<p>Is BS or BA better for a pre-med student trying to get into med school?</p>
<p>I’d do USC.</p>
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<p>Not relevant. Some of the best Universities in the world don’t offer a BS, even in physical sciences/math.</p>
<p>It depends on your financial situation. USC quoted a 55% med school acceptance rate when we attended the Explore weekend. I’m not sure about Dartmouth’s acceptance rate. Son received Trustee at USC. Also accepted to Brown and Cornell. We’re probably in a similar situation. Brown has a 81% med school acceptance rate. Son will attend the Brown admitted student event next week. Currently is leaning towards Brown. Although the scholarship from USC is big amount, the difference in placement rate is large enough that we may let him go to Brown. And this is coming from a USC alum parent</p>
<p>Are you full pay at Dartmouth? Would you have to take out loans to go?</p>
<p>It will all depend on how much your son applies himself in school… Trust me save the money for med school.</p>
<p>ngongs:</p>
<p>While I am a big fan of Brown for preprofessional – highest mean gpa around – don’t get fooled by med admit rates. Most, if not all, are questionable at best. The question you need to ask is what is in the denominator. And then ask what is the numerator. Allopathic? Osteopathic? Caribbean? </p>
<p>Think about it: if the absolute best universities in the country, Harvard, Yale and Stanford) don’t have anything close to an 81% admit rate, how can Brown possibly pull that off? Do they really have some ‘secret sauce’? (Btw: don’t forget, that Brown has it’s own built-in guarantee, the PLME program, with a 100% acceptance rate of high schoolers. Deduct that # from both the numerator and denominator.)</p>
<p>^I would double check that PLME is even in that calculation. I’m pretty sure I heard that PLME students are not.</p>
<p>Don’t base UG decisions on advertised medical school placement rates. They are at their best a garbage statistic and at their worst a well-conjured lie. All schools under consideration (Brown, USC, or Dartmouth) would serve a pre-med student very well indeed. Make the decision on some (any?) other factor.</p>
<p>Take the cheapest UG route and do your best there (given that you actually like all of them and feel that they are all good match to your personality and wide range of interests). College does not prepare you, you yourself do it. Opportunities are everywhere, more are open to the best, none to the worst.</p>