<p>My daughter and I are having a really hard time finding a school that fits her.
She is looking for a small to midsize ideally catholic school, that will get her into a great medical school... She did not seem to like the culture of the little ivy's although she could get in... Any ideas?</p>
<p>TCNJ is known for pre-med and is about 6000 students, although public, not Catholic.</p>
<p>Almost any school can work for pre-med. So, if she really wants Catholic, there are many good small to midsize Catholic schools in the northeast.</p>
<p>Fairfield University, Holy Cross, BC</p>
<p>I have a lot of trouble understanding this post. If the OP’s daughter really has the profile of someone who could get accepted to Amherst or Williams, then she can probably get accepted at any Catholic college in the country, although Georgetown or Notre Dame would not be sure things. If she does well in her courses and on the MCATs, and generally jumps through hoops, she will get into an American medical school, which means at least “good”. Whether she gets into a “great” medical school will depend mainly on her, not her college; I don’t think there’s anyplace that will disqualify her for admission to Harvard or Hopkins, say.</p>
<p>So, starting with the completely obvious, what’s wrong with midsize Catholic universities Georgetown, Notre Dame, Boston College, or smaller Holy Cross (where the main UMass medical school provides research opportunities)? Villanova? Seton Hall (also pretty small)? And rolling down the food chain from there . . . Loyola (MD)? St. Joseph’s? Scranton? Canisius? Niagara? Fairfield? There are a ton of perfectly fine Catholic colleges out there.</p>
<p>Or, from another direction, maybe she should look at Haverford, which isn’t Catholic but Quaker, and has real cultural differences compared to Amherst/Williams et al., and which does a fine job of training pre-meds. Or adjacent Bryn Mawr? Or any of the other former Seven Sisters. Or the University of Rochester, which is sort of UChicago East. All relatively small and intimate, all recognized high quality, all with plenty of pre-meds who go on to recognizable schools. Some rural, some urban, some suburban – take your pick.</p>
<p>Any of the Jesuits…like Fordham, Holy Cross, BC…and those outside of NE…Loyola Maryland, SLU, Gonzaga, SFU, etc…</p>
<p>What is your budget? Will your D need financial aid? Many Catholics do not meet need. Do you know how much aid you’d qualify for? </p>
<p>Does the school have to be in the NE???</p>
<p>I’m confused by the title. Virtually all schools have a pre-med track.</p>
<p>Hi mom2collegekids:</p>
<p>I suspect the OP is a first generation immigrant (from China, perhaps?) who is not familiar with the college education system in the United States. And that she, like most Asian parents, would prefer to have her daughter stay close to home. </p>
<p>Cathyou - unlike colleges in China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong, there is no undergraduate “pre-med” major. As long as a student can complete the requirements for medical school admissions, they can major in anything in college. Generally, medical school in the U. S. require at least two years of chemistry, two years of biology, one year of physics, one year of calculus and preferably some background in genetics and biochemistry. Every reputable college has a “pre-health” or “pre-med” advisor to assist and guide students interested in attending medical school after college. </p>
<p>Here’s a good link: [FAQs</a> & Resources - Aspiring Docs](<a href=“http://www.aspiringdocs.org/faqs/]FAQs”>http://www.aspiringdocs.org/faqs/)</p>
<p>Perhaps what is important is determining the number of pre-med students at each college who is accepted to medical school. Some college has this information online and some do not. Keep in mind that medical school admission also requires a high GPA (as well as high MCAT scores) so it is important to consider a school where your daughter will not struggle in coursework. </p>
<p>Mom2collegekids is right - we need to know more about your daughter. What are your daughter’s stats? (SAT/ACT scores, GPA, extracurricular activities?) Is she a high school junior or high school senior? What did she not like about the “little Ivys”?</p>
<p>If she has the goods to get into the Little Ivies, she has the stuff to get into medical school provided she retains her academic focus. From virtually anywhere.</p>
<p>Find some place where she doesn’t have to take out loans. Cost of medical school these days is astronomical, and going higher.</p>
<p>Georgetown, which is Catholic, has a program where students can apply to their medical school at the end of their second year. The student will bypass the frenzy of the premed curriculum in their final two years and do not have to take mcat.</p>
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<p>There is no school in this country that “will get her into a great medical school”. She will have to get outstanding grades, excellent MCAT scores and interview well to get accepted to medical school.</p>
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<p>True enough. BUT being admitted to Georgetown is not an easy thing…and this early med school program is extremely competitive. The frenzy will be during her freshman/sophomore years!</p>
<p>Okay, I was going on the notion that she could get into the top LACS. Elizabethtown College admits a few students each year that are guaranteed to go onto PennState College of Medicine, providing satisfactory performance.</p>
<p>Thanks for all your help. Guess I wasn’t clear.</p>
<p>My D is white catholic but skipped a grade so will be entering college at 17 so even though she is mature , would like her close to home.</p>
<p>Holy Cross, BC, etc do not offer Merit Aid and we won’t qualify for FA - even though I did not make anything prior two years due to terminally ill parent… This year I am doing too well.
We are close to retirement and since she wants to go on to Med School want to keep our funds for that …
She has all the stats to get into the Ivy’s and Little Ivy’s but they do not offer Merit</p>
<p>Guess I will have to expand my search … outside of New England… </p>
<p>She liked Fairfield but heard science is not their strength… maybe I am wrong … and they do not offer much Merit.</p>
<p>She is concerned a second tier school won’t get her into Medical School but I am beginning to think it is what she does with her time at college, internships, research, grades, MCATs
that really matter… anyone know if that is true ? </p>
<p>Please feel free to send me private messages</p>
<p>Has your D looked into Emmanuel College in Boston. Small Catholic college, offers merit awards to high stats kids. Located in the Longwood medical area where there would be many excellent , medical field related research opportunities for her. My understanding is that their science department profs. all have some connection to the various medical centers in the area.
As other posters have mentioned, it is her GPA, MCAT scores, recommendations that will get her into Med. School.</p>
<p>Chestnut Hill, right outside Philadelphia, has a strong track record for women interested in science, especially (if I remember correctly) chemistry.</p>
<p>OP</p>
<p>CC has a forum where issues like you’re raising are discussed regularly</p>
<p>[Pre-Med</a> Topics - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/]Pre-Med”>Pre-Med Topics - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>There’s even a stickied thread about How to Choose a Pre-Med School</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1122176-bluedevilmikes-ten-step-guide-picking-premed-school.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1122176-bluedevilmikes-ten-step-guide-picking-premed-school.html</a></p>
<p>The posters in the Pre Med forum are a variety of parents of pre med and med students, medical students, practicing physicians, undergrad pre meds and even an occasional member of a medical school admissions committee.</p>
<p>*She has all the stats to get into the Ivy’s and Little Ivy’s but they do not offer Merit</p>
<p>*</p>
<p>GPA 4.5
5 AP , 2 AP exams she has taken BIO and Eng Got 5’s, rest of classes all Honors
Lowest grade 2 94’s for final averages, everything else 95 or above
National Merit Commendation
SAT I CR 700 M 700 W 740
SAT II Bio 800, Math 1 720
Volunteered at Hospital for past 2 summers
At school, in Key Club, Lector for school, Founded Neuroscience club, Ambassador, Sailing
Interviews well since very poised.</p>
<p>*
She is concerned a second tier school won’t get her into Medical School but I am beginning to think it is what she does with her time at college, internships, research, grades, MCATs
that really matter… anyone know if that is true ?*</p>
<p>Like you said, your D is young, therefore her instincts about mid-tiers and getting into med schools are grossly misinformed. My son’s mid-tier flagship (Alabama) has an 85% acceptance rate to US MD med schools for students with at least a 29 MCAT and 3.6 GPA…and that’s the same as many other good or top schools would boast as well. </p>
<p>Your D has a 1400 M+CR. That is the score that will determine merit at many schools. Many schools do not consider the W score for merit…just the M+CR score. And, some will require a 1420+ for big merit.</p>
<p>Bama would give your D free tuition. Bama has a Catholic church physically on campus and is building a larger church on campus because of the ever-increasing Catholic population on the campus.</p>
<p>Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA has one of the highest percentages in the country of matriculating seniors being accepted into med school. However, they do this by weeding out the borderline students early on in the process. But if med school is your dream, and you are struggling early on in the weed out classes, they will go out of their way to help you succeed. With her stats, she’d get a very generous merit aid scholarships. Don’t be fooled by never having heard of the school, pre-med is one of their most popular majors. </p>
<p>While Muhlenberg is associated with the Lutheran church, 30% of its student body is Catholic.</p>
<p>Physician here. Premed is an intention, not a major. A student can go to any accredited college to get the prerequisite courses for medical school. However, tougher schools will better prepare a student for rigorous study habits to succeed and probably give a better knowledge base. Be aware that schools known to have a lot of premed students will also have fierce competition for grades in courses all of them will be taking. Most medical schools are public or have ties to their state- the best chance of getting into a medical school will be in the home state regardless of which college is attended. Many of the medical students will have gone to their state public colleges as they can’t afford a private education.</p>
<p>Look for colleges that are an overall best fit for everything else. Every college you consider will work for being premed. Most students who start as premeds change their minds or won’t get into medical school. Consider a proposed major and what to do with it besides attending medical school. Most students enter college undecided or change their majors as well. Schools with a large number of premed students may not be the best place to stand out- there is too much competition. There can also be a less friendly atmosphere as students vie for the grades and accomplishments.</p>
<p>Do not get hung up on needing a Catholic school. Secular and liberal colleges will often have a strong Catholic Center where she can choose to continue with the faith (liberal UW-Madison has a strong one and those who are involved). Check out the Catholic Center on campuses that otherwise are a good fit- you may be surprised. Sometimes the Catholics on a secular campus are more involved/religious than those at a Catholic institution. Be sure this is what your child, not you, wants. By now you have done your job to instill your faith, time to let go.</p>
<p>Any student with top credentials who can go to an affordable top school should do so for the educational benefits and challenges no matter what their final goal. Those who will be good physicians but are less brilliant (many of the best physicians are smart, not IQ gifted) may be better off being at a school where they can get top grades and shine instead of being one of the huge pack. Trying to go to a school where many get into medical school can backfire- I have seen this happen. If your child is good enough to get into medical school she can do this from a school where the premed percentages are less because a lot of the others students have other goals- it may be a better atmosphere to have those interested in their courses for their own value, not just as means to get into medical school.</p>