<p>OP, Haverford is not Swarthmore. They’re close in selectivity and close in proximity, but Swarthmore is thought to be the better school by the people who say they know these things. I think you’re a possibility at Haverford, but Swarthmore can afford to be even more selective. On the other hand, Swat and Haverford produce some pre-meds but that is not all they do. Schools that @happy1 mentioned are more thought of, and think of themselves as, pre-med schools. If they have a chemistry major with a high GPA, they’re probably going to med rather than grad school. There’s something more cutthroat in the sciences at these schools. Less true at Haverford and Swat, perhaps because of their Quaker tradition where cutting someone’s throat is thought to be an act of violence. </p>
<p>@par72, Thank you. I will look into Holy Cross - also another school many people are telling me to consider. How i the area surrounding Holy Cross in terms of hospitals and the overall environment? It’s 2 hours from the city of Boston but how good is the city of Worcester? Thanks! </p>
<p>@jkeil911, I see what you mean. My reply may have came out differently than it should have. Basically, I was asking how I can strengthen my resume any further for any of the more prestigious LACs. To point towards your post, wouldn’t a school that points less towards pre-med, Swarth and Haverford, be a better environment by any chance? It might loosen up tension so that the majority of the student body isn’t entirely shifted towards a pre-med but rather a diverse student body aimed to a variety of different studies? Just a thought. I had another question but sort of lost it… 
hehe. Basically, which style of school is better? A LAC such as those mentioned by happy1 that are more geared towards a pre-med or schools that offer variety? What’s better in terms of a pre-med student? Also, what are your thoughts about Vassar College? Happy1 didn’t seem to mention it nor did anyone else on this thread? Your thought specifically? </p>
<p>@Kokko2k15 Vassar is a slightly larger Kenyon with more New Yorkers. Kidding, but not really.</p>
<p>@ormdad, Haha. Thank you. I’ve read some posts about Vassar’s pre-med from @VasssarGrad. It seems great! </p>
<p>@VasssarGrad, Hey! Sorry to put you on the spot. Anything good to say about Vassar College regarding the environment, student body, traditions, pre med route etc? A brief list of my stats are on page one if you want to check them out. </p>
<p>Not to go off topic but Haverford is no slouch when it comes to selectivity. At our public Boston area HS Haverford’s average accepted GPA is 95.65, higher than the averages for Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Stanford and Brown. So, Ok, Swat’s is 96.5 but still Haverford is a reach for most. It attracts very high acheiving students.</p>
<p>@ormdad, Not off topic at all. Thank you for this. I will consider this during my application process. However, as you might know, GPA isn’t all they consider 
Time to write some kick butt essays. ;)</p>
<p>OP, raise your ACT score to 34. It will probably be very hard to do, but that is the surest (but not a sure) means by which to gain entrance to these elite schools and garner the need-based aid you want. You still might not get in, but that’s the best way to improve your lot. Your dedication to swimming and your 600 volunteer hours are important, but if you’re not being recruited by the school for swimming it will be nothing more than important. A 34 would certainly low match you at the other schools mentioned by me and these other generous posters. </p>
<p>But with a 31, the schools named in posts #3, 5, and 7 in addition to Occidental, Holy Cross, and Rhodes are matches from low to high. I’m not sure that all of these are meets-need. Make sure. Nonetheless, these are really really good schools where you can get an excellent education, perhaps without great burden to you and your family. Find more such schools by googling “100% meets-need colleges.”</p>
<p>OP, upforfun already pointed out the differences of the FA packages of those colleges that meet 100% need. The colleges that give generous FA are usually the most competitive ones. Carefully choose the colleges you will apply. I think it is worth considering the less prestigious schools that will give full-tuition or full ride. Since you plan to go to medical school, you should reduce or avoid your undergraduate loans. Most schools’ FA will include loans except for the very limited number of no-loan schools where you qualify for their no-loan requirements and admission. I suggest you look at “regional universities” (<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/regional-universities”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/regional-universities</a>). I do not mean the colleges in your state. You can choose from the North, South, Midwest, and the West. These colleges are less known nationally but are well-respected in their regions. If you are the top applicant in such a school, you may get a good merit scholarship and perform well in college, which is good for going to medical school. I know some high-stats students who aim at the medical school prefer to choose the lower tier schools for undergraduate studies. There are always people choosing practicality over prestige. There are always very excellent students in pre-med program in every school. BTW, you may consider Rice as a reach even though it is not LAC. Rice offers good FA with a smaller enrollment than many other universities.</p>
<p>@jkeil911, Thank you. This summer I plan to restudy the ACT and take it for the third time. I got a 29 the first time and then the 31 the second. Hopefully there can be another increase in points after I hit my weak areas. Those lower ranked schools aren’t that bad as said by you and some other posters. I will still consider schools like Occidental and Holy Cross. </p>
<p>@Bamboolong, thank you! Yes I will look up some of the regional campuses. It seems like a valid option for me at this point. In addition, I have been looking at nonLACs for quite some time now. Rice and Vanderbilt are my current reaches. I’ve heard some great things about both schools. I might not enjoy the hot weather at Rice, but I don’t know yet haha. Thank you for the Rice recommendation. </p>
<p>Brandeis
Wesleyan</p>
<p>@soze, Thank you for two colleges not mentioned. I’ve seen Brandeis be placed top three for most beautiful campuses. How are the opportunities there? I haven’t really looked into Wesleyan but heard of it nonetheless. Anything to say about both schools? Brandeis isn’t a LAC but does have a LA education. Hmm. </p>
<p>Brandeis has a lot of opps in research and internships. It’s always been strong in the sciences. It’s not my favorite campus, largely because of vertical arrangement and its architectural diversity shall we say, but to each… It has an LAC rep because it’s small at 3500 and most courses have less than 20 students! I forget what the student-teacher ratio is but it’s very good. Students get to know their professors; they will encounter grad student instruction in the labs, recitations, and freshman english courses, but that can be a very good thing for many students because of the enthusiasm and vitality of young scholar/teachers. I was one of them long ago.</p>
<p>It doesn’t have a hospital or med school. It is moving away from all but a few merit awards. I don’t know if it is 100% meets need because it has suffered some financial crises since the Madoff scheme came to light. Check that out. I’m biased, but I thought it was a really good school with some very bright students from all over the world.</p>
<p>@jkeil911, ooooh. You’be been to Brandeis… Thank you for the first hand insight. I will check it out. It doesn’t seem to meet 100% of needs according to US NEWS. So far from this post, I’ve received a myriad of different LAC. I just have to narrow them done and pick them apart one by one. Thanks a lot though! </p>
<p>Bumppp! </p>
<p>As you said, you have eliminated a lot of LACs by your urban/suburban requirement. If you would reconsider that, it might open up a lot of opportunities, particularly financial ones. (If one is in search of money, that needs to be the top priority, everything else should fall by the wayside.) D is going to school this fall as a pre-med at a school that would be perfect for you, she had similar or lower stats, Top 15 LAC, except for the fact that’s it’s rural, or 10 minutes from a very small city. But they are known for such things as placing pre-meds in places like Boston Children’s NICU over breaks - something I’m sure many of the LACs can do. You should consider the fact that they can do that and meet your financial needs.</p>
<p>Personally, I’m advising D to limit volunteering time to breaks and really concentrate on studies during class time, unless she can do something like become part of the campus EMT program. All the volunteering in the world won’t do a bit of good if you don’t have the grades to get into med school.</p>
<p>@MrMom62, Great thanks for the other perspective on this issue! May I ask where your D is going? </p>