<p>Looking for information from experienced students or parents regarding Pre-medicine at Lafayette. I understand that there is no pre-med major, but would like to get a feel for what the advising is like and the types of majors that students are choosing with their pre-med concentration. I read recently (either on the Laf website or in print materials) that only 27 students applied to medical school last year. Is this a typical number? Since biology seems to be one of the larger majors at Lafayette, are more students choosing grad school vs. medical school? Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Hoping @captainclueless will see this and provide some insight.</p>
<p>Hi Gemblu,</p>
<p>Things are really busy for me right now, but I’ll give you a detailed answer once I have some free time–I am a former premed so I have a lot of experience to share! Also, if you have any other questions I encourage you to put it in the Q&A forum I have going. Thanks!</p>
<p>Taylor</p>
<p>Thanks Taylor, I appreciate it. I started a new thread to make it easier for people in the future to find the information. You gave some great detailed answers about other majors on the Q&A forum. Perhaps if you double post that will cover both audiences. I believe you are a neuroscience major now, is that correct?</p>
<p>Bumping as there have been almost 170 views which leads me to believe that others are interested in hearing about parent/student experience with the pre-med concentration. It seems that the vast majority of students desire to go on to graduate research. Just trying to figure out why so few go on to Med school. Is it the culture of the school, the faculty, the resources??</p>
<p>Hi Gemblu,</p>
<p>Sorry for the delay. Lafayette has a very strong Health Professions Program for those interested in applying to medical, osteopathic, veterinary, dental, and optometry school. It is coordinated by a biology professor and an administrator, who meet with students as needed to help them ensure that they are following all the proper steps. They host many different events on campus, often bringing in alumni who work in healthcare to speak with students. Ultimately, they combine all of your medical school application materials to generate a composite letter of evaluation to the schools that you are applying to. I would share more, but most of that information can all be found on the health professions website–<a href=“https://healthprofessions.lafayette.edu/”>About · Health Professions Program · Lafayette College. I suggest you thoroughly explore that site, as it covers basically everything you would want to know about being premed at Lafayette.</p>
<p>The Health Professions Program collaborates with Career Services to give students some really excellent externship, internship, and volunteering opportunities, and as a former premed, I have found them to be very helpful. They have done especially well with keeping up with all of the changes that have been going on lately (as the MCAT is being revamped, etc.). They prepare students well, and for students with a GPA of 3.6 or higher, 89% are accepted to medical school- 97% if you include re-applicants. </p>
<p>Typically, 30-40 students apply to health professions schools every year, and many of them are biology majors (it is worth noting that you do NOT have to be a science major to apply to medical school). However, bio majors go on to do many different things. Some examples include health professions schools (not just medical school), graduate school, jobs in the pharmaceutical industry, jobs in public health, and many more. There are a lot of paths out there that many high school students don’t know about…many of these careers you will learn about over time from the experiences and opportunities you have at Lafayette. As such, our students go in many different directions depending on their specific interests.</p>
<p>If you have any other additional questions, please let me know.</p>
<p>Taylor</p>
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<p>Thanks @captainclueless for the great information. Hopefully some Lafayette parents or students will chime in with their experiences of the program. 30 to 40 applicants across several health care professions seems low to me. Out of curiosity, why did you leave the pre-med concentration for neuroscience only?</p>
<p>Gemblu,</p>
<p>Just to clarify, there is no “pre-med concentration” at Lafayette, or at most other colleges. Being “pre-med” simply means you are taking the courses required for admission to medical school (i.e. gen chem, gen bio, gen physics, organic chem, biochem, calculus). Most of those courses are taken by science majors regardless of whether they intend to pursue a health professions career.</p>
<p>To answer your question, my switch from being pre-med resulted from changing interests over the years. After a couple of externships with Lafayette alumni and experience volunteering in a hospital, I realized that it wasn’t really the right work atmosphere for me. Thus, my interest in medicine waned. People change their minds all the time, so it’s not uncommon for someone who came in as a premed to switch out (or vice versa!). What’s great about receiving a well-rounded liberal arts education is that it exposes you to many different things, opening your eyes to many career options that you might not even know existed! A school like Lafayette really helps you explore your options.</p>
<p>Right now, I have not made any final decisions, but as time has gone on, I have developed an increasingly strong interest in pursuing a career in higher education administration. My experience in working with the Office of Admissions, the Office of Residence Life, and on a committee with one of our deans has sparked a passion in me for working in student affairs. I’m fascinated by the way a college like Lafayette is run, and I would love the opportunity to work with college students in helping them develop and achieve their goals over their 4 years. My years so far at Lafayette have been incredibly formative for me, in large part due to the support and encouragement from our administrators and faculty. Thus, I would love to make that same impact for students in the future. Alternatively, I would also like the idea of working specifically in admissions, which would allow me to be part of a dynamic team recruiting and selecting unique, talented, and ambitious classes of students for a college (thus shaping the entire atmosphere and community of that college for years to come!). I would also derive a great deal of satisfaction from helping students find a college as their perfect fit! As a bonus, it would give me the opportunity to travel a lot, which is very appealing to me…and I would certainly consider working at Lafayette if there is an opportunity! I may also consider going directly to graduate school.</p>
<p>All in all, I have yet to solidify a decision, but this career area is what has been on mind lately. I have spoken with several administrators here about it (who have been very helpful!) and there are others I still plan to speak to. A career of this nature is never something I would have considered coming in as a first year–it rarely is for anyone…but that’s the beauty of college, especially ones like Lafayette. You never know what path your career might take until you take advantage of all the experiences at your disposal, and find out what interests you most.</p>
<p>Please let me know if you have any other questions; I’m happy to help.</p>
<p>Taylor</p>
1 Like
<p>Thanks @captaincluless. Sounds like you have a great plan for your future!</p>
<p>I have a HS junior looking at LACs particularly with a goal of attending medical school. After reading the website information, I can agree that Lafayette’s med school admission rate is impressive. Can anyone comment on the culture amongst the premed students? Competitive or collaborative? Do students help each other? study together? Are professors routinely curving tests to limit "A"s and “weed out” students? Any other insight from former or current students would be welcome. Thanks in advance. </p>
<p>Would love to know about the culture as well.</p>
<p>This is a very good question, chaz7931. I asked this question on all of my campus tours during my college search. I came from a rather cutthroat high school, so I was looking for a change in atmosphere.</p>
<p>Lafayette definitely fosters a collaborative atmosphere. Professors are not given limits on the number of A’s they assign, and there are no classes (that I know of) that are graded on a bell curve. In other words, a student’s success is independent of everyone else’s. Students are always happy to help each other (I have been on both ends) , and they work together all the time. Friends form study groups that meet in residence halls, the library, the engineering building, etc. When someone is struggling in a class, he/she can easily find friends to kindly help him/her. In addition, we have a Supplemental Instruction program, in which students who previously did well in a class hold collaborative group review sessions with students currently in that class. It is great way for students to bounce ideas off of each and work as a team. I am an SI Leader for general chemistry, and most students have found it helpful.</p>
<p>That said, the short answer to your question is that Lafayette is very collaborative, not at all competitive. I have been impressed with just how friendly students are here, and how much they are willing to help their friends who may not be doing as well as they are. The competitive and cutthroat nature is one I very much wanted to get away from, and in choosing Lafayette, I succeeded. It was one of the important factors during my college decision-making process.</p>
<p>Taylor</p>