My S is down to 4 schools and while we are revisiting each, I think it is still going to be a difficult decision. We live in Texas. He has half scholarships at Furman and TCU and plans to major in either Biology or Chemistry in hopes of attending med school. He is the top 10 kids of his 1,000 person class and is a dual sport student…his work ethic is impressive. While he really wants to do well enough to enter med school we are worried about the possibility of that not happening in which case he would like to do Finance/Economics. He is leaning towards Wake Forest but think that other, not as highly ranked schools might be more doable for pre med. My oldest S is at Rice and the testing/grading there has been ridiculous (with huge grade deflation) and it was solely a “weed out” pre med program with absolutely no early advising or encouragement. This experience has jaded us on what difficult means. He wants to work hard but not have it be impossible to make A’s. Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.
Also, while the scholarships are nice, we don’t want him to pick the school based on just the money aspect. We want him to pick the best school for him long term. He is very social and also wants a great college experience.
I am a current TCU student. I’m not a pre-med major, but I have plenty of friends who are.
I cannot speak highly enough of TCU, from the personable professors who really care about their students to the friendly environment and beautiful campus. I could not be happier with my college experience, and I am not even a member of greek life. There is always something going on, from late night neon paint parties to petting zoos to comfort animals during finals. Additionally, studying is encouraged here, and we have a great library with plenty of fun nooks to get work done.
I have heard, however, that the first round of pre-med classes are hard. Over half the kids drop out and pick different majors. Those who keep going have their work cut out for them. However, if you are willing to actually study for tests, complete homework on time, and ask for help when you need it, the program is totally manageable. Sometimes you have to seek out assistance, but all the faculty here are more than willing to help students. My pre-med friends still have plenty of time for social activities, and they surprisingly get a reasonable amount of sleep. I even know a couple people who are music and pre-med at the same time!
Of course, I am clearly biased towards the horned frogs 
But no matter where your son decides to attend school, I hope he has a wonderful experience! His work ethic will take him so far in college, as I’ve certainly found the less time I spend procrastinating, the more time I have to enjoy everything college has to offer. Good luck and go frogs!
TCU’s med program is a weed out program. Now that I’m on the other side though (working in college administration somewhere else) I understand why. It does no student any favors to pass them through a pre med program if they won’t be able handle medical school. Look at the MCAT pass rate for the pre med programs you’re looking for. Often the school with a high pass rate have a high pre med program attrition rate and/or are very difficult to get into. That being said, TCU is a very supportive environment if a student reaches out. Most professors have an open door policy and like it when students stop by during office hours. The counseling center is also quite good as well.
My son attended TCU (biology) and is now a 3rd year med student. I believe they say 75% of those thinking they are premed will change majors and then for the remainder they have a 80% med school acceptance rate (very high). Because you are residents of TX your son has an advantage if he applies to TX schools (90% of students have to be TX residents). Any way he goes, if he makes it through with a decent (3.6 and higher) GPA and a decent MCAT (30+) he can get into a TX medical school. TCU has a great program but so do the others you list. Have him pick the school where he feels the best fit.