I am also going to post some great advice by @WayOutWestMom from the Pre-Med discussion.
Let me give the advice I’ve offered to others (including my own children).
First of all, take the whole idea of pre-med out of your search.
Pre-med is merely a set of mostly into level courses that are offered at nearly every college (and most community colleges) in the US.
Especially take pre-med out of your search equation because it’s estimated that between 60-75% of freshmen pre-meds will never actually apply to medical school. (The drop off isn’t merely due to the not having good enough grades for med school, but also because most pre-meds have no idea what the life of a doctor is like, or because they decide they really don’t want to postpone beginning their careers and lives for 15 or more years after high school. Or they discover an more compatible and interesting career during college. Our high schools do a really terrible job of career exploration for our young adults.)
Out of the remaining 25% or so of pre-meds who actually apply to med school, more than 60% get ZERO acceptances. 2020/21 was an especially competitive year for med school admissions and the percentage of accepted applicants is expected to be even lower.
With pre-med out of the search equation, I’d focus on finding the college for your child that offers the best combination of fit, affordability and opportunity.
Fit–because happier students do better academically
Affordability–because medical school is incredibly expensive (Think $75K-$100K/year) and there is almost no aid other than loans available. Pre-med are strongly advised to minimize undergrad debt. Successful pre-meds won’t be earning a “doctor’s salary” for 3-12 year post med school while their $250+K in unsubsidized loans continue accrue interest and capitalize.
Opportunity–because college is 4 years of your child’s life they will never get back. They need to enjoy it. Opportunity include the opportunity for them to explore new ideas and interests (including those don’t lead to med school). The opportunity to find mentoring from their professors (who they will need to write their LORs for med school.grad school or whatever path they decide to pursue). The opportunity to grow and develop as human beings. (Med schools are looking well rounded individuals with interests that go beyond science and who have demonstrated leadership capabilities.)
Successful pre meds come from every type of undergrad from brand name research universities to small rural LACs to directional state Us. The name of the college a student attends carries very little weight with med school adcomms.
Adcomms are looking for applicants who embody the personal characteristics of a good physician, who are academically able, who score well on standardized exams (medicine is one continual line of career-defining standardized exams), who have strong interpersonal and leadership skills, and who are able to communicate comfortably with a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds. These are things that no college can teach your child.
The main difference between colleges w/r/t pre-med is that some college may offer better advising and a few more resources than others. (Be aware that many college pre-med advisors are terrible and your child may be better off seeking out outside advice when they go to apply.) Better resources may be helpful–like free academic tutoring, and access to nearby hospitals or clinics for volunteering opportunities.
Undergrads do NOT provide MCAT prep. That’s something a student needs to do for themselves.