University of Kansas

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I live in Kansas and have academic cradentials (act 34, national merit semi-finalist,...) that would get me into most schools short of the Ivies. I also like the idea of going away to school (several states or farther). However, the cost of college has become a huge limiting factor, espically if I hope to attend med school. This makes KU seem like an atractive option.</p>

<p>What is the academic reputation of KU like on a national scale? What is the pre med reputation like? How is the student life at KU? Is it a bad idea for me to go to a school that is only 40 minutes from home? </p>

<p>thanks</p>

2

<ol>
<li>on the East Coast, IMO, University of Kansas has no reputation whatsoever. It is indistinguishable to most people here from :University of Kentucky, University of Nebraska, University of North Dakota, University of Mars, Podunk State University, University of Other Place I Hope Never to Have to Set Foot in, Backward State University, etc.</li>
</ol>

<p>The main association people here have with Kansas these days is with the school board banning the teaching of evolution. People here assume it is a backwards place, based on this.</p>

<ol>
<li>On the other hand, in Big 12 country (or Big 8, anyway) U Kansas has a very good reputation.</li>
</ol>

<p>MY impression from having lived in that part of the midwest is that the local flagship U will position you well to get admitted to the area professional schools, and actually be an advantage to you if you plan to stay in the area. Virtually every doctor, dentist or lawyer I met in my midwestern community went to the local flagship state u, and I highly doubt it's any different where you are.</p>

<p>Plus, all these state schools will be either very inexpensive for you or even free. Or even pay you to go there, after room& board stipends are figured in.</p>

<p>From what I heard, KU is a big party/frat school. But the slackers get ruthlessly weeded out in the first year, and people who are serious students can, perhaps with effort, find their niche. And stand out, perhaps. The Honors Program might help to find like-minded fellow students.</p>

<p>Only you can decide how bad is for you to goto school only 40 minutes from home. But the economic incentive to do so is seriously huge.</p>

<p>In the same general area, I recall UMissouri- Kansas City has a 6-year med program you might consider applying to.</p>

3

<p>For some reason my NJ HS sent kids to KU every year so I always had some awareness of it and consider it a good state school after the top tier state schools but very solid with some areas that are terrific. Pre-med training is such that a ggod record from any decent school with a good MCAT will get you into many schools and a mediocre record from Harvard won't. Also many med schools strongly perfer state residents.
The KU campus and atmosphere are very nice and I don't think you will be shortchanged in education there if you seek the toughest programs.</p>

4

<p>BTW, my daughter had a completely equivalent decision, and decided against the local state u. But that was because she hated the midwest generally, and the kids she knew would be at the state U specifically. She couldn't tolerate staying there for four more years, or even worse increasing the odds that she would wind up having to stay in the area after graduation.</p>

<p>We know other kids though, top students, who didn't hate where they were,needed to preserve the money for down the road, parents wanted them to stay near home, etc. who stayed at the state u.</p>

5

<p>While I do not share your daughter's loathing of the midwest. I certainly can understand her desire to get away.</p>

6

<p>Manofsteel...You're where I was 6 years ago...although I was only commended scholar. And I mean exactly. Wanting to go pre-med (I'm in med school right now), 34 ACT, from Kansas.</p>

<p>Here's my advice: 1) don't worry about the med school aspect. Undergrad school doesn't really matter in med school admissions. There is no school that can guarantee you admission to a med school (combined and accelerated programs withstanding), there is no school that will prevent you from getting in to medical school. The onus is on you to perform though. You have to prove your worth as a candidate.</p>

<p>2) As for KU, it's a good school, I have a lot of friends who went there, and it's a lot of fun. It is a pretty decent party school, but there are opportunities. Depending on your major there are substantial scholarships available but there is a lot more money in something like engineering compared to say biology. The Greek system there is much more party oriented as a whole, and from my friend's experiences it seems to be a place where you either party A LOT, or you don't (and when I mean you don't, I really mean you don't). I'm sure there a kids who manage a good balance but my friends didn't.</p>

<p>3) If you want to get away from the people you've known (that was what I really wanted, wanted to be in an entirely new place), consider the other state universities around. Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Iowa and Iowa State are all good schools. I'm sure they have decent scholarships for out of state students. And there's also the Midwest Student Exchange Program which gives varyingly levels of reciprococity to a number of schools (google it).</p>

<p>Personally I went to Nebraska and thus know a lot more about what's available there. They do have a scholarship that is directly aimed at out of state students and with a 34 on the ACT you'll certainly earn the highest amount which pays the entire difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition, so you pay like you were a Nebraska resident. Lincoln is a great college town and only about 3 hours from Kansas City, less than 2 from Manhattan, and probably only about 4.5 from Wichita (not sure where you're from exactly), good distance away but close enough for a drive home on the weekend no big deal. The honors program at Nebraska is the largest in the Big XII, and I don't think you'd have that much trouble getting in assuming your GPA and extracurriculars are in line. </p>

<p>As for the med school aspect, and know that I'm extremely adament in saying that you should never choose a college based on how you think it's going to help you get into medical school, but the University of Nebraska College of Medicine is very well thought of (#11 in USNWR Primary Care rankings), and does seem to give an advantage to students who are not Nebraska residents but have Nebraska ties (just by looking at the composition of my own med school class). Plus the College of Medicine gives a certain number of out-of-state tuition waivers to students who are not Nebraska residents, so you end up only paying in-state tuition to medical school which saves you about $100k. As far as I know that's a pretty unique thing (or at least I've never heard of any other medical schools doing that). It's definitely not something that should matter much in your choosing an undergrad school, but good information to have.</p>

<p>If you have anymore questions PM me, and I'll try to help.</p>

7

<p>As said before, Kansas has no East Coast rep.</p>

8

<p>Years ago a guy from my high school in Massachusetts went to the U of Kansas, and liked it. I checked it out, and was surprised to find that it is quite an impressive place. I agree with jPod--most people on the East Coast don't know anything about it; and Monydad is probably right when he says East Coasters generally don't distinguish it from Nebraska, Kentucky, and other large public universities that are successful in sports. But then again people on the East Coast don't give much credit to anything west of Philadelphia, so I wouldn't worry about their opinion. Anybody who has bothered to check out Kansas would know it's got a solid reputation and is a cut above the usual large jock university. The Fiske Guide gives it 4 stars for academics, the same ranking that was given to respected Eastern schools like Brandeis, Bucknell, Boston University, and Mt. Holyoke.</p>

9

<p>KU has a fabulous rep. for Aerospace Engineering Dept.
Professor Roskam there is world-famous for his extensive books for airplane design and analysis. Professional aero-engineers from all over the world come to KU to take his short seminar series. So yeah, AE of KU is well known.</p>

10

<p>I think Iowa State also offers scholarships to out of state "big 8" residents who qualify academically. I recall my daughter got info. OR maybe it was U Iowa?</p>

<p>For a different, private school experience, Grinnell College is located in Iowa, maybe 5 hours from Lawrence. They have the big ticket price tag, like Wash U, but are known for being fairly generous with merit aid. Like with any LAC one needs to feel they would fit there though.</p>

<p>Then of course there's K-State. Which might even be "better" in the sciences, no? They have a bigger engineering program I think, and the Ag School and the Vet school are both there.</p>

11

<p>.. and, due in part to Grinnell's large merit awards, the other elite midwest liberal arts colleges have had to follow suit. You will find tuition discounting, to various degrees, for National Merit Semi-finalists accepted to : Carleton College and Macalester College in Minnesota, and Oberlin College in Ohio. At the end of the day, though, these packages will, in all likelihood , not closely resemble your state U deal.</p>

12

<p>KU has a med school. That is why I picked it over K-State. Plus K-State's color is purple. Purple is not a good color for me.</p>