<p>I have never used a forum, but need advice in the college selection process. My daughter's long-term goal is to pursue a career in the medical field. Short-term, she wants to attend a small college where she can take advantage of leadership and community service opportunities. She was admitted to Creighton in Omaha, NE (small Catholic University that is well-known in the Midwest) and visited . .. did not like the location but liked the campus feel -- friendly students (mostly from Midwest), dedicated faculty, supportive environment -- and was accepted into a leadership program with 60 other freshman. Creighton has several professional schools and gives undergrads a preference. Also, she would graduate with a degree in nursing which translates into immediate employment on graduation (especially if she does not go on to med school). Last week, she was offered admission to Smith in Northampton, MA off the wait list. We visited Smith a few years back and will travel to Northampton again in a couple of weeks. However, as school will not be in session, I am concerned that she won't get a feel for life on the Smith campus. Also, if she chooses Smith, she will have to major in a more general area of study and I am not sure whether/how that will make her employable on graduation without a graduate degree. Smith seems to be a better choice as far as living conditions, location, overall reputation and exposure to a more diverse population. If anyone who can provide some insight into either school, please respond.</p>
<p>luvdogs: I have 2 sons who are pursuing a medical career. The oldest attended a LAC similar to Smith (coed, obviously). He loved the experience but was pretty much on his own as far as medical school applications, etc. He did get in a state medical school and is now a first year medical student. When he first went to the LAC, he was not thinking of medical school, so his choice of college was not based on that criteria. My younger S is heading off to a Jesuit school next fall, similar to Creighton. Part of that decision was based on his older brother’s experience and he chose a school with a large college of health sciences. </p>
<p>My advice (and I do not know a great deal about either Creighton or Smith) is to find out what kind of premedical advising each school offers and then consider where your daughter is likely to get the highest grades. If medical school is her goal, admissions are very numbers driven: gpa, mcat score, not so much on where you got your undergrad degree. If she is looking at another medical field, a school like Creighton is still a great choice because they offer many other health science programs like nursing, etc. However, Smith is a wonderful opportunity and an she would receive an excellent liberal arts education. Just make sure Smith is really supportive of their undergraduates pursuing medical degrees. My older son would have been highly recommended by his professors if he had chosen to get a graduate degree/Ph.d in science. They were not so enthusiastic about his decision to become a physician and leave academia.</p>
<p>Just a few things to think about. Best wishes on your daughter’s decision!</p>
<p>definitely go to Smith</p>
<p>I would call an admissions person NOT at Smith or Creighton, but perhaps at a medical school, and ask him/her what she thought. Would that admissions person rather see an applicant from Creighton with a nursing degree or an applicant from Smith with a real general degree?</p>
<p>Personally, and I’m no expert, but I actually liked Creighton. It just didn’t make it into my Top 10 because of it’s small size and limited opportunities for getting things like TA’s. Creighton is a beautiful campus and a pretty well-respected school. Plus I actually liked the location of Omaha. I am from Dallas, so it definitely seemed like a small town to me, but it is very up-and-coming. Creighton is in a very urban part of Omaha, with a beautiful landmark cathedral (I forget the name of the place, but it has a museum portion) </p>
<p>And nearby is the “NoDo” (North Downtown) area of Omaha which has music clubs, trendy retail, and bars popping up. I believe Omaha also has an up-and-coming indie music scene, so that’s also a plus. The Joslyn Museum of Art is on par with some of DFW’s best museums, and there are many more cultural assets in Omaha. It’s definitely not more impressive than bigger cities like Dallas/OKC/Houston/Austin, but what’s important is that it is urban enough and cool enough that it is somewhere that you can really grow to love over the course of 4 years.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone who responded! You have given me some very sage advice and I appreciate it!!</p>
<p>^ Oh and I left out that clearly Northampton, MA won’t provide as many opportunities for broadening her horizons. It lacks all of those pluses I described with Omaha. Obviously it also doesn’t have Warren Buffet and the accompanying Fortune 500 scene…a great job market for college grads.</p>
<p>To me, the decision here seems to be pre-professional vs. liberal arts. Which is more important to your DAUGHTER–does she care more about the nursing job after college, or the college education itself? If she cares most about the education, let her go to Smith; the employment part will work itself out, as long as a liberal arts education is her priority. IIRC, Smith also has an excellent med school placement record.</p>
<p>Creighton also offers this thing called “education.”</p>
<p>It’s not like there is no education beyond liberal arts…that’s just a CC misnomer.</p>
<p>Smith College belongs to what’s called the Five College Consortium-- Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst – and she can take courses at any of them. They’re geographically close and transportation is free via the Five College Bus system. Any course needed to get her into med school would be offered by at least one of them. Smith also lets you design your own degree, so she could create a pre-med program for herself. I went to school in Amherst and lived in Northampton and it’s my favorite place on earth. We lived in town and could walk anywhere we wanted for dinner, shopping, movies, etc. It’s a sophisticated college town. I don’t know how it compares to Creighton.</p>
<p>Everyone – thank you for the information. We are going to take all advice into consideration. My daughter wants to attend a school that supports her long-term goal and where she will be comfortable/happy. I don’t think she can make a bad decision.</p>
<p>osucowboys, having been to both Omaha and Northampton…I’m really not quite sure how you can say Northampton doesn’t have as much to offer. You’re right, it doesn’t have Warren Buffet. All it has instead is the national center of the insurance industry in Greater Hartford/Springfield, more grant funding for nanotechnology than almost any other region of the world, the Knowledge Corridor, one of the strongest alumnae networks in the country at Smith, one of the most educated populations in the country, and a location right between these two little towns called Boston and New York. Amongst other things, of course. 
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<p>luvdogs, if your daughter is looking for long-term support, she really cannot go wrong with Smith. Their network and alumnae services are legendary - not just regionally, which is the case with Creighton, but internationally. As a student at Smith’s sister school, I’m obviously biased, but really, if we’re talking about location and future opportunities and support, the choice for me personally would be really clear.</p>
<p>And also, I think how you feel about the area is really important when making these decisions. I wouldn’t want to spend four years living in a place where I wouldn’t want to leave campus much. :/</p>
<p>luvdogs, I just looked in my Smith catalogue and found that they have a full Board of Pre-Health Advisers dedicated just to advising pre-med students and other pre-health programs in their Career Development Office. If your daughter would like to contact them for information, the chair listed is Dr. Margaret E. Anderson, Professor of Biological Sciences (<a href=“mailto:manderso@science.smith.edu”>manderso@science.smith.edu</a>). And the website for the Clark Science Center is here: [Clark</a> Science Center - Smith College](<a href=“http://www.science.smith.edu/]Clark”>http://www.science.smith.edu/)</p>
<p>I hope that helps! :)</p>
<p>MHC, is Smith’s alumni network really that great? I’d have to say not much better than any other small LAC, considering I live in one of the nation’s most important job markets and never even heard of Smith until I started looking into colleges I wanted to see on a college trip to New England. I don’t mean to insult you though, or anyone else that loves Smith. Smith may not have any influence in Dallas/Ft Worth or the rest of Texas, but it definitely has an active group of boosters here on CC from what I’ve noticed.</p>
<p>As for Smith’s locations versus Creighton’s…it’s true that it’s in between Boston and NYC…BUT seriously, how much of a factor is that in it’s location? It means that students will make city trips about once a month or less, which is a big factor, but when it comes to having nightlife, culture, and city amenities at your convenience 24/7 which is the case being a few blocks north of Downtown Omaha, I don’t think that is the case with Smith. But I could be wrong. Quaint small towns are nice, but convenient and packed full of city amenities, they are not. Some cities are huge disappointments and cesspools in my opinion, but Omaha is actually one of the nice ones.</p>
<p>In terms of networking and alumnae services, Creighton is a member of an association of 28 Jesuit universities that offer services to all graduates of Jesuit institutions.</p>
<p>Keilexandra makes a strong point about your daughter’s choice being between a liberal arts education or a research university/pre professional education. Also, the environment at a Catholic co-ed school and an all female private school are going to be a contrast as well. They are both good choices, but very different environments.</p>
<p>Wow, thank you so much for the information about Smith/Northampton. We visited a few years back and I remember the town being very cutsey . . but we packed in so many colleges that week it is hard to remember the feel for the Smith campus. We are flying back in a couple of weeks just to visit Smith. I also contacted Dr. Anderson by email about their pre-health advising program and to see if we could meet with someone while we are in town. I have a colleague who attended Smith and loved it (she returns frequently for reunions). I have been in contact with the daughter of a friend who graduated Smith about 8 years ago and said the networking and support is incredible. She claims she was able to get a position with a “think-tank” in Germany for 2 years because she attended Smith and they only recruited from Smith. My daughter read many of the posts and was very receptive to what everyone advises. She is re-thinking Creighton and her educational goals as a result. So thanks again for taking the time to look up stuff and to write. We really appreciate it and I am going to post an update after we visit Northampton in a couple of weeks.</p>
<p>osucowboys, the points you make about Omaha’s location are valid, but the OP’s daughter did not like Omaha, so I doubt that will be a big selling point for her. Additionally, the benefits of the big city vs. a small town vary from person to person; I would not want to attend school in a big city, personally (but I would make an exception for, say, UChicago), and she might be the same way. </p>
<p>Also, from what I understand, there is quite a difference between good alumnae network and name recognition, so I wouldn’t be so quick to suggest that Smith’s network might not be very good.</p>
<p>I agree with everything you wrote. My daughter actually attends an all-female Catholic high school, so she can appreciate the differences between the schools. We know the student body at Smith is probably much more liberal than at a Catholic school, but my daughter does not agree with many of the Catholic doctrines and beliefs, so I don’t think she will be shocked or offended.</p>
<p>luvdogs: Both my sons attended an all boys Catholic school as well. The oldest attended Vassar and the youngest is headed towards Saint Louis University in the fall. I feel for you daughter in trying to make her decision because both types of schools offer a unique experience and both would be wonderful choices. Perhaps she will get a strong gut feeling when you go back for a visit. (My H also attended Creighton but had to transfer after one year because of a family situation, he hated to leave because he loved the school).</p>
<p>Best wishes on her decision!</p>
<p>Thanks again. I don’t think my D can make a bad choice. It just depends on which school feels right to her.</p>
<p>Let us know what she decides!</p>