What other schools should I look at? LACs?

I liked Dalhousie quite a bit when we visited. It is in an attractive area not all that far from downtown (you could walk), but not exactly downtown. My daughter was looking for a smaller university which is why Acadia and Mount Allison were more attractive (as was Bishop’s in Quebec, which is closer to where we live). Academically these three schools are all very good and probably do not differ much. Universities in Canada are consistently very good. Dalhousie, being larger, will have a larger range of majors and a wider range of classes. I think that it is a very good choice.

Given that you have Canadian citizenship, the universities in Canada should all fit your US$20-30,000 budget. I am not sure whether your listed GPA is weighted or unweighted. If it is unweighted (ie, nearly straight A’s) then some merit aid is possible. In our experience merit aid in Canada is generally very limited. However, when the base price is only about US$20,000 per year (including tuition, fees, room and board) it does not take much merit before you feel like you are getting a bargain at a very good university.

I am not sure how difficult it would be to get residency in the US after doing medical school in Canada. I have heard of it being done and one of my specialist doctors here in the US got his MD at McGill. Certainly medical school admission is competitive for everyone. One advantage with Dal is that it has a good medical school and connections with hospitals in Halifax.

Two things that I have noticed since we have a daughter at university in Canada (who graduates very soon): She seems to have more classes in her major and fewer “side electives or unrelated requirements” than would be the case in the US. She has been getting into specialized classes that would probably be graduate classes in the US. Also, as a dual citizen attending university in Canada, the biggest risk seems to be that you might not choose to return to the US.

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My gpa is unweighted. I got an 87 in a college anatomy class which was my only b. That is great to hear about Dalhousie. I think when it comes down to choose and if I get in where I want to it will be between Utah and Dalhousie.

Currently a student at Dickinson College from Colorado. Due to your interest in premed and research opportunities I recommend you look into Dickinson. Our premed program is very strong and if you choose to go through it you will not only have an advisor for your intended major, but also a separate advisor through the program to help guide you and make sure you take the proper classes to get you into med school. We also have endless opportunities for research and any major can partake in research. Since we are undergraduate you will not be competing with any graduate students for research opportunities. I have plenty of friends that are currently doing research on campus or that have done research in the past during the summer.
There is also a lot of outdoor activities here. We have the Outing Club that students can join and partake in fun weekend trips whether it’s hiking, camping, canoeing, or kayaking. We also have a location on campus where you can rent out gear for these activities if you would prefer to just go with friends rather than the entire club. We do have some skiing nearby as well and in the winter, the Outing Club will do trips to go skiing as well.

You sound like an interesting guy, something that doesn’t always come through on these pages. I wish we could just nail down your need-based aid requirements. Wesleyan is always looking for hard-working guys who aren’t jerks.

Ft Lewis in Durango is a CO public LAC and WUE participant - about 4k students and no huge lecture halls. They have a ski lift on campus and are surrounded by hundreds of miles of hiking/biking trails.

Can’t speak to the pre-med connections but its worth a tour

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