emory vs ga tech for pre-med?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Georgia Institute of Technology
1

<p>ok so there's about a 90% chance that ill be going to either emory or ga tech (3 waitlisted colleges make up the other 10%) and i wanna do premed and probably work in radiology eventually. so ive basically narrowed it down to majoring in biology @ emory or majoring im BME at tech. im personally the math - science type of person, if that matters. so heres what i have so far?</p>

<p>Emory:
pros: more prestige - private, ranked 18th nationally; more research opportunities; higher chance of being accepted into med school, personally like the campus setting better, easier grading curve
cons: expensive (~$29k/year that my parents will have to pay, which is just below our EFC), bio major offers limited careers outside medicine</p>

<p>Ga tech:
pros: cheap cost (~$11k/year, thats being instate and after subtracting HOPE scholarship), bme engineering offers more career choices
cons: less prestigious -35th rank; harsh grading curve; engineering majors supposedly very hard work; didn't get into honors program (as of right now), dont prefer the downtown atlanta setting as much, overall not as good at preparing for professional school</p>

<p>so what do you guys thing, and do you agree w/ my pros and cons?</p>

2

<p>it depends on how smart you are. if you can maintain a very high gpa at tech with engineering (very hard to do) then tech, if not then emory. tech isn’t really in a “downtown” setting, our campus is actually gorgeous and not citylike at all</p>

3

<p>I disagree with your assessment on several points. First of all, BME is ranked more highly at GT(Top three in the Nation) than Biology at Emory(34th for Biological Sciences and no specialties are ranked in the top 10), and both are very well known and highly regarded schools. Your use of ranking to say Emory is far more prestigious is not truly that accurate nor do I think Emory has significantly better,if any better, name recognition. In any event, I wouldn’t focus to heavily on rankings to make a decision between these two schools. Both are excellent.</p>

<p>On Research, there are tons of research opportunities for undergraduates at Georgia Tech, and the BME program would actually allow you to do research with professors at Emory if you so choose. GT also has a research option, which allows you have your dedication to research noted on your transcript if you complete at least 9 hours of undergraduate research and write a thesis or other substantial report. [Undergraduate</a> Research Opportunities Program at Georgia Tech ::](<a href=“http://www.undergradresearch.gatech.edu/]Undergraduate”>http://www.undergradresearch.gatech.edu/)
<a href=“http://www.undergradresearch.gatech.edu/documents/Research%20Options%20Brochure.pdf[/url]”>http://www.undergradresearch.gatech.edu/documents/Research%20Options%20Brochure.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Medical schools will not care whether you went to Georgia Tech or Emory for undergrad… Both are highly regarded tier 1 schools, and Emory gives you no advantage here. Both send many people to medical school, and their acceptance rates are identical(52% for GT and 53% for Emory)</p>

<p>As far as the grading curve goes…You may have to work harder at tech, but medical school is extremely rigorous and tech will help you learn to skills needed to be successful in medical school. If you would rather go to Emory so you can slack of more and still get a high GPA, I question your dedication?</p>

<p>As an anecdote, Robert J. Beaulieu, B.S. Biomedical Engineering, Emory University School of Medicine Class of 2011 had the following to say: “Attending Georgia Tech was the single factor that best prepared me for success in medical school. That’s not to say it was the only one, but rather that the style of education, the level of scientific inquiry and the expectations of the students characteristic of Georgia Tech have proven to be irreplaceable assets in my medical education. I doubt I would be in the same place now had I not learned those skills in undergrad”</p>

<p>If you choose Emory because you like the people/feel of the campus and surrounding area or your like their biology program more than GT BME program, those are legitimate reasons, but your focus on things like “prestige” and “ease” and a little off-base if you truly want to find the right university for you.</p>

<p>Other things to keep in mind about tech and pre-med:
Georgia Tech has a office specifically set up for Pre-Health advising which offers the following:
*a knowledgeable advisor and personal assistant
*appointments, walk-in hours, and email services for any questions you have
*a wide array of books/information on numerous health schools
*workshops concerning letters of evaluation, personal statements, and applications
*mock interviews
*a website/T-Square site/list serve
*a pre-health conference
*a chapter of the American Medical Student Association(AMSA)
*easy access to Grady Hospital, Good Samaritan Clinic, and various other hospitals and clinics where you can obtain experience/get a job/volunteer time.</p>

<p>For further information you can visit [Pre-Health</a> Home](<a href=“http://www.prehealth.gatech.edu/]Pre-Health”>http://www.prehealth.gatech.edu/).</p>

<p>Hope that helps/best of luck in your college decision process!</p>

4

<p>The only thing that matter’s to med schools that Tech and Emory differ in is GPA…go with Emory.</p>

5

<p>As an Emory student, I’d say Emory all the way. Don’t worry about name or recognition or any of that crap; all medical schools care about the is GPA and MCAT. The former will come to you MUCH more easily at Emory.</p>

<p>As such, I wouldn’t worry about career opportunities. If you know med school is where you want to go, put your all into it. GT BME may provide you an alternate career path, but it also may force you onto that path.</p>

<p>In fact, you might find UGA would make getting into med school easier due to your inevitably higher GPA, but the party atmosphere would make things more difficult. Emory’s expensive, but the GPA and atmosphere are right for your goals.</p>

<p>P.S. after living at Emory you might change your mind about not preferring downtown atlanta…suburbia’s boring when you’re car-less and your only alternative is MARTA.</p>

6

<p>Why don’t OP picks UGA honor program instead of Emory U for pre-medical if he wants easier routine? It is certainly even easier to get higher GPA in UGA and cost far less than Emory U. I know several kids who did pick that routine and who all had almost perfect SAT.</p>

7

<p>Isn’t the idea of going to medical school to be a service to others? To do this, I would think you would want to work your ass off in med school and residency so that you are confident ignorance will play as little role as possible in your medical career. This type of attitude and the skills needed to facilitate it are cultivated by the rigor of tech. If you are going to work hard at emory or uga to prepare yourself and prefer those universities for others reasons, that is great. But if you are just looking for the easy way out I would question wether medicine is the right field for you… It is not like it is impossible to get a 4.0 at tech. It just requires more work, better time management skills, and more dedication to what you choose to study. These should be desirable qualities for someone preparing for the even greater challenges that medical school presents. </p>

<p>On a side note,being a pre-med student is about so much more than GPA. Yes, you need a strong GPA, but you also to to cultivate other less quantifiable attributes. I hate seeing so many pre-med students who care more about getting a high gpa than becoming good people. Both are important, both are required, and to neglect one for the other is both a dis-service to yourself and your future patients. Wherever you choose to go, it should be based more on choosing a place where you can excel as both a person and a student and that will prepare you well. It shouldn’t be about perceived ease… If you love what you do working hard is not burdensome and is actually more rewarding in the end…</p>

8

<p>It takes work to obtain a 4.0 anywhere…you are not gonna skate by in college and get a 4.0 at Tech, Emory, or UGA honors. It requires more work to get a 4.0 at Tech, but the moment that the OP slips up and gets a bad gpa one semester, its done…I’ve seen it happen to countless individuals here who think that they can do it. They end up getting too many B’s one semester or they got a C in calc III and physics II and they just accept whats coming. Like Sherman said, Tech might force you down a career path that you’re mind wasn’t quite set on…the OP may end up settling for an engineering degree. </p>

<p>It’s true that being a doctor is more than scores and gpa, and to an extent, med schools recognize that by paying some attention to clinical and research experience. But if you spend more time studying at Tech than you would at Emory, thats less time you have to do research or volunteer elsewhere. There’s only so much you can do, and GT takes up a lot of that time in academics. There are people who go to med school from Tech, but the smart ones (read, the ones who actually make it into med school) are not engineering majors.</p>

9

<p>Georgia Tech sends many engineering majors to medical school. And if ones looks at acceptance rates to medical school nationally, engineers consistently receive admissions at a rate 5-6% higher than that of there biology major counterparts. This may be for a variety of reasons, but what it shows is that engineering and pre-med are compatible.</p>

10

<p>GPA is so important for med school. my brother got a super high MCAT but a rather low GPA at tech, and he didn’t get into emory’s med school… i’m talking super super high MCAT. however, everyone tells me that because its gtech, employers and med schools see that its a rigorous school… </p>

<p>frankly, i decided on tech precisely because of the fact that i’d have a good degree, lots of opportunities to work(co-op) and research. i am planning on applying to med school, but i feel secure knowing that i can have backup options if that doesn’t work out. </p>

<p>i say focus less on prestige and more on quality of programs, opportunities you will have, and of course how much you and your family like the school overall. </p>

<p>anyway, isn’t it too late if you haven’t decided by now? the deadline was yesterday so this advice may be a little late.</p>