furman for pre-med

<p>My daughter is looking at Vanderbilt,UGA Honors, William & Mary and Furman.Anybody have any thoughts on Furman's biology/chemistry/premed
acceptance rates to med school? Also, if a full ride at Furman were possible would you choose it over debt at Vanderbilt or William & Mary? Thanks to any who might respond.</p>

<p>Both of our kids are freshmen at Furman this fall and D considered W and M-both were denied at Vandy. The pre-med program at Furman is excellent and if your D has a chance for a full ride at Furman, I would strongly consider taking that as option over incurring possible student loan debt at Vandy. UGA Honors ( do you mean President's program?) is great-but the Furman biology/chemistry/premed program is considered very tough. The data on admissions on the pre-health portion of the web-site is from 2005-I would contact the head of the department for recent admit data. S's roommate is a Palmetto fellow and my understanding is med. school acceptance for excellent students is > than 80% to top schools. Don't know % for all schools students apply for. Good luck to you and your D-she has some wonderful schools on her list and cannot go wrong with any of them!</p>

<p>No question about it - take the full ride at Furman. Excellent pre-med program. Actually even without the full ride consider the overall finances and distance from your home. Furman has an unusually high acceptance rate into med and law schools. My D graduated last year and was accepted to most law schools she applied to and is now at Emory</p>

<p>Another nice thing to consider is Furman's brand spanking new multi-million dollar sciences building. A friend of mine's son (interested in Chem) was considering Furman and as soon as he took a tour in that beautiful new building, he was hooked. That sealed the deal. Hopefully, Kelsmom will respond as her D just transfered from Furman to Vandy. Perhaps she can shed some of her thoughts on the Furman/Vandy differences.</p>

<p>I can't be much help in this particular case, because D is not a science major. She liked Furman in so many ways, but the academics did not fit with her interests - which changed AFTER she chose to attend Furman. She is majoring in Medicine, Health, & Society at Vandy. Furman does not have a comparable program. </p>

<p>My understanding is that Furman's chem program is outstanding. I also know that the med school admit rate is very good. Profs are easy to get to know, and the advising students get is excellent. That can be a plus for med school. It was very helpful for my D, who was able to get some very good recommendations for her transfer even during her freshman year. Her friends at UMich couldn't believe it ... they said their profs wouldn't have a clue who they were, much less be able to give them a personal recommendation. So often, freshman classes are huge; not so at Furman.</p>

<p>Obviously, there are many differences between the two schools. If money is not an issue, you could choose based on fit. Many families are unable to afford both the full cost of an undergrad program plus the cost of med school, though. In that case, scholarships/financial aid come into play. Both Furman & Vandy offer scholarships & good need based aid (Vandy gets the edge in the need based area). If your D is interested in both, it won't hurt for her to pursue both & see what happens come April.</p>

<p>Furman is a great school but is much smaller than W&M and V. The latter have a more national student body with a Southern flavor. Also Furman would be considered much more conservative than the other two. School experiences are all about peer group and fit. Go visit and see if its worth the money TO YOU. If student is not happy at a school, full ride is no value.</p>