<p>I am a high school senior in Michigan, and have been admitted into both Kalamazoo College and the University of Michigan. Kalamazoo gave me a generous Honors Scholarship immediately upon acceptance, but I sent my deposit to Michigan during the first week of April because I wasn't sure if Kalamazoo would give me enough need-based financial aid. Just this Friday, I received a letter from Kzoo and found out that I was offered enough grants and scholarships to rival that of Michigan's offer. In fact, going to Kalamazoo may actually be cheaper than Michigan at this point. Right now I currently attend a small school, and am torn between going to a small college or a big university. Financial aid plays a large role in my decision, as Michigan's aid package for me is comprised mostly of student loans and the Michigan Promise Scholarship. If it helps, I plan on going into medicine... So would a small liberal arts college like Kzoo help prepare me and get me into a great med school, or a large university like Michigan? Any suggestions? </p>
<p>Many Thanks!</p>
<p>If you do well enough as an undergrad either Michigan or Kalamazoo would prepare you well for Med School, so as I see it, it mostly comes down to where you feel you would be more comfortable as an undergrad and what you can afford. If you haven't visited K College yet, its science facilities are modern and topnotch. The fact the school is so much smaller has an upside -- more personal advising along the way. But there's obviously a huge cultural/social difference between schools like UM and K, too.</p>
<p>Good luck with your decision -- you have two excellent choices.</p>
<p>K College is a unique LAC in that it focuses on a traditional liberal arts curriculum while also providing a variety of career development opportunities. The Health Sciences Program is designed for pre-professional training and advising for all types of health-related careers. As MilwDad said, the Dow Science Center is a top-notch facility. The college's medical school placement rate is very high, something like 98+% if I recall.
<a href="http://www.kzoo.edu/hsc/%5B/url%5D">http://www.kzoo.edu/hsc/</a>
<a href="http://www.kzoo.edu/biology/facilities.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.kzoo.edu/biology/facilities.html</a></p>
<p>Have you visited both campuses? That certainly should help in making your decision as the two schools are different in just about every way. Also, you mention loans as a large part of your aid package with Michigan. Carefully consider the amount of debt you will be incurring as an undergrad since med school is a major financial commitment.</p>
<p>My son currently is a freshman at K and has had an excellent experience this year while I'm a Michigan alum. Feel free to post any further questions you may have and let us know what you decide. Congrats on your acceptances and scholarships!</p>
<p>thanks for all of your help! i'm going to visit kzoo on saturday, and i think that will really help me make my decision. i did feel a little overwhelmed by the class size at michigan, and i think that a more intimate classroom setting will keep me intellectually engaged and involved in the campus community...</p>