Pre-Dental, Lafayette College (PA) or Rutgers New Brunswick (NJ)?

[CedarZ4]

Hey guys! So I'm thinking about a pre-dental track but I don't which school has a better program or has a better reputation for pre-dental/medicine. The two schools are Rutgers New Brunswick campus in New Jersey and Lafayette College in PA. If anyone of you know anything it would be much appreciated if you could give me some suggestions! I need to reply to the schools by tomorrow so it's crunch time! 👍

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[DrReo]

Hey guys! So I'm thinking about a pre-dental track but I don't which school has a better program or has a better reputation for pre-dental/medicine. The two schools are Rutgers New Brunswick campus in New Jersey and Lafayette College in PA. If anyone of you know anything it would be much appreciated if you could give me some suggestions! I need to reply to the schools by tomorrow so it's crunch time! 👍

Whatever is cheaper.

 

[MiztiKatz]

You will get into dental school from either of these 2 schools. However there are various things you have to consider.

1: Size. Rutgers is large (small city) where as Lafayette is a small liberal arts college. No matter what people say... you will get more personal attention going to Lafayette. However when you go to a major University you have more oppurtunity to do research than going to a liberal arts school.

** I went to a small liberal arts in the Lehigh Valley as well. I had no problem finding a dozen of professors that would write me a recommendation. In addition, I never felt like a number. I also liked the fact that the administration knew who I was and my prehealth advisor went above and beyond for me and every student she worked with.

2. Pre-health acceptance %: what amount of people get accepted into medical/dental programs each year. It will show the strength of the program. ** be advised some schools will discourage students not to apply if their averages are not high enough.- keeps their acceptance % higher (but they only do this if they are sure that person will not get in; and in my schools case will work with you to increase chance)

**I know now that my school had a 100% acceptance rate into Med/Dent/Opt school for a reason.... The majority of students scored into the top percentages on the DAT and MCAT along with a rigorous science program. Have so many people score well on these standardized tests, in my opinion, show that these students are capable and well prepared for professional school

3. Name. It sounds like you are from the PA/NJ/NY area like I am. Be advised, if you plan on applying to schools outside the area most likely they will not know Lafayette. I had to explain my school at every school other than UMDNJ and Temple.... this did create a small problem for me. Rutgers is a nationally known university so that would be an upside to going there.



I would not trade my small liberal arts education for one at a Major university. I know Lafayette is expensive where as Rutgers in state is not so yes that could be a factor. However the personal attention I received and my solid educational background made my small liberal arts school a better fit for me.

PM me if you have any questions.

 

[DrReo]

You will get into dental school from either of these 2 schools. However there are various things you have to consider.

1: Size. Rutgers is large (small city) where as Lafayette is a small liberal arts college. No matter what people say... you will get more personal attention going to Lafayette. However when you go to a major University you have more oppurtunity to do research than going to a liberal arts school.

** I went to a small liberal arts in the Lehigh Valley as well. I had no problem finding a dozen of professors that would write me a recommendation. In addition, I never felt like a number. I also liked the fact that the administration knew who I was and my prehealth advisor went above and beyond for me and every student she worked with.

2. Pre-health acceptance %: what amount of people get accepted into medical/dental programs each year. It will show the strength of the program. ** be advised some schools will discourage students not to apply if their averages are not high enough.- keeps their acceptance % higher (but they only do this if they are sure that person will not get in; and in my schools case will work with you to increase chance)

**I know now that my school had a 100% acceptance rate into Med/Dent/Opt school for a reason.... The majority of students scored into the top percentages on the DAT and MCAT along with a rigorous science program. Have so many people score well on these standardized tests, in my opinion, show that these students are capable and well prepared for professional school

3. Name. It sounds like you are from the PA/NJ/NY area like I am. Be advised, if you plan on applying to schools outside the area most likely they will not know Lafayette. I had to explain my school at every school other than UMDNJ and Temple.... this did create a small problem for me. Rutgers is a nationally known university so that would be an upside to going there.



I would not trade my small liberal arts education for one at a Major university. I know Lafayette is expensive where as Rutgers in state is not so yes that could be a factor. However the personal attention I received and my solid educational background made my small liberal arts school a better fit for me.

PM me if you have any questions.

If you're taking a science degree, do it where research is available.

 

[DrReo]

When people say 100% accepted, many times those numbers are skewed. Most colleges weed out the ones, some might now know if they have/are applying, etc.


Consider the size, too. If there are 20 premeds: it's a lot easier to get them accepted than a massive school like Ohio State.

Just remember, your undergraduate education is a mist once you earn your DDS/DMD. It's a stepping stone, thesedays.

 

[metrochem]

i just recently graduated from rutgers with a bio degree. rutgers is a large school, and has a alot of students in pre-dent/pre-med. but then again half of those get cut during the weeder courses during the first year(i.e gen bio/gen chem). i personally felt that classes got a lot easier after the first year. there are going to be 400-500+ students in most of your science courses for the first two years. was it hard getting LORs? i personally didnt think so. i only got one general bio class, but i was really close with the TA. all my other LORs came from upper level bio classes, where there are less students so the prof knows who you are. if you can deal with 400+ students in your class, sometimes having to sit on stairs because there are no seats, and having the prof not know/care who you are, its ok. im not bashing on rutgers, it was my state school and i think i got a great education for my money. however, there are endless research opportunities at rutgers as there are plenty of profs that need students to help them with their research. every school has its pros and it cons. at rutgers there is a large predent/premed group so it felt pretty competitive, because you knew you were going against the thousand other kids in your bio class for the spot in medical/dental school.

 

[CedarZ4]

thanks a lot for the responses guys and sorry for the late post. I decided on Lafayette because it's a small liberal arts college making it easier to get letter of recommendations. Aside from that, since the science classes are smaller, it would be easier to get help if I need it.