Rochester vs. Villanova

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Rochester
1

<p>My daughter is premed and a varsity tennis player.</p>

<p>She would like a school with some varsity teams to root for and some diversity in the student population. </p>

<p>I would like to understand the case for Rochester in this context.
1. Why is U of R a higher probability for med school than Villanova or is it?
2. Does U of R have really any sports to root for in football or basketball. I hear basketball s a little better but it's not going to compare well to Villanova on this score
3. What else can be said about Rochester that would make it a better choice than Villanova?</p>

2

<p>1) Med school admission has little to do with what undergrad school a student attends. It is all about the student herself and her drive to succeed. </p>

<p>Medical schools look at these things when considering an applicant (and approx in this order): MCAT, GPA, personal statement, LORs. Next med schools look at these things (in no particular order)–medical shadowing and volunteering, research, community service, leadership, non-medical ECs, being a well-rounded and interesting person. </p>

<p>Your D will be able to accomplish all of these things at either university. She should choose the one she feels is the best financial and academic fit for her.</p>

<p>The trend in med school admission is toward accepting older students who have post college real world life experience. The average age of a first year medical student is now 25.</p>

<p>2) Women’s B-ball has been pretty good in the past couple of years. UR has a killer squash team (Seriously). UR really isn’t a big sports school like 'Nova is. UR students tend to go watch a sport because they want to support their friends on the team.</p>

3

<p>3) UR is known for biomedical research. It receives one of the largest (if not the largest) amount of federal research funding for a school its size in the US. This means that UR has more opportunities for undergrads to get involved in the research lab early on if this is where their interest lies. UR’s medical school and hospital are adjacent to campus. This allows convenient access for student who want to to do their medical volunteering there. Additionally, it’s not uncommon for medical school profs to teach upper level science classes. </p>

<p>And, on a completely shallow note–I think UR’s campus is prettier than Villanova’s. (I went to high school not too far from Villanova’s campus.) And the student dorm rooms are bigger at UR.</p>

<p>UR’s students are friendly, engaged and non-cut throat. Even the pre meds.</p>

4

<p>I graduated from UR last May and I am currently a grad student at Villanova, so I may be able to provide a unique perspective to some of your questions.</p>

<p>1) I don’t know much about Villanova’s pre-med program, but UR is well-known for its pre-med curriculum and pre-med is one of the most popular options for incoming students at UR. Here are some statistics about med school acceptances from UR’s career center:</p>

<p>-For all Rochester first-time applicants, 66% of senior applicants were accepted, compared to the 44% national acceptance rate (2008-2009)
-79% of Rochester applicants with a GPA of 3.6 or higher were accepted</p>

<p>Med school acceptance is going to depend mostly on the individual student, but I would argue that attending UR certainly won’t hurt her chances. I wasn’t able to find any similar data regarding Villanova’s med school acceptance rates.</p>

<p>UR also has its own medical school and hospital within walking distance of the main campus. Many of my pre-med friends often had classes at the med school and were able to volunteer at the hospital. The connection between the med school and the college is strong and something that your daughter could take advantage of. Villanova does not have its own med school, so your daughter could potentially miss out on some of opportunities she would have while at UR. I’m not sure if Villanova has a relationship with any of the local med schools or hospitals. I would assume the School of Nursing at Villanova has connections, but I would definitely look into it further.</p>

<p>2) You aren’t going to find the same school spirit and sports atmosphere at UR as you would at Villanova. UR is DII, so the student support is not nearly as strong as it is at Villanova, which is DI. The campus at Villanova lives and breathes basketball. I had the opportunity to go to a game and an ESPN broadcast on campus. Both of those experiences were beyond amazing. That being said, I also went to many UR bball games over the years and when the team was good, the atmosphere at the games is considered to be one of the best in all of DIII. Of course anything in DIII sports pales in comparison to DI. If sports are an important component of your daughter’s college selection than I would recommend Villanova.</p>

<p>3) From my perspective, UR and Villanova are actually pretty similar. Some things I’ve noticed that are different include:</p>

<p>-The UR student body seems more diverse than Villanova’s. The students I’ve seen walking around Villanova seem to all be pretty cookie-cutter. I know that UR isn’t the most diverse place, but Villanova seems to lack any diversity outside of the sports teams. </p>

<p>-UR is also more focused on research than Villanova. If your daughter is interested in research, UR would provide her with far more opportunities to perform research as an undergrad.</p>

<p>-Although reputation isn’t necessarily indicative of future success, UR has a much stronger reputation within the academic community. This reputation has a lot to do with the fact that Villanova isn’t involved in research anywhere close to the extent that UR is. </p>

<p>As a high school senior, I also had to make a decision between Villanova and UR. I ended up attending UR and don’t regret my decision at all. As a current grad student at Villanova, I can honestly say that either school is a great choice.</p>