D is accepted at these 4 colleges. Centre is financially the best offer but the differences are not big. She is interested in the premed track….
Centre is a very nice school, lots of nice/cute girls from our area attend. The general consensus in my neck of the woods is that it is socially easier for a girl who is a non-athlete to attend than for a boy. But I would think that may be true of a number of small LAC’s. Lots of kids go to grad school, I watched the graduation video last year where they did a quick interview of a dozen or so kids and almost all were heading to grad school in some capacity.
I would think it would definitely skew more conservative than Grinnell and, presumably, Kenyon.
A lot of my parent’s generation attended Centre in the 1960’s, kids from good families.
I attended Kenyon in the 90’s. I am a physician as are three of my closest Kenyon classmates. (I can think of about ten Kenyon classmates who went to med school. I attended my state medical school but some classmates went to Harvard, Wash U and Yale.) We all arrived at med school very well prepared. Aside from being a great liberal arts college, Kenyon was an excellent school to major in chemistry and complete pre-med requirements. The science courses were geared towards developing a deep, conceptual understanding of the material and learning how to do science. Classes were rigorous, small and interactive but not cut-throat. Sure, there were some students who decided to drop pre-med during organic chem, but they were not “weeded out” per se. The faculty were incredibly supportive. Also there was a pre-med advising committee of faculty members that were super helpful during the med school application process. Of course things change, but I imagine Kenyon has only improved the experience for pre-meds by investing in facilities, faculty and other resources. I’m honestly not certain whether I’d be a physician today if I had attended another college–I give Kenyon that much credit. Best wishes to your student!
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All 4 are very different in vibe.
Grinnell is likely the most recognized nationally in the sciences. It’s rather chill, collaborative, more granola than the others. It’s also rural, with not much around, but the college is well-aware and uses its considerable resources to provide all sorts of entertainment and internship support. You can spend a semester in London (all your FA carries and you can use a travel grant) and have an internship in Philadelphia or DC. 5-year Master in Public Health with UIowa.
Kenyon has well-known strengths in Humanities and writing, so they’ve been boosting their science offerings and it’sstate-of-the-art. A bit preppier (or should I say “a bit less granola”?) than Grinnell, intellectual. Study abroad program in Medical Practice, Neuroscience, Public Health in Stockholm.
Centre is a strong Southern LAC, a bit more conservative than the other, very internationally-minded: almost all studebts study abroad and about 50% study away twice! Which is easy to undertake since they have lots of Center Residential programs (full FA used) and shorter Center terms. They also have a strategic partnership with a hospital and an Early assurance Program with a medical school. Unlike Grinnell and Kenyon, it is located in a town (albeit small).
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Rhodes is an excellent LAC, is strong in sciences, and should serve as a good vehicle for your daughter to get into medical school. (I know someone who graduated from there a couple of years ago who is now in medical school; her mother had the same undergraduate/med school track.)
Perhaps your daughter can go to Admitted Students Days at the respective schools to find out whether she feels more comfortable at one more than another.
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Hi, thank you for your replies! She will be an athlete, and international student. Right now she is deciding between Rhodes, Kenyon, Centre, and Sewanee. She was accepted as a research fellow at Sewanee but it is a bit more expensive (£4000). Do you think it is worth it? And do you have any thoughts about Rhodes ?
Medical School admissions are tough. Perhaps the LECOM affiliate program (only at Rhodes) would be a consideration?
Being international changes things because internationals can’t get into US med schools (90+% don’t accept their application, some only accept applications from Canadians…) What’s her plan B?
For an athlete, getting along with teammates and with the coach’s style is paramount and would make a big difference.
Rhodes is an excellent LAC, perhaps more similar to Centre but urban. I like Centre better (more innovative curriculum) but ymmv on that point and it’s likely easier to get to.
Email the International student office to ask
1° if they organize airport pick ups and vacation runs
2° if internationals typically get invited for Fall break or Thanksgiving, if not do they organize sth foe students on campus?
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Thank you! Her plan B (or maybe A) is going to med school in her own country
I will send you a PM.
Thanks!
Why would you say lots of cute girls? What does that have to do with anything?
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Because Centre (like many others) has a lot of cute girls? I’m not sure what is wrong with that. And the girls I know who go there are cute—they are fun, nice, smart and personable, and often athletes as well. I think most kids are also down-to-earth and kind which makes it a positive to me.
Rhodes has a very close relationship with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and other hospitals in the area. This opens up quite a few uncommon health profession research, internship and fellowship opportunities for undergraduates at a LAC.
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Where does she plan to apply to medical school. International students are not accepted in U.S. medical schools in great numbers…and many are from Canada.
So…what is the plan?
I don’t know your country, but in many, medical school is done right out of college. You need to check your country to see if medical schools there accept students with bachelors degrees from here…or elsewhere.
LECOM evaluates international applicants on an individual bases.
Yes, I didn’t see she was international - it wasn’t in the initial post.
Thank you all very much. It is really helpful. Seems like she cant really choose wrong in her options. She knows how to continue in medicine here and what is possible (and not) and that med scbool in the U.S. might not be realistic.
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