My son is applying to Ursinus, Saint Joe’s, and Gettysburg. I am wondering which of these has the strongest pre-med programs? Also, does anyone know where students have gone to Med School from these schools?
@MYOS1634 should know these schools well, he recommends them often. When you say saint joseph, do you mean that seminary in Chicago?
I think those ctcl schools should be good for premed tracks, but not know them enough to differ.
Guessing St Joe’s in Philly?
I’d you’re looking at these, you should definitely include Elizabethtown, Muhlenberg and Dickinson.
St Joe’s is well-known locally which helps for internships and jobs, but isn’t especially strong for premed support. Its student body is similar academically to Ursinus ', perhaps better in some ways due to the presence of former students from Catholic Prep schools; like at Ursinus, it may be easier to rank top 10%. In addition, because premeds are advised to keep their debt level low, at Joe’s poor financial aid is likely to be an impediment to med school. Run the NPC and keep as a possibility but only if affordable.
LaSalle would be equivalent in preparation and offers better merit scholarships, as would Ursinus.
All 3 woukd work well for B/B+ students.
Ursinus is very supportive and has good merit scholarships.
Gettysburg is a very big step up academically compared to these three. It’s very selective. It also has a strong Greek presence so it’s vibe is very different from the other two.
- Admitted students' stats: average GPA, average SAT StJ: 3.5, 1120 U: 3.2, 1140 G: 3.7?, 1320
Also
El: 3.5?, 1120
M: 3.3, 1210
D: 3.7?, 1290
LS: 3.35, 1010
Speaking of Elizabethtown, this has nothing to do with premed, but a kid I know well did not do good in HS went there and excelled, he was hired by Google before he went to Graduate School from there.
So, college is what you can make of, the schools really don’t matter that much. I saw the schools discussed here have health professional advisory committees and do issue committee letters. I am sure your S can be in med school if he do well and with a strong letter from the committee.
Thank you to all the replies! Very helpful. Really appreciate it. My son took the ACT and got a 28. He’s re-taking one last time in September. My son’s GPA is a 3.4. He is in a very high achieving public high school. He has taken a mix of Honors, AP, and College Prep classes.
Knowing that the three schools mentioned above are good for B/B+ students is a good match for my son. We visited Saint Joe’s (Philly) and my son loved the area. I also feel that the area would provide great internships and opportunities.
My son was not as excited about Ursinus mainly because of the area (small town, less urban). He is very social and needs an environment where he can be comfortable socially.
He liked Gettysburg very much. The student population is very similar to the population in his high school which was a nice plus.
I am just concerned about making sure wherever he goes he will be successful in the pre-med track and we will get our money’s worth.
On another note, my son is also applying to Marist and Loyola Maryland. What are your thoughts about these schools in terms of pre-med support?
Thank you in advance again!
Artloversplus—thank you and I agree with you. College is what you make of it
Loyola in MD is not really known for their premed program. It is not worth the sticker price.
Thank you!
I think Ursinus has a pretty good rep for med school admissions for the size of the school. Looking on their website it looks like the last class reported admission to Temple, Rutgers, Drexel, Penn State MD programs. Not too shabby for only about 400 graduates in the whole class.
I like Ursinus too…I am thinking about having my son re-visit in September when students are in full swing with classes so he can see it in a different perspective.
@Psychdr Full disclosure, my D will be a freshman at Ursinus this fall. I love the vibe I get there among the student body. I would venture to say that Gettysburg and St Joe’s each have very different vibes to them. Not that one is better or worse, just different, so it is important to know what your S would prefer.
I believe that Gettysburg has a more preppy/jock feel to it than Ursinus. St. Joe’s is bigger and closer to the city and all that offers, while Ursinus is your typical small leafy campus. Will he prefer a bigger, more suburban/urban feel or a more self-contained smaller campus?
Thank you surfcity! Wish your D the best. Would love to know how she is liking Ursinus. My son prefers a smaller school but something that is close to a city/urban environment.
Just out of curiosity, what were the biggest factors that made your D choose Ursinus and what does she want to major in?
Your idea to have him visit Ursinus while it’s in session is excellent.
You may also have him look at Washington and Jefferson, Baldwin Wallace, Capital OH, Hiram, Allegheny, Juniata, Goucher, UScranton, plus the previously cited Dickinson and Muhlenberg.
Myos1634–thanks so much! I will definitely check into the schools you have mentioned! These posts have been so helpful!
Anyone have any thoughts on Brandeis? Is this a possibility with my son’s stats?
Google, e.g., “brandeis med school acceptance rate” and also “brandeis common data set” to see the stats of the last entering freshman class.
Thank you! 
Brandies is going to be a high reach for your S, its far apart from Ursinus or St. Joe’s. My D, several years ago, applied there with 34 ACT and 3.9ish GPA did not get in. My general advise for a premed track applicant is as follows:
You can go to any 4 year school to prepare a premed track, the key to a successful medical school admission is not trying to get into the most prestigious college your stats can find. You should get into a school that you like and you are the top 25% of the freshman admits, top 10% is even better. Med school is all about high GPA and high Mcat, if you can excel in the college you attend, you will be able to attend a good med school with high stats. OTOH, if you get into a top school with lots of premed, you are competing with the best of the best and more likely you will not succeed.
For PA schools, I think you should consider Temple and Drexel as well. They all have med schools and if you excel in the school, you will have an edge to get in. Normally, the med schools take in 10% of their own UG. That is not 10% of the applicant from their own UG, rather, 10% of their entering first year.
Regarding @artloversplus comment, that makes a lot of sense if you are sure he will stick with pre-med. Since so many students drop this goal, I think you should apply to Temple/Drexel only if you think your S would be happy there even if he wasn’t premed. If those are too big or urban, you could also consider West Chester as it is going to be more affordable for undergrad.
@Psychdr my D chose Ursinus for a couple of reasons. It’s close to home and she had taken a class there during her gap year and really liked it. She wanted a very small school geography wise and so she could easily get to know professors and other students. I think the students are pretty smart there, but it doesn’t seem to have the competitive atmosphere I found at other schools, it was more cooperative. I also thought the resources and supports for students were very comprehensive.
I have not visited St. Joe’s so I can’t comment on that school. I found Elizabethtown to have a similar vibe although I don’t think the academics are quite as rigorous as Ursinus.
How about F&M? I loved that campus too - maybe a little less laid-back and a little more academically rigorous but still a great little school.