I recently got accepted to both Wofford College and University of South Carolina Honors College, and Clemson Universityas well (still waiting on Calhoun Honors College, though). I really wanna major in biochem/molecular bio, and wanna pursue medical school later on.
Wofford is right in my hometown, so I know a lot of the crowd going there but don’t reeeeeally wanna experience High School 2.0…and they don’t have my major either. But I’ve heard amazing things about their pre-med programs, and everyone who goes there seems to be thrilled. Lots have said that they felt much more prepared when they actually got to medical school. I also would commute, which I can’t yet decide is good or bad…lol. Also the price tag is killer with all the merit scholarships I was offered, which is what’s got me looking here more than anything else, really.
USC Honors College is a little steeper in price, but nothing too big in comparison. Personally, I really like USC Honors overall. The campus was nice, the city setting is lovely, and the top-ranked honors program in the country isn’t a bad title to hold. But is the pre-med program better than that of Wofford, especially for out-of-state med schools too? I feel like honors doesn’t hold the same weight to a top university’s medical program in the north as it might somewhere more local.
I have yet to visit Clemson, but I know in rankings they stand above USC as an overall institution. I didn’t know if this extended to the Honors Colleges as well? I’m really into research though, so Clemson stands out to me in that field, and I have heard that the biochem department is solid. But same question remains for the pre-med preparation.
I just wanted to get a feel for all of these options and which one would be recommended as the best decision for me.
(1) Don’t worry about rankings. They have very little value in deciding what college is best for YOU. Don’t let perceptions of your fellow high school students, or anybody else’s ideas about “prestige,” dictate what school you think is the best fit for YOU.
(2) Visit all three schools when school is in session, and discover which school you feel most comfortable at. That may settle it for you (assuming that cost is not a factor – which you will need to have a discussion with your parents about, sooner rather than later if you haven’t already).
(3) Don’t necessarily choose a school based on whether it might provide a better chance of getting you admitted to medical school. First, you might change your mind over the course of your undergraduate education and decide that you want to do something other than medical school. Second, a good student with good grades in the type of courses that will help you in medical school will be an attractive candidate for admission to medical school no matter where you do your undergraduate work.
All good choices. The combination of not having your major plus being a commuter student would eliminate Wofford for me, though. You might wind up changing your major, but I think whenever possible it’s important to have the experience of living on campus.
I have served on the MUSC Alumni board and know that the SC med schools look favorably on excellent students at all three programs. Pick the school/program which fits you best with potential debt considered (Med school are not cheap and will offer no significant merit aid)
USC honors is #1 public honors program and has lots of students interested in pre-med and seems to do a good job to support them. As far as money, final packages at USC come out in March. If you are National Merit finalist that’s another big chunk of money at USC. All three are good choices - where you feel most at home is likely the right place.
