HPU or UHM? Which is better for incoming Pre-Med Student.

[Cnecki]

My son is applying to both universities, this week both have pro's and con's from afar. Anyone have any thoughts ?

[lavagal]

Re: HPU or UHM? Which is better for incoming Pre-Med Student.

Does HPU have premed? I know they have a nursing program, and given the shortage that cycles through here in Hawaii, we need as many nurses as the schools can graduate.

[Cnecki]

Re: HPU or UHM? Which is better for incoming Pre-Med Student.

HPU has Nursing and Pre-Med. I really want him to go for the BA in Nursing so in 4 years he is ready to work. I just can't see him going 4 years with no money! You know teenagers.

But my mom is pushing for the Pre-Med. HPU does have a Pre-Med but I don't understand the program. For example UHM is affiliated with the Medical School so you get priority when it comes to admission (per the admissions rep for UHM) Confused so is the boy.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: HPU or UHM? Which is better for incoming Pre-Med Student.

How old is your son? How do you know that these are the fields that he is serious about (serious enough to finish with that degree)?

If the trends of the last two decades are any indication, the strongest candidates for med school are the ones who do NOT major in biology or biochemistry, but minor in these areas or do a double-major along with something from the social sciences or humanities. This is because med schools prefer to choose candidates who have developed their social skills/bedside manners, while also honing their ability to pass the mcat exams.

If you and your mother are this involved with helping your son determine his major, perhaps you should all have a chat with the college counselors of each school to decide the best strategy.

[Cnecki]

Re: HPU or UHM? Which is better for incoming Pre-Med Student.

Thanks for responding. He is 17 years old, a High School senior and a Certified Nursing Assistant for a year now. He really loves Nursing but in the long run he wants to be a Anathesiologist. (can't spell it) My mom is paying for some of his college so we really need to do what she prefers for the most part.

He wants to go the Nursing route because he wants to obtain his RN so when or if he is admitted in Medical School he can work a few days a week for spending money and costs. He is a Nurture at heart and is very attached to the island. Most of our family is their. His plans are to finish school, live, work and retire on the island. The reason we are confused is because of the Biology route. If (per the college counselor) he goes the Pre Med route he will only have units finished no degree unless he chooses Biology which is not what he wants. So I guess the decision is go to school for 4 years and transfer to Med School with little finances or go the RN route which may be longer and will require more classes at that. I was told by a college counselor if he goes the PreMedical route he will have more than enough credits to transfer majors when he is done with his general ed. So which one HPU who has no affiliation with the medschool or UHM who does. Or go the RN route and take more classes to possibly be accepted into Medical School. This information might shed some light on the question I am asking for help on. Inevitably it is his decision but at 17 years old I needed help with the college process and we have found so does he. So thanks to all for your help.

[scrivener]

Re: HPU or UHM? Which is better for incoming Pre-Med Student.

With all due respect, you are going about this mostly wrong. While it is certainly a positive step you are taking, researching the programs and considering your son's plans for the future, what you really want is to find the school that's the best fit for your son, not the school that's the best fit for medical school.

Based on what we (people at HawaiiThreads) know about your son, there's no way we can make any kind of recommendation, because right now we know more about the schools than about your son.

What kind of a student is your son? Does he do well on large campuses where he will be largely anonymous in his classes for the first two years? Or is he more used to the comfort and familiarity that comes with small classes? Is he a pretty traditional student, excelling with lectures, reading assignments, and term papers? Or is does he do better with multiple modes of learning, such as hands-on activities, multisensory instruction, project-based discovery, and alternate forms of assessment? Does he crave the wide-range of varied academic and co-curricular activities available at a larger university, or is he basically a go-to-school-and-go-home kind of guy? Is he considering study-abroad programs, exchange programs, and internships? Does he need some kind of instructional support, such as tutoring, note-taking, or reading services?

Yes. I know medical schools are competitive and I know that you want to put your son in the best position for achieving his goals. But it sounds like you and he are bypassing undergraduate school entirely, looking past today's football game toward the SuperBowl, which isn't for a long time. There are all kinds of adjustments necessary for making the transition from high school to college, but you seem to be focusing more on the transition from undergraduate to graduate school.

There are students about whom you can assuredly say a Bachelor's degree is something of a given. But I'll bet you can name several people in your own life who were in that category and yet never finished school. If truly you have the kind of son who could thrive in either undergraduate environment, then by all means, do look for the one that puts him in the better position for medical school, which would appear to be UHM, unless it's true that he really WILL have to work a few days a week while in medical school (a thought I find somewhat appalling).

However, please do consider that the four years of undergraduate school are an important developmental time for your son, and you want THOSE four years to be the best four years they can be. If he is a quality candidate with a good head on his shoulders, medical schools will want him, wherever he did his undergraduate studies.

I will also take a moment to echo Pu`ai's comment. Medical schools LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE English majors. Think about it: The overwhelming majority of med-school candidates will be applying with science degrees. English majors stand out more, and they've demonstrated they know how to read, write, and research, and they'll have studied at great depth some of those issues important to people in the medical field: Death, life, love, sex, illness, and how important one red wheelbarrow can be.

[acousticlady]

Re: HPU or UHM? Which is better for incoming Pre-Med Student.

I have to agree with both Pua'i and Scriv. As a faculty member in a liberal arts college who deals with pre-meds on a daily basis I see it way too often. The pre-meds get so caught up with getting the right grades, taking the right classes and along comes the English major, taking a few science courses because it interested them, who gets into John's Hopkins or Harvard.

As a parent, it is imperitive that you allow your son to choose what he is interested in. Too many students are majoring pre-med because it is what their parents want - and they are miserable! As academic advisors, we do not allow parental input. In fact, it is against the law. Part of going to an undergraduate institution is for the student to explore their interests and learn to think on their own. So whichever school your SON decides on should be his own decision, based on his own interests - not yours.

I have a lot more to say on the issue, but I have to go to class.....

[Cnecki]

Re: HPU or UHM? Which is better for incoming Pre-Med Student.

Wow, Thanks for all your honesty. Your all right one step at a time. Yes it is his decision and yes we are looking forward to him exploring this new venture in life and so is he. He wants to play football for Manoa but he also wants to do the debate team at HPU. He is a very kind and loving young man who would probably do well in a smaller environment but he wants to go to Manoa because of the football team. What ever he wants to do is fine with us, we are just excited he is still college minded and bound.

Question-You all stated we are to involved in the College application process. Doesn't every parent help in the decision making?

He has done all the applications, essays, and requirements so we are not doing anything illegal by gathering information. We know he is the one who will make the decisions just trying to present all of his options.

He has made the grades and the SAT's so he could be competitive and at the same time he has made his college choices not us. All we want is the boy NOT to struggle like we have and I don't see anything wrong with shooting for the stars. He is ready - GOD willing he will make it through college, make friends, and graduate so he doesn't have to make the choice of Food Or Shoes! Thanks again for your opinions.

[Pua'i Mana'o]

Re: HPU or UHM? Which is better for incoming Pre-Med Student.

Wow, Thanks for all your honesty. Your all right one step at a time. Yes it is his decision and yes we are looking forward to him exploring this new venture in life and so is he. He wants to play football for Manoa but he also wants to do the debate team at HPU. He is a very kind and loving young man who would probably do well in a smaller environment but he wants to go to Manoa because of the football team. What ever he wants to do is fine with us, we are just excited he is still college minded and bound.

Question-You all stated we are to involved in the College application process. Doesn't every parent help in the decision making?

He has done all the applications, essays, and requirements so we are not doing anything illegal by gathering information. We know he is the one who will make the decisions just trying to present all of his options.

He has made the grades and the SAT's so he could be competitive and at the same time he has made his college choices not us. All we want is the boy NOT to struggle like we have and I don't see anything wrong with shooting for the stars. He is ready - GOD willing he will make it through college, make friends, and graduate so he doesn't have to make the choice of Food Or Shoes! Thanks again for your opinions.

If he wants to go to UHM because of football, then your focus on getting him prepped for med school is unnecessary and ill-timed. Focus on him getting on the fb team. Whatever he majors in is secondary. The fact that he played on the UHM football team will be his strongest suit when applying for med school down the road. It will show that he has discipline, is a team player, balances being shrewd with a bit of requisite fearlessness, not to mention a track record demonstrating that he can balance collegiate-level athletics with academics.

I am completely serious, btw. Something like 80% of all CEOs listed on the Fortune 500 list played fb in high school or college.

[Cnecki]

Re: HPU or UHM? Which is better for incoming Pre-Med Student.

If only he could get recruited!

He plays now but is 2nd string in high school. He is 6/1 and 170. Spoke to the recruiter for UHM said they would look at him but concerned about his size. Big boys on that team! Any how, he is also looking into the diving team. He is a certified scuba diver and a life guard over here too. Thats why he was thinking about the debate team or baseball (played outside of high school) rusty now but you never know. Anyway we will try again. He is so funny he said he would be happy just to practice with them and be the glorified water boy! Thanks for the comments