<p>Our daughter has the chance to go to Rhodes, Alabama or Ole Miss honor programs. Rhodes is the only small and liberal art college she has on the list. Is there any drawback on attending and graduating from a smaller college versus a large school? From all the research we did, Rhodes is an excellent college and has great premed. Anybody has suggestion? Thanks.</p>
<p>I have no idea how to answer this–every school has some advantages (larger ones might offer a wider breadth of coursework, more research opportunites, greater alumni networking opportunities, the chance to leave college with more money in your pocket (public vs. private). The smaller school may offer more intimate student-instructor realtionships, perhaps a more studious student body, the chance to paly intercollegiate sports, etc. I think what is most important in terms of outcome is matching your daughters needs/interests to the school that best fits those needs/interests. If you do that, she will have a great experience no matter were she goes. There are a lot of different paths that can get you to the same place. I think she can get an outstanding educations at any of the institutions you listed.</p>
<p>Rhere may be a better place to be a pre-med, but you won’t ever get my first year med student D to say that. ;)</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I just saw this…I graduated from Rhodes and several of my closest friends were pre-med, had great experiences…smaller classes, fantastic profs, beautiful campus. I came from over 24 hours away so I wish it had been closer to home, but that doesn’t appear to be an issue for your daughter. Rhodes directed me, challenged me and mentored me…you can;t ask for more than that!</p>
<p>GOOD LUCK…let us know what you decide!</p>
<p>Keep in mind the big university honors colleges are trying to imitate small liberal arts colleges. So you can go with the cheap imitation, or you can go with the real deal. An honors college will only get you so much - perhaps smaller classes, a dorm with other honors students, etc. If I was set on going to Alabama, then I’d absolutely want to be in the honors college there.</p>
<p>But if you’re choosing between a real liberal arts college and the honors college at state U, that’s easy. At the honors college you’ll still have to deal with the university bureaucracy. The community will be dictated and dominated by the university-wide culture, not the honors college culture. Your professors will still be research oriented and not teaching oriented. </p>
<p>I’ve been a student at a liberal arts college and a student at a state university (two, in fact). At a state university, undergraduates are just the subsidy that pays for graduate education. At a liberal arts college, undergraduates are the reason for existence.</p>
<p>I currently attend a small, private liberal arts college, so I may be biased.</p>
<p>I chose a smaller school because I realized professors made a true attempt, and succeeded, in knowing their students. This is key to applying to grad schools/med school, because the professors know you well and can write excellent letters for you. Also, the student body all have something in common, which means they create a great community. </p>
<p>The small school will also offer great support from the staff, as they only work with undergraduates. As the previous poster mentioned, honors colleges are just trying to imitate small liberal arts college, so it wouldn’t make sense to go to a place “trying to be the something of another” when you can go to the real deal.</p>
<p>Even though Rhodes is smaller, it’s still known, even out here in the west coast. :)</p>
<p>GOOD LUCK! Keep us posted.</p>
<p>Personally, you should try to find out more information about Ole Miss. We have one of the top 3 Honors Colleges in the nation! Along with that, there are so many opportunities that are offered because it has the resources of a large university that small ones like Rhodes are lacking. We also have an amazing Pre-med program as many of our students go on to attend various medical schools including our own University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. I highly suggest that you come for a campus visit and see our beautiful campus and the amazing town of Oxford.</p>
<p>In some areas, Ole Miss might be able to leverage its ‘size’ against Rhodes, but not when it comes to the pre-medical opportunities. The science programs at Rhodes are top notch and send students to some of the very best medical schools both regionally and nationally. Students are able to intern at the Med from their first day on campus and connections with Methodist, Baptist, and St. Jude’s are prevalent. </p>
<p>For the resources that Rhodes lacks to do research compared to Ole Miss, students have opportunities at places like St. Jude that far surpass almost any university in the world. </p>
<p>This all goes without mentioning the personal relationships forged with professors and the impact that can have on learning. An Honors College is simply trying to imitate the environment that the entire Rhodes community shares.</p>
<p>I will give credit that Ole Miss blows Rhodes out of the water in some fields and opportunities, but it simply does not when it comes to science and medicine.</p>