<p>Our kid got admission both in U of Minn (Minneapolis) and St.Olaf ,MN and need clarification , since we are not US citizen or green card holder fees is almost same.</p>
<p>1) What difference it makes to Grad for career life?
2) Is subject matter different example Biology in U of M course will it be same in St.Olaf ?
3) Internship opportunity is different between U of M vs St.Olaf?
4) Placement opportunity is different between U of M vs St.Olaf?
4) MCAT preparation and going to MEDICAL school is different between U of M vs St.Olaf?
5) What are difference U Of M / St.Olaf with State Colleges like SCSU since it has low tuition cost does
it mean carrier wise?</p>
<p>Either place will address every concern on your list quite well. They are completely different kinds of institutions, though. The choice would boil down to preferred environment: huge urban university campus or small liberal arts college? Huge lecture sections with TAs or small classes taught by professors? Both are respected by graduate schools, med schools, employers, etc. Graduates of each go on, for the most part, to lead middle-class professional lives in the Twin Cities. I doubt there is any huge difference in overall life outcomes of graduates. </p>
<p>St. Olaf will be more homogeneous and the average student probably more affluent than at the U. The U will offer greater diversity of all kinds: socioeconomic, ethnic, etc. St. Olaf has a very distinct institutional personality tied to its religious and ethnic heritage (Lutheran, Scandinavian). </p>
<p>On a US national level, neither one is particularly prominent. MN is not regarded as one of the “public ivies,” and St. Olaf is not a top 20 LAC. However, they are very good examples of their respective institutional type. They are each fine places to go to college for a prospective biology major.</p>
<p>I think the prospects for grad school would probably be better coming from U. of Minnesota, because it has good research and faculty there. But the education may not be better.</p>
<p>St Olaf has many research opportunities and great connection with The Mayo including funded summer programs. They take internships, shadowing and placement very seriously. </p>
<p>Not necessarily. Research faculty don’t work a lot with undergraduates. They are working with graduate students. St. Olaf does quite well placing students in PhD programs.</p>
<p>It makes a HUGE difference in your child’s potential to get accepted. Only about 30 US allopathic (MD) medical school will consider international applicants for admissions. Internationals will compete against other internationals for those few available international slots in the admissions pool.</p>
<p>Except for 4 or 5 med schools, no US medical school offers any financial aid (including loans) to internationals. In almost every cases, an international applicant will be asked to deposit the equivalent of 1-4 years of tuition & fees into an escrow account before they will be allowed to matriculate into med school.</p>
<p>AAMC data reveals that in total fewer than 200 international matriculate into all US med schools in any given year. (Over the past decade the number has ranged from 46 to 199.)</p>
<p>Most international med school matriculants (>90%) are Canadian. (In part because the Canadian government offers education loans to its citizens who attend med school in the US).</p>
<p>MSAR data from the most recently completed application cycle show the number available of international slots has declined as more US med schools decline to consider international applicants. (Mostly due to difficulty with residency placement of international grads.)</p>
<p>The difficulty that internationals have does not end with graduation from medical school. Some states will not license non-citizen/non-permanent residents. Additionally, many residency training programs (including many top programs) will not consider internationals because of the difficulties in obtaining work visas for them.</p>
<p>That comment about residency programs seems off. Currently there are more US grads than residency slots so getting a residency spot is likely much more difficult than in the past but I don’t think it is the visa situation.</p>
<p>Your child needs to figure out which atmosphere most suits him/her. For medical school someone has already covered the chances (very slim) of attending a US medical school if not a US resident. For Americans wanting to go to a medical school the college chosen isn’t as important as how well one does. While neither school is on the radar of many of those who frequent CC (ie east/west coasters who ignore the middle of the country) both have good reputations. </p>
<p>U of M will have more large U offerings while St Olaf’s will give a small liberal arts education. U of M is a flagship U, unlike the rest of a state’s colleges it will likely have most of the students from the state (or Wisconsin because of tuition reciprocity) who are of Ivy league capability- especially in any Honors program. </p>
<p>Assume your child won’t go to medical school. Only around 1/3 of students who are premed will go- some will change their minds and others won’t get accepted. Therefore any student with aspirations of becoming a physician needs a plan B. This means planning a major with an intention of using it for a job or grad school. Medical schools do not require a science major, many students choose those because they have the interest and are meeting courses required for medical school admission while meeting requirements for their major.</p>
<p>Your child should look at the courses available in fields s/he is interested in at each school. This includes the potential major and any electives. Some fields at U of M are in the top tier for their grad schools- this may mean getting to take some good grad level classes and TA’s who are sharp. It may mean more diverse courses. It may mean working in labs doing research while an undergrad.</p>
<p>Where to go depends on one’s goals. Some prefer the liberal arts emphasis, others the research U’s opportunities. Both can lead to a good grad school.</p>
<p>St Olaf. And do not worry about the religious aspect. It is associated with the ELCA church, which is a very liberal church that is associated with the Episcopal one too. There are various “branches” of the Lutheran churches, and this is the liberal one. Plus, they do not require chapel at the school.</p>
<p>And at St Olaf, the go out of their way to help find internships and such. U of M can be great, but the classes are huge and there are just so many students that it can be hard to find internships.</p>