<p>Im planning to become a radiologist (hopefully) and am I senior in high school, looking for a college in which I will be able to stand out and have a very good GPA, so not an extremely competitive, prestigious school like Harvard or anything but a smaller, less competitive school that still provides very strong academic quality. Im looking at schools like Franklin and Marshall, Haverford, etc but I want more options (and if anyone knows anything about those two schools in particular please let me know!(: ). Any suggestions?</p>
<p>So, to summarize, you want as school that has top quality academics, relaxed grading, and a student body dumb enough that you will easily rise to the top of the class.</p>
<p>There is no such place.</p>
<p>I don’t know about F&M, but having looked at Haverford, yes, it’s less competitive in that once you get in, it’s not cut-throat like Johns Hopkins, and no one talks about grades, but to think that anyone easily stands out there is laughable. It’s possibly more academically intense than many/most of the Ivies.</p>
<p>If you want an inflated GPA, word is Brown has the highest GPAs known to mankind. And the old joke about Harvard is, you think it’s hard getting into Harvard, try flunking out.</p>
<p>No! I don’t want inflated GPAs or dumb peers, I just want a more relaxed atmosphere that provides quality academics but without the “cut-throat” aspect that you associate with Johns Hopkins.</p>
<p>^no worries, Johns Hopkins isn’t cut throat anyways. despite what the ill-informed poster above you might say.</p>
<p>Try and visit schools you’re interested in instead of relying on baseless analysis from this site.</p>
<p>Might try Holy Cross-top25 LAC 1 hour from Boston.</p>
<p>I find it interesting that no school ever admits to being competitive and they all say everyone sings Kumbaya at sundown, yet when lists of competitive schools come up, JHU is almost always on the list.</p>
<p>Anyway, back to OPs original question, you were on the right track. The top LACs will typically offer the quality academics you seek with a more cooperative atmosphere. Can’t say all of them offer the cooperative atmosphere, but when you only have 300-500 people in a class, it’s tough to be anonymous and familiarity probably leads to a more cooperative environment.</p>
<p>But I wouldn’t rule out the top universities either. Perhaps what you are trying to avoid are the known grind schools that absolutely make students work for every “A”. Commonly perceived grind schools are CalTech, MIT, Chicago, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Harvey Mudd, and Swarthmore. I’m sure others can add to the list.</p>
<p>
Who makes those lists though? I’ve heard that my previous school was cutthroat but based on how I saw the premeds studying for their exams (at both my LAC and the larger university which it was affiliated with), I’d say it was anything but. In fact, I’d argue that as the difficulty of the work ratchets up it becomes increasingly necessary to collaborate with one’s peers so as to do as well as possible.</p>
<p>Competitive to get into but not competitive among students is Reed - they don’t even issue grades unless you request it. Excellent education.</p>
<p>What part of the country would you like to be in?</p>
<p>A relaxed atmosphere with strong academics? Try Whitman. It sounds like it is what you’re looking for.</p>
<p>My understanding is that Reed issues grades, they just don’t tell you what they are unless you ask for them. Don’t think for a minute that Reed is a place where student’s don’t work very hard. </p>
<p>I agree with MrMom62’s list of grind schools. My D wanted that kind of school, and even she thought JHU was the “grindiest” (yes, coining an new word :)) and left it off her list. I think they have this reputation partly because of the pre-med focus. We met with an acquaintance who teaches a science there, and at the time my D was interested in pursuing research (not med school) in that science. The prof was SO excited to meet a student who wasn’t just in it for the grade (and said so). My D is now happily at one of the other schools on MrMom62’s list – working her tail off, and very pleased with her choice.</p>
<p>OP, Franklin & Marshall does not give any merit aid. So if you figure you might as well go someplace where you can stand out AND get a price break for what I presume are high end stats, skip them. There are a lot of LACs to consider. Whitman, Dickinson, Kenyon has a nice bio department, Lawrence, Macalester.</p>
<p>There are tons of great LACs that would fit your bill. Go through the USNWR list (not for the rankings, but because it is a good list of LACs) and see what suits you. In visiting the LACs we found that they each had a personality so to speak so it is important to visit and find and environment you feel comfortable with. The schools we particularly liked for my D (who wanted to study science at a LAC) included: Lafayette, F&M, and Union. Other schools to look into could include: Dickinson, Skidmore, Bucknell, Bates…and the list can go on and on.<br>
[National</a> Liberal Arts College Rankings | Top Liberal Arts Colleges | US News Best Colleges](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges]National”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges)</p>
<p>Intparent mentioned it, but check out Whitman. Not easy, but collaborative, lots of resources to help and professors who really care. If you like the smaller town atmosphere, it is a lovely place. It is a long way from any big cities however.</p>
<p>Wesleyan U in Ct has high med school acceptance rates and does not seem like a cut throat environment. Union in upstate NY is another suggestion.</p>
<p>In the Midwest and South, Lawrence, Knox, Earlham, Beloit, Centre, Hendrix, Rhodes. All great schools with a collaborative environment, smart kids, and personal attention for pre-meds (as well as high acceptance rates).</p>
<p>what about Bryn Mawr College?</p>
<p>Juniata in PA?</p>
<p>This is the one thing we got out of college visits – it was very easy to tell very quickly which schools had a cooperative atmosphere and which ones had a cut throat atmosphere. (Heck, it was possible to tell that just from looking at the other families in the waiting room in the admissions office.) At one school that’s really laid back, they actually seemed confused by people asking questions like “what’s the competition like here?” I’m keeping my list of cooperative schools to myself – ask me next year, after my kids get in.</p>
<p>sent you a private message</p>
<p>If you’re female, you may want to consider the many excellent women’s schools (or former women’s schools). They often have excellent academics, research opportunities, and are not competitive amongst the students: Smith, Wells, Vassar, Mt. Holyoke, Bryn Mawr, Barnard. West coast there’s Mills, Scripps, Simmons. Women’s colleges tend to produce graduates who go on to receive a higher level of professional degrees and Ph.D.s.</p>