Emory vs UNC Chapel Hill for Premed

Without considering the cost of both schools since they both covered costs through financial aid, I wanted to know which schools would perhaps provide more opportunities?
Emory has the CDC and a great med school and is in a city, UNC chapel hill is in RTP and has a great med school too.

Does it really matter which school is better at this point in terms of premed outlook? Not sure how the grade deflation works at both institutes but I am thinking they are about the same?

Since there doesn’t seem a deal breaker for premed at both schools, do I just choose the school where I find the environment better? Like Emory campus is beautiful compared to UNC where a lot of the buildings are pretty old which is kind of a turn off for me. Classes are also smaller at emory compared to UNC.

Both schools are on the same level of prestige and I am so torn because I have done so much research and I still don’t know which one is better.

I am a transfer btw; also a nc resident; and from a community college.

If you are a NC resident, isn’t it a lot cheaper for you?

If $ is not a factor then it seems like you prefer Emory. As you said they are pretty equal in terms of prestige, but Emory will have the advantages of a smaller and private school. Emory will also have a lot more geographic diversity.

You never mentioned sports which would be the one area where UNC clearly has the advantage.

As far as premed both will be excellent but I would rather go where you have a better chance of connecting with professors. That’s Emory.

Choose the school where you think you will shine academically - your UG GPA ( both cumulative and BCMP = sGPA) is an important criterion along with MCAT score used by medical schools.

Do you want to live in Atlanta, or Raleigh Durham during college?

I don’t mind living in either.

You state: “Without considering the cost of both schools since they both covered costs through financial aid…”

If medical school is in the future, the type of FA you are receiving is a huge concern, since UG debt will be following you all through med school.
So what’s the COA to you for each school annually? And how is that funded-grants/scholarships/loans?

Medical school is impressively expensive and there are few scholarships/grants, so it’s mostly loans-lots and lots of loans.

So what’s the cost of attendance for you at each school?

I got full tuition covered at both schools with financial aid which is why I said to not consider the cost of both schools.

But how is it covered? Grants, scholarships, or loans? That’s why I asked the question; if one school is all grants, and the other loans, there’s a big difference.

Full Tuition is different from a Full Ride. You will need to pay for Room and Board, Books and Fees, Travel Expenses to get to and from college several times each year, and personal expenses.

UNC might have lower travel costs for you. Plus, the uncertainty of Covid issues and possible interruptions in on campus classes might give You more reasons to stay in NC and attend UNC.

Compare how each school decides which students they will support in applying to Med Schools. That can affect the percentage of students accepted into med school, so you want to know if they will support everyone or just pick the best students to write recommendation letters for.

@powercropper raises a important point.

A health profession committee essentially pre-screen who is and is no a strong med school applicant and can deny recommendation letters to anyone the committee feels has a low chance for an acceptance. Undergrads can manipulate their med school acceptance numbers this way.

UNC does not use a committee letter for pre-meds applying to med school; Emory does.

@WayOutWestMom

How do you know which school uses a committee letter? Is this on their website?

Check the health profession advising office webpage for any school–the info will be there.

Or you can google name of college + “health profession committee letter”

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