<p>Which of these schools is more prestigious/well known? Has better Bio/Chem/Biochem courses and professors? Pre-med advisement? </p>
<p>I could graduate from New College completely debt free (Being IS, Pell Grant, Bright Futures and National Hispanic Scholar would more than cover my cost of attendance which is ~19,000 per year) but I know almost nothing of it's academics, especially its sciences and pre-med courses. Meanwhile, I feel Rollins would give me a better education and I could live at home (so no room and board and NO SHARED BATHROOMS!) but I might run the risk of not having all my expenses paid and going into medical school with debt (They cap Bright Futures at 5,500 a year, they're private so no IS benefits, still have Pell Grant but I can;t find anything about scholarships for National Hispanic Scholars. But they supposedly give good need-based aid which I would certainly qualify for).</p>
<p>Any advice?</p>
<p>New College is definitely more prestigious. Rollins has a reputation for being a school for rich kids who don’t want to work too hard. It certainly is beautiful and posh, but for educaiton, I’d take the New College route if I were you.</p>
<p>Really? I’ve heard the opposite. My uncles did their grad study their (coming from Cornell and Williams) and my aunt did her grad work their too (from Rice). They said it was hard work and they got an excellent education. I’ll have to do more research.</p>
<p>And how does New Colleges handle grades? I’ve heard they don’t use numbers (like 90 is an A or whatever). Is so how do I submit a GPA to medical school?</p>
<p>New College. Hands down.</p>
<p>New College definitely. Rollins has the reputation of being the drug capital of post secondary education. It’s reputation is not of being a serious school. New College on the other hand is very well respected.</p>
<p>Well, I guess New College it is. If I may ask, why do their rankings not reflect such? Rollins is ranked #1 in regional universities in the South, and New College is ranked 99th in LACs.</p>
<p>And if anyone can answer the grades question I’d really appreciate it.</p>
<p>As a New College alum who is currently a graduate student at Cornell University, I think I can shed some insight here. </p>
<p>As others have mentioned, New College is by far the better school. You’re right that it can’t seem to get a break by U.S. News. This is arguably due to the criteria that the rankings use. New College is tiny, has a small endowment, and is, well, new. All of these factors hurt it either directly or indirectly. Here is a link to the methodology for the rankings:</p>
<p>[Methodology:</a> Undergraduate Ranking Criteria and Weights - US News and World Report](<a href=“http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-colleges/2010/08/17/methodology-undergraduate-ranking-criteria-and-weights-2011.html]Methodology:”>http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-colleges/2010/08/17/methodology-undergraduate-ranking-criteria-and-weights-2011.html)</p>
<p>What seems to hurt us the most is the low name recognition (and thus artificially lower peer assessment score) and low graduation rate. This latter statistic is a function of the fact that New College is a rigorous, intense place. To some extent many students don’t know what they’re getting themselves into. Because of its size, the experience there can often be monolithic. So some fail out, while others feel they need to be at a larger school. My advice to you is to research NCF thoroughly and visit. It’s one of those schools for which “fit” is indispensable. </p>
<p>You’ll notice that the graduate school feeding rate and Fulbright production rate are amazing in spite of the low ranking. And for the price, it doesn’t get much better. I got into every graduate school to which I applied. The narrative evaluation system is seldom a detriment. I found it to be an extremely helpful way to improve my academic performance. </p>
<p>So if the comparison is Rollins, this is a no-brainer. You’re better off comparing New College to similar LAC’s such as Oberlin, Reed, Wesleyan, Swarthmore, Vassar, Hampshire, Sarah Lawrence, etc. </p>
<p>If you want to save money by staying in-state, University of Florida would probably be a better idea than Rollins. The latter is just really low in the pecking order.</p>
<p>^Thank you, that was very helpful! But can you please answer my question about grades?</p>
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<p>I think this comment from JNC is probably one of the most important. NCF is an entirely different experience and you really need to understand that aspect very well before signing on the dotted line. </p>
<p>Rollins has its own culture as well of course, and I would hazard to guess that the type of student who’d be most at home at NCF would not take so well to the environment at Rollins, and vice-versa. So, I think the question of prestige is the wrong platform to focus on in terms of choosing between these two particular schools. </p>
<p>By the way, unlike some of the other comments, I think Rollins is a fine school academically and their students, in my experience, tend to do quite well. That said, I don’t think it would be at all ideal to attend as a commuter student.</p>
<p>Rollins gets bashed quite a bit here. And yes there are some who come from a country club culture. But they have great financial aid AND merit aid. You might even end up with tuition, room and board paid for. They have graduated many who have gone on to get MD’s and PHD’s in the sciences. They have produced as least one Novel prize winner in the sciences. </p>
<p>In the past they had a pre-med committee that prepared extensive recommendations for those who were competitive and applying to med schools, and supported those applying in many ways. There are research opportunities, volunteer opportunities.</p>
<p>I attended Rollins quite a few years ago on financial aid. I was a day student the first year, and moved on campus the second. I was accepted at multiple med schools. I chose to go in-state for med school to keep the loans low. I did my residency at UVa. I returned to Florida to practice.</p>
<p>Bush Science Center and the students who study there are overlooked by many who like to bash Rollins. But their stats show they don’t accept just anyone. The student to faculty ratio is die for. You will graduate knowing your profs. I still exchange Christmas cards with one after 30 years. </p>
<p>New College is also a small school, where you get to know the profs. I do not know about their science facilities, the research opportunities, or what goes on in the labs. Visit both, talk to profs at both locations, and inquires especially about lab facilities and research opportunities.</p>
<p>One puts a 0.0 on a graduate school application. But you’ll take the MCAT, so they’ll use that and the interview to determine your chances. A fellow New College alum is currently studying at the University of Cambridge for med school, and she was also admitted to Cornell, Columbia, NYU, and numerous other elite med schools.</p>
<p>So not having a GPA doesn’t affect your chances of getting into medical school? I’m afraid if I don’t have a GPA I’ll just have to get that much of a better grade on the MCAT and with the med schools I want to go to thats already a stretch.</p>
<p>While your ambition is admirable, you’re really in no position right now to determine your likelihood of admission to elite medical schools. You just don’t know where you stand vis-a-vis the typical pre-med applicant. </p>
<p>That said, it should be noted that medicine is such a prestigious career that it doesn’t matter THAT much where you get your M.D. (or D.O.). Have you asked your doctor where s/he went to school? It’s a very results-oriented field; compared to other professions pedigree is less important. </p>
<p>Not having a GPA can be a risk, but as I’ve noted, my experience is that most of us do quite well in the graduate admissions process. Most pre-med students I know of when to U.F., which is a fantastic and highly selective med school.</p>
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<p>My godfather is my doctor, he went to Johns Hopkins lol.</p>
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<p>While I am aware of that, I think it would be foolish of me not to consider the possibility. GPA is a major consideration medical schools look at in prospective students, considering the lack of one might impact me negatively is pretty realistic to me.</p>
<p>Rollins is an excellent school and I can’t tell you about New College as I never heard much much about it. Son is working on a Marine Bio major and a math minor. He is probably getting a chem minor as he has really enjoyed his chem classes and professors. He is in Orgo now and has great profs. Next semester he will be also taking Biochem because he has enjoyed the chem classes so much. I would recommend contacting the professors at both colleges and set up appointments with them and sit in on classes.</p>
<p>I’m gonna have to do research on Rollins’ reputation because the opinions range from “it’s a joke” to “it’s a fantastic school”. If anyone has some empirical input I’d appreciate it.</p>
<p>At one point it ranked #1 for stoner school by princeton review.</p>
<p>Rollins has what I call “Private School Syndrome.” Essentially, it is a school that is private, and socially elite, and to those who live near it, it is probably just as prestigious if not more so than the state flagship. However, to anyone outside of state or the area, it’s not all that great. Elon suffers from this same problem.</p>
<p>While Elon is a great school, most people would agree the state flagship (UNC) is better. Some North Carolinians disagree with this, however. I met a girl who was sooo sad she was at UNC because she couldn’t afford “a private school like Elon.” I just laughed. If only she knew how thankful she should be…but, she was instate, so she wasn’t aware of UNC’s reputation outside of NC. I think the same could be said for you.</p>
<p>New College’s reputation is leaps and bounds beyond that of Rollin’s. Just trust me. This is coming from someone from the midwest who’s lived the majority of their life in Chicago and central Indiana. </p>
<p>While New Colleges ranking is low (as is is Reed and Kenyon, which are also wonderful schools), believe me, it shares applicants with Vassar, Oberlin, Bates, etc. I don’t think I could say the same for Rollin College.</p>
<p>I live in Winter Park the town that Rollins is in. The campus is gorgeous and the area is extremely nice but the students are lacking. Of course not everyone is like this, but I know a ton of students and most of them are stuck up rich brats. It’s pretty conservative and the people aren’t very friendly, but who knows maybe you are a fellow rich brat. </p>
<p>New college is COMPLETELY different. I know some people who go there and there on the hippish side but really cool. everyone seems laid back. Education wise it will beat Rollin’s butt, but its pretty hard to get into.</p>
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<p>I’m most certainly not lol. But, should the situation require it, I can roll with it and be “in”. It’s what I’ve done in high school (I go to a public school but most the students are VERY wealthy, I know of multiple producers and advertising giants who’s kids go to my school). But I’m glad New College provides a much better atmosphere (I like a good mix of hippie and prep lol).</p>