I’m considering pre-med with the flexibility of switching to business.
I know Case Western has a really strong pre-med/nursing program, but I have to pay 22k vs 5k for Richmond.
I heard that Richmond has a pretty solid pre-med program, but is it comparable to Case Western? Or is Case worth the extra 17k?
How do they compare in research/ internship opportunities, admission to med schools, and overall college experience?
Any input is appreciated!
Thank you 
Both great schools. Congratulations!
I’m very familiar with Case and somewhat familiar with Richmond. I can’t speak specifically to internship opportunities or med school admissions (suspect both are good), but Case likely has some better research/internship opportunities with University Hospitals right there, practically on campus. We have been very impressed with Case. It’s an excellent place for an education in science/engineering. You probably know it’s more urban and much, much colder. You’ll know how much those things matter to you. Richmond has more of a traditional campus setting and would have nice weather almost the entire school year, and I’m pretty confident you would find it a more assured social environment.
One thing to think about: You can obviously go anywhere in the U.S. or the world from Case or Richmond. But, especially if you don’t end up going to med school, there is a tendency for students to find jobs in the region where they attend school. You might get a job out of internship or coop. Both schools would attract recruiters from national firms, but Richmond would tend to attract them from the Mid-Atlantic and South and Case from the Midwest. Richmond is very well known and respected in these regions but less well known in the West/Midwest. Case has a good if somewhat vague national reputation but is best known in the Midwest. Again, not at all a prison sentence to a particular region, but would you prefer one region to the other?
Good luck!
Both excellent schools, for different reasons. Case is an excellent research university that is very close to all the world class hospitals in Cleveland, which does present research opportunities, especially as you become an upperclassmen. The local hospitals and medical schools are very familiar with the quality of education at Case, which is likely to create additional opportunities. Being a larger university (than Richmond) in the heart of Cleveland will attract more employers and more opportunities to campus. On the downside, you will compete with graduate students for research positions both at the university and in the local hospitals. Also, $17,000 X 4 years = over $60K in debt before you even start medical school. Case is in the middle of the city where the campus and city blend together. Easier to get off campus and go to restaurants etc…
Richmond, is an excellent liberal arts college. Although not a research university you also don’t have to compete with graduate schools for research positions. Additionally, Richmond provides $4,000 for you to perform research or unpaid internships. Between your freshman and sophomore year this can make it much more likely for you to obtain a research position. On the downside there are fewer hospitals/medical schools in the immediate area. Richmond campus is well defined and all the facilities are immaculate and world class. Richmond is a very wealthy school and they are not afraid to spend it on professors, facilities and students. Although Richmond has about 1/3 the students of Case, it has an endowment of $2.4 billion (compared to $1.5 billion for Case).
One of the fundamental differences between a liberal arts college and a larger research university is the education. At a research university you will have more academic options, albeit in a less personal setting (larger class size). There will be more research being conducted at the university. In a liberal arts college you will have a much more intimate academic setting (rarely will you have more than 20 - 30 students per class). Courses are more discussion based and attendance and class participation are required. You have to determine what environment you want to learn in.
Richmond has an acceptance rate of around 70 percent to medical school the first time. Our average MCAT scores are also above the national average. It is very easy to get into research positions at UR, and there are also plenty of volunteer and internship kooortunities the school is well connected to. Great school for premed