Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 20:20     Subject: small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
I can’t speak to UVA, but when my premed Chem major DS at a small SLAC got Covid and had to stay in the quarantine dorm, and was freaking out about the impact on his grades, his classmates rallied round and helped him get caught up, and his Orgo professor basically retaught the classes he missed in private sessions during office hours and made sure he had everything he needed to catch up. My DS ended up doing pretty well and went on to crush Orgo 2 but he once said to me that when he stumbled he was picked up and carried until he could walk again and he will be forever grateful.
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 20:19     Subject: small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
Anonymous wrote:Can't make the decision. For my DD it's between UVA and Oberlin. But the question here is more general. Is it better to go with a LAC that has smaller class size and better access to professors vs. a research university with access to the hospital and research opportunities?


Latter. Med ECs are key. Unless you are hooked for those already in the summers do UVA.
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 20:17     Subject: small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
Anonymous wrote:Would a pre-med undergrad ever have a need to access a teaching hospital? The pre-med emphasis will be on core sciences and not actual medicine.


Exactly. All this fuss about having access to a teaching hospital (I saw that on another thread too), doesn't even apply to undergrads. At all.
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 20:15     Subject: Re:small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Maybe consider a school with a pretty good med school and where you have a good chance of a stellar GPA and where you can have time to study for the med school entrance exams? How about VCU?


Too late. She didn't apply to VCU. We are still waiting on three more schools, but it really comes down to UVA and Oberlin at this point.


VCU isn't a good choice for this student just because it has a medical school. They would have the same issues with large lecture hall science classes designed to weed people out as UVA. UVA is a much better undergrad regardless, especially if one wants different options if premed fails.

Again, LAC with personal attention, small classes, more hand holding is a known strategy for those pursuing med school.
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 20:06     Subject: small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
Anonymous wrote:My DD went into UVA as pre med and did not stay that way. Chem killed her GPA and made her reconsider her career path.
She loves UVA and it was probably for the best that she got weeded out but I do wonder what would have happened at a small school with more personal attention. That said, she has lots of friends there who are still pre med so maybe it’s just her not being strong enough in stem.


Thank you for sharing this! Just wondering how radical the change in major was. Did she switch out of sciences completely?
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 20:05     Subject: Re:small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
Anonymous wrote:Maybe consider a school with a pretty good med school and where you have a good chance of a stellar GPA and where you can have time to study for the med school entrance exams? How about VCU?


Too late. She didn't apply to VCU. We are still waiting on three more schools, but it really comes down to UVA and Oberlin at this point.
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 20:04     Subject: small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
Women gifted in math and science go off to UVA for premed and come out as high school math teachers. The many I know from TJ, that's what happens and I think it has something to do with the environment for women.
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 20:01     Subject: Re:small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
Maybe consider a school with a pretty good med school and where you have a good chance of a stellar GPA and where you can have time to study for the med school entrance exams? How about VCU?
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 19:52     Subject: small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
My DD went into UVA as pre med and did not stay that way. Chem killed her GPA and made her reconsider her career path.
She loves UVA and it was probably for the best that she got weeded out but I do wonder what would have happened at a small school with more personal attention. That said, she has lots of friends there who are still pre med so maybe it’s just her not being strong enough in stem.
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 19:44     Subject: Re:small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
Great choices
Usually I’d personally pick uva but for pre med smaller seems better
Guessing uva has more of those weed out science classes h
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 19:39     Subject: small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
Anonymous wrote:There are often excellent research opportunities for students at LACs. My sophomore (at a different LAC) is about to start in a research group. And Oberlin is 11th per capita for students who go on to receive Ph.D.s in Biology, so I'd be surprised if there weren't good research opportunities there. (https://www.collegetransitions.com/dataverse/top-feeders-phd-programs#biological-sciences)


My DC graduated from Oberlin last year and did several research projects as well as one on one "readings" with professors. It was an excellent undergraduate experience.

The science departments are very strong.
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 19:19     Subject: small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
Anonymous wrote:Has she visited both schools. I would think she would instantly know. Oberlin is def. a very liberal/politically active place and UVA so much more traditional. where does she see herself. I have a premed student at an Ivy and it's pretty intense. I think I LAC would be less stressful.


OP here. We will be visiting Oberlin in a couple of weeks - have never been there before. She knows UVA really well because we used to live in Charlottesville. As of now, she cannot decide if she wants a bigger school or a small LAC. I agree that for med school the success of the undergrad (i.e., GPA) is extremely important. That's what she needs to focus on.
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 19:18     Subject: small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
You are not choosing a medical school, you are choosing a college. Pick the best fit for college.
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 19:06     Subject: small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
Has she visited both schools. I would think she would instantly know. Oberlin is def. a very liberal/politically active place and UVA so much more traditional. where does she see herself. I have a premed student at an Ivy and it's pretty intense. I think I LAC would be less stressful.
Anonymous
Post 03/22/2023 19:06     Subject: small LAC or state flagship for pre-med?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:GPA matters a lot for med school. I imagine smaller classes, more resources, easier to get a high GPA at an LAC like Oberlin than a flagship like UVA. Oberlin probably has an office dedicated to helping premeds get in.

You can do hospital time in the summer. Also researching with professors (I always question how legit undergraduate research really is but apparently we've decided it's a prerequisite for colleges) may be more accessible at Oberlin.

In any other instance, I would, without hesitation, pick UVA over Oberlin or any LAC. But if your tunnel vision objective is to get into medical school, I think Oberlin and small LACs in general are the better option.


Are you confusing law school with medical school ? Your last statement is inaccurate.


DP: No it's not--this is a known strategy for getting into med schools. You are not in the cut-throat weed-out classes at the university where only a certain percent of the pre-med folks will survive with a GPA to get into med schools. Med schools are very GPA focused.