Name some schools for middle son

[creekland]

I'm going to outright ask for some more names of colleges for middle son to consider.

 

He wants Pre-Med, and while he's not yet sure of a major, a school with a good rep for getting kids into Med School is important. VERY important.

 

And, as many know, our finances are not great and may not return to being decent before he goes to school. Even if they do return to being decent income-wise, I'm not sure our investments will return, so MERIT and NEED-based aid are going to be a biggie. If it's just need-based aid, it would get pulled if hubby's salary returned to "normal." I suppose just merit aid would be fine.

 

I think he'd do best in a smaller class environment, but he wants a lab 'cause if he doesn't become a doctor, he wants some sort of medical research. He wants to do research in undergrad anyway (bio/microbio, possibly chem). He's not a Greek scene kid. He's a "want to be in the lab with similar minded students and a great prof" type of kid.

 

I've prowled all sorts of websites and he's looked at schools via info sent from the PSAT/ACT. I'm getting tired of "basic" searches, so am asking for word of mouth options to consider. So far, he's actively considering:

 

Washington U in St Louis - his current top choice - small classes - great rep - decent rep for financial aid, but with a 15% acceptance rate he needs other options.

 

U of Pittsburgh - an instate choice. He's more or less guaranteed acceptance with his stats and will get in their Honors College, but they tend to offer more [great] aid to out of state students to get diversity. Also, we've no idea how the state budget cuts will affect them. They have large classes, but great opportunities for research. This may be a safety school.

 

Case Western - we've heard good things, but not a whole lot. We need to get to Ohio to visit. Right now, at the end of winter, he's preferring a place with better winters, but said he could get over it. Ohio might be too close to get good geographical diversity aid.

 

Furman - he's selected this one from info in a brochure, then looking at their web site. It seems nice for small classes and it's a little further away which might help aid. Googling online seems to bring up mostly positive reviews. Anyone have personal info?

 

Franklin and Marshall - we live awfully close to this one, so aid might be hard to get. It might not be far enough away to really interest him, but we're going to visit anyway.

 

Alabama - who can argue with guaranteed free tuition? And we might be in good position to be competitive for one of their free rides being further away. But... being so far away, it's tough to know (or find out online) how many students get into which medical schools from there. Plus, it's a REALLY big school... not a plus.

 

Baylor - we've heard some good things and wish we could visit. Aid might be good.

 

U of Rochester - his previous #1, but now it's at the bottom of his current list. Weather is a major factor as is the fact that aid here might not be as good as at some of his other options. He was also reading some comments online from Rate My Professor that did not impress him (students being upset that a prof would actually expect them to be quiet during a class - leading him to believe they talked their way through other classes without a problem).

 

Many of you live farther away from us and know about good schools in your area that we might be overlooking. Please, share names. Brag about a school you know about. We're not looking to send him to the west coast, but is there anything in the middle to eastern half of the US that is a hidden gem (to us)? I hadn't heard of oldest son's college until we started searching for exactly what he wanted and I heard about it via word of mouth. Sometimes it can be harder to hear about colleges without top sports teams. :tongue_smilie:

 

Religious, secular, it doesn't matter. Size only sort of matters (mid sized is best). Weather only sort of matters (warmer is better). He wants something he's going to love in the lab and I want the finances so we might be able to help him with med school even if our economy gets better. Then too, they need a good rep for getting IN to a good med school.

[Jane in NC]

What about Davidson? I'm not sure if they are terribly homeschool friendly, but they do have merit aid, small classes, good labs and demonstrated success with students in grad and professional programs.

[creekland]

What about Davidson? I'm not sure if they are terribly homeschool friendly, but they do have merit aid, small classes, good labs and demonstrated success with students in grad and professional programs.

 

It sounds promising. Thanks! Hubby would love to drop him off in NC so he could do a BBQ run at the same time. (He grew up near Wilson, which, while not close to Davidson, would definitely be on our "way home.") I don't suppose that should factor into middle son's equation though. I bet hubby would scribble it in on the "pro" side. ;)

[Jane Elliot]

At the risk of beginning to sound like an advertisement for LeTourneau, I'm going to suggest you take a look. I have a son there now who is Biology/PreDental.

 

Look at this page for information on medical schools that have accepted Letu grads: http://www.letu.edu/opencms/opencms/_Academics/Arts-Science/biology/medschool.html

 

Dh is an MD. I don't know what getting into med school is like these days, but back then undergraduate research was a big boost to his application. Letu has many opportunities for undergrad research, and their work is highly regarded. Ds has benefited greatly as team lead of the WHEELS project.

 

And, Letu is very generous with merit aid.

 

Plus, it's warm there, and it's not too big.

Edited March 25, 2011 by Luann in ID

[creekland]

At the risk of beginning to sound like an advertisement for LeTourneau, I'm going to suggest you take a look. I have a son there now who is Biology/PreDental.

 

Look at this page for information on medical schools that have accepted Letu grads: http://www.letu.edu/opencms/opencms/_Academics/Arts-Science/biology/medschool.html

 

Dh is an MD. I don't know what getting into med school is like these days, but back then undergraduate research was a big boost to his application. Letu has many opportunities for undergrad research, and their work is highly regarded. Ds has benefited greatly as team lead of the WHEELS project.

 

And, Letu is very generous with merit aid.

 

Plus, it's warm there, and it's not too big.

 

I WANT people to advertise schools they are happy with that fit our criteria. Prior to this board I didn't know LeTourneau existed and I'll admit to not looking at them much due to distance up till this point. I'll add it to his list to look over along with Davidson. He's gone this weekend on a youth retreat, but will be back Monday.

 

Thanks!

[Hoggirl]

It doesn't necessarily fit your need for "mid-size" as it is pretty small - around 1,300. It has a great reputation for hard sciences. They have been getting kids into medical schools for years! It is also in Lauren Pope's 40 Colleges That Change Lives. Tuition has really gone up over the last several years, but they are known for giving lots of merit and need-based aid.

 

This is my alma mater, so I probably have a bias. I had a classmate who got into Vandy for med school. My dad was a doctor and went to medical school in the '50s. Even then eight of the top ten in his class had gone to Hendrix for undergrad. This was in-state at UAMS.

 

HTH.

[memphispeg]

Rhodes is super great about mentoring kids and getting them some hands-on experiences via St. Judes and UT Medical school. They do some v. great academics. They have a good track record for getting students into their post-grad institution of choice. Their financial aid is quite good as well. It is v. small but, in a city so that is a plus.

[Jane Elliot]

I WANT people to advertise schools they are happy with that fit our criteria.

Thanks!

 

It's just that I've posted a lot about LeTourneau lately. I have two sons there now and one more planning to go in the fall. Incidentally, 17yos is not looking at LeTourneau, but is looking at your son's college -- Covenant.

[creekland]

Adding Hendrix and Rhodes - thanks for the suggestions! They both sound worth investigating. I honestly think word of mouth (via the internet anyway) can beat many computer searches.

 

Incidentally, 17yos is not looking at LeTourneau, but is looking at your son's college -- Covenant.

 

My oldest loves Covenant and is doing well there, but middle son wants his "own path" (so he tells us). I can respect that. I also know he wants a larger lab than they have with more options for research. They have some research and students have been published, he just wants more options. (They also have an 85% med school acceptance rate.) Oldest is doing the Business and Community Development route - not medical. I'm very pleased with his experience so far (as is he).