<p>thanks for the post. I am copying that and saving it in Microsoft Word lol. I guess UT-Austin is the place for me! Let’s see if a summer visit can confirm this.</p>
<p>Where did you end up going to bassguitarking?</p>
<p>whats a good pre-med school in California? im transferring from a CC cause i couldnt afford a 4-year</p>
<p>I haven’t exactly read all the threads on this post, so I don’t know if this has already been addressed. But what if an undergrad school gives narrative evaluations in lieu of grades? I’m planning to take a couple classes (probably 6 over the four years) each summer when I go home at a nearby, mediocre university so I suppose those classes will make up what is my “GPA.” Do you guys think this will effect my chances of getting into med school, if all other pre-med requirements are met?</p>
<p>UCLA is great.</p>
<p>im 4th year student this coming school year…,and i want to take medicine…what premed should i take and where? just within the country where i live, in philippines…
PLEASE help me,…PLZ REPLY THIS POST.</p>
<p>I’m wondering how Northwestern’s premed program compares to the premed programs/preparation of, say, Washington U, Duke, Upenn, Stanford, and John Hopkins. For example, how’s their grade inflation, hospital internship opportunities, and biomed research in comparison to the other schools’?</p>
<p>To Overdue- I would be careful. Medical schools get thousands of applications, and they have a limited amount of time to devote to deciphering unusual grading systems. If you had such a transcript from a highly regarded college, then they would likely already have an opinion on what it means. If it is truly a “mediocre” university, then I doubt medical schools would be happy seeing courses with no grades. They would be even less enthusiastic about 6 summer school courses, particularly if they were the premed science courses. They would worry that you cannot handle the science courses as part of your regular workload in college, and that you were running to a less competitive situation to take these courses, and trying to boost your grades.</p>
<p>If you have some very good reason for doing this, rather than doing something that will enhance your application over the summer-working, research- then consult with your premed advisor before making this plan.</p>
<p>I’ve posted this in another thread before but currently I am considering between a full-ride at NYU with many perks and Duke. I understand that there is a great disparity between the prestige of these two schools but I’m trying to figure out what school would ultimately be the best for my success. Would a Duke degree get me a lot farther?</p>
<p>
…what?</p>
<p>Also, please read the FAQs: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/377780-premed-forum-faqs-read-first.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/pre-med-topics/377780-premed-forum-faqs-read-first.html</a></p>
<p>GS: Don’t sound surprised. Duke is one of the top four universities in the country.* NYU doesn’t belong anywhere near the top 64.</p>
<p>(*Along with Butler, Michigan State, and West Virginia.)</p>
<p>Your logic is indisputable BDM,* though I once heard on TV that Duke might be the worst school in the nation!</p>
<p>*Statement may or may not be true.</p>
<p>hey, i need some help choosing between jhu and mit as premed schools…
i prefer mit as a school but i’ve heard its harder to get into a medical school (any med school for that matter) from mit than it is from jhu…?
i know that part of the reason for this is that its more difficult to maintain a high gpa at mit… but if i go in with the intention of going to med school, picking classes that are relatively easier than others in order to maintain that gpa, will i be fine when it comes time to apply to med school?</p>
<p>I’m in the same situation but Yale vs MIT. Anyone have an experienced opinion?</p>
<p>Which school for premed, USC or Tulane with honors? and why?</p>
<p>Okay. Here are BDM’s 10 rules for picking a school.</p>
<p>1.) Cross off any school which rejected you.</p>
<p>2.) Cross off any school which will impose a major financial hardship on your family. It is up to you what this means, but as a general rule premeds shouldn’t take more than $50K in debt to attend college.</p>
<p>3.) Go on campus visits. Subjectively, did you really like any of the schools? Go there.</p>
<p>4.) Subjectively, did you really hate any of the schools? Cross them off.</p>
<hr>
<p>Did that settle the decision? If not…</p>
<p>5.) Cross off any schools which are within 150 miles of home.</p>
<p>6.) Look at the remaining schools. Cross off any schools where your SAT score is not near their median (either too high or too low is bad).</p>
<p>7.) Most people tend to prefer schools that are around 7000 students. If you’re one of them, cross off anything which is too much larger or too much smaller.</p>
<p>8.) Look for variety. Do the students tend to major in lots of different things? Or is it a school dominated by one or two fields? You want a varied school.</p>
<p>9.) Ask about the pre-professional advising provided by a school. Some schools do this very well; some do it very poorly.</p>
<p>10.) Finally, if you’re here and you still can’t make up your mind, then the answer is this: either choice is fine. Seriously. Flip a coin; decide based on food; follow that cute girl from high school that you have a crush on. At this point, any reason is fine.</p>
<hr>
<p>THINGS TO IGNORE:
–An honors program
–A “guaranteed” med program
–If your family is wealthy, money
–Whether you like the city
–What your neighbors say</p>
<p>Framed differently.</p>
<p>What are the 10 most important things about a school?</p>
<p>There are ten things to look for. In order of importance…</p>
<p>First, you have to get in. Seriously, Internet kids seem to take this for granted. Don’t worry about schools you haven’t gotten into. And DEFINITELY don’t worry about schools you haven’t applied to yet.</p>
<p>Second, it has to be affordable. If a school is going to impose a major financial hardship on your family, it usually isn’t worth it. It’s up to you and your family to decide what this means, but as a general rule try to avoid taking on more than $50K in loans.</p>
<p>Third, you have to not hate it. Go on a campus visit. Take a tour. Talk to students. Are they happy? You’re looking to get a sense of the school’s atmosphere.</p>
<p>Fourth, you have to enjoy it. Seriously. Go on that campus visit. Find the seniors there and talk to them. Do you admire them? Do you want to grow into being that kind of person? If so, pick that school.</p>
<hr>
<p>You said there were ten.</p>
<p>Sure, but those are the four that really matter. The other six don’t matter nearly as much.</p>
<p>Okay. Fine. I went through your four and I still have seven schools left. How do I choose among them?</p>
<p>Fifth, the best school is usually far away from home. Ideally, not driving distance. If you still have options left, you should pick a school which is more than 150 miles away. Of course, if you have particularly neurotic parents, you may need to pick something even farther. This time in your life is supposed to be a sign of independence, growth, and stretching out. It’s important to be far away. Plus, it’s important to learn about different parts of the country, too. Just think of it like a study abroad.</p>
<p>Sixth, you want to be a good academic match for your program. In practice, the easiest way to do this is to cross off any school where your SAT is way higher or way lower than their medians. You want to be surrounded by peers, and academics is one good way to measure that. (Use the whole university’s SAT score for this exercise. If their engineering school or Honors college or whatever is higher, ignore it. Use the whole university’s score.)</p>
<p>Seventh, you want a reasonably-sized student body. Most of the kids I know tend to like schools around 7000 undergraduate students – about the size of your average Ivy League. Smaller and it can get claustrophobic; larger, and you don’t get the kind of attention that premeds need. Some kids like it bigger and some like it smaller; that’s fine. But most people tend to prefer a school that’s about 7000 undergrads.</p>
<p>Eighth, you want a “field-diverse” school. Look at the student body – if they tend to study the same thing (or have the same extracurriculars), it’s not preferable. Premeds thrive on the opportunity to participate in lots of different things, and it’s good to have a campus that will expose you to an interdisciplinary education.</p>
<p>Ninth, make sure the school has good advising. Some schools are better at this than others, but you want a department which is competent, friendly, centralized, experienced, and knowledgeable. If you can’t find this, then it’s a red flag. If they have a bad reputation, that’s also a red flag.</p>
<hr>
<p>Okay. I’m down to just a couple schools left. They all seem pretty great by your first nine criteria. How do I choose?</p>
<p>Ten? Anything you like.</p>
<p>Anything?</p>
<p>Yes, anything. By this point, all the schools remaining are good schools for you. You can pick for any reason. Do you like the food better at one place? Are the dorms nicer? Is that cute girl from your high school going? Really. Any reason is fine.</p>
<hr>
<p>Wait, that leaves out a lot of things.</p>
<p>Like what?</p>
<p>Well, this one school offered me a guaranteed spot into their med program.</p>
<p>Not important. If you could get into a program like that, you’re the kind of kid who will get in in a few years anyway. You’ll be fine with or without it.</p>
<p>Well, this other school offered me a spot in their Honors College. Again, not terribly important. The climate of the school is determined by the school as a whole – academic, social, etc. If you really don’t like a school, it’s unlikely that its Honors program is going to be much better.</p>
<p>I really like the city.</p>
<p>Again, not important. For one thing, your life is going to revolve around your campus. For another thing, it’s good to experience the different sides of America – even including cities you don’t think you’ll like. Of course, safety is another question entirely. Obviously safety matters. But if you think that Raleigh is boring or Chicago is gloomy or Ithaca has nothing to do… don’t worry about it.</p>
<p>My family is rich, but this school is a lot more expensive than the other one.</p>
<p>As long as it won’t impose a financial hardship on your family, then I’d ignore cost. You have to live for four years there, and you’ll carry the degree around with you for the rest of your life. It’s important to go someplace you like.</p>
<p>My Aunt Polly’s son went to our local school, and he’s doing just fine.</p>
<p>Congratulations to Polly’s son. Don’t make decisions based off of anecdotes. And don’t make decisions off of people like Aunt Polly, or the neighbor down the street, or that lady in your grandmother’s Mah Jong group. They don’t matter.</p>
<hr>
<p>**What matters is this: you aren’t just going to be a premedical student. Most schools serve that function just fine. But they’re often unequal in other ways.</p>
<p>You are also going to be a student of history, and English, and literature, and physics, and economics, and political science, and psychology. You’re going to learn about basketball, and sweet tea, and that girl downstairs with a smile that lights up the whole room. You’ll learn how to take notes, how to throw a surprise birthday party, how to scurry across campus when you’re late for an exam, how to speak to people when they’re mad or scared or stressed out, and how to build friendships.</p>
<p>You’re not *just *there to become a doctor. You’re there to grow up. Pick whatever school helps you do that the best.**</p>
<p>My son got into Stony Brook (Honors), Binghampton, and USP (University of the Sciences in Philadelphia)…
He wants USP. I’m concerned about the price vs. quality, compared to StonyBrook or Bing. I’m concerned he’ll be bored in Bing…(concerned is going to be my state of mind for a while)</p>
<p>Any advice out there?</p>
<p>My son got in to YALE and Princeton. Which one is good for pre-med?</p>
<p>I’m in the LA area, planning on attending Azusa Pacific University for my undergrad schooling, and I have three questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>As far as my major, which do med schools like most? I understand that they don’t necessarily always like a bio major; which others are good ideas? English, business?</p></li>
<li><p>How difficult is it to complete and excel in a premed program while playing collegiate sports? I may be on the soccer team at APU next year.</p></li>
<li><p>How do UCLA (and other UC schools), USC, and the Stanford med schools rank?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>(If it matters, I want to pursue emergency medicine and be an ER doctor soemday)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I have to slightly disagree, or maybe expand upon this a little bit - some schools offer guaranteed admission into affiliated med schools, available to those who meet GPA or other criteria - that is, it’s not something that’s only offered to a select few at matriculation-time. While most I’ve heard of still require the student take a fixed set of courses and the MCAT (with no or a low “passing score” requirement), I’m referring to those that are available to any undergrad, not a combined (undergrad+med school) program. </p>
<p>Roughly half of med school applicants won’t be offered admission anywhere, so having that guaranteed admission offer in your back pocket takes a lot of the stress out the application cycle, itself a prolonged and soul-crushing process - up to a year (or more.) </p>
<p>Overall, though, your points are great - and good point about “finances” - if you’re serious about attending medical school, this is at or near the top consideration. Graduating with a large undergraduate debt can put attending med school all-but out-of-reach for some, unless they go the .mil route or similar.</p>