Im not sure which one to choose for early decision 2. I have Pomona for ED. Haven’t seen anyone really compare the two
There aren’t many comparisons probably because they are very different schools. CMC is known for being more conservative and salary driven whereas Oberlin is incredibly liberal and has the lowest median 10 year salary of top 25 schools. Both will offer great academic preparation for med school, so it really just comes down to which school you feel you fit better at.
Payscale ranks Oberlin the 16th highest salary potential among liberal arts colleges. Pomona is below it.
I assumed that Pomona was below it since it was not above it, but it was not on the list.
The Payscale data is completely unscientific and inaccurate. See http://aroundlearning.com/2013/09/8-problems-with-payscale-coms-college-rankings-and-one-solution/
As an Oberlin alumnus, I knew many people in my class who went into medical careers. If they did well in the pre-med program and did well on the test, they had no problem getting into medical school. They told me that they were prepared for medical school and excelled there. There also was no “cut-throat” mentality among the pre-med students, and no “weed-out” program by the faculty to only favor the best students. The students all seem to get along, and the brighter ones helped the other ones. The pre-med students also took full advantage of the many other activities the college and conservatory had to offer, so I think they had well-rounded educations.
gratefulalum, I was basing that statement of the new College Scorecard data, which has its problem but I find it more reliable than Payscale. It was not supposed to be an insult to Oberlin students that they can’t make money, just most Oberlin students would rather work at a NGO making minimum wage than work on Wall Street making tons of money.
I know many students who have gone on to great medical schools and I’ve never heard anything even slightly negative about our premed advisor, but I can’t image Claremont McKenna doesn’t have successful placement into top med schools and a great premed advisor as well. It really boils down to the fit and these two schools have very different vibes.
Have you visited both? Do NOT ED to a school you haven’t visited. I feel like if you had, you would have a clear preference, as they are very different.
The salary statistics for the college as a whole I think are irrelevant to someone becoming a physician. Physicians probably have the highest annual salaries as a group in the country. Many make more than a million dollars a year. The important things for someone entering pre-med is whether the college has a great program with fine faculty, facilities, and equipment; whether its reputation is high with medical schools; whether a large proportion of its graduates are able to be admitted to medical schools; and whether the college provides a well-rounded education, as well. I think that Oberlin would be near the top in these categories.
FWIW, I read recently in the CMC Magazine that 90% of Claremont McKenna’s medical school applicants were accepted to either their first or second choice in med schools.
The percent of applicants accepted to a medical school from a specific college merely indicates how intense the weeder classes are and whether the college is willing to send that required committee letter even for its weaker applicants. The high the percentage of applicants admitted, the more likely it is that the school weeds and/or refuses to send letters for the less stellar applicants, so ignore this information. It’s lying with statistics.
There is an excellent site you can google called 2015 FAQ PreMed Questions-Oberlin College, which is part of Oberlin.edu. It discusses the necessary classes and other requirements for being admitted to medical school. It states that 80% of the students who work with the pre-med director get admitted to medical school.
And if there’s any school that knows about lying with statistics, it’s Claremont.