<p>There are a lot of factors for you to consider. UNC is VERY strong in the sciences and has a brand new science complex that is state of the art. </p>
<p>UNC and UW are fairly different places. I did my undergrad in Wisconsin and am very familiar with UW and Madison in general.</p>
<p>Both Pitt and UW are good schools but neither is as highly ranked overall as UNC. UW offers an undergrad experience more like that of UNC but it is a HUGE school by comparison and far less personal. Science, Math and English classes can be enormous. UNC caps enrollment is Math and English classes and I know for a fact that my son’s Honors orgo classes had only about 40 people in them.</p>
<p>Pitt has high number of commuter students and is certainly a VERY urban campus. I grew up less than 60 miles from there and my dad actually has two Masters degrees from there.</p>
<p>Until you have a better picture of the finances it’s hard to give you anything more than random facts to consider. If finances were equal or close to equal or were not in consideration I would say UNC hands down because, of the three, it provides the best mix of academics, campus life and Chapel Hill is perhaps the best college town in the US. If you have not visited you need to before making a decision. It’s both big enough to offer incredible opportunities across the board as well as in in research and small enough for you to be able to take advantage of them and not feel lost in the crowd. Chapel Hill and UNC are intertwined and feed from each other. It’s difficult for outsiders to determine where the town or university stop and start. While UW certainly impacts Madison, its relationship is more akin to that of Ohio State and Columbus; both would survive without the other. UNC really IS Chapel Hill and vice versa.</p>
<p>UNC carries enough cache or prestige to matter in med school applications. By that I mean that med schools know how tough an undergrad admit to UNC is…it’s a much tougher ticket to punch than Pitt or UW. That fact was brought up in virtually every med school interview he went on.</p>
<p>At UNC you can get involved with research in the sciences or at the med school as early as freshman year. That’s not so easily done at UW because of the sheer number of people competing for those spots and because the grad school is so much bigger you are often competing with grad students for those positions.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if finances are a big determining issue I would say go with the $$ because med school is VERY expensive and there is not much merit money out there for med students…plenty of loans but not much in the way of scholarships or grants.</p>
<p>My son graduated from UNC in 2008 after turning down Yale, Princeton, Wash U and others to accept a Morehead Scholarship at UNC. His preparation for med school was excellent. Including my son there are currently five from among his close circle of friends who are second year med students at Harvard, Hopkins, Baylor, UTSouthwestern, and Cornell Weill Med schools and another who took several years off is considering several offers right now. And just in case you were wondering only one of those other four was a fellow Morehead. He also has several friend at UNC’s Med school both in the regular program and the MD/Ph.D programs.</p>
<p>It is a mistake to look at medical schools as an indicator of undergrad education or to factor that into a decision for several reasons. First and foremost, most medical schools actually limit the number of their own undergrads that they accept. Go to the Pre-med forums here on CC for validation of that fact.</p>
<p>Weigh the merits of each undergrad institution on their own-keep all thoughts of the med school on the side.</p>
<p>FWIW, UNC’s med school is currently ranked #2 for family practice so it’s hard to argue with its ranking vs Pitt. Again, this should not be a part of your decision making process.</p>
<p>Graduating debt free should not be taken lightly. That said, there is a big difference between going to a school like Youngstown State for free and paying to attend UNC. Will they both prepare you for med school? Sure. Will one help more in the process? No doubt. Will the undergrad experience be worlds apart? Unquestionably.</p>
<p>I know were aren’t using YSU here as one of the choices I merely wanted to illustrate a point. Many studies have shown that overall fit and happiness are big determining factors in undergrad success which obviously is important given that med school acceptance is based on performance. I have said this many times but what happens AFTER classes end each day can determine how you do in those classes. Would you rather be someplace where the sun shines more and the weather is more temperate or somewhere that is gray and cold most of the time that you are in school? I can tell you from experience that being away from home and family with the weather below zero for extended periods of time and seemingly endless days of gray skies can seriously impact your mental state especially when already stressed about school.</p>
<p>What school provides the best fit? </p>
<p>Like I said earlier, there are still many questions that need answers before trying to make a decision. Wait until you have all the facts regarding finances if it is important before making yourself crazy trying to weigh options. Right now it’s an uneven playing field. Give it some time to clear up.</p>
<p>Finally and I know I am repeating myself here, if you haven’t visited UNC you really need to because it is nothing like the other schools you have mentioned.</p>