<p>I was recently accepted to Cornell University and Haverford College. I have participated in research at local medical schools all four years of high school and know I want to study Biology and enter medical school. I was wondering though which schools would offer me the best preparation and chances for medical school: Cornell, Haverford, or the Honors College at my local state school, Oregon State University (where I was also one of the 60 selected Presidential Scholars). </p>
<p>Many people I know at Oregon State have 4.0 GPAs on the pre-med track after the first two quarters, and I am wondering if it would be best to go here and attain a similar GPA which would look good on med school apps. Or is it best to go to Cornell or Haverford where my opportunities will be greater? But again, Cornell is a HUGE school and Haverford is very small, so I'd get a lot of interaction with professors, etc. </p>
<p>In my opinion: Cornell or Haverford. Definitely. And between the two, you will need to choose according to your personal inclination in terms of where you want to spend the next 4 years. Big research university vs. small LAC etc. I’m sure you are very much aware of all this.</p>
<p>Oregon State may give you better grades but I think 1. You’ll enjoy either of the other two much more, 2. Medical schools would be more impressed by Cornell or Haverford.</p>
<p>If you will be taking out substantial loans to attend Cornell or Haverford, then go to Oregon State.</p>
<p>While both Haverford and Cornell are excellent schools, if medical school is your goal, you want to minimize your debt since you will be taking out HUGE loans to attend med school.</p>
<p>Also take into account the regional opportunities that will or won’t be afforded to you. I’m not familiar with OSU’s location, but Cornell is very secluded. Yes, it’s near Ithaca, but no big city with all the opportunities that a city offers. Granted, it’s a large school so research shouldn’t be hard to find, but volunteering? internships? Haverford on the other hand, is both secluded and a quick train ride away from Philadelphia–full of hospitals, research, and all the perks a city can give you. On top of that, Haverford is in a sort of consortium with the local schools, so you won’t feel limited to the classes at Haverford since you can sign up for anything at Bryn Mawr or Penn.</p>
<p>Cornell is supposed to be devilishly hard for pre med students. Lots of competition and hard to get excellent grades. If you have good financial aid at OSU and can get good grades there, then go there. A’s in science pre-regs are very important. </p>
<p>Haverford would also have good opputunities if finances aren’t an issue.</p>
<p>Cornell and Haverford both meet full need so if you require need both will assist you. I do not know if they are also no loan but schools like these may only require you to take out Government subsidized loans so you would come out with less than 25k in debt. This to me seems reasonable given the quality of the schools here. Since medical school cost is likely to be much more, 25k would be a small addition to your debt. If, however you would be full pay at Haverford and Cornell you might save your money for medical school.
I would prefer Haverford for it’s more personal education, location in a safe suburb with easy access to a major city and the ability to take courses at Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, and U of Pennsylvania. It is also a much more collegial learning environment than Cornell which tends to be very competitive. My own personal opinion is that you might also develop better away from the comforts of your home environment and education in the private sector in the northeast is quite different than public education in the west.</p>
<p>The best combo of best personal fit/cheapest.
Make sure there is no debt after UG. Better yet negotiate Med. School financial support with your parents if choosing the cheapest UG. The goal is MD loan free.</p>