HELPPP !!! Whitman or UW !!!!!

[jordanbeannn]

okay so i am a senior, i applied to Whitman in Walla Walla, washington and UW in Seattle.

I am from california but my dad lives in washington and my main goal was to go to a college somewhat near him so that is why im going there.

Now the big question is, if i get into both which do i choose ?

with Whitman, i love the school and its academics but it is 4 and a half hours away from seattle where my dad lives. plus, walla walla doesnt sound so exciting to me. im afraid that ill get bored with life out there being so used to just running outside and going to the beach. im afraid ill neglect my studies and get so fed up and depressed.

with UW, i love that school as well. its in seattle, very close to my dad. its in the city so i know ill have fun and ill atleast enjoy myself during school.

a significance also is, i know small classes are better for learning for most and since whitman is a small school most will say that is a plus but for me that is a negative. i need to have fun, meet new people, and enjoy myself or else i get so fed up with life i hate learning and doing work.

so really, will i have a good time in walla walla ? which is the best choice ? which will give me more of a chance to get into UW medical school ? any other facts you have please let me know....i am stressing out like crazy !

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[funkydrmonkey]

Why is this not in h.SDN? :cry:

 

[202781]

DO NOT GO TO WHITMAN.

You might think that it will help you get into medical school because it is a small liberal arts college...but it will not. You will get just as good (if not better) of an education at UW, and you will have better pre-med advisors, you will be near interesting places to volunteer and it will cost you (or your parents probably $50k less.

UW is a:
Better school
Better location (Whitman is in one of the most boring towns in the world)
Better peers (All my friends that go to whitman say the kids are pretty much all the same and they are mostly rich, stuck up people.)


My friends who went to Whitman are still trying to get into medical school/ pharm school...while my friends that went to UW all have gotten into their graduate programs.

 

[megamega]

I never even heard of Whitman, and I'm a WA resident. You probably should go to a school that medical schools will recognize. You should also go to the school that will give you better research and clinical opportunities. So, you should go to UW.

 

[Dissected]

You might think that it will help you get into medical school because it is a small liberal arts college...but it will not. You will get just as good (if not better) of an education at UW, and you will have better pre-med advisors, you will be near interesting places to volunteer and it will cost you (or your parents probably $50k less.

UW is a:
Better school
Better location (Whitman is in one of the most boring towns in the world)
Better peers (All my friends that go to whitman say the kids are pretty much all the same and they are mostly rich, stuck up people.)


My friends who went to Whitman are still trying to get into medical school/ pharm school...while my friends that went to UW all have gotten into their graduate programs.

This thread has had the EXACT same discussion for the past few posts:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=605052



Sankond, I tend to agree with you, but I also realize the benefits of a liberal arts school. Either one would get you into med school given you are smart enough/have the drive/get enough exp. in the field & the grades to cut it.

That said, UW is waaay cheaper and has a lot of opportunities in and around the campus. My vote is UW.

My vote is also to move this to hSDN 😀

I never even heard of Whitman, and I'm a WA resident. You probably should go to a school that medical schools will recognize. You should also go to the school that will give you better research and clinical opportunities. So, you should go to UW.

really? dang, a ton of my friends from high school went there.

Oh, and recognition is not THAT big of a deal. Plus Im sure adcoms have seen applicants from Whitman in the past, they probably have a little bit more familiarity with undergrads than you do....only because its part of their job, not because you are ignorant 😀

 

[TexanGirl]

Why are people assuming UW is the cheaper route? Since the OP is from California, he would be paying an exorbitant, out-of-state sticker price for UW. Personally, I'd go for an in-state public (being from CA, you've got plenty of great choices) or Whitman (which may offer a nice financial aid package.)

And OP, if you want to increase your chances of being accepted to UW for medical school, become a WA resident. But I don't think moving there for college will be enough.

 

[searun]

DO NOT GO TO WHITMAN.

You might think that it will help you get into medical school because it is a small liberal arts college...but it will not. You will get just as good (if not better) of an education at UW, and you will have better pre-med advisors, you will be near interesting places to volunteer and it will cost you (or your parents probably $50k less.

UW is a:
Better school
Better location (Whitman is in one of the most boring towns in the world)
Better peers (All my friends that go to whitman say the kids are pretty much all the same and they are mostly rich, stuck up people.)


My friends who went to Whitman are still trying to get into medical school/ pharm school...while my friends that went to UW all have gotten into their graduate programs.

Your comment is ignorant. I know for a fact that a good number of Whitman students are accepted to Washington med school every year. Whitman is a ranked top tier liberal arts college according to US News and World Reports.

The quality of the undergrad education at Whitman is much better than Washington according to the Princeton Review. The average SAT scores at Whitman are much higher than the University of Washington - Whitman is a more competitive undergrad school with brighter students. The admissions committee at the University of Washington is quite familiar with Whitman, since it accepts so many of its graduates every year. Oh, and you don't have graduate students, many of whom can barely speak English, teaching your science classes. You actually are taught by experienced professors, not kids who are just starting to shave, in classes with 20 students instead of 300. And the financial aid packages are great, so probably won't cost you more than out of state tuition.

The University of Washington is a fine public school, but your criticism of Whitman is just nonsense.

 

[skiqueen]

I went to Whitman and though it was an EXCELLENT school. Small class sizes, easy to do research with profs who really cared and spend tons of one-on-one time with me, and really great pre-med advising. I felt I got a wonderful education and wouldn't have traded it for anything. I have done very well in this application process, and I know many, many people form Whitman who have gone to UW and OHSU for med school, as well as many other great schools around the country. Although it's not as well known as UW, most people on the interview trail, often on the East coast had heard of it and held the school in high regard. I could write a hugely lengthy email about this school, but won't bother right now. Feel free to send me a private message, OP, if you would like and more input. I feel it is very important to consider whether you would enjoy living in a small town vs a city. I had a lot of fun in Walla Walla, and there is always a lot going on on the Whitman campus, but I could see that others might prefer a larger city. Please people, don't bash on Whitman. You don't know anything about it!

 

[DrWookie]

Whitman is a great school. The only thing that would make me hestitant is the options you would have during school for volunteer/shadow/out of school experiences. Walla walla is a SMALL town and is very isolated...so you are extremely limited in the out of school experiences you can get.

That being said, the IN school experiences will probably be far superior. I would much rather take an O-chem class with 30 people in the class instead of 200. Not to mention your classes will be taught by professors, instead of grad students. So when it comes time for letters you won't have to worry about "Which professors know me the best? I only spoke to them like 3 times". You will have professors that know you not just because you did well in their class, but because you have actually had interaction with them.

This is coming from someone who is graduating for a small liberal arts college about the same size of Whitman, but in a city. Like I said, I would only worry about the isolation, the actual school is great.

 

[searun]

The education that you would receive at Whitman is superb. The professors will know you and support you. It is located in a small town in a rural area. If you love the outdoors, you will flourish. The location is beautiful. But you need to decide if you are just an urban person. But Whitman is a first rate, wonderful school.

 

[megamega]

really? dang, a ton of my friends from high school went there.

Oh, and recognition is not THAT big of a deal. Plus Im sure adcoms have seen applicants from Whitman in the past, they probably have a little bit more familiarity with undergrads than you do....only because its part of their job, not because you are ignorant 😀

Didn't mean to offend anyone, I just never heard of it before. So, all I can say is that UW has a great research program that allows undergraduates to get involved in several research opportunities (Examples are the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Friday Harbor Laboratory Apprenticeship Program, and their Integrative Research Internship Program). UW, also, has Six Nobel Laureates. There are many opportunities to shadow physicians at the medical center and other hospitals in Seattle. There are also many different seminars held at UW that offer information about applying to medical school. Basically, UW offers a lot of helpful resources for pre-meds.

 

[Dissected]

Didn't mean to offend anyone, I just never heard of it before. So, all I can say is that UW has a great research program that allows undergraduates to get involved in several research opportunities (Examples are the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Friday Harbor Laboratory Apprenticeship Program, and their Integrative Research Internship Program). UW, also, has Six Nobel Laureates. There are many opportunities to shadow physicians at the medical center and other hospitals in Seattle. There are also many different seminars held at UW that offer information about applying to medical school. Basically, UW offers a lot of helpful resources for pre-meds.

no offense taken 🙂. I was just surprised that you had never heard of it, thats all.

 

[202781]

Your comment is ignorant. I know for a fact that a good number of Whitman students are accepted to Washington med school every year. Whitman is a ranked top tier liberal arts college according to US News and World Reports.

The quality of the undergrad education at Whitman is much better than Washington according to the Princeton Review. The average SAT scores at Whitman are much higher than the University of Washington - Whitman is a more competitive undergrad school with brighter students. The admissions committee at the University of Washington is quite familiar with Whitman, since it accepts so many of its graduates every year. Oh, and you don't have graduate students, many of whom can barely speak English, teaching your science classes. You actually are taught by experienced professors, not kids who are just starting to shave, in classes with 20 students instead of 300. And the financial aid packages are great, so probably won't cost you more than out of state tuition.

The University of Washington is a fine public school, but your criticism of Whitman is just nonsense.

...did I ever say that people who go to Whitman do not get into medical school?

Whitman costs $34,000/year for tuition while an OOS student at UW pays $23,000

So both are expensive but over 4 years you save $44,000.

Also. 3 people from my HS went to whitman and everyone of them said they hated the location and 2/3 of them said they had the most annoying classmates. Sure, you will only have 30 people in your class and Whitman will give you a great education. But I think that one would be a more well rounded person if they spent 4 years from 18-22 in Seattle amongst a VERY diverse population vs. going to Whitman (Read: White-Man). While you may be surrounded by a few idiots at UW because it is a public school, most pre-meds end up associating with other pre-meds and you will get out of an education what you put into it. If I were him I would join the honors college at UW and he will be surrounded by people just as talented as he would be at Whitman except he would not be in the middle of nowhere and have more classes he could potentially take.

Ohh...and my friends who went to Whitman used the same textbooks I did, got worse grades, know less, are in debt, have never had sex, have not had easy access to volunteer oportunities and clinical shadowing that I have. (And I went to a state school that is MUCH worse than UW)

 

[CurrySpice]

Whitman is great, but it seems like the OP is definitely leaning more towards UW. Both are great schools, and I think you should just make a decision and not look back.
I chose St. Olaf (tiny LAC) over Whitman, as well as othe LACs and publics. Whitman was just a little TOO isolated for my taste (plus it was really hard to get transport home from). I love my small classes; I spent a week at PennState recently and I went to some classes with my friend, with a couple hundred kids... and I've never loved my decision better. I do get often get tired of the small town and the same people, but at the same time I have a car to get off campus and it is nice to run into your friends all over. For ME, a small LAC was perfect, for the OP, maybe not so much.

 

[Upgrayedd]

...did I ever say that people who go to Whitman do not get into medical school?

Whitman costs $34,000/year for tuition while an OOS student at UW pays $23,000

So both are expensive but over 4 years you save $44,000.

Also. 3 people from my HS went to whitman and everyone of them said they hated the location and 2/3 of them said they had the most annoying classmates. Sure, you will only have 30 people in your class and Whitman will give you a great education. But I think that one would be a more well rounded person if they spent 4 years from 18-22 in Seattle amongst a VERY diverse population vs. going to Whitman (Read: White-Man). While you may be surrounded by a few idiots at UW because it is a public school, most pre-meds end up associating with other pre-meds and you will get out of an education what you put into it. If I were him I would join the honors college at UW and he will be surrounded by people just as talented as he would be at Whitman except he would not be in the middle of nowhere and have more classes he could potentially take.

Ohh...and my friends who went to Whitman used the same textbooks I did, got worse grades, know less, are in debt, have never had sex, have not had easy access to volunteer oportunities and clinical shadowing that I have. (And I went to a state school that is MUCH worse than UW)

Hi folks, I just decided to drop in to BACK YOU UP 110%!!!!!

As someone who went to a NW liberal arts college (no names mentioned), I've got a few minor points to make to any high school students considering that route that mirror what sankond said, and it is also SUPPORTED by what the pro-whitman/pro-liberal arts students are saying, I just have a different spin on it...

1) The admission SAT/GPA for UW vs. liberal arts favors the liberal arts school, meaning that your classes are FAR more competitive. You have no one to tow the anchor and bring up the curve. And guess where the top 15% of the already academically superior students end up? You guessed it, right in the pre-med track!

2) Med schools don't know what the f$%k a Whitman/Whitworth/Willamette is. Most people on the East Coast think they are 2-year colleges who people who can't get into UW go to. I've been asked why after getting a 1450 on my SAT, and having a 3.9 HS GPA I went to such a poor college (the fact that the med school had my SAT score gives away which school this was at... but I digress...) I had to explain to em what my school even was.

3) That top 15% of your liberal arts class which you are now competeing with for grades will rape your GPA. No where else will you find splits like a 3.1/35R, 3.0/34S, 3.4/36, 3.5/37. Those are real numbers, and guess how those first two did (in fact, how ALL Of them did since the last two were CA students...)

4) Like wild sex? Yeah, good luck with that one...

5) Conclusion: less fun, and less chance of getting into med school. But gosh darn it, your a well rounded, bitter person now!

 

[searun]

Hi folks, I just decided to drop in to BACK YOU UP 110%!!!!!

As someone who went to a NW liberal arts college (no names mentioned), I've got a few minor points to make to any high school students considering that route that mirror what sankond said, and it is also SUPPORTED by what the pro-whitman/pro-liberal arts students are saying, I just have a different spin on it...

1) The admission SAT/GPA for UW vs. liberal arts favors the liberal arts school, meaning that your classes are FAR more competitive. You have no one to tow the anchor and bring up the curve. And guess where the top 15% of the already academically superior students end up? You guessed it, right in the pre-med track!

2) Med schools don't know what the f$%k a Whitman/Whitworth/Willamette is. Most people on the East Coast think they are 2-year colleges who people who can't get into UW go to. I've been asked why after getting a 1450 on my SAT, and having a 3.9 HS GPA I went to such a poor college (the fact that the med school had my SAT score gives away which school this was at... but I digress...) I had to explain to em what my school even was.

3) That top 15% of your liberal arts class which you are now competeing with for grades will rape your GPA. No where else will you find splits like a 3.1/35R, 3.0/34S, 3.4/36, 3.5/37. Those are real numbers, and guess how those first two did (in fact, how ALL Of them did since the last two were CA students...)

4) Like wild sex? Yeah, good luck with that one...

5) Conclusion: less fun, and less chance of getting into med school. But gosh darn it, your a well rounded, bitter person now!

I graduated from a small highly regarded liberal arts college, not Whitman, but similar in many ways. I received a great financial aid package and graduated with less than $15,000 in debt, so it actually was cheaper than my state school. I currently am a 2nd year med student at a top 10 Ivy League med school and am doing very well academically. I have a scholarship at my med school that covers my tuition. My undergrad gpa was above 3.8 and my MCAT was high.

Gosh, I guess you can succeed as a graduate of a small liberal arts college. And if you are afraid that your classmates are too bright and will drag down your gpa, well, guess what, medical school is competitive, if you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Oh, and my undergrad social life was great, and yep, people on campus were actually having sex. The guy with the three friends who couldn't get laid and could not get admitted to med school, well, these are his friends, what can I say.

Small colleges are not for everyone....but they are wonderful for some people. Like med school, selecting a college is all about personal fit. But a small liberal arts college can certainly launch a very successful career in medicine if you have what it takes.

 

[DrWookie]

I graduated from a small highly regarded liberal arts college, not Whitman, but similar in many ways. I received a great financial aid package and graduated with less than $15,000 in debt, so it actually was cheaper than my state school. I currently am a 2nd year med student at a top 10 Ivy League med school and am doing very well academically. I have a scholarship at my med school that covers my tuition. My undergrad gpa was above 3.8 and my MCAT was high.

Gosh, I guess you can succeed as a graduate of a small liberal arts college. And if you are afraid that your classmates are too bright and will drag down your gpa, well, guess what, medical school is competitive, if you cannot stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Oh, and my undergrad social life was great, and yep, people on campus were actually having sex. The guy with the three friends who couldn't get laid and could not get admitted to med school, well, these are his friends, what can I say.

Small colleges are not for everyone....but they are wonderful for some people. Like med school, selecting a college is all about personal fit. But a small liberal arts college can certainly launch a very successful career in medicine if you have what it takes.

Thank you 🙂

I sorry (this is directed to the poster above this one) if you had trouble maintaining good grades when your peers were actually competition. But I also am graduating from a liberal arts school in the NW (no names) with a 4.0 (Okay well a 3.98 or something because of one B in italian 🙁). it can be done, you just maybe need to, oh I don't know, work hard?

 

[futIDdoc]

Your comment is ignorant. I know for a fact that a good number of Whitman students are accepted to Washington med school every year. Whitman is a ranked top tier liberal arts college according to US News and World Reports.

The quality of the undergrad education at Whitman is much better than Washington according to the Princeton Review. The average SAT scores at Whitman are much higher than the University of Washington - Whitman is a more competitive undergrad school with brighter students. The admissions committee at the University of Washington is quite familiar with Whitman, since it accepts so many of its graduates every year. Oh, and you don't have graduate students, many of whom can barely speak English, teaching your science classes. You actually are taught by experienced professors, not kids who are just starting to shave, in classes with 20 students instead of 300. And the financial aid packages are great, so probably won't cost you more than out of state tuition.

The University of Washington is a fine public school, but your criticism of Whitman is just nonsense.

1st bold--The very last thing you should base your decision on is where US-NEWS and princeton rate a school. I am from a mid west state where the flagship school (continually rated in top 10 for NIH, NSF, and DOD research funding, 20+ Nobel laureates, 4 HHMI researchers) was rated lower than a lib arts college in my state for producing scientists by USnews. HA!

2nd Bold-- Yeah, hate to go to a place that recruits the smartest people in the world to come there.

3rd Bold-- Yeah, if you want an intimate setting to learn gen chem and gen bio in, then dont go to a big school. All of your upper-level (read: fun and interesting classes) will be in groups of 20-30 at a big school though.

 

[DrWookie]

1st bold--The very last thing you should base your decision on is where US-NEWS and princeton rate a school. I am from a mid west state where the flagship school (continually rated in top 10 for NIH, NSF, and DOD research funding, 20+ Nobel laureates, 4 HHMI researchers) was rated lower than a lib arts college in my state for producing scientists by USnews. HA!

2nd Bold-- Yeah, hate to go to a place that recruits the smartest people in the world to come there.

3rd Bold-- Yeah, if you want an intimate setting to learn gen chem and gen bio in, then dont go to a big school. All of your upper-level (read: fun and interesting classes) will be in groups of 20-30 at a big school though.

I think the point of the second sentence you bolded is that you are ONLY taught by professors and never have to deal with TAs who really don't give a damn. Professors at a liberal arts college, especially in the sciences, tend to WANT to be there because they love teaching, whereas many professors at a large state school don't give a damn about most of the classes they teach.

At a smaller school ALL of your classes (and labs, conferences, everything) are taught by the professor. You get to know the professor really well, and they know you not just because of the grades you get but because of your personality etc... That all makes for FAR more personal and meaningful letters when it comes time to ask them because they actually know who you are aside from the fact that you did well in their class.

I actually had trouble picking which science professors I wanted to write my letters, I had like 6 that all knew me really well and I knew would write awesome letters...they all knew my hobbies, my experiences etc... without having to give them a resume when I asked for a letter.

 

[searun]

1st bold--The very last thing you should base your decision on is where US-NEWS and princeton rate a school. I am from a mid west state where the flagship school (continually rated in top 10 for NIH, NSF, and DOD research funding, 20+ Nobel laureates, 4 HHMI researchers) was rated lower than a lib arts college in my state for producing scientists by USnews. HA!

2nd Bold-- Yeah, hate to go to a place that recruits the smartest people in the world to come there.

3rd Bold-- Yeah, if you want an intimate setting to learn gen chem and gen bio in, then dont go to a big school. All of your upper-level (read: fun and interesting classes) will be in groups of 20-30 at a big school though.

You are missing the point that I am trying to make. I am not being critical of large public universities - they are great for alot of people. I am simply pointing out that small liberal arts colleges have alot of advantages that are very appealing for some people, certainly not all people. One advantage is not having to take classes taught by grad students/teaching assistants. Conversely, large public schools can offer experiences that are not available at small colleges, like big time football (unfortunately the University of Washington no longer plays big time football) and more research opportunities.

Every decision in life involves a trade off - there are no perfect choices - so it is a question of what you value the most. For some people, a small liberal arts college is a better choice than a large public university - but for others this would not be the case. Again, it is a question of fit. My small liberal arts college was a wonderful fit for me - and now I am attending med school in a large city on the East Coast (I am from the Northwest) and having a different much more urban experience that I very much appreciate.

My issue is with those folks who go off on ignorant tangents, wailing and moaning against small colleges. As I said, it just reflects their ignorance. If you are a member of that club, sorry. And if the liberal arts college you were referring to is Oberlin, that is one fine bad ass school. I would choose Oberlin in a heart beat over Ohio State, but again, that is because of my own personal values. And, like Washington, Ohio State no longer plays big time football. The Big Ten has gotten really boring in its style of play, too slow, too predictable. Come on, now is the time of the spread offense, get with the 21st century.

 

[futIDdoc]

You are missing the point that I am trying to make. I am not being critical of large public universities - they are great for alot of people. I am simply pointing out that small liberal arts colleges have alot of advantages that are very appealing for some people, certainly not all people. One advantage is not having to take classes taught by grad students/teaching assistants. Conversely, large public schools can offer experiences that are not available at small colleges, like big time football (unfortunately the University of Washington no longer plays big time football) and more research opportunities.

Every decision in life involves a trade off - there are no perfect choices - so it is a question of what you value the most. For some people, a small liberal arts college is a better choice than a large public university - but for others this would not be the case. Again, it is a question of fit. My small liberal arts college was a wonderful fit for me - and now I am attending med school in a large city on the East Coast (I am from the Northwest) and having a different much more urban experience that I very much appreciate.

My issue is with those folks who go off on ignorant tangents, wailing and moaning against small colleges. As I said, it just reflects their ignorance. If you are a member of that club, sorry. And if the liberal arts college you were referring to is Oberlin, that is one fine bad ass school. I would choose Oberlin in a heart beat over Ohio State, but again, that is because of my own personal values. And, like Washington, Ohio State no longer plays big time football. The Big Ten has gotten really boring in its style of play, too slow, too predictable. Come on, now is the time of the spread offense, get with the 21st century.

Hey I have no issue with small liberal arts colleges. They definitely are a better fit for some people. You def can get into any med school either route if you are talented and work hard. No, i wasn't referring to Oberlin. The school is actually much smaller and less prestigious than that and was ranked higher by USnews than UW-Madison in producing scientists which is an absolute joke. As for the 6 professors of Dr. wookie, I also had 5 professors write me a letter who all knew me very well (2 lesser known new faculty and 3 people who are really giants in their fields). There are a lot of fallacies floating around about both large and small schools, the 'you never know your prof' is perhaps the most tired of the big school myths. Guess hearing that one kinda set me off. Cheers

FID

ps the spread first appeared in the BIG TEN, see Purdue and NW in the late '90s and early 00s'

 

[202781]

To the OP...Looks like it comes down to this.

If you want to go to a school that has a Football,Basketball...team, will have block parties on Friday nights where they will shut down an entire city block, go to school in an urban location, meet THOUSANDS of people, have very diverse and easy to access volunteer opportunities, meet hotter men/women, have sex without having to run into the person you donked the next day in your 30 person class... go to a large state school

If you want to study in small groups, really get to know everyone in your class, know ALL of your profs on a personal level, live in a smaller community (typically), have your school probably not be recognized or known by 75% of medical schools, get lower grades (which screws you on applying to medical school even if you get a great MCAT)...by all means go to a liberal arts school.

It will be much more fun to go to a larger college (TRUST ME) and if you get into an honors program at a large college it will be the best of both worlds (Because you will get to know your profs and associate with only very motivated individuals.)

 

[futIDdoc]

If you want to study in small groups, really get to know everyone in your class, know ALL of your profs on a personal level,

Never understood why anyone would want to know all of their profs on a personal level. I LOVED being anonymous in some of my classes (Physics, Gen Chem, and such). At a big school, you learn how to have professional relationships with people that you don't need or even want to be friends with. For example, you may have to go in for test help or get an explanation about a grade from your prof who is a complete stranger.

 

[searun]

Hey I have no issue with small liberal arts colleges. They definitely are a better fit for some people. You def can get into any med school either route if you are talented and work hard. No, i wasn't referring to Oberlin. The school is actually much smaller and less prestigious than that and was ranked higher by USnews than UW-Madison in producing scientists which is an absolute joke. As for the 6 professors of Dr. wookie, I also had 5 professors write me a letter who all knew me very well (2 lesser known new faculty and 3 people who are really giants in their fields). There are a lot of fallacies floating around about both large and small schools, the 'you never know your prof' is perhaps the most tired of the big school myths. Guess hearing that one kinda set me off. Cheers

FID

ps the spread first appeared in the BIG TEN, see Purdue and NW in the late '90s and early 00s'

Ah, yes, those offensive juggernaughts, Purdue and Northwestern, setting the standards for wide open creative offensives. It would probably help if they could recruit some decent players who could actually execute a spread offense. But it has been fun watching Ohio State beat up on the Big Ten and then just get undressed and destroyed in the BCS title games.

To the OP, it sounds like you want to be near your father in Seattle and are concerned about going to school in a rural area. Like I said, Washington is a fine school, Seattle is a great town (I may apply for a residency there) so go to the U of W. Even though the football team sucks, the basketball team is pretty good. I seriously doubt that it will improve your collegiate sex life, as some on this thread have suggested (who apparently need to attach "Medical Student" to their persona to attract women), but, good luck with that too.

 

[202781]

Never understood why anyone would want to know all of their profs on a personal level. I LOVED being anonymous in some of my classes (Physics, Gen Chem, and such). At a big school, you learn how to have professional relationships with people that you don't need or even want to be friends with. For example, you may have to go in for test help or get an explanation about a grade from your prof who is a complete stranger.

Yeah I totally agree I love being anonymous in class. I love when it is like a 100+ person class and you dont even need to attend because you can download the notes or the video lecture on the internet.

 

[DrWookie]

To the OP...Looks like it comes down to this.

If you want to go to a school that has a Football,Basketball...team, will have block parties on Friday nights where they will shut down an entire city block, go to school in an urban location, meet THOUSANDS of people, have very diverse and easy to access volunteer opportunities, meet hotter men/women, have sex without having to run into the person you donked the next day in your 30 person class... go to a large state school

If you want to study in small groups, really get to know everyone in your class, know ALL of your profs on a personal level, live in a smaller community (typically), have your school probably not be recognized or known by 75% of medical schools, get lower grades (which screws you on applying to medical school even if you get a great MCAT)...by all means go to a liberal arts school.

It will be much more fun to go to a larger college (TRUST ME) and if you get into an honors program at a large college it will be the best of both worlds (Because you will get to know your profs and associate with only very motivated individuals.)

I actually agree with most of that...except the grades. I don't think we can make any assumption about whether the OP would get better or worse grades at which institution. You can get a 4.0 at a small liberal arts college and you can get a 4.0 at a large university. For some people it is actually easier at a small liberal arts college.

While I never had to deal with it (I've been in a steady relationship almost all of college), the sex part is definitely a downer for some people...nothing like awkwardly walking by the person the next day like 15 times since the school is so small 🙁

Oh the smaller community one is specific to Whitman. While Portland isn't a large city by any means, there are small liberal arts colleges in the heart of Portland (and in other similar cities) where you have easy access to hospitals/volunteering while still being at a small school. Whitman is way far on the "small" end of the spectrum (They don't even have a direct bus into Whitman the town. My girlfriend's sister goes there. YOu have to take a bus to a town nearby and catch a ride. They also don't have a train going there. The ONLY way to get into Walla Walla is by car or plane...really crazy).

 

[searun]

To the OP...Looks like it comes down to this.

If you want to go to a school that has a Football,Basketball...team, will have block parties on Friday nights where they will shut down an entire city block, go to school in an urban location, meet THOUSANDS of people, have very diverse and easy to access volunteer opportunities, meet hotter men/women, have sex without having to run into the person you donked the next day in your 30 person class... go to a large state school

If you want to study in small groups, really get to know everyone in your class, know ALL of your profs on a personal level, live in a smaller community (typically), have your school probably not be recognized or known by 75% of medical schools, get lower grades (which screws you on applying to medical school even if you get a great MCAT)...by all means go to a liberal arts school.

It will be much more fun to go to a larger college (TRUST ME) and if you get into an honors program at a large college it will be the best of both worlds (Because you will get to know your profs and associate with only very motivated individuals.)

Wow, so you have had alot of faceless, nameless sex with women that you, what is the word you used, oh, "donked," at your large public school (hope your wore a rubber). And you never had to look them in the eye the next day and could be anonymous. Impressive. And that is your "Red Badge of Courage." You sound like an actor in your own 14 year old wet dream, but, what a guy, every girl's dream guy. But, hey, you are "MSO", with emphasis on the "O", so sure there will girls flocking to have faceless nameless anonymous sex with you. Sounds profound and fulfilling.

 

[202781]

Wow, so you have had alot of faceless, nameless sex with women that you, what is the word you used, oh, "donked," at your large public school (hope your wore a rubber). And you never had to look them in the eye the next day and could be anonymous. Impressive. And that is your "Red Badge of Courage." You sound like an actor in your own 14 year old wet dream, but, what a guy, every girl's dream guy. But, hey, you are "MSO", with emphasis on the "O", so sure there will girls flocking to have faceless nameless anonymous sex with you. Sounds profound and fulfilling.

Sounds like you probably need to get laid.
...Also you are a medical student...on SDN...in the Pre-Allo forum. That is kinda like going back to a HS football game when you are a Senior in college.

 

[Evergrey]

Well, all the personal attacks in this thread aside... Both are excellent schools and both will provide you with ample opportunities to apply to medical school. Just go with what "feels" better to you (make sure you visit both of them).

 

[Upgrayedd]

Harsh words above... (I got a few guilty chuckles out of it though )

Anyway, there is a bit of a love/hate relationship I have with my liberal arts degree, and I just want to put a few things in perspective:

pros:
1) You know everyone at school. This means that you can't really form cliques, because everyone is pretty different, and you really end up outside your comfort zone. Its a good experience really. At a public school, you can find 50 people who are pretty much exactly like you, and you never have to venture out of that realm if you don't want to.

2) Good teaching (when the teachers aren't looting and pillaging your GPA)

3) Good study abroad opportunities

cons:
1) The dating pool sucks. Its incestuous. Also, all those liberal arts colleges are in the middle of no where, so its hard to date locals.

2) Its hard to "work hard/play hard", when the play side is absent. I know plenty of people who slipped into depression from just how damn boring life was (found myself there a few times as well...)

Someone posted earlier that they had a 4.0 from a liberal arts college and got into med school. Well, good for you! You probably would have gotten into med school anywhere you went to school. But there are plenty of people who will be on the boarder of obtaining an allopathic acceptance, and I'd rather have the college behind me, giving me the best education/GPA possible, great LOR's, and research opportunities. I just didn't feel like my school had my back in that way...

 

[202781]

Wow, so you have had alot of faceless, nameless sex with women that you, what is the word you used, oh, "donked," at your large public school (hope your wore a rubber). And you never had to look them in the eye the next day and could be anonymous. Impressive. And that is your "Red Badge of Courage." You sound like an actor in your own 14 year old wet dream, but, what a guy, every girl's dream guy. But, hey, you are "MSO", with emphasis on the "O", so sure there will girls flocking to have faceless nameless anonymous sex with you. Sounds profound and fulfilling.

Also , I know you were trying to mock me...but uh the answer to most of your questions is: Yes I have

Sometimes I did run into them...but it was not too weird, just gave a breif hey and walked by. I did not need to sit next to them in a class with 25 students.