I’m having a hard time deciding which school has the best undergraduate program for biology and prepares kids for med school. These are the lists of schools: College of Charleston, Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University, University of Richmond, Clemson University, Pepperdine University, Elon University, or University of Delaware. Thanks for the help!
Start by learning more about what becoming a strong med school applicant takes. Read thru the very informative FAQ at http://www.rhodes.edu/hpa/15890.asp They also have a nice writeup in the PreMed Essentials link on the left side of that page. There is also an excellent online handbook at Amherst I recommend to get an understanding of the process and what really matters
For deeper detail it would be a good idea to get a book about medical school admissions so you understand the entire process and what you should be doing to prepare the next several years.
One thing to avoid is placing any importance into acceptance numbers. Some schools boast incredible rates, but it boils down to one of two things. Either they start with great students (think Stanford, etc) or the school weeds out students. Look out especially for the “committee letter” which small schools with average students coming in wield like an axe to prevent all but the strongest applicants from applying right out of college; to no surprise, they often boast 90% or better med school “acceptance” numbers for their undergrads. Soon a regular poster will chime in to recommend one such school, Holy Cross.
I always ask kids that say they want to be doctors, why an M.D? Not that I know it is wrong for you, it may be the right fit, but have you actually looked into the medical field and considered the alternatives? From the day you start college it will be 11-15 years before you are a practicing doctor, depending on what field you go into. In other words, think back to 1st grade; all those years since then matches the minimum it will take to become a practicing doc! Its almost a reflex action among HS kids, they think of a career in medicine and its “I’m pre-med!” Doctors are far from the only ones in the health field that help people. Physical therapists, radiology techs, nurses, speech pathologists, to name but just a few. Before you go heavily into debt and commit so many years I suggest you explore the alternatives.
If others can comment on the amount of support (e.g., counseling, ECs, tutoring, etc.) the schools on your list offers premed students, that’s would be very beneficial to you. But undergrad bio is undergrad bio is undergrad bio, etc. at pretty much at any college, especially in lower division (LD) premed reqs. Profs just tend to teach LD bio, chem/ Ochem, physics, etc.; not LD bio, chem/Ochem, physics, etc for the premed student or as MCAT prep. Premed success is largely on the student’s shoulders, not the schools. And you don’t have to be bio major. You can major in anything that interests just as long as you do well GPA wise. Pick the school where you believe you’ll fit in the best and can graduate with little, if any debt. Good luck.
Undergrads do not “prepare you for med school.” That isn’t their job, so they don’t do that. Their job is to offer basic BCMP classes that are typically the same that other STEM students are taking, so obviously those classes aren’t “med school” or “MCAT” related.
Those BCMP aren’t special classes…they’re staple classes that virtually any good school does a good job offering. There isn’t some magic to any of it.
Since you’re OOS for those publics, it would be largely a waste of money to pay OOS costs at any. Your 28 ACT likely won’t get much/any merit from UDel or Clemson…likely not enough to justify the cost unless your parents are affluent and can easily pay for that and help with med school.
Since you do have a 28 ACT, I would NOT recommend that you attend a school where your stats are average or low. You should place yourself in a school where your stats are strong…so that you’re not weeded out because your classmates are stronger than you are.
@mom2collegekids I appreciate what you are trying to say, however an ACT score doesn’t determine how smart of a person I am. I understand where you are coming from when it comes to money, but I have already recieved money from a decent amount of these schools, so that is why I am considering them. It wasn’t my ACT that helped me, it was my GPA and other things the committee considered. I am a very dedicated and hard working student who has always wanted to go into the medical field. I am not worried about being “weeded” out because even if kids could be smarter than me, I am not afraid to put in more effort. Thanks again for the informatiom about colleges with biology programs in particular.
First, UG does not prepare for Med. School. There is a huge gap in academic level, not even close. UG does not even prepare for taking an MCAT, everybody prepares for the MCAT with exception of few geniuses (frankly I heard of zero number of these).
Second, your own success in UG and strength of your Med. School application will depend strictly on you, not the college.
Might as well attend at school that fits you personally the best and having UG free / tuition free / cheap is a very good idea if going to Med. School.
You will definitely need to work much much harder than you have been (based on ACT 28). ACT is very easy test that does not determine anything but a level of preparation. ACT 28 indicates that the preparation was minimal if any. This will not fly in a future if one considering Medical school.