Hello!
First post, sorry if it’s in the wrong spot. As far as I see it, the differences between my options are are:
Carleton vs Case
Ruralish vs urban
LAC vs research
less diverse vs more diverse
Some other notes:
At case, my major would be part of the school of medicine, and therefore integrated with their health education system. They also have connections to the VA and Cleveland Clinic
student research is very common.
At Carleton, a GPA of 3.5+ and an mcat of 515, I’d apparently have a 90%+ chance of med school acceptance to one of my choices, 20% than case’s average. They have students working at the Mayo, and at Umn
I’m not sure what % of students do research.
I think socially I’d do better at Case than Carleton
Any thoughts one way or another? I personally think I’d do well either place regardless of where I end up, but given my current information they seem so similar that it’s it feels like a coin toss and it makes me very nervous.
What year are you in high school? If you are a senior choosing…wasn’t May 1 your date to choose? If you are a junior, why do you think these two colleges are your only choices for premed!
As an FYI…University Hospital is located practically on the Case campus. Cleveland Clinic is down the road, as is the VA. Are you thinking this proximity would help in terms of shadowing? If so…that can be a secondary consideration as many pre-med students do their shadowing during school breaks and in the summers.
If you want to do research, you probably can find it at both colleges.
Regarding your comment about potential medical school acceptances…you won’t know until you apply.
@WayOutWestMom can elaborate…but I will say…go where you will be happy because happy students do better on college than unhappy ones. Also go where you can major in something that will be part of a Plan B just in case medical school doesn’t happen. Every premed needs a Plan B.
And lastly…what about costs? Keep your loans to a bare minimum if you plan medical school. By the time you get there, it could easily be $100,000 a year. Funded by loans, loans and more loans…and help from the bank of mom and dad.
Since the vast majority of pre-med will never actually apply to medical school, [pick the undergrad that offers you the best combination of:
Fit because happier students do better academically. Also college is 4 years of your life you will never get back. You might as well enjoy it.
Cost because med school is hideously expensive (think $75+K/year and increasing every year), undergrads are strongly advised to minimize any undergrad debt.
Opportunity including the opportunity to explore other interests even if they lead you away from med school. Opportunity to develop mentoring relationship with your professors because you will need their LORs for med or grad school. Opportunity to get involved in campus activities because med school want interesting, well rounded individuals with demonstrated leadership skills. Opportunity to meet people from a wide variety of backgrounds and worldviews.
P.S. undergrad institutions “massage” their med school admission data in dozens of way that make comparing one school admission numbers to another all but impossible. for example, both Case and Carleton use health profession committees to limit who is able to apply to med school by withholding the HP committee LOR from any student who the committee believes doesn’t have a strong chance of getting a med school admission.
Also the med schools that undergrad students get accepted into will change from year to year since the strength and competitiveness of the students applying changes every year. Also the choice of which me school to attend is a highly personal decision and often driven by cost of attendance.
P.P.S. the importance of research is often over-rate by pre-med hopefuls and their parents. Clinical exposure, patient-facing experience and community service with disadvantaged groups is more highly valued by med school adcomms than research. (Don’t believe me? See p. 15 of Using MCAT Data in 2022 Medical Student Selection)
Carleton has a pre-med committee that writes committee letters (that medical schools expect if the applicant’s undergraduate school does them). Presumably, this admission rate indicates that the Carleton pre-med committee only endorses the pre-meds with the highest likelihood of admission and discourages the rest from applying to medical schools.
And I will add…this choice is also driven by where the student gets accepted. The majority of MD and DO applicants who receive an acceptance…receive ONE. And better than 60% receive none.
I agree, never make a college decision based on “premed.” Almost none of the high school “premed” hopefuls actually apply to medical school. Just find an affordable university and go there. Unless it’s a BS/MD program (not recommended), your chances of medical school is exactly the same as everyone else.