I need help picking a school in New England

woogzmama
Mon, 14 Apr 2014 23:35:52 +0000

I have to echo the other voices here. I grew up very near Wheaton and Stonehill (so not terribly far from HC or PC, either). My sister, cousin, and nephew all went to Wheaton. My husband’s cousin’s son is there, now, and very happy. I would not recommend Stonehill as strongly, especially for pre-med. HC is an excellent college, but not worth the price difference. Wheaton and PC have very different cultures, and so I think you should trust your daughter’s intuition about where she’d be happier. Wheaton was a women’s college until fairly recently. It provided a very solid, liberal arts education. She can certainly take a good, pre-medical course load there, but the school did not traditionally focus on pre-professional studies. PC, like many other formerly all-male, Catholic colleges, always had a decidedly pre-professional culture. Wheaton is probably a more nurturing academic community. PC will have a stronger partying scene, along with Big East basketball. Maybe she should research things like internship and independent study opportunities, to see what’s offered at the two schools. They are both good colleges, and those are very nice scholarships.