I am a high school senior and have already been accepted early to BC (fully on my own). I have yet to hear back from Dartmouth, but my application is being supported as an athlete (for my sport, they can only give a little bit of support, I still have to meet or nearly meet all requirements), so I am hopeful that I will be accepted. I plan on being pre-med in college, most likely a bio major, even though I have not taken AP Biology (is that bad?). I know how tough it is to get accepted into medical schools, and I do not want to possibly derail my future because of my college decision. Dartmouth’s medical school acceptance rate is higher, but will I struggle to be accepted to any medical schools if I am one of the weaker candidates at Dartmouth? At BC I would guess I would be a stronger candidate comparatively because it is not as competitive as Dartmouth. I could see myself at both schools, so that is not an issue. If I go to Dartmouth, is it likely that I will quickly be weeded out of pre-med? Most medical schools say prestige of undergrad does not matter, so will it be harmful for me as a premed to attend Dartmouth where my GPA will likely be lower (because it is a tougher school)? I know Dartmouth has superior research opportunities and teaching, and there are rarely any research opportunities at BC. Sorry I rambled a lot, but what are your opinions on this?
Wait until you hear back from Dartmouth.
Is cost a factor?
Do not assume that premed at Dartmouth is “tougher” than at BC.
It isn’t an issue unless you get into Dartmouth. But I agree that you should not assume that Dartmouth will be “harder” then BC.
Depending on the sport, playing at the D1 level and maintaining your GPA at a level necessary to get into Med school can be tough, so that may be a factor.
The new Carnegie classifications are out. (They come out every five years and were finalized on Feb 1)
BC moved up from the “higher” research level to the “highest” research level.
Dartmouth moved down from the “highest” research level to the “higher” level, but it has its own medical school, so the research mix may be skewed more in that direction.
Until you get accepted to Dartmouth you’re wasting your time trying to decide.