<p>I'm have received acceptance into both schools now, and I really want to know what everyone thinks I should do. I plan to pre-med and I will be a student-athlete!!!! Please help!!</p>
<p>uh…stanford? lol.</p>
<p>How did you get accepted by both as a student-athlete? Didn’t you sign a NLI? Or do you plan to walk-on for your sport? Regardless, congratulations; I’d personally go with Stanford but it’s hard to go wrong with either.</p>
<p>Stanford, no contest. Unless a LAC atmosphere is somehow ridiculously important to you.</p>
<p>This depends on whether you prefer a LAC or a research university. In the US News pecking order, Davidson is a top 10 LAC, Stanford is a top 10 university. Both are excellent. What attracted you to such different schools?</p>
<p>In the US News composite selectivity rankings, Stanford ranks 11th, Davidson 40th.
(<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/687793-selectivity-ranking-national-us-lacs-combined-usnews-method.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/687793-selectivity-ranking-national-us-lacs-combined-usnews-method.html</a>)
Many students automatically choose the most selective school that admits them; many posters on CC are likely to recommend Stanford for this reason alone. What does the difference mean to you personally? Would you thrive on more competition and variety at a larger school? Or would you rather have more opportunity to stand out in a smaller college? Not that you wouldn’t find plenty of competition at Davidson, but I’d expect Stanford (despite its laid back reputation) to attract a few more Type A, “Master of the Universe” personalities.</p>
<p>You have not said enough about yourself to justify recommending one school over another. The popular choice would be Stanford but I would not automatically rule out Davidson. Is there a significant cost difference (after aid)? Have you visited both schools?</p>
<p>^^^Correction. Stanford is a top “5” school. Unless there is a compelling reason for you to go to NC, It’s really a no brainer IMHO. Go Cardinal!</p>
<p>Well, what are you looking for? What are the most important factors in choosing a school? What do the financial aid packages look like?</p>
<p>I have visited both schools on official visits, and they were both great. Initially, I was attracted to both due to their wrestling teams because they were good fits, and now I’m tossed between the two of them. Would I be successful at Stanford? My number one goal is getting accepted to Med. school, and I know Davidson is very good at getting students accepted. Also, I should receive my financial aid, and possible scholarships(from davidson) in about a week when I get the official acceptances in the mail. I will be signing with one or the other during the next signing date which is April 13 i believe.</p>
<p>What a great choice! It’s one I’ve never seen on CC before. Most of the world will tell you Stanford, and suggest that it’s a no-brainer. But Davidson is worth more than a passing thought. I have a daughter about to graduate from Harvard who still harbors a little ache at having had to turn down Davidson four years ago.</p>
<p>I’m sure you’re aware that Stanford has, top-to-bottom, the #1 major college athletic program in the country. Since it doesn’t earn that ranking primarily on the basis of football and basketball, I have to assume that the wrestling program is as nationally competitive as all the rest of its non-revenue sports. If you thought you might be a marginal candidate for wrestling there, you could be a star for Davidson.</p>
<p>Davidson students adore the place. Pre-med, as you say, is very strong and the campus culture is welcoming and intimate? How intimate? The townsfolk traditionally bake cookies for the students for move-in day. It’s a wonderful place.</p>
<p>But that being said, it would take either a unique combination of personal preferences or a significant cost differential for most anyone to turn down Stanford for Davidson.</p>
<p>Stanford is a great school and Davidson is equally as strong a school (for pre-med.)</p>
<p>I will assume, since you went on official visits, that wrestling is really important to you.</p>
<p>Here are some things to think about.</p>
<p>What do you think of the campuses?</p>
<p>What do you think of the location of the facilities? Keep in mind that you will be working out twice a day so you will not want to waste time getting around. </p>
<p>How does your weight class look on the team? How will you fit in there? Will you be cutting weight? Small schools tend to have professors that will work with students more so if you will be holding your weight down you may like the extra support. </p>
<p>If you are not the starter will be upset if you are not getting matches at opens? (There are no opens to wrestle in second semester if you are at Stanford and only a few if at Davidson.)</p>
<p>Do you want to wrestle at the NCAAs? The SoCon is an easier road than the Pac-10 and you can still qualify by winning the conference even if a bid was not allocated to you based on performance.</p>
<p>Pick the school that is right for YOU.</p>
<p>Check out the pre-med advising at both schools. Is one more aggressive about ‘weeding out’ pre-meds than the other? Do both offer the same level of academic support to their pre-meds? What are the acceptance rates to medical school? If you are not in the top quarter/third/half of the class, will the committee that writes recs for pre-meds still support your application? </p>
<p>I’m not suggesting that one school is better than the other on these measures: These are just questions you might want to ask if you are very sure that medical school is what you want.</p>
<p>Stanford is the correct answer.</p>
<p>Davidson is not Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Wellesley, or Pomona.</p>
<p>Unless you love, love Davidson–since you feel comfortable at both–Stanford is the better choice.</p>
<p>You won’t fall through the cracks at either school.</p>
<p>^^Absolutely correct!</p>
<p>
Agreed. My Chicago interview was by far my most amusing a few years ago, because the alum interviewing me was a professor at Davidson. Nearly 2/3 of the interview was spent trying to convince me to come to Davidson instead. Davidson, he insisted, had the academic quality and rigor of Chicago with a remarkable social life and atmosphere all its own.</p>
<p>Put a different way, Stanford would certainly be the usual pick, but one would not be insane to select Davidson.</p>
<p>wrestling2014, keep in mind that 99% of the people on CC are unfamiliar with Davidson. Almost none of them have visited or even applied, and certain posters on this thread couldn’t even locate it on a map. </p>
<p>While CC can be a valuable resource if properly used, be sure to do your own research.</p>
<p>“Almost none of them have visited or even applied, and certain posters on this thread couldn’t even locate it on a map.”</p>
<p>Trust me on this, without the help of mapquest, the vast majority of people on CC and in this country can’t find much of anything on a map!</p>
<p>Also, Stanford has grade inflation. Not sure about Davidson.</p>
<p>I spent some time on the Stanford campus about a month ago, and I did an admissions visit to Davidson with my younger son. I love LAC’s (I’m a Williams alum and it would still be my top choice today), but I think this is a really easy decision: Stanford.</p>
<p>LACs are great . . . but DEFINITELY Stanford! This is a pretty lopsided decision.</p>
<p>thanks everyone. your advice definitely helped.</p>
<p>the “S” in HYPSM stands for “Stanford”</p>
<p>nothing else needs to be said</p>