Hey Everyone. I’ve been blessed to have been admitted to these amazing schools and am having a difficult time deciding which would be the best fit for me. I want to go into pre-med (Biology or Biochemistry). I’ve heard that Johns Hopkins, while ranked pretty highly for Bio, has a pretty cutthroat/stressful environment and definitely want to go to a place where I won’t kill myself studying. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!! (Also in terms of financial need, all would pretty much cost the same except UVA and Cornell which would cost a couple extra thousand per year).
@Plop525 As a pre med there are a few things to consider: grade inflation (how hard it is to get a high GPA), competitiveness/cutthroat-ness, and access to top research opportunities.
In terms of grade inflation i would rank the schools from most to least (easiest to get a high GPA to hardest)
UVA > Brown > Penn > Cornell > Hopkins
I have also heard that Hopkins is cutthroat/stressful and that the area around campus is not nice at all.
From least to most stressful based on what I know and have heard: Brown~UVA >Penn > Cornell> Hopkins
In terms of access to research opportunities a hospital, medical school right on campus is ideal and also if that hospital & med school are some of the best in the county even better.
So in term of access to research opps to a top hospital & med school: Hopkins ~ Penn > Brown > UVA >>Cornell (Cornell’s med school is not on campus, it is in NYC).
Personally the choice would come down to Brown vs Penn. They are very different schools so fit would play a big choice here. The plus for Brown is easier grading/less stress, the plus for Penn is access to better research opportunities and more renowned medical faculty that could end up writing you rec letters for med school.
Also you might wanna take a look at how cross-admits choose between these schools.
http://www.parchment.com/c/college/tools/college-cross-admit-comparison.php?compare=University+of+Pennsylvania&with=Brown+University
I agree it’s down to Penn or Brown. Your GPA is pretty important for getting into med school. For that reason, as well as the smaller more undergraduate focus, I’d pick Brown.
Best quality of life with highest GPA - Brown
Quality of life is very subjective. Brown and Penn are rather different in terms of culture and vibe. Some types of students would be very happy and thrive at one and miserable at the other, and vice versa. As I said above,i think it is important to go where you fit in best. You are much more likely to do well at a place where you fit in.
Both have pros and cons for pre med but on balance fit is the number one criterion. Both have great pre-med advising, both have flexible curricula, Brown even more so Brown has easier grading, Penn has more and better research opportunities.
I vote Brown!
congrats for getting in!!! ur amazing!!!
all these colleges are gud for premed, but i heard hopkins too cutthroat
u should visit all these campuses to get the general vibe
cost does matter for premed (med school=$$), however all ur options are similar cost
personally, i go BROWN cuz it doesn’t as cuthroat as others, grade inflation?, and happy students
gl