Pre-Med Questions

[FreshmanWonders]

Hey everyone!

So I haven’t committed to LU yet, but I think I’m really liking the vibes here. I can definitely see myself going to LU. However, I don’t really know anyone who goes here or has graduated, so I’m not sure who to approach. I’ve done my fair share of research (visited, had a mini-interview with a Psych major, phone call with a Vocal major) but no one has been able to talk about the pre-med program directly.

So here are my questions:

1. Are LU pre-med students prepared well for the MCAT and do the courses available at Lawrence typically satisfy the med-school requirements?
2. Are there areas nearby that would allow me to gain clinical experience, or find an internship?
3. How easy is it to get into research?
4. The LU website says that students “have high success rates at entering medical careers (between 2/3 and 3/4 of students applying to medical schools in a given year are offered admission.” This is pretty high, so I’m inclined to feel a little skeptical. How accurate is this? Are there lots of pre med students that get in, or just a few of which the majority are admitted (which would explain the high fraction)?
5. Does anyone have any tips for a prospective pre-med student, in general?

Thanks in advance!

[TytoAlba]

I’ve read many schools weed down their medical school candidates such that only the best are allowed apply. So the 2/3 admittance may not be based on the total number originally planning to go.

[FreshmanWonders]

Thanks for the quick response! That totally confirms my suspicions.

[FreshmanWonders]

Is there anyone out there who can answer some of my other questions?

[TytoAlba]

This forum doesn’t get much traffic. It you want comparison purposes, remember all schools play games with how they report their numbers. No school is going to present numbers putting them at a disadvantage. Kenyon, for example, lists nearly 100% medical acceptance for those “scoring at least a 32 on the MCAT AND having at least a 3.5 GPA.”

[TytoAlba]

Why don’t you ask on the LU 2020 Facebook page?

[MYOS1634]

Lu dors offer all the courses you need for Mrs school and is exceptionally strong in the sciences, especially Physics. An issue is that almost half freshmen enter thinking they’ll be premed, but while weed out is gentle compared to large universities, some don’t get into the required pace and work ethics until too late and capsize their GPA, others simply discover other subjects and professions they’re as interested in as medicine. Lu doesn’t prevent anyone from applying but there’s a natural winnoIng at the orgo level -that class is just HARD.
Ask about the R1program wrt research.

[cellomom2]

My D started out pre-med at Lawrence but has now decided to pursue a research career so I can’t answer all your questions about pre-med specifically, but can answer some of your other questions.
She landed a research position last year, after her freshman year, working with one of her professors
In her lab for the summer so there are definitely research opportunities at Lawrence. Also, when she was still planning to pursue pre-med another of her professors offered to help her set up a clinical experience in the community of Appleton. So those opportunities are available also.

[FreshmanWonders]

Thank you for the helpful responses! I’ve heard all the horror stories and such about people dropping from pre-med like flies. I think I’m pretty dedicated in the whole studying area, and I’m going to have a lot more time to study since I won’t be involved in extracurriculars 24/7 like I was in high school.

I heard Organic Chem is a hard class, but with the right time management and dedication, it is possible to do well. Is it really that horrid? I was hoping since classes at LU are pretty small, I’d be able to reach out to the professor for help and such.

And I’m glad to hear there are clinical/ research opportunities! That was one of the things that I was looking for especially.