Hello! My daughter is choosing between Colorado College and Macalester for Pre-Med (actually, Pre-Vet). Mac has generously provided 20K/year in merit aid, but this is not make or break for us. We visited both schools and were glad to see that the students looked very happy and interactive at both schools (interacting with each other rather than staring at screens). The students at CC had a more athletic, outdoorsy vibe, whereas the Mac students had a more nerdy vibe. My daughter considers herself to be both athletic/outdoorsy and nerdy, so not a clear winner! Does one school do a better job at preparing students for medical school? Mac said they have a 60% acceptance rate to medical school, although I know these numbers are tricky because some schools won’t even support your application if they don’t think you’ll be admitted. My daughter liked the energy at CC but is concerned that she might not adjust to the block plan.
Read all that you can uncover about Colorado College. Niche, Unigo, reddit.
To be clear, my suggestion is to attend Macalester College.
It’s one class at a time vs not. It seems easy to differentiate. Which does she like - more fast and focused or more traditional ?
Lab science can look very different with One Class At A Time.
Pros: More time in the lab and less time “transitioning” .
In the lab every day, rather than 3 times a week
No having to schedule “extra” lab time
In “traditional” schedules, it can be hard to schedule other classes around both labs
and lectures.
More flexibility of professors to balance lab and lecture time.
Cons: There will be many semesters that you aren’t in the lab or taking any STEM classes
I agree that the main consideration should be the one-class-at-a-time model versus a more traditional model. Personally, I would not want to digest all of the information in an upper level science course with labs in such a fast paced, compressed time-frame but of course YMMV. Has your D discussed how this educational model works with current STEM students at Colorado College? What is her feeling?
I would not give a lot of thought to the med school acceptance rate unless you know EXACTLY what that number includes (ex. does it exclude students who dropped the pre-med path during college, does it include things like chiropractic, podiatry school, does it include overseas med schools, are there committee letters, does it include graduates who take advanced degrees to strengthen their application, etc.)
Colleges educate your student but really, they don’t “prepare” students for medical school. That’s on the student. The student needs to get great grades, prep for and do well on the MCAT, shadow, volunteer with underprivileged folks, have patient facing work or volunteer experience. And if selected for an interview…interview well.
But your student should be able to do all of this from either college!
Congratulations on two wonderful final choices!
In an analysis of the parcentage of graduates who attend medical school, this site placed Colorado College 93rd and Macalester 162nd when considered among colleges and universities nationally:
The required premed classes are the same as the required pre-vet classes. One daughter was pre-vet and knew quite a few premed students from her undergraduate classes.
Some optional classes are different. For example our daughter took “lameness in horses” as one of her undergraduate classes. I am not sure how important these are, but my guess is that it would be okay if a student’s undergraduate school does not offer these. Certainly the students in her DVM program come from a very, very wide range of undergraduate colleges and universities.
The need for medical experience is similar, but of course the details of the medical experience is very different. Students can get this experience either while an undergraduate student during the school year, or over the summer, or after getting their bachelor’s degree before applying to DVM programs.
This of course brings up the question regarding how much experience with animals is available at the schools that you are considering. Do you know if either has large animals on campus? It is hard to imagine anywhere that does not have a veterinary office nearby that a student could volunteer at.
The overall 8 year path to getting a DVM is expensive. I have read that about 39% of DVMs graduate with at least $200,000 in debt, and this includes 16.6% that graduate with at least $300,000 in debt. For a job that pays something closer to $100,000, this is terrifying. Any student who starts university thinking “pre-vet”, should think about how to get to the point of being called “doctor” with a total education debt that does not exceed their likely starting salary.
I consider that getting a DVM is a goal that is only appropriate for a student who is very strongly drawn to it.
Wow, what a great resource! Thank you!
Thank you!
Macalester has an 80% acceptance rate to medical school
Macalester College - College Bound Mentor.
I have a kid at Colorado College, not premed but in the sciences, she’s just finishing up her first year. It’s been a wonderful fit for her, and the block plan has exceeded all expectations for her and us. Out of her 8 blocks this year, she’s taken 4 science/math classes and 4 humanities/social sciences. Sciences can be intense (yesterday she had 3 hour chem class in the am and 3 hour chem lab in the afternoon, but afternoon labs are usually only 2-3 times a week). She has loved all professors but one, and even that one was okay, in her words.
Many students are outdoorsy as you observed, but she is a quirky, artsy, indie-type kid as well as loving the outdoors and has found like minded people annd a supportive friend group. Outdoor opportunities during block breaks are pretty special. She just got back from backpacking in New Mexico with friends over last block break.
There isn’t too much about CC here on CC lately, but old stereotypes of kids who party a lot and are not serious academically, or that they’re all “rich kids” are outdated. Our whole family is thrilled with our daughter’s experience there (our other kid goes to a larger elite R1 university so our experience has some range). Feel free to message me if you want to know more or have questions. Oh, and Colorado is stunning 
.
Our S19 considered Colorado College seriously, we visited and it is a beautiful school. But in the end the block program made him too uncomfortable. He was focused on the idea that having a one-week flu on the block program might be the equivalent of losing a month on a normal program. (He is a kid who somehow never gets a 24-hour bug, it’s always a big deal.) He asked this question during the visit and the responses he received did not reassure him. He was not pre-med, but it is my understanding that undergraduate grades are very important when applying to med school, so it seems to me this is something worth thinking about.
In our experience, professors are supportive, accessible, and willing to work with students for health related issues, mental or physical. My kid seemed to get colds al the time throughout elementary, middle and HS. She has learned the importance of sleep, eating well, and now avoids getting ill at all costs, but withdrawals from courses are permitted at any stage of the block, as I understand it. With all students and faculty in class together from 9-12 M-F, there’s a unique camaraderie in the community. The immersive nature of the block plan fosters this.
I wanted S23 to consider Cornell College and they sold that as a plus on the block plan. I’m not sure about Colo C, but Corn C explained that there were 1 or 2 “extra” blocks built into the year so that students could do more or less credits each year (equivelent to taking 18 rather than 15 a semester at a traditional school) and to provide a cushion so that a student could drop a class due to illness, injury or travel and not fall behind in credits.
Right, I didn’t mean to suggest the school seemed unhelpful, but the idea that, if you get sick, you can just withdraw and repeat was an issue for my son.
Unless you know EXACTLY how the college arrives at that number (see my post above) I would not base a decision on this statistic.
My S24 goes Macalester. He is both athletic/outdoorsy and nerdy (and artsy.) He also plays a club sports. Just wanted to add another data point here!
True!
I really think one course at a time is not ideal for STEM, especially for more advanced courses. Med school also requires juggling multiple classes at one time, so I would be concerned about the eventual transition back to that format of study.