Concern about Lawrence rigor for premed students

[OverseasMama]

<p>Hi all. My daughter is very excited about attending Lawrence University in the fall and plans to go to med school after she graduates. </p>

<p>I came across a comment at the College ******* site that was worrying. This comment was among a lot of other comments that rate the academics very high. So . . . I've only seen this one complaint and do not want to spread a nasty rumor if it's unfounded, but I'd sure like to hear some reassurance from alumni who attended LU and went on to med school or other science grad programs. </p>

<p>Here's the comment that has me a bit worried:</p>

<p>I'm applying to grad school and I'm finding that many courses didn’t cover the material. This is happening all over campus. If you are student here, check the syllabus of your class and compare it with other college. Many courses only cover 10% of the same subjects in other colleges.</p>

[lawrencemom]

<p>Hi, OverseasMama: Hopefully, someone who is a recent grad will weigh in, though I find that my daughter (who is a junior there) and her friends are NOT College Confidential aficionados. That means that perhaps no one with current/recent med school enrollment will be answering this post, though their parents may, which is good.</p>

<p>Because this is a serious concern (and I, like you, went online and read lots of student opinions on every school my daughter got into), I'd also suggest contacting admissions/ the alumni people at LU to see if they can connect you with any current med school students who are LU alums in order to see how they feel about their prep for med school. I hear you that you want to find out from the students, not a rep, as to whether they can handle what med school throws at them. If you can get connected with a couple/a few LU alums who recently went to or are in med school, they can either echo the one opinion you read online and/or put your fears to rest.</p>

<p>Good luck on your quest for info.</p>

[OverseasMama]

<p>Hi Lawrencemom. Thanks for the idea. A lot of people are looking at this post but nobody seems to have anything to add, so I guess I'll do as you've suggested and then add to this conversation when I've found some answers. I did mention this concern to someone in admissions, but yes, I'd prefer to hear the whole thing dismissed by a med student or doctor from Lawrence than by a rep.</p>

[lawrencemom]

<p>My D says she knows people who have gone to med school, but she rolls her eyes and says I'm obsessed with this site if I ask for info, so she isn't going to divulge. Hopefully you can find out some info from alums via the alum network/admissions people at LU and yes, if you have news to post, I am sure people on this site would be interested in learning more. I hope you can find the answers you seek whether positive or negative. :)</p>

[OverseasMama]

<p>Well, Lawrence provided some contacts and we've already heard from an LU grad now in his second year of med school. He's convinced my daughter and I that the negative comment above does NOT reflect the experiences of most students. He said his LU peers had no problem getting admitted to med schools and he also felt the risk-taking encouraged at LU has given him a bit of an advantage now that he's in med school. </p>

<p>Two things he mentioned: it's helpful to get as much clinical experience as possible before applying, and it's very helpful to take Anatomy as an undergrad to make your first year of med school easier. But as far as his experience at LU, he had nothing but positive comments. </p>

<p>As I see people continue to read this message, I'll follow up when I hear from the other contacts.</p>

[lawrencemom]

<p>Thanks for the update. I am glad you were able to find some other students to connect with. Awesome! :)</p>

[OverseasMama]

<p>Just talked to a second contact, who was accepted by his top two choices. He graduated in 2012 and also did not relate to the negative comment at all. I'm guess this is what happens when you pay attention to a single comment on a site, but I'm sort of glad I checked it out because I'm feeling even more confident that LU is a good choice for my daughter now.</p>

[lawrencemom]

<p>That is good to hear, OverseasMama. My younger sis always tells me, 'Don't go on the internet' to read about stuff, but I am like you, and I devour/search for information all the time, second guessing decisions, etcetera. Thanks again for posting your findings, as many people will find it an interesting read.</p>

[MOMINWIS]

<p>I'm a little late with this post, but thought I would share my experience with Lawrence for future reference by others. My daughter is a freshman premed at Lawrence and is loving it there. She really likes the trimester schedule with only taking 3 classes at a time. The workload is fairly demanding. I remember her saying that with a freshman bio class she was covering 4 chapters a week. She thinks very highly of both bio professors she has had and gets into chemistry next term. The professors are all very approachable. She is hoping to be a lab assistant this summer. Lawrence does a great job of providing research opportunities to their students to enhance their grad school applications. If you're unsure, please attend one of the admitted student days. My daughter spent the night with a girl on a sports team, met with the coach, and attended 2 classes--one English, one Bio. It really helped her decide on Lawrence. Lastly, the food is awesome there!--especially if you have special requests (gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan). Each food is marked.</p>

[OverseasMama]

<p>Hi MOMINWIS. For some reason I missed this post until just now. Thanks for the reassurance. My daughter has chosen Lawrence and is very excited about starting in the fall, class of 2018. Maybe she’ll meet your daughter there, as they’ll be sharing a major. </p>

[MOMINWIS]

<p>Hi OverseasMama. Glad to hear that your daughter chose Lawrence. It truly is a great school. Some of my daughter’s friends at Lawrence are graduating and going on to prestigious grad schools. I have no worries about my daughter and her future after Lawrence. It’s small school. Our daughters’ paths are likely to cross ! </p>

[OverseasMama]

Just to follow up on this discussion, my D is now in the middle of her junior year. She just took her DAT test and did fine. No worries about not being prepared by the science classes at LU. It’s a very solid school with great teachers.

[TennisMom007]

@MOMINWIS and @OverseasMama How are the research opportunities? That is our number one concern. Our son will be a pre med in the fall. Also, do you feel that a BA versus a BS is an issue for medical school acceptance? Thank you in advance.