Hi, I am a senior in high school currently debating whether to attend UAB or Rhodes for college. I am a TN resident and come from a smaller school. I got an offer to go to UAB Honors College and got decent scholarships at both. Which one is better for a med focused student?
I am a parent of a student that accepted at Rhodes. She looked at a great deal of schools and what she loved most about Rhodes was the support she felt for the pre-med track students and all students for that matter. She met with different students, a professor and spent the night in a dorm to get a real feel for the vibe of the campus and the students.
IMO it really depends on what you’re looking for. The honors program at a larger school gives you both the benefits of a large school with a subset of students in the honors program. while Rhodes is a smaller liberal arts school where there is a great emphasis on rigor balanced with support for your intended major. And they seem to do very well with the pre med students in regards to preparing students for their future, placement in med schools and everything in between. Have you visited both schools? Have you spoken to students that were pre med at both schools? Have you sat in on any of the on line calls for accepted students?
Either you want a large research school experience within an honors college which narrows it down the quantity of people some, so your not always a number, or you want a smaller liberal arts college that is very focused on the student (you Can’t hide) with small class sizes and personal relationships with professors (No TA’s) and opportunities to do research even your first year. Will UAB give you the experience you want? And how good is their pre med program in comparison?
These are things to think about while you decide. I do have a little bias, but they are very different choices. So It comes down to figuring out which experience you desire and which atmosphere will be better for your academic focus for the next 4 years. Be well!