Bryn Mawr (BMC) VS. U Pittsburgh VS. U Maryland College Park for PRE-MED?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

Hello everyone!

I’m a high school senior who’s interested in going down the pre-med track for the next four years and I’m planning to major in Biology. I plan to go to med school after four years and am currently very unsure about which college to go to. My top three choices right now are Bryn Mawr, University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh campus), and U Maryland (College Park). I’ve also been admitted to UVM, UMass, and UIUC. Out of the top 3, BMC is the cheapest for me to attend, and that will naturally help towards paying for med school. If I attend UMD, I would also be a College Park Scholar in the Life Sciences. If anyone has info on what exactly that means, please do tell

Although I do want to maintain a moderate social life, I really wish to study in a focused environment.
I was initially set on going to BMC, given its academic rigor and student body, but now I’m not so sure because the college and the area were very quiet and it didn’t seem like there were a lot of research opportunities around. I’m also questioning whether the classes are as truly rigorous as they say and am wondering about BMC’s reputation with med schools. I also visited UPitt and UMD, and both universities are very large, sprawling, and impressive. I’m sure there are many opportunities for research, but I also know the competition is going to be very intense. And I know that there are always pockets of focused students, but I was getting a very party-oriented vibe from both universities, which is something I don’t want to get swept into.

My parents are way too impressed by UMD and UPitt, mostly because of their size and campuses; sure, they’re both very impressive, but I want to make sure that I’m giving all the schools an equal chance and weighing them fairly. There aren’t that many days left to decide, and I’m very anxious and desperate about this whole thing. So, PLEASE help me as much as you can because I really want to make an informed decision.

Ultimately, I want to go the college that will make me a better critical thinker and person, prepare me better for the MCAT, and help me become a better doctor.

FINALLYY, thank you so much, reader, for reading this long post. I deeply hope you can help me with ANY information you may have. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

-Desperate and Anxious HS Senior

2

You’ll get a great education at Bryn Mawr. With the Bi-Co with Haverford, you’ll also be able to take advantage of, and even major at Haverford which offers an outstanding education.

If you plan to go to med school, you should focus on keeping UG expenses to a minimum. So BM’s lowest cost combined with top-notch academics, makes that the obvious choice to me.

Have you checked out this information?
http://www.brynmawr.edu/healthpro/statistics.html

quote:
“Students and alumnae whose numerical profiles are close to those of the national averages of accepted medical school applicants are very successful in the medical school application process:
95% of applicants with a science and math GPA of 3.5 or higher and a score of 10 on each section the MCAT were accepted to a U.S. allopathic or osteopathic medical school.”

3

BMC is a top small residential LAC while Pitt and UMD are large public schools with a significant commuter population. They are very different animals. Where do you think you will thrive? BMC’s consortium with Penn, Haverford and Swarthmore allow you all sorts of choices academically. Lastly BMC has probably the top post bac premedical program in the country so you should good advising.

4

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/1484178-if-you-are-in-high-school-please-read-this-before-posting-p1.html