<p>I am a senior who received a likely letter from UVA but no echols =( , not that i expected it but some other people at my school got it with much lower stats. Anyways im deciding between William and Mary and UVA. One key point for me is taking foreign languages (i already speak 2 languages fluently in addition to spanish which i took four years and dont want to take anymore). I am also in need a school that maximizes my chances of getting into med school, and the W&M representitive was boasting an 80% acceptance rate. (on a side note VCU's BME rep. was saying 90% so that is another option)Any advice??</p>
<p>It doesn't matter where you go for medical school admissions, unless you're applying to MD/PHD programs or something (and would thus benefit from attending a large research university with a hospital). The acceptance rates boasted by colleges are in some ways BS - I wouldn't pay much attention to them.</p>
<p>You should make your choice based on which school you'd feel happiest attending for four years. UVA and W&M are about equal academically, so you should visit both and talk to current students about how they feel about the schools. Try to get a feel for student life and think about things you'd like to do as an undergraduate.</p>
<p>I'm in the same situation with the likely letter and no echols. I have to admit, it cooled my enthusiasm for the school quite a bit. Not to say that I have written it off entirely, but it does kind of sting.</p>
<p>I wouldn't get uptight about not getting Echols. As far as I can tell, there is no real advantage to getting it. I have several friends who are echols scholars, and I have never felt like I'm missing something they're getting. Now with the new registration policies (by class, regardless of echols) I think Echols is nothing more than a nice little title to have while you're at UVa.</p>
<p>i received a great piece of advice regarding med school admissions stats. a lot of schools boast a really high percentage of kids getting into med schools, but don't mention who actually took the tests. many schools only allow/encourage a few select students to actually take the MCAT which is required for med school admissions.</p>
<p>example: i asked about med school admissions at a small private school. the rep happily told me 65% of their kids were admitted. after asking how many applied, he sheepishly said 9.</p>
<p>moral of the story: ask how many people applied and were accepted rather than a simple percentage. good luck!</p>
<p>Don't choose a school based on their medical 'acceptance rate'. Some schools choose to only write recommendations or endorse certain students, so it helps their acceptance rate in the end. Be more concerned with how well you can succeed academically, because that is what is going to matter in the end, not whether X University had a 75% acceptance rate unlike Y College, which only had a 50% rate. You need to see if you can do what you want to do as an undergrad.</p>