Tough time in Indiana

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hey, I'm a senior in Indiana. I'm kind of facing a dilemna...right now I'm in cali, because I checked out USC yesterday. Really, I wasn't too impressed, and I don't think I'm goingt to be able to afford it anyway. So I'm leaning towards going to college in Indiana. I've been accepted to IU Honors College, BSU Honors College, and Butler (Pre-Pharmacy, though I don't think that's what I'll be doing) I'm 7th in my class of 360 w/4.0 unweighted GPA and 1920 SATS. </p>

<p>At first I liked BSU, it was smaller and seemed less of a jump/transition from high school. But when I went back for this scholarship interview, I got a different impression, the people seemed less idk, presitigious.
Also, when grad schools think of BSU, ecspecially if I do end up going pre-med, I don't want them to think I'm just an average student even though I'd be graduating from the honors college. Also, I want to be proud of the college I graduate from. I'm not just a mediocre student. But, the honors college there lets me have small classes and highest pick of classes and times, which is nice.</p>

<p>IU to me seems a little too big, but, IU is very well known. And I figure this is for a reason, right? I want to also be prepared for med school, and I dont' know if I will get the same education at BSU as IU. I want to be a PA or general family phsyician or dermatologist, maybe something not even concerned with medicine at all, who knows? but my options are hard b/c a PA cannot write Rx's in IN even though I probably won't live here after college. Yet I also don't want to have to be at work 24/7 and also have to go through 12+ years of training to be a gp.</p>

<p>Can you guys give me some advice on which college you recommend?? Or even any ideas for a profession?</p>

<p>Thanks,
Andrea.</p>

2

<p>Well Indiana has only one medical school and that is in Indianapolis........IU program. They favor in state students and they won't care what Indiana school you came from. It sounds as if you love Indiana and as such you would be happier there. I am not going to enter into discussion about the quality of IU Med but just to let you know.........pick the school you like for undergrad and then plan for IU medical. Your ending comments make you appear to be a candidate for nursing school.......have you considered that? </p>

<p><a href="http://medicine.iu.edu/about/current.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://medicine.iu.edu/about/current.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

3

<p>a few thoughts. First, pick a college that has good career advising and internship opportunities. Like most kids, you aren't sure what you want to do. That's fine, and maybe better than the kids who've already picked something out because there's just so much out there that you don't know about as a HS student. So pick a college that lets you talk to alumni abou their jobs, maybe visit them for day-on-the-job events, and has counselors you can talk to and sort out the dilemmas you face. The key point is not to wait until junior or senior year to begin thinking about it, but take small but regular steps throughout college to explore careers and get involved in a field right for you. So visit the career center within the 1st month of starting college,no matter where you go.</p>

<p>Fit is very important, so I'd pay attention to what your gut seems to be telling you about BSU. You need to pick a college that attracts the kind of people you want to be around, has the class sizes you want, in a location you want, etc. I know time is short now, but there is a book I highly recommend called "Admission Matters". It has 2 chapters on picking schools for fit, and a chapter on how to pick between acceptances. See <a href="http://www.admissionmatters.com/tableofcontents.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissionmatters.com/tableofcontents.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Be sure to investigate the honors college option carefully. At many colleges it comes with great perks like early reg and housing, but the "small class" claim can be misleading. Often its only some of the classes you take lower-division, then upper-division in your major you're out in the regular U just any other student.</p>

<p>If you're considering med then you should go to the library now or look on the web to find out what it takes to get into med school. Not only grades, but a good MCAT score, good recs, and experience volunteering in medicine. Lab research is a plus. The rec part factors into the school you choose; at a smaller school with small classes the faculty will know you. At a larger school you can get to know them, but the burden shifts onto your shoulders because you'll need to visit profs during office hours. You'd be surprised how many students have NEVER gone to an office hour in their whole college career; don't make that mistake.</p>

<p>At a larger school there are many options to make it a personal experience, so IU might work out ok. Office hours, as I mentioned. Live in the dorms frosh year to meet lots of people. Join clubs, such as the pre-med club or others that interest you. Play intramural sports. Ask other kids to get together to do homework or study for tests. Think about a sorority if that's something you're interested in. In even the largest school you can carve out groups of friends. But one key here rests on your personality; at a larger school, nobody comes to you. Clubs won't be phoning inviting you to join, profs won't be sending notes inviting you to stop by, and so on. There are incredible resources available but you have to make the first moves to take advantage of what is out there. A shy person may find a better fit at a smaller school.</p>

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<p>addendum (since I can't edit the post): in the part about med school, I want to add that in the end the factors under YOUR control far outweigh the name of the school on your diploma. So don't think that choice is going to make-or-break you.</p>

<p>Second, for medical careers its never too early to start exploring. Even today or this summer you could begin volunteer work; lots of kids in HS are already doing this. Experience in the field is an unwritten requirement for med school admission. More importantly at this point, when you're taking chem/physics/math and are doing endless labs and homework assignments, some real-world experience will prove useful in reminding yourself why you're going thru it and what the end goal is.</p>