<p>Is anyone attending Loyola Chicago for pre-med or know if it's a good program ? Seems like it has much to offer in terms of access to clinical and research experience being in Chicago. Read some things online about problems with budget cuts, not being able to get into classes and administration problems though. Thanks !</p>
<p>I’m sure it’s fine for pre-med. If you can afford it without much in loans, go. I don’t think it gives great need-based aid, so if you can’t pay all costs, be sure to have a good financial safety.</p>
<p>From another thread…</p>
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Our son is a HS senior and wants to major in biology for a pre-med track. We visited Penn State and he loved it. We would really appreciate your advice on the following:</p>
<p>1.) I’m worried that with penn state being so large, he will not be able to connect enough with professors to get his letters of recommendation or it wil be very hard to. How much extra work and effort was required for you to do so ? Any other disadvantages being pre-med at such a large school or advantages for that matter ?</p>
<p>2.) We were told the PSU medical school acceptance rate is 80%. Do you think that’s accurate ? Did most of your fellow students get accepted ? What was the average GPA and MCAT from Penn State for those accepted ?</p>
<p>3.) How are the Biology and Chemistry professors ? Do they grade hard and is it impossible to get an A ? Of course our son will work hard but some schools we visited came right out and said they can’t make their curriculum hard enough for their students because everyone is so smart. We want him to be challenged, but also able to get good grades (some info - he has a 95 HS GPA and did well in AP Biology).*</p>
<p>virtually all good schools are going to be tough for pre-med pre-reqs…those are the weeder classes. Schools often limit the number of A’s given in those classes to “weed” out those who aren’t fit for med school or the hard-science majors.</p>
<p>What are your son’s stats? </p>
<p>PSU’s med school acceptance rate may be accurate…that’s not unusual. My son’s flagship has a 85% acceptance rate for those who have at least a 29 MCAT and a 3.6 GPA (both cum/science)…and that’s pretty much the norm. Those with those stats who don’t get accepted either “suicided” or refused to take advice for their app list and applied only to tippy top schools.</p>
<p>Hi Mom2. Thanks for copying my question on penn state and responding to that. My son’s stats are 1340 reading/math SAT and 30 ACT. He has a 3.75 GPA and just got a 5 on the AP Biology exam. Chemistry was tougher and he got an 85 on the NY regents. It’s hard to tell when they say “weeded” out if that means they weed out kids who haven’t taken advanced science courses in HS or those that did but can’t handle the college level.</p>
<p>Where does your so go to school and is he happy with his choice ?</p>
<p>My son’s stats are 1340 reading/math SAT and 30 ACT. He has a 3.75 GPA and just got a 5 on the AP Biology exam. Chemistry was tougher and he got an 85 on the NY regents.</p>
<p>* It’s hard to tell when they say “weeded” out if that means they weed out kids who haven’t taken advanced science courses in HS or those that did but can’t handle the college level.*</p>
<p>Weeded INCLUDES kids who took challenging science classes in high school. There are many kids who took AP science courses and did well, who don’t do well in pre-med pre-reqs. </p>
<p>Consider a school where many/most kids in pre-med have taken challenging science courses in high school and have strong test scores. Do most of them get A’s in pre-med pre-reqs?? No, they don’t. I’ve read that only about 15% of the class will get an A in each weeder class (don’t remember where I read that). Certainly, a lot more than 15% took advanced science courses in high school.</p>
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Where does your so go to school and is he happy with his choice ? *</p>
<p>My son is at Alabama on a large merit scholarship (full tuition scholarship plus 4500 per year from 2 additional scholarships - so nearly a free ride). He loves the school… supportive profs, friendly students, great facilities, etc. He’ll be taking the MCAT in the spring and applying to med schools next summer. He just spent the summer doing a REU at another university.</p>
<p>A weeder class “weeds out” any kid who isn’t prepared and willing to put in the hours it takes to do well in the class.</p>
<p>It mostly depends upon the individual student. Kids who lack the high school preparation can put in the hours to get the work done and do well in a class. (Of course, that kid will have to put in even more hours than the kid who has had a strong high school preparation.) And conversely there will also be kids who cruised through high school–who even cruised thru all the advanced classes–and who still aren’t going to do well in the class. </p>
<p>I think in many ways pre med classes are a ‘gut check’ of determination, perseverance and mental toughness, as well as a basic test of an individual’s aptitude for science, math, logical reasoning and memorization skills.</p>
<p>I have one D who went to the state U (she’s now in med school) and one who went to a private university (on big merit) who will apply to med school after she graduates next May. (She’s got the numbers to apply, but wants a break between undergrad and even more school.)</p>