<p>There are very good students at both colleges and the student bodies measure very closely on most traditional measures (standardized tests, Top 10%, acceptance rate). I think that the vast majority of students/graduates from each would state that their college offers an excellent experience to their undergraduate students as both offer differentiated college experiences. </p>
<p>There really isn't a "best" choice for academics as accomplished students from each will have more than their share of excellent medical school options. And for GPA, I would again focus less on the relative grading patterns (neither will be easy) and more on finding the better personal environment where one can thrive and achieve a stellar GPA. One slight advantage to Vanderbilt would be that they have their own medical center which I think is pretty well regarded. </p>
<p>As icantfindaname indicates above, LACs can be wonderful places for the undergraduate years and, for some students, will be better options than elite national universities that might appear to offer more. Many of these LACs are unique places and Wesleyan certainly fits that bill. I doubt their prestige and name recognition extends much beyond New England as the school just isn't that big or that visible, but I think that med school adcomms would have no problems at all with applicants from Wesleyan. However, I agree with the cautionary words about this type of experience. IMO, students who opt to go the LAC route usually have a fairly clear idea that they prefer this type of environment and either do or don't fall in love with that type of school. </p>
<p>Wesleyan is definitely a unique place, is far, far more liberal than Vanderbilt, and some might even say that they push the college cultural envelope more than nearly any other elite college in the USA. Vanderbilt would be a much more traditional college environment with the classic Greek scene and the Division I sports and highly visible school spirit. I agree that the North and South differences are noticeable and will appeal to different people, but I believe that these differences are more evident in the area than in the student bodies as both will have large numbers of students from outside of their home regions. Depending on the prospective student, both schools are potentially great places to spend four years, but they likely would offer very different experiences.</p>
<p>For the record, the student involved doesn't even know I am posting this thread. He is much more a type B personality and is not at all a grade grubber or someone looking for the easy A. I, as his mother, am looking out for his long term interests in terms of being able to achieve the career he wants.
After speaking with the premed offices at both institutions today, both schools have similar med school placement rates, but they funnel to completely different med schools. Vanderbilt places its students largely in Southern schools, Wesleyan more in Northeast or nationally known schools. For placement in CA med schools (our preference), Wesleyan's record is far superior. Thank you all for your comments.</p>
<p>I have to chuckle at all the kids who not only know for sure they are going to go to medical school, but they have narrowed it down to a particular state! Be sure and let us know how all that turns out. What's the statistic? Something like 90% of college freshmen wind up changing their majors?</p>
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After speaking with the premed offices at both institutions today, both schools have similar med school placement rates, but they funnel to completely different med schools. Vanderbilt places its students largely in Southern schools, Wesleyan more in Northeast or nationally known schools. For placement in CA med schools (our preference), Wesleyan's record is far superior. Thank you all for your comments.
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This is just getting ridiculous. Going to a certain school doesn't put you anywhere. Both schools have strong track records as far as students getting into medical schools and working hard in both environments will allow you to go to the medical school you deserve to get into. In other words, if you work your butt off at Vanderbilt, you'll get into the medical school of your choice, and if you work your butt off at Wesleyan, you'll get into the medical school of your choice.</p>
<p>The real question needs to be what school the student will do better at. If a student who does not belong at an LAC attends an LAC, it will screw up his chances of getting into a good medical school far more than anything that medical school "placement rates" can tell you.</p>
<p>Both his parents are physicians, and we have done our best to dissuade him (only half kidding) but S has wanted to do biomedical research for at least 3 years. He is talented in math/science, so this is a very reasonable plan. The reason for the CA med school is because in-state tuition makes med school much more affordable at any of the 5 UC Medical schools, all of which are excellent.
And if he changes interests/majors/ career plans, that will be fine with us.
And, lastly, colleges do develop relationships with med schools that favor their students. For example, Wesleyan has a special relationship with Mt Sinai in NY and a number of Wesleyan students receive early acceptance into Mt Sinai in their sophomore year. It is analogous to the relationship private high schools develop with some colleges.
Vanderbilt's closest relationship is with the Vanderbilt med school (no surprise), but the next several med schools on their list are all regional southern schools. (U of TN, U of Louisville, E. TN Univ)
Anyway, my S came home from school having independently decided to attend Wesleyan, before he even saw the results of my "research". So, we are all happy tonight.</p>
<p>"After speaking with the premed offices at both institutions today, both schools have similar med school placement rates, but they funnel to completely different med schools. Vanderbilt places its students largely in Southern schools, Wesleyan more in Northeast or nationally known schools. "</p>
<p>It's not that the schools "funnel" to particular med schools, it's that students who go to one schools choose to APPLY to a different set of med schools than the other set. You can't act as though the undergrad school funnels to a certain med school. No one stops any undergrad from applying to any med school (or grad school for that matter) of his choice.</p>
<p>Another victim of the prestige God. Not that there is a thing wrong with Wesleyan-for the right kid......but the title of the thread says it all.</p>
<p>Exactly. Two fine schools that offer very different experiences. It's sort of like saying, "I'm deciding between skiing at a first-class ski resort and lying on the beach at a first-class beach resort. Which has more prestige?" Prestige doesn't matter when you're at this level; the decision needs to be made on the intangibles and where the student most feels at home.</p>
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Prestige doesn't matter when you're at this level; the decision needs to be made on the intangibles and where the student most feels at home.
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<p>I'm sure the decision WAS made on that basis. The mother (apparently) was just asking about prestige, since it is very hard to judge that in California, where barely anyone has heard of either school.</p>
<p>These two schools are extremely different in atmosphere, and it really isn't a close call- if one is a great fit, the other probably is not. I think prestige is the big factor here and I think it is silly. If you want a school known by the masses on the west coast, stick with Stanford or Cal.</p>
<p>Actually, PizzaGirl, the school that almost no one in our circle and S's circle has heard of is Wesleyan. And they know little about Vanderbilt but have heard of it. I did not get the opportunity to visit the colleges with him this month, so I am pretty much in the dark as well. Perhaps I titled the thread incorrectly. What I call "prestige" is not man on the street prestige but how the schools would be valued by a UC medical school adcom. I have read on CC that high GPAs are hard to come by at both institutions (especially Vandy), so wanted to confirm that an application from either would be viewed on equal footing by adcoms.
MomofWildChild, your post was so rude I debated not responding, but I wonder why you think it's fine for you to post repeatedly about Penn's name recognition and Vanderbilt's reputation but when another poster asks a sincere, specific question you perseverate on the title rather than understanding the context of the question when I clearly explained it.</p>
<p>Since you are a doctor I'm sure you know what is important for getting into medical school. Your son will do fine. Maybe he will wind up happily teaching junior high math. I am not a prestige-whore. I could care less about Penn's name recognition. I do happen to be impressed with Vanderbilt, but not based on "prestige". Sorry- but I hate that word and think WAY too many parents on here are hung up on it.</p>
<p>Calgal- Just about all of your posts have the words "prestige" or "name recognition" in them. Your boosting of Penn in one post is because "it is an Ivy". It's not hard to see where you are coming from. I also noticed that you seem to think Vanderbilt has a "racial divide", so I'm wondering why you would even consider such a pedestrian southern, racist school for your son.<br>
My (almost) son-in-law is graduating from medical school in a few weeks. He got into an excellent medical school from, gasp, Loyola-New Orleans, where he had a full-ride as a music major. He is about to start his residency at Vanderbilt. Screw prestige- where will your son be happiest? At Vandy with it's "racial divide" or Wes where he has the opportunity for many VERY liberal pursuits (such as studying the drawings of female genitalia on the sidewalk). Wes is great- just a LOT different from Vandy, but if prestige is the goal, why did you rule out Northwestern?</p>
<p>What did your son decide?? We are also from CAL, D in an Eastern boarding school. She loved Vandy and never connected with Wesleyan. Visited 3 different times and never understood what others loved about it. The two are as different as two schools can be. It is hard to imagine the same kid feeling the fit at both.</p>
<p>The average Vandy accepted student from D's school has a significantly higher GPA than the average Wesleyan accepted.</p>
<p>Researching Mom, The "fit" thing seems not to be my son's focus. He made a huge spreadsheet of his top schools, and factored in things like academic program, access to skiing, trimester/semester, weather. But campus vibe just wasn't on his radar. He is neither hippy nor preppy, somewhere in the middle. His friends at home are pretty varied (best friend is joining the army after HS, second best is going to Princeton). To be honest, I don't really know what tipped the balance yesterday (although it certainly wasn't this thread or its concerns). When I got home, there he was in his Wesleyan sweatshirt and it was a done deal.</p>
<p>"Perhaps I titled the thread incorrectly. What I call "prestige" is not man on the street prestige but how the schools would be valued by a UC medical school adcom. I have read on CC that high GPAs are hard to come by at both institutions (especially Vandy), so wanted to confirm that an application from either would be viewed on equal footing by adcoms."</p>
<p>My dh is a physician (so obviously he got into medical school) - he had a biology background from Northwestern but he went to medical school with people whose undergrad degrees were in every major imaginable, and from schools ranging from the elitest of the elite (both LAC's and universities) to Western Random State U. And they all got admitted to med school, and went on and became doctors, and there you have it. </p>
<p>And I think you're overthinking the whole thing. What % of doctors went to uppity-upscale undergrad schools? Very few. People do just FINE and go on to become doctors from all different schools and backgrounds. Vandy and Wesleyan are both very fine schools; they offer different experiences. Choose the experience; don't try to second-guess the eventual medical school admissions committee, because really, they won't give a damn.</p>