Help with college choice?:)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I am a senior in high school and looking at colleges. I would really love to fulfill my dream of being a physician, but I need some help and advice to get there. :) The first or rather next step on my journey is college. I would really like to go close to home. I am the recipient of full/Presidential Scholarships at a number of schools, but I'm really not sure which to choose. Any advice or opinions would be lovely. Also, I know most people won't recognize these colleges, but I hope some will!^^;</p>

<p>The first is the FAU-Harriet Wilkes Honors College.</p>

<p>Pros: 1. This college is literally right next to Scripps Research as well as Max Planck. I know that research is a big portion of getting into med-school… and it's an all honors college, so that might help. 2. The faculty is supposed to be very good and the kids attending are hyper-motivated. 3. I also have a full scholarship.^^4. It's also apparently sent a good number of kids to med.school.</p>

<p>Cons: 1. I feel like this school is going to consume me…. I am also really interested in art, film, writing and music, so I'm afraid that I will be running around trying to get all of my honors courses done without having free time to think or be creative, haha. 2. The people all seem a little high-strung. 3. I'm not sure that anyone really knows about how hard this school is.(Is it worth it?) 4. I would be forced to dorm there even though I live very close. 5. There are only like 200 students…O.O So kinda un-diverse population.</p>

<p>The second is Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. </p>

<p>Pros: 1. Very vibrant city and diverse people. 2. I think that it's probably good to experience a wide range of people so that I can relate to them… 3. Some very good professors. 4. More of a college--several thousand people. 4. People have gotten in to med-school from FAU:)</p>

<p>Cons: 1. It's a bit of a commute, about 1:15 hr&mins. I would probably take a train. :) 2. Some of the classes are huge, so not sure how well I would be able to talk w/the professors. 3. It is a pretty big school, so everything that comes with that.^^;</p>

<p>The third is Palm Beach Atlantic University. </p>

<p>Pros: 1. Small classes & attentive professors. 2. Great location.</p>

<p>Cons: Lots…. Including that fact that it's incredibly expensive even with scholarships. ^^; Sorry… Behind-date labs, slightly controlled high school like atmosphere. </p>

<p>The fourth is the Honors College at Palm Beach State College. </p>

<p>Pros: I am dual-enrolled here and I love the teachers and people. ^^ I feel right at home here. Classes are challenging but not too bad. I'm involved in Phi Theta Kappa and student leadership. It's gone under massive re-construction, an honors college, an influx of smart kids.</p>

<p>Cons: It was a Community College a few years back and pretty bad. O.O I would only be doing my AA here if I do go here. I'm not sure how bad that looks on my record to go to a State College (ex. CC) ^^; </p>

<p>Also, I have the options of going to FAU and PBSC as a transient student. Or FAU honors with classes at FAU Boca. Also, I would get paid about 7k a year if I went to PBSC Honors (bc tuition is very cheep and I would have scholarship overages.) </p>

<p>Thanks so much for reading! Any help or advice is greatly appreciated!^^ God bless!</p>

2

<p>I am currently a sophomore at the Honors College and will hopefully be able to clear up some of your questions/concerns about potentially coming here. </p>

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<li><p>I am not going to lie to you and say that Honors College courses are easy because they aren’t, but they definitely are doable if you study. Our professors like to challenge us and encourage us to preform at high levels, but they are always there to answer our questions during office hours or class. You will find that most of our students hear are also very artistic minded. We have musicians, photographers, artists, dancers and writers. We even have clubs on campus {dance (Owlettes), music (MIC), and writers (cliche literary magazine) } for people who want to be creative with others on campus. On campus, we also have private music rooms for students to use as practice space with their instruments. </p>

<ol>
<li>I was actually a little surprised to see that you found the campus to seem high strung. While we study hard we also enjoy relaxing, letting loose and having fun. We also have so many events put on by different organizations on campus that its difficult not to find something you will enjoy to do if you need to relax. On tuesday evenings, we actually have meditation sessions to help maintain a balance for individuals who are more mindful, and we have groups of students who play different sports on a weekly basis after classes are done for the day. </li>
<li>Is it worth it? That can be a difficult question. If you are planning on pursing an advanced science career (pre-med, research) I would say yes, because the students who stick with the program normally end up getting in medical school, graduate schools, or whatever they would like to do next. We also have the two research institutes, Scripps (where I currently work) and Max Plank, that most of our science students either work or intern at that are a HUGE deal if you are going into the sciences. The Honors College really sets you up to continue your education in whatever field you choose to pursue. I have so many friends that are graduating this year who are going to Law School, Medical School, and other masters and phd programs across the country, so yes I do believe its worth it. </li>
<li>As far as living on campus goes, yes you will probably have to live on campus for three years unless you can get an exemption. The exemptions are difficult to get but I do know people who have received them since they live very close to the campus ( I am not sure what the distance cut off is, but you might be able to find it online.) It is expensive to live on campus, but I would HIGHLY recommend living on campus at least your first year even if you could get the exemption. The Honors College is a very close knit community and part of becoming that community and getting to know everyone is living on campus. </li>
<li>For our small population more around 300-400 students, we have a decent amount of diversity. I have friends who are from different ethic backgrounds, different countries, and states, but yes the larger majority of the population are in-state students. We do have a lot of events on campus that promote diversity and cultural awareness, if that is a concern for you. </li>
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<p>I will leave you with this. I love it here at the Honors College. I have fantastic relationships with my fellow students and professors, who would both go above and beyond for me if I asked. I have had the opportunity to be very involved on campus and help shape what programs are held, and shape my environment. Somedays, I will not lie, it is difficult, my professors all know what I am capable of and expect me to preform at that level, and because our classes are smaller we write a decent amount of papers, not so much in the sciences. The small campus has its charms and its curses. Like I said, I have a fantastic support group of friends and everyone here is very caring and accepting, but it is a small school, so if you want to go to raging parties and don’t want almost everyone to be on a first name basis with you then it may not be the school for you. </p>

<p>I hope I answered all of your questions/concerns. Feel free to ask me any thing else. </p>

3

<p>Congratulations on getting into WIlkes! That’s impressive. :slight_smile:
If you plan on studying the sciences, Wilkes Honors is the best - excellent education, very science-focused. If you want the excitement of a large college, you can easily go to FAU, which you’re officially a part of, so if you want parties and sports it’s all there for the taking… Wilkes has been established as the state’s second honors college, one that’s less “artsy” than NCF, and its placement results are impressive. It’s basically a “med school prep school”.
Note that Med schools frown on any “core” class being taken at the community college level.
If you’ve been dual enrolled, it means you have high odds of success - sure, it’s harder than your familiar college, but you’ve proved you can do it. You’re 18. Time to set out and try new things, right? You’ve worked too hard so far to settle for the “obvious and easy” when you have an excellent solution at hand. Don’t sell yourself short and take advantage of that awesome opportunity, a public honors college to prepare you for exactly the future you want at a fraction of the price most other students have to pay for.</p>

4

<p>Why would you turn down a full scholarship to FAU-Wilkes (a state honors college) for (a) long commutes and huge classes, (b) a much more expensive school with outdated facilities, or (c) a community college (AA degree) program? It appears you hesitate to make the clear best choice only because you’re afraid FAU-Wilkes will be more challenging. Well, yeah. You do want to be a doctor, right? </p>

<p>

No doubt, many people don’t.
However, YOU know about how hard FAU-Wilkes is. So don’t you think medical/graduate schools must have some clue about it, too? For many years, the older Florida honors college (NCF) has had an excellent track record for graduate/professional school admissions and fellowships.</p>

5

<p>Thank you all!!!:D</p>