Looking for a university for a pre health focus. Will be majoring in most likely physics at both, but could switch to BME if physics is not my thing. Please advise.
Any college in the country offers the dozen or so lower-division science and math needed by premeds and is capable of teaching those classes. Whether a kid works for good grades, get to know some profs so they get strong recs, take part in appropriate ECs, and develop compelling essays is up to them. Some schools such as HYPS have great med admit rates but I think it’s more a reflection of the students they started with than anything special done in college.
You need to ask yourself why you want an M.D? When a lot of HS kids become interested in a career in medicine it becomes “I’m pre-med!” and they embark on a path that will take 11+ years of school/training plus enormous debt. Doctors are far from the only ones in the health field that help people. Physical therapists, radiology techs, nurses, speech pathologists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, to name but just a few. as you can see on http://explorehealthcareers.org
Unless you’ve carefully considered the alternatives and have spent time actually working in a health care setting (which is an unwritten requirement to get into med school) its better to think of yourself as interested in exploring a career as a doctor rather than someone who has already made the decision. So I’d say the best thing to do now (if you haven’t been doing this already) is to get a job or volunteer position this summer and next school year in a medical setting (volunteer in a hospital, etc).
Two very different environments. One is more rural with a small town feel, strong student community and active weekend/night life. The other is more urban and a very quiet, calm weekend/night life.
At either school, it will be difficult to transfer into BME.
1 Like
thanks man, i will take this into account heavily during this summer & freshman year.