I got accepted with the presidential scholarship to Beloit College. I am planning on being on the premed track/ biology major. I saw that Beloit had a 90% medical school acceptance rate, which put me in doubt. I know that many colleges artificially inflate the medical school acceptance rate and I feel like beloit is doing so. Is anyone familiar with the premed program? Is it really hard to get good grades in beloit and do they only encourage students who they think will get accepted to medical school? Thanks and Merry Chrismas!
Physician here.
You can go to many, many colleges to become educated before attending medical school. Beloit College is nothing special in this. There may be more hand holding and that may help you maintain high grades plus the fact it is not as tough as some other schools (eg UW-Madison).
Reasons to go there. You like it and the costs are less than or comparable to other choices.
Reasons to go elsewhere. You like another school better and the cost is the same or less.
Anecdote. A neighbor chose a small, lower tier private college over the state flagship because they had a good reputation for numbers of medical school applicants. End result- not accepted. Reason- his grades were not that great, likely because he didn’t feel the need to work as hard- maybe because the level of difficulty was easy for him. Eventually he became a DO.
Percentages do not tell the whole story either. There are many students who start with the premed intention (it’s that, not a major) but change their minds. Some never had the ability, others developed different interests and less than half get into a medical school…Some schools may generate higher percentages because they do not have the numbers of premed students who toy with the idea but are not likely to go the distance. If you are a top student you can do well at any school you go to. Eons ago medical schools did give more weight to some schools (even the private ones). This means equal stats from two different schools may not give you equal footing.
btw- medical school does not require the same level of intelligence many STEM PhD programs do. It does require a lot of memorization and understanding with less creative thinking than research. Different personalities choose different paths- as my friends who went the PhD route and medical school friends who had different undergrad majors showed.
It does not matter what Beloit does if that is not your favorite college. No matter where you go you will have to do the work. You need to choose a major you like- ANY can be used for medical school- you just need the required courses. In fact, choosing what you actively like will make it easier to do well. Go to college not just as a step towards becoming a physician but as a chance to study something in depth (a major). Also take fun classes- things like Art History, Symphony, Lit courses and others not needed for a major or medical school. Enjoy the journey.
Disclaimer. I found UW-Madison to have (and still does) fantastic opportunities for undergrads- why go elsewhere in state??? Independent person.
Beloit is a great school. I assume you’ve read the materials on their “Health Professions Advisory Committee” webpage. The details there describe how they really help you to reach your goal–which is Beloit’s goal for all students.
Being a biology major is tough, there is a ton of work but it is very rewarding.
Choose your major for what you like, not what you think is best preparation for medical school. The medical schools require what you need. Indulge in the field that most interests you. Everyone is multifaceted and has (hopefully) interests outside just medicine. College is your chance to learn about something you enjoy, whether or not it relates to medicine. Beloit may groom you for medical school but most medical students will have gone elsewhere ( think numbers, nothing else).
Thank you guys so much! I need more information please.
Can’t comment on your premed questions. One of my 2 students goes to Beloit and loves it there. Very caring environment, small classes, friendly people, solid academics.