<p>Okay, I'm planning on doing pre-med as my program than an undecided major for the first few years to decide what I'd like to major in. I'm going back and forth because I come from a college preparing school and don't know which I'd like more. I'm afraid that WFU is going to be very hard academically in the sciences, and im not used to fighting for my A's in science classes. I go to a college prep school as I've said, so I've learned to manage my time and study for subjects, but this is college and I don't want to miss out on being able to have fun. This is my worry with WFU, that I'm going to be so stressed with keeping my grades up that I'm not going to have time for fun. Then sliding into medical school for more years of no fun? I'm not sure that's a good fit. But when it comes to Elon, I'm nervous their academics aren't going to be as challenging as I'd like them to be. So I guess what I'm asking is, where would be a better place to go as a science major with pre-med, where you can still have fun while being challenged without being overworked academically?</p>
<p>Hi - as someone who has a student at Wake Forest and another entering Elon - my vote honestly is for Elon. Wake Forest is known for an extremely tough workload and to some extent - grade deflation. I have heard some negative things about students who are pre-med and concerns re their GPA. Since med school admissions is so dependent on GPA - I would recommend Elon in this particular case.</p>
<p>Don’t underestimate the fact that Wake has an excellent medical facility on campus, making the availability of internships even as an undergrad much more feasible.</p>
<p>LOL - Don’t underestimate that Elon students get some great internships from a wide verity of places. And the cadaver lab (like everything else at Elon) is for undergraduates. :)</p>
<p>My D has a friend at Elon going pre-med. She is working very, very hard so from her expereince - you will not find it an easy program. However, that being said an environment known for grade deflation (Wake) doesn’t sound like a great expereince to me. And Elon is $20K less 
which you could use for med schooll. </p>
<p>There are many Universities that are in lower tiers that are sending kids to med school, especially state schools. It’s not all about the name- it’s about the education you get once you are there, your summer internships in the medical fields & then how well you do on the MCATS. If med schools only cherry picked from top tier it would be discrimintory since most people can not afford a $120K undergrad degree.</p>
<p>@rockvillemom-I’m interested to hear a little more about your thoughts of elon. S deposited at elon, but was hoping to get off wait list at wake. Just got off colorado college wait list which I think he should take, but his gut is keeping him at elon. I would love to hear more from you about elon.</p>
<p>Hi - I saw your PM first and responded there, but I’ll add some comments here as well.</p>
<p>We love Elon. Between both sons we visited 20+ schools and Elon was the one that most impressed us. I realize it is not ranked as highly as Wake Forest, but rank is not everything. I like the academic structure. The 4-1-4 is less common than the traditional 5 classes each semester, and I think it works well. I like the idea of taking a fun or random class in January and having the chance to go abroad in January, so that you don’t have to commit to a full semester abroad if you don’t want to.</p>
<p>Gorgeous campus, great facilities. Son’s dorm freshman year was new and really nice. Much, much nicer than the dungeon son at Wake lived in freshman year.</p>
<p>I love the overall philosophy of engaged learning and learning outside the classroom. The emphasis on community service, internships and study abroad provides for a more well-rounded experience than many more traditional universities.</p>
<p>I also think Elon is a great value at $40,000/year.</p>
<p>I am not very familiar with Colorado College, so can’t really compare the two. But I highly recommend Elon. Son has had a fabulous freshman year without a single complaint. The school runs very smoothly, and things that can be a hassle, like registering for classes and the housing lottery went well.</p>
<p>If you have any other specific Elon or Wake questions, let me know.</p>
<p>Thanks rockvillemom, I will let you know the out come. It sounds like Elon will be the final decision.</p>
<p>I just visited both campuses. Elon’s campus is pretty and yes, has greater majority of nice dorms, but the dorms is the only think I think Elon may have over Wake. These two schools are not on the same academic level. Wake is a nationally ranked university, with a beautiful campus, amazing facilities, very involved (and generous) alumni. Both have favorable student professor ratios and both will offer the intimate liberal arts college experience, but when graduation rolls around, the Wake grad is likely to have more opportunities.</p>
<p>Based on what? The fact that Wake is ranked higher? S1 graduated last May and has several friends still without jobs, so don’t assume that a Wake Forest grad is automatically ahead of an Elon grad.</p>
<p>I love both schools. Just keep in mind that 4 years at Elon is $80,000 less than 4 years at Wake and that the workload and grade deflation at Wake are genuine issues of concern.</p>
<p>I think it is widely recognized that the education at Wake is more intellectually rigorous/demanding (in most majors) than what a student would face at Elon. I have several friends whose kids went to Wake/go to Wake and all of them talk about how many hours they spend at the library. Yes, Elon kids also spend time at the library, but one thing that attracted my own daughter (a top student with APs in high school and a high GPA) was that Elon offered a more well balanced life. In fact, while visiting Elon, we talked to several students who transferred from schools known to be very rigorously academic (like William & Mary) and the students told us that they came to Elon for that balance between academic and social lives.</p>
<p>Agree with this 100%. While my older son rcvd an excellent education at Wake, he was frequently very stressed out and often complained about the workload - and this was despite graduating hs with straight A’s including 8 AP classes. Younger son is absolutely having a more balanced lfe at Elon. He works hard, but still has time for other interests and activities. I like that Elon places emphasis on learning that takes place outside the classroom - internships, volunteer activities, etc. Wake is a great university - but the workload can be intense - even for a strong student. Elon presents a more balanced approach. Wake is more prestigious. You choose what is best for you.</p>
<p>Today Wake is more prestigious because of its national ranking but it is known for its grade deflation which could hurt if pursuing med school. My D was accepted into many “higher ranking” programs but chose Elon because of fit. To be honest, I was surprised as how quickly she adjusted… She is finding the academics more demanding than she originally expected and has gone in with several APs and dual enrollment classes - more than a semester of credits. She is now able to double major without having to do summer terms. I do believe that Elon is on its way to moving from regional to becoming recognized as a national university with many of the programs they are putting in place…it may take time. Elon is in the same place where Northeastern was 4-5 years ago…today, Northeastern is very difficult to get into and is recognized for its global programs…I can definitely see the parallels between the two schools.</p>
<p>I had a daughter who attended Wake and one who attended Elon. They are VERY different schools. Wake is way more rigorous academically, grade deflation is real, and it is difficult for the pre-med students to get top grades. Another major difference is that Wake has incredible school spirit - the sports are huge and well attended. Elon does not have that same spirit. But my Wake daughter says she probably would have been very happy at Elon because they have so many wonderful study abroad opportunities!</p>
<p>Agree with you regarding some sports. Elon football is not going to compare with ACC football - and Wake’s basketball facility holds 18,000 - so a very different experience. I don’t think it is fair to say Elon lacks school spirit - it’s just different and not based on football or basketball.</p>
<p>These _________ vs __________ threads always elicit the same types of responses. One school is more prestigious or is better academically than the other, one will do better at getting you into grad school, etc, etc, etc. There is a thread called High Point vs Elon on the High Point board and if you substituted the names of the colleges you couldn’t tell it from this thread. I’m not criticizing gabbyv1 for asking or anyone for offering their opinions as requested. I just find it amusing that people feel so strongly about their opinions that one school is so clearly better than the other for a poster they haven’t met. While it may be relevant that WF has a higher avg GPA and SAT scores among incoming freshmen than Elon, that fact is in no way determinative of whether WF would be a better choice than Elon for gabbyv1. Similarly, if WF does deflate grades, medical school admissions offices are well aware of it and will take it into account when looking at an applicant from WF.</p>
<p>My advice to gabbyv1 is that Elon and Wake Forest are both wonderful schools and either can prepare you well for medical school and give you the college experience you are looking for. Collect as many opinions as you can from folks in threads like this, talk to as many students of each school as you can, and most importantly, spend as much time as you can on each campus. Then pick the one you like best and seems like the best fit for you. Go there with a full heart and make the most of your college years. Good luck</p>
<p>Let your child’s heart and gut hunch make the decision. Make sure they take longer-term things into consideration, like study abroad and internship opportunities, grad school placement rates and job placement rates. But, once knowledgeable about that information, it’s the kid’s choice.</p>
<p>On our primary college tour, we visited one school per day, seeing Virginia, Wake, Davidson, Elon and Duke. Once she saw Elon it was all over. D did not even apply to the other four schools. (Her ultimate decision was between Tulane and Elon.) Neither of us regret the decision in any way, even though each of the schools listed in my post is “more prestigious” than Elon. Watch out. That assessment is rapidly changing.</p>
<p>We toured Elon this week and my son really loved it. It clearly has a lot going for it. However, I came across an article in the student magazine that talked about the heavy drinking that’s part and parcel of greek life at Elon. So, I know that drinking is often part of the college experience, but I’m wondering if Elon has a reputation as a “party school” and if the greek culture there is more alcohol-fueled than he would find other places. </p>
<p>Can’t speak to Elon specifically, but you will find drinking (some of it heavy) at every college in the country. </p>
<p>@momother I was at Wake a few weeks ago and picked up their school newspaper. The front page had a long article about how drinking games were getting too dangerous– I forget the specifics but there was a popular game that involved drinking “mystery drinks” and many of them at that. I agree with Chardo, there will be drinking everywhere. I’d say take note that the Elon paper/magazine is also addressing it, that’s a good sign</p>