College Admissions Essay: A Career In College

In High School, college seemed to be the scariest thing that I could think of. Whenever I thought about it my stomach would immediately begin to spin in circles. Although I knew that I was ready to go off and meet new people, I was scared to death at the same time. I didn't know much about the “college experience” and what I did know (or thought I knew) terrified me. I pictured hard classes that I would have to spend hours in the library for, people that wouldn't like me, long walks to get to my classes, and horrible dining hall food. I couldn't imagine leaving the security of my own room, with my own stuff where I want it, and my friends that I've grown up with. Some of my friends that had already been to college and had come back to visit

At liberal art colleges, students can't hide in the back of a large lecture hall because there aren't any. One of my introductory courses contains 40 or 50 students, but that is so there can be two professors who have different expertise in biology. At universities, hundreds of undergrads are taught in lecture halls, and teaching assistants deal with these students in smaller settings. All of the classes at PC are going to be far smaller and PC does not even have a lecture for 300-400 students. With small classes, Professors are more likely to notice when a student is slacking off, and will probably take them aside and ask them what is wrong. Teachers deal directly with students and generally know each of them by name. That is important because you will need recommendations from professors when applying to medical school. The better the professor knows you, the better the recommendation they can write. This smaller number of students allows them to be more open in the classroom, and more comfortable with the teacher. Liberal arts schools, such as Presbyterian College, strive to teach students critical thinking and writing skills, as well as how to formally present their ideas. Teachers have fewer students, and more time to analytically grade student’s homework and essays. Liberal arts professors may have to grade 20 essays whereas at a state university, teachers may have up to 500

It's a misconception that you have to attend a state flagship or Ivy to get a good shot at grad school. Liberal arts schools produce the most students who ultimately earn doctorates. Liberal arts colleges produce twice as many student who earn a PhD in science than other institutions and provide the sort of research experiences that universities often reserve for grad students. Presbyterian College offers a greater chance of getting into Pharmacy Graduate School because they know what to teach you and prepare you for. Presbyterian College has an off campus School of Pharmacy. Professors know what to teach students to prepare them for the transfer from the PC main campus to the Pharmacy School. Presbyterian College also prepares students for other graduate programs. Professors are very knowledgeable about what to teach to prepare students for graduate programs such as Medical or Law School. Smaller colleges often offer more opportunities for research since students do not have to compete with graduate students for research opportunities. While smaller colleges may not have all of the sophisticated research that occurs at a research university, your chances of participating in that cutting edge research is not very good as an undergraduate. Graduate students will always get first chance at that research at larger universities. While at a Liberal Arts school students experience this research as an undergraduate