<p>I'm going to be a senior next year, and I'm looking at doing pre-med in college. I have a pretty impressive transcript, ECs, etc., and I plan on applying to some of the top schools in the nation, but I also wonder what are some schools that have good pre-med programs but aren't always known by name. I'd like to have some safety schools to apply to next year incase I don't get into any selective universities or can't afford them.</p>
<p>There are a lot of schools that have high med school admission rates, but that is not really the point. Getting into med school requires high GPA, required courses, good MCAT scores. A kid at a state university is not a a greater disadvantage than a kid at a very selective school. In fact, many will recommend that you take the cheapest route possible. </p>
<p>Remember, premed is not a major. You can major in anything so long as you do the reqs.</p>
<p>There are several, and yes, some are better at pre-med advising than others, so it is worth considering different places even if you can get to med school from pretty much anywhere.</p>
<p>The general advice is to go to the best school you can afford without loans or stretching your budget. You’ll want to save money for med school. If you look at schools where you’re in the top 10% or so for stats you’ll generally have merit aid options (assuming schools offer merit aid). Definitely consider schools less talked about if they have a good track record of getting kids into med school (be careful with percentages as those can be tweaked). One bright young man from our school is heading to LaSalle next year with free tuition at minimum. He said “full ride” but I’m unsure if he meant full ride or full tuition.</p>
<p>As mentioned before, pre-med is not a major. It’s a set of classes that med school wannabes take. Start thinking about what you want to major in and pick something you like. It need not be science related.</p>
<p>What area of the country are you interested in? What types of colleges? Urban/rural/suburban?</p>
<p>Yes, I understand that pre-med isn’t a major but just a set of classes you take to prepare for the MCAT and medical school. I know for sure that I will major in biology or biochemistry, which is what I’m really interested in. I’m from Indiana, and so the cheapest option for me would be to go to Indiana University. The only complaints I have with going there is that I really don’t want to stay in Indiana for another 4 years (I’d like to move to the east coast like a million other teenagers) and there are over 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students combined, which makes undergraduate research positions very scarce and competitive. </p>
<p>I’m looking at Case Western Reserve University. While it’s still in the midwest, I have a very good chance of getting in, they’re located in the very nice city of Cleveland, and they have a 7 year combined undergrad/medical school program. Not to mention the small amount of 5,000 undergrads. So basically I’m wondering if there are any schools like Case Western that I haven’t heard of?</p>
<p>Since you are a pre-pre-med (a high school student dreaming about going to med school), I would recommend looking at places that are cheap, after merit scholarships and financial aid, and places where you have good fit. Remember med school is expensive.</p>
<p>In my opinion, going to a school because it has “superior” pre-med advising or because it has a high acceptance rate to medical schools (often tampered with) is foolish.</p>
<p>Almost every accredited 4 year university or LAC in the nation will prepare you for med school, but you would probably want to look at the top 200 to 300 schools in the nation for availability of resources and classes you can take in your prospective major(s).</p>
<p>Indiana University is a great school and even though you might find it large, realize that you would probably be part of its honors college. If you have done well in high school like I’m sure you have, you would probably be offered a research position as well. Of course, if big schools are not your thing, then it might not be what you’re looking for.</p>
<p>You need to find what you want in a college–its location, size, curriculum, etc.–and then go from there.</p>
<p>Also, keep your options open–don’t major in biology just because you think it will prepare you the most for med school. Most pre-meds in college end up never going down that route.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Holy Cross, Tufts, F&M. Holy Cross has a great pre-med program and strong med school acceptance rate.</p>
<p>First determine what you can afford. </p>
<p>Ask your parents how much they’ll spend on college each year. That will likely determine where you should apply.</p>
<p>There are many, many, many colleges that do a fine job with pre-med students. therefore, find schools that are affordable, don’t require much/any debt, and where you’ll get a high GPA.</p>
<p>Most schools do not meet need, so if you qualify for aid, then you’ll need to carefully choose schools.</p>
<p>If your parents can’t pay as much as schools want them to pay, then you’ll need to find schools that award large merit scholarships.</p>
<p>What is your GPA?</p>
<p>What are your test scores?</p>
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<p>My guy who considered Case also liked U Rochester (that’s where he’s going - tons of research ops and an environment he likes), Pittsburgh (but it’s bigger than you’re thinking about), Franklin & Marshall (no merit aid), and WUSTL (waitlisted there - I’m not sure if he’d have chosen it over URoc though - he really liked his URoc visit and knowing he’ll be able to get involved with research).</p>
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So does everybody… They accept almost 75% of their undergrad applicants
Apply for it, you have nothing to lose, but don’t hang your hat on getting in. Programs like these are exceedingly competitive; its probably easier to get into Harvard than one of these programs.</p>
<p>All you need is a college that sends a reasonable number of students on to med school; that means the undergrad will teach you what you need to do well on the MCAT, enough your fellow students care about academics, and there is probably someone on campus to answer and advise you about premed. Shopping for hi acceptance rates is a red herring because it can easily mean a place that manipulates its acceptance rates. </p>
<p>As for premed advising, you ought to have a pretty good understanding of the whole med school process before you begin college rather than relying on someone at the school to steer you right. School resources can be very valuable to answer specific questions, but to think that you just enroll and they take care of the rest is putting more faith in them than I think they care to have. There are many books about the topic, and a good online place to read thru is at Amherst at [Amherst</a> College Guide for Premedical Students](<a href=“http://www3.amherst.edu/~sageorge/guide2.html]Amherst”>Amherst College Guide for Premedical Students)</p>
<p>Look for affordable schools w/strong science departments, high average GPAs for science majors, and opportunities for med-related volunteer work. Med schools look for high MCAT score, high GPA (over B+), and career-related “well-rounded pleasant personality” attributes.</p>
<p>Aside from high washout rates for pre-med undergrads, note that some schools that boast of a high med school placement rate do so by self-screening their undergrads and discouraging med school applications from students that aren’t “shoo-in” candidates, while encouraging the other pre-med students to apply to alternate less-competitive medical programs. 10 exceptional students may apply and all get in, but what about the other undisclosed 30 pre-med students who were strongly discouraged from applying from that school?</p>
<p>I understand wanting to get out of Indiana, but you will want to apply to med school here. The med school is large cheap(er) for instate residents and it gives higher priority to instate residents. Why not check out IUPUI and the auto admit option? Depending on where you live in Indiana (urban or rural) you can get into the nonflagship programs with full tuition+ and just have to have an average MCAT score to be guranteed admission to IU Med School. </p>
<p>IUPUI
<a href=“http://honorscollege.iupui.edu/documents/HPA%20Overview%20Fall%202012.pdf[/url]”>http://honorscollege.iupui.edu/documents/HPA%20Overview%20Fall%202012.pdf</a>
Indiana State
<a href=“http://honorscollege.iupui.edu/documents/HPA%20Overview%20Fall%202012.pdf[/url]”>http://honorscollege.iupui.edu/documents/HPA%20Overview%20Fall%202012.pdf</a>
IUN
Baccalaureate / Medical School (BMD) Scholarship (Deadline: January 15th)
USI
Baccalaureate / Medical School (BMD) Scholarship (Deadline: January 15th)</p>
<p>If you are wealthy, then by all means, explore higher cost options, but if you are concerned about paying for college, or will need loans for undergrad, then take a look at these programs. The chance to be given proference to a med school is worth staying in Indiana alone.
As I am from Indiana, I understand why you want to spread your wings. But remember that residencies can come from anywhere, and you can move anywhere once you are a doctor.</p>
<p>BTW, in your state Hanover College has good acceptance rates, an undergraduate cadaver lab and good scholarships.</p>
<p>S says 100 freshman showed up at the pre-med orientation at his LAC. By senior year, 20 actually applied. All but one or two got in - but does that mean the school has a 90%+ success rate in admissions? This is at a school that is supportive of pre-meds - no weeder classes, no sharp elbows, research opportunities with lots of funding for undergrads, etc… </p>
<p>The lesson is to make sure you pick a school that you like in case pre-med turns out not to be what you want to do.</p>
<p>I’d also suggest that you take a look at some of the LACs that might offer generous financial and merit aid. You aren’t competing with the grad students for research opportunities. Pre-meds tend to be supportive of each other rather than competitive. And you will get to know your profs really well due to the small classes - which is helpful when you need to get that committee letter.</p>
<p>*S says 100 freshman showed up at the pre-med orientation at his LAC. By senior year, 20 actually applied. All but one or two got in - but does that mean the school has a 90%+ success rate in admissions? This is at a school that is supportive of pre-meds - no weeder classes, no sharp elbows, research opportunities with lots of funding for undergrads, etc… </p>
<p>The lesson is to make sure you pick a school that you like in case pre-med turns out not to be what you want to do.*</p>
<p>No weeder classes? I really doubt that. Gen Chem and Orgo are weeder classes everywhere just by their difficulty. I doubt your kids’ school gives As to everyone. Since over 100 started as pre-meds, but only 20 actually applied, a good number of those 80 were weeded out over GPA. </p>
<p>Your point is right about “90% acceptance rate.” Virtually all schools start out with about 5X as many premeds than what actually apply. First, Gen Chem I weeds, then Chem II weeds, the Orgo I weeds, then Orgo II weeds, by the end of soph year, over half of the pre-meds have changed their career goals. </p>
<p>The acceptance rates that schools talk about can mislead the high school senior who wants to be pre-med. If he’s one out of 100 premeds at his school freshman year, it’s more likely that he’ll change majors, then be one of the 90% of actual applicants that gets one MD school acceptance.</p>
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<p>Where do you get this idea? Not even close in my experience. Maybe this occurs at some of the less prestigious schools so they can put out numbers on their high success at placing medical students so that CC parents can say that UG prestige doesn’t matter in admissions. Do you really think that there is an 80% attrition rate of pre-meds at top 20 colleges? Since 15% of my UG class went onto medical school, that would give us an absurd 75% of the class coming in as pre-med hopefuls.</p>
<p>* Do you really think that there is an 80% attrition rate of pre-meds at top 20 colleges? *</p>
<p>Things may have been different 25+ years ago when you went to school. </p>
<p>There are pre-med/med students posting in the pre-med forum who went to elite schools and they are indicating that as each semester passes, many students change career direction…and in the end, a much smaller percentage actually apply to med schools. While the elite schools can have a rep for grade inflation, it seems that in the weeder courses, there can still be a limit as to how many A’s are awarded. And, note, I didn’t say ALL schools…I said virtually all schools. Of course, there are exceptions. If Yale is one, guess what, Yale is only one school out of thousands.</p>
<p>Weeder courses do take out some kids, of course, but remember, plenty just plain change their minds without grades even coming into play. My guy isn’t 100% certain going in that he wants med school. Research appeals to him quite a bit. Yet, at each school he’s been told to follow the pre-med track and advising just in case. If he were to “drop out” it’s not likely due to grades. It’s due to legitimately wanting a different direction. I can’t imagine he’s the only one like that out there. Being a doctor is what many think of from childhood on. Few realize exactly how many options of all sorts are out there. Once they see the light (so to speak) it only makes sense that some will change.</p>
<p>It’s definitely true that schools do discourage med school applicants who aren’t likely to succeed. Never trust percentages. See how many students go on to med school (and which med schools if one cares) and figure out numbers yourself based upon the size of the school. A school that gets one or two in each year isn’t likely to be as strong as a school that gets 20+ (for the same size).</p>
<p>And as mentioned, be open to other possibilities for life. There’s no reason to set the future in stone heading into college.</p>
<p>When I say ‘no weeder classes’ what I mean is that classes are not graded on a curve - there is no predetermined percentage of students who will get Bs, Cs and Ds. If the entire class does well, theoretically, everyone can get an A. In practice, it doesn’t happen - and the high standards associated with making an A does effectively mean lots of people will get Bs and Cs - but there isn’t the pressure to complete against class-mates either. Someone’ s A doesn’t mean that there is now one fewer A that will be available to the rest of the class. </p>
<p>I’m also astonished that YaleGradandDad saw 15% of his class go off to medical school. Only 3% of Yale Alum went into Healthcare as a profession during the past 5 years (not all to medicine, presumably). And I suspect that more than 3% of the entering classes during this time thought they might be pre-med. If you are correct, YaleGradandDad, then times have changed radically. [Majors</a> and Careers | Yale Undergraduate Career Services](<a href=“http://ucs.yalecollege.yale.edu/content/majors-and-careers]Majors”>http://ucs.yalecollege.yale.edu/content/majors-and-careers)</p>
<p>And creekland is right - just because kids decide not to do medicine, doesn’t mean they were ‘weeded out.’ Some were, but many found other careers that interested them more.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>Absolutely right. I didn’t mean to imply that all that decided to change majors did so because of grades. Change of interest also comes into play. </p>
<p>I don’t know how many kids attending top schools 25+ years ago wanted to go into medicine. I do think dynamics change over the years. </p>
<p>As for “weeder classes,” while some schools may have a strict 20% get A’s, etc, policy, I don’t ascribe that as the definition of weeder classes. I think any pre-req class that isn’t “dumbed down” and doesn’t have grade inflation is going to weed students out rather quickly.</p>
<p>top schools for premed:</p>
<p>Harvard (obviously)
Penn (Arguably #1 or #2 best for pre-med. #2 ranked med school, med school acceptance rate of 80-90% and gets in around 280 students into at least one med school)
Cornell (good pre-med program but can be needlessly difficult)
Yale (although it does not have too many students in med school, compared to its ivy friends such as harvard, penn, cornell, and brown, it has a very high rate of acceptance. I think its 96%.)
Wash u in st. louis. (very strong program)
Johns Hopkins (most scientific research spending of any u.s. college, great med school placement.)
Duke (very strong program)</p>
<p>Well known schools that can be safeties.
Michigan-ann arbor (strong program, tier below the ivys, jhu, duke, stanford, etc., med school acceptance rate of 60%) </p>
<p>Illinois (strong program, once again a tier below the top schools.) </p>
<p>Temple (decent program, should easily be safety)</p>
<p>Not well known schools that have strong pre-med numbers:
Amherst (very strong progam, small LAC but rivals the ivys)
Williams (see Amherst)
Swarthmore (more focused on english and writing, but has a strong pre-med department as well)
Case western reserve (strong for pre-med and has its own med school which is also strong)</p>
<p>Not well known that can be safeties. </p>
<p>College of the Holy Cross (good at pre-med, acceptance rate of 80-90%, tier below amherst, williams, and swarthmore, good med school acceptance rate but not many students get accepted/enroll at top med schools.)
University of Rochester (good for pre-med, has its own med school which is very strong.)
University of Pittsburgh (see rochester)</p>
<p>Holy Cross has great pre-med with new science facility, Nobel Prize winner alum for Mrdicine, and is highly ranked LAC at 29. HC is also need-blind for admissions.</p>