Case Western vs Seton Hall BS/MD

College Search & Selection
1

Hi, I am a high school senior from NJ and I got in Case Western ea and Seton Hall’s Joint Bachelor’s/M.D. program. I know for sure that I want to go to medical school after college, but I am not sure which college/program to attend.

Case Western Pros:

  • great research/shadowing opportunities as Case is right next to the Cleveland Clinic and two hospitals
    -better undergraduate reputation, therefore better connections

Case Cons:
-competitive pre med atmosphere: almost everyone I met on an admitted student day is a pre med(including admitted students and college students) and even on the class fb page, the majority are pre med

  • more rigorous coursework(this can also be considered as a pro because it prepares u for med school)
  • far from home (7 hour drive)
  • more expensive(with scholarship tuition is 30k)

Seton Hall pros:

  • easier coursework(can also be a con because it may not prepare well for med school)
  • guaranteed interview with the Hackensack Meridian Med School(25% of seton hall students make up med school class) https://www.shu.edu/academics/ba-bs-md.cfm

-closer to home and close to NYC(access to hospitals, research, and shadowing opportunities)

  • Seton boasts of how strong their alumni connections are, but I’m not sure if it is comparable to Case Western’s
  • Guaranteed Hackensack Residency in their network of 16 hospitals in NJ if I graduate from their med school
  • Program is non-binding(I can choose to attend other med schools if I get in)

Seton Hall Cons:

  • Med school is 3 years and this may be a disadvantage for residency applications. When I talked to one of the directors of the program, she said that she reccomends to take a gap year after med school to apply for other residencies(if I do not want to go to HMH networks)
  • Even tho Hackensack residency is guaranteed, it is not guaranteed in a specific specialty(it is guaranteed in general). So, if I want to go to a competitive specialty(like ortho or anesthesiology right after 3 years, it may be very difficult)
  • this is the 2nd year of the Seton Hall 4+3 BS/MD program and Hackensack Meridian Med school is still in the process of accreditation(they received pre-lim in 2018 and their first class started in June 2018) https://www.shu.edu/academics/important-information-about-accreditation.cfm
  • Case Western has a much superior reputation

I know whatever path I choose, I will have to work very hard to get into medical school.

Thanks for reading this far, I appreciate your help :slight_smile:

2

Don’t know if you still need help, but in case you do, here are my thoughts.

  1. You should ignore reputation. For medical school, it really doesn’t matter as long as you do well. However, I do think that Case having hospitals literally right on campus could be a big advantage, as you could participate in various hospital activities while the semester is going on. So you may have more opportunities to participate in relevant extracurriculars that med schools care about. Just be aware that a 3.8 GPA at Case and a 3.8 GPA at Seton Hall may be weighted the same, and it’s the rest of your application that will make you stand out. Your point that Case may be more challenging is fair, but I doubt Seton Hall will be just a cakewalk. And you can probably find plenty of classes at Seton Hall that will challenge you.

  2. The cost of attendance (COA) is a huge difference maker. Who is paying for your undergrad? And then who will pay for medical school? The more you save going to undergrad, the more you’ll have available to pay for med school. Loans and interest add up. Even though it doesn’t seem like a lot of money in the long run if you do become a doctor, over the years, a few thousand dollars extra per school year, multiplied by 4 years of undergrad, compounded with interest that extends past your years of residency, factor in what you could have done with the money (e.g., investing), and that few thousand dollars becomes the price of a down payment of a medium sized house. Maybe that premium is worth it to you, but you have to keep the COA in mind when you make your decision, and whether or not the COA outweighs the intangible factors.

  3. Where do you see yourself having the happiest undergrad experience? You mention the community at Case seems competitive, but what about Seton Hall? Which school do you feel like you would be able to find your niche? Is school spirit important to you? Case’s student body is pretty nerdy, and may be less competitive than you expect. I can’t speak for Seton Hall, but I know they have a very competitive basketball program. At Case, varsity sports are not popular at all, though intramurals are. You won’t be able to recreate your undergrad years, so make sure you’ll be happy at the institution you choose.

  4. That non-binding BS/MD is huge. Not only do you have a guaranteed admission, but you can still try to get in a more suitable med school program of your choice. Thus, even if you decide their program is not for you, you won’t regret your decision if you picked the school. Additionally, if God forbid you don’t end up getting into another program, you still have an option on the table, assuming you didn’t completely implode in undergrad.

Which school would you go to if you were to ignore reputation? At face value, it seems like the answer would be Seton Hall.