Hello!
I am a rising senior in high school which means college apps of course. While I have a list compiled of schools I plan on applying to, my top two are Claremont McKenna and Yale. Thus, I am trying to figure out which one I should apply early to. CMC has ED with a 25% acceptance rate and Yale has restrictive EA with a 13% acceptance rate. I truly love both schools a lot. I intend to major in biology and pursue the pre-med track as an undergrad. That being said, which school is better for pre-med and which school would you personally recommend?
Disclaimer: I’m an incoming First-Year at Brown who didn’t apply to either school, but I know a student going to Yale this year.
You should also post this in the Yale or CMC threads on CC in-order to get more people familiar with the school to comment. 
Both schools are strong for pre-med, though in different ways. As a LAC, CMC is much smaller than Yale, which is a large research university. However, CMC has the added benefits of the 5C system and being relatively close to LA. Yale, on the other hand, has the amazing Yale School of Medicine & Public Health near by. Curriculum-wise, both CMC and Yale have a general education system, though there may be slight differences (research this further.) Yale also has a shopping period similar to Brown, which is AMAZING when it comes to choosing courses.
Regarding ED vs. REA, ED is the ULTIMATE form of demonstrated interest to any college (even at the Ivies that don’t account for it on paper) b/c you’re telling school, if I’m admitted, I’ll definitely attend, and the school’s more likely to accept you b/c you’re application is likely more researched and thought out than the applicant applying right before the deadline.
However, ED is not a decision to be taken lightly, ONLY do it if ALL of the following are true:
- You LOVE the school and would 110% attend if admitted.
- You're extremely confident that you can present a well thought out and crafted application by the early deadline, which is usually November 1st.
- You and your family can afford the school if admitted (run the financial aid calculators if applicable.)
Hope this helps! Good luck with admissions!
As a prospective pre-med biology major, Yale is the clear choice as CMC offers economics, history, & politics & business oriented majors.
Does CMC offer a major in biology ?
@Publisher Yes, CMC does.
Speculating is a waste of energy at this point, especially over schools with that low of an acceptance rate. The best thing you can do for yourself is to choose an affordable school, and I would go for as big of a scholarship as I could. In the end medical schools aren’t going to give a thought about the college brand name. It’s going to be top grades and MCAT scores. That’s assuming you choose medicine at all. Not many kids coming in with doctor ambitions out of high school choose it. College is a maturation process, and you find hidden passions as you take different subjects.