Hey guys,
Recently I have been getting acceptance and rejections from different colleges and now I have to settle on one. Scary times 
I am planning on majoring biology and hope to take the pre-med track. I am pretty sure I want to pursue medicine, the only reason I say things like āsafety planā is for when my gpa tanks for some reason and I have no hope in med school.
So hereās the run-down.
UNC-Chapel Hill:
pros:
higher ranking than others
heard they have an awesome premed program
has university hospital for internship and extra info + experience
cons:
super competitive classes (idk if I can get the solid GPAās)
heard rumors of racism? asian btw (i have no clue on how true this is and I am not trying to say anything about the people there)
not sure what I would do if pre-med doesnāt work out
UIUC:
pros
big school=big opportunities
heard great things about the engineering school (possibly a safety plan if I decide to ditch pre-med)
I got into biochemistry
con:
I havenāt heard anything about how well they prepare students for med school
lots of uncertainties in general mainly because of lack of information
U Minnesota: Twin Cities
pros:
received 10K grant per year for all 4 years (10k cheaper than UNC and UIUC)
I got into the Honors Program and it gives me a sort of assurance that I might do well in terms of gpa
Getting into the UHP (honors) program seems to help people find professors that will write recommendations, I donāt know how much that helps 
heard great things about chemical engineering (might be plan B if pre-med doesnāt work out)
cons:
I think it is the lowest ranking out of the schools I got into (idk how that will affect my chances in getting into med school)
U Washington
pros:
heard great things about the med school; donāt know how that affects my chances
cons:
I have almost 0 information about the school
I know that UNC is supposed to be the better school, but I donāt know how Iāll do there (in terms of getting a solid GPA to apply to med school) and people keep telling me how competitive it is at UNC. I am US citizen but am not instate for any other the colleges btw.
Anyone have any advice? Any and all will be much appreciated 
Thanks
I canāt comment about these schools specifically but here are some things to think about:
- Can you afford them all without loans? If the answer is no, pick your cheapest option. Med school is expensive. You don't want to pile on loans from undergrad.
- Switching into engineering is not always possible if you were not a direct admit. If that's your plan B and a plus for some of these schools, make sure that's even a possibility. I'm not sure it's that easy at UIUC.
Iām going to assume all of these schools are out of state. That being the case, thereās one thing to consider. The way the economy is crashing, you can expect a parent to lose a job in the near future, making these schools unaffordable VERY quickly. Prestige means nothing in medical school. Itās all about grades and MCAT scores. If they give preference to any school, itās going to be a state school, because state medical schools give preference to state residents going to state universities. In other words, if you want a solid shot at medical schoolā¦stay where youāre at.
I see, thank you so much for your reply. (a speedy one for that matter)
-First, my family is willing to pay for them and I donāt think I will be needing loans as I did receive some grants and some financial aids (so money isnāt really the biggest problem and plus, the four are in similar price ranges except U Minn)
-I honestly have no clue how easy it is or if it is even possible to change to engineering programs later on. If you have the time, would you be kind enough to share what you know? I really do not have nearly enough information as I am in a foreign country.
Anyways I really appreciate your reply :)) I wish you only the best in these scary times. Stay safe
Hi coolguy40, I see! This is new information to me (that med schools give preference to state residence going to state universities). But one thing, I donāt have in-state for any states as I have lived most of my life in a foreign country. However, I am an American citizen so Iām not considered an international student.
But thank you so much for the info. I really appreciate it
For UIUC, it will be difficult to transfer into the College of Engineering. https://grainger.illinois.edu/admissions/transfer-pathways
Generally, prestige of undergrad school is not a factor in med school admissions.
All these schools will be fine for pre-med, and you will have to work hard at all to maintain a high GPA and do well on the MCAT. All will provide ample opportunities for research and to get patient-facing experience.
Do you have preferences wrt size or geography?
One other thing should research is how you might establish residency in any of these states if you attend college thereā¦every state has its own rules. Not having a āhomeā state will be a disadvantage for med school, as residents have preference at the public med schools. Are you parents planning to move back to the states? If so, where?