LACs / Universities for Pre-med

College Search & Selection
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I’m applying to college soon, but I’m lingering between Haverford and Tufts. I’m pretty sure both of them are great schools for pre-med, and they all have pros and cons. I’m just wondering which one is more recommended and if they’re better than other schools like USC, Davidson, and William and Mary.

Here are the things I value:

  • social life (not party scenes but the people there, student qualities, clubs, and traditions)
  • their pre-med programs (advisor, support clubs, programs, class size)
  • internship and research opportunities
  • campus life (food, dorms)
  • off-campus life (just a bit)

I’m most likely going to major in psych, but I also really like bio

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You can do premed anywhere. But if choosing between schools, a big concern is easy access to nearby big city hospitals, if you want to do during the school year shadowing, scribing, research. For that reason alone, tufts over haverford. Premed clubs and advising arent really necessary. You can find out what you need to know with a little poking around on reddit and student doctor. And real world activities look better than clawing your way to the top of some premed club. College is not high school.

Another major consideration is money. Unless your family is so wealrhy that 800k is nothing, or so poor that youd quallfy for enough grant fin aid to bring your cost down to that of in state pu blc, you need to consider cost, which prob means attending your in state flagship. Also, GPA means a lot. A 4.0 from a lesser college, with a great mcat score, might get you into med school when a 3.5 from any of the schools you have mentioned might not.

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So personally, I think with pre-med you really have to be careful about following the roads most travelled, since those can also be the most competitive roads for getting the necessary grades and such.

But with that caveat in mind, you might be interested in this resource, particularly the per capita one:

Very good LACs like Haverford (#13) and Davidson (#19) have extremely good placement records for things like medical schools. Obviously there is a lot of self-selection going on here, but still.

The universities you mentioned did not make this list. Again, I strongly caution against thinking that means they are “bad” for pre-med, or indeed that you should necessarily choose the highest universities on this list, as the internal competition at those universities is potentially a serious concern.

But again, still–I think you can rest assured that LACs like Haverford and Davidson are going to score very, very well when it comes to things like their support for pre-med track students.

As for the other things–I think you aren’t naming any bad choices, and I think a lot of it may come down to things like exactly what size you prefer, exactly what setting, and possibly how much Greek life you want.

Like, suppose you decide you prefer an LAC in terms of size for social reasons and also because of the sort of placement programs they tend to provide. You could totally go the other way, but given this hypothetical, you would be down to Haverford and Davidson.

OK, then Davidson is about a 24 minute car ride from Charlotte, Haverford a similar train ride from Philly. Any preference there?

But last–there is no Greek life at Haverford, or Bryn Mawr (which is relevant for social purposes). In contrast, my understanding is Greek life is quite a big deal at Davidson, and in fact even more so for women. This does not mean you can’t opt out of Greek life, but it does mean a lot of the social life there involves those societies.

I note this is actually not such a hypothetical for my S24. He is interested in Bio but not pre-med. Haverford is a consideration for him, possibly a very strong one (we still have to visit). Davidson is not, because he does not want to go somewhere with such a strong Greek presence.

But again, people can reasonably feel the exact opposite.

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The best university or LAC will be where you’re comfortably within the top 25% stats-wise and which has a very supportive environment (because being premed is really hard - up to 1/3 kids at selective colleges think they’ll be premed : most give up, either because they realized they liked something else better or because they didn’t get As in the freshman science or weedout courses; among those who do make it through the premed gauntlet, nationally only about 40% get into even one med school. So choosing a college that will be supportive is very important.)
If you weren’t premed, which would you choose?

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Just noting that seems like an extremely important question to me.

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I agree with other posts above. Cost, and where you will be comfortable, are key issues.

Medical school is expensive. Funding 8 years of university in the US is expensive. There are some families that are comfortable funding $800,000 per child, but there aren’t very many such families (even among millionaires, given that most millionaires are barely millionaires). Even doctors do not make enough money for it to be easy paying off medical school debt. I know a few doctors who are paying off debt at least into their 40’s or 50’s.

I have a daughter who took a similar but not quite the same path. Her patients are furry and most walk on four legs (she is studying to be a veterinarian). Both daughters had majors that overlap a great deal with premed requirements, so they have both completed the premed classes and they both know quite a few premed students (a few of which are either in medical school now or have just gotten their MDs). Premed classes are tough. Exams will be tough. There will be a lot of homework. This is a path (whether MD or DVM) that takes quite a bit of determination and a lot of hard work. However, it is a great path for some very strong students.

In terms of getting accepted to medical school, all of the schools that you mentioned are very good. So are at least 100 and probably closer to 200 other universities and colleges in the US.

If you are sure that your parents are fine with funding $800,000 to cover 8 years of education, then you might want to visit both schools and attend the one where you would be most comfortable (assuming that you get accepted to both – neither is likely to be a safety given that they both have acceptance rates under 20%). Otherwise, you might want to also seriously consider your in-state public university (or universities).

I might add that one daughter attended a small university and I have become a big fan of smaller schools such as Haverford. However, I used to live near Tufts and had a girlfriend who lived about a block from the campus, and I like that area quite a bit also. I do think that these are both very good choices, as long as finances are not an issue (or the NPC shows a LOT of financial aid).

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I’m the parent of a recent Haverford grad who’s dating another Ford who’s applying to Med school now. First…your list.

Social life - party scene I’d call “low key”, but THE difference between Haverford and almost any place else is the students dictate policy and enforce violations via the honor code. Alcohol isn’t taboo, and public safety doesn’t confiscate it. Because it’s pretty open, it tends to be (IMO) much safer than the “pre-gaming” and off-campus alternatives at many schools.

Pre-med programs - can’t speak to…but I haven’t heard any complaints.

Internships/research - BF is working in a lab @ Penn while applying to Med School. A LOT of Haverford kids end up at Penn.

Campus life - I think it’s generally good. Food is OK, but Bryn Mawr’s (where you can go and eat anytime you like by taking a 5 min bus trip that runs a few times an hour) is very good. Dorms were a big plus for us, as our Ford had her own room all 4 years. Roughly 3/4’s of all rooms at Haverford are singles.

Off-campus - Ardmore is a nice, affluent suburban town with good food, shopping, etc. The train to Philly is a few blocks off campus and a 20-minute ride. I’m gonna go out on a limb here, and suggest that Haverford is likely to follow Swarthmore in giving students passes for free use of the trains and buses. I’d guess that most students would go to Philly a few times a month for concerts, food, museums, etc.

I can’t give you stats…but the Penn tie seems really strong. The BF has parents who are both doctors, and they wanted him to attend Haverford (I don’t think it was his first choice)… and take some time between college and Med school to work at Penn (apparently the majority don’t go direct to Med school…which I didn’t know). So far, the med school apps have all come back with approvals to move to round 2 of the process. We’ll know more in a year. Good luck.

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I’d look at niche grades for dorms and food. It’s directional - because schools are always building or enhancing dining options but it gives you an idea.

Haverford B-/B-
Tufts B/A
USC A-/A-
Davidson A-/B-
W&M C-/C-

USC is far bigger and Tufts too - so the list isn’t really apples to apples school wise.

Are you looking to ED - because you can apply to all of these. Is that why you are asking - where should I ED? Are you sure you can afford all plus four years of med school.

You can major in whatever as long as you take the pre-reqs.

Good luck.

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You can do premed at any school. Just know that only a small fraction of “premeds” coming out of high school actually go to medical school. As you mature, you find your real passions. Never choose a school based on “premed prestige,” especially if it costs a mountain of debt. Choose an affordable school with flexibility.

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My DS felt similarly about the Greek presence. But, he chose Davidson, in part, because Greek life is very low key and not residential. I’d recommend you look into it and talk to some current students. We were pleasantly surprised by the lack of emphasis on frats. Does Davidson Have Greek Life? - College Nut

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