Amherst College vs USC w/ Presidential Scholarship

[Nephh]

Planning to go for premed for these undergrad schools, which would you guys recommend is better for admission to top tier medical schools?

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[68PGunner]

If you are dead set on applying to medical schools, I would go to USC purely for research opportunities.

If you want to be a lawyer, you should go to Amherst.

 

[RunawayGrape]

USC, especially if it's going to be cheaper.

 

[bonedoc5576]

I'll second USC. My daughter had great success applying from USC undergrad this cycle; had to turn down multiple interview invites simply because she received far more interviews than she expected, and landed a full-ride merit offer from a top tier. There are far fewer premeds at USC than at peer schools such as UCLA or Emory so more opportunity. As a presidential scholar, you will already have a leg up on the competition. You'll have to work hard as you would anywhere else, but you will also have the ultimate college experience!

 

[numbersloth]

Don't go to a small LAC in the northeast.

-A student at a small LAC in the northeast

 

[Spoderman]

I think it depends on what you want, personally. I went to a school similar to Amherst (same conference) and had a great experience, but that school suited my needs perfectly at the time. If research is a huge concern for you, USC has more to offer. If you prioritize smaller class size, Amherst might fit the bill. I will say that the NESCAC schools are pretty tough to excel at in terms of GPA, so keep that in mind.

 

[tessellations]

While there tend to be less research opportunities at Amherst, it is possible to do research (and take classes) down the road (literally) at UMass. The 5-College Consortium could let you get a liberal arts education without necessarily limiting you.

I'd consider price and where you feel like you most belong.

 

[tarheelpenner]

Is this USC southern california or USC south carolina?

 

[efle]

What are the costs for attending each?

admission to top tier medical schools

Neither of these schools is going to be much better than the other, as long as Amherst will still have some research opportunities.

 

[JPSmyth]

Southern California has better weather and USC is a good school. With D1 sports. And it sounds like it's cheaper. I wouldn't even hesitate.

 

[Geo16]

USC. Here is USC for another vote.

Plus: There are many hospitals around USC that your daughter can volunteer.
Dignity & UCLA Orthopedic are just 10 min walk away. There are small clinics that serve underserved population as well.

-From a guy who attends a CC nearby USC

 

[Ampharos]

I chose the school I'm at now over USC w/ trustee scholly so this is just my opinion.

USC has many more research opportunities, but you must consider if you'd be happy with the culture as well. For me, I didn't want a culture that was so heavily skewed toward sports and Greek life. The class sizes are also ginormous and I would have felt overwhelmed and miserable had I attended USC. I also didn't want to go to college with everyone I went to high school with. I have no regrets going to the college I'm at now. Feel free to message me if you have any questions.

Congrats on your options! My vote is strongly in favor of Amherst.

 

[efle]

I chose the school I'm at now over USC w/ trustee scholly so this is just my opinion.

USC has many more research opportunities, but you must consider if you'd be happy with the culture as well. For me, I didn't want a culture that was so heavily skewed toward sports and Greek life. The class sizes are also ginormous and I would have felt overwhelmed and miserable had I attended USC. I also didn't want to go to college with everyone I went to high school with. I have no regrets going to the college I'm at now. Feel free to message me if you have any questions.

My vote is strongly in favor of Amherst.

Did you pick a small LAC over it, similar to Amherst? Or just a different medium sized research university?

 

[Ampharos]

Did you pick a small LAC over it, similar to Amherst? Or just a different medium sized research university?

I ended up going to a small research school similar to a LAC.

Will tell OP though that you may need to work a bit harder to secure research at a LAC. Not sure how USC students land when compared to Amherst students.

 

[Skittsie13]

OP, I went to a small liberal arts college and no one on campus had absolutely any issue finding research experience. A small, highly-regarded LAC will probably give you a better undergrad research experience than a big university, since there won't be any graduate students to compete with.

That said, it really depends on your financial situation. If Amherst is affordable for your family, you should go there. But if you'd have to take out loans or it would be tight financially, I would go for USC. Minimizing debt is crucial.

 

[Toutie]

OP, I went to a small liberal arts college and no one on campus had absolutely any issue finding research experience. A small, highly-regarded LAC will probably give you a better undergrad research experience than a big university, since there won't be any graduate students to compete with.

That said, it really depends on your financial situation. If Amherst is affordable for your family, you should go there. But if you'd have to take out loans or it would be tight financially, I would go for USC. Minimizing debt is crucial.

Unless you are being given a lot of $$$ assistance, USC (if it is Southern Cal we are talking about) will not be that much less than Amherst. Both will run your over $250K for 4 years. You do NOT want to have that kind of debt on top of medical school debt. If you are not being given a substantial amount of aid to attend either of these 2, I would find a cheaper school.

Edit: okay I missed the Presidential scholarship part. Looks like that means it covers half tuition. That certainly makes it better. BUT...in reality even at 1/2 tuition the COA for USC will still run more than the full COA of your local state school. What state are you from?

 

[efle]

Unless you are being given a lot of $$$ assistance

USC w/ Presidential Scholarship

 

[Toutie]

Yep, I saw that after my post and edited it. BUT...still...even with 1/2 tuition covered, the COA for SC is still significantly higher than attending a UC (if they are a CA resident). It is much better than full price at Amherst though.

 

[Turkishking]

I wish I went to a liberal arts school. Less competition at times, and more individualized time from professors.

I don't really enjoy large state schools. You will experience the cut-throat nature. And what really gets me angry is, half of these kids at my school are doing pre-med because they're parents said so, and they think they're going to be making a lot of money! Great for them. I hope all of these kids fail out.

 

[Nephh]

Cost won't be an issue, but I heard that the Presidential Scholarship at USC has some perks (Honors College, professional mentoring, etc.)

 

[tessellations]

Another thing to consider is the physical location. Amherst is a pretty small town, but it's cute. Northampton is pretty hip and a fairly easy bus/car ride away, but it's also pretty small. If you like cities more than anything else, Amherst isn't really going to jive with you. Additionally, it's not that close to any cities (like ~2 hours away from Boston). There are fun things to do from time to time though - Northampton tends to have pretty cool concerts if you like more indie stuff and UMass sometimes gets some big things. Lots of talks and academic events too since there are 5 colleges in the area.