a place like Centre.
@juillet is right.
A premed can simply ask a fave prof if the student can help the prof with his/her research/lab/etc.
Also join the school’s premed club/society/honor group.
Are you instate for Purdue? Why not IU?
Anyway…Purdue is fine for a premed, especially since cheaper than the other option.
I suggest Spanish over French if you’re premed. Becoming fluent/semi-fluent in Spanish is a nice thing to have on a med school app. Many med schools have student-run clinics which often serve low income families. More likely the students encounter Spanish speaking patients than French. 
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Purdue is about $10K/year cheaper which would help with potential med school costs down the road. (She plans to take 4 years at both regardless of the potential opportunity to finish quicker at Purdue with AP credits.)
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Yes, the med school application process is expensive (apps/interview travel/etc)…and med school is very expensive.
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She received merit money at both but was wait-listed for Purdue Honors and did not make it as a Brown Fellowship finalist at Centre.
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If allowable, she should semi-frequently make contact with the director/whoever of the Purdue Honors to express continued interest and include any updates. Often when it comes time to pull from a WL for THESE sort of things, it’s just easier to pick someone that they know will immediately say, “yes.”
Thanks for the responses. It’s a tough decision because both are good options for her and she should do well at either.
re: IU
Yes we are instate and in fact she received more money at IU but it didn’t seem to measure up. Some 200 kids from her high school will likely attend as well which makes it seem too common/average.
We’ll see what the upcoming Centre overnight and visit brings. We will see if we can get a feel for the opportunities available (in general).