Best Option for Pre-Med?

Pre-Med & Medical School High School Student Topics
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<p>I am currently a junior at a prestigious private high school. I have great grades, strong test scores, and diverse extra-curriculars and volunteer work. My counselor has expressed confidence in me getting into a highly selective/Ivy league school. I have been thinking about medicine as a career option, but I would love to go to an Ivy/Ivy-esque school because of the incredible opportunities and that I love the general atmosphere of schools like Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, Vassar, Williams, etc. </p>

<p>Would it be better for me to pursue pre-med at my state school (University of Michigan) or pre-med at an Ivy league? And if along the way I decide not to continue with medicine, would I have a better options still available at an Ivy or State?</p>

<p>Thank you, and sorry if this is not the right thread, this is my first time posting.</p>

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<p>With admission rates in the sub 10% range, in most case in the sub 6% range, Ivies should never be considered as shoo-ins by anyone. If your counselor is telling you have an excellent chance of being accepted into an Ivy, please take their opinion with a large grain of salt. </p>

<p>You will need to create a well-balance list of potential colleges, including safeties. A safety is a college where you know you will accepted, can afford assuming you get minimal financial aid and would be happy to attend. It’s Ok to apply to a number of reach-y schools so long as you have safety you’re happy with.</p>

<p>The general advice offered to pre-meds is to attend the undergrad that offers you the best combination of fit, opportunities and finances. Which is “best” will be different for every individual.</p>

<p>There is little aid for medical school except for loans. It’s generally considered wise to try to minimize your undergrad debt load as much as possible if you are at all considering medical school in your future.</p>

<p>University of Michigan is an excellent school which an adjacent medical school. It will offer you many opportunities to engage in research, medical volunteering as well as provide you with many wonderful academic opportunities.</p>

<p>Whether any of the colleges you mention will provide you more or better opportunities over any other college is impossible to say. (Because we don’t know what kind of person you are* and we don’t what other fields you might end of pursuing.)</p>

<p>*There’s research that indicates that the college one attends for undergrad has little bearing on the success of the individual in later life. Successful people are going to be successful regardless of what college they attend.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the reply. I understand that acceptance rates for such schools are ridiculously low and there is not guarantee of any admissions, but I simply mentioned it because she considers them to be in the realm of possibility (which is saying quite a bit as she is notorious for shooting down people who are reaching beyond their capabilities).</p>

<p>My question is a debate that my family and others have had over whether going to a highly selective school makes a significant positive different in chances in graduate schools overall. And while it is certainly great to have a great institution under your belt, many argue that connections built in such schools are better for business/technology and that in the end it is your graduate school that really matters when you become a doctor (or a lawyer). They also say that it would be better to save the high tuition fees for graduate school as well.</p>

<p>I only ask because I feel I would be happier in a smaller, more liberal arts atmosphere as opposed to the gigantic University of Michigan, with almost 30,000 undergrads, and because I love the age and tradition of many smaller schools. </p>

<p>I guess its a discussion that will be had once acceptances are actually out. Thank you though :)</p>

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<p>The undergrad you attend is largely irrelevant to grad school admissions–so long as you don’t attend a tiny, completely unknown college. </p>

<p>The things grad programs look for in applicants are (in approx rank order):</p>

<p>1) relevant research or work experience</p>

<p>2) LORs from major professors</p>

<p>3) independent research project or senior thesis</p>

<p>4) GPA in upper level major courses</p>

<p>5) GRE scores (bad scores will keep you out, but good scores won’t get you admitted)</p>

<p>6) cumulative GPA (low GPA will keep you out, but a good GPA doesn’t mean anything without the rest of the above)</p>

<p>~~~~</p>

<p>RE: Grad business programs.</p>

<p>The best MBA programs will not admit you to their program without real life work experience. Typically they want to see 3-5 years of employment in one business area (e.g. non-profits, technology sector, sales, finance, HR etc) before you apply.</p>

<p>~~~~</p>

<p>RE: Grad programs. It depends on what area you plan to go to grad school for. </p>

<p>Business programs are largely self-funded (you pay all costs) unless your employer has a tuition reimbursement policy. </p>

<p>PhD programs in the sciences, math, CS, engineering will pay your tuition and living expenses thru teaching or research assistantships.</p>

<p>Master’s programs in CS and engineering will often offer you teaching or research assistantships that cover tution and living expenses. Master’s programs in math or the science may or may not. (Usually not.)</p>

<p>Grad programs in social sciences, humanities education and information science/technology are very hit & miss. Typically, only the very top, most desirable students recieve funding; otherwise it’s self funded, esp at the master’s level</p>

<p>Professional school (Law, medicine, PsyD, PT, etc) programs are all largely self-funded.</p>