<p>So I'm currently an upcoming senior in high school, and that means college applications. I have my heart set on majoring in neuroscience since it pools together a range of subjects: biology, psychology, chemistry, all that jazz. I figured it suited me best since I'm interested in pretty much anything and not just one subject--though I am more math-oriented.
After much research, I'm still having trouble deciding between LACs and universities. My initial choices were UCR and UCLA since I've heard wonderful things about their undergraduate neuroscience programs and incredible research opportunities, but after finding out about some of the neuro programs LACs offer, I'm torn. In addition to UCR (which was my number one choice up until now) and UCLA, I'm considering Pomona College, Scripps Women's College, Claremont McKenna, and Pitzer. (These are all in CA--my parents have threatened to pull the plug on my tuition if I go out-of-state) I'm aware that one main difference between LACs and universities are the class sizes, which is one of the main reasons why I've considered them. However, I also know that universities offer vast research opportunities.
Does one pro outweigh the other? What are the pros and cons of going to a LAC vs. a university for neuroscience? I'm also planning on going to medical school (I want to become a neurologist) after receiving my BS, so would a university be more beneficial than a LAC, or the other way around?
(Some stats just in case.... Current 4.0 GPA, ranked 11 in class, currently no community service due to family circumstances, have taken 4 AP classes in junior year, passed 3/4 AP tests, SAT is to be taken in October and November... Would these affect my admission into a LAC or university?)</p>
<p>Are your parents fine with the significant price difference?</p>
<p>Please read the Pre-med forum to get acquainted with criteria for med school acceptance.</p>
<p>Are you saying that you have no EC’s at all?</p>
<p>Have you run Net Price Calculators on a few of these schools? What is your Expected Family Contribution (EFC)? Have you talked to your parents about whether they can (and will) cover the EFC? For many upper middle class families, an expensive private school is not a realistic option. For less affluent families, the net cost of these schools after aid can be competitive with (or even cheaper than) the state flagships. In any case, med school is extremely expensive (with little or no aid available other than loans) so you don’t want to take on a lot of debt for that first degree.</p>
<p>If money is not an issue, then the choice involves a trade-off between class size and course selection (in addition to personal preferences). The class size issue isn’t just about the average numbers you see on the US News pie charts or the Common Data Set (section I) tables. It’s about class size distributions in the courses YOU are likely to take. </p>
<p>Unless you place out of many classes, as a pre-med/neuroscience student at a large state university, you are likely to find yourself in many very large lectures in chemistry, biology, psychology, etc. during your first two years. Enrollments can run into the hundreds. Typically, these are complemented by break-out lab/discussion classes of ~25 or so, usually taught by graduate students. </p>
<p>Class sizes at LACs (and at a few private research universities) will be much smaller. At some LACs, all classes have fewer than 50 students. At many others, you’ll have a few lecture classes in popular courses (like intro psychology) with 50-100 students, or possibly slightly more. To give you some idea, here is detailed enrollment size information for specific classes at one selective LAC:
[Class</a> Size Information](<a href=“Williams College”>Williams College)</p>
<p>You can compare these numbers to the course enrollment figures that show up on some research university sites. Example:
[Search</a> Spring - Online Schedule Of Classes](<a href=“http://schedule.berkeley.edu/srchsprg.html]Search”>http://schedule.berkeley.edu/srchsprg.html)</p>
<p>Since you are planning on med school afterward, it makes no difference which type of school you pick for your major. Do pick something affordable though. You don’t want major loans (for you or your parents).</p>