<p>My son is accepted by Kenyon, Bates, Case Western. All are going to cost the same.</p>
<p>He is waitlisted at Univ of Rochester, Colby, Washington Univ in St Louis. Yet to hear from Colgate.</p>
<p>He is Pre-med. Please help suggest a college. Many thanks for your time and opinion.</p>
<p>I am not familiar with Kenyon and Bates. Case is a popular choice for pre-med. It has an excellent pre-med advising program and lots research opportunities (all are important for medical school application). Case has an excellent reputation with professional schools. Its med school accpetance rate has been much higher than national average.</p>
<p>curiously, i was in almost an identical situation except with Bowdoin instead of Bates. I loved it at Bowdoin when I went to visit. As I'm sure Bates is similar, Bowdoin didn't seem too heavy into biology or sciences--at all. They offered some cool courses, but less often and less variety. Bates nor Bowdoin are not research universities like Case or WashU or Rochester. The atmosphere at Bate and Bowdoin is unbeatable though. You'd be surprised how good placement is in medical schools for liberal arts schools. Kenyon was nice too--a lot of what I said about Bates and Bowdoin applies to Kenyon. Kenyon also has a brand new science quad. Everyone there was really friendly. Enough so that I can remember multiple interactions 3 years later quite vividly. Problem with Kenyon is that it is very remote. Case does offer a lot in terms of resarch opportunities, plus a different environment all together. The other schools, WashU or Rochester are a lot like Case in terms of opportunities for pre-meds. I dont know much about Colby. Ultimately its your son's call. He can't really go wrong. If his only/primary concern is pre-med stuff like grades, research, etc., then Case (or WashU or Rochester). But if he's drawn (even a little bit) to the charm of a small, traditional liberal arts college for the atmosphere or something, then I'd go with Bates or Kenyon.</p>
<p>"If his only/primary concern is pre-med stuff like grades, research, etc.,"..... Alright, yes I know Case students are "academically-focused" but it's not like there's nothing else to do. We are in the outskirts of Cleveland so there are places that are open late and a bunch of shopping, dining, etc. a very easy train-ride (public transportation passes are part of the student activities fee). There are people who live in holes and study, there are people who party, and there are people in between. Personally I like to hang out with friends, go to movies, or the Improv show, a friend's play....But as far as pre-med is concerned. We have a hospital (volunteering/shadowing doctors is pretty important) and the hospital is on literally across the street from the engineering/science quad. We have a student EMT group--another great pre-med opportunity.
Just talk to students. Actually, your son should probably call/email students who are leaders of student organizations. Have him call a prof. or two. When I came to Case I dropped in to an engineering department and an hour later I was chatting with the head of the department. He talked with me for about an hour. Well, good luck with everything!</p>
<p>vibgyor--there is no such major as "pre-med" so your son would be wise to think about the opportunities at these different colleges in what will be his major for the next 4 years. As well as what ECs he plans to pursue. Does he plan to join a fraternity? Is public transportation important? Does he want a college life similar to the area he grew up in or quite different?</p>
<p>Also, Case is significantly more urban than Bates or Kenyon, and all 3 have different prevailing cultures. What my off-the-cuff impressions are: Bates--crunchy-granola Maine philosophers, Kenyon--a little more "preppy" but still a liberal-arts college, and Case--many more engineering (geeky) types, and the liberal arts culture is quirky as well. You also have CIM which cross-registers w/Case.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your kind thoughts. I appreciate your time.</p>