<p>hey! I was just accepted to Amherst '11, and I’m really excited for it</p>
<p>that said, i need some advice</p>
<p>my conundrum: Is lib arts good for premed?</p>
<p>and my dilemma: Penn vs. Cornell vs. Amherst</p>
<p>Penn and Cornell are pretty large schools, so I’m wondering…
-how nice are small class sizes?
-what kind of research opportunities await me at Amherst?</p>
<p>i appreciate any input</p>
<p>This topic has been hashed out here omany times - check old threads, such as science and me, and others. The recent student newspaper had a large article about a forum in which graduates currently practicing medicine came back to speak to the current students - the room was overflowing. Dr. Drew of TV fame is a grad, and even came back and spoke to the kids this year. There are many, many physicians that come from Amherst.</p>
<p>Remember nowadays that physicians also have to be business people. They also have to know how to relate to their patients, how to listen, and how to write. There is more to medicine than science. It is as much an "art" as anything else, and more and more medical schools realize this. Liberal arts is a great way to acquire those skills, and still take the prerequisites for medical school.</p>
<p>You have some great choices! Pick the one where you think you'd be the most comfortable, the happiest. As I understand it, GPA is (almost) everything when it comes to med school appications, so you'll want an environment that allows you to excel, both academically and personally.</p>
<p>These are all good schools for premed. Leave the premed consideration out of your decision making. Go to the college that feels most "comfortable" in terms of "fit".</p>
<p>I have a similar question Amherst vs. Cornell but for Biology. Any ideas on which is better?</p>
<p>AMHERST!!! check the graduation rate for both schools (i think Amherst is higher). Plus, I heard that around 90% (i think its 99% but I forgot) of premed students get into their top med school...</p>
<p>Agree with FrankieBaby.</p>
<p>FWIW, a large number of AC classmates in my year went on to med schools, mostly in NE and West Coasts (UCSF, U-Dub, Columbia, Penn, Hopkins, etc.). I'm sure it's no different now. Even those with ho-hum grades made it in after stints as lab rats after graduating and then applying.</p>
<p>All things equal, med school admissions is a "numbers game" and (compared to Cornell, Penn) you'll have fewer classmates from AC applying the same handful of top programs. My $0.02.</p>
<p>Also in terms of actual undergraduate education Amherst is a better pick because of the small class sizes and interaction with professors. Having sat in on science classes at both MIT and Amherst I now know how big of a difference there is between large schools and small LAC's. My mammoth lecture at MIT was given by a truly extraordinary prof in terms of research but one who could barely speak english and was not a captivating or interesting lecturer. The much smaller lecture on neuroscience at Amherst was engaging and taught by a much better teacher.</p>
<p>how far is the nearest hospital from Amherst College? because premeds need hospital volunteer experience and i dont wanna have to drive or take a bus 1/2 an hour every few days to volunteer.</p>
<p>There's one in Northampton.</p>
<p>A half hour long bus ride is really not so bad (it's a bit longer by bus, much shorter by car, traffic permitting). If that's a big factor, though, it's something you should consider.</p>
<p>more than 75% of the classes at Penn have less than 20 students. And within the 25% that aren't it's extremely rare to find one that crosses 50 students (only some intro classes). You will have engaging discussions in small classrooms at Penn too.</p>