Not guaranteed…since only 40% of med school applicants receive any acceptances at all. But there is good proximity to hospitals at UHart…if she has a car.
I think Juniata is a good choice. They are well regarded in my area for students wishing to enter the health professions. Merit is a good possibility.
I think Elon is a beautiful campus, but where is the nearest hospital or medical facility for shadowing purposes?
Furman will also require a car. It’s not within walking distance of anything…but another beautiful campus.
I agree…Hampshire is not a good choice at all.
Quinnipiac is great but not sure it will come in at your price point.
There’s a hospital in Burlington, not too far away, but would require a car I’d guess.
If she’s interested in women’s colleges maybe look at Hollins in Roanoke VA. It’s a very very supportive atmosphere rather than competitive. They do have a pre-med track and she is guaranteed merit of at least $24K. Wouldn’t be too far away from you, either. We have a friend who goes there. With her grades and scores she might get a good bit more $$ too.
Agnes Scott is another women’s college to consider. They also guarantee merit of about the same amount and seem very supportive. They offer pre-med too. Very diverse school.
Another to look at close to home would be Goucher. She could get good money there, too. They also have a pre-med track.
She will get better money at a school where her grades and scores make her a top student.
I’m not sure about the Jewish presence on any of these campuses, but I think they are very welcoming places.
It was listed upthread as an example, and for all other criteria it’d work… except indeed it’s a Jesuit university, that’s why I said it’d likely be a dealbreaker for this OP! (I also listed the religious requirements and provided the link to the general education requirements for readers who may be interested. ) On another thread for a student was recommended an evangelical college where one risks expulsion for alcohol use or premarital sex, and I pointed that out too. Could be the right fit for the right person, just not that particular student..
Agnes Scott: EA for max merit, excellent for science, supportive.
Goucher: check the science offerings since your daughter isnt a Humanities/Social Science kid and Goucher has been cutting some of its most hardcore STEM offerings. Supportive environment, good merit.
Correct. I doubt that Randolph-Macon would be either.
A Jewish friend of my son went to College of Charleston because she was impressed with the Jewish presence in the student body. The Honors College there is also a plus.
Rhodes, if you can swing it financially, would be a good school for pre-med; I know several physicians who went there as undergraduates.
Thanks a lot for such detailed post. Very useful!
At this point again I have no clue about these schools since we are not that much LACs family :).
I doubt that DD will like Randolph-Macon.
I do not think there is ideal school for DD. Ideal would be something like
6k students, she is top of 1-3%. Suburban setting. We will not consider schools with significantly smaller than 2K students. Her HS is bigger… (She said, “mom I do not want to attend another HS”.)
After all these amazing advices I am for sure removing Oberlin, Sarah Lawrence and Hampshire. I think top women schools need to go too.
I guess in order of preference/personal ranking now:
Rhodes College, TN (14 hours away…)
Muhlenberg, PA
Hofstra, NY (may actually work well if she will get money)
Dickinson, PA ;
Juniata, PA
Furman University, SC ( I will keep it for now, it may work)
College of Wooster, OH
Elon, NC (we need hospital nearby)
Union, NY
Hobart and William Smith, NY
I will look at St. Mary’s and College of Charleston
Do you think this list of 10 above is reasonably good fit with opportunity to get some money?
I do think College of Charleston is worthy of consideration. @tsbna44 your thoughts about merit aid for this student there? Do,they use weighted or unweighted GPA?
OOS cost of attendance is about $45,000 a year…unless she gets decent merit.
At that size, a lot of the supportive, personalized aspects fade a bit and you really want the Honors college. Most universities that size are Catholic. I would imagine more supportive and non Catholic would trump size in terms of priorities…
(Also, you can reassure her that -unless she attends a big northeastern Boarding school- a private college with 2,000 will not feel like high school due to the number of buildings, research facilities, residence halls, etc).
For ~5-6,000 students ans look into
Suny Geneseo (may be affordable even without merit)
CNU (Christopher Newport, in VA)
Marist
Wpi?
Clarkson?
Drexel?
Butler? (a bit far)
Twogirls, that is why I do not understand appeal of public schools in our case.
OOS is so expensive. There is no point to trade UMD for UD or Alabama or Ohio. She will be accepted to UMD and we have no problem to afford it. Should she go to smaller public school OOS to get better grades? I am not sure that makes sense. St.Mary’s, MD does makes sense to me. It is Honors college, it is almost LAC and it is in state. But it is soo small and so rural, I am not sure DD will like it… Maryland has only few public schools. I understand that DD can get scholarships to UMBC or Towson, but I do not see real advantage there for premed.
Umbc is quite supportive for STEM. With UMDCP and St Mary’s, you’re right, they round up your strongest instate possibilities.
Some of the OOS publics match her wishes more closely and could well be within budget.
Suny Geneseo and CNU are both much smaller than UMD and UMBC, less commuter than UMBC, likely honors, closer to the vibe she’s looking for, and likely within budget if she applies for merit scholarships. UMW is similar to St Mary’s but less isolated and a bit bigger; the automaric scholarship grid should tell you right away whether it’s affordable. College of Charleston offers big merit and is very good for Jewish life, same for Miami Ohio.
I think a few from the above, along with your list of private colleges, would make a good “merit hunt” list.
College of Charleston does provide several of the things OP is looking for in a college. The highest merit will go to those who show genuine interest in being there. Many kids overlook the emails after the initial application is submitted about honors college and invites to the interview weekend. They need to respond. The two different scholars programs can be up to a full ride.
Their science department is very impressive and is focused on undergrads.
There are several hospitals on the peninsula of downtown Charleston and there are partnership and internship opportunities - MUSC, Roper, and the VA.
The Jewish community in Charleston is very strong. Little known fact - Charleston is home to the second oldest synagogue in the country and the oldest in continuous use.
Towson could make sense if she decided to channel her interest in pediatric health care into pursuing occupational therapy or speech language pathology. (Especially OT, as she’d be a good candidate for Towson’s 3+3 direct-entry accelerated BS/MS. For SLP, they have a good undergrad major but no direct-entry combined program.) But if she’s set on med school, there are likely better options for premed.
Dickinson is a great choice; people love this school, and Carlisle is a interesting little town. Also, for your daughters’ academic interest, we call Union the Stem LAC, Schenectady probably not a plus. I do know from personal experience, that Elon does offer some good merit and that its net cost should be competitive with other LACs on your list.
Not sure if it has been mentioned, WPI checks off some of your boxes in terms of academics, size, distance, and location. Also, it emphasizes project-based learning that works well for a particular type of student. Plus, Worcester Ma has become a tech hotspot, especially biotech, and a good spot to be for someone with your daughter’s interest. I can’t speak to Merit, however. Good luck!
“Could get into” is not the same as “would get into”. Of course it isn’t guaranteed! Not even students applying to med school from the most highly competitive colleges are guaranteed entry. But the reality is that a student COULD get into med school from a less selective college, as long as they have all the elements of a successful application - all the required prereqs, high GPA especially in their science classes, high MCAT, ECs that demonstrate commitment and interest. I met many people who had come from non-competitive, non-selective colleges, who got into a mid-level med school, because they had those qualifications.
I think Furman’s main issue will be merit. They don’t give that much in my experience. I would be surprised if you can get cost down where you need it to be.
Someone mentioned Agnes Scott which is Presbyterian if that matters.
I know a number of med school kids who were in undergrad without nearby medical center. They got their hours during the summer without problem and even if no nearby hospital you can still get a CNA or EMT certification in many areas.
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