<p>With May 1st quickly approaching, I feel horrible for being so confused so late in the decision process. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>My top schools that I am deciding between are: UVA, F&M and UofR.
I am planning to be a biology major, possibly a Spanish minor and I also might want to go the pre-med route.
I can see myself being happy at any one of these schools and there are only little drawbacks to each:
Rochester is the farthest away from home, would be slightly more expensive than F&M (which would be slightly more expensive than UVA). I'm not sure if it's a good thing that I would be competing against so many other science majors there and I would prefer not to live in such a cold climate. But I think the open curriculum could be nice and would hopefully make it possible for me to study abroad for a semester (which I would absolutely love to do!).
UVA has a stellar reputation and apparently a great alumni network that could come in handy down the road, but I come from a very small school and am worried I'll be "lost in the crowd." Also, I'm not sure if the stereotype is true that students there are somewhat snobby or pretentious.
F&M has small class sizes, which I love, whereas UVA and UofR have large introductory classes. However, I'm not sure if I'll become bored with Lancaster.<br>
As I said before I am contemplating going the premed route, so which college in your opinion will not only prepare me academically, but also provide the opportunities in terms of research etc, for medical school?</p>
<p>Again, thank you in advance for any help in deciding!</p>
<p>Ok. Just kidding, I think, but Lancaster has a lot to offer. But it’s definitely not the big city, if that’s what you’re used to.</p>
<p>Any of your three choices would do an excellent job preparing you for med school, so you really need to evaluate the schools on secondary issues. You would prefer not to live in a cold climate, and you are concerned about large classes. That leaves F & M, unless of course you count it as being in a cold climate.</p>
<p>Frankly, I think UVA would trump the other two, but I would be using different criteria than you are. </p>
<p>Have you looked at the academic calendars, ease of transportation to and from home, course listings for your major, dorms, etc.?</p>
<p>Then there’s cost. UVA is the cheapest, although I don’t know by how much. But that could be a very influential factor as well.</p>
<p>Sorry I can’t be of more help. I think any choice you make will be the right one.</p>
<p>“As I said before I am contemplating going the premed route, so which college in your opinion will not only prepare me academically, but also provide the opportunities in terms of research etc, for medical school?”</p>
<p>If you are clear about your goal and the premed route, then UVa will be your best choice. Apart from the fact that campus and the college life, in my opinion, are two very important factors in favor of UVa.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone for the replies! @FlyMeToTheMoon: Just curious, in which criteria do you think UVA is superior to the other two?
I am leaning towards UVA, however even if I can get over the size, I am still left with one problem: There is no Spanish minor. I am not sure If I could manage doing a double-major while trying to get all of the pre-med prerequisites done. That being said though, I’m fairly certain that their Spanish, Italian and Portuguese Department is better than F&M’s Spanish Department.</p>
<p>My criteria for UVA-
I love the town and the campus, and I’m a fan of Thomas Jefferson, who founded the college. I also love Virginia. So you see, my criteria only applies to me.</p>
<p>@Creekland: Yes, I would agree with you that in terms of majors/minors Rochester has some really great options. But other small things like distance from home/weather/competition from other science majors still worry me. @FlyMeToTheMoon: Thanks for explaining!
Do you think it should heavily influence my opinion that UVA is somewhat of a party school (something I am not interested in). I think it shouldn’t be a problem to find other things to do than attend frat parties, but I also don’t want to be seen as strange / not fit in.
Also, I heard girls there could be snobby/pretentious/very into their looks. Do you think this is just a stereotype or is there some truth behind it and should I be concerned?</p>
If I evaluate UVA as a party school the same way I would evaluate Penn State as a party school, a school I have more knowledge about, I would say you should be able to find other options besides partying. But you will find partying at every school. The advantage of a large university is that you are more likely to find kids like you than at a smaller school where admitted students may share similar characteristics with which you may not be a good fit.
My daughter had a friend who went to a college in the south, not UVA, and discovered she didn’t like it because the girls were as you described. I don’t know whether it applies to UVA. I guess there’s a chance that it could.
I can see why this decision is difficult for you. By the way, Lancaster is VERY German, if that means anything to you.</p>
<p>Based on what you have said you would “fit” the best socially at UR. The concern about too much competition in sciences I think is probably a red herring. UVA will have plenty of competition in sciences and I’m sure pre-med at F&M is no joke, either.</p>
<p>Not to be contrary, but I have a feeling you’d be happiest at URochester. From your postings, I think you’d fit in best with the student body there, which has often been described as cooperative rather than competitive. Also, the school has a decent international student representation.</p>
<p>The students at Rochester struck me as very engaged in their academics. If you can handle the weather, I believe you’d find a wonderful community of like-minded people.</p>
<p>I, too, am a big fan of Thomas Jefferson, and love the UVA campus and the beauty of Virginia. However, I was a little concerned by some unflattering descriptions of the students at UVA on these boards.</p>
<p>U of R is a great research school and its open curriculum would really give you the chance to explore the pre-med field and would support you if you chose to go that route, but be flexible enough should you find that medicine isn’t for you. That being said, UVA is a great school, and I think you would be just as happy at both. I don’t know anything about F&M so I can’t really be of help there.</p>
<p>I loved F and M. It got me to med school and I was extremely well prepared. I had a non-science major, small classes, wonderful, helpful faculty that you will get to know, flexible administration, easy to get your classes… But certainly if you are looking for a university rather than a LAC, then go for it!</p>
<p>First disclaimer, I have a student at UVa. He has had no problem finding plenty of things to do that don’t involve hard-core partying. With a school of 15k undergrads you really can find a crowd that enjoys being active, having fun, but sober. Charlottesville has great restaurants, an active music scene, lots of arts fairs, and there is an endless list of activities for the outdoor enthusiast. As for the girls, I’ve spent a good deal of time on grounds and really see just about everything. Lots of jeans, leggings and sweaters, lots of t’s and running shorts (ppl run here all the time!). Some girls have full make up & hair, but far more go more natural with a bit of mascara and lipgloss. You’ll hear the tradition for football games of ‘guys in ties and girls in pearls’. Some still do this however several years ago there was a shift to the ‘sea of orange’ with t’shirts, team jerseys, hoodies, etc. You’ll see girls in jean shorts, team jerseys, and face paint. Basically, wear what makes you comfortable, anything goes as long as you’re repping UVa. :)</p>
<p>I understand the stereotype, and many years ago it was well deserved. Today just like any larger school you’re going to have groups of kids who represent every good, and annoying, factions of the general population. I guess my overall point is, if everything else feels right don’t shy away from UVa because of a reputation that no longer stands, and a concern that the girls won’t leave their dorms unless photo ready. Both are valid concerns, you want to be comfortable/fit in. Neither are true. </p>