Kean University STEM Program? (NJCSTM)

[culturenmusic03]

Hi! So I'm a high school senior deciding on where to attend college and one of my (most affordable) options is the Kean University Biotechnology/Molecular Biology BS/MS Program at the New Jersey Center for Science, Technology, and Mathematics (NJCSTM). It seems that the program is pretty focused around research (getting involved in it from day one) and is pretty small (around 50-60) kids. Now, for this, I have generously received a full scholarship to cover tuition up until my masters (I'd be commuting).


Has anyone heard of this or have experience? I'm still considering my other options (for instance, Seton Hall is offering me a guaranteed interview if I maintain certain credentials, but that is around 13k/year), but this one seemed nice. What do you guys think? I know that you can do well in pre med anywhere, but how does this sound? Anyone know of this program/reputation?

Thanks!

School of Integrative Science and Technology (IST) | Kean University

www.kean.edu

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[Schadret]

We live a few miles away and my daughter was accepted there a few years ago with scholarships - and from everything we could tell the program was fabulous, all very high achievers (1500 or higher SAT average).. great interviews with faculty and students, the incubator setup was great as well.. but the problem was - it was at Kean... a fairly low-end school, where the kids in HS you didn't think could even get into college all went. The general thought we all had was "man I wish this program were at a different school". A lot of the kids from their STEM school went on to prestigious grad/phd programs though when we toured it and talked to everyone.. didn't hear about many going to med school, but this was a few years ago though.

My son is a senior in HS right now, but his HS actually does their entire senior year at Kean.. He had Physics 1 last semester and he got an A.. and he's is not an A student. My daughter compared the tests to her physics class at her current school and they were significantly easier. My concern would be the quality of the courses NOT in the STEM program..

I know that probably doesn't really help since I don't know specifics about the program - it did seem great, and *significantly* better than the rest of the school.. but no idea if it has any reputation or "weight" behind it or not.

 

[culturenmusic03]

We live a few miles away and my daughter was accepted there a few years ago with scholarships - and from everything we could tell the program was fabulous, all very high achievers (1500 or higher SAT average).. great interviews with faculty and students, the incubator setup was great as well.. but the problem was - it was at Kean... a fairly low-end school, where the kids in HS you didn't think could even get into college all went. The general thought we all had was "man I wish this program were at a different school". A lot of the kids from their STEM school went on to prestigious grad/phd programs though when we toured it and talked to everyone.. didn't hear about many going to med school, but this was a few years ago though.

My son is a senior in HS right now, but his HS actually does their entire senior year at Kean.. He had Physics 1 last semester and he got an A.. and he's is not an A student. My daughter compared the tests to her physics class at her current school and they were significantly easier. My concern would be the quality of the courses NOT in the STEM program..

I know that probably doesn't really help since I don't know specifics about the program - it did seem great, and *significantly* better than the rest of the school.. but no idea if it has any reputation or "weight" behind it or not.

That is exactly what we have been contemplating, too. We wish it was a program at a slightly different school. Do you think that, for med school admissions, this could mean a good thing? Being at a decent school meaning you can get a better GPA?

I have a few other options but what keeps bringing me back to NJCSTM is the full ride up until my masters, the small class sizes in the program, and the emphasis on research. But thanks anyways for what you mentioned!!

 

[KnightDoc]

That is exactly what we have been contemplating, too. We wish it was a program at a slightly different school. Do you think that, for med school admissions, this could mean a good thing? Being at a decent school meaning you can get a better GPA?

I have a few other options but what keeps bringing me back to NJCSTM is the full ride up until my masters, the small class sizes in the program, and the emphasis on research. But thanks anyways for what you mentioned!!

File this under "no such thing as a free lunch"! There is nothing wrong with Kean, and, if you do well you can go anywhere, just like anyone else anywhere else. But, as far as a program at better schools go, exactly why do you think Kean offers such an attractive program, for free? It's to raise its profile by seeding the class with people like you, so that, maybe, someday, it will be known as more than the place where people who can't get into college go!

TL;DR - don't hold you breath waiting for better schools to offer full scholarships for similar programs. They tend to be able to attract students like you without them. The proof? How many similar offers do you have at better schools?

 

[culturenmusic03]

File this under "no such thing as a free lunch"! There is nothing wrong with Kean, and, if you do well you can go anywhere, just like anyone else anywhere else. But, as far as a program at better schools go, exactly why do you think Kean offers such an attractive program, for free? It's to raise its profile by seeding the class with people like you, so that, maybe, someday, it will be known as more than the place where people who can't get into college go!

TL;DR - don't hold you breath waiting for better schools to offer full scholarships for similar programs. They tend to be able to attract students like you without them. The proof? How many similar offers do you have at better schools?

Hmm, you're right. I got a full-tuition from Syracuse, but room and board is still to fend for. In that case, do you suggest it may be better to go to a slightly better place than Kean? Or would Kean sound like a better option? (Sorry, just wanted to clarify if that's what you meant )

 

[KnightDoc]

Hmm, you're right. I got a full-tuition from Syracuse, but room and board is still to fend for. In that case, do you suggest it may be better to go to a slightly better place than Kean? Or would Kean sound like a better option? (Sorry, just wanted to clarify if that's what you meant )

I am very familiar with Kean, and your summary of the public impression is correct. What I was trying to say is that basically nothing in life comes with no strings attached. Lower ranked schools, whether it's Kean trying to pull people from Syracuse, or Duke trying to pull people from Harvard, will use money and special programs as a lure. The idea is to increase their standing, so the most attractive offers will often come from the otherwise least attractive schools, as they try to increase their profile and stats in order to hopefully someday become perceived as more attractive themselves.

The challenge for you as in incoming student is to try to leverage this to your maximum advantage. The perception on SDN is that there is some advantage in med school admissions to coming from a top school. But, by this, they mean T5, or T10 or T20, not necessarily T58 (Syracuse!). And, I actively question whether this "advantage" is a result of causation or correlation (i.e., the schools only appear to confer an advantage because better candidates happen to attend them, rather than candidates being deemed to better merely by virtue of attending them).

All of this is a very long winded way of saying that you should choose whatever situation is personally best for you -- opportunities, cost, wanting to live at home, wanting to get away from home, etc. The primary determinant of how you do in med school admissions will be your performance in school, not where you attend, so you should choose the setting in which you are most likely to thrive. One of the hardest things for a HS student to do is to block out what other people think, and to not overweight reputation or prestige in seeking this out.

Personally, I thrived and grew a ton by going away for school and being out from under my parents' roof, but other people might be homesick, or miss their HS friends, etc., so the answer really is different for everyone. Good luck!!!

 

[culturenmusic03]

I am very familiar with Kean, and your summary of the public impression is correct. What I was trying to say is that basically nothing in life comes with no strings attached. Lower ranked schools, whether it's Kean trying to pull people from Syracuse, or Duke trying to pull people from Harvard, will use money and special programs as a lure. The idea is to increase their standing, so the most attractive offers will often come from the otherwise least attractive schools, as they try to increase their profile and stats in order to hopefully someday become perceived as more attractive themselves.

The challenge for you as in incoming student is to try to leverage this to your maximum advantage. The perception on SDN is that there is some advantage in med school admissions to coming from a top school. But, by this, they mean T5, or T10 or T20, not necessarily T58 (Syracuse!). And, I actively question whether this "advantage" is a result of causation or correlation (i.e., the schools only appear to confer an advantage because better candidates happen to attend them, rather than candidates being deemed to better merely by virtue of attending them).

All of this is a very long winded way of saying that you should choose whatever situation is personally best for you -- opportunities, cost, wanting to live at home, wanting to get away from home, etc. The primary determinant of how you do in med school admissions will be your performance in school, not where you attend, so you should choose the setting in which you are most likely to thrive. One of the hardest things for a HS student to do is to block out what other people think, and to not overweight reputation or prestige in seeking this out.

Personally, I thrived and grew a ton by going away for school and being out from under my parents' roof, but other people might be homesick, or miss their HS friends, etc., so the answer really is different for everyone. Good luck!!!

Thank you so much for clearing everything up-- that definitely makes sense!

 

[Schadret]

For my D it was also the "college-life" experience. Kean is a commuter school for the most part.. and a suitcase school for the kids that live on campus and she didn't want that.

I can't wait to try the new steakhouse there though!